I Don't Want to Be the Villainess Anymore - Chapter 14

The next day, when Qin Yuzhen came downstairs a little past nine, Rong Xi had just emerged from the kitchen, her expression somewhat conflicted. Their eyes met, and Rong Xi’s gaze grew even more resentful.

She had gotten up at six in the morning to make “silver-inlaid bean sprouts”—a dish that involved stuffing meat into bean sprouts. After an entire morning, Rong Xi had managed to produce exactly five of them, painstakingly inserting the meat with a sewing needle. One wrong move, and the delicate bean sprout would split. If she hadn’t worn gloves, she was sure her fingers would have ended up with a few extra holes. It was grueling work.

“What’s with that look?” Qin Yuzhen took a seat at the dining table.

Rong Xi didn’t answer. Instead, she turned back into the kitchen and returned with a plate bearing the five bean sprouts, her words practically gritted out between her teeth: “The silver-inlaid bean sprouts you wanted.”

“Five whole pieces,” Qin Yuzhen mused, picking one up with her chopsticks and smiling gracefully. “So rare. They deserve to be savored slowly. You’ve really gone to so much trouble, little sister.”

Rong Xi watched Qin Yuzhen’s theatrics, resisting the urge to roll her eyes, and plopped down angrily across from her.

Qin Yuzhen took a full ten minutes to eat those five bean sprouts, finishing just as Rong’s mother came downstairs. When the older woman saw the two sitting quietly at the table, she glanced at them but said nothing.

The three of them left the house together. Though Rong’s mother wasn’t particularly fond of her biological daughter, she was generous when it came to shopping—anything Qin Yuzhen fancied, she paid for without hesitation.

Rong Xi, walking beside Qin Yuzhen, noticed that her stepsister had a penchant for flashy, ostentatious items—diamond-encrusted bracelets, pearls the size of pigeon eggs—things most people couldn’t pull off. But given Qin Yuzhen’s confident demeanor, she kept her thoughts to herself.

Rong’s mother had expected Qin Yuzhen to seem overwhelmed in such a high-end shopping district, but the girl remained composed the entire time, even occasionally showing just the right amount of disdain. This, at least, eased Rong’s mother’s mind a little—such poise was fitting for the eldest daughter of the Rong family.

When Qin Yuzhen had first arrived, Rong’s mother had felt a flicker of joy, but once the initial excitement faded, it was replaced by endless irritation. To her, bl00d ties weren’t all that important anymore, and the thought of the countless complications this “unimportant” connection would bring only made her more uncomfortable.

She had already made up her mind—if Qin Yuzhen turned out to be an embarrassment, she’d send her away. As long as she provided enough money, she’d have done her duty.

“Aren’t you buying anything, little sister?” Qin Yuzhen tilted her head to look at Rong Xi. Though she noticed the complicated look in Rong’s mother’s eyes, she didn’t react. To her, Rong’s mother was just a walking wallet—there was no need to get too worked up over an object.

Rong Xi shook her head and leaned in. “You’ve already bought so much.”

“Have I?” Qin Yuzhen blinked. Since everything here was delivered straight to their doorstep, she hadn’t kept track.

Rong Xi nodded. “A ton.”

“Auntie, did I buy too much today?” Qin Yuzhen turned to Rong’s mother.

Rong’s mother paused. “I didn’t count.”

“I’m sorry,” Qin Yuzhen said, her expression turning slightly bashful. “I was just so happy to be shopping with you and little sister that I lost track.”

“It’s fine.” Mrs. Rong waved her hand with an air of nonchalance. “Just buy whatever you like.”

Qin Yuzhen smiled and took Rong Xi’s hand. “Come on, little sister, let’s shop together. If you don’t buy anything, I’ll feel too embarrassed to buy anything myself.”

Rong Xi thought to herself: I really don’t see any trace of embarrassment on her.

Rong Xi tried to pull her hand away, but Qin Yuzhen held on tightly. After a few unsuccessful attempts, she gave up, utterly baffled by what Qin Yuzhen was up to.

“Little sister, why don’t you try this on? I think this dress would suit you perfectly.”

Rong Xi looked at the dress Qin Yuzhen was pointing at—a style she had never even considered before. She glanced sideways at Qin Yuzhen and concluded that this person probably just wanted to make a fool of her.

“It really does suit you.”

Rong Xi sighed as she looked at Qin Yuzhen, knowing full well that she was about to start her antics again.

