The booster shot really worked; my arm is so sore and I have a low-grade fever. I can't write anything today _(:з」∠)_
Chapter 49
Wen Yun stood there, stunned, beside the piano.
Unlike their first meeting, this time Ruan Yu played "Für Elise" in its entirety, including the part that was uplifting, joyful and happy.
The girls' fingertips danced across the black and white keys, as if they were continuing their dance on the keys, but there was no one around.
Isolated from the world, they silently advance and retreat together, spinning in unison, their eyes fixed only on each other.
Although Ruan Yu played more than just "Für Elise," Wen Yun, recalling the abrupt question Ruan Yu had just asked her, and the intense heartbeat she felt during the empathy, realized it was impossible for her not to understand the other woman's thoughts.
The girl's emotions were clearly like a surging, passionate wave, but she only realized it now, and almost misunderstood it.
At this moment, she was both surprised and terrified, trying hard to recall when such feelings had taken root and sprouted, and why they had changed from kinship or friendship to their current state.
The piano music in her ears changed several times, from "Für Elise" to "Ballade pour Adeline", then to "Autumn Whispers", and finally ended with "Wedding in a Dream". The short ten-minute performance made Wen Yun feel that the glimmer she had discovered was just the tip of a huge iceberg exposed above the sea.
She felt like a small boat swept up in the waves, her heart rising and falling with the emotions expressed in the music.
The girl was reserved and introverted; these songs were her innermost thoughts, words she longed to say to the person she loved.
When Ruan Yu stood up and took her hand, Wen Yun couldn't help but look away, not daring to look into her eyes.
She has only ever had crushes on others, but has never been in a relationship with anyone, and doesn't know how to respond to confessions from other women.
Moreover, she was an outsider with an unclear mission, and had virtually no connection to this world in the book. This made her feel as if she had raised a fictional character and suddenly discovered that the character had developed feelings for her.
Beyond that, an even bigger question is whether she harbors the same feelings for Ruan Yu.
Now, in her eyes and heart, Ruan Yu is no longer a character depicted by the author. She also enjoys spending time with Ruan Yu day and night. But is this "liking" really the same kind of liking Ruan Yu has for her?
"...You played very well." Noticing the familiar gaze on her, Wen Yun composed herself and said with a forced smile, "I can hear the...emotions you poured into the music."
She deliberately avoided using the word "emotion," and believed that the perceptive protagonist would understand her meaning.
As soon as she finished speaking, she felt the girl's hand tighten slightly.
"Can you really understand?" Ruan Yu leaned close to her ear and asked softly.
"I can understand some of it, albeit barely," Wen Yun said truthfully, "but now is not the time to talk about these things..."
They still have to face the college entrance examination. Before they leave the Wen family and all the external and mental shackles are broken, love is both a pillar and a new cage.
“I know,” Ruan Yu said, “which is why I have been patiently waiting.”
But when she heard Young Master Shen's invitation to his sweetheart today, she couldn't resist.
A sense of crisis spread through her heart, telling her again and again that if she continued to endure this without telling that person her feelings, she would only watch helplessly as that person drifted away from her.
She understood that this was obviously an extremely extreme outcome, and even if it did happen, the probability was very low.
But who told her to care?
She was concerned that the person was always oblivious to her feelings, and even more concerned that the person would leave once the task was completed.
Even now, she still doesn't know that person's real name.
Wen Yun was speechless for a moment. Seeing that someone was watching them, she quickly pulled Ruan Yu back to their original spot.
The two elders of the Wen family still hadn't returned, but Wen Lu was elegantly slicing the freshly served grilled steak.
As soon as they returned, the man casually turned the lazy Susan on the table and placed the grilled steak in front of them.
"You guys are really bold." Wen Lu pushed up his glasses, recalling the duet he had just seen at the ballroom. He suppressed the urge to applaud them again and complained in a low voice, "Especially Yunyun, what happened to your promise to 'keep your head down and eat'? Did you not enjoy your meal? Why did you suddenly run off to dance?"
He wanted to applaud, which was one thing; holding his sisters accountable for causing trouble was another.
"I did finish cooking properly," Wen Yun said awkwardly, "but there was a little mishap..."
