Chapter 44: Your Girlfriend?

Soon, the phone rang again.

Yi Qingzhuo crossed her arms, her cool brow furrowed.

“Answer it. What if it’s something important?” Shen Chaoyi slowed the car so Yi Qingzhuo could take the call.

Yi Qingzhuo grabbed the phone and hung up again. “No need.”

She knew who it was.

Shen Chaoyi was about to speak, but the words died in her throat.

She wanted to ask if that was Yi Qingzhuo’s girlfriend.

But she also realized she didn’t have the standing to ask that question.

She was just someone Yi Qingzhuo had known for less than a month. If it weren’t for her injury, they would have only been strangers who brushed past each other once at her internet cafe.

Shen Chaoyi knew she couldn’t cross that line.

In the end, she only glanced at the phone, which had returned to the navigation screen, and kept driving without a word.

The caller on the other end didn’t try again.

“Your girlfriend?”

After who knows how long of silence, Shen Chaoyi spoke hesitantly.

Her voice was so soft, as if afraid to wake Yi Qingzhuo. If Yi Qingzhuo had been asleep, she definitely wouldn’t have heard it.

Today, for the first time, Shen Chaoyi’s iron self-control lost its grip.

Yi Qingzhuo wasn’t asleep, so of course she heard clearly.

Her brows tightened, as if she were thinking about that reckless young lady on the other end of the line—the naïve, ignorant one who had left nothing but absurd memories from her youth. “No.”

After saying that, Yi Qingzhuo tilted her head, pondering for a moment. “What made you think that?”

Shen Chaoyi had secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but the moment she heard Yi Qingzhuo’s question, her heart lifted again. “Ah…”

Her bright eyes flickered, then she broke into a gentle smile. “Don’t misunderstand. I only thought that because I saw the note on your contact and remembered you said you had no friends.”

Even though Yi Qingzhuo was staring at her intently, Shen Chaoyi still felt that hidden worry dissolve completely.

Yi Qingzhuo said calmly, “Not a friend, and not a girlfriend.”

Shen Chaoyi’s smile deepened. “Mm. Take your time. You’ll have one.”

“A girlfriend or a friend?” A faint trace of amusement appeared in Yi Qingzhuo’s eyes.

Somehow, she felt that even though the air conditioner was set to the same temperature, it was noticeably warmer now than before.

That faint, intangible chill had vanished.

Shen Chaoyi almost answered without thinking. “Both.”

“You’re that sure?”

Even Yi Qingzhuo herself wasn’t that confident.

Shen Chaoyi let out a soft laugh. “You’re not bad either. You need to have confidence. Someone will look past the ordinary surface and see your interesting inner self.”

“Like who?” Yi Qingzhuo raised an eyebrow.

Shen Chaoyi pressed her lips together, smiled, and said nothing.

Like me.

The drive wasn’t long. After just a few exchanges, Shen Chaoyi steadily parked the car next to the internet cafe.

“We’re here. Let’s get out.” Shen Chaoyi unbuckled her seatbelt.

She deliberately didn’t answer Yi Qingzhuo’s question.

Learning from Yi Qingzhuo: don’t listen, can’t hear, don’t answer, selectively deaf.

With that, Shen Chaoyi pushed open the door and got out.

Yi Qingzhuo watched Shen Chaoyi’s graceful figure flicker for a moment before the door cut her off.

Yi Qingzhuo pressed her tongue against her back teeth, the line of her jaw becoming more pronounced.

She pushed the door open and looked up at the sign above the internet cafe.

At this hour, the streets were full of office workers and students, so there were fewer people coming to surf the internet.

That’s why the internet cafe usually opened around ten.

“Did you bring the keys?” Seeing Yi Qingzhuo standing motionless by the car, Shen Chaoyi thought she hadn’t expected to return to the cafe and had forgotten them.

Yi Qingzhuo adjusted the brim of her cap, showing no irritation. “No, but there’s someone inside.”

As she spoke, she strode toward the cafe’s main entrance.

The door wasn’t locked. Yi Qingzhuo grabbed the handle, a thin layer of dust already gathered on the glass.

Because Yi Qingzhuo had been hospitalized recently, Yi Changhuan had been staying with her and had no energy to look after the cafe.

Before, besides Yi Qingzhuo cleaning the place herself, Yi Changhuan would often come by to help tidy up whenever she had free time.

Sometimes Yi Qingzhuo didn’t even need to clean for over a month—Yi Changhuan came that frequently.

Yi Changhuan always thought about how she had let Yi Qingzhuo down over the years.

So she did her best to ease the pressure of Yi Qingzhuo’s life, only wanting her to be well, safe, and happy.

Yi Qingzhuo pushed the door open. A few small lamps were already lit inside, keeping the dim internet cafe from being pitch-black.

The moment her left foot crossed the threshold, a dark mass rushed at her suddenly.

Yi Qingzhuo reacted quickly, pulling back her leg and positioning her body in front of Shen Chaoyi to shield her from any accidental collision.

Arms crossed, she looked at the whirlwind of a person with a faint chill.

