Becoming a Scum A in an Old-School Melodramatic Novel - Chapter 21

Lin Qinghan glanced at the living room and saw a neatly folded quilt placed on the sofa.

Then she felt something was off — she didn’t think she had told Shen Xian the location of last night’s dinner party?

“But I don’t think I told you where the dinner was last night, did I?” Lin Qinghan asked, a bit confused. She really couldn’t remember much from the night before.

Shen Xian looked at her and explained with a smile, “You were drunk last night, how could you remember? You must have told me the address — otherwise, how else would I have found you?”

Thinking about it, that made sense. If she hadn’t told Shen Xian, how could Shen Xian have known where she was? With that, Lin Qinghan’s doubts were put to rest.

Shen Xian wiped the flour off her hands and said to Lin Qinghan, “Go take a shower. Don’t wear those clothes again today — they probably reek of alcohol. I’ll get you some of mine.”

Looking at Shen Xian busying herself on her behalf, Lin Qinghan softly said, “Thank you.”

Shen Xian didn’t hear clearly and stuck her head out while searching for clothes, asking, “What?”

Lin Qinghan looked away awkwardly and shook her head. “Oh, it’s nothing.”

Soon, Shen Xian brought over a change of clothes. “Qinghan, these are all new. Just make do for now.”

“Okay.” Lin Qinghan gave her a glance and carried the clothes into the bathroom.

Not long after, Shen Tian woke up and immediately started looking for her mother. Shen Xian brought the freshly made vegetable noodles to the table, and Shen Tian immediately clung to Shen Xian’s leg and asked eagerly, “Mommy, where’s Mom? You promised me last night you’d bring Mom back.”

“Mom’s right here.” As Lin Qinghan spoke, she walked over while drying her hair and gently patted Shen Tian’s chubby little face.

Shen Tian immediately switched from Shen Xian’s leg to Lin Qinghan’s, grinning with her little white teeth. “Mom, Tian Tian missed you. Hug~”

“Okay, Mom will give you a big hug, you little cuddlebug.” Lin Qinghan bent down and picked her up.

“Let’s eat first, Qinghan.” Shen Xian had already served everyone a bowl of noodles.

Lin Qinghan nodded toward Shen Xian and placed Shen Tian into her special little seat. “Tian Tian, be good and eat, okay?”

“Okay! Tian Tian’s hungry,” she said, already digging in with her little spoon. Her cheeks were soon puffed up with food.

Lin Qinghan was hungry too. She barely ate anything at the dinner last night before getting drunk and passing out, and her stomach was still empty. She ended up eating an extra bowl.

After seeing Lin Qinghan finish breakfast, Shen Xian went to the kitchen and returned with a cup of honey water, placing it in front of her. “I figured you might still have a headache, so I made this for you. If you’re still not feeling well, you should take the day off.”

Lin Qinghan looked down at the steaming honey water and shook her head. “I’m fine, it doesn’t hurt much anymore. Thank you.”

“Then next time, don’t drink so much. And let me know where you are earlier, so I can come get you. Tian Tian will worry otherwise.” Shen Xian smiled as she reminded her.

Shen Tian chimed in, raising her little face, “Yeah! Tian Tian waited a long time for Mom last night!”

Lin Qinghan nodded. “Okay. If there’s a next time, I’ll let you know in advance.”

She picked up the cup and took a sip. The temperature was just right — Shen Xian must’ve adjusted it for her. Lin Qinghan glanced at Shen Xian again but didn’t say anything. Still, her heart felt a bit complicated.

Meanwhile, Shen Xian saw the virtual number above Lin Qinghan’s head change from [‘-50′] to [“-40″].

After breakfast, Lin Qinghan went to work. Shen Xian stayed home with Shen Tian since it was the weekend and the kindergarten was closed. She brought the child back to their place, where the little one watched cartoons obediently. Shen Xian sat with her on the sofa but kept an eye on the stock market on her laptop.

She had spent over ten thousand recently on a phone and a laptop, leaving her with a hundred thousand yuan. She checked the trend of Moon Coins and found that it hadn’t appreciated — the buying price was the same as a few days ago. Keeping {twenty thousand} in cash, she used the remaining eighty thousand to buy more Moon Coins.

When Lin Qinghan arrived at work, Han Rui came over. “Qinghan, are you alright after last night? You were really drunk. Dr. Lu and I were going to take you home, but then your ex-wife showed up. You didn’t seem to mind her, so we let her take care of you.”

She also thought Shen Xian seemed to be quite doting on Lin Qinghan last night. Her expression and unconscious actions didn’t lie. Han Rui found Shen Xian rather considerate — but she kept those thoughts to herself.

“I’m fine. Sorry for the trouble — I must have caused a hassle for you guys,” Lin Qinghan smiled.

“We’re all colleagues. No need to talk about trouble.” Han Rui smiled and pulled Lin Qinghan into the office.

At lunchtime, Lin Qinghan ate with Han Rui. Lu Jianbai had been looking for her for a while and finally spotted her. After what happened last night, he had a lot he wanted to ask her. But he didn’t really have the standing to ask. Knowing Lin Qinghan’s personality, he worried that if he brought it up, they might not even be able to stay friends.