After she finished speaking, she looked at Ruan Yu, struggling with how to explain the "minor accident" to her brother, but Ruan Yu told her the truth in detail, remaining calm and composed throughout the process.
"...I can only say that your actions just now have essentially confirmed that unfounded rumor!" Wen Lu frowned upon hearing this, and even the grilled steak on his plate suddenly lost its appeal. "And you came out in public like that, tsk tsk, Mom and Dad are probably going to be furious tonight. We've lost two bargaining chips for marriage at just one banquet!"
His guess was correct. When he got home that night, the usually taciturn Mr. Wen smashed the jade Pixiu ornament placed at the door and then broke several expensive porcelain pieces.
While sitting in the living room, Mrs. Wen kept wiping away tears. When questioned by the housekeeper, she tearfully recounted the hardships she had endured raising her daughter over the years and the deep affection she had invested. Who knew that a daughter with no blood relation could not be truly tamed, that she had no regard for the family, and that she and her immature biological daughter were ruining the family's reputation, causing the Wen family to lose face among all the wealthy families.
Wen Yun stood by the second-floor railing, coldly looking at the mess in the living room. Her fingers twitched slightly as she dialed the phone number left by Old Master Wen.
She thought that if either of the Wen family elders had recognized their mistakes instead of constantly talking about "value" and "comparison," and instead of raising their son and daughter to compete with each other like a breeding ground for venomous insects, and letting their biological daughter and adopted daughter fight to the death, perhaps none of the tragedies described in the book would have happened, and the real and fake heiresses would have joined forces to build this family.
Now that the fake heiress has been replaced by her, the transmigrator, the reborn real heiress is already heartbroken and even rushes towards her, the outsider, like a moth to a flame. The only one who will choose to stay in this family is Wen Lu, who is only interested in interests and indifferent to emotions.
I don't know if Grandpa Wen has already heard about what happened at the New Year's Eve banquet. As soon as Wen Yun got through on the phone, before she could explain the situation, she heard Grandpa Wen say unhurriedly, "The car to pick you up is already parked in front of the house. Get ready and come out. Grandpa sent bodyguards over, no one can stop you."
-
As Ruan Yu sat in driver Lao Hu's car, holding her cat, she felt somewhat dazed.
She never imagined that she would leave the Wen family so early in this life, and with that person no less.
However, unlike in their previous lives, they left voluntarily, rather than being kicked out by their families.
When she left home, she saw the disappointment and despair on her parents' faces, but she couldn't see the slightest intention to stop them. She didn't know if they knew it was useless to try to stop them, or if they simply didn't intend to.
After all, Old Master Wen was the most authoritative figure in the entire Wen family, and even Wen's father could not sway his decision.
Only Wen Lu stood at the door, smiling and waving as he watched them leave.
Upon arriving at the Wen family's old residence, Wen Yun and Ruan Yu were led to a bedroom that had already been prepared by a kind female nanny.
"These two rooms are temporary accommodations for relatives, so they're not very big, but they're fully furnished," the nanny explained with a smile. "If you two ladies find anything uncomfortable, you can always come to me or the housekeeper, Uncle Li, and we'll replace the furniture with new pieces that suit your tastes as quickly as possible."
Ruan Yu, holding the cat, stared in disbelief at the temporary accommodation that the nanny had described as "not very big"—aside from the decorating style, the room size and furniture arrangement were clearly no different from her bedroom!
“If you trust me, you can entrust your pet to my care,” the nanny continued. “I have five years of experience working at an animal rescue center, and I can show you my credentials.”
While they were talking, Wen Yun also went into her room, put the tabby cat pillow on the bed, looked around, sighed, and regretted not moving out sooner.
Neither she nor Ruan Yu were used to changing their living arrangements. In addition, Wen's parents had been rarely home for the past few months, so they thought they would just stay one day at a time and wait until graduation before telling their parents the truth and leaving.
Who knew that the home environment would become more and more oppressive every day? Wen's father never had a good look on his face. At first, it was his disdain for Ruan Yu, and later it was his dissatisfaction with her as an outsider whose grades were declining. Wen's mother was also always making sarcastic remarks. Every time the whole family gathered together for a meal or to discuss matters related to the Wen family, Wen Yun would feel like she was suffocating.
