Chapter 7: The Chaebol Heir’s Canary — Can I Be a Little Greedy?

Shi Yu’s vision went dark and she passed out. In the last moment of consciousness, she thought: given Jiang Qiuyan’s insatiable appetite, had she been too hasty in making this decision?

Warm water enveloped her body. A hand kneaded her aching waist, easing the soreness.

Shi Yu cracked open one eye and looked on lazily. Jiang Qiuyan smiled gently and pecked her eyelid shut.

“Sleep.”

Shi Yu let go and drifted off peacefully.

Jiang Qiuyan washed her from head to toe and only carried her out once the bathwater had gone cold. The moment her hand touched Shi Yu’s waist, the girl frowned and whimpered, so she lightened her grip.

The little kitten was thoroughly exhausted. She didn’t wake through the hair drying or body lotion, but the instant her body touched the bed, her eyes snapped open, alert.

“It’s me. Don’t be afraid.”

Shi Yu had been abused by her mother since childhood. She’d often been beaten so badly she fled the house and spent the night in an abandoned building nearby. She wasn’t picky about her environment, but she couldn’t sleep in unfamiliar places.

You could call her finicky and a restless sleeper, but it was beyond her control.

Shi Yu blinked, round eyes clouded with confusion. The reddish tinge at their corners made her look delicate and heart-melting.

Jiang Qiuyan immediately recalled what her investigation had turned up. She lifted the blanket and gathered the insecure little kitten into her arms.

“Is this better?”

Shi Yu said nothing, burying her face against her chest. Her limbs curled inward until she was just a tiny bundle.

It was much better, actually. But she didn’t want to say so. Saying it would mean wanting to depend on Jiang Qiuyan.

Jiang Qiuyan seemed to possess some kind of magic. Just being near her brought inexplicable comfort.

But right now Jiang Qiuyan still needed her. So it was fine to lean on her a little, wasn’t it? Even someone who’d grown up alone sometimes wanted to be loved.

Just for tonight. Let me be a little greedy.

Shi Yu closed her eyes and burrowed deeper into Jiang Qiuyan’s arms. Jiang Qiuyan wrapped her up completely, chin resting on the top of her head, nuzzling gently while patting her back.

Shi Yu didn’t know when she fell asleep. When she opened her eyes, it was already well past noon. She felt worse than waking up at the hotel last time.

Her arms and legs didn’t feel like they belonged to her. Her head was foggy and she couldn’t form a coherent thought.

After a long while, something clicked. She shot up in bed, sending a jolt of pain through her waist and inner thighs.

“Mm…”

Shi Yu clutched her waist and collapsed onto the blanket. It took a while before she recovered.

Has Pei Shuyu left already?

“She left first thing this morning.”

Shi Yu looked up. Jiang Qiuyan was leaning against the doorframe in white casual wear. The outfit made her tall, slender frame look especially striking and commanding.

Shi Yu stared blankly for a dozen seconds before asking, “Did she ask about me?”

Shi Huaixin had told Pei Shuyu to take her home. Surely Pei Shuyu wouldn’t dare disobey?

“She asked. I told her you were too tired to get up last night and told her to go on ahead.”

“Huh?” Shi Yu’s brain couldn’t keep up.

Can you just say things like that? Doesn’t she worry about Pei Shuyu getting the wrong idea?

Jiang Qiuyan knew what she was thinking. That face of hers hid nothing. Not wanting the kitten to spiral further, she said, “Get up and eat. Then you can sleep more.”

Shi Yu nodded. Yesterday she’d been so anxious about going back to the Shi household that she hadn’t had any appetite. Now her stomach was practically touching her spine.

She lifted the blanket and prepared to get up, then realized Jiang Qiuyan was still there. She looked up with round, wide eyes.

The message was clear: You leave first. I need to get dressed.

Amusement flashed through Jiang Qiuyan’s eyes. She deliberately asked, “What’s wrong?”

Reading her expression, Shi Yu’s instinct said the alpha was teasing her. But who was the patron here? What was wrong with teasing the canary she kept?

Shi Yu had already comfortably accepted the role of the canary and wore it well.

