After Accidentally Marking My Stepsister's White Moonlight (GL, ABO) - Chapter 23

The moment the thought crossed her mind, Rong Yunshu knew that this speculation was most likely true. When she looked at Ye Wenjin again, she noticed that her cheeks were slightly flushed, as if she had thought of something.

All these signs pointed unmistakably to the fact that Ye Wenjin’s relationship with that woman was exactly what she had imagined.

A bitter feeling spread in Rong Yunshu’s heart, but she forced it down and instead softly reminded, “Wenjin, class is about to start.”

Before Ye Wenjin could snap out of her thoughts, the school bell rang in her ears. She rubbed her earlobes, quickly composed herself, and focused her attention on the lesson.

This was a core course—she couldn’t afford to be distracted.

Ye Wenjin calculated the savings she had and decided it would be best not to take any more leave. She needed to work harder for the scholarship.

The morning classes passed quickly in deep concentration. By the time the bell rang again, Ye Wenjin only then realized that class was over.

Rong Yunshu turned to her. “It’s noon, Wenjin. Where are we eating today?”

Ye Wenjin hesitated for a moment before replying, “I… I think I’ll skip the cafeteria today.”

Rong Yunshu looked puzzled. “Not the cafeteria? Then what? Are we going off-campus? I remember Chu Yunsheng mentioned a new place opened outside. But aren’t you watching your figure? Can you eat there?”

Ye Wenjin smiled sheepishly. “No, I’m not going out either. Um… I think someone might be bringing me food.”

Noticing the uncertainty on her face, Rong Yunshu instinctively frowned but quickly smoothed her expression.

Then, in a neutral tone, she said, “If you’re not sure, why not just come to the cafeteria with me? Or how long do you need to wait? I can stay with you.”

Ye Wenjin reflexively declined. “No need, Yunshu. You should go ahead and eat.”

Rong Yunshu chuckled helplessly. “It’s fine. Don’t we always stick together? You can come with me to pick up the food, and then we’ll go to the cafeteria. Besides, yesterday Chu Yunsheng asked me to bring her lunch since we thought you wouldn’t be back until the afternoon.”

At this, Ye Wenjin understood—perhaps Rong Yunshu didn’t like being alone either.

Still, she had thought Yunshu and Yunsheng didn’t get along. Turns out they were close enough to bring each other meals?

After some consideration, Ye Wenjin was persuaded.

She nodded. “Alright, let’s go to the cafeteria first. It might take a while for my food to arrive.”

Rong Yunshu readily agreed. “Sounds good.”

As they were buying their meals in the cafeteria, Ye Wenjin’s phone rang—unsurprisingly, it was Butler Wu, saying she was waiting at the school gate.

Ye Wenjin acknowledged and asked her to wait a little longer.

Then she hurriedly finished buying food with Rong Yunshu, and the two headed to the school gate together.

The entire way, Rong Yunshu observed Ye Wenjin’s expression, but she seemed completely normal—not at all like she was going to meet that woman from yesterday.

Had she guessed wrong? Was it not that woman bringing her food?

Lost in thought, they finally reached the school gate.

Ye Wenjin scanned the area and spotted Butler Wu’s car with its hazard lights on, parked a short distance away. She quickly walked over.

“Aunt Wu, sorry for making you come all this way.”

Butler Wu smiled. “Oh, it’s no trouble at all. Moving around is good for me. At my age, everything feels like a struggle.”

Ye Wenjin shook her head earnestly. “Aunt Wu, you look so young. What do you mean ‘old’?”

Seeing her serious expression, Butler Wu couldn’t help but smile more brightly. “Miss Wenjin, you’re so good with words. This is lunch—you should head back quickly before it gets cold and loses its flavor.”

Ye Wenjin took the lunchbox handed to her, her eyes widening slightly.

The lunchbox was quite large, making it obvious at a glance that it contained plenty of food.

“It’s so big!” she exclaimed.

Butler Wu chuckled. “It only looks large—the portions inside aren’t actually that much. Miss Wenjin, you must finish it all. I’ve calculated it carefully—the calories in this meal are just right.”

Ye Wenjin stared at the enormous lunchbox, feeling slightly dizzy.

Was it really just right? She hesitated.

However, Butler Wu didn’t give her a chance to refuse. “Miss Wenjin, hurry back now. Don’t keep your classmates waiting.”

Her gaze lingered briefly on Rong Yunshu, nodding slightly in acknowledgment.

Rong Yunshu paused, then politely returned the greeting.

Only after Butler Wu drove away did the two turn back toward the dormitory.

