Volume 1 Chapter 24: Go Ahead and Lick It, It’s Very Sweet
According to the agreement, from the moment she signed it, everything she had from now on would belong to Bai Muxue. Like a puppet controlled by someone else, all of her time was held tightly in Bai Muxue’s hand.
Although the contract also said special situations would be handled differently... Shen Jingyi knew very well that even if there were special situations, so what?
Bai Muxue had the final say in everything. Maybe only when the young lady was in a good mood would Shen Jingyi be given a little time to breathe.
And Bai Muxue bringing her to the memorial service was nothing more than treating her as a decoration that looked acceptable enough, or a toy to entertain herself.
Now that Shen Jingyi had refused her, it was no different from making Bai Muxue lose face in public.
Although they had just shared some behavior that almost looked like “friendship,” from beginning to end, she and Bai Muxue were never friends.
One was a high-born rich young lady who could get anything she wanted.
The other was an ordinary high school girl from a struggling family who could only help support the home through part-time jobs.
They had never belonged to the same world.
At this moment, Shen Jingyi had not eaten anything all day. On top of that, she had gone through two intense battles in a row and had just been exposed to a lot of cold wind.
Her skin was already pale, but now even the color had faded from her lips.
Yet she had no energy to care about that. Feeling restless, she lowered her eyes and did not dare look directly at Bai Muxue.
Will she think I broke the agreement?
Or... will she do something even worse and more humiliating to me, like what happened on the rooftop...
But to Shen Jingyi’s surprise, after hearing her direct refusal, Bai Muxue only glanced at her, turned around with a smile, and said,
“Come on. We’ll talk about it slowly in the car.”
Bai Muxue slowly crossed the road. The Bai family’s luxury car was quietly waiting by the roadside.
She directly opened the door and got in.
Shen Jingyi held the handle. Reflected in the glass window, her pale face looked as fragile as paper, as if the wind could knock her over.
Seeing that, the girl tilted her head.
“What are you standing there for? Get in.”
“......”
Shen Jingyi pressed her lips together and got into the car.
After the driver asked a few concerned questions about his young lady’s condition, he said nothing more. There was no music playing either.
Other than the engine noise and the sound of wind passing outside the window, the car was silent.
In that death-like silence, Shen Jingyi spoke again.
“...I’m not going tonight.”
She lowered her eyes toward the window, quietly clenched her small hand, and her soft body slowly became tense.
“Oh.”
Bai Muxue only nodded lazily, as if completely ignoring the girl’s nervousness.
“If you’re not going, then don’t go. I’m not going either.”
Since Tang Xingwan was fine, and with her secretly watching over the girl in the future, the child would be able to live without worry. Her former body would also be properly buried after the memorial service.
As for those Disaster Management Bureau officials trying to flatter her, who cared?
She could not be bothered with them.
But Shen Jingyi naturally had no way of knowing Bai Muxue’s thoughts.
She froze for several seconds and looked at Bai Muxue in disbelief.
She had thought Miss Bai would be very angry.
It was even possible that she would do... that kind of thing to her right there in the car.
At this moment, Miss Bai rested her chin on one hand, a lollipop in her mouth, scrolling through her phone in boredom.
The dim yellow streetlights outside fell across her body, scattering soft light over her delicate brows and eyes.
Different from the charming and seductive look she had while transformed, the pale and youthful-faced Bai Muxue now looked more like an exquisite doll, making people unconsciously want to hold her in their arms, protect her, and play with her.
Shen Jingyi hesitated for a moment.
“You...”
“What?” Bai Muxue looked up.
After hesitating again, Shen Jingyi slowly turned her gaze away.
“...Nothing.”
“Is that so~”
Bai Muxue put down her phone, and a meaningful smile rose on her lips.
“This young lady just happens to have something to do tonight, and you have something too, so forget it. But if you say something like that again next time...”
The girl paused, raised the lollipop, and deliberately dragged out her tone.
“I really don’t know what might happen to you then~”
Hearing those words, Shen Jingyi’s delicate body instantly tensed, but then slowly relaxed again.
“Mm...”
Seeing the countdown increase by another day, Bai Muxue nodded in satisfaction.
The rest of the trip passed in silence.