They also have to prepare for the college entrance examination, and their nerves are already on edge enough. Negative environmental influences will only hold them back and cause them unnecessary emotional distress. It would be better to take a break and get through the college entrance examination first.
After packing her luggage and putting her usual clothes and school uniform into the closet, Wen Yun went out to find Ruan Yu.
The nanny had already taken the cat away, and Ruan Yu was holding the Rena bear that she had given her, leaning against the Shiba Inu pillow and lost in thought.
Wen Yun hesitated for a moment, then walked closer and asked, "Going to take a shower?"
They had just returned from the New Year's Eve banquet and hadn't even taken off their dresses yet.
Ruan Yu snapped out of her daze, nodded without hesitation, carefully placed the Rena Bear on the bedside table, opened her suitcase, and rummaged through her nightgown and a change of underwear.
Just then, her phone, which was placed beside her pillow, vibrated and the screen lit up with a new WeChat message.
"Could you help me check this?" Ruan Yu said. "The password is our birthday."
These words startled Wen Yun. After realizing what was happening, she quickly picked up her phone and unlocked it, only to find that it was a message from Wen Lu.
L: [Did you arrive at Grandpa's house safely?]
L: [I've already spoken with Teacher Zhang; she'll be going to the old house tomorrow to tutor Yunyun. There's a piano in Grandma's music room; remember to practice every day to keep your skills sharp.]
She relayed the message to Ruan Yu verbatim, but the girl paused, and the hand on her dress gradually closed with her fingers.
"Brother is just fulfilling the terms of the cooperation agreement, right?" After a long while, she finally heard Ruan Yu speak.
"That should be true," Wen Yun replied. "Helping me improve my grades and registering you for piano exams are all part of the agreement."
She saw Ruan Yu stand up with the clothes in her arms, place them on the quilt, and murmur, "As expected, only you are truly good to me."
These words made Wen Yun feel incredibly guilty, and she quickly corrected herself, "Actually, actually, I'm not entirely like that..."
“You are.” Ruan Yu shook her head, her eyes gentle. “I can feel that your sympathy, pity, and concern for me are all from the bottom of your heart.”
Even if these were just system tasks she had to do, she never did them half-heartedly.
A note from the author:
The first update is here!
This article is short, and the story I want to tell is very simple. It's actually nearing its end, and according to the plan, it will be finished by the end of the month. It should be over in a few days, so those of you who are still waiting for it to grow can start reading now! _(:з」∠)_
Chapter 50
Everything in their new home was unfamiliar to Wen Yun and Ruan Yu.
Fortunately, Grandpa Wen had already arranged everything for them. Their rooms for resting and studying were very quiet. The music room, bathroom, storage room, dining room, and small kitchen on that floor were all for their use. Unless it was a scheduled cleaning day, no one would come to disturb them.
Without those strict rules, Wen Yun felt much more at ease. While taking a bath, she even invited Ruan Yu to join her.
As a result, Ruan Yu hugged and "cuddled" him for more than ten minutes.
Wen Yun didn't know where the protagonist learned this from, but she hugged her tightly as if she were a pillow, and rubbed her cheeks and forehead against her from time to time, like a cat, strangely clingy.
She thought for a moment and couldn't help but ask, "Does being so close to me make you feel safe?"
The person behind him responded very softly, "I'll feel at ease."
Wen Yun had originally wanted to try to persuade her not to blindly rely on her, but upon hearing this, she couldn't help but soften her heart. She gently patted the two arms draped in front of her and said, "Then... do as you please."
She understands that when you like someone, just being by their side or having them in your sight makes your worries disappear and your courage grow, as if you've been under a magical spell.
-
On her first night in her new home, Ruan Yu slept peacefully, hugging a Shiba Inu pillow.
Wen Yun, however, couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep, so she pulled out the system and asked, "How do your hosts usually respond when they encounter this situation?"
"I'm sorry, host, this system is Unit 1 and doesn't have any information about other hosts," the system said. "However, I recommend that you read novels featuring transmigrators as the main characters to find inspiration."
Wen Yun: "..."
Most novel plots are idealized products. Even if Wen Yun has read such novels, she will just read them and move on. She will not try to put the solutions provided in the book into practice in reality—even if she is currently in a world in a book.
Rather than turning to unreliable virtual things like novels and systems for help, she felt it was more reliable to ask the people around her.