Her voice carried a thin layer of anger. “Xia Qinyu!”

Xia Qinyu had failed to clutch the leg of the sister she had been longing for, and was mercilessly dodged.

Regaining her balance, she was utterly heartbroken. Her big, sparkling eyes rolled around as she protested, “Sis, am I still your most beloved treasure? I’ve been thinking of you day and night. The moment I graduated, I came back overnight to see you. And this is how you treat me—not answering calls, not replying to texts.”

“Didn’t my mom tell you where the keys are? You were supposed to take your luggage home first. You insisted on coming to the cafe instead.” Yi Qingzhuo remained unmoved.

Originally, Yi Changhuan was supposed to pick her up at the airport today.

But Xia Qinyu refused, saying she could find her way.

She was grown up now and could stand on her own. To prove her ability, she insisted on coming back by herself.

As for the unanswered calls, it was because Xia Qinyu was too noisy. Every time Yi Qingzhuo talked to her, it was like listening to a non-stop rap concert, with her voice cramming up Yi Qingzhuo’s ears.

So as long as Yi Qingzhuo knew why she was calling, she didn’t want to pick up.

“I didn’t get it clearly, okay? I thought you were discharged. At this time, you should be working at the cafe. I just wanted to see you as soon as possible.” Xia Qinyu was impulsive, hanging up after only a few words.

She had thought Yi Qingzhuo was already out of the hospital.

Before the whole Zhou You incident, the discharge was scheduled for two days ago.

Yi Qingzhuo gave her a look. “You’ve grown up, sure, but your impulsive nature hasn’t changed one bit.”

“Hmph, you haven’t changed either.” Xia Qinyu wasn’t about to back down.

Yi Qingzhuo suddenly stepped back, and Shen Chaoyi, caught off guard, nearly bumped into her shoulder.

She managed to stop just in time without hitting her.

But no sooner had she steadied herself than she heard Yi Qingzhuo’s stern voice, which made her flinch.

Shen Chaoyi peeked out to see the girl Yi Qingzhuo had just scolded coldly.

If she heard right, her name was Xia Qinyu.

Xia Qinyu wore a light green dress, carried a white backpack, and had her hair in a high ponytail—the neat look of a college student.

She called Yi Qingzhuo “Sis”?

Wasn’t Yi Qingzhuo an only child? Where did this sister come from?

Before Shen Chaoyi could sort out her thoughts, Xia Qinyu spotted her peeking out and widened her eyes in surprise, never expecting Yi Qingzhuo to bring someone to the cafe.

Her gaze swept over Shen Chaoyi before settling on her radiant, stunning face.

“Beautiful Sister, hello there.” Xia Qinyu extended her hand, wiggling her fingers.

But the next second, she received a cold glare from Yi Qingzhuo.

Xia Qinyu shrank her neck and withdrew her hand in dissatisfaction.

Yi Qingzhuo moved aside and made the introduction. “This is Xia Qinyu, my cousin. Her mother is my aunt—they’re full sisters. But because her parents are stuck elsewhere with work and can’t come back for now, she came to me first.”

“This is Doctor Shen. She’s my… friend.”

Shen Chaoyi’s eyes flickered with surprise at the words.

Yi Qingzhuo had classified her as a friend?

That realization made the smile on her face grow even wider. She reached out and briefly clasped Xia Qinyu’s hand. “Hello.”

So this must be the person Yi Qingzhuo had saved as “Little Ancestor” in her phone, right?

“Doctor Sister…” Xia Qinyu took two steps forward, trying to get closer to Shen Chaoyi.

But as soon as she approached, the back of her collar was grabbed, and Yi Qingzhuo yanked her away like a chick. “Call her Doctor Shen. Rude kid.”

Xia Qinyu was only about 5’2″, and Yi Qingzhuo easily pulled her aside.

Under the pressure of Yi Qingzhuo’s aura, she could only shake her clothes in dissatisfaction.

Standing upright, she completely ignored Yi Qingzhuo and flashed a sweet smile at Shen Chaoyi. “Doctor Sister, you’re so pretty.”

Before anything else was said, Xia Qinyu showered her with compliments, her eyes full of delight.

She had seen many Eastern beauties abroad, and plenty of Western ones too.

But seeing Shen Chaoyi, Xia Qinyu couldn’t help but brighten up.

Shen Chaoyi’s beauty was the cultured kind—the kind that came from deep reading. Her features were subtly touched with elegance and a scholarly air.

Dressed in simple clothes, with a slender waist and graceful figure, she was captivating.

Xia Qinyu didn’t hide her praise, which made Shen Chaoyi smile. She raised an eyebrow. “You’re very cute too.”

Not just cute—she had a lively energy.

“Really? Doctor Sister, you have great taste.” Flattered in return, Xia Qinyu’s eyes crinkled with laughter.

“Xia Qinyu!” Yi Qingzhuo’s eyes held a warning.

With Yi Qingzhuo blocking her way, Xia Qinyu couldn’t get anywhere near Shen Chaoyi, so she just tilted her head to look at her.