Steadying his nerves, Lu Jianbai smiled and walked over to them. “Qinghan, Han Rui, is there room here? Mind if I join you?”

Han Rui smiled. “Come on over, it’s just the two of us.”

They were all colleagues — no way to reject him outright.

Han Rui glanced at Lin Qinghan. Seeing her expression was as calm and indifferent as always, she recalled how Lin Qinghan had clung to Shen Xian last night. She started to think that Lu Jianbai might be out of luck.

Lu Jianbai sat down with his tray and started eating. Half-jokingly, he asked, “Qinghan, were you okay last night? Your ex-wife said she came to take you home because your child was waiting for you. That’s why we let her take you.”

“Mm, I drank too much. Thank you both for taking care of me.” Lin Qinghan replied politely, without mentioning Shen Tian.

Seeing that she didn’t want to talk about it, Lu Jianbai had no choice but to drop it. He switched to lighter topics, but most of the conversation was between him and Han Rui. Lin Qinghan mostly just listened in silence.

In the afternoon, Shen Xian and Shen Tian were feeling lazy and bored. The big and little pair wore matching cow-print pajamas and were both sound asleep. When Lin Qinghan returned and didn’t see anyone in the living room, she went to the bedroom — only to find the two of them snuggled up fast asleep in bed, both lying on their backs in almost the exact same posture.

Lin Qinghan didn’t know what was wrong with her. When she saw the two of them together, her expression naturally softened, but then she thought about how Shen Xian hadn’t been going to work day after day and let out a sigh. That person had nothing to do with her anymore, so she shouldn’t be worrying about her.

Worried that Shen Tian wouldn’t be able to fall asleep at night, Lin Qinghan walked to the bedside and sat down. She gently nudged Shen Tian and coaxed her, “Tian Tian, wake up now. You can’t sleep anymore, or you won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

Shen Tian opened her sleepy, blurry eyes and saw Lin Qinghan in front of her. She immediately clung to Lin Qinghan’s arm and said sweetly, “Mom!”

“Mhm, no more sleeping. Let’s save it for tonight, okay?” Lin Qinghan stroked her daughter’s little face.

Shen Xian also woke up. As soon as she opened her eyes, they met Lin Qinghan’s gaze. Shen Xian awkwardly looked away and explained, “Tian Tian and I only went to sleep at five. We actually didn’t sleep that long.”

Holding Shen Tian, Lin Qinghan responded to Shen Xian, “I never said you couldn’t sleep, just remember not to let Tian Tian nap for too long during the day, or she won’t be able to sleep at night again.” After she said that, Lin Qinghan immediately regretted it a little. Shen Xian was only staying here temporarily — why was she even saying these things to her? She sighed and didn’t want to think about it anymore.

After Shen Xian got out of bed, she went to the kitchen to start preparing food. Lin Qinghan handed a stuffed cat toy to Shen Tian to play with, then went to the kitchen herself. Ever since Shen Xian started living here, Lin Qinghan hadn’t stepped into the kitchen for several days. She didn’t want to get used to Shen Xian’s presence.

Leaning against the kitchen doorway, Lin Qinghan said, “Let me cook today. You can go keep Tian Tian company.”

“No need, I’ve got it. You’ve been working all day — go be with Tian Tian,” Shen Xian said while continuing to wash vegetables, not stopping her movements.

Lin Qinghan furrowed her brows slightly, but eventually spoke, “You don’t have to do all this, Shen Xian. I don’t know why you’ve changed during this time, and I don’t want to know. I’m grateful that you helped me with Lin Zhixin’s matter, but we’re divorced. And you’re an alpha… So, can you move out in a little while?”

Shen Xian paused as she washed the vegetables, unable to avoid feeling a bit disappointed. She thought that what she’d done might have at least changed Lin Qinghan’s impression of her a little. But she had underestimated the harm her past self had caused. The child was still young and could be won over again with enough effort, but Lin Qinghan had already been covered in thorns by that former self. Those thorns didn’t just keep others away — they also hurt Lin Qinghan herself.

Shen Xian understood how Lin Qinghan felt. These days, spending time with the child every day, she realized that if she didn’t see her even for a day, she’d really start to miss her.

Shen Xian nodded gently and said softly, “I understand. I won’t overstay my welcome. Once I’ve helped you take care of Lin Zhixin’s issue, I’ll move out, of course. Qinghan, just relax. I truly don’t have any bad intentions.”

Lin Qinghan stared directly into Shen Xian’s eyes, silent for a long time. She had heard these kinds of words too many times. They didn’t stir up any emotion in her heart. Hearing too many empty promises only made them feel meaningless.

She turned and went back to the living room. Shen Xian let out a sigh. The thorns on Lin Qinghan’s body were buried deep in her flesh — it was no easy task to pull them out. Especially since they had all been stabbed into her by Shen Xian herself.

Given Lin Qinghan’s reaction, Shen Xian wasn’t angry. She was afraid of being hurt again, so she shut everyone out. Instead, Shen Xian felt a twinge of heartache for this version of Lin Qinghan. The one who had made the mistakes wasn’t her, yet the one most hurt by it all was her. No matter how much she said, it wouldn’t help — she could only prove with time that she truly had changed.