Chapter 5
Seemingly touched by the undeniable seriousness in Jiang Minghua's eyes, Wen Chuqing's long eyelashes trembled slightly, casting a shadow beneath her eyes. She lowered her head, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the white jade edge of the bathtub, letting the rising steam blur her vision.
Minghua's words kept echoing in her ears. Although they were harsh, she knew Minghua was worried about her. Wen Chuqing bit her lower lip lightly, the warm water carrying the fragrance of rose essential oil, making her feel almost melt. She didn't quite agree with some of what Minghua said, but she had to admit that the 100,000 yuan she had secured for herself had indeed solved her immediate crisis. At least for the time being, she wouldn't have to worry about her grandmother's medical and hospitalization fees, and she could finally catch her breath from her busy part-time job.
She should be able to accept this money.
Wen Chuqing gazed at her swaying reflection in the water and finally loosened her clenched fist. Water droplets condensed from the steam slid down her snow-white arms until they disappeared into the hot spring.
After Jiang Minghua left, the vast space suddenly became exceptionally quiet. Wen Chuqing slowly sank into the water, the warmth instantly enveloping her entire body, giving her skin a faint pink hue. She leaned against the exquisitely carved bathtub wall, tilted her head back, and closed her eyes. In the misty steam, Wen Chuqing's nerves, which had been tense for many days, finally softened inch by inch in this warm embrace.
Suddenly, a WeChat notification sound abruptly broke the tranquility of the bathroom. She reached for her phone, which was placed beside the tub, and gently wiped away the water vapor on the screen with her fingertips. A new friend request popped up.
The profile picture was of a lonely island standing on a deep blue sea, surrounded by nothing but the silent lapping of waves against the shore. It seemed to be waiting for someone, and for some reason, this image made Wen Chuqing's heart tighten.
She clicked on the application information, and the moment her eyes fell on the text, her heart skipped a beat:
I'm so sorry about what happened tonight. I've already asked my friend to delete your photos.
Upon seeing this message and glancing at his profile picture, Wen Chuqing thought of the ex-girlfriend the boy had mentioned and the unyielding sadness in his eyes, and her heart ached. Completely forgetting what Ming Hua had said to her, she clicked "accept."
After they added each other on WeChat, Wen Chuqing wondered whether she should take the initiative to say hello. However, she then remembered that she had accepted 100,000 yuan from him that day, and her cheeks flushed. Would it seem shameless to take the initiative to say hello? Just as she was struggling with this dilemma, he sent her a sweet dream emoji.
Upon seeing this emoji, Wen Chuqing's mood instantly brightened, and she replied with a goodnight emoji in return.
As night deepened, the entire villa fell into a slumbering silence, broken only by the dim yellow light cast by the corridor wall lamps. Jiang Minghua, barefoot on the soft carpet, paced back and forth outside Wen Chuqing's door. Several times she raised her slender fingers as if to knock, but then slowly lowered them again, finally simply pressing her ear lightly against the cold door, listening intently for any sound from within.
The room was eerily quiet; not a single rustling sound could be heard. Jiang Minghua remained in that position for a long time, until her neck ached, before she straightened up slightly. Moonlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling window at the end of the corridor, casting a long shadow behind her.
Having confirmed that the person inside was sound asleep, she finally breathed a sigh of relief before turning to leave. The hem of her silk robe swayed gently with each step, making a soft rustling sound in the quiet corridor. Before returning to her own room, she glanced back at the tightly closed door, and the worry in her eyes slowly faded.
It seems that today's events didn't frighten her, which is good.
Because of Wen Chuqing's appearance, Jiang Minghua always projected her feelings for Mingjia onto Wen Chuqing. In the nights before Mingjia's suicide in her previous life, she was always plagued by nightmares. If she had been more careful then, the tragedy might not have happened.
The soft morning light filtered through the sheer curtains of the French windows into the dining room, casting dappled shadows on the long table. Jiang Minghua and Wen Chuqing walked down the stairs one after the other. The table was already set with exquisite tableware, and freshly squeezed orange juice gleamed in crystal glasses. Just as Jiang Minghua reached for the croissant on the plate, Aunt Qin hurried out of the kitchen, her wrinkled hand pausing in mid-air to block her way.
"Miss Jiang, wait a moment."
Jiang Minghua raised an eyebrow, looking at her with a half-smile, and said sarcastically:
"Aunt Qin, do we need to choose an auspicious day for breakfast now?"
Aunt Qin wore an awkward smile, but her gaze kept drifting towards the bedroom at the far end of the first floor. When Li Xiangjun came out, the smile lines around Aunt Qin's eyes were squeezed out.
Wen Chuqing immediately recognized that Li Xiangjun was wearing the uniform of Eton Nolan International Academy: a dark blue suit jacket with an exquisite gold school badge embroidered on the chest and a small silver lapel pin on his tie, all of which highlighted his status as a member of Eton Nolan International Academy's elite class.
She glanced down at her own student aid class uniform, a gray-blue cotton shirt with a simple printed school badge, which looked quite ordinary compared to the other person's luxurious uniform.
But what puzzled Wen Chuqing even more was why Jiang Minghua, the young lady of the Jiang family, was wearing the same student aid class uniform as her? They couldn't even eat before he arrived; they had to wait for him.
After Li Xiangjun sat down, he simply said, "Eat up, everyone." Aunt Qin smiled and agreed, then released her hand from Jiang Minghua's grasp.
It was as if Li Xiangjun was the master of this place.
Wen Chuqing noticed something unusual about the person next to her out of the corner of her eye and quickly looked over. When she saw Jiang Minghua's expression, she couldn't help but gasp.
The morning light fell on Jiang Minghua's profile, illuminating the curve of her lips almost transparently. After what happened last night, Wen Chuqing knew that the more radiant Jiang Minghua's smile, the more piercing the coldness in her eyes. Just like now, Jiang Minghua was shrouded in an eerie calm, yet Wen Chuqing could almost hear the boiling rage in her veins.
Sure enough, the next second, Jiang Minghua stood up, grabbed her chair, and threw it onto the dining table.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
