My Girlfriend is a Cold and Aloof Sickly Beauty 230

Chapter 230: A Rebel

After scattering the rice and casting the baited fishing rod, Sui Jingyu sat on her small stool, waiting for a bite.

She hadn’t expected the “since you’re already here” excuse to actually work and keep Qi Mu, who had been preparing to leave, around. Qi Mu was currently sitting on the foldable bucket she had brought, hugging her knees and staring at the water, lost in thought.

“How did you get here? Bus? Taxi? Or did you walk?” Sui Jingyu asked casually.

“Bus, then walked,” Qi Mu replied.

“…I come here often, and the bus stop is quite far,” Sui Jingyu frowned slightly. “Then how are you planning to go back?”

Qi Mu, however, fell silent, then murmured after a while, “I don’t know.”

Sui Jingyu thought she had misheard and let out a confused “Huh?”

How could she not know? Hadn’t she just listed all the methods? And if all else failed, she could call her family’s driver, she remembered the Qi family having one.

“Someone I don’t really want to see will be waiting for me,” Qi Mu’s voice lowered. “So I want to… go back later.”

Sui Jingyu could roughly guess who she was referring to, but she didn’t think avoiding someone could solve the problem, so she reminded her, “But if that person really cares about you, even if you go back after dark, they’ll still be waiting for you, right? That… although it’s a bit chuunibyou, do you know the term ‘yandere’?”

Seeing Qi Mu shake her head, she immediately searched for it on her phone and showed her.

“I have an idea, but whether or not to use it is up to you,” she continued after Qi Mu finished reading. “I can give you a ride back on my bike, and then you can stay at my house for a while. That person, seeing this, will understand that you want to avoid her, and also realize that she’s not the only ‘good friend’ who cares about you.”

She deliberately emphasized the last phrase, trying to subtly make Qi Mu aware of Huang Qi’s unhealthy possessiveness.

Qi Mu didn’t reply, then said after a moment of silence, “Is this me betraying our friendship?”

Sui Jingyu: …

The good news was that Qi Mu still only saw Huang Qi as a friend, they weren’t in a deeper relationship.

The bad news was that Qi Mu was questioning her suggestion.

She thought about it, then honestly shared her thoughts, “Let me just ask you this: how do you feel about temporarily distancing yourself from her? Do you feel even a little bit relieved?”

“…Yes.”

“Then there you go,” Sui Jingyu said seriously. “I remember your family is a medical family, right? Think about allergy symptoms in spring. If your immunity is low, of course you should avoid the allergen! Like today, your condition isn’t good, so you’re allergic to beef, but tomorrow, when your condition improves, you won’t be allergic anymore. Is there anything wrong with you not eating beef today?”

Qi Mu was stunned, then instinctively agreed, “No problem.”

“Same principle, you don’t know how to face her today, so you’re taking care of yourself first, which is perfectly reasonable,” Sui Jingyu brought the conversation back. “If she can’t accept it, that’s her problem. You wouldn’t ask a friend having an asthma attack to go jogging, would you?”

She gave several examples and finally managed to persuade Qi Mu.

“Okay, then I’ll listen to you today and visit your house later,” Qi Mu, still in her Si Ling uniform, nodded obediently, then said a little embarrassedly, “I’m troubling you…”

“It’s no trouble at all, just a small favor, we’re friends!” Sui Jingyu said with a smile, then, seeing the fishing float sink rapidly, immediately lifted her rod.

She had caught something! Although it was just a small loach, it was still something!

At 4:30 PM, Qi Mu, carrying the bucket in one hand and holding onto Sui Jingyu’s shoulder with the other, sat on the back of her bicycle.

To conserve Sui Jingyu’s energy, she didn’t speak during the ride.

It was Sui Jingyu who initiated the conversation. “Speaking of which, this is your first time at my house, right? We have a huge collection of books at home, my mothers are both ‘inheritors of intangible cultural heritage’! I can even play the guqin. If you want to listen, I’ll play for you when we get back.”

“No, no, there’s no need to trouble yourself…”

“Just think of it as me showing off,” Sui Jingyu said deliberately.

After an afternoon of chatting, she had realized that she had to be more assertive with this girl, not too polite, otherwise, even if she genuinely wanted to see or hear something, she would repeatedly decline.

Qi Mu obediently agreed.

Sui Jingyu rode slowly, occasionally stopping to rest to give Qi Mu’s arm a break, then, finding a relatively clear pond on the way, released the loaches.

“They were hooked and injured, can they still survive in the wild?” Qi Mu asked worriedly.

“Of course, don’t underestimate the body’s ability to heal itself!” Sui Jingyu said, using this as a subtle analogy. “It just needs some time and a clean, safe environment where it won’t be in danger again.”

—Just like the fish, freed from the hook and the water, you can also heal and recover.

Without the weight of the fish and the water, their journey home was much faster.

As she was about to pass by the Huang family’s villa with Qi Mu, Sui Jingyu deliberately glanced over.

The “yandere” was indeed standing by the gate, waiting expectantly.

