After Transmigrating into a Book, I Was Bent by the Villainess (GL) - Chapter 18

“Hey, Xia Chuci, stop right there!”

A frivolous voice sounded behind Xia Chuci. Although it was clearly the voice of a young man, it was as eerie and terrifying as a demon’s roar. Her hair instantly stood on end, and her whole body froze in place.

Xia Chuci stiffly turned around, only to see a dark-skinned young man not far away staring at her with narrowed eyes, just like a venomous snake staring at its prey.

Behind the young man stood a disheveled middle-aged couple, also carrying semi-old luggage bags.

Xia Chuci’s ears were buzzing, her vision blackened, and something seemed to explode in her head. All the bl00d in her body turned cold.

She wanted to run, but her legs were weak. No matter how much she struggled, she couldn’t take a single step.

She wanted to call for help, but her tongue was stiff, her lips trembled, and she couldn’t make a sound.

Xia Chuci knew this wasn’t her fear, but the deep, unhealable terror in the original owner’s heart.

Her look of facing a formidable enemy thoroughly pleased the young man. He said playfully, “Mom, look, she’s still the same timid, useless person, isn’t she? There’s not a shred of arrogance.”

The woman, having her backbone to lean on, straightened up. She pointed at her and scolded fiercely, “You brat! We finally found you! What are you standing there for? Get over here quickly!”

Xia Chuci kept calming her uneasy heart, forcing herself to remain composed, but she still couldn’t suppress the inherent fear from the bottom of her heart. She asked vigilantly, “What do you want?”

Her adoptive mother, Mei Cuiping, was furious. She dropped her luggage, rushed forward, grabbed her hair, and screamed, “You dare to ask? How long has it been since you little tramp sent money home!”

It was lunchtime, and there were only a few students scattered on the campus path, but such crude behavior and vulgar language still attracted curious looks from students.

Xia Quede felt it wasn’t the time to completely fall out, so he stepped forward, pulled his mother away, and advised, “Mom, I’m hungry. Let’s eat first. After we’ve eaten, we can properly deal with this stinking girl.”

The adoptive father, Xia Liang, picked up the luggage bag and agreed, “Yes, yes, let’s eat first. Let’s eat.”

Mei Cuiping glared fiercely at her and said irritably, “Are you deaf? Hurry up and take us to eat!”

Xia Chuci didn’t want to make a scene either, and she couldn’t think of a good countermeasure immediately. She could only temporarily stabilize this awful family, and then figure out a plan after she got back and cleared her head.

So, she led them to a noodle shop near the school gate. After lunch, she found a nearby hotel and booked rooms for them, settling the family down.

Reuniting as a family was out of the question. She made an excuse that she had things to do at school and slipped away. But just as she walked out of the hotel entrance, Xia Liang grabbed her arm.

Xia Chuci was startled. She forcibly shook off his hand and said, with both disgust and fear, “Say what you need to say. Don’t touch me.”

Xia Liang chuckled lecherously, “Oh, you’ve grown up and become shy. When you were little, you were afraid of the dark, and your dad was the one who coaxed you to sleep…”

“Shut up!” Xia Chuci yelled.

She no longer cared about her internal fear. Anger rushed to her head. She said with a cold face, “If you dare to talk nonsense again, I will not give you another cent, even if I die.”

Xia Liang had never seen such a fierce look from her. He was momentarily intimidated.

He was also afraid of pushing her too far, worrying that this girl might resort to a fish dies, net tears scenario, leaving him with nothing and not worth the loss. Xia Liang had no choice but to show weakness, “Okay, okay, I won’t say it. Don’t be rash, don’t be rash.”

Xia Chuci ignored him and ran back to school.

She didn’t know how she got back to the dorm or how long she had been staring blankly.

She only knew that when she snapped out of it, Su Yiming was squatting in front of her, holding her face, gently stroking it, and asking with a worried expression, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

Xia Chuci rubbed her face against the warmth of Su Yiming’s palm. She felt a little safer. She let out a breath and said, “I’m fine. Just a little tired. Why are you home so early today?”

“It’s not early. It’s past seven now.”

She pointed to the clock on the wall and continued, “Didn’t you say you’d have pork bone soup ready for me to drink if I came home early? No pork bone soup, but I did see a little sleepy pig.”

Xia Chuci suddenly remembered and slapped her forehead, annoyed, “Oh no, I completely forgot!”

She quickly stood up, making a move to go out and buy groceries, but before she could take a step, she was pulled back by the person next to her.

Su Yiming gave her a reproachful look, affectionately touched her reddened forehead, and said gently, “It’s too late today. By the time it’s made, we’ll be starving. Let’s just order takeout.”

Xia Chuci’s stomach rumbled very appropriately. She said embarrassed, “I’m sorry, it’s all my fault.”

Su Yiming also noticed that she was in low spirits, but since the other person didn’t want to talk about it, she didn’t press. She said, “It’s nothing. No need to apologize for this. You go take a shower. The takeout will be here soon.”

They say what you think about during the day, you dream about at night. It must have been the arrival of her adoptive parents’ family during the day that dug up the fear buried deep in her heart for years, leading to an unstoppable series of nightmares that night. Xia Chuci did indeed have nightmares one after another.

In the dream, an old man with an unclear face, who seemed to have crawled out of nowhere, followed her, constantly emitting a creepy laugh. She was terrified. Unconsciously, she quickened her pace, eventually running, crying as she ran, darting around aimlessly like a headless fly in a bizarre, patchy forest.

But the faster she ran, the closer the old man got. Finally, when he was just one step away, she was tripped by a stone that had appeared from nowhere.

