Chapter 21: The Unrequited Losers’ Club

Qian Surou stepped back, her sister’s breath tickling her throat.

The recent implication that she was easily manipulated, a prime target for ‘PUA’ tactics, genuinely irritated her.

While she knew Xiao Yuqin might have acted deliberately, she found herself utterly incapable of feeling anger towards such a sensitive, love-starved girl.

A thought surfaced: ‘Rather than bickering with the young girl, it would be better to dote on her alongside Xiao Ji.’ Indeed, maintaining her friendship with Xiao Ji necessitated such an approach.

—I’m not here to break up this family; I’m here to join it.

Although subtly different from its original meaning, this sentiment largely resonated within her.

It mattered little; Xiao Yuqin merely perceived her as a romantic rival for now, unaware that they occupied the intersection of two distinct sets.

Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang! The Unrequited Losers’ Club!

She almost wanted to scoff aloud. What kind of group was destined for failure right from its very name? Even Team Rocket had aspirations of ‘soaring to the heavens,’ didn’t they?

Qian Surou playfully suggested that Xidong’s jealousy had fueled such thoughts, before carrying the abandoned wheelchair back upstairs.

She truly adored girls like Ji Yuqin, who possessed a touch of cleverness, though an overly strong possessiveness could prove somewhat troublesome.

Even if the wiser course of action might be to slap such a girl across the face, Qian Surou would still smile and praise her cuteness.

Matters that could be gently guided did not require the introduction of violence.

Upon reaching the door, Qian Surou paused.

From within, the murmur of conversation drifted out, serendipitously touching upon a delicate subject: ‘How are things between you and Sister Qian?’

Her steps faltered, her curiosity piqued by Xiao Ji’s true feelings.

By now, there was nothing left to regret or agonize over. After submitting a satisfactory answer, one inevitably cared about the examiner’s comments, not just the score. Learning from mistakes was crucial; she needed to understand where she had faltered.

“Between us… there’s nothing at all!”

Ji Yushu’s voice suddenly pitched higher halfway through her sentence, betraying her lie instantly.

“It’s the same as always, close friends. We haven’t seen each other much since summer break started, so I was thinking of inviting her over to watch a movie or something.”

The more she explained, the more superfluous it became, revealing her lack of confidence.

Having rejected Susu’s confession, it was a matter she simply could not bring herself to speak of.

This very evasiveness solidified Ji Yuqin’s conviction that the two were indeed dating.

They had already embraced.

And kissing? Had they gone all the way?

‘Calm down!’ she thought. ‘Given their personalities, things wouldn’t progress that quickly.’

“Sister, I’m fine. You should go be with Sister Qian… *cough, cough!*”

“It’s alright, I’ll help take care of Xiao Yuqin too. After all, Xiao Ji is always so clumsy.”

At that moment, Qian Surou’s voice drifted from behind the door.

A mortified Ji Yushu quickly spun around, her eyes conveying both relief and trust.

“I invited you over to hang out… I’m sorry, but you’ve been a great help.”

Qian Surou replied with a sly grin:

“It’s no trouble at all. I wasn’t particularly keen on watching a romance film anyway, especially one with a tragic ending.”

Ji Yushu felt a buzzing sensation somewhere in her head.

The film was titled Winter in Kars, and she had mistakenly assumed it would be a landscape-focused piece, much like Winter in Buenos Aires, leaving her only able to offer an awkward, foolish smile.

Fortunately, Susu was merely joking; otherwise, she would have been utterly mortified.

Lightly toying with Ji Yushu’s ponytail as she crouched, Qian Surou retrieved an electronic thermometer from the storage cabinet and pressed the power button.

As the letter ‘L’ appeared on the display, Qian Surou swiftly tucked it into Ji Yuqin’s loose clothing, positioning it directly under her armpit.

—38.7°C.

For summer, that was a remarkably high fever.

