Becoming a Scum A in an Old-School Melodramatic Novel - Chapter 44

The scenic area Shen Xian and the others were going to wasn’t far from the city — about a 40-minute drive. Ever since divorcing Shen Xian, Lin Qinghan had been keeping herself tightly wound. She was either working to earn money or taking care of her daughter. Shen Xian and Lin Zhixin would occasionally come by asking for money too. Lin Qinghan couldn’t even remember the last time she had gone out to relax.

At the moment, the tour bus was getting closer and closer to the outskirts, with more greenery on both sides of the road. Lin Qinghan leaned back against her seat, gazing out the window. Shen Xian fiddled with her phone for a bit, but soon felt dizzy and put it down. She turned to look at Lin Qinghan instead. Lin Qinghan could definitely feel Shen Xian staring at her, so she turned her head and saw Shen Xian leaning there, watching her.

“What are you looking at me for?” Lin Qinghan nudged Shen Xian’s leg and asked.

“Nothing,” Shen Xian replied, leaning her head against the backrest and winking at her. “Got dizzy from looking at my phone, so I’m looking at you instead.”

Shen Xian was so direct about staring at her that Lin Qinghan didn’t even know how to respond. Her ears turned a little red. “If you’re dizzy, just close your eyes and rest for a bit. Stop staring at me.”

Shen Xian chuckled. Sitting so close to Lin Qinghan, she immediately noticed her reddened ears. Grinning, she leaned a bit closer. “Closing my eyes is boring — I can’t see anything. Hey, Qinghan, why are your ears red?”

Lin Qinghan turned to glare at Shen Xian. “Are you doing this on purpose? Asking when you already know. So annoying.” With that, she turned her head toward the window, leaving Shen Xian with half a view of her back.

Shen Xian held back a laugh and looked at Lin Qinghan, reaching out to poke her back. “Qinghan, I was wrong. Don’t ignore me, okay? Don’t be so petty. I’ll let you look at me if you want.”

Lin Qinghan turned around and sat properly, giving Shen Xian a light push. “You think everyone’s as childish as you? And who even wants to look at you?”

Shen Xian chuckled and admitted defeat. “Okay, okay, I’m childish. I was wrong, alright?”

Lin Qinghan gave Shen Xian a look and let out a soft huff but didn’t respond.

Sitting nearby, Han Rui nearly burst out laughing at their interaction. Like this, and they still claimed they weren’t involved? They were just being stubborn.

Another twenty minutes passed, and several buses slowly pulled into the scenic area. While it was a tourist spot, there was no entrance fee — only the temple inside required a separate ticket.

People on the bus started getting off one by one. Shen Xian followed behind Lin Qinghan at a leisurely pace and got off as well.

As if remembering something, Han Rui asked Lin Qinghan, “Qinghan, how come you two didn’t bring Tian Tian?”

Lin Qinghan pressed her lips together and replied, “Tian Tian’s at her grandma’s place. She’s still too young. The mountain may not be tall for us, but she might tire out halfway.”

Han Rui gave a teasing smile, glancing between Lin Qinghan and Shen Xian a few times. “Right, almost had me convinced.”

“Don’t talk nonsense,” Lin Qinghan said with a smile.

“Alright, I won’t get in the way of you two spending time together. I should learn from Tian Tian and keep my distance.” With that, Han Rui walked off with a few other doctors.

Lin Qinghan looked after her, smiling and shaking her head. She turned to Shen Xian and said, “Let’s go too. The last time I climbed Mount Bai was years ago.”

“Years ago? You’re not even that old. Don’t talk like you’re ancient,” Shen Xian said with a laugh.

But Lin Qinghan stopped walking and glared at her. “What’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying I’m old? Not as young and pretty as the new girls at your company?”

Shen Xian realized she had stepped on a landmine again and quickly shook her head. “No, no, of course not! You’re still young. Besides, aren’t we the same age? I wouldn’t call myself old either!”

Lin Qinghan gave her a look but didn’t reply. She turned and started heading up the mountain steps. Shen Xian hurried to catch up.

By then, the sun was already out. After walking for a bit, both of them started sweating. Shen Xian twisted open a bottle of mineral water and handed it to Lin Qinghan. “Qinghan, have some water and rest for a bit.”

Lin Qinghan took the water. “Thanks.”

Shen Xian, holding another bottle, smiled and said, “No need to thank me. Come on, with the kind of relationship we have, you don’t need to be so formal.”

Lin Qinghan’s ears reddened again from her words. She quickly took a few sips of water to suppress the flutter in her chest before finally replying, “We don’t have a relationship.”

“Huh?”

“I said, there’s nothing between us now,” Lin Qinghan said, pursing her lips and avoiding Shen Xian’s gaze. Still, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly against her will.

“Really? Doesn’t seem like nothing to me. I think we get along great,” Shen Xian said, deliberately bumping Lin Qinghan’s arm, smiling as she stared at her.

Shen Xian was way too close, tilting her head and looking straight at her. Lin Qinghan had no choice but to push her away. “Seriously, back off — it’s too hot.” She even fanned herself with her hand.

“Alright, whatever you say,” Shen Xian replied, still smiling at her. Lately, she was realizing more and more — Qinghan was pretty shy. They were just friends; a little teasing was normal, right?

“Come on, let’s keep walking. From the way you’re talking, you’re clearly not tired,” Lin Qinghan said, glancing at her.

