TBTTSP - Chapter 21
Chapter 21: Shang Yi Has a Story (8)
Xu Wanqing had recently started writing a novel, and Shang Yi was following the serialization.
Following an ancient person's serialized story was quite interesting. As Shang Yi's anticipation grew, she became much more pleasant toward Xu Wanqing.
Since the Xu Wanqing in her home seemed perfectly fine, Shang Yi ignored the news of rebellion in the story. She wasn't worried. After all, Xu Wanqing had the last laugh and lived for a very long time.
Not just long, but longer—long enough to outlive even her. Xu Wanqing had said she still had two hundred years left to live.
Waking up occasionally to find a woman sleeping beside her arm felt quite surreal. She described it to Ugly Boy: "Lately, I've had this feeling... I wake up, look over, and there's a woman lying next to me..."
"Sister, when did you have a one-night stand? I'll go take care of it."
"...Her."
Shang Yi pointed at Xu Wanqing. Ugly Boy was silent for a long time before saying, "Congratulations."
"...Shut up."
What on earth was going through Ugly Boy's dirty mind! Of course, Shang Yi had no romantic relationship with Xu Wanqing; they were just sleeping in the same bed.
Her own big, soft, comfortable bed was now occupied by an ancient person.
Sleeping together was a matter of necessity. Shang Yi had no interest in calling up friends to drag people into her bed for fun, but Xu Wanqing's identity was special, so Shang Yi kept her close.
She was certain this was an ancient person, and she didn't seem like a spy sent by some enemy. Shang Yi was relieved.
From her observations, Xu Wanqing did two things every day besides eating, drinking, and sleeping: one, pissing her off, and two, reading without saying a word.
She didn't used to come home often, but ever since the soul transmigration started, she had been forced to reform. Her wonderful nightlife was a thing of the past. Now, she was like a primary school student with a curfew, rushing home to sit and wait as the time for her soul transmigration approached.
There was someone at home, but they weren't waiting for her.
Xu Wanqing was curious about everything. For instance, when Old Girl had free time and went to work out, Xu Wanqing would sit nearby, watching her sweat profusely. After a while, she would hand her a towel and cautiously ask if this was beneficial to one's physique.
When Shang Yi heard about it, she replied, "If I were you, I'd give her a shoulder throw just to shut her up."
Ugly Boy bought Xu Wanqing an iPad. Every day, Xu Wanqing would explore how to use this magical device, learning by watching Ugly Boy and figuring out how to save pictures locally.
When Shang Yi heard about it, she replied, "If I were you, I wouldn't be teaching an ancient person internet slang during work hours."
Xu Wanqing never came to ask her anything. She would sit there, less than two meters away during the day and less than half a meter at night, yet she never had a kind word for her. What she did say was usually along the lines of: "When I was young, I raised a rabbit that also didn't like to eat its greens..."
"Younger Sister Shang's lipstick is exceptionally beautiful, but it reminds me of a female ghost who comes at night specifically to eat children..."
"Younger Sister Shang talks in her sleep. I listened carefully, and it seems someone owes money. I wonder how much? Still thinking about it even in your dreams..."
Shang Yi couldn't find a retort, so she could only snort coldly, silently take note, and occasionally talk back.
It wasn't that she was less sharp-tongued, but when Xu Wanqing teased her with a beaming smile, she lost her temper and could only listen, humming in acknowledgment.
See, even the name "Younger Sister Shang" had lost its edge. Having heard it so often, Shang Yi had gotten used to it.
Playing to her strengths, she won back her self-esteem in areas where she excelled.
For example, she would take Xu Wanqing to concerts and art exhibitions. Ancient times had no such venues or spectacles, all glittering and magnificent. Xu Wanqing would be a little gentler when she returned in the evening, and Shang Yi could steal half a day of peace. Another example: Shang Yi would call out for Siri all over the house. Upon hearing the sudden response, Xu Wanqing would perk up. At night, she would study the iPad and cautiously converse with Siri, trying to figure out how a person could be stuffed into such a tiny object.
Xu Wanqing: "Hi Siri. Hello, how are you in there? Are you some kind of spirit?"
Shang Yi watched from behind her, wanting to laugh but not daring to. She could only listen to the sound of Xu Wanqing earnestly seeking guidance from Siri.
Xu Wanqing was an ancient person, so of course she didn't speak standard Mandarin. But because of her more recent era, the difference didn't feel particularly vast. When she spoke her off-key Henan dialect with the charm of a soft Wu accent, Shang Yi found it as pleasant as if she'd been bewitched. She wouldn't interrupt or argue, just curl up to one side and do her own thing, treating Xu Wanqing like a smart speaker placed beside her.
But she still couldn't help but let out a snicker. Xu Wanqing silently looked up, a little embarrassed, but still mustered her courage. "Is Younger Sister Shang laughing at me? How mean-spirited. I'm in an unfamiliar place; naturally, there are many things I don't understand. For you to laugh at me like this..."
"I'm not laughing," Shang Yi said, keeping a straight face.
"No, you definitely laughed."
Xu Wanqing treated Shang Yi's ridicule as a major event. She sat up straight, full of bravado, knelt before her, and raised her hand with conviction. "Younger Sister Shang looks beautiful when she smiles."
"Tsk, starting with the sweet talk already?" Shang Yi had expected her to relentlessly demand why she was being laughed at. Instead, Xu Wanqing dropped a bombshell, making all the retorts she had prepared vanish into thin air.
"Smile again."
So forward.
Right then, Xu Wanqing was like a rich patron ordering a performance, and Shang Yi was the one selling smiles.
The problem was, even if Shang Yi smiled, she wouldn't get a single cent for it. A waste of time.
