When the memories of two lifetimes intertwined like a tangled braid, they sent waves of pain through her mind.
Cheng Yuexin pressed her forehead; her steps felt unsteady. Gu Linxue stood in front of her and held her firmly.
“Yuexin, be good. Come with me.”
“No… Don’t…”
“Tch…”
Cold sweat dripped from her brow. The events of this life with Gu Linxue flashed through her mind like a film on fast-forward.
She hesitated for a moment before pushing Gu Linxue’s hand away, sinking into recollection.
A month ago.
As the sun set,
Cheng Yuexin sought out Gu Linxue on her own, standing before her villa.
The girl’s eyes were rimmed red; the wetness on her long lashes showed she had just been crying.
“Can you… lend me some money…”
Gu Linxue looked down at the cowering Cheng Yuexin, chin in hand, blocking the villa entrance.
“Money’s not a problem. You don’t even have to pay it back.”
Hearing this, Cheng Yuexin lifted her head, her eyes flickering with a glimmer of hope amid the distress.
“Really? I don’t have to pay it back?”
“That’s right. But what will you give me in exchange?”
Cheng Yuexin bit her lip, watching Gu Linxue’s malicious smile, and hesitantly clutched the hem of her clothes.
She knew exactly what Gu Linxue wanted, and it was easy enough to give.
The only person who could solve her problem right now was Gu Linxue.
Hesitating, Cheng Yuexin hung her head. Gu Linxue was in no hurry; she savored the sight of this snow lotus she had coveted for so long.
Even if her pursuit of Cheng Yuexin had been genuine, this flower had her own pride. Confronted with Cheng Yuexin, who had rejected her so many times, the coldness of those rejections had now turned into the girl’s current humiliation.
“Looks like you haven’t figured it out yet. There’s only one thing I want…”
She understood. She just needed the other’s confirmation.
“Wait!”
Cheng Yuexin pushed against the door that was about to close, her eyes full of apology and determination.
For her family, and for herself.
“I…”
Cheng Yuexin swallowed hard. Gu Linxue raised an eyebrow, her pink eyes fixed on the girl’s lightly pressed lips, her own mouth dry.
“Want me… don’t you…”
Gu Linxue’s only response was a faint smile and a nod.
“Then you know what to do?”
Cheng Yuexin stared at her seriously.
“Make sure you keep your word.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Gu Linxue flicked her wrist, a bank card appearing between her fingers, dangling in front of Cheng Yuexin.
“Two hundred thousand. Spend one day with me.”
Cheng Yuexin’s eyes lit up. That would be just enough to cover her sister’s medical bills and her travel expenses.
She was going to leave their city, taking her seriously ill sister with her.
“I agree.”
The moment she spoke, the dark gold card landed in her palm.
A faint smile tugged at the girl’s lips—this was nothing but a transaction, nothing to be happy about.
Before Cheng Yuexin could fully pull herself out of her emotions, Gu Linxue was already rejoicing at her brief possession of Cheng Yuexin.
She didn’t ask about Cheng Yuexin’s affairs; there was no need yet.
“Ha… little treasure, you’ve walked right into my trap.”
Gu Linxue almost touched Cheng Yuexin’s ear as she spoke, her warm breaths continuously reddening the girl’s ear.
“Mm… too close…”
“Close? We haven’t even reached zero distance yet. Let me give you a taste now.”
In an instant, Gu Linxue’s arm swept around, pulling Cheng Yuexin into her embrace. Then came a greedy, yearning kiss.
Cheng Yuexin had prepared herself mentally, but her first kiss being stolen so suddenly, and by Gu Linxue of all people, made her a little nervous.
Like a drought finally receiving rain, Gu Linxue savored her sweetness at zero distance for the first time—an indescribable delight.
But this alone was far from enough.
The villa door closed. The girl, slightly tipsy from the kiss, nestled like a bird against her chest.
“Heh… heh…”
Listening to Cheng Yuexin’s deep breaths, Gu Linxue knew that a little more would bring her into the mood.
“Baby, let’s continue. Mmm.”
Under Gu Linxue’s rainstorm of kisses, Cheng Yuexin gradually lost herself.
She wanted to push Gu Linxue away, but when she thought of the bank card she’d just gotten in her pocket, she gave up.
She really needed this money right now—to save herself and her sister.
Her white shirt slipped off, her skirt fell away, and bit by bit, Cheng Yuexin’s dignity eroded.
Gu Linxue plucked this snow lotus, tasting her sweetness without reservation.
On the day Cheng Yuexin left Gu Linxue’s house, she could barely crawl out.
Fortunately, everything had gone according to plan, but every wrong has its debtor, and now that debtor had come knocking.
Cheng Yuexin’s vision of the future collapsed in an instant.
Lost in her own memories, time seemed to stretch on forever, but in the real world, only about ten seconds had passed.
In those few seconds, Gu Linxue and Chen Yiyi were still locked in confrontation, but Gu Linxue was clearly in the stronger position.
At least Cheng Yuexin was in her arms.
