ALL NOVEL Chapter 82 - The Truth
When Pan Xiaoxuan arrived at Bai Qi’s villa, Tang Ruo had just finished her shower and was drying her hair.
Tian Hai opened the door, saw that Pan Xiaoxuan was looking for Tang Ruo, and called out from the staircase, “Sister, Pan Xiaoxuan is looking for you.”
“Mm.” Tang Ruo responded and quickly walked downstairs.
It was already quite warm in the evening, and Bai Qi, not concerned with saving electricity, had the air conditioner running in the villa.
A cool breeze filled the air, and Pan Xiaoxuan saw Tang Ruo casually coming down the stairs.
Her long black hair was held in place with a crown-shaped hairpin, keeping her bangs in place. She wore a pink, polka-dotted, sleeveless cotton nightgown, with bamboo-bottomed slippers on her feet, revealing her fair legs.
She looked like a little fairy walking down the stairs.
Pan Xiaoxuan stared blankly for a moment. Before the apocalypse, when they were still in school, she had never thought Tang Ruo was this beautiful. Now, she really looked like she had stepped out of an advertisement.
“Sorry for making you wait. I was just drying my hair.” Tang Ruo gathered her hair and walked up to Pan Xiaoxuan. Seeing her staring at her without blinking, she felt a bit confused. “Xiaoxuan?”
Pan Xiaoxuan snapped out of her daze. “I… I have something I want to talk to you about.”
“Mm.” Tang Ruo led her to sit on the sofa. “Would you like something to drink?”
Before she finished speaking, Tian Hai had already brought over two cups of hot milk. He placed one on the coffee table. “Sister Pan, milk for you.” He then handed an extra-large cup to Tang Ruo. “Sister, for you.”
“Thank you.” Pan Xiaoxuan looked at the milk, hesitant to speak.
Although she had already decided to tell the other person about Su Qianying, as soon as it came to her lips, she felt a bit shy, as if she were returning to her hometown.
“Actually, I came over tonight because I saw someone today… that is, Su Qianying…” Pan Xiaoxuan tried to organize her thoughts, thinking about how to explain the situation.
“Mm.” Tang Ruo held the milk, her eyes filled with an expectant expression as she waited for Pan Xiaoxuan to continue.
At that moment, Pan Xiaoxuan saw Bai Qi walking down the stairs.
He was tall and handsome, and even in his gray pajamas, his good figure couldn’t be hidden.
Bai Qi walked down the stairs with a slow yet rhythmic pace, then walked around to Tang Ruo’s side and draped a thin blanket over her legs.
Tang Ruo lifted it up. “It’s hot now. There’s no need to cover up.”
“Hmm? Not covering?” Bai Qi sat down next to her and placed the blanket over her legs again.
Tang Ruo understood his nature. Though he looked dignified and elegant, he could be quite stubborn and vengeful at heart.
So, she pouted in surrender, stopped lifting the blanket, and handed him the milk.
Bai Qi didn’t take the cup. Instead, he drank a large gulp directly from her hand.
They were such a harmonious couple.
At that moment…
Pan Xiaoxuan realized that for the first time, she felt envious of romantic relationships between men and women.
This warm scene made her suddenly wish Su Qianying could come and see it.
She thought that if Su Qianying saw this scene now, she might not need to have another argument with her; she would probably just vomit blood and die on the spot.
When the two of them used to fight at school, it was always Su Qianying who had the upper hand. Tang Ruo only managed to highlight Su Qianying’s innocence with her violent tactics. And men, well, they always liked soft, weak, and pitiful women, with only themselves in their eyes as the one who could protect her from the storm. So, during their fights, Fan Yunjiang was even more relentless in pursuing Su Qianying.
Pan Xiaoxuan stared blankly at the two of them drinking milk across from her.
Meanwhile, Tang Ruo noticed she had stopped talking and felt a bit puzzled. “Xiaoxuan, weren’t you going to tell me about someone named Su…” She thought for a moment, then finally remembered the name. “Su Qianying?”
Pan Xiaoxuan glanced at the people sitting on the sofa, all looking at her. After a brief silence, she said, “Can I talk to you alone for a moment?”
Tang Ruo looked at the two men standing nearby. She thought that if the two women were going to talk privately, it wouldn’t be right for the two men to be present. So, she stood up and said, “Let’s go to the second floor. Your grandfather has planted a lot of things there. I’ll take you to see them.”