Still, she gave her a smile. Performing a smile for someone felt a bit stiff, but she found the situation hilarious, so she laughed until the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes were about to appear. She burst out laughing. "Why are you staring at me so intently? What, is my smiling going to make you rich?"
Xu Wanqing followed with a gentle smile, not at all unladylike like her. When Xu Wanqing smiled, she pursed her lips and lowered her gaze, her eyes shimmering like water. Compared to her, Shang Yi looked like she was about to eat someone, opening her cavernous mouth to reveal two rows of white teeth, complete with wild laughter. Anyone who didn't know better would think Shang Yi had regressed to her college days, becoming that uncouth girl picking her feet in the dorm room again.
"Oh, right." Xu Wanqing untied a small cloth pouch from her neck. Inside was something hard. "This is for you."
"Is today some anniversary? Or your birthday?"
"This is a Peace Talisman I prayed for at a temple," Xu Wanqing said, not answering the question, as she tied it around her neck. "You're not allowed to take it off."
"What if I want to wear a low-cut top? See, it would look bad showing like this." Shang Yi gestured, but still accepted the kind gesture.
She just didn't know when Xu Wanqing had gone to a temple behind her back. Besides, she didn't believe in gods or ghosts. The donation money given to the gods would be much better spent on her. She was a god; she could grant wishes.
Honestly.
"What kind of day is it that you'd wear something so revealing?" Xu Wanqing assumed she was going out to fool around tonight. She resisted the urge to press down on the Peace Talisman, fastening it on Shang Yi and telling her not to move. She thought for a moment. "Then when will you wear it?"
"When did you go to a temple to get this? Let me tell you, I don't believe in gods or Buddhas. Instead of believing in it, you might as well believe in me. Here, I'll make one for you. I'll sell it to you cheap, five hundred yuan—" Shang Yi was still extremely dismissive.
"I prayed for it for you when I was sixteen," Xu Wanqing said with a sly smile. "In Younger Sister Shang's words, it's called... an antique. I'm afraid five hundred yuan won't be enough to buy it."
"I'll keep it, then." Shang Yi tucked the Peace Talisman into her pocket. "What's stuffed inside?"
"An Immortality Pill."
"Tch." Shang Yi opened the small pouch. Inside was a small piece of jade and a tiny, jade-colored sphere. "Don't joke around. If this is an Immortality Pill, then what did you eat? Did you become an immortal?"
Shang Yi was convinced Xu Wanqing was just kidding.
When it came to immortality, the story of Qin Shi Huang had already been written into the history books.
Shang Yi felt that if she actually believed it and ate this little sphere, she'd kick the bucket and die. She wouldn't make it into the history books, but she'd definitely end up on some stupid news feed.
Laughing, she pinched the small sphere and held it between herself and Xu Wanqing. "Hey, why aren't you talking anymore? I caught you spouting nonsense, didn't I? Xu Wanqing, oh, Xu Wanqing—"
With lightning speed, Xu Wanqing snatched the sphere and shoved it into her mouth.
Shang Yi froze with the sphere in her mouth. It felt a bit like holding a glass marble.
She was about to spit it out when a cold hand suddenly clamped over her mouth. Xu Wanqing used both hands, dead set on forcing the sphere down into her stomach.
Shang Yi fought back, grabbing one of Xu Wanqing's hands with each of her own to pry them away. She laughed, but the arms she was holding suddenly lost their strength.
Xu Wanqing seemed determined to make her swallow it. In fact, this ancient woman showed utter contempt, and catching her off guard, she kissed her forcefully.
Her attention drawn to the tip of a tongue, Shang Yi panicked and choked. The small sphere rolled down into her stomach.
Her entire attention was captivated by the kiss as a million frames flashed through Shang Yi's mind, finally settling on the image before her: Xu Wanqing's delicate, pitiful face, kissing her with determination as she fed her something that was supposedly an Immortality Pill but could just as well be poison.
Fuck.
The woman kissing her tried to escape, her lips hovering close but not touching. Shang Yi grabbed her and pulled her back, deepening the kiss.
It was her first time being kissed by a woman. It felt pretty good. She wanted to deepen the impression, to really feel it.
Xu Wanqing, what a fierce ancient person. Daring to throw herself at Shang Yi like this—truly, the skilled are bold. She must have never heard of Shang Yi's reputation.
And she even dared to feed her something of unknown origin.
Amidst her anger and shock, she still found herself being gentle. After all, this was Xu Wanqing.
Xu Wanqing was exceptionally gifted. Who knows what modern trash she'd learned from Ugly Boy and Old Girl, but she had actually learned how to force a kiss.
Who was the domineering CEO here?
Shang Yi held the slender woman in her arms tightly. Suddenly, the door clicked open.
"...Congratulations," Ugly Boy said.
"Shut up." Shang Yi released Xu Wanqing. The woman who had just been so imposing and dominant a moment ago instantly hid behind the sofa, so cowardly it gave Shang Yi whiplash.
"I was going to knock, but it's urgent. Sister, you need to go back. That person woke up. I've already booked the lawyers' tickets in advance. You... when will you leave? What are the arrangements?"
That person. The Big Boss was awake. Shang Yi woke up, too. Back to reality from the dream. She was just a mistress.
Do people who dominate the business world have a better knack for summoning miracles? Wasn't he supposed to be paralyzed? How did he just flip up like a carp?
Shang Yi frowned and turned to look back at Xu Wanqing.
"Old Girl will stay here to protect you."
After taking two steps, she turned her head, her gaze meeting Xu Wanqing's. "I have a lot of questions. If I can make it back by the day after tomorrow, I hope you'll answer them for me."
"Of course, it's fine if you don't answer, too."
Shang Yi quickly added that, then pushed the door open and left. But then her head poked back through the crack in the door. "I liked the kiss. I'll remember you."
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