She immediately turned the bike around, taking a detour to avoid being seen by Huang Qi, and then quietly returned home with Qi Mu.

Ms. Sui and Professor Yan hadn’t expected their daughter to bring a guest home after going out for some fresh air, and the guest was even the Qi family descendant they had discussed before!

But a guest was a guest, so they immediately brought out pastries, candies, and snacks, asking Qi Mu what she wanted to drink. Juice, tea, milk, soda, everything was available.

“J-Just plain water is fine,” Qi Mu stammered, flustered by being in a neighbor’s home for the first time, besides the Huang family.

Sui Jingyu went to her study and brought back a stack of books for her to read.

While boiling water for the young guest, Professor Yan called Sui Jingyu aside and asked about the situation.

“You might not believe this, but it was a truly miraculous and unexpected encounter,” Sui Jingyu tried to gloss over it.

“No need for flowery language,” Professor Yan said, gently poking her cheek. “What happened?”

Sui Jingyu caved and honestly explained everything.

But she knew that Yan Mama wouldn’t blame her.

“It’s fine, just consider it planting a seed. As for how it grows, it depends on how she treats this relationship,” Professor Yan said after listening, giving her assessment. “From your description, at least she’s already dissatisfied with Huang Qi, and dissatisfaction triggers rebellion. If Huang Qi is still like this after graduation, she’ll only face repeated attempts at escape.”

—Later, when Sui Jingyu chatted with Qi Mu in university, she realized that Yan Mama’s prediction was correct.

After graduating from high school, although they were both admitted to N University, the most prestigious university in the province, one was in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, and the other in the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine. And with the demanding schedule of the medical program, they rarely saw each other.

Sui Jingyu’s life, however, was relatively relaxed. Her social butterfly nature still thrived, and she joined all the clubs she was interested in, quietly expanding her network and asking her trusted friends and seniors about Qi Mu and Huang Qi’s situation.

Then she was surprised to find that Qi Mu seemed to have completely changed after starting university.

Using the opportunity of a new environment where no one knew each other to “reinvent yourself” was a story Sui Jingyu had often heard from Professor Yan.

She just hadn’t expected it to actually happen to Qi Mu, and… the change was drastic.

If Qi Mu in high school had been a shy little rabbit, soft and gentle, the Qi Mu in university was like a bristling cat.

She had sharp claws, her likes and dislikes clear, and if anyone dared to provoke her, she would retort on the spot, her words precise and cutting, capable of driving people to anonymously complain about her on the school forum.

But this straightforward personality also had its appeal, not to mention that Qi Mu’s roommates were all straightforward and easygoing people from all over the country, and after spending time together, she had naturally been influenced by them.

“I think it’s good, a major breakthrough, a positive change!” Shui Shuying said, after hearing Sui Jingyu’s account, full of praise. “But… I feel like she’s imitating you.”

“…Is she?” Sui Jingyu asked, puzzled. “I don’t think her way of speaking is like mine.”

“She is, dear~” Shui Shuying, who was now taking photography commissions, spoke in a customer service tone. “Observe carefully.”

Sui Jingyu did observe.

But it wasn’t until she heard Huang Qi’s evaluation of her from a “spy” that she truly confirmed her friend’s observation—to be precise, it was something Huang Qi had blurted out during an argument with Qi Mu.

—”You sound more and more like Sui Jingyu, has she been a bad influence on you? I told you she wasn’t a good person, and you accused me of overthinking, look at what you’ve become! So aggressive! Where’s your gentle and quiet demeanor from before?”

It felt strange to be the subject of gossip, and Sui Jingyu couldn’t pretend to be oblivious anymore.

Besides that, more importantly, she discovered two things.

First, Huang Qi had finally revealed her “true colors,” trying to trap Qi Mu in a marriage, using an old-fashioned method of manipulation and “obedience tests” that targeted her personality and psyche.

Second, she herself seemed to have developed feelings for Qi Mu that went beyond friendship.

“…I think there’s something wrong with me,” Sui Jingyu confided in Shui Shuying, the only person she could talk to about this. “I just wanted to ‘rescue’ her, to help her escape that unhealthy relationship.”

“Sure, sure, blame it all on me,” Shui Shuying said, busy editing photos.

Sui Jingyu: …

“So what should I do?” she asked. “Give me some advice, oh wise and experienced ‘single love guru’!”

Shui Shuying often took photos at weddings and engagements, and her dream was to open a photo studio, serving couples and newlyweds.

In Sui Jingyu’s opinion, Shui Shuying did have a unique perspective on love, and she wanted to hear her friend’s opinion.

“If you like her, then pursue her, what’s there to ask?” Shui Shuying asked, looking at her in surprise. “Don’t tell me you’re seeing yourself as ‘the other woman stealing her from Huang Qi’?”

Sui Jingyu couldn’t help but cover her mouth again. “Your words are too harsh!”

Shui Shuying smiled, removed her hand, and said seriously, “If you’re serious about pursuing her, remember to frequent the bars nearby, especially those quiet ones with traditional decor, during the weekends.”