Chapter 65
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
"Miss, you are unkind. You want me to wipe your mouth while you are eating secretly. If you can't make an egg in the future, do I have to help with that too?" Shi Yunyang said very dissatisfied.
"I don't mind if you want to lay eggs for us." Qin Wanshu said lightly. She didn't let Shi Yunyang see this excitement for nothing. Everything has a price. "Sending the Buddha to the West*, I will trouble you." Although Qin Wanshu said it politely, she immediately hung up the phone and did not give Shi Yunyang a chance to refuse.
*Help/Do good deeds from start to finish
Damn, despite how easy-going Qin Wanshu is, in fact, this woman is not polite at all when it comes to getting things done.
Shi Yunyang is very upset. When she gets angry, she kicks her nearby bed companion down. She can't sleep, and she won't let others sleep either.
Shi Yunyang has always had a lot of crooked thoughts since she was young. She quickly figured out a way to bring Zuo Qinghuan out of the Qin residence. Luckily, Qin Teng, this guy being unreliable makes it possible to casually bring a woman to stay overnight at the Qin residence.
"Qin Teng, get up," Shi Yunyang impolitely called Qin Teng, who was also lazily sleeping.
"Sister Shi, wasn't that guy satisfying enough for you last night? Why so early and so fiery?" Qin Teng yawned and asked. At this moment, Qin Teng also had a companion in his bed.
"Go and escort Zuo Qinghuan out. It's the Miss’ command," Shi Yunyang falsely conveyed an imperial order.
"Since when did my sister need you to convey her orders?" Qin Teng isn't naive; he figured his sister tasked her with getting Zuo Qinghuan out, and now it's being pushed onto him.
"Will you do it or not?" Shi Yunyang's tone shifted from the earlier aggression to a gentleness that made Qin Teng somewhat uneasy. Despite this woman's alluring charm, gentleness was entirely unrelated. Usually, it signaled a prelude to threatening someone.
"You're meddling, dragging me into this..." Qin Teng expressed dissatisfaction. Last night, he was against bringing Zuo Qinghuan into the Qin residence. Shi Yunyang caused trouble herself, and now he had to clean up after her. Qin Teng's mood wasn't too great either
"Qin Teng, remember, I have something on you. Handle it as you see fit." Shi Yunyang hung up with an unpleasant tone. After ending the call with Qin Teng, Shi Yunyang felt a lot more balanced. Qin Wanshu had a leverage over her, and she had a leverage over Qin Teng. As long as Qin Teng, an all-powerful little brother, runs errands for her, there is nothing that cannot be solved.
Shi Yunyang's mood improved, but Qin Teng's mood took a hit. If Qin Teng could choose again, he definitely wouldn't want any connection with Shi Yunyang. Otherwise, he wouldn't have ended up with that detestable woman holding something over him.
"Master Qin..." The woman beside Qin Teng reached out to touch his chest, but Qin Teng pushed her away.
"Get lost!" Qin Teng bluntly pushed away the woman who was close to him, resignedly got up to dress, and quietly returned to the Qin family without anyone noticing.
….
"Is this your study?" Zuo Qinghuan pointed to the next room and asked.
“Mm, do you want to take a look?" Qin Wanshu nodded.
"Sure." Since there was nothing else to do, Zuo Qinghuan walked in. She found that this study was somewhat different from Han Shibin's. There weren't many antiques; most of it was a collection of books. The whole setup was very elegant, exuding a strong scholarly atmosphere. However, a painting of a lady on the wall caught Zuo Qinghuan's attention. She looked at the person in the painting, feeling a familiar connection. Obviously, it was someone of the same type as herself.
"You painted this?" Zuo Qinghuan asked curiously.
Qin Wanshu nodded.
"Do you like the person in the painting? Is there a real model?" Zuo Qinghuan asked with a somewhat sour tone, fearing she might just be a replacement.
"This was originally a painting in my grandfather's study. I used it as a reference when I was young. If it looked good, I kept it there. As for whether there's a real person, only my grandfather knows," Qin Wanshu replied truthfully.
"Take it down, and I'll be the subject for your painting," Zuo Qinghuan said. If she wants a portrait of a beauty, might as well use herself; after all, she's not bad-looking.
When Qin Wanshu heard this, she first looked puzzled, then realized that Zuo Qinghuan was feeling jealous. She found it somewhat amusing but indeed took the painting down.
Zuo Qinghuan casually mentioned it, not expecting Qin Wanshu to actually take the painting down so easily. It was a bit surprising.
"Will you really paint me and hang it on the wall?" Zuo Qinghuan asked curiously.
