Becoming a Scum A in an Old-School Melodramatic Novel - Chapter 53

Yu Qingwan walked briskly toward Lin Qinghan and Shen Tian, the corners of her lips slightly curved upward as she greeted Lin Qinghan in a cheerful tone,
“Miss Lin, what a coincidence, fancy seeing you again. Do you mind if I sit with you two?”

Lin Qinghan was seated on the outer side of the booth. The seat inside was empty, but to reach it, Lin Qinghan would have to stand up first. Across from Lin Qinghan sat Shen Tian, and beside Shen Tian were the shopping bags Lin Qinghan had been carrying earlier.
So if Yu Qingwan wanted to sit with them, Lin Qinghan would have to get up and make room for her.

Lin Qinghan frowned slightly. Such a big mall, and we run into each other twice in such a short time? Who would believe that’s just coincidence?

Lin Qinghan didn’t even bother to look at Yu Qingwan again.
“I do mind,” she said coldly. “Miss Yu, if you have nothing better to do, you should focus on yourself and stop paying so much attention to others.”

Yu Qingwan chuckled lightly, as if she had just heard something amusing. Covering her lips with her hand, she said,
“Oh, Miss Lin, you really have a sense of humor. How could Shen Xian and I be considered ‘others’ to each other? We’re quite familiar, you know.”

The tone in Yu Qingwan’s voice made Lin Qinghan feel disgusted, and irritation began to rise in her chest. Shen Xian’s change for the better had only happened over the past few months, before that, Lin Qinghan really had no idea what kind of relationship Shen Xian and Yu Qingwan used to have.

Noticing Lin Qinghan’s change in expression, Yu Qingwan became even more smug.
“What’s wrong, Miss Lin? Scared? Shen Xian only acted that way toward me just now because she’s still mad at me. You don’t know how good she used to be to me, whatever I wanted, she gave me. You know how Alphas are, bad temper and all, but if I coax her a little, she’ll come around soon enough.”

Lin Qinghan let out a cold laugh.
“That was in the past. Shen Xian’s temper is much better now, and she’s not falling for your tricks anymore.”

“Whether she does or doesn’t,” Yu Qingwan replied with a smirk, “you won’t know until you try.”

While Yu Qingwan was talking, Shen Xian walked over. Seeing her approach, Yu Qingwan immediately switched expressions, smiling sweetly.
“Shen Xian, I ran into Miss Lin while shopping, so we just chatted a bit.”

Shen Xian frowned slightly, her gaze icy as she looked at Yu Qingwan.
“If you have something to say, just say it. Such a big mall, and we meet twice in such a short time? Who’d believe that’s just coincidence?”

Yu Qingwan froze, completely caught off guard that Shen Xian would call her out so directly. For a moment, she didn’t know how to respond.

Lin Qinghan couldn’t help but laugh out loud, raising an eyebrow at Yu Qingwan.
“Looks like Shen Xian really isn’t falling for your tricks anymore, Miss Yu.”

“You, don’t get ahead of yourself,” Yu Qingwan snapped, glaring at Lin Qinghan before turning back to Shen Xian.
“Shen Xian, I’ll ask you one more time, come with me. I just want to talk.”

Shen Xian let out a cold laugh.
“You could say it a hundred times, and I still wouldn’t go. Sister, if you’re sick, go see a doctor early, don’t wait until it’s too late. Stop wasting our time here.”

“Shen Xian! You… fine. Very fine. You’ll regret this, don’t come crying to me later!”

In the past, the original Shen Xian had always been like Yu Qingwan’s obedient dog, but now Yu Qingwan had been humiliated publicly. Her eyes turned red with anger as she stormed out of the dessert shop.
She walked slowly, expecting Shen Xian to chase after her. But after a few minutes, when she looked back, there was no Shen Xian in sight.

Yu Qingwan turned toward the dessert shop again, only to see Shen Xian leaning close to Lin Qinghan, talking about something.

Once Yu Qingwan left, the tight frown on Shen Xian’s face finally eased a little. Noticing a milkshake on the table beside Lin Qinghan, Shen Xian leaned over and said,
“Qinghan, let me in for a sec. That milkshake’s mine, right?”

Lin Qinghan shot her a glare.
“Weren’t you chatting so happily with Yu Qingwan just now? You didn’t seem like someone who needs a cold drink.”

Shen Xian tugged gently on Lin Qinghan’s arm.
“Qinghan, I didn’t want to talk to her, she just followed me around thick-skinned as ever. And didn’t you see? I drove her away.”

Lin Qinghan wanted to ask about the past, years ago, had Shen Xian really liked Yu Qingwan that much? But when the words reached her lips, she said nothing and simply stood to let Shen Xian sit down.

Shen Xian sat inside, took a few sips of her milkshake, then turned to tease the little one.
“Tian Tian, are you happy? Is the pudding good?”

Shen Tian nodded and replied in her soft, childlike voice,
“The pudding’s yummy! But that weird auntie just now, Tian Tian doesn’t like her. She’s annoying~ and Mom wasn’t happy either.”

“Alright, we’ll stay away from that weird auntie from now on, okay? Mommy thinks she’s annoying too,” Shen Xian said with a laugh.
But when she turned to look at Lin Qinghan again, all the smiles on Lin Qinghan’s face were gone.

Shen Xian felt wronged too. It wasn’t her fault the original owner of her body left behind such a mess. They’d come out as a family for a fun day of shopping, and now it had turned into this.

“Qinghan,” Shen Xian coaxed softly, leaning closer, “the annoying one’s gone now. Don’t be upset, okay? We still have to take Tian Tian out for dinner.”

Lin Qinghan pressed her lips together and replied with a quiet “okay,” but her expression didn’t soften.

