Chapter 61: The Little Follower at the Aristocratic School (Part 10)

“It’s right here, Miss. Please hold on to the handrail. We’re preparing to land.”

The pilot maneuvered the helicopter, aiming for a slightly open patch of ground, and slowly descended.

The roar of the rotor blades was deafening. Si Qing sat in the cabin, gazing through the porthole at the rolling mountains below.

Her fingers tightened slightly on the handrail, and her face paled to an unsettling degree.

Due to her poor health, she rarely went out, let alone stayed in the air like this.

The helicopter came to a steady stop on a relatively flat clearing.

The cabin door opened, and Si Qing, trembling, gripped the doorframe as she stepped onto the land.

The fresh scent of earth and trees filled the air, carried by the mountain breeze straight into Si Qing’s nostrils.

“Miss.” An attendant extended an arm to help her.

Si Qing waved him off and rasped, “No need. Find Shen Ke first.” She had been blocked on the phone and couldn’t get through, so she had tracked the location here.

Si Qing steadied herself, then straightened up and looked ahead. Only then did she notice a village not far away—they had landed on the flat ground at its entrance.

At that moment, quite a few elderly folks and children stood at the village entrance, whispering and watching her.

Si Qing lowered her long lashes and walked toward the village gate.

Facing the wary gazes of the elders, Si Qing tried to muster a gentle smile.

“Excuse me, is this Little River Village?”

Though Si Qing rarely smiled, she was beautiful, with delicate and refined features. Her smile was refined and polite, and her skin and demeanor screamed wealth.

Anyone stepping off a helicopter had to be rich.

The villagers’ thinking was straightforward: someone who could fly a chopper here was either military or a big-shot boss.

Neither was someone they could afford to offend.

An elder stepped forward and replied, “Yup, it is. What can I do ya for, miss?”

Si Qing lifted her eyelids, her pale eyes even more translucent in the sunlight. “Do you have someone named Qi Yuan here? I’m her classmate. She forgot her homework, so I brought it over.”

“She told me she lives in Little River Village.” Si Qing’s gaze and expression were utterly sincere.

And it was an excuse no elder could refuse.

Someone immediately said, “Little Sister Qi came back last night.”

“Homework can’t wait, ‘specially for high school kids. Come with me, little classmate. I’ll take ya to Little Sister Qi.”

Si Qing nodded slightly and replied politely, “Thank you. Please lead the way.”

The other four attendants wanted to follow, but Si Qing coughed lightly. “One person is enough.” Too many would make people wary.

She still wasn’t sure if Shen Ke was at Qi Yuan’s house.

The elder leaned on his cane, but his steps were steady.

A bunch of kids trailed behind, with Si Qing and her bodyguard sandwiched in the middle.

Si Qing’s face showed no expression, and paired with her delicate yet pale features and thin, frail body, she gave off an eerily cold vibe.

Her footsteps were light but hurried.

After about seven or eight minutes, the elder stopped and pointed to a small courtyard nearby. “Here we are. That’s Little Sister Qi’s place.”

Si Qing’s eyes flashed, and she said softly, “Thank you.”

The elder waved it off and ambled away.

Si Qing stood at the gate, staring at the simple red-brick house with black tiles in the yard, and pursed her lips.

What should she say first to Shen Ke? An apology like “I’m sorry, don’t be mad”? Or demand why Shen Ke hadn’t come back with her?

At that moment, the house door opened, and an elderly woman came out. Seeing Si Qing at the gate, she called, “Little classmate, what ya doin’ standin’ there?”

Si Qing coughed twice and said softly, “Hello, I’m looking for Qi Yuan. I’m her classmate. Is she home?”

Grandma Qi smiled warmly as she approached and opened the yard fence. “They went out to play. Come in and wait, little classmate.”

Si Qing lowered her long lashes and said slowly, “Okay.” “They”—obviously two people. Besides Qi Yuan, Si Qing’s intuition told her the other was Shen Ke.

The helicopter’s noise was too loud; Shen Ke and Qi Yuan, who were catching fish in the river, noticed it.

But neither paid it any mind.

The sun gradually rose, its rays sparkling across the river surface.

“Qi Yuan, I’m tired.” Shen Ke’s voice was soft. She sat on a rock, swinging her legs. Her pant legs were soaked to the knees. Qi Yuan’s pants were already big on her, and now waterlogged, they clung heavily and stuffily to her waist.

