Chapter 34

The living room was quiet, the two of them seated apart on the sofa as silence settled over the room.

Sheng Huaixi lowered her eyes. Her long lashes cast fine shadows over her slender, pale hand, her gaze as cool and detached as a flower growing high on a distant peak.

She paid no attention at all to the burning stare fixed on her.

Bored, she idly toyed with the fingers of that hand, brushing the skin at her wrist now and then, and occasionally lifting her head to cast a vague glance toward the kitchen to see what Jiang Chao was doing.

Every so often, she let out a soft sigh; a drifting trace of grievance and chill spilled from her throat to her lips, with no concern for whether Yuan Bai heard it or what expression she wore if she did.

After staring for a long while, Sheng Huaixi still got no reaction from the kitchen. She let the softness fade from her face and returned to a cool, indifferent expression.

She turned toward her own side, looked at Jiang Chao on her own, sat on the sofa on her own, and completely ignored Yuan Bai beside her.

Whether it was the scorching stare or the displeased glare at her side, Sheng Huaixi merely leaned lightly back into the sofa, her expression cold as she immersed herself in her own world.

Beside her, Yuan Bai stared at Sheng Huaixi so hard that her eyes began to ache, blinking rapidly to relieve the soreness.

The annoyance and confusion in her gaze were obvious, at times mixed with a touch of melancholy.

Taking a light breath and biting her tongue, Yuan Bai endured for a while longer before finally breaking the silence between them.

“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” Yuan Bai said with certainty.

She lifted her eyes, light flashing in their depths. Though her words took the form of a question, there was no hesitation in her tone.

As for everything Sheng Huaixi had just done in the kitchen...

Yuan Bai had already reached her conclusion.

She had seen everything clearly from outside the kitchen. Sheng Huaixi’s smiling glance as she turned and walked toward her, the slight upward curve of her lips—Yuan Bai had seen that too.

There was no doubt about it; Sheng Huaixi had done it on purpose.

She had deliberately moved close to Jiang Chao when Yuan Bai approached, deliberately made intimate gestures with Jiang Chao in front of her, deliberately made sure she saw how close they were.

The expression on Sheng Huaixi’s face when she turned and saw Yuan Bai standing outside the kitchen door made it clear that this was not Yuan Bai overthinking things, but the truth.

“Of course it was on purpose.”

A faint laugh slipped from Sheng Huaixi’s throat. She tilted her face slightly, her gaze lifting from her hands as a faint smile appeared at the corners of her lips. Her cool eyes lowered, carrying a trace of light contempt.

At Yuan Bai’s assumption that she hadn’t meant to do it, Sheng Huaixi’s lashes lowered, a flicker of mockery passing through her eyes.

She really hadn’t known Yuan Bai would still place such trust in her character.

To actually ask her something like that...

Sheng Huaixi didn’t bother hiding her expression. Yuan Bai could naturally see the faint scorn in her eyes, and her body stiffened as she drew a deep breath.

She didn’t want to argue over something pointless. If they started fighting and Jiang Chao saw...

Since Sheng Huaixi had no intention of hiding her malice, Yuan Bai had no intention of being polite either. She asked directly, “Do you know why she asked me to come over for dinner today?”

Her long lashes trembled lightly at the question. Sheng Huaixi did not answer immediately. Instead, she turned her eyes toward the kitchen, where a slim figure moved in and out of sight, busy and lively.

That little patch of kitchen space seemed to come alive with her. She moved so cheerfully, like a small sun.

A smile rose unconsciously to Sheng Huaixi’s lips as she watched the back of that figure swinging a spatula with brisk energy. When she answered Yuan Bai, her tone was relaxed, almost airy.

“Because our progress from marrying first and loving later exceeded your imagination, and because Jiang Chao’s recent behavior made you think we were already dating, right?”

That familiar phrase made Yuan Bai’s pupils contract. She sat up abruptly, her voice sharpening as she frowned and asked, “You were eavesdropping on the video call last time?”

