Chapter 20 Part 2

Going abroad for grad school wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision. Just like always, her life path had been planned out long ago—she was just following the script step by step.

At that time, she was still maintaining the image that pleased her parents.

Upon arriving in the UK, unlike other international students who rented outside or stayed in dorms, Fang Nianchen didn’t even have to worry about housing. Her parents had arranged everything, sending her straight to the home of their “good friend’s daughter.”

The Yin Family had assets worth hundreds of millions, and their London operations had been underway for a year. The family’s only daughter, Yin Chi, was in charge of all matters there.

On the day her plane landed in the UK, Fang Nianchen didn’t see the person who was supposed to pick her up.

Exhausted from the journey, after getting a SIM card at the airport shop, she waited three hours for the famous “Miss Yin” but got tired of it and headed to the address herself.

Yin Chi’s home was in a wealthy district seven kilometers from the city center, but it was a world away from the airport. The taxi ride still took a full forty minutes, and by the time she arrived, it was already dark.

Getting out of the car, Fang Nianchen pushed her two enormous suitcases and looked around the entrance. The standalone villa was hidden in the pitch-black night, with no lights in sight.

For a moment, she even thought of a horror movie’s eerie castle, where the count before dying announced treasures worth a fortune inside, recruiting brave adventurers to explore.

Usually, such plots ended with dark conspiracies, and the adventurers met tragic ends without exception.

Coincidentally, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, slashing diagonally and illuminating a corner of the “castle.”

The wild imaginings in her head were shattered by the following thunder. Fang Nianchen dug out Yin Chi’s number from her phone, dialing while pressing the doorbell.

She repeated this three times—no answer on the phone, no response at the door. Fang Nianchen even wondered if she’d gone to the wrong place.

Suddenly, the rain poured down, catching her off guard. She huddled under the doorway’s eaves, watching time tick by.

Just as she decided that if “Miss Yin” didn’t show, she’d cab to a hotel, the door behind her opened.

The woman wore an ill-fitting robe, her ample chest on full display. Curly red waves draped over her shoulders, her face showing fatigue that couldn’t hide her youthful beauty.

The woman spoke bluntly: “What do you want?”

Fang Nianchen had seen Yin Chi in domestic entertainment news before and recognized her instantly. She rubbed her rain-soaked hair and introduced herself: “I’m Fang Nianchen, and I’m…”

“Oh… right, right, I forgot.” Yin Chi smacked her lips softly. “I thought it was tomorrow. Ah, my bad, sorry about that.”

As she spoke, Yin Chi still blocked the doorway, oblivious to how long Fang Nianchen had been standing outside or that it was raining.

After being in the UK a while, one’s senses to rain get dulled.

Fang Nianchen hid her panic behind a calm facade. Seeing Yin Chi, the tension drained from her body, and only then did she realize her eyes were stinging.

Her first time abroad alone, unfamiliar with everything, not even speaking the language—it hit her with nerves and helplessness.

No matter how mature and steady she usually was, her youth showed through at that moment.

Even if she didn’t want to cry or plan to, the tiny grievances made her lips tremble downward.

“What? Can’t handle a little grievance? Gonna call Mommy and Daddy to complain?” Yin Chi wrapped her robe tighter. Awakened from sleep, bleary-eyed, and spotting the tears in her eyes under the porch light, she suddenly got irritated. “Fine, call them. Better yet, have them pick you up and buy a place in London to accompany you. Your family can afford that.”

Yin Chi’s sudden outburst was inexplicable. Fang Nianchen sniffled, stunned in place: “I didn’t…”

Before she could explain, there was a “bang”—the iron door slammed shut in her face, whipping up a gust of wind.

Yin Chi shouted from inside: “You spoiled little brats are the most troublesome!”

Yin Chi had been woken by the doorbell. Last night, she’d thrown a breakup party with friends until dawn, then crashed after they left. Phone on silent, she heard and ignored nothing.

Hungover head throbbing like it would split, the slightest spark could ignite her full-blown rage.

After slamming the door, Yin Chi took a shower. Once the alcohol stench was gone and she felt refreshed with a face mask on, half an hour had passed cold-shouldering Fang Nianchen.

Her hangover cleared, she checked her phone and saw over twenty missed calls—all from her own parents.

Half a month earlier, the two had started nagging her: a good friend’s daughter was coming to London for grad school, would stay with her, and she needed to take good care of her.

At first, Yin Chi found it a hassle and refused outright, but couldn’t resist their persistent pleading and relented.

She laid down the law, though: if this kid did anything to piss her off, she’d kick her to the streets without mercy.

Her father Yin Cheng had assured her repeatedly: “Xiao Chen is the most obedient, well-behaved kid I’ve ever seen. She’s great at taking care of others—who knows who’ll end up caring for whom.”

Yin Chi hadn’t bought it then, and recalling it now made her roll her eyes.

Kids these days were all white lotus green tea types—two-faced.

So many calls? Definitely tattling.

But she feared nothing and dialed back without worry.

Yin Cheng picked up, and before he could speak, he chuckled happily first: “Our Chi Bao’s all grown up—reliable as ever.”

Yin Chi heard this kind of praise for the first time in her life, and goosebumps rose all over her in disgust: “What’s up?”

“Xiao Chen said she’s safely arrived, and you personally went to the airport to pick her up, even prepared a super lavish dinner for her. Now I’m relieved— you’ve really made Dad proud.” Yin Cheng was a total daughtercon, his tone full of smugness as he coaxed her like a kid, “Whatever you need, just tell Dad. Is the money enough?”

“It’s enough.” Yin Chi felt like her CPU was about to overheat as she glanced at the messy house.