She hadn’t caught a single fish. It was fun, but tiring too.

Qi Yuan put the fish in the basket, glanced at the high sun, slung the basket on her back, and tucked her shoes inside. She said to Shen Ke, “Then let’s head back.” She extended a hand to Shen Ke. “Come on.”

Qi Yuan’s way of speaking and her actions gave off an air that was hard to refuse—not forceful, but gently coaxing without seeming like it.

Shen Ke took Qi Yuan’s outstretched hand. Once pulled up, Qi Yuan let go, and Shen Ke threw a little tantrum.

“Qi Yuan!” Shen Ke puffed her cheeks and barked fiercely.

Qi Yuan hummed in acknowledgment, tugging at the basket strap to adjust it. “What’s up?”

Shen Ke kicked Qi Yuan’s calf lightly. “I said I’m tired!” Did she really have to spell it out?

Qi Yuan’s eyes curved into a smile, her laughter low and pleasant. She bent down, placed both hands on Shen Ke’s waist, and said softly, “Hold onto my neck.” She had planned to carry Shen Ke back anyway.

Shen Ke lifted her eyelids, eyeing Qi Yuan’s face up close, and huffed. Then she wrapped her arms around Qi Yuan’s neck.

The next second, her waist tightened, her feet left the ground, and she wrapped her legs around Qi Yuan’s waist.

Shen Ke was used to being carried like a child by Qi Yuan.

She tugged at Qi Yuan’s ear and grumbled, “Next time I say I’m tired, you have to pick me up right away.”

“Tired means I don’t wanna walk, got it?”

Qi Yuan bounced Shen Ke lightly in her arms. “Got it.”

So cute it could kill. Her pouty tantrums were cute, her sulky tone was cute, even her unreasonable demands were cute.

If Shen Ke wanted, Qi Yuan would carry her everywhere.

With three fish in the basket on her back and Shen Ke in her arms up front, Qi Yuan walked slowly home. She had walked this road for over a decade, but never had it felt so joyful.

They weren’t the only ones heading home; some elders who had finished work in the mountains passed by.

Seeing Qi Yuan carrying Shen Ke, they teased, “Looks like our Little Sister Qi done got herself a wife.”

“That little wife is a cutie, real pretty too.”

Shen Ke didn’t understand much, but she caught the word “wife” popping up.

Her cheeks flushed red. She leaned to Qi Yuan’s ear and whispered, “Qi Yuan, are they saying I’m your wife?”

Qi Yuan’s brows relaxed, her smile radiant. “Yeah, they say I married a delicate little wife.”

“Got myself a henpecked home.”

Shen Ke frowned and scrutinized Qi Yuan, spotting the thick amusement in her eyes. Her own eyes widened, and she pounded Qi Yuan’s shoulder fiercely. “You’re lying!”

Qi Yuan schooled her expression into seriousness, then nodded slowly. “Yeah, I lied.”

Shen Ke was so mad she saw stars. How could anyone admit to lying so shamelessly?

She opened her mouth and bit Qi Yuan’s cheek, leaving a ring of teeth marks. “Hate you!”

Qi Yuan took a deep breath. If she died right now, it’d be from terminal cuteness overload courtesy of Shen Ke.

White smoke began rising in the village as the aroma of cooking spread.

Qi Yuan brought Shen Ke home at half past twelve.

After setting Shen Ke down, Qi Yuan said, “Shen Ke, you go inside first. I’ll put the fish in the tank.”

Shen Ke nodded without a word and headed into the house.

But the moment she stepped inside, Shen Ke froze in place.

In the narrow, simple room sat Si Qing on a wooden stool, staring fixedly at her.

Shen Ke’s heart stuttered. Forgetting it was someone else’s home, her expression chilled by eight degrees. She crossed her arms and snapped fiercely, “What are you doing here?”

Seeing Shen Ke all dirty and messy stirred emotions in Si Qing, making her throat itch. She coughed muffledly.

The hoarse coughs echoed through the small room.

Each cough wracked Si Qing’s chest with pain. Her face flushed red, making her look healthier for a moment, but the gloom between her brows lingered, giving her an overly sickly air.

Si Qing stood, wanting to approach Shen Ke, but her weak body made her stumble on the first step. She had to grab the chair for support.

