Chapter 17: Shen Qingci’s Bedroom

Two slaps landed.

Shen Jiao curled up by the armrest of the sofa, covering her face and not daring to speak. But through the gap between her fingers, her eyes fixed on Shen Qingci with even more malice than before.

As the fake young lady who had occupied Shen Qingci’s position in the Shen family for so long, she naturally had some pride.

She wouldn’t be subdued by two slaps.

Shen Qingci gave her a sharp glance, and couldn’t be bothered. She turned and walked back to Bai Zhinuo.

The moment she turned, her expression became slightly warmer. Though to Bai Zhinuo, that bit of warmth still carried a layer of chill, it was not as piercing as when she faced Shen Jiao.

“Come,” she reached out her hand, “upstairs.”

Bai Zhinuo looked at that palm opened toward her, then looked at Shen Jiao, who was curled by the sofa, her face half-covered, not daring to speak. Bai Zhinuo swallowed.

Obediently, she placed her hand into Shen Qingci’s palm.

Shen Qingci took her hand and led her toward the stairs.

As she passed Shen Jiao, Shen Qingci paused for a moment, turned her head, and looked at her.

Her eyes were full of contempt.

“A fake is a fake. How dare you covet things that aren’t yours?”

“Don’t worry. I remember everything you did to me, Shen Jiao…”

With that, she didn’t wait for Shen Jiao’s response. She led Bai Zhinuo up the stairs.

Bai Zhinuo followed, her feet sinking into the soft carpet, her heart thumping loudly.

Shen Qingci’s palm was warm around her hand.

She glanced back downstairs. Shen Jiao was still hunched by the sofa, back bent, face in her hands, shoulders trembling, as if she were truly crying.

But Bai Zhinuo caught, from the corner of her eye, a sliver of gaze peeking out through the fingers.

Those vicious eyes were dry.

Bai Zhinuo turned her gaze away, followed Shen Qingci around the corner of the stairs, and walked into the corridor on the second floor.

When Shen Qingci pushed open the bedroom door, Bai Zhinuo stood on the threshold, stunned.

This bedroom was bigger than all the places she had stayed before combined.

The ceiling was high, with a warm white chandelier filling the entire room with light, illuminating every corner clearly.

Against the wall stood a big bed with light gray bedding. The quilt was neatly folded, and a velvet throw pillow rested on the pillow.

The window was half open. The night breeze puffed the sheer curtains slightly, carrying in the damp smell of grass and trees from the lawn outside.

On the desk were a desk lamp and a few books. Beside it stood a full-length mirror, its surface so clean it clearly reflected a person’s image.

The floor was laid with thick, light-colored carpet, soft underfoot. It made one reluctant to step down hard.

Bai Zhinuo stood at the edge of the carpet. She lowered her head to look at her dusty canvas shoes, then at the polished wooden floor. Her foot unconsciously drew back.

“Come in.”

Shen Qingci was already inside, bending over to stack the books on the desk to one side.

She turned and glanced at Bai Zhinuo, who was still standing at the door. Her gaze paused on those worn shoes for a moment. She said nothing, turned to the wardrobe, and opened it.

She wasn’t blind. Naturally, she could tell this girl didn’t fit with the lightly luxurious decor of the room.

Since she was her toy, she ought to fit into her surroundings.

Shen Qingci believed she was thinking this.

“Go take a shower first.”

Shen Qingci pulled a clean bath towel from the wardrobe and casually stuffed it into Bai Zhinuo’s arms.

“The bathroom is on the right. The water will be warm after the hot water runs for a while. Call me when you’re done.”

Bai Zhinuo hugged the soft towel. Its delicate texture brushed against her wrist, soft as clouds.

Just the fabric of these bath items was far better than the clothes she had worn.

She looked down at the towel in her arms, then up at Shen Qingci’s back. She wanted to say something, but she didn’t know what to say.

In the end, she merely let out a quiet “Mm” and turned toward the bathroom.

Bai Zhinuo stood at the bathroom door, clutching the soft towel. Her fingers pinched its edge, afraid that if she wrinkled it, Shen Qingci might fly into a rage and make her pay for it.

At least up to now, Shen Qingci was one of the few people willing to be nice to her.

Though the kindness came with conditions, it was still kindness.

Bai Zhinuo didn’t want Shen Qingci to become like those bad people.

She took a deep breath, turned the doorknob, and pushed the door open.

Warm yellow lights came on automatically. She blinked, squinting slightly at the brightness.

This bathroom was bigger than the single room she had lived in at the unfinished building.

The floor was tiled in light gray non-slip tiles, clean enough to reflect a person’s image. As she stepped onto them, a warm sensation rose from her soles.

There was actually underfloor heating.

Bai Zhinuo stood barefoot on it, her toes curling involuntarily. The warmth climbed from the bottoms of her feet all the way up, making her give a slight shiver.

To the left was a huge vanity mirror, with a ring of warm white light strips embedded around its edge, shining brightly across the whole wall.

On the counter sat several bottles of skincare products whose names she didn’t know. The frosted bottles glowed with a soft luster under the light.

They looked expensive.

On the right were the bathtub and the shower area, separated by a semi-transparent glass partition. The tub was as large as a small pool. On its edge rested a wooden tray with a few dried lavender sprigs.

Bai Zhinuo stood still for a dozen seconds.

She looked down at her feet.

Her socks had holes, and her bare toes still had dirt on them.

She looked up again at the spotless tile floor. After hesitating, she bent down and wiped the dirt off the soles of her feet on the absorbent mat by the door. Only then did she carefully step inside.

She took off her clothes and put them in the hamper.

When she turned on the hot water, the showerhead first sprayed cold water. Bai Zhinuo shrank her neck and quickly dodged aside.

A few seconds later, the water warmed. Hot, scalding water poured down from above, hitting her shoulders and streaming down her back.

Bai Zhinuo stood under the showerhead, eyes closed, wrapped in the warmth.

She could no longer remember when she had last taken a hot shower.

The unfinished building had no water heater. She would usually rinse herself briefly under the rusted faucet in the water room with cold water.

In winter, the water was bitterly cold. She would grit her teeth, quickly wipe herself dry, and leave. She rarely even washed her hair, because washing it with cold water made her temples throb and swell in pain.

But since she hardly ate anything, she didn’t produce much oil.

All in all, she was still clean.

But now it was different.

Hot water rained down from overhead, enveloping her whole body. Steam rose, filling the bathroom, and puffed against her face in warm clouds.

The scent of the body wash was opened up by the heat, its light jasmine mixed with a hint of citrus sweetness. When it entered her nose, she unconsciously took a deep breath.

She let the water wash over her face, over her forehead, then along her neck and into the hollow of her collarbone.

The water temperature was just right, neither hot nor cold. That soft warmth slowly pressed the chill, gathered from too many days, out from between her bones.

Bai Zhinuo stood beneath the water, face lifted, beads trailing down her lashes.

‘Comfortable…’

‘So comfortable.’

In the windowless toilet of the unfinished building, cold water splashed against her body in winter with a stabbing pain.

At night, she curled up under the thin, old quilt, everything frozen, huddling into a ball, teeth chattering as she waited for dawn.

Back then, she thought life was just like that.

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