Rong Yunshu was lost in thought. She had never seen this person before, nor had Ye Wenjin ever mentioned her. Though Ye Wenjin rarely spoke about her personal life before…

Perhaps it was intuition, but Rong Yunshu felt this woman was different from the family members Ye Wenjin never talked about.

Still, Ye Wenjin had called her “Aunt Wu,” which didn’t sound like a family relation…

Rong Yunshu glanced at Ye Wenjin’s expression. Though she seemed troubled by the size of the lunchbox, subtle hints of happiness were still visible.

Suddenly, Rong Yunshu spoke up. “Wenjin, was that someone from your family just now?”

Ye Wenjin snapped out of her thoughts with a soft “Ah.” “Well… you could say that.”

She couldn’t very well say she was Sister’s butler, could she?

Besides, Butler Wu had practically watched Sister grow up—calling her family wasn’t entirely wrong.

Rong Yunshu: “Oh, really? You’ve never mentioned her before.”

Ye Wenjin laughed awkwardly. “Let’s hurry back, or Yunsheng will be starving by now.”

Rong Yunshu nodded, noticing her avoidance of the topic and tactfully dropping it.

She already had a suspicion—perhaps this sudden elder figure had some connection to that woman from yesterday.

Even as they returned to the dormitory, Rong Yunshu was still pondering.

At this hour, everyone in the dorm was present.

Unsurprisingly, when Ye Wenjin walked in carrying the lunchbox, Chu Yunsheng immediately gasped in shock.

“A lunchbox?! Wenjin, you actually brought your own food?!”

This was the first time she had ever done so. Not only was Chu Yunsheng surprised, but even Zhou Wuhua couldn’t hide her curiosity, glancing over a few times.

Ye Wenjin smiled sheepishly. “It was sent over by someone from home.”

Chu Yunsheng was even more astonished.

After all, Ye Wenjin had rarely spoken about her family in the dorm before—yet now she mentioned them so casually.

And her expression wasn’t the usual reluctance she showed whenever she received calls from home. Instead, she even seemed… happy?

Stunned by the change, Chu Yunsheng suddenly bounded up to her, eyes brimming with curiosity as she circled Ye Wenjin, scrutinizing her.

Ye Wenjin grew increasingly uncomfortable under her gaze and quickly pointed at the food in Rong Yunshu’s hands. “Your food—go eat it already.”

Subtext: Stop staring at me.

Chu Yunsheng’s expression froze in confusion. “Huh? Food?”

Ye Wenjin didn’t notice the change in her expression and quickly slipped away from the side while Chu Yunsheng was momentarily stunned.

“Right, didn’t you ask Yunshu to bring you food? Go ahead and eat.”

Chu Yunsheng looked up at Rong Yunshu, her eyes filled with confusion.

They both had classes this morning—what reason would she have to ask for food? And especially from Rong Yunshu?

Then she raised her eyebrows high, dragging out her tone, “Ohhh~~ So it was me who asked Rong Yunshu to bring food.”

If it were before, Ye Wenjin would have caught the sarcasm in her voice.

But now, her attention was entirely on the lunchbox, worried there might be too much food to finish. She fretted as she opened the large container, naturally reacting slower to Chu Yunsheng’s situation.

Only belatedly realizing Chu Yunsheng had spoken, she looked over blankly. “What? Did I say something wrong?”

Rong Yunshu glanced subtly at Chu Yunsheng, who was silently taunting her with her eyes, and calmly replied, “No, you should eat now.”

Chu Yunsheng mouthed her words silently, her expression full of amusement.

Rong Yunshu ignored her and handed her the food instead, her smile laced with warning. “Eat up, Miss.”

Chu Yunsheng: “?”

Did she say she wanted to eat? Who knew if Rong Yunshu had poisoned it? Besides, she’d already eaten!

Most importantly, was this how Rong Yunshu asked for favors?

She immediately frowned, ready to refuse, but before she could speak, Zhou Wuhua walked over unnoticed and naturally took the food from her hands, lowering her voice. “Give it to me. I was the one who told Chu Yunsheng to ask you to bring food.”

Rong Yunshu froze, looking at her in surprise, not understanding why Zhou Wuhua would suddenly help her out.

Chu Yunsheng was equally baffled. She leaned closer to Zhou Wuhua and whispered, “When did you tell me to ask her to bring food? Wait—why are you helping her?”

Zhou Wuhua adjusted her glasses, her eyes glancing at Chu Yunsheng from behind the lenses, her tone indifferent. “Let’s just say… I’m being helpful. It’s not a big deal anyway.”

Chu Yunsheng pouted. Even if it wasn’t a big deal, she just didn’t like Rong Yunshu. Not exposing her little scheme outright was already being generous.

But since Zhou Wuhua was willing to cover for Rong Yunshu, she naturally wouldn’t say anything more.

