Chapter 123
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=1363950 This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
Zuo Qinghuan felt a slight distant aura from Qin Wanshu, but there was also a subtle softening. Although subtle, it was enough to bring joy to Zuo Qinghuan's heart, knowing that Qin Wanshu was showing a slight change.
Zuo Qinghuan stealthily closed the gap between them from three steps to two, then to one, boldly encroaching into Qin Wanshu's personal space. Zuo Qinghuan thought that if she reached out, she could pull Qin Wanshu into her embrace, longing to do so in her heart, but she knew it wasn't the right time.
Qin Wanshu suddenly stopped in her tracks, noticing Kitano Aoba ahead. This explains why Zuo Qinghuan was also present here. Zuo Qinghuan and that girl seemed inseparable.
Qin Wanshu suddenly halted her steps, causing Zuo Qinghuan, due to inertia, to lean forward, almost touching Qin Wanshu's back. At such a close distance, smelling the familiar scent of Qin Wanshu made Zuo Qinghuan almost unable to resist the urge to tightly embrace her. However, Qin Wanshu, who had softened momentarily, seemed to erect a barrier again in an instant, making Zuo Qinghuan, despite being so close, refrain from being presumptuous. Zuo Qinghuan followed Qin Wanshu's gaze and saw Aoba. Zuo Qinghuan suddenly had a feeling, was Qin Wanshu jealous? Zuo Qinghuan thought about it again and felt it was unlikely.
From Kitano Aoba's perspective, they did indeed look intimate. She thought Zuo Qinghuan and Qin Wanshu had already dispelled their estrangement. She smiled and approached Qin Wanshu and Zuo Qinghuan.
"Hello, I'm Kitano Aoba. I've always wanted to meet Miss Qin." Aoba smiled at Qin Wanshu. It was the first time she had such close contact with Qin Wanshu, but she didn't feel unfamiliar with the woman before her. Qin Wanshu gave Aoba the impression of a woman stepping out of a painting, as Zuo Qinghuan had once depicted.
"I'm Qin Wanshu, nice to meet you." Qin Wanshu also smiled at Aoba. Compared to Aoba's slight nervousness, Qin Wanshu seemed more generous in her response to Aoba. In fact, Qin Wanshu felt no aversion to this girl at all. She was as gentle as a willow, her smile sweet, her voice soft, non-intrusive but penetrating.
"In fact, you are not unfamiliar to me at all. Sister often mentions you. Every time she talks about you, I get curious. What kind of person are you, I've been looking forward to meeting you one day." Aoba said gently. She was a bit nervous at first, but as she got closer to Qin Wanshu, it disappeared. There was a magical power emanating from this woman that seemed to soothe the heart.
"I just hope I didn't disappoint you. You know, being so anticipated by someone can be quite daunting." Qin Wanshu replied humorously, but in her heart, she felt complex. Qin Wanshu knew she must be the deepest, most intimate part of Zuo Qinghuan's heart. How much trust and intimacy must there be between Zuo Qinghuan and this girl for Zuo Qinghuan to talk about her like that? The term "sister" from Aoba was particularly grating to Qin Wanshu's ears.
"Miss Qin is even more wonderful than my sister described," Aoba praised sincerely.
"Actually, living up to a reputation is difficult. If you're interested in these artifacts, perhaps I can provide some explanations," Qin Wanshu said modestly, shifting the conversation and taking on the role of Aoba's guide.
Clearly, Qin Wanshu as a guide was much more diligent and knowledgeable than Zuo Qinghuan. She could detail the history of almost every artifact and provide endless insights, making Aoba thoroughly enjoy the tour. At the same time, Aoba's proficiency in certain areas also earned Qin Wanshu's admiration.
Although Qin Wanshu was friendly towards Aoba and clearly showed affection, Zuo Qinghuan felt that Qin Wanshu was becoming increasingly distant towards her. Feeling Qin Wanshu's warmth towards Aoba, compared to her own neglect, left Zuo Qinghuan with an unpleasant feeling. She never expected to feel jealous of Aoba one day. In contrast, Aoba and Qin Wanshu indeed had more common topics.
