Devil or Angel (GL) - Chapter 19

Yiyang walked to the bathroom door and saw Zhi Yu crouched by the toilet, vomiting uncontrollably. Her previously rosy face had turned pale, and her long hair was slightly disheveled.

Looking at her current attire, Yiyang found it rather inappropriate. Frowning, she glanced around the bedroom and saw only a man’s coat on the sofa. Without needing to think, she knew whose it was—she certainly wouldn’t touch his belongings.

After a moment’s thought, Yiyang took off her own sports jacket and draped it over Zhi Yu. She grabbed a towel to wipe her mouth, and then, to Zhi Yu’s shocked gaze, she scooped her up in her arms horizontally.

“What are you doing? Put me down!” Zhi Yu struggled violently.

“Old woman, don’t move! If you fall, don’t blame me!”

“I don’t need you meddling or being kind! Don’t you hate me?”

“Hate! Of course I hate you! I just don’t care about you. I’m just afraid you’ll dirty my bathroom!”

As Zhi Yu vented her complaints and occasionally thumped her, Yiyang quietly endured it. There was no point arguing with someone drunk.

“Shen Zhi Yu, look at yourself now—drunk at this hour. And where’s your man? Don’t you feel pathetic? If it were me, I would’ve left a man like that long ago. If you’re really short on money, tell me, I can give you…” Yiyang said as she carefully placed Zhi Yu on the bed.

After Yiyang spoke, Zhi Yu sat on the bed expressionless, her gaze vacant, saying nothing. Sighing, Yiyang glanced at her, then closed the door and left—this time for good, without looking back.

Standing in the corridor, Yiyang touched her chest. Zhang Yiyang, what’s wrong with you? What just happened? How could she feel her heart race at the sight of an enemy she supposedly hated—similar to how she felt when she first saw Lin Wei? And seeing her in pain even made her feel… tender.

No, it couldn’t be real. It had to be that old woman’s scheme—deliberately undressing in front of her, intentionally causing a fall onto the bed, pretending to be pitiful to gain her trust, all to establish a good mother-daughter relationship.

Yiyang comforted herself with this thought. She would never admit she felt anything for that woman—impossible! From now on, she’d keep her distance to avoid falling into her trap.

With that thought, Yiyang calmed herself, glanced once at the closed bedroom door, and returned to her own room to sleep. But tonight would inevitably be sleepless. Images of the previous night in her mother’s room kept replaying, tossing and turning, unable to rest.

Red lips, white teeth, a perfect figure, and a youthful, flawless face—these flashed in her mind whenever she closed her eyes. Crazy! She must be crazy! Could that woman be practicing witchcraft? Otherwise, why would she be so affected?

And she wasn’t the only one troubled tonight. After Yiyang left, Zhi Yu also couldn’t calm down. Lying on the bed, her heart finally returned to a normal rhythm, but transparent tears fell from her eyes.

She thought of coming alone to this entirely unfamiliar city, for her father’s legacy, and to repay her parents’ upbringing. She had to pretend to be someone else, endure the teasing, cold sarcasm, and rivalry of that brat.

Time and again being tricked, Zhi Yu felt exhausted after only a few days. A wave of grievance hit her. Tears silently fell. No one would understand her situation, no one would offer comfort—she only had herself.

After finally regaining some composure, Zhi Yu went to the bathroom for a shower. Standing under the warm cascading water, she tried to wash away all her unhappiness and hide the sadness in her eyes.

The days ahead would be difficult. She had to summon courage to face them, refusing to give up halfway. Since this was her choice, she couldn’t escape easily. Zhang Yiyang, I, Shen Zhi Yu, will not be intimidated by you! Absolutely not!

The next morning, Yiyang woke early and went downstairs for breakfast. Seeing her panda eyes, Liu Ma knew she hadn’t slept well again but didn’t comment; as long as she wasn’t taking sleeping pills, it would gradually improve.