She meant to toss off the blanket nonchalantly and get up, but she overestimated herself. Her legs were as limp as noodles. The moment her feet hit the ground, she pitched forward, taking the blanket with her in a heap.

Jiang Qiuyan was startled by the accident. Before her mind could process, her body had already moved. She scooped Shi Yu up.

“Does it hurt? Are you hurt anywhere?”

Shi Yu looked up from her arms and smiled sheepishly: “No. The blanket broke my fall.”

Jiang Qiuyan nodded, bounced her lightly in her arms, and carried her like a child toward the bathroom, long strides covering the ground.

Time to lay carpet around the bed, she thought. There’ll be plenty more of these situations.

In the bathroom, Jiang Qiuyan thoughtfully turned on the shower and adjusted the temperature before carrying Shi Yu under the spray. Shi Yu noticed the other’s soaked shoulder and hastily pushed her away.

She couldn’t let the patron serve her. What if she used it as an excuse to withhold money?

Jiang Qiuyan looked at her, puzzled. Shi Yu explained, “I can wash myself. Please step out, Miss Jiang.”

“‘Please step out’?” Jiang Qiuyan chewed on those words, her mood souring.

“Mm. Wait outside, or you’ll catch a cold in wet clothes.”

Shi Yu’s water-beaded lashes fluttered, those dark eyes looking even clearer and more sincere, pure and guileless.

Jiang Qiuyan’s displeasure evaporated instantly. She turned around expressionlessly and stepped out. The moment the door closed, the corners of her mouth curved upward.

She didn’t love the distant attitude, but since Shi Yu was caring about her health, she’d let it slide.

While showering, Shi Yu used her last remaining brain cells to figure out how to casually hint to Jiang Qiuyan that she needed money and get the alpha to throw her some.

She didn’t know much about the Jiang family, but judging from Pei Yiyi and Shi Huaixin’s attitudes, the Jiang family held far more power and status than the Pei family. So Jiang Qiuyan must be very wealthy.

With all that money, what was the harm in letting a few bills slip through her fingers?

Shi Yu felt quite justified.

Water ran over certain sensitive places and stung. She felt even more strongly that she deserved compensation for bodily damages.

Knock knock knock. The bathroom door rattled. Jiang Qiuyan’s voice came through: “Little Yu, are you not done yet?”

Twenty minutes had passed and the water was still running. Jiang Qiuyan couldn’t help but worry.

Shi Yu hastily shut off the shower and called back, “Done! Coming right out.”

“That’s good. No rush.”

Shi Yu wrapped herself in a towel, gave her hair a quick blow-dry, and pushed open the door. Two boxes sat outside, one containing a set of undergarments and the other a pink casual outfit.

Shi Yu changed. Whether undergarments or outerwear, everything was soft against her skin. She’d never worn anything this comfortable.

The door clicked open. Jiang Qiuyan carried in a tray of food, followed by two servants holding a clay pot and a soup tureen.

Jiang Qiuyan never ate in her room. She had to use the writing desk as a dining table. Once the dishes were laid out, the servants left. She beckoned to Shi Yu.

“What are you hiding over there for? Come eat.”

Shi Yu obediently went over and sat down beside Jiang Qiuyan.

She actually wanted to ask whether it was okay to show intimacy in front of the servants. Back at the Pei family, she couldn’t even show her face in front of outsiders.

But in the end, she swallowed the words.

She was, at best, Jiang Qiuyan’s bedmate. No different from a pet cat or dog. As long as she fulfilled her pet duties and pleased her, that was enough. Don’t ask what shouldn’t be asked. Don’t think what shouldn’t be thought. That was how to keep the relationship smooth.

Jiang Qiuyan wanted a lover who knew her place, who had a sense of boundaries and discretion. So she’d try to be exactly what was expected.

Reaching her goals would be easier that way.

Shi Yu was lost in her thoughts, not realizing every one of them was written across her face, laid bare for Jiang Qiuyan to see.

She couldn’t fully understand, but she knew the girl was overthinking again.

“No spacing out during meals.”

Jiang Qiuyan rapped a knuckle on her little head.

