My Straight Girlfriend with Skin Hunger Syndrome - Chapter 82
Chapter 82
Yi Shanshan finally snapped.
Yi Shanshan exploded.
She could persuade herself to ignore anything Qi Hongyue said or did, but Ying Yuan’s words were impossible to dismiss.
Ying Yuan had called her a “bad woman”—a bad woman who would drag others away the moment she saw her.
Though Yi Shanshan knew she wasn’t exactly “good,” how dare Ying Yuan say such a thing!
Everyone else in the world could say it, but not Ying Yuan!
“Aaaaaahhhh—!!!”
Yi Shanshan screamed back, her hands clenched into fists, her voice rising to a piercing crescendo.
As a natural soprano, her cry was as sharp and bright as a drawn sword, shattering the tranquil night.
Ying Yuan flinched violently, her urge to flee intensifying.
But she had been asleep moments before, and the alcohol’s effects were still potent. When she tried to stand on the blanket, her legs felt like jelly.
Clinging to Qi Hongyue’s shoulder, she collapsed back to her knees.
In a swift motion, Yi Shanshan grabbed Ying Yuan’s ankle with her free hand, her grip tightening like a vise. The heat and force of her grip pressed down like a vengeful ghost.
“Ying Yuan!!!” Yi Shanshan bellowed, her voice shaking the room. “What do you think you’re running away from?! Say it again! Who’s the bad woman?!”
Ying Yuan was just drunk, not truly stupid.
Her basic survival instincts remained intact. When Yi Shanshan shouted, she naturally didn’t repeat her words. Instead, she widened her eyes, shook her head vigorously, then locked eyes with Qi Hongyue and desperately gestured with her eyes—Run!
Qi Hongyue: “……”
She desperately wanted to laugh but held it back.
Qi Hongyue steadied Ying Yuan’s arm, which was clinging to her, providing support. Turning to Yi Shanshan, she said, “Don’t hold it against her. She’s really drunk…”
Yi Shanshan: “Drunk people always speak the truth!”
Qi Hongyue: “……”
Yi Shanshan grabbed Ying Yuan’s ankle and yanked her backward. “So, you finally dare to say what you usually keep bottled up, huh?! Get over here! Say it! What else do you want to say? Spill it all!!!”
Ying Yuan: “Ugh…”
She was nearly terrified to death. Her nature wasn’t suited for direct confrontation.
The louder and more aggressive Yi Shanshan became, the more Ying Yuan wanted to escape.
Yi Shanshan had already pulled her leg away. Ying Yuan stumbled, her upper body still clinging desperately to Qi Hongyue, refusing to let go.
She tilted her head back to look at Qi Hongyue, her expression utterly pitiful.
Qi Hongyue let out a long sigh, stepped forward, and wrapped her arm around Ying Yuan’s back, pulling her tightly against herself. Only when she was sure Yi Shanshan understood that further tugging would be futile did she let her expression darken. “What’s the point of forcing her to say these things now?” she said to Yi Shanshan. “She won’t remember a word of it when she sobers up. Don’t you know perfectly well how you two treat each other—who’s kind and who’s cruel?”
Yi Shanshan glared up at her, ferocious as a small, red-eyed animal. “None of your business! Who do you think you are…?”
Qi Hongyue cut her off smoothly. “I’m the good friend Ying Yuan instinctively trusts when she’s drunk.” She deliberately emphasized the word “good,” then raised an eyebrow and continued, “I think that qualifies me.”
Yi Shanshan fell silent.
Qi Hongyue pressed on, “Aren’t you Ying Yuan’s friend too? You’ve known her longer, but that doesn’t mean you’ve spent more time together. During our project, we were inseparable—every day, all day, whenever we didn’t have class.”
Qi Hongyue lowered her gaze to the woman in her arms, her eyes softening. “We talked about everything: our hobbies, our studies, our lives. At least for now, I understand her just as well as you do.”