“Of course not, not with Qinghan here to keep me company,” Shen Xian replied, catching up with her, throwing in more compliments as she walked. Even Shen Xian herself couldn’t believe it — how did someone like her, a powerful CEO, end up loving to tease someone this much? In her last life, she was too busy with work and missed out on so much fun.

“Act normal, will you?” Lin Qinghan said, giving Shen Xian a light smack — not hard at all.

Shen Xian grinned. “Okay, okay. Qinghan, since we’re here, let’s take a selfie. I haven’t taken one with just you yet. Tian Tian was in all the other ones.”

“What’s there to take pictures of? So childish.” Lin Qinghan muttered about Shen Xian being childish, but she still stopped walking.

Shen Xian immediately took out her phone and switched it to selfie mode. One hand rested on Lin Qinghan’s right shoulder, the other raised the phone and set a ten-second timer. Seeing Lin Qinghan staring at the camera with a blank expression, Shen Xian bumped her again. “Qinghan, give me a smile, come on.”

With a click from the phone camera, the image of the two of them smiling was captured. Shen Xian pulled Lin Qinghan along to take a few more photos before she was finally satisfied.

Shen Xian edited her Moments post (WeChat feed) and selected three good photos she had just taken with Lin Qinghan to upload. Not long after, it received quite a few likes.

Meanwhile, at home playing with Shen Tian, Fang Jinglan also came across Shen Xian’s post and gave it a like without thinking.

Noticing Fang Jinglan looking so happy, Shen Tian climbed onto the sofa with her short little legs and curiously asked, “Grandma, what are you looking at? Tian Tian wants to see too.”

Fang Jinglan smiled and handed the phone to Shen Tian. “Here, take a look. Can you tell who this is?”

Shen Tian held the phone in her arms, her big eyes staring at the screen while her tiny finger pointed to the post. “It’s Mom and Mommy!”

Then, the little one started to feel that something wasn’t right. Didn’t Mom and Mommy say they were going to work? Why did it look like they were having so much fun? It looked just like playing. A big question mark formed in her little head.

She mumbled softly, “Mom and Mommy went to work, so… then Tian Tian wants to go to work with them next time too.”

Fang Jinglan almost burst into laughter at what Shen Tian said. Those two clearly just went out to have fun and left Tian Tian with her under the excuse of “work.” “Alright, next time Tian Tian can go with them too, okay?” she said, hugging the little girl in her arms.

The little one nodded and replied in her soft baby voice, “Okay~ Tian Tian wants to be with Mom and Mommy too.”

Shen Xian and Lin Qinghan’s playful behavior did not escape Lu Jianbai’s eyes. He walked behind them at a steady pace with Zhao Qing, keeping a certain distance yet still able to see the two clearly from afar. Watching Shen Xian and Lin Qinghan so close together, chatting and laughing, Lu Jianbai’s fists clenched red with anger, startling Zhao Qing.

“Dr. Lu, what’s wrong?” Zhao Qing asked with concern.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Let’s keep walking,” Lu Jianbai quickly masked the hostility on his face and returned to his usual appearance.

By the time Shen Xian and Lin Qinghan reached the top of the mountain, their water bottles were nearly empty. Due to the hot weather, most people had finished their water by the time they made it to the summit. Fortunately, there was a small store at the top that sold things, although the water and snacks were much pricier than usual. Shen Xian tossed the empty bottles into a trash bag tied to a railing, then stood up and bought two more bottles of water — one for herself and one for Lin Qinghan.

While Shen Xian was buying the water, Lu Jianbai told Zhao Qing he had something to do and quickly walked over to Lin Qinghan.

“Qinghan, I’m really sorry for the trouble I caused you that time. I just want to say a few words to you alone. I promise I won’t bother you again afterward. Is that alright?” Lu Jianbai spoke politely, as if he had truly let go.

Lin Qinghan glanced at him without moving. “Whatever you have to say, you can say it here. I don’t think we’re close enough to talk privately.”

“Qinghan, it’s really just a few words. There are so many people around — I’m worried it might affect your reputation.”

“If you’re worried about affecting her, then just don’t say it,” Shen Xian’s voice carried from afar. By the time she finished speaking, she was already beside Lin Qinghan.

Lu Jianbai’s clenched fists twitched slightly, but he remained expressionless. “I just want to talk to Qinghan for a bit. It’s something between ordinary friends. What, don’t you trust her? You think there’s something between us?”

Shen Xian let out a cold laugh. “I don’t trust you. You’re too greasy. Just talking to you feels like I’ve smeared lard over my heart. Stop clinging to our Qinghan.”

“You’re afraid to let her talk to me alone?” Lu Jianbai asked, suppressing his anger and trying to sound casual.

“Don’t you understand words? If you have something to say, say it here. Why so much nonsense?” Shen Xian replied with a cold look.

Seeing that Shen Xian wasn’t taking the bait at all, Lu Jianbai turned back to Lin Qinghan. “Qinghan, is Shen Xian watching you that closely? There are so many people here, and she still won’t let me speak to you for a few minutes?”

Lin Qinghan didn’t want to continue the conversation either. “Yes, Shen Xian is very clingy. She can’t leave me even for a moment.” As she spoke, she linked arms with Shen Xian.

Shen Xian nodded and echoed, “That’s right, I’m very clingy.”

Lu Jianbai’s face turned red with frustration. These two just weren’t playing by the rules.