The two women supported each other as they went upstairs, leaving Bai Qi and Tian Hai exchanging glances.
Their gaze was full of mutual dislike.
Tian Hai scratched his head and tried to ease the awkward atmosphere with small talk. “Brother Bai, what do you think Pan Xiaoxuan wants to talk to Tang Ruo about?”
“Who knows?” Bai Qi began walking upstairs with a casual pace, his words drifting lightly. “Maybe she wants to ask about her aunt Flo.”
Tian Hai: “?”
Who is ‘Aunt Flo’?
Does Pan Xiaoxuan have an aunt we don’t know about? I’ve never heard her mention this relative before.
Upstairs, Tang Ruo led Pan Xiaoxuan to tour the indoor garden that Old Qin had tended to, then they sat down on a nearby bench.
It wasn’t very late, and now that it was just the two of them, Pan Xiaoxuan decided not to beat around the bush. She directly asked Tang Ruo, “Tang Ruo, do you really not know Su Qianying?”
Tang Ruo thought for a moment and asked her, “Am I supposed to know her?”
“Uh…” Pan Xiaoxuan paused for a moment, then said, “Well… would you listen to a story from me?”
Tang Ruo nodded. “Of course.”
So, Pan Xiaoxuan began telling her the story. “My friend used to study at F University, and at school, she met a girl. This girl was from a wealthy family. It’s said that she had a half-sister and a half-brother from the same father, but her stepmother treated her really well. She looked…” Pan Xiaoxuan glanced at Tang Ruo and continued, “…She looked somewhat like you…”
Tang Ruo: “……”
“The girl had just entered F University at that time, and before the apocalypse, she was still a freshman. It’s said that she entered F University for a boyfriend, whose name was Fan Yunjiang. He specifically chose F University, but the boyfriend didn’t like her. He said he liked a girl named Su Qianying and told her not to bother him anymore…”
Tang Ruo said, “And then? The girl gave up on the boyfriend and walked away in despair?”
“No.” Pan Xiaoxuan said, “The girl didn’t give up. In fact, she became more determined. Every time she saw Su Qianying, she would mock her, calling her a ‘white lotus’ and accusing her of stealing her boyfriend. But Su Qianying, despite her delicate appearance, was no pushover when it came to words. The girl found she couldn’t win with just words, so she took matters into her own hands and used force. Every time, she would beat Su Qianying up so badly that she had to be sent to the infirmary…”
Tang Ruo: “……”
Tang Ruo: “So, didn’t the girl get sued or anything?”
“Of course, there were lawsuits, but the girl was always bailed out. Then she’d go right back to fighting with Su Qianying, continuing to lead the physical attacks, while Su Qianying, still playing the weak role, would end up in the infirmary again. The girl would keep ending up in the police station, getting bailed out, and the cycle just went on and on…”
Tang Ruo: “…………”
“Finally, one day, the girl turned eighteen, and a piece of news appeared in the papers, saying that the girl had a fiancé. His family was also quite wealthy, with the last name Bai. It was said that their families had already arranged a marriage, and if they married, their businesses would form a strong partnership, doubling their assets. Moreover, the girl’s family attached great importance to this, and it was said that if they married, the girl’s family would inherit some of her grandfather’s estate. So, the girl was left with no choice but to go along with it…”
Tang Ruo said, “So the girl obediently agreed to the engagement?”
Pan Xiaoxuan shook her head. “No, the girl didn’t obediently agree to the engagement. The day she left, she stood at the gates of F University, holding her boyfriend’s hand, swearing that she would go to H City. At their engagement banquet, she planned to stab her fiancé to death with a knife. Then, she would return to her boyfriend, rekindle their romance, and the two would elope together…”
Tang Ruo: “…………”
Pan Xiaoxuan cautiously observed her expression.
“Did the engagement work out in the end?”
Tang Ruo silently swallowed the blood that had risen to her throat, expressionless.
“Mm, of course it worked out. The girl is now living quite well with her fiancé.”
Pan Xiaoxuan nodded and cautiously spoke again, “Well, I still have the rest of the story to tell you.”
Tang Ruo: “…”
Given how things had already turned out, there was no point in resisting further. Tang Ruo gave up and said, “Mm, go ahead, tell me.”