But that didn’t make sense. Yuan Bai’s brow furrowed tighter as confusion filled her mind. She remembered that when she and Jiang Chao had last talked about Sheng Huaixi, Jiang Chao had already put on her headphones.

If Jiang Chao had been wearing headphones, how would Sheng Huaixi know what they had said?

With a casual glance, Sheng Huaixi took in the confusion on Yuan Bai’s face. The pleasant mood she had tucked away still lingered, and she offered a simple explanation.

“Her headphones leak sound. Unfortunately, my hearing is quite good.”

Letting out a relieved breath, Yuan Bai’s body relaxed and her mind loosened. As long as Jiang Chao hadn’t taken the initiative to discuss these things with Sheng Huaixi, that was fine.

At the end of the sentence, Sheng Huaixi’s eyes swept lightly over her. Seeing the sigh of relief on Yuan Bai’s face, she turned her thoughts and immediately understood what she was thinking.

Her gaze reluctantly shifted away from Jiang Chao and returned to Yuan Bai. Sheng Huaixi’s lips curved faintly as she stated the fact calmly.

“Even if I hadn’t heard it, Jiang Chao would still tell me.”

A hint of self-satisfaction lingered in her words.

“...” Yuan Bai was speechless.

She understood what Sheng Huaixi was trying to say. Wasn’t this just showing off the favor Jiang Chao might have for her?

In other words, as long as Sheng Huaixi was willing to ask, Jiang Chao wouldn’t hide even the content of their conversations.

If this had been the Yuan Bai of before, she would never have believed Sheng Huaixi could possibly occupy such a large place in Jiang Chao’s heart.

But now, after seeing what had just happened in the kitchen, Yuan Bai didn’t dare be certain... or rather, the moment she learned Jiang Chao was actually living with Sheng Huaixi, Sheng Huaixi had already taken root in Jiang Chao’s heart.

“Your expression is telling me I’m right.” Sheng Huaixi propped her chin on her hand and looked at Yuan Bai, speaking slowly.

That smug look on her face made her cool, indifferent features, which had seemed so detached, suddenly carry an infuriating trace of petty satisfaction.

Taking a deep breath, Yuan Bai thought of why she had come here today and quickly, if somewhat hastily, gathered herself. Her gaze sharpened, and she sat properly as she looked at Sheng Huaixi.

“Yes. But...” Yuan Bai’s expression was calm, and as she thought about what she was about to say, the corners of her lips could not help pressing into a slight smile. Meeting Sheng Huaixi’s gaze, she said softly, “She asked me to come because she wanted me to stop thinking the two of you are dating.”

As the words fell, Yuan Bai faced Sheng Huaixi’s darkening gaze and gave a light smile, shrugging her shoulders.

That was Jiang Chao’s real intention.

Yuan Bai hadn’t lied just to get one over on Sheng Huaixi.

Sheng Huaixi understood that.

But the phrase stop thinking was truly unbearable to her.

Sheng Huaixi stared at Yuan Bai with a distant look, keeping the same posture as before, only the coldness in her eyes growing deeper.

The ice that had begun to thaw froze again because of those simple words. The temperature dropped further; the sharp edges grew colder, quietly pricking at the skin of anyone who came near.

Sheng Huaixi watched in silence, her eyes dark and still as ink. The white noise in the room continued at its steady pace, yet the pounding heartbeat that brushed past their ears no longer sounded the same.

The two of them met each other’s eyes. Sheng Huaixi’s aura was cold as ice, her overwhelming presence pressing down on Yuan Bai with force.

Yuan Bai clenched her fist, digging her fingertips hard into her palm, using the pain to steady herself.

Unexpectedly, Sheng Huaixi, whom Yuan Bai had thought would remain stubbornly unmoved, was the first to look away; even her expression softened a little.