Si Qing pressed her pale lips tight. She hated her frail body—it wouldn’t even let her reach Shen Ke right now.

Si Qing took a deep breath and rasped, “Shen Ke, I came to take you back.”

“Come home to the Si Family with me. Mama’s very worried about you.”

Shen Ke couldn’t help frowning, snapping irritably at Si Qing, “Si Qing, if you’re just here to say that stuff, go home.”

“I’m having a great time here.”

Hmph, she had thought Si Qing came to apologize. She had even planned to reluctantly accept and forgive her, pretending the fight never happened.

But Si Qing showed up and hit her with this the second she saw her. So annoying. Did Si Qing think she had no pride?

Si Qing calls, and she comes running?

She wasn’t some little dog!

Shen Ke’s impatience was blatant. Si Qing’s eyes reddened—she had never been treated like this by Shen Ke.

“Shen Ke, look at yourself. You’re filthy like a mud doll, not pretty at all. And you still think it’s fun?” Shen Ke must be doing it on purpose to spite her. Shen Ke was so delicate and vain—how could she enjoy being covered in dirt?

Si Qing’s words made it hard for Shen Ke to breathe. Si Qing always knew how to annoy her.

Shen Ke puffed her cheeks in anger and yelled, “Meanie! I’ve always been pretty!”

Si Qing clutched her chest and coughed painfully. She had said the wrong thing again. Tears welled up from the coughing.

She couldn’t stand Shen Ke treating her like this. Shen Ke had always been sweet and obedient around her, sweetly calling her “Miss.”

No matter how cold Si Qing was, Shen Ke stuck to her.

Shen Ke needed her status.

Si Qing had thought it would be like that forever—from age twelve to eighteen, it had always been that way. Why had it suddenly changed?

Si Qing coughed so violently it seemed like she’d hack up a lung. The raspy sounds were painful to hear.

The bodyguard reached to help, but Si Qing waved him off. “Go outside first,” she said to him, her voice broken and revealing her poor condition.

The bodyguard followed orders without delay and strode out.

The commotion in the main room drew Grandma Qi, who entered with a bowl of rice. Seeing the standoff, she smiled kindly. “Little classmates, no fighting. Come try Grandma’s cooking.”

Qi Yuan had just stored the fish and came into the main room. The moment she saw Si Qing, instinctual hostility flared.

But to avoid worrying Grandma Qi, she hid it. She pressed Shen Ke’s shoulder, eyed Si Qing, and smirked insincerely. “Everyone eat first.”

Shen Ke huffed coldly and plopped onto a stool, declaring bossily, “A young lady like her wouldn’t eat this. Qi Yuan, Grandma, let’s eat. Ignore her.”

Si Qing slowly lowered her head, gripping the black brooch tightly, and said dully, “Shen Ke, I’m sorry.”

“I was just worried about you.”

Shen Ke was about to pass out from frustration. How had she never noticed Si Qing was so stubborn? If Si Qing had apologized from the start, she wouldn’t have gotten mad.

Shen Ke ignored her utterly and dug into her food with gusto.

Qi Yuan was thrilled Shen Ke snubbed others, but Grandma Qi couldn’t stand it. She went over and said warmly, “Little classmate, come eat.”

Elders just had to dote on the young. Besides, Si Qing had tears in her eyes, a frail figure that looked ready to topple in the wind.

Si Qing thanked her and shook her head. “You go eat. I can’t handle spicy food.”

Grandma Qi sighed. If she couldn’t eat spicy, she couldn’t eat Grandma’s cooking.

Grandma Qi turned and brought out some fruit and crackers, placing them on the table beside Si Qing. “Little classmate, eat this. You can’t skip meals.”

Shen Ke watched from the side, her eyes widening and her mouth opening as sarcastic words tumbled out like beans. “If you like to eat, then eat. If not, leave. No one’s begging her to stay here. Why put on such a pitiful act?”

“Grandma, don’t mind her anymore. Let’s eat first.”

Shen Ke’s little tantrum was naughty, but because her voice was soft and delicate, even her sarcasm came out twice as cute.

Shen Ke thought Si Qing wouldn’t stick around for long, but Si Qing followed her wherever she went.

That night, Shen Ke received a call from Si Minglan.

