Devil or Angel (GL) - Chapter 24

After finishing the company matters, Yiyang instructed her secretary, “Oh, Xiao Zhou, also call a taxi to take Liu Ma back home.”

At this, Liu Ma immediately overheard her young mistress ordering the secretary to send her home. She snatched the phone and said, “Yiyang, I’m not in a hurry. I want to go home with you.”

“We won’t be going back any time soon. Do you want me to drive naked? If the police catch me, will you bail me out? Be good and obedient. Go back first and help us prepare the meal. I barely ate all day and even drank a bit of pool water. I’m starving!” Yiyang coaxed her like a child, even playfully whining to her housekeeper.

Hearing this, and the mention of her precious young mistress being hungry, Liu Ma immediately surrendered unconditionally, cheerfully following Xiao Zhou to take the taxi home and prepare the meal.

Zhiyu, listening to Yiyang’s gentle, coaxing tone over the phone, could hardly reconcile it with the usual scowling little brat she knew.

When Zhiyu came back to herself, Yiyang had already hung up. They exchanged a glance, and the car fell into silence, broken only by their breathing. Sitting side by side in the back, neither spoke.

Time ticked by, and neither knew what to say. The space was utterly still. Suddenly, Yiyang seemed to remember something. She turned Zhiyu toward her, placed her hand on Zhiyu’s forehead, and murmured to herself, “Hmm, still no fever.”

This simple act of checking her temperature made Zhiyu blush uncontrollably. She didn’t understand why—it was absurd to feel this way at thirty years old. To cover her embarrassment, she immediately lowered her head.

But just as she was about to, someone lifted her chin, and their eyes met. Yiyang looked at her clear eyes, down her straight nose, and finally at her rosy lips.

Looking at those lips, they both instinctively remembered the near-kiss at the poolside. Yiyang even recalled the sensation: soft, delicate. Suddenly, his mouth felt dry, and he licked his lips unconsciously.

This small act caused Zhiyu’s complexion, which had just recovered, to change again. Yiyang looked at her as if enchanted, his heart moving ever closer.

Zhiyu watched him approach, and she kept retreating until she had no way back. She stared at him, unsure of what he would do next, feeling her heart race uncontrollably.

Yiyang noticed her avoidance but mischievously continued to close the distance. Finally, he placed his hands on either side of her face, leaning close to whisper in a low voice by her reddened ear, “Woman, why did you agree to the shoot?”

“Because… you… are my fiancé’s daughter!” Zhiyu stammered, flustered by his close proximity and the warm breath on her ear.

“Is that all? Then why are you blushing? Even your ears are red.” He reached to touch her heated earlobe.

“Yes! What else? I’m blushing because the air conditioning is too hot!” Zhiyu tried to control both her voice and her body’s trembling as he touched her ear.

“Okay, I understand. I’ll have my secretary calculate your pay and transfer it to your card. Send me your bank details when you have time.” Yiyang’s face, once amused, became icy, and he withdrew his hand.

“No need! I volunteered to help.”

“Even brothers settle accounts, let alone someone I’m not related to. If you don’t give me your card, my secretary can just withdraw cash and give it to you directly.”

Zhiyu didn’t argue. It wasn’t that she agreed with him, but she knew better than to oppose this little brat. After weeks of interactions, she was usually on the losing end of any argument.

Silence fell again. After half an hour, Yiyang finally picked up her mostly-dried underwear and threw her the clothes. She felt that every minute with him was torture.

That irregular heartbeat, the strange tension whenever he appeared—it all transformed into a cold, distant mode of interaction. They were like two parallel lines, never meant to intersect.

Yiyang tossed Zhiyu the clothes, changed herself, then, once they were both dressed, pushed open the door, put away the reflector in the car, and got in the driver’s seat to head home.

Upon entering the house, Zhang Guodong was pacing at the door. Not seeing his daughter or Zhiyu, he asked Liu Ma, who, being too honest, described everything in detail under his questioning.

Hearing that Zhiyu had fallen into the water, Zhang Guodong was very worried—not because of any affection for her, but because if something happened to her, no amount of money could replace a daughter for the Shen couple.

Fortunately, Liu Ma said Yiyang had rescued Zhiyu and that she was unharmed. Of course, Liu Ma left out the part about the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Though it was a lifesaving measure, someone like Liu Ma, from her generation, found it awkward for a nominal stepmother and stepdaughter to act that way.

After hearing Liu Ma’s report, Zhang Guodong calmed down and felt reassured. He knew his daughter wasn’t as cold and heartless as she appeared. Indeed, every cloud has a silver lining! It seemed that this incident had brought Zhiyu and Yiyang closer.

Filled with joy, Zhang Guodong waited at the door until they arrived. He rushed forward, nervously taking Zhiyu’s hand and asking, “Zhiyu, I heard you fell in the water. Are you okay? Injured? Should I call a private doctor to check you?”

Yiyang, seeing his endless questions and their intertwined hands, coldly said before Zhiyu could answer, “She won’t die.”

“You child!” Zhang Guodong wanted to thank his daughter but was left speechless by her remark.

Liu Ma quickly intervened to ease the awkward atmosphere. “Zhiyu, Yiyang, go upstairs and change, then come down for dinner.”

“Okay,” they responded lightly, heading upstairs together.

“Liu Ma, why haven’t their relationships changed at all? There’s no progress!” Zhang Guodong wondered.

“I’m puzzled too. Yiyang was so worried when she saw Zhiyu fall in the pool,” Liu Ma replied.

“Oh? Really? How worried?”

“Well, nothing major. She probably got scared and worried something might happen, considering Zhiyu was helping with the shoot. Maybe she felt a bit guilty.” Liu Ma almost let slip too much, quickly changing the subject.

Zhang Guodong nodded in agreement and didn’t ask further. Perhaps he was just too anxious; their relationship needed time to ease naturally.

When Yiyang and Zhiyu returned to the table, both ate expressionlessly, without communication. Only Zhang Guodong and Liu Ma occasionally spoke.

The atmosphere was heavy. After finishing, everyone went to their rooms. Yiyang stared unblinking at Zhiyu and the man going upstairs together, a swirl of emotions inside her.

Rather than watching both, her gaze followed only one person—the woman who always called her “old woman.”

But from today on, it seemed this person had subtly changed in Zhang Yiyang’s heart. She didn’t know what exactly, only that she often liked to watch her, and seeing her smile felt warm. Maybe, in her heart, she no longer disliked this “old woman” as much.

Zhang Yiyang, you absolutely cannot develop feelings for her! Otherwise, how could you face your late mother? She wrestled with these conflicting thoughts, feeling on the verge of splitting in two.

“Yiyang, why aren’t you going to sleep yet? Don’t you have work tomorrow? Didn’t you schedule a meeting with a modeling agency manager?” Liu Ma asked, noticing her dazed sitting on the sofa.

“Oh… that person isn’t working tomorrow, so I have nothing to do. I’ll negotiate with her on Monday.”

“Mm, make sure to negotiate well. Their models were terrible; it almost led to a disaster…”

Listening to Liu Ma’s righteous indignation, Yiyang slowly stood, patted her shoulder, and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll handle it. You don’t need to concern yourself. Go wash up and sleep!”

“Yiyang, don’t overthink. Everything will work out in time. Take care of Zhiyu too! From today, I can tell you care about her. That anxious, flustered look—I only saw it on your face when your mother passed. Don’t resist it too much…”

Hearing Liu Ma’s words, Yiyang gave a wry smile and waved, walking away while repeatedly asking herself in her mind: Care, anxiety, flustered… is that true? Liu Ma must be seeing things. Yes! Absolutely!