Ordering Xiao Ji to boil another kettle of water, Qian Surou called down to Qian Xidong, who was idling downstairs, and enlisted her help in operating the mini ice maker.

Given it was summer, cold compresses would be more effective and could help protect brain cells.

At this moment, Qian Surou displayed the qualities of a professional caregiver. She prepared ice packs, dampened towels with lukewarm water, personally wiped Ji Yuqin down, diluted concentrated juice from the fridge, and instructed Ji Yushu to slowly feed it to Ji Yuqin in small sips.

These various actions reminded Qian Xidong, who was assisting, of how Qian Surou had once cared for Zhu Ying. It was no wonder their mother-daughter bond surpassed her own. For someone ill, every gesture of concern transformed into comfort.

Beneath the partially drawn curtains, Qian Xidong watched Ji Yuqin with her eyes closed, wondering how this person could have been so cruel to her sister.

Seizing the opportunity to stay and watch over Ji Yuqin, she used the dubious excuse that “care from a peer is less burdensome” to send the other two downstairs to drink cold coffee.

Once the footsteps descending the stairs faded, she offered Ji Yuqin a mocking smile.

‘How does it feel to be cared for by someone you intended to target?’ she mouthed the words.

Abandoning her pretense of being half-asleep, Ji Yuqin suddenly opened her eyes.

“Aren’t you afraid of having the person you love stolen away? That person is truly exceptional, so much so that it frightens me. Even if these legs could move freely, I would never be able to stand on the same track as her. How can a two-legged person outrun a winged creature?”

It was akin to laying her cards on the table.

—Stop pretending; we’re both the same kind of scum.

“Don’t lump me in with you,” Qian Xidong retorted. “I’ve never coveted the idea of tying her to my side. As soon as she finds someone she can rely on, I’ll leave.”

“Right, you’re blood relatives. Heh heh, how pathetic…”

‘What do you know!’

She nearly let out a shout. She did, in fact, make a sound, though it wasn’t quite a roar.

Thankfully, the villa wasn’t made of wood; it featured soundproofing, the windows were securely closed, and the air conditioner, set to twenty-six degrees, emitted only a faint hum.

Despite claiming she would leave peacefully, the moment she heard that remark, she erupted in fury, allowing her emotions to drive her like a stepfather.

She straddled the patient and disabled girl’s waist, her hands gripping her excessively slender neck, just one push away from solidifying her reputation as a violent maniac. Yet, the person beneath her scoffed — ‘So there’s nothing, after all!’ she said.

Her left hand lifted her dangling fringe.

‘My eyes must look no different from a murderer’s right now,’ she thought.

Hahahahahahahahaha.

Qian Xidong laughed, covering her eyes. Under Ji Yuqin’s puzzled gaze, she rose and sat on the edge of the bed as if nothing had happened.

Even an irrelevant bystander could see it, yet the person herself remained utterly oblivious. Her sister was not at fault; she simply had bad luck.

Her ever-considerate sister would always meet everyone’s expectations, even those who sought to harm her—it had always been this way.

“Watch your mouth, or I’ll tell Sister Yushu about you deliberately getting sick.

After all, you intentionally caught a chill on the balcony the night before, then cranked the air conditioning to its lowest setting during the hottest part of noon, running out to the balcony and back in repeatedly to make yourself ill, didn’t you?

When I entered your room, the air conditioner was still dripping, and the pipes were probably clogged. Even if Sister Yushu doesn’t believe me, she’ll start to suspect you, especially since you’ve been putting on such a good act of not being sick in front of me.”

It was precisely because she had employed similar despicable methods herself that she could instantly grasp the truth of the situation. Under no circumstances could the truth be revealed to her sister, Qian Xidong threatened fiercely.

“Oh, and how exactly do you plan to ‘watch my mouth’? Like this?”

Silence.

