“Okay, let’s go buy candy.”
Liu Yingqiu tightly clasped Cheng Yuexin’s hand. The two of them said nothing the entire way. Just holding hands, they walked through the whole park and arrived at a nearby snack supermarket.
Cheng Yuexin rarely came to places like this, but Liu Yingqiu led her skillfully to the candy section to shop.
“What kind of candy do you want? Hard candy or soft candy? I remember you used to like this.”
Liu Yingqiu picked up a pack of strawberry-flavored gummies and waved it in front of Cheng Yuexin.
Cheng Yuexin picked up a pack of hard candy.
“I don’t like that anymore. I like this now.”
Liu Yingqiu put down the gummies, her expression calm.
“Want to buy some other snacks? Get something for Yue Qing?”
Cheng Yuexin nodded. She had been thinking the same thing.
“Then let’s just buy a little bit of everything.”
The two browsed in the supermarket for a while. Cheng Yuexin didn’t know what Cheng Yueqing liked to eat, so she just bought everything she herself liked.
“I’ll handle the checkout.”
Liu Yingqiu stepped forward and stood at the counter first. Cheng Yuexin was even more direct, pulling out a hundred-yuan bill.
Liu Yingqiu stared blankly.
“I can’t always spend your money. I have some savings too.”
Cheng Yuexin explained.
“Huh? Did you earn it from a part-time job?”
Cheng Yuexin was taken aback, her expression freezing for a moment before she quickly nodded. She avoided looking at Liu Yingqiu’s puzzled face.
“Yeah, I earned it from working before school started.”
Liu Yingqiu nodded, not thinking much of it. It wasn’t strange for a college student to work part-time.
After paying, Liu Yingqiu carried a large bag of snacks toward the exit. Cheng Yuexin followed close behind.
“Is it heavy? Let me help you carry it.”
Liu Yingqiu gave a faint smile, telling her not to worry.
“It’s not heavy. I can handle it by myself.”
Cheng Yuexin glanced at the slightly visible veins on her slender arm; it was still a bit difficult for her alone. In her previous life, Cheng Yuexin would have thought this was child’s play. At least it was much better than this Battle Five Scum body.
“Linxue, I want an ice pop, the kind with chocolate filling.”
“Sure, I’ll buy you one later. What else do you want?”
“Let’s look around first, hehe.”
A young couple approaching caught Cheng Yuexin’s attention. Just from listening to their conversation, she wasn’t sure yet. It wasn’t until she looked up and saw Gu Linxue’s smiling face, along with the purple-haired woman beside her laughing wildly.
This was the woman she had seen that day.
Cheng Yuexin stopped and tugged at Liu Yingqiu’s clothes, forcing her to halt. Cheng Yuexin shrank back, hiding behind Liu Yingqiu, hoping not to be seen by Gu Linxue.
Liu Yingqiu calmly stared at Gu Linxue and the woman beside her, mainly at Gu Linxue. Her eyes concealed a hint of hostility. Protecting Cheng Yuexin in front of her, Liu Yingqiu was like a mother hen shielding her chick.
The air suddenly grew quiet. The sound of footsteps came to an abrupt halt.
“Linxue? What’s wrong?”
The purple-haired woman sensed something wrong and looked up at Gu Linxue. Her purple eyes, just like Cheng Yuexin’s, were bright and lively, blinking continuously.
Gu Linxue said nothing. Her sharp eyes locked onto the second pair of white canvas shoes that appeared at Liu Yingqiu’s feet, and she couldn’t help but snort coldly. Her pink eyes clouded with displeasure. Her tone was icy.
“Long time no see, Liu Yingqiu.”
“Gu Linxue, I didn’t expect to see you in a place like this. Where did you spawn from?”
That was also what Cheng Yuexin wanted to say. Cheng Yuexin swallowed hard, afraid to make a sound. Her heartbeat quickened from fear. Running into Gu Linxue never brought anything good, especially since she was now wandering around with Liu Yingqiu. If Gu Linxue caught her, she would be in trouble again.
Gu Linxue let out a cold laugh.
“I’m not a monster, so why use ‘spawn’? My friend and I came out to relax and stroll around. I didn’t expect to run into you here. What a coincidence, Cheng Yuexin.”
The moment her name was called, Cheng Yuexin’s heart skipped a beat. She gasped in shock, her legs trembling uncontrollably. She hid behind Liu Yingqiu, not daring to peek out at Gu Linxue. She had already imagined Gu Linxue’s cold stare.
Liu Yingqiu didn’t want to get entangled with her. She had no good impression of Gu Linxue.
“Gu Linxue, weren’t you two going to buy something?”
Seeing that Cheng Yuexin didn’t come out from behind Liu Yingqiu, Gu Linxue pretended not to hear Liu Yingqiu. She aimed her attack directly at Cheng Yuexin.
“Cheng Yuexin, why are you hiding from me? Are you afraid of me? Or do you want to hide from me forever?”