Shi Yu covered her head, looked at her, flashed a placating smile, and picked up her chopsticks. Watching her eat, Jiang Qiuyan was mildly surprised. She’d expected the girl to nibble like a rabbit, but the appetite was actually quite good.

Eating this much and still this thin. The Pei family must not have been feeding her.

Jiang Qiuyan’s expression darkened, her gaze turning cold and sharp. Now that the kitten was by her side, she didn’t need to hold back anymore.

There were financial entanglements with the Pei family that made direct action impossible for now, but dealing with Shi Huaixin would be simple enough.

Turning a perfectly good child into this. That old brute needed to suffer a little.

“Why aren’t you eating?” Shi Yu turned to look at her.

Jiang Qiuyan watched her puffed-out cheeks, thought of a hamster hoarding food, and her eyes curved gently.

She opened her mouth. “Feed me a bite.”

Shi Yu picked up a piece of fish without thinking, brought it to Jiang Qiuyan’s lips, then pulled it back. Jiang Qiuyan got a mouthful of air.

“?”

Shi Yu said embarrassedly, “Let me use your chopsticks instead.”

Even without being told, she should have known Jiang Qiuyan would find it distasteful. How could she make that mistake?

She reached for Jiang Qiuyan’s chopsticks, but her hand was pressed down.

“Use yours.”

Shi Yu couldn’t quite figure her out, but since the patron had spoken, she complied.

After the fish, Shi Yu picked up other dishes for her. Jiang Qiuyan seemed to thoroughly enjoy the arrangement and didn’t lift a finger the entire meal.

Shi Yu felt like she was babysitting. Not that it was troublesome. And maybe if she made Jiang Qiuyan happy, there’d be some kind of bonus.

After eating her fill, Shi Yu leaned back with a full belly and zoned out. Jiang Qiuyan slid the soup tureen in front of her.

“Drink this too.”

“What is it?”

“Ganoderma, deer antler, and black chicken soup.”

Jiang Qiuyan lifted the lid. A milky, rich broth gave off an exotic aroma, but Shi Yu was already stuffed.

“Do I have to? My stomach’s completely full.”

Jiang Qiuyan let out a sudden pfft of laughter, seemingly struck by some thought.

“Just a sip. Auntie simmered it for three hours.”

Shi Yu didn’t want to waste the auntie’s hard work, and besides, she’d never seen such fine things before.

Got to drink it!

She picked up the tureen and glug glug glug, drained it to the last drop.

“Buurp~”

Shi Yu let out an enormous burp.

She shouldn’t have been so rude in front of Jiang Qiuyan, but she couldn’t help it. Her stomach felt ready to burst; not even another breath of air would fit.

Jiang Qiuyan had been smiling already. Now the amusement in her eyes deepened.

For some reason, she just found this genuinely unpretentious Shi Yu adorable. Not just adorable. Extremely adorable.

Realizing she was looking a bit too smitten, Jiang Qiuyan composed her expression, though her gentleness remained the same.

She reached out to stroke Shi Yu’s hair. “Want to take a stroll in the garden to digest?”

Shi Yu’s eyes lit up. “Really? Can I?”

With my status, can I openly appear in the Jiang household?

“Why not?”

Jiang Qiuyan stood and pulled her up, taking her hand as they left the room.

On the third floor, servants were cleaning. As the two walked past, they made way. Shi Yu felt the gazes falling on her and grew tense.

The Jiang estate was enormous. Vast and seemingly endless.

Shi Yu had thought it was just the manor, but Jiang Qiuyan told her the entire area belonged to her family, including the rolling mountains.

“Rumor has it an emperor from some dynasty is buried there. It’s a dragon vein.”

Shi Yu listened with wide-eyed wonder.

Jiang Qiuyan wasn’t the boasting type, but seeing her like this still lifted her mood.

Fortunately, the family’s power and wealth were what let her keep Shi Yu. She should thank her ancestors for the convenience.

Gardeners pruned flower beds. Others tended the courtyard. Maids came and went. Everywhere they walked, they encountered people, which put pressure on Shi Yu.

Jiang Qiuyan noticed her tension. “Want me to tell them to clear out?”

