My Straight Girlfriend with Skin Hunger Syndrome - Chapter 63
Chapter 63
Ying Yuan’s face flushed crimson.
Her gaze, watery with emotion, remained fixed on Yi Shanshan’s teasing touches.
Ying Yuan knew Yi Shanshan was doing it deliberately. She had long since deciphered Yi Shanshan’s pattern: when her mood relaxed, she loved to tease others, especially Ying Yuan—the straitlaced, overly earnest, bookish type was her favorite target.
Ying Yuan’s body reacted uncontrollably to Yi Shanshan’s touches, ripples of pleasure surging through her. Yet her heart overflowed with joy, because she sensed that Yi Shanshan was enjoying herself too.
The confusion and anguish that had once plagued her vanished like a breeze.
Embracing nature’s embrace, Ying Yuan accepted that they were doing something that brought mutual joy.
“I don’t need an exchange,” Ying Yuan said. “Because you’re not just anyone.”
“Huh?” Surprised by this answer, Yi Shanshan looked up at Ying Yuan, her fingers still resting on Ying Yuan’s chest.
“You’re not a mercenary person,” Ying Yuan continued. “You wouldn’t conspire with others to cheat me, and you’d never go back on a promise you sincerely made. Even though you always insist you’re bad, you’re not bad at all.”
Ying Yuan paused, thinking. “The truly wicked ones always boast about how good they are.”
“Hahahahahaha…” Yi Shanshan burst into laughter, her fingertips pressing against Ying Yuan’s chest tightening into a grip, tugging her closer by her clothes.
Her eyes gleaming brightly, she stared at Ying Yuan. “You trust me that much? What if you’re wrong?”
Ying Yuan: “Then it’s my own fault. I misjudged the situation and I’ll bear the consequences.”
A flicker of hesitation crossed Yi Shanshan’s gaze before she released Ying Yuan. “You certainly take things in stride.”
Ying Yuan: “Hmm.”
For everything that pulls me away from Yi Shanshan, I need to think about it for a long time to understand.
But for everything that brings me closer to her, understanding comes in an instant, like enlightenment.
Having eaten her fill and let her turbulent emotions settle, Yi Shanshan gazed quietly at the scenery for a while before murmuring, “Ying Yuan, let’s go back.”
“Back to the hotel to rest, or back to school?” Ying Yuan asked.
“Back to school.” Yi Shanshan stood up. “As long as I’m here, Lin Feng won’t leave. Let them stay here; we’re leaving.”
Ying Yuan had no objections. “Alright.”
She stood up and began cleaning up, stuffing the trash into a bag to take with them. She patted the dirt off her clothes, and her gaze paused on the dagger planted in the ground.
“Your knife?”
Yi Shanshan smiled. “Since we’re in the same boat now, I’ll tell you a secret. I have many knives like this one. I love collecting them. When it’s convenient, I carry one with me—sometimes I need it, sometimes I don’t. Once I’ve used it, it loses all value.”
“Hmm,” Ying Yuan replied. Though she’d never heard of such a hobby, she understood it perfectly. “Like a memento. Once it has a story, it can stay where it is.”
“Exactly,” Yi Shanshan agreed.
Ying Yuan walked over, pulled the dagger from the ground, and swiftly dug a small pit with its tip. She wrapped the blade in her clothes and carefully wiped it clean.
She tossed the knife into the pit, buried it, and tamped the soil down with her foot.
“Bury all your unhappiness here,” Ying Yuan said.
Yi Shanshan gazed at her, a smile blooming on her face, her eyes brimming with open admiration and affection. “It feels like even if I killed someone, you’d help me bury the body.”
“Shhh,” Ying Yuan cautioned, putting a finger to her lips. “Don’t even think about doing something like that.”
After a pause, she added, “It’s not good for you. You have a whole life ahead of you.”
“Mm-hmm.” Yi Shanshan stepped closer, laughing as she hooked her arm through Ying Yuan’s.
On their way back to the hotel, Yi Shanshan asked Ying Yuan to call Qi Hongyue and inform her of their revised itinerary.
Qi Hongyue didn’t object. Yi Shanshan took the phone and said, “I’m so sorry for disrupting everyone’s team-building trip. I’ll cover all expenses here. If anyone wants to leave early, I’ll reimburse them in cash.”
“Wow, so generous,” Qi Hongyue said. “I’ll ask everyone what they think.”
“Go ahead,” Yi Shanshan replied.
After hanging up, Ying Yuan and Yi Shanshan returned to the hotel. They found most of the group already awake, with a few still groggily washing their faces and getting ready.
Qi Hongyue approached them and said, “I told everyone that someone who knows Shanshan came here to cause trouble for her. They all wanted to avenge you two.”
