After Teasing the Heroine and Running Away, I Was Forced into Love - Chapter 48

The ride back was quiet.

“Do you have any wet wipes?” He Roushuang asked the bodyguard, breaking the silence.

“Yes, please wait a moment.”

The bodyguard quickly rummaged through the car and found individually packaged wet wipes, which he handed to He Roushuang.

If this had happened before I met Shanjian, I might have gladly accepted a kiss on the cheek from such a beautiful woman.

He Roushuang folded the wipe and began cleaning her cheek, even though she knew Shi Qing hadn’t seen anything and she could easily pretend nothing had happened.

But she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

Even though Xu Wangjin hadn’t actually kissed her, He Roushuang still felt awkward.

Was she really willing to sacrifice so much just to make things difficult for He Shanjian?

She had almost sold her own body!

And the Xu Clan parents weren’t fools…

Still, what was done was done. There was no turning back now. To back out now would make her look like a fool.

“Sister, what’s wrong with your face?”

Just then, Shi Qing leaned closer, her long hair cascading over her shoulders, making her look even more innocent. He Roushuang was momentarily stunned.

For a moment, I thought I had become that despicable kind of beast—the kind who preys on young, tender students, squeezing them until they’re ripe.

The wet wipe was snatched away, and Shi Qing gently wiped He Roushuang’s cheek. But the makeup smeared, leaving a messy, smudged patch.

Yet this didn’t diminish He Roushuang’s beauty.

As Shi Qing meticulously cleaned her face, her expression was so earnest, as if she were polishing an antique. He Roushuang couldn’t quite describe the feeling. She had just done something she shouldn’t have, even if she hadn’t initiated it.

But what was the difference between her actions and a man who cheats and then blames the woman for seducing him?

“Shi Qing, listen to me,” He Roushuang said, pressing a button to block out the two eavesdroppers eager for juicy gossip about the wealthy elite.

“What is it?” Shi Qing blinked softly, her gaze evasive. But she knew this was the moment she had to face reality.

“I…”

Before He Roushuang could finish, Shi Qing reached out and covered her lips.

“If it’s something bad, Sister, please don’t say it… I’ll pretend nothing happened, no matter what it is.”

Shi Qing’s heart was bleeding, but she maintained an air of indifference, as if this relationship meant nothing to her.

Before He Roushuang could respond, Shi Qing leaned in for another kiss, as if she had grown accustomed to this kind of implication.

As soon as the partition was lowered, she was supposed to serve her Gold Master, though they had never done this before.

He Roushuang watched Shi Qing’s face draw closer, momentarily lost in confusion. I’m the CEO, she thought. Why do I feel like some helpless victim being bullied?

“I need to talk to you about something serious,” He Roushuang said, straightening her posture. She was nervous about what might happen when she met Shi Qing’s parents. The guilt of keeping this secret was eating away at her, making it impossible to sleep soundly.

“What is it?” Shi Qing asked.

“If… if I did something behind your back that I shouldn’t have, what would you do?”

Shi Qing chuckled. “Sister, what are you thinking? Our relationship was never normal to begin with—it’s always been twisted…”

“So I wouldn’t care about something like that.”

Shi Qing spoke truthfully, but indifference didn’t mean she wouldn’t feel jealous.

“But I care. Fine, I’ll just tell you straight…” He Roushuang felt she couldn’t hide this any longer.

I’ll never be like the Male Lead, she thought. He could have his cake and eat it too, pretending to love the substitute Female Lead while secretly pining for his white moonlight. How can a heart be split in two like that? A person only has one heart.

“Just now, Xu Wangjin was about to kiss…”

He Roushuang didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence before Shi Qing’s fingers completely covered her lips.

“Shi Qing… Shi Qing…”

He Roushuang tried calling out to her intermittently, but Shi Qing showed no sign of loosening her grip.

“I don’t want to hear it.”

Escape was her only option.

He Roushuang felt like she was the female lead who had accidentally stumbled into the Overbearing CEO’s room, only to be pinned to the bed by the drug-addled CEO, unable to break free.

Damn it, how is he so strong?!

The two remained locked in this stalemate for a moment before the car pulled into the underground parking garage.

“Did you hear anything?”

The bodyguard’s keen ears could detect faint, almost imperceptible noises, but he had never dared to mention them openly.

“Even if I did, I’d pretend I didn’t.”

The driver glanced at him before opening the car door and squatting beside it, saying almost nothing.

They needed to confirm that the Young Misses had returned safely to their rooms. It wouldn’t do to encounter kidnappers lying in wait near the elevator or at their doorstep.

The bodyguard nodded, secretly admiring the driver’s unwavering professionalism. No wonder he had worked for the Young Misses for so many years without being dismissed.

“Thank you for the reminder, brother.” The bodyguard smiled.

He Roushuang naturally sensed the car had stopped in the underground parking garage.

“Alright, you can get out now.”

He Roushuang reached out to gently nudge Shi Qing, hoping she would regain some composure. She had sensed something was off with Shi Qing’s demeanor today.

But this was understandable. No substitute could possibly remain rational when confronted with the original love interest, especially after having committed such a transgression.

“No,” Shi Qing protested.

“Sister, you’re always lying to me.”

“You told me Xu Wangjin was He Shanjian’s white moonlight, but why does it feel like she’s yours?”

“Tell me the truth. I don’t mind being a substitute, but you can’t keep deceiving me like this…”

It hurts so much.

How could anyone endure the double torment of living in lies and being a mere replacement?

For the first time, Shi Qing wept.

Her tears fell like pearls from a broken string, or like a torrential downpour.

He Roushuang’s hands trembled with panic. Having read the novel, she knew the Female Lead rarely broke down. If she was crying now, it meant she had truly reached her breaking point.

What a monster I am!

I’ve driven such a kind person to tears.

“Don’t cry,” He Roushuang murmured, instinctively reaching for a tissue to wipe away the tears. But the more she wiped, the dirtier Shi Qing’s delicate face became.

He Roushuang flipped her hand over and saw it was the wet wipe she had just used.

Ahem…

He Roushuang felt a little awkward.

She simply tossed the wet wipe aside and cupped Shi Qing’s cheeks with her hands, her voice earnest.

“Let’s go back. I’ll let you do whatever you want.”

The phrase “I’ll let you do whatever you want” left Shi Qing speechless, but she had to admit her own base desires were stirred.

Even in moments of hesitation and sorrow, she kept her rationality firmly in check.

“Really?”

“You won’t lie to me?”

The little cat, having been deceived countless times, clearly harbored deep suspicion toward her owner.

“Really.”

“Then let’s set some rules.”

At that moment, Shi Qing had completely shed her image as a pampered canary.

Both women knew perfectly well that He Roushuang owed Shi Qing a debt. Therefore, no matter how outrageous Shi Qing’s demands might be, He Roushuang would fulfill them.

“Alright,” He Roushuang agreed with a nod.

The girl before her revealed a devilish smile, as if He Roushuang had already fallen into her trap.

“Then next, we’ll go back to the apartment.”

“No matter what happens, Sister He, you can’t resist me.”

Shi Qing was triumphant.

Even if I can’t have her heart, I’ll have her body.

This was the first goal she had set for herself.