After I Cheated on the Heiress of a Powerful Family - Chapter 10
Chapter 10
The rain drizzled on and off throughout the entire afternoon and finally paused briefly before evening study, though the sky remained heavy with clouds and distant rumbles of thunder.
Worried about eating in the ca feteria and having to get up midway, Wen Yan asked Xie to stay behind in the classroom while she went out to buy food, carrying an umbrella.
The rain picked up suddenly. Wen Yan had only been back a few minutes after buying the meal when the downpour returned fiercely.
Students caught without umbrellas immediately broke into a sprint, dashing wildly for cover. Wen Yan, umbrella in hand, calmly made her way back to the classroom, the rhythmic patter of rain accompanying her steps.
Holding that simple umbrella, she even felt a little proud—something others didn’t have.
After some self-admonishment for her thoughts, she quickened her pace and headed up to the teaching building.
Just as she neared the classroom, climbing the stairs, she spotted Xie standing by the back door, gazing down the corridor. They both froze briefly.
Before Wen Yan could say anything, Xie turned and walked back inside.
Was she waiting for her? Or was she worried about the food Wen Yan had brought in the rain?
Well… maybe the latter.
Wen Yan entered the classroom through the back door, propped the umbrella against the wall, and pulled out the buns and porridge she had wrapped in her school jacket.
Without hesitation, Xie asked, “How much did this cost?”
“No charge, consider it my treat,” Wen Yan smiled. “I made some good money today!”
Xie guessed it might be from the morning’s bonus and casually asked, “How much?”
Wen Yan replied, “A hundred.”
“A thousand?” Xie teased.
“…One hundred,” Wen Yan corrected.
There was a hint of sarcasm in Xie’s voice: “Even if every meal costs just a bit more, the cafeteria probably earns a lot more than that.”
Wen Yan shook her head. “You can’t calculate it like that. There’s packaging and labor costs too. Plus, it’s not just a dollar—more like fifty cents extra. They aren’t trying to profit. They can’t just take some of the 100 yuan I gave them.”
Xie didn’t respond further, quietly pinching a hot bun through the plastic bag, her thoughts unclear.
Wen Yan narrowed her eyes slightly, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, and seized the chance to pinch Xie’s cheek again.
Facing Xie’s sudden cold glare, Wen Yan said seriously, “Don’t just zone out—eat it while it’s still warm!”
She was just kindly urging her to eat but couldn’t resist sneaking in a cheek pinch!
The drizzle continued outside until self-study ended.
Sister Zhu messaged that no customers came to the bar today and that she’d stay there anyway, so Wen Yan might as well take the day off. Wen Yan replied seriously to Duan Daoxie’s text, glancing at the rain-streaked window opposite.
This kind of rain would flood the older neighborhoods badly. If conditions were worse, the water might reach halfway up the calves or nearly to the knees. Returning home soaking wet meant showering and washing clothes and shoes afterward.
She stuffed the steamed buns into her schoolbag and pulled out another English paper.
Since she didn’t need to rush to work with the rain, Wen Yan finally had the chance to spend some time with Xie Buyi at school.
After many years, it felt quite new to walk to school alongside someone again.
Groups of day students gathered at the school gate in twos and threes, while boarders dashed out to play in the rain and splash in puddles. The warm classroom lights reflected the lively scenes inside and outside through the fogged windows.
Opening her umbrella, Wen Yan spotted Xie and answered the phone without hesitation, discussing what to do at the gate and saying she would be there soon.
After hanging up, Wen Yan asked curiously, “Did your driver call to rush you?”
“It was a taxi driver.”
Xie didn’t explain more, and Wen Yan sensed she didn’t want to talk further, so she let it drop.
It wasn’t late; they’d communicated enough today. Better to give her some space to get used to everything.
They walked to the school gate, stopping by a Mercedes-Benz as Xie opened the door. Wen Yan said nothing.
The Mercedes wasn’t the extended luxury car Xie had used before but didn’t seem like a taxi either.
Wen Yan was puzzled; to her, taxis were still plain white and green. Since when did taxis drive Mercedes-Benz?
Xie looked at Wen Yan without hesitation. “I’m leaving.”
“Ah!” Wen Yan snapped out of it, watching the car start to pull away. She quickly asked, “After the midterms, when seats change, do you want to sit next to me?”
Xie looked startled but didn’t answer before the impatient horn forced the driver to pull away.
Caught in the traffic jam, Wen Yan couldn’t hear her reply. Sighing under her umbrella, she crossed the street and headed to a nearby shop.
When she returned, Wen Yan held a thumbtack in her hand.
There were bikes and electric scooters parked by the school gate and opposite the road. For a fee and with a sign, anyone could park there. The school even assigned a parking attendant.
Though surveillance cameras watched the roads, minor damages like flat tires rarely prompted investigations or responsibility.
Deciding to try her luck, Wen Yan spotted Zhang Zixuan’s electric scooter nearby.