“Don’t. Everyone’s working hard. If you send them away now, they won’t finish their tasks for the day.”

Jiang Qiuyan’s gaze shifted, her phoenix eyes narrowing slightly.

“Alright then. Let’s head back. We’ve been walking a while. Must be tiring.”

Shi Yu nodded. As she turned, Jiang Qiuyan hooked her fingers. The alpha stared straight ahead, face unchanged, as if nothing had happened.

Shi Yu thought she might be overreacting. It was just holding hands. Maybe Jiang Qiuyan was used to it.

Jiang Qiuyan was twenty-eight. She must have had plenty of relationships. Holding hands was probably beginner level for her.

Whether holding hands, hugging, or something more intimate, she just needed to cooperate. That was what a good lover did.

Once she’d thought it through, Shi Yu squeezed Jiang Qiuyan’s hand back.

Jiang Qiuyan glanced at her, faint warmth rippling in her gaze. The flowers in the garden had bloomed to their fullest, spending the last of their lives in color. But Shi Yu was no less radiant than any of them, even more lovely and vivid.

Shi Yu’s attention drifted to the swaying flowers. It took a while before she noticed Jiang Qiuyan’s gaze.

“Is there something on my face?”

Jiang Qiuyan leaned down, looking into those dark pupils. “Little Yu. Kiss me.”

Not understanding why the sudden request, Shi Yu nonetheless stood on tiptoe and touched her lips.

“Is that enough?”

“Not quite. We’ll pick up where we left off when we get back.”

A glint of mischief flashed through Jiang Qiuyan’s eyes, paired with those narrow features, making her look like a fox plotting something.

Hand in hand, they walked back at an unhurried pace. The sun was mild, the breeze cool and pleasant against their skin. Shi Yu gradually relaxed, a smile finding its way to her face.

Jiang Qiuyan glanced back at the flowers and held Shi Yu’s hand a little tighter.

Those assorted flower scents all jumbled together didn’t smell particularly nice. Shi Yu’s pheromones were far better, sweet and fragrant, just like the girl herself.

She smiled. So she likes this kind of setting. But she’s afraid of meeting people. Then…

“Yanyan.”

Bai Lingshuang’s voice came from ahead. Both of them froze.

Bai Lingshuang looked at their clasped hands and sighed heavily. No wonder Pei Yiyi was upset. What a mess!

Jiang Qiuyan released Shi Yu and said gently, “Go back to your room first. I’ll find you in a bit.”

Shi Yu nodded obediently. This kind of situation wasn’t something she should get involved in.

Bai Lingshuang gave her a long look before turning inside. Jiang Qiuyan followed. By the time Shi Yu entered, they had already gone into the study.

Shi Yu couldn’t help worrying. What if Jiang Qiuyan’s mother didn’t approve of her staying? After all, Jiang Qiuyan was engaged to Pei Shuyu. By what right would she tag along?

Shi Yu shook her head, forcing herself to stop overthinking. These were matters for Jiang Qiuyan to handle. She just needed to stay by her side and be good.

Jiang Qiuyan was smart. She’d think of these consequences and probably already have a plan.

Shi Yu curled up on the sofa and picked up the phone on the coffee table. The moment she unlocked it, dozens of messages flooded in. Voice clips and vile text messages, all from Shi Huaixin.

Any wavering she’d felt vanished in an instant. Once again, Shi Yu knew with absolute clarity: to break free of Shi Huaixin and her past, the only way was to cling desperately to Jiang Qiuyan as her lifeline.

The phone buzzed. Shi Huaixin’s name flashed on the screen. Shi Yu hung up without a second thought. She didn’t want any connection with him anymore.

Shi Huaixin flew into a rage and sent several more voice messages, all of them threatening her.

[You little bitch. Don’t think hiding in the Jiang family means I can’t get to you. I’ll kill you sooner or later!]

Just then, Jiang Qiuyan returned. The sound of the door startled Shi Yu so badly she trembled, and the phone clattered to the floor.

Before Jiang Qiuyan could speak, Shi Yu burst into tears and threw herself into her arms.