Chapter 48
The next day, Jiang Lai got on the bus early.
She didn’t have to wait long before the others arrived in ones and twos.
As soon as Gu Xizhou and Xia Wanwan got on, they came straight over and sandwiched her between them.
“Why are you sitting so close to me? Aren’t you two hot?”
She stretched out, trying to wriggle free, only for Xia Wanwan to grab her back.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Gu Xizhou reached out to take off her sunglasses, but Jiang Lai dodged her neatly. “What about you? We’re on a bus, so why are you wearing sunglasses? Trying to look cool or something?”
“None of your business.”
What a joke. If she took off her sunglasses, wouldn’t Gu Xizhou immediately notice her swollen eyes? Then she’d definitely keep digging until she got to the bottom of it. Just thinking about it gave Jiang Lai a headache.
Gu Xizhou clearly didn’t buy it. She leaned closer, eyes narrowed. “Jiang Lai, are you hiding something from us, hm?”
“Oh, why are you so nosy?”
Just as Jiang Lai was at a loss for how to answer, a woman’s voice came from outside the bus window.
As if she’d seen a savior, she immediately waved and called out loudly, “Aunt Cheng, Teacher Xu.”
Her voice was so loud it startled Xia Wanwan, who punched her hard on the arm. “Why are you shouting so loud? You scared me.”
Cheng Shuyang paused, then her smile deepened as she reacted. “Alai.”
Xu Zhiyi raised a brow and teased, “Looks like you’re in a pretty good mood today.”
“What do you mean? I’m in a good mood every day.”
Cheng Shuyang sat by the window.
Yu Tian, naturally, stood beside her.
Jiang Lai immediately pricked up her ears and listened to their conversation.
“Aunt Cheng, is anyone sitting in this seat next to you?”
“Someone already is.”
The woman’s voice was calm. She shifted inward slightly, leaving the outer seat empty. “Alai will sit here in a bit.”
“But isn’t she already sitting with Sister Wanwan?”
“She’ll be coming over later.”
“Ah... I see.”
The smile on Yu Tian’s face froze for a second, then she quickly recovered and went on acting coquettish toward the woman. “Since Aunt Cheng already has company, I’ll just find another seat.”
“Mhm.”
Only after hearing the woman refuse did Jiang Lai finally relax. Her whole body practically radiated good cheer.
Ding dong.
A message from the woman.
“Not coming to sit beside me? I already turned Yu Tian down. If you don’t come, wouldn’t that mean I was lying to her?”
Jiang Lai stared at the line on the screen, her heart thudding hard.
She stole a glance at the woman’s seat. Cheng Shuyang was holding her phone and typing, the corners of her mouth curved in a faint smile.
Done. It was that feeling again.
She quickly replied with a cheerful “Coming!” and got up at once.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to sit with Aunt Cheng.”
Her tone was full of unmistakable delight as she reached over and snatched the snacks from Gu Xizhou’s hand.
“Hey, those are mine...”
“Eat less. Your face is already puffed up.”
“You’re resorting to personal attacks now?”
Xia Wanwan caught the girl, who was on the verge of exploding. “All right, don’t argue with her. She’s in a hurry to sit with my mom.”
“Tch. Hoes before bros.”
Ignoring her friend’s complaint, Jiang Lai walked over to the woman and smiled sweetly. “Aunt Cheng.”
The woman patted the seat beside her, signaling for Jiang Lai to sit down.
“How’s that? Am I very obedient? You told me to come over, and I immediately dumped the other two and came to find you.”
“Mhm, you’re the most obedient.”
Cheng Shuyang shifted into a more comfortable position and leaned back.
“Is it uncomfortable sitting like this?”
The woman gave a forced smile. “I don’t know what’s been going on lately, but my waist has been hurting. Maybe I’m just getting old.”
Jiang Lai immediately disagreed. “You’re talking nonsense. This is exactly the age to be striving. How can you say you’re old?”
The woman was amused by her earnest expression; even the fine lines at the corners of her eyes softened. She couldn’t help reaching out to ruffle Jiang Lai’s hair.
“When we get back to the guesthouse later, I’ll help you massage it. I heard it works really well; my mom has personally tested it. Want to try?”
Seeing how eager the girl looked, she patted the back of her hand, her smile indulgent. “Sure. Then I’ll have to trouble you.”
“It’s no trouble at all. Besides... ”
She suddenly leaned close to the woman’s ear. “What’s wrong with being older? Older people know how to take care of others. I like older women the most.”
The girl’s warm breath brushed her ear, tickling her heart. Cheng Shuyang subtly leaned back, but the girl only pressed in a little closer.
“Jiang Lai, scoot back a little.”
“I don’t want to... Ow, why are you pinching me?”
Jiang Lai clutched her waist and looked at her with aggrieved eyes.
“Let’s see if you dare talk nonsense again.”
“I wasn’t talking nonsense.”
While dodging the woman’s hand, she kept inching closer. In the middle of their playful scuffle, Cheng Shuyang’s sleeve slipped down a little.
The scene from last night replayed in her mind like a film. Jiang Lai instantly froze, utterly flustered and at a loss.
Whenever people feel awkward, they always pretend to be busy. She kept glancing around. “Why hasn’t the driver set off yet? I’ll go hurry him...”
The woman, however, remained calm. She pressed her back down when she tried to get up and handed her a bottle of water with ease. “Drink some water.”