Ying Yuan: “!!!!”
Yi Shanshan: “????”
Qi Hongyue: “Of course, there was no need for revenge. You two took care of it yourselves on the spot. In the end, everyone unanimously decided that since it’s a team-building trip, no one gets left behind. We came together, and we’ll leave together. If we don’t get our fill here, we can continue the fun when we get back.”
Ying Yuan: “……”
Yi Shanshan: “……”
Everyone started chattering at once.
“How could we just abandon you two? What if the bad guys followed you?”
“Exactly! There’s strength in numbers. They only bullied the few sleepy ones this morning!”
“Honestly, the Team Leader’s such a pain! She didn’t even call me for something this big. All this muscle for nothing!”
“It’s not about what we’re doing, it’s about who we’re doing it with. Just thinking about that jerk here makes me miserable. Let’s head back to school and have some real fun together.”
“Exactly! Let’s all go back. We’ve chartered the bus, so you two bailing separately would mean paying extra for two seats. What a waste!”
“The Team Leader said we’re going to karaoke this afternoon! Sparkle, sparkle! I’ve heard you’re a great singer, Shanshan. Can I hear a live performance?”
The more they talked, the more sense it made.
The more they talked, the more insignificant that little incident seemed.
It wouldn’t dampen their spirits, it wouldn’t spoil their fun.
A group of people brought together by a shared ideal would truly stick together through thick and thin.
Ying Yuan glanced at Yi Shanshan, who pursed her lips before breaking into a smile.
She stepped into the crowd, graciously accepting their goodwill:
“Sure, let’s all go back together!”
“Next time we get into a fight, we’re definitely bringing you!”
“Bao’er, of course you can listen! Just tell me which song you want to hear, and I’ll sing it.”
“Waaah, I love hanging out with you guys so much~”
The atmosphere was warm and harmonious.
Ying Yuan’s eyes curved into a smile as she said to Qi Hongyue, “Thank you.”
The group had arrived in a lively bustle and now departed in equally high spirits.
The chartered bus was parked in the south parking lot. Before boarding, Ying Yuan glanced inside. The cars she and Yi Shanshan had damaged were still there, but Lin Feng and the others had vanished.
The slashed tires were easy to miss at a glance, but the shattered windshields stood out starkly.
Someone else noticed too, clicking their tongue: “This resort sees a lot of trouble, huh? Who’s got the guts to smash up a luxury car like that?”
Ying Yuan: “……”
“When will I ever have that kind of courage? I’d rather be reborn as a tire in my next life.”
Ying Yuan: “…………”
“But that’s gonna cost a fortune! Sigh, never mind. I’ll pass on this reincarnation.”
Ying Yuan: “………………”
Ying Yuan sat down next to Yi Shanshan.
Yi Shanshan, still drowsy, rested her head on Ying Yuan’s shoulder and closed her eyes as soon as she noticed her.
The colleague who had been sighing all the way behind Ying Yuan sat in the seat behind her, patted her arm, and leaned forward, eager to discuss.
“Ying Yuan, what could possibly cause such deep-seated hatred and resentment? It has to be a love affair gone wrong, right? A heart-wrenching saga of love and vengeance, surely?”
Ying Yuan: “……”
Ying Yuan: “Weren’t you yawning just now? Why don’t you get some rest?”
The bus lurched into motion, swaying along the road.
The early start had taken its toll; soon, most of the passengers were asleep.
The mountains outside were the same ones they had seen on the way in, but in just one day, Ying Yuan’s state of mind had reached an entirely different realm.
Her feelings for Yi Shanshan had progressed far too quickly.
The blazing fire within her had already burned down to a thick layer of ashes.
She had sunk into a state of utter resignation and self-abandonment, a serene indifference.
The bus arrived back at school just in time for lunch.
Everyone ate together, then went back to their dorms to rest, making plans for karaoke later that evening.
Yi Shanshan bought a new phone. Ying Yuan helped her retrieve the SIM card and conveniently installed her frequently used apps.
Once Yi Shanshan’s phone was working normally again, the first thing she did was ask Ying Yuan for her bank card number and transfer her a sum of money.
Ying Yuan stared at the bank’s SMS notification, her mouth agape in stunned disbelief.
Yi Shanshan had transferred her 100,000 yuan.
“Reached the daily limit…” Yi Shanshan frowned, clearly dissatisfied. “It’s such a hassle to transfer money these days. Every little thing triggers a risk alert.”
Ying Yuan stammered, “Maybe it’s because you just got a new phone… or because it’s the first time you’ve transferred such a large sum to this bank card…”
Yi Shanshan: “I’ll call their customer service manager later to ask about it.”