“So,” Qi Hongyue said, a corner of her lips curling slightly as she looked up at Yi Shanshan, “my status is the same as yours. Whatever rights you have, I have too. You have no more privileges here with Ying Yuan than I do. Besides…”
Qi Hongyue paused, then delivered the killing blow: “At this moment, Ying Yuan has chosen me.”
Yi Shanshan was left speechless.
She glared furiously at Qi Hongyue, unable to refute her words.
Her gaze dropped to Ying Yuan, who had buried her face in Qi Hongyue’s shoulder, refusing to even glance at Yi Shanshan.
The explosive rage that had surged through Yi Shanshan’s chest and head suddenly transformed into a piercing heartache.
The bitterness stung like the juice of an entire summer’s worth of lemons, filling her limbs and every fiber of her being.
In Yi Shanshan’s palm, Ying Yuan subtly flexed her foot. Yi Shanshan’s eyes locked onto the spot where their skin met. Her knuckles were white from the force of her grip, leaving a red mark on Ying Yuan’s skin.
Yi Shanshan remembered that day, when Ying Yuan had stood before her bed and told Lin Feng, “Let go of Shanshan’s arm. You’re hurting her.”
As if burned by fire, Yi Shanshan’s fingers suddenly loosened.
Now, she was… hurting her too.
But she didn’t want to.
The bitter ache rose into Yi Shanshan’s nose, threatening to spill into tears.
She had to admit defeat in this moment. She didn’t want to see Ying Yuan, didn’t want to see Qi Hongyue, didn’t want to face her crushing failure. She threw down what she had been clutching and turned to leave.
Ying Yuan snapped her head around, watching Yi Shanshan’s retreating figure.
She propped herself up, trying to move forward.
Qi Hongyue patted her back and whispered, “Don’t be afraid.”
As Yi Shanshan walked out of the bedroom, Qi Hongyue released Ying Yuan. “Rest well. I’ll handle this.”
Ying Yuan collapsed back onto the bed, a limp, dazed mess.
Was this a dream? she wondered, her thoughts blurring.
At the entryway, Qi Hongyue blocked Yi Shanshan’s path.
“Leaving so soon? It’s the middle of the night.”
Yi Shanshan glared back, her eyes rimmed with red, a misty sheen clinging to their surface. Her expression was meant to be fierce, but her long lashes only made her look pitiful, stirring a pang of tenderness.
She really is too beautiful, Qi Hongyue thought, stunning in any state. With such a fiery temper and raw emotions—capable of expressing ten times the affection she felt—it was no wonder Ying Yuan had fallen so deeply.
“I’m not your competitor,” Qi Hongyue said. “You’re the one who keeps comparing yourself to me.”
Yi Shanshan kicked off her slippers and flipped him the middle finger.
Qi Hongyue: “……”
Qi Hongyue: “You run away just because you lost? I never ran when you beat me countless times. Shouldn’t people have the courage to face setbacks?”
Yi Shanshan froze mid-kick. She sniffled, swallowing her hurt and resentment before glaring fiercely at Qi Hongyue. “What do you want?”
“I don’t want anything. I have no ulterior motives, and I’m not particularly emotional. I’m here on a business trip, and since I came in a hurry and didn’t book a hotel, Ying Yuan offered to let me stay at her place.” Qi Hongyue paused, smiling. “Of course, the real reason—and you might not understand this—is that she wanted to save me some money.”
Yi Shanshan bristled. “What’s so hard to understand about that? Save money whenever you can, of course.”
“Exactly. That’s why I’m here now.” Qi Hongyue shrugged. “Since I’m here, the host should keep me company for a bit, right? I’ve been stressed out at work, and Ying Yuan hasn’t seemed very happy today either. So we’re relaxing with some drinks and chatting. There’s nothing strange about that, is there? Isn’t that what friends do?”