Ji Yuqin grabbed Qian Xidong’s collar and pulled herself up. Meeting Qian Xidong’s horrified gaze, her pale, colorless lips crashed fiercely against the other’s full ones, making soft, smacking sounds. Something soft pressed against her tightly clenched teeth, and Qian Xidong retreated as if flying, landing hard on her backside —

—Are you insane?

Qian Xidong’s index finger wiped her lips, her furrowed brow seeming to convey those very words.

“Since I can’t win, and you’re destined to leave quietly, why not comfort me instead? Don’t you think she and I are quite similar?

A slightly upturned nose, deep-set eyes… it’s just that my face is a little smaller, not as radiantly captivating as hers… She probably has some other ancestry, too. You’re also very much like Sister, except for your inner self.”

‘You’re crazy!’ Qian Xidong instantly regretted not having revealed that nothing had happened between them.

“Haaah… this is truly insane.” Qian Xidong pressed her temples. “Sister Yushu rejected Sister’s confession. If Sister hadn’t been afraid of awkwardness alone, she wouldn’t have specifically asked me to come along. Which means, they’re both still single…”

*Cough, cough!* A fit of coughing so loud it might have been heard outside erupted. Ji Yuqin swiftly buried herself in the thin fleece blanket, the sight of her golden hair gently fluttering leaving an afterimage in Qian Xidong’s eyes. The night, as if by design, slowly crept closer.

A yellowish moon hung above the clouds, and the room grew so dim that even the words on sticky notes were illegible. Moonlight, streaming through a gap in the curtains, allowed Qian Xidong to discern the time on the clock. A little past six-twenty.

“Get up, you sewer rat! You idiot who reads too many erotic novels! How could you even come up with such a sick suggestion?! You steal my first kiss then pretend to be asleep? Where do you get off thinking it’s that easy?”

Ji Yuqin flung off the blanket.

“So, what do you want?”

‘Duh, to settle the score with you, of course.’ Grabbing Ji Yuqin’s wildly flailing arm, she pinched her self-satisfied little face, twisting the collagen-filled cheeks into a distorted mess, wishing she could headbutt her.

However, the recent ambiguous act had undermined her resolve; her subconscious, gentle movements were soft and powerless, allowing the struggling Ji Yuqin to successfully resist.

In an instant, Qian Xidong lost her balance and bumped into something soft. Under the strenuous activity, Ji Yuqin, with her flushed face and bared teeth, truly resembled a rat.

—She’s actually quite well-endowed.

Just then, a flashlight beam flickered from the room’s doorway.

“It’s so dark in here, and you haven’t turned on the light…”

Qian Surou muttered, pressed the light switch, and then couldn’t help but doubt her own eyes. At first glance, her sister appeared to be straddling another girl’s waist, attempting to apply facial cleanser.

‘Ugh, perhaps Xidong is just checking on Xiao Yuqin’s condition, and the posture is a bit unique. Maybe I’m just dizzy and hallucinating from too much cooking smoke in the kitchen! Yes, perhaps the range hood coincidentally malfunctioned, and my brain was simply too slow to notice—’

*Bang!* She quickly backed out of the room, closed the door, then opened it again.

‘Why is the hallucination still there?’ She repeated the action. ‘Haha, I must have been mistaken. It’s just Xidong straddling Xiao Yuqin’s waist… what the hell!’

“Um… pardon me.”

Qian Surou closed the door a third time, then opened it a fourth, clearing her throat to solemnly announce: “Dinner’s ready. Remember to come eat soon. I won’t disturb you, I’m leaving!”

Her voice trembling like a sieve, she then moved with the utmost speed she could manage without falling, arriving beside Xiao Ji, who was dishing out rice.

“Hey, Xiao Ji.”

“What is it? Where are they?”

“That’s exactly what I wanted to talk about. Maybe I saw something wrong, or I’m mistaken… What do you think of Xidong and Xiao Yuqin?”

“They’re both good girls,” Ji Yushu said, tilting her head, not quite grasping Qian Surou’s meaning. “Why are you suddenly asking about them?”