Fate seemed to be on her side.
She held her umbrella over half her body, crouched by the scooter, pretended to tie her shoelaces, and casually pressed the thumbtack onto a tire.
No grand plan—just asking for a little payback.
Before entering her community, Wen Yan rolled up her pant legs, and the cold air touching her skin jolted her awake.
Her preparation paid off. Riding home in a rain poncho, she saw the street flooding to a third of her bike wheels. Luckily, the rain was easing, or the water would be deeper.
In the city, it was hard to find a more rundown neighborhood than this.
Everything was murky, with sewage mixed with unknown trash, leaving no solid ground. Wen Yan gave up resisting, stopped, and stepped directly into the filth.
She put a plastic bag on the bike seat, locked it, and entered the building, poncho on, teeth chattering from the cold.
Just a few steps in, her feet and calves felt numb from the chill. Inside, she found a plastic bag on her shoe—its contents unrecognizable—so she wiped it off with her feet and wrists.
Trying not to dwell on what it might have been, Wen Yan poured water out of her shoes on the first-floor steps, took off the poncho, shivered, folded it, and headed upstairs.
The motion-activated corridor lights had been broken for years, flickering intermittently from the yellowed ceiling.
Branches with dead leaves stretched across half a broken window fogged with moisture. Dust mixed with rainwater traced dark lines along the peeling walls.
Raindrops floated inside, landing softly on Wen Yan’s face.
Her poncho couldn’t shield her from the wetness. She didn’t even notice how soaked her face had become on the way up.
The stairs felt rough and uncomfortable, and by the eighth floor, her legs grew heavy.
Before she could fish out her key to open the door, the security gate pushed open from the inside.
A girl with shoulder-length hair, bearing a slight resemblance to Wen Yan, peeked out and was nudged forward by Wen Yan with a finger on her brow.
“Sis!”
“Warm Paper Ink! How many times have I told you not to open the door without knocking? You just barged in!”
“I heard your footsteps,” Warm Paper Ink replied, frowning but smiling.
Wen Yan disliked the iron gate but not the steel one: “Are you sure? What if some stranger of similar height and weight came? Hopefully, they aren’t a liar. The door is open now!”
“Alright, alright,” Warm Paper Ink changed the subject. “Sis, you’re home early! Change your shoes fast!”
“Few customers today, so Sister Zhu gave me the day off.” Wen Yan took off her poncho, stuffed her schoolbag with Warm Paper Ink’s help, and asked, “Have you eaten? Where’s Mom? How did the doctor’s follow-up go?”
“I cooked some porridge and ate your leftover buns with Mom, who’s resting inside now. The doctor said her condition is stable with no signs of relapse. He prescribed some medicine and wants her to return for a check-up in three months.”
Wen Yan finally felt relief flood her heart and exhaled more freely. “That’s good… Are you full? I brought buns too, so eat them if you get hungry.”
Though the family still had debts, as long as Mom’s illness stayed in check, things would improve.
“I’m not hungry,” Warm Paper Ink said, limping to the sofa and setting down her schoolbag. She hesitated before suggesting, “Sis, Mom’s better now. Why don’t you live in the school dorm? I can take care of Mom.”
“But the school says dorms are free, and No. 1 Middle School’s accommodations are great. Living there would save over an hour of commuting every day, good for sleep and study. In weather like this, it would be less tiring than going back and forth…”
Wen Yan understood Warm Paper Ink’s reasoning. Dorm life would be easier, but she couldn’t. If she stayed at school, she wouldn’t be able to work or earn money.
With Mom and her sister ill, what if Wen Yiquan came back? She couldn’t risk what happened two years ago happening again.
“I don’t want the dorm. Day student life is more convenient.”
Wen Yan slipped off her school jacket and headed to the bathroom with her shoes. “I’ll wash my shoes and take a shower. If you’re not hungry, get to your homework.”
“When you start first year next year, I’ll be in third year. I can bike you to school.”
Warm Paper Ink whispered, “I can take you now.”
Wen Yan smiled, “You’re still fighting for the driver role. Okay, when the time comes, you can take me. But finish your homework first.”
“No rush,” Warm Paper Ink came over and grabbed Wen Yan’s shoes and clothes. “Sis, shower first; I’ll wash these for you.”
Since falling ill, their mother had been restless, often waking up after short sleeps. When Wen Yan stepped out of the shower, she saw Mom and Warm Paper Ink washing clothes and shoes in a basin in the living room.
She wanted to help but was gently pushed into the bedroom.
Mom wiped her tears and choked on her words: “You finally came back early and got a good rest.”
Wen Yan didn’t resist.
She really hadn’t slept well for a long time.
Lying down before ten, she suddenly woke after four hours.
Checking the time on her phone, it was only two in the morning—still four hours before she had to get up.
An indescribable joy and satisfaction welled inside her.
It was wonderful to have a full, uninterrupted sleep.