What dinner? Where did this dinner come from?

“Talk later, I have something to do.” Yin Chi suddenly remembered Fang Nianchen, whom she’d tossed outside the door. She took a deep breath, “We’ll chat another day.”

After hanging up, Yin Chi strode to the door in a few steps, yanked it open, and found Fang Nianchen standing there with her back to her.

She called out, “Fang Nianchen?”

“Mm.” Fang Nianchen turned around. Her clothes were soaked with even more rainwater than half an hour ago, and she held a folded umbrella in her hand.

Before she could ask anything, Fang Nianchen brought it up herself: “Um… I just went to a nearby pizza place. You must be hungry after sleeping till now, and I haven’t had dinner either. Wanna eat together?”

Fang Nianchen lifted her other hand—a massive plastic bag stuffed full.

Pizza place?

Yin Chi hadn’t lived here long. When there was no auntie to cook, she just ordered takeout and had never explored the surroundings.

She’d been here longer than Fang Nianchen, after all, and it wasn’t safe for foreigners out after dark, so she couldn’t believe that Fang Nianchen had just landed in the UK a few hours ago and already dared to wander alone at night to buy pizza.

Her gaze toward Fang Nianchen shifted.

Those awful international students she’d met before couldn’t even get a SIM card after arriving. But this one? Straight-up navigating to buy pizza.

Realizing this kid had way more self-sufficiency than she’d imagined, Yin Chi let her arm drop from propping the door open and stepped aside to let her in.

Even so, having her lie of sleeping till now exposed felt like a poke at her spine, calling her a lazy adult.

Yin Chi suddenly felt displeased and said bluntly, “Who wants to eat pizza with you.”

Fang Nianchen didn’t mind her harsh tone and just smiled: “I bought a ton. I can’t finish it alone.”

This gentle persuasion had the power of four taels diverting a thousand catties. Yin Chi was the type who ate soft but not hard, and suddenly being handled by a brat who looked much younger left her deeply annoyed.

“Tch…” Yin Chi turned her head away in apparent disdain, “Come in then. Don’t catch a cold.”

And just like that, with one pizza and one phone call, nineteen-year-old Fang Nianchen moved into twenty-nine-year-old Yin Chi’s home.

Given how messy Yin Chi’s place was—enough to drive anyone mad if left uncleaned—after dinner, without waiting for her to say anything, Fang Nianchen took the initiative to clean up, even bringing in the clothes drying outside and tossing them into the washing machine.

Yin Chi hadn’t eaten or drunk all day and was starving. She scarfed down a lot without thinking and ended up stuffed, curling up on the sofa to watch this intruder who had barged into her home bustling around.

When Fang Nianchen moved behind her to sweep, she shifted position too, draping herself over the sofa armrest and lazily complaining, “People who don’t know would think I hired a nanny. Fang Nianchen, is this how you are at home too?”

“I’ve been boarding at school since elementary, and we rotate cleaning duties in the dorm. I’m used to it.”

“Elementary?” Yin Chi frowned, “Your parents aren’t afraid you’d get bullied by wild kids?”

This was beyond her understanding.

Yin Cheng had hated to let her out of his sight from childhood to now, unwilling to let her suffer dorm life grievances.

Before coming to the UK for business, her useless dad had even hugged her and cried on departure day.

“How to put it…” Fang Nianchen couldn’t find the words for a moment and gave a shy, clumsy smile, “As long as I don’t cause trouble.”

Yin Chi rolled her eyes at her: “All you say is nonsense.”

As Yin Chi lounged longer on the sofa, she started feeling a twinge of conscience from Fang Nianchen’s bustling about.

She didn’t care if Fang Nianchen messed up while cleaning—important stuff was in the study anyway.

But the housekeepers and nannies she usually hired were her parents’ age; she’d never been cared for by someone so much younger, and it felt a bit embarrassing.

Yin Chi abruptly sat up, her sleep robe coming loose again from the sudden movement.

She waved it off: “Alright, stop messing around. You flew for dozens of hours and still have this much energy? Being young is great, huh?”

She wasn’t much younger than her…

Yin Chi sized up the girl in front of her, dressed in a light short-sleeve tee and shorts: “How old are you this year?”

“Nineteen.”

“Fuck…” Yin Chi gritted her teeth, “Nineteen and you’re doing grad school? Sixteen for freshman year? What a freak…”

Freak.

The word was too hurtful; Yin Chi swallowed it back.

Impressive—being young really was impressive!

Yin Chi felt inexplicably slighted. The hurt from age stuff had to be drowned in alcohol—or rather, forgotten.

“Wanna drink? Keep sis company.”

Everything from Yin Chi’s mouth surprised her. Fang Nianchen straightened up: “No, no one’s taught me.”

“Drinking needs a teacher? Good girl.” Yin Chi teased her on purpose. Finally, something where she could flex her elder authority—this discovery made her smug, her tone softening, “Come~ sis will teach you.”

With that, she got up, browsed the wine rack, and finally poured Fang Nianchen a glass of Scotch whisky, handing it over: “Here, this one’s easy to drink.”

Fang Nianchen took it, eyes wary, holding the glass without moving.

“Afraid I’ll poison you?” Yin Chi rubbed her forehead in headache, annoyance on her pretty face, “Beautiful women are dangerous, but…”

She took a shallow breath and placed a hand on Fang Nianchen’s shoulder: “Beautiful women are gentle to pretty little sisters. Relax, I won’t hurt you.”

Fang Nianchen suddenly jerked back a step, her eyes darting unnaturally away.

Yin Chi looked helplessly at her dangling hand, then at the person who’d fled like from a trauma, her brows sharpening, tone displeased—almost commanding: “Drink.”