Yi Shanshan: “……”
Qi Hongyue: “You can’t refute me tonight because you know I’m right. Ying Yuan and I have a simple relationship, nothing worth overanalyzing. What you need to examine is yourself.”
Qi Hongyue frowned. “Don’t you think your feelings for Ying Yuan have already exceeded what most people consider normal for friendship?”
Yi Shanshan: “Who decides what a friend should be?”
“Social norms dictate it,” Qi Hongyue replied. “You, My Lady, are free to disregard such conventions with your willful, independent spirit. But what about Ying Yuan? Can we ignore her sacrifices, her grievances, her unhappiness?”
Yi Shanshan’s eyes reddened again. She twisted the strap of her bag, her fingers clenching it tightly.
Qi Hongyue’s gaze softened. “You didn’t come here in the middle of the night just to argue, did you? You’re worried about her, want to make sure she’s safe, or maybe even ease her unhappiness… Then wait a little longer.”
Qi Hongyue paused, then repeated: “Wait. Wait until she’s sober enough to say a few normal words, at least a greeting.”
Yi Shanshan was finally persuaded. Qi Hongyue was truly clever—she knew exactly how to provoke Yi Shanshan’s anger and how to win her back.
But these skills, at their core, merely exploited Yi Shanshan’s deep concern for Ying Yuan.
This concern had become her vulnerability, leaving her at the mercy of others.
After a moment of dazed contemplation in the entrance area, Yi Shanshan slipped back into her slippers.
She settled onto the living room sofa, refusing to return to the bedroom.
Qi Hongyue went to comfort the still-dazed Ying Yuan, coaxing her back to sleep. She then closed the bedroom door and joined Yi Shanshan in the living room.
Sitting on the adjacent sofa, she opened her tablet to work, pointedly ignoring Yi Shanshan.
The room fell silent save for the rhythmic ticking of the wall clock, each tick marking the passage of time.
Yi Shanshan could move with the agility of a fleeing rabbit, but when still, she could be as stagnant as a pool of dead water, lost in her own thoughts, doing nothing at all.
A slight frown creased her brow as she grappled with an intractable and agonizing dilemma.
From the very beginning, she had wanted to bind Ying Yuan to her side.
But Ying Yuan kept slipping away, each departure like a knife twisting in her heart.
To bring Ying Yuan back, Shanshan endlessly tried to decipher her thoughts, resorting to every possible tactic. She seemed to succeed, but each victory came at a price—concessions that left her feeling depleted.
She gave away more of her time, more of her attention.
She publicly declared their relationship, labeling them “best friends,” granting Ying Yuan all the rights and privileges that came with the title.
She bared her secrets, laid bare her heart, revealing her most honest, darkest thoughts to Ying Yuan.
By indulging Ying Yuan so completely, she only made her want more.
Yet even now, sitting in this room, gazing at the old furniture, Yi Shanshan felt not a shred of resentment or disgust toward the other woman.
She wanted more too.
She was already burdened by pain and exhaustion, yet she refused to retreat, charging relentlessly forward.
She craved all of Ying Yuan’s love and attention.
She wanted Ying Yuan to belong entirely to her, granting her powers no one else could ever wield.
She longed to forge an even stronger, more intimate bond with Ying Yuan.
She wanted to distinguish herself from Qi Hongyue, to stand apart from all the Qi Hongyues who would come after her.
She longed for Ying Yuan to choose her—steadfastly and without hesitation—at any moment, in any state.
She wanted too much.
Like a massive, fervent dream swelling in her chest, threatening to tear her apart.
This was a matter of such gravity that her heart trembled, her palms sweated, yet she felt gripped by fear, utterly lost and helpless.
She didn’t know what to do.
Author’s Note:
Don’t worry, you’ll figure it out completely in the next chapter. [The author pushed up their wicked glasses]
Did you all notice? The book title has been shortened slightly (because the previous one couldn’t display properly in many places), and the cover has been updated too! Please remember the new title!
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