Just as Yiyang was finishing breakfast, Zhi Yu came downstairs fully dressed. Yiyang looked up and met her eyes for a brief moment before both quickly looked away.

Zhi Yu slowly walked over and tossed the clothes in her hand to Yiyang.
“Here, return these to you!”

“You have no manners at all! You borrow something and can’t even say thanks.”

“For someone like you, saying thanks is unnecessary. Besides, I didn’t even borrow them—you forced them onto me.”

“…”

Good deeds go unrewarded! Just as Yiyang was about to blow up in anger, Zhi Yu calmly sat across from her, eating breakfast like nothing had happened.

“Zhi Yu, you’re up! Feeling better?” Liu Ma asked with concern.

“Much better, Liu Ma. Thank you!”

“I didn’t do much. Young people should drink less—it’s bad for your health!”

“I know!”

“Yiyang, listen! You too—stay away from alcohol. Every time you drink, you act crazy. A girl should be careful, especially outside—it’s dangerous.” Liu Ma’s words clearly aimed at someone in particular.

“Come on, I have good drinking habits, okay? Not like someone who just strips off at the slightest excuse!” Yiyang retorted, muttering the second part.

“Your drinking habits? Who was crying and laughing while talking nonsense? People would think the Zhang family has a silly girl.”

“You’re the silly one! I’m off to work. Don’t stop me—so much to do today!”

Finishing her milk, Yiyang put on her glasses, slung on her backpack, and headed out. Before leaving, she glared at Zhi Yu, who was still quietly eating. Last night’s sleeplessness was all because of this woman, yet she acted as if nothing happened.

“Old woman, just you wait!” Yiyang muttered, turning and striding out.

Watching Yiyang leave, Liu Ma didn’t look pleased but worried. “My young lady dresses like a college student. I don’t know if that’s good or bad. When will she ever grow up and stop making me worry?”

Zhi Yu said nothing. She didn’t know what she could even say—the brat really was just as Liu Ma described: childish, immature, and always picking on her. Sometimes, she felt like tearing her apart to see if her heart was really made of stone.

Soon, Zhi Yu finished breakfast, wiped her mouth, and bade Liu Ma farewell before taking Liu’s driver to the company. That day, she continued reviewing documents and started trying to sign some files.

Meanwhile, as Yiyang arrived at the studio, Xiaomei immediately sized her up from head to toe, exaggeratedly laughing:
“Boss, what happened? Were you ambushed? A rival?”

“Rival my foot!”

“Someone as handsome, elegant, and charming as you must have women fighting over you!” Xiaomei gushed.

“Keep it down, okay? Afraid people won’t know?”

“I’m just curious which woman could make you end up like this, haha!”

Only Xiaomei knew the truth, from a previous chance encounter. When the studio was picking up, Yiyang had recruited Xiaomei as the receptionist, five photographers, and two admin staff.

One day, Yiyang was looking at intimate photos with Lin Wei on her computer. Xiaomei noticed and, using her keen intuition, realized Yiyang’s relationship with the woman was unusual. Her gossiping nature made her ask for the truth. After Yiyang promised she wouldn’t tell anyone, Yiyang confided in her.

When Xiaomei learned the boss loved women, not men, she wasn’t surprised. She said,
“Boss, I understand and fully support you. You’ll find someone better, a million times better than her, to make her regret it!”

Then followed a torrent of nonsense, including her trying to set Yiyang up with girlfriends. Yiyang regretted telling her but it was too late.

Back to today: seeing her boss with injuries, Xiaomei had assumed it was because of a beautiful woman, but was disappointed to find otherwise. She had hoped a woman would accompany and take care of the boss—but that person still hadn’t appeared.

“By the way, boss, here’s the list of candidates from the modeling agency faxed yesterday while you were away. I’ve already shortlisted some good ones. You can review and decide. If you’re okay, I’ll arrange interviews. You can even pick someone you like—work and pleasure combined!” Xiaomei winked mischievously.

“Do your job properly! Or I’ll dock your salary!”