With a soft scoff at Rong Yunshu, Chu Yunsheng turned and wandered back to Ye Wenjin’s side. Peeking into her lunchbox, she was stunned by the exquisitely arranged and lavish meal inside and started chattering excitedly.

Rong Yunshu paid her no mind, instead looking at Zhou Wuhua with a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

Zhou Wuhua avoided her gaze, merely nodding shyly before returning to her usual seat as if nothing had happened.

Rong Yunshu fell into thought, glancing between her and Chu Yunsheng before suddenly pausing.

If it really was what she suspected, perhaps Zhou Wuhua had helped her out of a sense of shared hardship.

Rong Yunshu fell silent.

Meanwhile, Chu Yunsheng promptly forgot about Rong Yunshu using her as an excuse. To her, Ye Wenjin’s situation was far more interesting.

Because she had a suspicion—

“Wenjin, be honest—are you seeing someone? This food couldn’t have been made by someone who likes you, could it?”

It wasn’t unreasonable for her to think so. The presentation in the lunchbox was truly meticulous, clearly made with great care.

Moreover, Ye Wenjin had never before brought gifts from others back to the dormitory. Whenever someone showed her kindness, she would politely decline without fail, never accepting their offerings. She never led anyone on—her rejections were firm and decisive, as if she were completely immune to romance.

Yet, in truth, Ye Wenjin was strikingly beautiful, especially on stage, where she truly stood out. Over the past two years, she had participated in numerous performances at school and beyond, garnering admiration from countless people—if not a thousand, then at least a hundred.

Logically speaking, she shouldn’t have remained single for so long, but she had managed it through sheer determination.

Chu Yunsheng even suspected she might have no interest in romance at all—perhaps she was “dance-sexual.” Who would have thought that today, she’d see such a meticulously prepared lunchbox in Ye Wenjin’s hands?

Her curiosity was instantly piqued!

Hearing such an outrageous guess, Ye Wenjin couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s not from someone who likes me,” she explained. “It was sent by an elder. Yunshu went with me to pick it up—you can ask her if you don’t believe me.”

Chu Yunsheng abruptly turned to Rong Yunshu, only to see her expression remain indifferent as she gave a faint “Mm” in confirmation. Disappointed, Chu Yunsheng lost interest.

But then she quickly realized something. “An elder?”

Ye Wenjin’s heart skipped a beat, but she maintained her composure and nodded. “Yes, an elder. We just… weren’t very close before.”

Hearing this, Chu Yunsheng felt she understood and was suddenly overwhelmed with sympathy for her.

“Well, this elder of yours seems really nice.”

At least nicer than your mom.

She added this silently in her heart, not daring to say it aloud. After all, no matter what, that was still Ye Wenjin’s mother, and Chu Yunsheng couldn’t bring herself to speak ill of someone’s parent to their face.

Ye Wenjin smiled. “Yes, she’s a very kind elder.”

As she gazed at the exquisite lunchbox, Chu Yunsheng sighed inwardly.

Whether something was made with care or not was obvious at a glance.

In the two years they’d been roommates, Ye Wenjin had rarely mentioned her mother, and even when she did, her tone was always detached.

Unlike now, when she spoke of this elder, her face was full of warmth.

Chu Yunsheng was genuinely happy for her—someone was treating Ye Wenjin well.

With that thought, Chu Yunsheng pointed at one of the dishes. “Wenjin~ Can I try a bite~?”

Hearing her exaggerated, sing-song tone, Ye Wenjin couldn’t help but laugh. “Sure, go ahead.”

Chu Yunsheng took a satisfied bite, then dramatically praised, “It’s delicious! So refreshing! Your elder’s cooking is amazing!”

Hearing Butler Wu being complimented, Ye Wenjin was pleased. “Want to try something else?”

Though tempted, Chu Yunsheng knew when to stop. “Nah, just this one is enough. You go ahead and eat!”

Ye Wenjin nodded and began eating slowly. Before she knew it, she had finished everything.

Just as Butler Wu had estimated—it was the perfect amount.

The lunchbox was large only because of the careful plating and insulation.

Ye Wenjin meticulously cleaned the container, planning to return it to Butler Wu the next time she visited.

In the afternoon, they had dance class. As soon as it began, the teacher announced an important upcoming performance. Several lead dancers and one principal dancer would be selected through auditions, which would continue until the right candidates were chosen.

When she heard the news, Ye Wenjin’s eyes lit up slightly.

This kind of performance was an opportunity for them to gain exposure and accumulate experience. Of course, the lead dancer and soloist would receive the most attention.

If she could secure either of those roles and invite her sister to watch…

Would her sister… actually come?