“Don’t you trust your big sister’s taste?” Qin Yuzhen withdrew her hand. “Oh well, if you don’t want to try it, I won’t force you.”

A hint of melancholy and sorrow flickered across Qin Yuzhen’s face.

Rong Xi: “…”

“Xi Xi, go try it on. That dress is quite pretty,” Mrs. Rong chimed in from the side.

Rong Xi glanced at the dress, then at her mother, and resignedly took it into the fitting room.

Her usual style leaned toward the “elegant and refined,” the kind that gave off the impression of a well-bred young lady. But the dress Qin Yuzhen had picked out was a cute, pink, youthful style.

When Rong Xi stepped out, she instinctively tugged at the hem under Qin Yuzhen’s gaze. The dress ended just above her knees—far shorter than what she was used to—and she felt uneasy.

“It looks great,” Qin Yuzhen remarked admiringly.

“But it’s too cold to wear this now,” Rong Xi protested.

“We have heating at home,” Qin Yuzhen countered. “You can wear it in winter.”

Rong Xi: “…”

Mrs. Rong nodded in agreement from the side and swiftly swiped her card to pay, without even consulting Rong Xi.

“I don’t think the cute style suits me,” Rong Xi muttered quietly as she walked beside Qin Yuzhen.

“Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about yourself?”

Rong Xi frowned. “What misunderstanding? I’ve always thought of myself as the mature, sophisticated type.”

Qin Yuzhen paused, trying hard to suppress her laughter, but a snort escaped anyway.

Rong Xi stared at her expressionlessly, feeling thoroughly humiliated by Qin Yuzhen’s amusement.

“Little sister, I never knew you had such a strong sense of humor,” Qin Yuzhen said, patting Rong Xi’s shoulder. “I hope you’ll continue to develop it.”

Rong Xi took a deep breath and forced herself to look away. If she kept staring at Qin Yuzhen, she was afraid she might do something drastic.

The three of them spent the entire day shopping and didn’t return home until around seven or eight in the evening.

It was only when Qin Yuzhen saw the mountain of shopping bags piled in the living room that she realized just how much she had bought—half the room was filled with them.

Rong Xi was silent. Mrs. Rong was momentarily stunned. Qin Yuzhen, thick-skinned as ever, felt no shame, but she knew she had to at least pretend to be embarrassed.

“It’s normal for big sister to buy a lot since she just came back. She probably needs everything,” Rong Xi quickly said, offering Qin Yuzhen an out. “Big sister, let me help you organize everything.”

Qin Yuzhen glanced at Rong Xi. She wanted to ask why they needed to do it themselves when there were maids to handle it.

But Rong Xi was so insistent that Qin Yuzhen had no choice but to nod in agreement.

Several people helped them carry the bags to the walk-in closet.

“Do you usually organize everything yourself?” Qin Yuzhen asked, watching Rong Xi unwrap the packages.

Rong Xi nodded. “Yeah, I think it’s fun.”

“So, you’ll handle it alone?”

Rong Xi: ???

“This is your walk-in closet,” Rong Xi said, confused.

“But only you think it’s fun. I was planning to have the housekeeper take care of it,” Qin Yuzhen said seriously. “Look at me—I can’t even stand sitting through class. Do you really think I’d enjoy organizing things?”

Rong Xi stared at Qin Yuzhen, wide-eyed.

“But…” Rong Xi didn’t know what to say.

Qin Yuzhen glanced at her.

“Then… I’ll help you organize it,” Rong Xi said softly. “But if you don’t do it yourself, you won’t be able to find anything later.”

“So, are you implying that you’ll come help me find things in the future?”

Rong Xi fell silent for two seconds. “Have you ever watched the Three Kingdoms TV series?”

“Little sister.”

“Huh?”

“Good luck.” Qin Yuzhen gave her a gentle smile.

Rong Xi: “…”

Exhausted, Rong Xi watched as Qin Yuzhen went out, dragged a chair into the closet, and sat down.

Rong Xi: ???

System: Host, you’re truly shameless.

“Not really.” Qin Yuzhen crossed her legs and casually picked up a box to unwrap.

Rong Xi pressed her lips together. “I thought you weren’t organizing?”

“It’s already seven or eight o’clock. If I leave it to you, you’ll still be at it by midnight, and that’ll disturb my sleep,” Qin Yuzhen said offhandedly.

Rong Xi: As expected, I shouldn’t have held out any hope for her.