The more Qin Wanshu conversed with Aoba, the more she liked her. Qin Wanshu suddenly had a feeling that if Zuo Qinghuan and Aoba spent a few more years together, Zuo Qinghuan might fall in love with this girl. After all, the time Zuo Qinghuan spent with Aoba was shorter than her time with Qin Wanshu. Moreover, Qin Wanshu was only superior to Aoba in terms of age and the accumulation of time. Aoba would eventually reach Qin Wanshu's level, and what Qin Wanshu lost to Aoba was just time – the youthful beauty and vitality that she had already lost. Qin Wanshu was also annoyed by Zuo Qinghuan's departure. If Zuo Qinghuan hadn't left, why would she feel this sense of unease and lack of confidence? However, this feeling was fleeting. Qin Wanshu found her thoughts amusing. When did she ever need to compare herself to others in terms of age? It seemed that she was regressing as she lived longer.
The more Aoba interacted with Qin Wanshu, the stronger the hidden sense of loss she felt. Qin Wanshu was truly flawless, even causing Aoba to feel a slight sense of inferiority. Aoba began to understand why her sister had chosen to leave due to her own insecurities.
Aoba couldn't help but laugh when she noticed someone who seemed to have been neglected for too long. She saw the slightly resentful look in her sister's eyes as if she had stolen her crush, which amused her.
Feeling a bit embarrassed by Aoba's laughter, Zuo Qinghuan dodged her teasing gaze and gently grabbed Qin Wanshu's wrist. If Aoba hadn't been there, she might have indulged in some coaxing and pampering towards Qin Wanshu.
"Qin Wanshu..." Zuo Qinghuan called out with a hint of grievance and eagerness, trying to get Qin Wanshu's attention and divert it from Aoba, her slightly more competent sister. Zuo Qinghuan felt a twinge of guilt at the thought of being attracted to someone older, like an old cow eating young grass, although Qin Wanshu was far from being an old cow. Yet, Qin Wanshu was thirty-three, while Aoba was twenty-three, so in a way, Aoba was indeed younger, at least in Zuo Qinghuan's eyes.
Aoba found Zuo Qinghuan's flattery amusing. Seeing her sister act so servile with that fairy-like face felt oddly discordant. It turned out that this was the pattern of interaction between her sister and Miss Qin. Aoba felt strangely envious.
Qin Wanshu deliberately ignored Zuo Qinghuan. Seeing her looking dejected, Qin Wanshu felt somewhat relieved, but she still had no intention of relenting.
After spending the afternoon together, Qin Wanshu was ready to leave. Zuo Qinghuan felt quite miserable. The only consolation for Zuo Qinghuan was that Qin Wanshu did not refuse her physical contact. However, thinking back to being ignored by Qin Wanshu all afternoon, Zuo Qinghuan looked at her with resentment, but unfortunately, Qin Wanshu turned a blind eye.
"Can I call you Sister Qin?" Aoba asked sweetly.
Qin Wanshu nodded. Since Aoba was acknowledged by Zuo Qinghuan as her sister, she naturally became Qin Wanshu's sister as well, especially since this sister was so likable.
Qin Wanshu went to the parking lot to drive. Zuo Qinghuan and Aoba had just returned to the country, and Zuo Qinghuan was busy with handover tasks, so she hadn't arranged for a car yet. Therefore, Qin Wanshu offered to drive them back, mainly for Aoba's sake, with Zuo Qinghuan as a secondary consideration.
"Sister Qin is really nice," Aoba said sincerely.
"Yeah, she was really good to you today," Zuo Qinghuan said, feeling a tinge of sourness. After all, she was the one who had been neglected.
"Is Sister jealous?" Aoba asked with interest.
Zuo Qinghuan naturally wouldn't admit it, as there was no reason to be jealous of her sister. But maybe Qin Wanshu was being a bit too affectionate with Aoba.
"Who knows, maybe Sister Qin is too!" Aoba's guess hit the mark. If Qin Wanshu knew that Aoba was living at her sister's house, she might feel jealous. Since there were still many things belonging to Qin Wanshu in Zuo Qinghuan's house, Aoba knew that Qin Wanshu had once lived there too. It was their shared world, so Aoba moving in might make Qin Wanshu feel like her territory was being invaded to some extent.
"Where does Aoba live?" Qin Wanshu asked about the destination, not expecting Zuo Qinghuan to let Aoba stay at her house.
"I live at my sister's house," Aoba said naturally, deciding to push her sister and Qin Wanshu together, as her sister seemed very eager.