Her thick lashes lowered as Sheng Huaixi hid the surge of agitation in her eyes. Anxiety and suffocation churned wildly through her, and a faint metallic taste spread in her mouth, but when she spoke, her voice remained perfectly calm.

“I know.”

At that, Yuan Bai’s fixed gaze loosened a little. She looked at Sheng Huaixi in stunned confusion.

If she knew that, then what had all this been for...

“But after seeing what just happened in the kitchen, have you stopped thinking that way?” Sheng Huaixi added slowly.

The expression that had just begun to bloom on Yuan Bai’s face instantly turned even uglier.

Without a doubt—

If she had stopped thinking that way, she wouldn’t be here discussing Jiang Chao with Sheng Huaixi now; she’d be happily waiting to eat dinner instead.

Even if the one in the kitchen had been someone else, Yuan Bai might have already offered her blessings.

But it had to be Sheng Huaixi.

Taking a deep breath, Yuan Bai suppressed the melancholy and anxiety in her chest, looked at Sheng Huaixi, and said seriously, “Jiang Chao won’t like you.”

That was the outcome Yuan Bai wanted most.

Even though... that outcome already seemed to be wobbling faintly now, as if one day it might come crashing down somewhere out of her sight.

“She will.” Sheng Huaixi stared into Yuan Bai’s eyes, her gaze cold and obsessive as she repeated, word for word, “Jiang Chao will love me.”

Jiang Chao would love her forever.

Sheng Huaixi was utterly certain that would happen.

Because Sheng Huaixi would never give Jiang Chao the chance to fall for anyone else.

The treasure she had finally gotten back into her hands; Sheng Huaixi would never let her go again. That was her obsession, the rope she refused to loosen.

Whether the forcibly plucked melon was sweet or not, Sheng Huaixi didn’t care. She didn’t even like sweet things.

As long as it stayed in her hands, no matter how bitter it was, Sheng Huaixi would swallow it.

Besides, Sheng Huaixi didn’t believe Jiang Chao truly felt nothing but pity for her and nothing else.

Even if she had to tie her up, Sheng Huaixi would keep Jiang Chao by her side.

Yuan Bai fell silent.

She couldn’t make sense of the emotions in Sheng Huaixi’s eyes.

In a daze, she felt as though she could see, in those eyes, Sheng Huaixi’s deep, almost suffocating feelings for Jiang Chao.

Yuan Bai didn’t understand why Sheng Huaixi had such a profound fixation on Jiang Chao.

She had asked Jiang Chao before, and Jiang Chao had confirmed that they only met after she joined the company, but Sheng Huaixi’s behavior was completely at odds with that.

Her feelings were deep and heavy, faintly carrying a terrifying obsession, especially in that sentence just now: Jiang Chao will love me. It made Yuan Bai’s whole body go cold.

For a moment, Yuan Bai even wondered—

If Jiang Chao really never ended up liking Sheng Huaixi, Sheng Huaixi would not let her off easily; she might even use some extreme means.

From beginning to end, Sheng Huaixi did not hide her desire for Jiang Chao’s love. In fact, it almost seemed as though she was deliberately showing it off to Yuan Bai.

She seemed to want to let Jiang Chao know through her words that she felt this love so deeply it was spilling over.

The smile on Sheng Huaixi’s face told Yuan Bai this was not a wild guess.

In that instant, staring at the smile that never quite reached Sheng Huaixi’s eyes, Yuan Bai had a crazy thought in her mind—

If Jiang Chao rejected Sheng Huaixi’s feelings, would she be forced into love...

A soft cough brushed through her throat. Yuan Bai turned back to glance at the hard-working figure in the kitchen, then looked again at the thick, turbulent emotion in Sheng Huaixi’s eyes and pressed her fist against her lips.

Her eyelashes trembling, Yuan Bai forced out the question between her teeth.

“Sheng Huaixi, you’re not going to do the whole forced-love thing, are you?”

TL Note:

"flower growing high on a distant peak (高岭之花)" = an aloof, hard-to-reach beauty.