By now, they had arrived in the main city area of Wangdu. The sunset had long faded into complete darkness, while streetlights and neon signs lit up the city in bright patches of color.
Ignoring the driver’s questioning look, Bai Muxue turned around and spoke to the sleepy girl beside her.
“Teacher Shen, is it okay if I drop you off next to that convenience store... Teacher Shen?”
“Ah? Yes.”
Shen Jingyi reacted half a beat late. She rubbed the corner of her eye and softly said,
“Sorry, I was distracted just now.”
After hesitating for a moment, she quietly added,
“...Thank you.”
Bai Muxue looked at the girl’s weak and swaying state and could not help frowning.
“Are you not feeling well?”
From the moment she got in the car, Shen Jingyi had closed her eyes and nearly slept the whole ride.
“No.”
Shen Jingyi gently shook her head.
It was only low blood sugar caused by using up her magic power and not eating anything… Though she felt terrible, it was still something she could endure.
She checked the time on her phone. There should still be enough time for her to buy some bread at the supermarket to fill her stomach.
The convenience store where Shen Jingyi worked part-time was in the main city area, not far from here. After driving a little farther, they arrived beside it.
Once the car stopped, Bai Muxue looked at Shen Jingyi. One hand held a lollipop, while the other rested on the seat cushion. She gave a sly smile.
“Well, this time I’ll let it go. But next time we go out, Teacher Shen has to properly keep me company~”
“...Okay.”
Shen Jingyi nodded.
The car door unlocked. She pushed it open, and fresh air immediately rushed in.
The noisy voices of people on the street entered her ears. Girls carrying milk tea walked past her, while boys loudly talked about going to an internet café to play games together...
Too many things had happened today.
For a moment, Shen Jingyi felt as if a lifetime had passed.
She turned back, wanting to thank Bai Muxue once more.
But the moment she pushed herself up, her face suddenly turned pale. It felt like the whole world was spinning.
The aftereffects of low blood sugar and drained magic made her legs go weak. Before she could react, she collapsed straight backward.
“Eh?! Eh?! Eh?!”
Bai Muxue, who had still been acting like a villainess young lady just moments ago, immediately panicked.
Seeing Shen Jingyi fall toward her, she quickly reached out to catch her.
But with her small frame, how could she possibly support Shen Jingyi properly?
She only felt a strong force as Shen Jingyi crashed directly into her arms.
“Oh no!”
With a cry, the two of them fell back onto the seat cushions together.
The shocked driver hurriedly turned around.
“Miss?! Are you alright?”
“Ah—yes, yes, I’m fine!”
The pain in her chest made Bai Muxue twitch slightly, but she quickly shook her head to show she was alright.
Looking at Shen Jingyi lying pale-faced in her arms, Bai Muxue’s heart jumped, and a possibility suddenly came to mind.
...Low blood sugar?
Thinking deeply, she struggled to free the hand pinned under Shen Jingyi and wrapped it around her. Her other hand unconsciously grabbed the lollipop in her mouth, while hesitation appeared on her pretty face.
Uh... Do I really have to do this?
She lifted the lollipop, then lowered it again, as if fighting a serious battle in her mind.
Tch, this is no time to be shy. Saving her comes first!
The girl secretly bit her lip, pulled the lollipop from her mouth, pressed the candy against Shen Jingyi’s lips, and forcefully pushed it into her mouth.
At this moment, Shen Jingyi was not completely unconscious.
After a wave of dizziness, her senses slowly began to return.
For Shen Jingyi, faintness from low blood sugar was already common. After resting for only a moment, she tried to support herself and sit up.
Then, through the haze, something was pushed into her mouth.
Seeing Shen Jingyi slowly open her eyes, Bai Muxue’s gaze wandered nervously. Her fair cheeks were so red they looked ready to drip blood.
She guiltily stammered,
“Th-that... you need to raise your blood sugar... Y-you should maybe lick it. It’s sweet.”
Shen Jingyi was still not fully awake. Hearing the girl’s stuttering voice, she unconsciously did as told, gently licked it, and held the lollipop in her mouth.
In her blurred state, only the feeling spreading across the tip of her tongue remained.
It truly was… very sweet.