Si Minglan’s voice on the other end was gentle, her expression worried. “Keke, is Si Qing with you?”

Facing Si Minglan, Shen Ke turned obedient. She tilted up her smiling face, sweet as a candy bean. “Madam, the young lady is here with me. Can you get her to go back?”

Si Minglan seemed somewhat worried. She said, “Keke, did Little Qing do something bad to you?”

Si Qing slowly clenched her hands at her side.

Shen Ke glanced at her and shook her head. “No, I wanted to come out and play with my friend myself.”

“It’s really fun here.”

Si Qing tightly pursed her lips. Shen Ke usually loved tattling to Si Minglan, but this time she didn’t. Si Qing didn’t feel happy at all. Instead, the stone in her heart grew even heavier, pressing down hard on her chest and making her feel like vomiting.

After hanging up, Shen Ke looked at the completely darkened sky, feeling conflicted.

Her guess had been right—Si Qing had come by helicopter. But it was so late; sending her back now wasn’t safe. Although Si Qing had pissed her off, Shen Ke wasn’t heartless enough to make a sickly weed fly back in a helicopter late at night.

If Si Qing died on the way, she’d be finished.

Just then, Qi Yuan’s shout came from the inner room. “Shen Ke, bring your classmate in. Tonight, the three of us will squeeze into one room.”

Shen Ke glared at Si Qing not with eyes but with disdain, her words sharp and relentless. “You leave first thing tomorrow morning. To be honest, seeing you annoys me.”

“I don’t want your brooch anymore, and I’m too lazy to pretend in front of you.”

“Anyway, you know it’s all an act, so you must know I’ve done plenty of bad things behind your back.”

“I have a bad temper. I’m delicate and love to cry. You must be sick of me by now.”

“Actually, I know you don’t like me. If you did, you wouldn’t ignore me like that.”

At this point, Shen Ke felt deeply aggrieved. Her nose stung, and she lowered her long lashes. “It was always like this before. I’d tell you who bullied me, but you never helped.”

“Actually, I’m really sad too.”

Si Qing was speechless. The throbbing pain in her head left her unable to think, unable to even form a retort.

“Shen Ke, it’s not like that.” The words sounded too feeble.

Shen Ke sniffled and wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, not letting them fall.

“You just need to apologize, and I’d forgive you.”

“But the moment you showed up, you wanted me to leave with you. You said I’m not pretty.”

“Si Qing, you’re really mean.”

“You know I don’t have parents, and yet you bully me.”

Shen Ke said a lot. She hadn’t wanted to cry in front of Si Qing, but talking about it was too heartbreaking. She simply couldn’t hold back the tears.

She stood in front of Si Qing, wiping them nonstop with the back of her hand.

Time seemed to rewind right before Si Qing’s eyes. Back then, in the school lounge, Shen Ke had wiped her unstoppable tears just like this—like a child who had suffered the greatest grievance.

Shen Ke had cried in front of her many times. The most recent was that day in the lounge, when she’d been wronged by Leigh.

She had seen it: clear strap marks on Shen Ke’s tender palm.

What had she been thinking then? That Shen Ke’s grievances would draw her closer—that only she would indulge Shen Ke’s temper and her bullying of others.

But in the end, she was the one Shen Ke hated most.

Si Qing still didn’t understand why she’d acted that way.

It was so twisted.

She kept ignoring Shen Ke just to prove that Shen Ke would always stay by her side.

Shen Ke lowered her head and stared at the dirt beneath her feet. Her voice lost its petulance, turning tiny and low, as if she were utterly heartbroken. “Si Qing, that day I overheard you asking Leigh if she wanted to take me with her.”

“Leigh said she wasn’t desperate enough to take a driver’s daughter.”

“Si Qing, I was so sad.”

“You discussed my future so casually. How could you be so cruel?”

Si Qing never imagined words could hold such power—like sharp knives slicing into her flesh and carving open her heart. The pain left her breathless, speechless, and frozen in place.

Shen Ke clasped her hands behind her back and lightly nudged Si Qing with her toe. “I really won’t come to you anymore.”

“You hate me, so I’ll drop out of school. Madam Si will arrange a new one for me.” Here, Shen Ke lifted her head. The shimmering tears turned to stubborn resolve as she gazed at Si Qing and said softly, “After all, your mom said she’d support me until I can stand on my own.”