Qin Wanshu's good mood disappeared instantly, her expression turning cold. Aoba living at Zuo Qinghuan's place meant she would be in Zuo Qinghuan's single apartment with only one bed. Qin Wanshu didn't believe Zuo Qinghuan would make Aoba sleep on the couch, so they must be sharing the same bed. Could they be so intimate as to share a bed? The thought made Qin Wanshu feel very uncomfortable as if her territory was being invaded, and she also felt like she was no longer being treated especially by Zuo Qinghuan.
Zuo Qinghuan suddenly felt like something was wrong.
"Aoba just arrived in China and had nowhere to stay, so she's temporarily staying at my place until Aunt Xiao comes back..." Zuo Qinghuan hurriedly explained.
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=1363950 This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
But Qin Wanshu didn't say anything, seemingly not even listening. Zuo Qinghuan felt like she was performing a monologue because Qin Wanshu didn't give her any emotional response at all. Zuo Qinghuan felt like all her efforts that afternoon had been in vain, and it seemed worse than before.
Seeing the tense atmosphere in the car, Aoba wondered if she had done more harm than good.
When they arrived at Zuo Qinghuan's apartment complex, Aoba thanked them and made an excuse to go upstairs first, leaving Zuo Qinghuan and Qin Wanshu alone in the car.
"Qin Wanshu, Aoba is just my sister," Zuo Qinghuan explained anxiously.
"You should get off now," Qin Wanshu said coldly, clearly not interested in discussing this topic any further.
"No," Zuo Qinghuan stubbornly refused to get out of the car.
Qin Wanshu narrowed her eyes slightly, feeling a hint of anger rising within her.
"Are you sure you're not getting off?" Qin Wanshu's tone grew even colder, this being the coldest attitude she had shown since they reunited.
"Qin Wanshu, if you don't like me living with Aoba, I'll give her the room. I won't go back to live there. Please don't be angry with me," Zuo Qinghuan tried to soften her approach, feeling uneasy about the situation herself. She had planned to move out herself, but Aunt Xiao was coming back soon, and she thought it would only be for two days. She felt that she and Aoba were innocent, so she didn't worry too much about it. Who would have thought it would cause such trouble?
Seeing Zuo Qinghuan refusing to get out of the car, Qin Wanshu opened the car door and got out herself.
Zuo Qinghuan, seeing Qin Wanshu leaving without hesitation, became even more anxious and quickly got out of the car, ready to chase after Qin Wanshu.
Qin Wanshu hailed a taxi and left, with no other taxis in sight for Zuo Qinghuan to catch. Zuo Qinghuan turned back to try to take Qin Wanshu's car, but she couldn't see any trace of her.
She sat in Qin Wanshu's car for a while before sending a text to Aoba.
"I'll be with Qin Wanshu for the next few nights. I'll talk to you later. It seems she's still quite angry." Zuo Qinghuan didn't want to live with Aoba if Qin Wanshu didn't like it, so she decided not to stay with Aoba anymore. She was worried that Aoba would blame herself if she found out, so she decided to go along with Aoba's wishes, thinking that Qin Wanshu and her had reconciled.
Aoba’s heart was still hanging, thinking she had done something bad despite her good intentions. She felt relieved only after receiving Zuo Qinghuan's text.
Seeing the goddess get jealous might seem like a good thing, but no ordinary person could bear the jealousy of a goddess. Zuo Qinghuan felt that her life was bleak, with no home to return to and no one more pitiful than herself.
Qin Wanshu was extremely uncomfortable, feeling angry every time she saw Zuo Qinghuan. How could this woman be so intimate with someone else behind her back, even if it was just as a sister? She couldn't allow it. Qin Wanshu realized her possessiveness was astonishingly large. She refused to believe that Zuo Qinghuan didn't know about Aoba's feelings, yet she allowed herself to be so intimate with Aoba. It was unforgivable. The more Qin Wanshu thought about it, the angrier she became. She didn't like feeling so irritable, and unable to calm down. This only fueled her anger towards Zuo Qinghuan even more.
Author's Note:
Qin Wanshu must be thinking right now, "I really hate things like having a little sister."
Huh, there are two hundred fewer favorites, but it's been bookmarked so many times. It seems like some readers really like ‘Willingly Baited’
"Willingly Baited’ is nearing its end, probably only a dozen or so chapters left. If it's going to be printed, should I change the cover?