“Oh, okay... ”
Jiang Lai took it and had only just swallowed a mouthful when Xu Zhiyi, sitting behind her, caught sight of it immediately.
Jiang Lai looked up and met Xu Zhiyi’s teasing gaze. “Oh? Teacher Cheng, what happened to your shoulder?”
In an instant, she drew everyone on the bus’s attention.
Jiang Lai turned to Cheng Shuyang. Looking at that spot, the bite mark had already faded somewhat. It was mostly hidden beneath her shirt now, but a suggestive red remained.
She wished there were a crack in the ground she could crawl into right then and there. Clutching the bottle tightly, she refused to lift her head; her ears, however, had gone bright red.
Cheng Shuyang lowered her head without changing expression and buttoned up her shirt. Her tone was flat. “I got bitten by a bug while I was sleeping last night.”
“Oh my, what kind of bug bites like that?”
After saying that, Xu Zhiyi even pointedly looked at Jiang Lai. “What do you think, Alai?”
“Pff—”
Jiang Lai sprayed out all the water she’d just drunk, and by sheer coincidence, the person sitting in front of her was Yu Tian.
Yu Tian turned around, frowning at her.
Panicking, Jiang Lai hurriedly pulled out tissues and handed them over, her face burning red. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. This outfit must be pretty expensive, right? Why don’t I buy you a new one...”
“No need.”
Yu Tian’s face had darkened like the bottom of a pot, but with Cheng Shuyang there, she couldn’t lose her temper. She could only snatch the tissues from Jiang Lai’s hand and wipe herself off.
“Sorry, Yu Tian, I really didn’t mean to...”
Heaven and earth could testify; she really was beyond saving now.
Xu Zhiyi smiled meaningfully. “Alai, did you actually see what the bug in Teacher Cheng’s room looked like?”
Before Jiang Lai could answer, Cheng Shuyang cut in first. “Alai is still young; how would she have seen those things?”
“Is that so? But to me it looks more like...”
“Teacher Xu.”
The woman’s voice cooled. “Your makeup seems to be smudged.”
“Hm? Oh!”
Xu Zhiyi understood immediately that Cheng Shuyang was telling her to shut up, but she simply refused to give in. She’d wanted to tease the girl a little more, only to be silenced by one look from the woman.
Fine. She closed her mouth, but not before giving Jiang Lai a look full of hidden meaning.
Jiang Lai covered her face with both hands and refused to take them down no matter what.
“All right.”
The woman coaxed her patiently. “I didn’t say anything to you. Why are you the one getting embarrassed?”
“It’s all my fault...”
The muffled voice came through the gaps between her fingers.
Cheng Shuyang gave a helpless laugh, her eyes warm. She reached out and tugged Jiang Lai’s ear. “Alai, how can you be this cute, hm?”
The moment she lowered her hands, Jiang Lai saw the woman’s smiling face.
Done. Another day of being struck speechless by Aunt Cheng’s beauty.
Fortunately, the farce didn’t last long. As soon as the bus reached its destination, Jiang Lai immediately jumped off.
“I’m going to the restroom!”
After tossing out those words, she practically fled in panic.
Xia Wanwan followed her out and, seeing her reaction, asked her mother in confusion, “Mom, where did Alai go? Why was she in such a hurry?”
“She went to the toilet.”
Only after confirming there was no one around did she ask the question that had been on her mind.
“But, Mom...”
Xia Wanwan grinned wickedly. “Are you in love?”
“...Are you very idle?”
Getting a retort from her own mother didn’t discourage her in the least. Instead, she went on listing her mother’s “crimes” one by one. “Isn’t that right? I’m not some little girl who’s never been married. How could the mark on your neck possibly be from a bug...”
Cheng Shuyang shot her a glare and tried to leave.
But the girl clung tightly to her arm. “Mom, just tell me who that person is!”
“Xia Wanwan.”
The woman’s voice dipped, but the tips of her ears quietly turned red.
“I knew it. You really do have something going on... mmph!”
Xia Wanwan only got more outrageous the more she talked. Cheng Shuyang finally couldn’t take it anymore and simply dragged her away.
In the restroom.
Jiang Lai leaned against the door, clutching her pounding heart and breathing hard.
Useless. And she’d still said she wanted to pursue Aunt Cheng—what was she even using to pursue her...
She angrily punched herself once. Just as she was about to push the door open and leave, she heard voices outside.
Hesitating over whether to open the door, she then heard her own name. The voice was unfamiliar; it didn’t sound like someone she knew.
She didn’t know what they said, only that the person answered with a few “mm-hm”s before leaving the restroom.
After making sure no one was coming back, Jiang Lai finally opened the door.
The outside was already empty, but she had a strange feeling that something bad was about to happen. Her heart felt uneasy.
“Alai?”
As she stepped out, she nearly ran straight into Cheng Shuyang, who had come looking for her.
“Aunt Cheng? Why are you here?”
“I saw you’d been gone for a long time and still hadn’t come out. I was worried something had happened, so I came to check on you. What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
The woman studied her face, concern deepening.
“Nothing.”
Jiang Lai forced a smile. “Maybe I stayed in there too long and got a little dizzy.”
Only then did the woman relax.
“If anything happens, you have to tell me.”
“Mm, okay.”
In a corner no one noticed, a cigarette butt was still smoldering on the ground, and a tiny machine with a blinking red light operated in silence.
It looked exactly like a pair of lurking eyes.