“Let go of Yuexin. You can’t take her away.”
Gu Linxue let out a contemptuous snort, ignoring Chen Yiyi. She glanced at the lifeless look in the eyes of the girl in her arms and felt a twinge of irritation.
Until she saw her come back to her senses.
“Cheng Yuexin. Tell her—who are you going with?”
Gu Linxue’s voice was low as she questioned Cheng Yuexin. She wasn’t afraid of making a scene.
But Cheng Yuexin didn’t want to reveal her past right here.
She looked at Gu Linxue and pulled back a little, at least out of her embrace.
A mix of helplessness and passivity colored her eyes, even as she still had to go against Chen Yiyi.
“Yiyi, go back first. She’s my high school classmate. I need to talk to her about something.”
Chen Yiyi was startled, as if she could read the helplessness in Cheng Yuexin’s eyes.
“Why did you suddenly change your mind?”
Chen Yiyi’s question earned her a bitter smile from Cheng Yuexin, but Gu Linxue wasn’t about to let them continue talking.
“Good judgment. Time to go.”
“Yuexin…”
The three of them became the center of attention. As Cheng and Gu walked away, the campus path returned to order.
“Do I have to eat KFC alone again?”
Chen Yiyi sighed softly, her eyes dim as she looked down.
“Cheng Yuexin, you owe me one.”
…
At the fanciest hotel nearest the university, a white-haired girl suddenly appeared in a military training uniform, completely out of place among the crowd.
But this wasn’t Cheng Yuexin’s choice.
Gu Linxue seemed angry. On the way to the hotel, she kept a firm grip on Cheng Yuexin’s wrist.
In the elevator, Gu Linxue let go, and Cheng Yuexin could clearly see a red ring around her wrist.
“Gu Linxue, what do you want?”
Gu Linxue sneered first.
“What do I want? You’re asking me? Were you planning to make fools of us all?”
Gu Linxue glared coldly at Cheng Yuexin, her lips curling in disgust. This military training uniform was really ugly.
The snow lotus had been sullied.
Much better bare.
“I wasn’t trying to fool anyone. Guangnan University offered me free tuition. I had no choice.”
Gu Linxue grabbed her wrist, pinned her against the elevator wall, and lifted her slightly, speaking coldly.
“Don’t play dumb with me. We agreed to apply to Jimi University together, and then on the first day of classes, you’re nowhere to be seen. What are you playing at?”
Cheng Yuexin felt a bit guilty. In her memory, she had just retrieved the recollection of this event.
She hadn’t wanted to be in the same school as Gu Linxue and Liu Yingqiu. Both of them were pursuing her in this life, but perhaps her past-life experiences had changed how she saw them now.
Cheng Yuexin didn’t like either of them, yet she was forced to make a choice.
In the end, the way she thought of was to flee their city with her sister.
“I… I have my difficulties too…”
“Heh, you have your difficulties, sure. But that’s no reason for you to betray me.”
Gu Linxue lifted Cheng Yuexin’s small, thin body until her toes left the ground.
“My foolish wife. You haven’t been obedient.”
Cheng Yuexin denied it outright.
“I really am not what you think, Linxue. I really do have a hard situation.”
Gu Linxue raised an eyebrow. She already knew everything.
“Oh? Still not being honest? You wouldn’t want something to happen to Cheng Yueqing in the hospital, would you?”
At the mention of her sister’s name, Cheng Yuexin’s pupils dilated instantly.
“No! Don’t!”
Her voice came in frightened pleas as she spoke, like a kitten whose fate was held by the scruff of its neck.
“And what makes you think you can make demands of me?”
Cheng Yuexin’s eyes brimmed with tears. She had nothing else that Gu Linxue could be interested in except herself.
Her small hands clenched, then lowered.
“Please, just give the word. I’ll do anything.”
Satisfied with the answer, Gu Linxue had achieved her goal.
With a smile on her face, she gently stroked the pitiful, moving face before her, with its expression about to cry from grievance.
This was only the beginning.
Gu Linxue gave a triumphant laugh.
“Haha, you should have realized this long ago. Why make me angry?”
“Silly wife. Now it’s time for a punishment.”
Her slender fingertip lifted a strand of snow-white hair from the girl’s temple, gently cupping it, bringing it close to her nose to inhale.
Cheng Yuexin’s eyes were complex; her pearly teeth bit into her lower lip. She felt no disgust in her heart—only hatred for herself.
Gu Linxue led her to the hotel room door, and the moment she opened it, she began her revenge.
“Cheng Yuexin, you need to understand your place.”
“You are my wife.”
“You should just obediently listen.”
Cheng Yuexin wrapped her arms around her naked body. Her figure wasn’t particularly full, yet it carried a unique charm.
Especially when she was flushed with shame and helplessness, Gu Linxue loved her blushing, indignant expression the most.
Being called “wife” in this world meant being the submissive side in a romantic relationship, or the one forced to obey.
It was not a sweet term.
For Cheng Yuexin, it was just a means to survive.
Rip out her spine, disgusting b#tch.