Cheng Yuexin’s breath instantly froze. Gu Linxue’s voice was like a cold, poisonous snake, slithering through the air into her ears, raising goosebumps all over her body. Cheng Yuexin gripped Liu Yingqiu’s clothes tightly, her knuckles turning white.
Gu Linxue pressed forward step by step. Her pink eyes flickered with an unreadable light, and the corner of her mouth curled into a faint, ambiguous smile. The purple-haired woman beside her curiously observed the scene, her gaze shifting between Liu Yingqiu and Gu Linxue as if watching a fascinating silent play.
Liu Yingqiu frowned deeply, then glanced sideways at Cheng Yuexin pressed against her back. Though she couldn’t see her expression, she could feel the slight tremors coming from her body. In that instant, a surge of uncontrollable anger and pity welled up in Liu Yingqiu’s heart.
“Gu Linxue, you’re scaring her.”
Liu Yingqiu’s voice turned cold, carrying an unprecedented sense of pressure. She stepped forward, shielding Cheng Yuexin more completely, her body like a wall, completely cutting off Gu Linxue’s line of sight to Cheng Yuexin.
“Scaring her?” Gu Linxue let out a light laugh, as if she had heard something amusing.
“I’m just greeting an old classmate. Miss Liu, aren’t you being too tense? Or…”
Her eyes turned sharp.
“Do you think I’ll do something to her?”
“You know exactly what you’ve done.” Liu Yingqiu did not back down, her gaze blazing.
“I can overlook what happened before, but now, please stay away from her.”
Cheng Yuexin hid behind Liu Yingqiu, her heart pounding violently. She didn’t want to come out. She really didn’t want to face Gu Linxue.
“Tsk, how touching.” Gu Linxue clicked her tongue, her tone full of mockery.
“It seems our Talent Cheng has found a new backer. But…”
She suddenly lowered her voice, her gaze crossing over Liu Yingqiu’s shoulder as if she could see through her to the person behind.
“Cheng Yuexin, do you think hiding behind her will keep you safe?”
Cheng Yuexin’s pupils sharply contracted. Liu Yingqiu had had enough and was about to retort, but Cheng Yuexin, who had been hiding behind her, suddenly moved. She took a deep breath and slowly poked her head out from behind Liu Yingqiu.
Although her face was still somewhat pale, the panic in her eyes had faded considerably. She knew that blindly running away wouldn’t solve anything. Since Gu Linxue had already recognized her, this confrontation today was inevitable.
“Gu Linxue, is there something you want from me?”
Cheng Yuexin’s voice was a bit hoarse, but still steady.
Gu Linxue raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised that Cheng Yuexin had come out, then her smile deepened.
“Oh, finally willing to come out? I thought you were going to hide in Liu Yingqiu’s pants legs forever.”
“What do you mean?” Liu Yingqiu was speechless with anger, but Cheng Yuexin gently tugged at her clothes. Cheng Yuexin shook her head, signaling her to calm down.
She looked at Gu Linxue, trying to keep her voice from trembling.
“What exactly do you want?”
“I just wanted to say hello to you.”
Cheng Yuexin clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. She just hoped Gu Linxue wouldn’t reveal the secret between them.
Gu Linxue fixed her gaze on Cheng Yuexin. Her eyes grew complex—curiosity, amusement, and a hint of barely perceptible… jealousy.
Cheng Yuexin pursed her lips, a stark contrast to Gu Linxue’s cold eyes. Her gaze toward her held a plea. Her warning still echoed in her ears, and no explanation would be of any use now.
Gu Linxue curled the corner of her mouth and abruptly changed the subject.
“Having fun with Liu Yingqiu?”
Cheng Yuexin froze, not daring to make any move. No matter how she answered, it would be wrong. She bit her lip hard, lowered her head, and didn’t make a sound.
Liu Yingqiu gritted her teeth and once again stepped in front of her, shielding Cheng Yuexin.
“Gu Linxue, we don’t have time to waste on you. Farewell.”
The moment she saw Liu Yingqiu grab Cheng Yuexin’s hand, the coldness in her pink eyes was like a sharp blade, as if she wanted to sever their hands. Her hand clenched into a fist, nails digging into her flesh until it turned pale.
“Tsk…”
The dull clicking sound reached the ears of the purple-haired woman behind her. It was clear she was angry. Those who angered Gu Linxue were in trouble.
Cheng Yuexin took one last look at Gu Linxue, seeing her in a state of rage. Her clear eyes were filled with fear and unease. Her rosy lips had turned somewhat pale. Cheng Yuexin’s lips moved slightly, silently mouthing something.
In the end, Liu Yingqiu led her across the street. The passing cars blocked Gu Linxue’s view, but the chill in her eyes hadn’t faded. The air around her seemed to have cooled a few degrees.
Gu Linxue took a deep breath, curled her lips in disdain, and let out a cold laugh.
“Forgive you? Impossible.”