"I won't," Qin Wanshu didn't consider painting Zuo Qinghuan and hanging it on the wall a good suggestion.
"Why?" Zuo Qinghuan asked discontentedly, wondering if she didn't meet the requirements.
"A painting can never capture the liveliness of a real person," Qin Wanshu answered earnestly. This response satisfied Zuo Qinghuan.
….
Meanwhile, Qin Teng affectionately walked out of the Qin family's gate with a woman. Since the woman's face was buried in Qin Teng's chest, and her hair was disheveled, almost no one could see her appearance. It wasn't surprising; after all, Qin Teng had a lot of unreliable deeds. Just thinking about what would happen if the old man saw it, Qin Teng would probably get scolded again, as the old man never missed a chance to scold Qin Teng whenever they met.
Although Qin Teng was just a cover , Qin Wanshu couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy watching Qin Teng and Zuo Qinghuan acting intimately, even though she knew it was fake. However, she quickly suppressed that feeling.
Zuo Qinghuan felt even more uneasy. She tried her best to maintain distance between herself and Qin Teng. She didn't want to be close to Qin Teng or have him looking at her like that.
Qin Teng was not happy to come at all, and naturally, he didn't look kindly on Zuo Qinghuan. She was just a wild chicken – did his sister really need to go to such lengths for her?
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
Zuo Qinghuan felt being with Qin Teng was a form of torture. Fortunately, after leaving the Qin residence, Qin Teng received a call and left without having the time to launch a personal attack. Zuo Qinghuan felt extremely fortunate about that.
After changing into a new set of clothes, Zuo Qinghuan headed to the coffee shop. Just thinking about the sweet night she spent with Qin Wanshu yesterday made her unable to contain the smile on her face, putting her in a good mood for the day.
Suddenly, her phone rang. Assuming it was Qin Wanshu, she eagerly answered without checking, only to realize it was an unfamiliar number.
"Is this Xiao Huan?" The familiar yet unfamiliar voice caught Zuo Qinghuan off guard. For a moment, she didn't respond. It seemed Aunt Xiao had quite the capabilities; she even managed to find her phone number.
"Your mother is in the hospital, with late-stage cervical cancer, not much time left. Can you come to see her when you have time?"
"Which hospital is she in?" Zuo Qinghuan's lips trembled slightly. After a long pause, she struggled to ask.
….
"Aunt Xiao." So far, there are only two women who have left a deep impression on Zuo Qinghuan: one is Qin Wanshu, and the other is the woman in front of her, whom she calls Aunt Xiao. This woman is completely different from Qin Wanshu. She carries a hint of charm, wisdom, and maturity earned through the trials of life. It's the grace that time has bestowed upon her, the kind of woman who has rolled in the dust for decades and settled like rouge. Zuo Qinghuan has called her Aunt Xiao for many years without ever knowing her real name. Her mother was one of the earliest under her care. It was under her guidance that Zuo Qinghuan spent a few years dancing on the pole, allowing her to escape the destiny that originally belonged to her.
"You've changed quite a bit. It seems the choice you made back then was the right one." The woman observed Zuo Qinghuan. Zuo Qinghuan looks completely different from her mother, Zuo Yan. Zuo Yan had an overly glamorous and enchanting appearance as if her face was destined for a life in the mortal world. In contrast, Zuo Qinghuan looks ethereal and otherworldly. She's a resilient child, unwilling to accept her fate, and quite intelligent. It wasn't in vain that she received the most care among all the girls back then.
"Aunt Xiao, you haven't changed at all. Time hasn't left any marks on you." Zuo Qinghuan expressed her feelings genuinely, not out of flattery.
"You are indeed different from your mother," the woman said with a slight smile.
"Thankfully, I am different." Zuo Qinghuan considered it the greatest blessing in her life not to be like Zuo Yan.
"She's like a child who never grows up, unable to take responsibility for her own life. How could she possibly take responsibility for yours?" The woman spoke calmly. Many times, she seemed detached and ruthless, yet contradictory. For instance, with Zuo Yan, a woman who had long lost any value to her, she still showed a hint of kindness.
Zuo Qinghuan remained silent.
"Go in and see her. I have some matters to attend to. I'll leave first." After saying this, the woman left the hospital. In reality, she was very busy, and being able to spare this little time was already a rarity for her.
Author's Note:
Lately, I can't access the page to review comments, so I can only watch as comments get deleted. It's quite heartbreaking….
On a positive note, I noticed that the bookmarks for "Willingly Baited" have surpassed those for "Palace Incline." Though I don't expect the points to surpass "Palace Incline," I am still very happy. Breaking my own record is a joyful achievement.