She rolled over and looked back. There was no old man, only a thick fog all around. The creepy laugh abruptly stopped, and the surroundings were so silent it was unsettling.

Suddenly, the scene shifted. In the heavy, dark fog, several dilapidated school buildings appeared, feeling somewhat familiar.

That’s right! This was clearly the elementary school Xia Chuci attended.

The eerie thing was that everyone had only a blurred silhouette, without facial features. Rather than people, they looked like puppets. Teachers were lecturing, students were reciting, answering questions, or chasing each other on the playground.

This seemingly lively and vibrant school was in fact deathly silent and utterly bizarre.

Just as she wondered if her ears were malfunctioning, a jarring bell for the end of class suddenly rang. Students successively left the school with their backpacks, and Xia Chuci was uncontrollably drawn to follow the flow of people.

However, as she walked, she suddenly felt that something was wrong, but she couldn’t figure out what it was for a long time.

In the blink of an eye, the originally bustling students around her disappeared. On the empty country path, a boy with a pale face, hollow eyes, and a flicking snake-like tongue suddenly appeared. He opened his arms and shouted in an uncanny manner, “Come quickly, carry me, carry me~”

She trembled all over, only wanting to escape, but the more anxious she became, the less her feet obeyed, unable to move a step.

The boy seemed to grow impatient. He flew straight towards her, getting closer and closer, closer and closer…

“Go away! Get lost! Don’t come here! Go away~”

She struggled, but a pair of hands firmly grabbed her shoulders, making her unable to move.

“Wake up… Chuci, wake up quickly…”

“Ah~”

Xia Chuci screamed and sprung up from the bed, gasping for breath. She touched her forehead and realized it was just a dream, and she was soaked in cold sweat from the scare.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m here. I’m here. Don’t be afraid.”

At the same time, Su Yiming was gently stroking her back and comforting her in a soft voice.

Xia Chuci was still shaken. It took half a glass of warm water to temporarily suppress the lingering terror from the dream.

After fully waking up, she knew she had caused trouble for Su Yiming again. She said apologetically, “I’m sorry, I woke you up too.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Come, let me wipe the sweat off for you.”

Su Yiming gently wiped her body with a towel dampened with warm water, simultaneously soothing her startled state.

Xia Chuci obediently enjoyed Su Yiming’s meticulous care. With this person by her side, the nightmare seemed less terrifying.

She knocked on the system: “System, are you there?”

System: [This system is online 24 hours a day to provide you with humanized service.]

Uh, when has it ever been humanized? It’s just a damn scamming system.

Ahem~ Now was not the time to complain. Xia Chuci quickly asked about the important matter:

“Why did the heroine’s adoptive parents’ family appear early? If I remember correctly, they were only supposed to show up after the male lead returned home and confirmed their relationship with the heroine, right? The current plot timeline is wrong. Is something amiss?”

System: [Self-check found no bugs. Everything is normal.]

No bugs again…

Seriously, is your check reliable? Are you sure you don’t need to be returned to the factory for maintenance?

System: [……]

With the male lead absent, how was this drama supposed to continue? Did the heroine’s character design change?

Did she change from a Cinderella relying on men to a self-reliant strong woman?

So, does this part of the plot mean she has to fight monsters and level up on her own? Well, then, give her some equipment! How was she, a weak woman with no power to truss a chicken, supposed to fight?

Xia Chuci was at a loss.

Su Yiming thought she was still troubled by the nightmare and said with concern, “If you can’t sleep, I’ll chat with you.”

Xia Chuci thought about how tired Su Yiming was from juggling class and work during the day and now having her sleep disturbed at night. She felt quite guilty.

So, she said considerately, “You have to go to work tomorrow morning. Hurry and go to sleep.”

Seeing that Su Yiming was still worried, she joked and smiled, “If you hug me while we sleep, I won’t be afraid anymore.”

She only meant to lighten the mood and tell the other person not to worry, but she never expected Su Yiming to take her seriously.

Su Yiming lay on her side, holding her, and said gently like she was coaxing a baby, “Sleep well. If you can’t sleep, you can talk to me anytime.”

Su Yiming’s warm breath lightly brushed against Xia Chuci’s neck. Her heart felt tingly and warm. She had thought that being startled by the nightmare would keep her awake, and she was prepared to stay up until dawn.

Unexpectedly, her nasal passages were filled with the unique scent of Su Yiming, which gave her an extraordinary sense of security. Unknowingly, she drifted off to sleep. Furthermore, her sleep quality was excellent. Not only did she sleep soundly without dreams, but she didn’t even notice being bitten by mosquitoes.

Xia Chuci pointed to the red marks on her neck and asked, “Yiming, there were mosquitoes last night. I got bitten in several places. What about you?”

Su Yiming, who was drinking soy milk, suddenly choked: “Cough cough, no. You have O-type bl00d; mosquitoes prefer the smell of your bl00d.”

I see. Xia Chuci suddenly understood: “So that’s it. Looks like I need to buy an electric mosquito repellent.”

She looked in the mirror again and muttered, “Why do mosquitoes only choose the neck to bite? Is it because the skin is thin here?”

Su Yiming quickly finished her steamed bun, picked up her laptop bag, and walked out, saying without looking back, “I’m going to work.”

Xia Chuci checked the clock, hurried to the door, and asked curiously, “Why so early today?”

Su Yiming threw out a quick “We have an early meeting at the company today” and dashed downstairs like a gust of wind.

Staring at the disappearing figure, Xia Chuci was confused: She looks like she’s running away?

However, she quickly had no time to ponder why Su Yiming was acting abnormally this morning, because her younger brother, Xia Quede, called and said he was waiting for her on the school sports field.

Another tough battle ahead!