Meanwhile, Yu Qingwan, teeth clenched, glared in the direction of the three of them. Pulling out her phone, she called Zhao Qiang. She wanted to find out just what had happened while she was gone that made Shen Xian treat her this way.

Yu Qingwan found a fast food restaurant nearby, ordered something at random, and sat down. The call connected quickly.

She spoke first,
“Zhao Qiang, it’s me, Yu Qingwan. You’re good friends with Shen Xian, right? I want to ask you something.”

“Miss Yu, we’re all friends here, no need to be so polite. If there’s something I know, I’ll definitely tell you.”

“I just feel like something’s off with Shen Xian lately. Have you guys been close to her recently? Has she gone out gambling or anything like that?” Yu Qingwan asked with a frown.

“No, she hasn’t come out to hang with us for months now. Haven’t heard anything about her gambling again, either.” Zhao Qiang also found it strange. The Shen Xian he knew used to feel uneasy if she wasn’t spending money, so how did she suddenly turn so proper?

Yu Qingwan hesitated for a moment before speaking. “I saw Shen Xian today, with her ex-wife. And she had her daughter with her, too. I remember she used to hate mentioning her ex-wife and daughter the most, but when I saw the three of them just now, they looked really close. Could it be that Shen Xian and her ex-wife have reconciled?”

Zhao Qiang laughed. “No way, Miss Yu. We’ve all seen how Shen Xian treats you. She’s probably just upset about you going to Jing City before. Just coax her a few more times, and it’ll be fine.”

“Alright, thank you. Once I make up with Shen Xian, I’ll invite everyone out for a get-together.” Yu Qingwan thought about it too, how could Shen Xian really not like her? Sure, she might act like a lovesick fool sometimes, but Shen Xian clearly had quite a bit of money now. And besides, she looked even better than two years ago, her looks, her vibe, everything about her had improved. That only made Yu Qingwan even more reluctant to let Shen Xian go.

After that, Lin Qinghan wasn’t in much of a mood either. Even during dinner, she seemed distracted. Shen Xian wanted to explain, but she was afraid that bringing up Yu Qingwan would only make Qinghan angrier. After all, the original Shen Xian had been emotionally unfaithful. As for physically… She’d wanted to cheat, but Yu Qingwan had only ever treated her like a lapdog and never given her the chance. Shen Xian really didn’t know how to explain any of that to Lin Qinghan.

Both of them ate with heavy hearts, while only their little one ate happily, sweet and content, completely unaffected by the whole Yu Qingwan situation.

“Qinghan, why don’t we head home and rest after dinner? You seem a little tired,” Shen Xian said carefully, glancing at her.

“Alright. I don’t feel like walking around anymore anyway, I don’t want to risk running into any shady people again,” Lin Qinghan said coldly, not even looking at Shen Xian as she spoke, her eyes fixed on the food in her bowl.

After finishing their meal, Shen Xian carried the little one, Lin Qinghan held the shopping bags, and the three of them headed to the underground parking lot. Once Shen Xian had settled the child into the car seat, she returned to the driver’s seat. Lin Qinghan sat silently beside the sleeping child.

Shen Xian’s head was about to explode, Yu Qingwan had really messed things up for her. Qinghan actually seemed truly angry this time.

The little one in the car seat, full and satisfied, soon leaned back and drifted off to sleep. Shen Xian sighed, sometimes, being a kid really was the best. No worries, no drama.

When they arrived home, Shen Xian parked the car. Seeing that the little one was still asleep, she gently carried her in her arms and went upstairs with Lin Qinghan.

She carefully took off the child’s shoes and laid her on the bed, tucking her in with a small blanket. Then she went downstairs to grab the remaining things. By the time she came back, Lin Qinghan was no longer in the living room. Shen Xian put the clothes away, changed into her pajamas, and peeled off the pheromone blocking patch on her neck before heading toward Lin Qinghan and the child’s bedroom.

She pushed the door open a crack and saw Lin Qinghan lying next to the child. As Shen Xian quietly stepped inside, intending to lie on the other side of the bed, Lin Qinghan placed a big white teddy bear on that spot, taking up the remaining space.

Actually, Lin Qinghan had already noticed Shen Xian at the door, the sweet orange scent had given her away long before she entered.

Feeling a bit wronged, Shen Xian tried to move the teddy bear, but Lin Qinghan pressed it down firmly.

“Qinghan, if the bear sleeps there, where do I sleep?” Shen Xian whispered.

“There’s no space for you. Go sleep in your own room,” Lin Qinghan said, glaring at her.

“Qinghan, I was wrong, okay? Don’t be mad. When I see Yu Qingwan now, it’s like looking at a clown. I honestly don’t feel a shred of interest in her anymore.” Shen Xian almost added, I’m straight, I swear, just to prove her innocence.

Lin Qinghan pressed her lips together, thinking. People had to move on eventually. And now that Shen Xian was finally getting her act together, pushing her away might only give that Yu Qingwan woman another chance. So, she sighed and moved the big teddy bear to the chair beside the bed.

Only then did Shen Xian smile, lying down beside the child. She whispered to Lin Qinghan, “Thank you, Qinghan. I knew you wouldn’t really kick me out.”

Seeing Shen Xian’s smug expression, Lin Qinghan grew annoyed again. She glared at her and said softly, “If you want to sleep here, then shut up. Don’t wake Tian Tian.”

“Got it,” Shen Xian said quickly, obediently closing her mouth. Even she couldn’t believe it, she, a former cold and domineering CEO, had been completely tamed by Qinghan.

As she lay there, glancing at the sleeping child, Shen Xian thought that once her company was running smoothly and she earned enough money, it’d be best to move into a bigger house. The little one was growing up, after all, it was about time she learned to sleep on her own. That way, Shen Xian and Qinghan could actually talk without worrying about waking her up.