“No, don’t bother,” Ying Yuan regained her composure. “Why are you transferring money to me anyway?”
Yi Shanshan: “For the car damage, duh.”
Ying Yuan: “But no one’s contacted me yet. I haven’t received any claims calls.”
Yi Shanshan: “Imagine how panicked you’d be if you answered the phone and realized you had no money. Better to pad your wallet in advance so you won’t be scared when they call.”
Ying Yuan: “……”
Should I thank Yi Shanshan for being so thoughtful?
Ying Yuan: “But what if they never call…”
Yi Shanshan: “Then it’ll just sit there.”
“Money in the bank earns interest,” Ying Yuan pointed out.
“How much interest could such a small amount generate?” Yi Shanshan chuckled.
Ying Yuan fell silent.
“I’ll tell you another secret,” Yi Shanshan continued. “The funding Qi Hongyue negotiated for our game came from Lin Feng’s family business.”
“!!!!” Ying Yuan exclaimed.
“We’ve offended our sugar daddy, Little Yuan,” Yi Shanshan said, patting her shoulder. “So, you’d better prepare to find a new one.”
“Senior Qi probably doesn’t know…” Ying Yuan protested.
“Why are you missing the point?” Yi Shanshan stared into her eyes and winked. “The point is, I’m going to be your new sugar daddy.”
Ying Yuan fell silent again.
The corners of Yi Shanshan’s lips curved upward. “From now on, remember to butter me up properly. After all, I transfer money so smoothly.”
How quickly things change.
But Yi Shanshan’s words no longer carried any weight for Ying Yuan.
She had always wanted to be good to Yi Shanshan. Being good to Yi Shanshan was as natural as breathing.
Over the next few days, Ying Yuan waited anxiously for the stranger’s compensation call.
But no call ever came.
Life after the holiday resumed its usual tranquility: classes, meals, reading, project discussions with Qi Hongyue, and being there for Yi Shanshan whenever she needed her.
Yi Shanshan’s current needs from her were those of a perfectly normal best friend.
They chatted intermittently on WeChat, calling each other when they wanted a more satisfying conversation. When their schedules aligned, they would eat together. As finals approached, Yi Shanshan even went to the library twice to study with Ying Yuan.
Ying Yuan couldn’t shake the feeling that something remained unresolved, like the substantial sum of money still sitting in her bank account, a constant source of unease.
One Saturday afternoon, while Ying Yuan was accompanying Yi Shanshan on their way to the cafeteria, Yi Shanshan’s phone rang.
The cheerful expression on Yi Shanshan’s face vanished instantly when she saw the name flashing on the screen. She paused for a few seconds before answering.
Her voice, however, remained sweet and gentle: “Good afternoon, Dad.”
Ying Yuan couldn’t hear what was being said on the other end; she could only observe Yi Shanshan’s reactions.
“Yes, I’m at school.”
“I was just about to have dinner with a friend.”
“Okay.”
“Please give my regards to Uncle Yang.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Okay, goodbye.”
The call was brief. Yi Shanshan’s words were polite and obedient, her tone light and lilting, yet her face remained utterly expressionless.
Language and expression seemed divorced, as if neither had anything to do with the other.
Even after the call ended, this detached state lingered.
Yi Shanshan stared at an invisible point and told Ying Yuan, “I can’t go to the cafeteria. My family’s here, so I have to go into the city for dinner.”
Under normal circumstances, Ying Yuan would have simply agreed and let her friend go spend time with her family. She never pried into other people’s personal matters, seeing no need to.
But this time was different.
Yi Shanshan was clearly unhappy. This bottled-up unhappiness, even more distressing than a full-blown outburst, weighed heavily on Ying Yuan’s heart.
Unwilling to stand by as an observer, Ying Yuan asked a question that seemed wildly inappropriate: “Do you even want to go?”
Yi Shanshan startled, turning to look at her, a flicker of emotion in her eyes.
“If you don’t want to go,” Ying Yuan continued, “you can refuse.”
Yi Shanshan’s brow furrowed slightly.
Understanding her hesitation, Ying Yuan quickly offered another solution: “If you can’t refuse, would you like me to go with you?”
Yi Shanshan’s eyes lit up.
So when someone’s eyes light up, it really does look like a little light bulb suddenly brightening.
“Can you?” Yi Shanshan whispered, a hint of insecurity creeping into her voice for the first time.
“I can,” Ying Yuan replied without hesitation, her voice swift and resolute. “I’ll come with you and wait outside. I won’t leave you until it’s over, and then we’ll come back together.”
“If you need me, I can even come into the restaurant and sit beside you.
“Even if your family might find it intrusive, as long as it makes you feel more at ease, it’s worth it.”