The Little Bookworm Marked Her Ex-aunt - Chapter 11: Miss Ji, Do You Still Need Me?

Chapter 11: Miss Ji, Do You Still Need Me?

When Meng Zhiyu kicked Shu Yue out of the car, Shu Yue’s mind still hadn’t caught up.

A crowd pushed her aside. A staff member from the program crew glanced at her and said in a bad tone, “Which group are you with? Don’t stand here blocking the way. You’re in the way!”

Shu Yue instinctively said sorry, but the other person didn’t care and hurriedly walked off with equipment.

She heard Meng Zhiyu’s conversation with others from inside the nanny van, where the door wasn’t fully closed.

“Teacher Meng, was that person who came to see you your friend?”

Meng Zhiyu’s voice answered lightly, but her words were cruel, “No, just a passerby. I don’t know her.”

Shu Yue somehow ended up at the edge of the crowd, pushed around until she stood at the recording location. Her mind slowly started to clear.

She scolded herself for being stupid. Being slow to react normally was one thing, but how could she be this slow about their breakup?

Then she couldn’t help but make excuses for Meng Zhiyu.

Maybe Meng Zhiyu really had some unspeakable reason. Shu Yue never believed Meng Zhiyu would immediately get together with someone else after their breakup. Didn’t Chen Mi always talk about the fake couples in the entertainment industry? Maybe Meng Zhiyu was just hyping up a couple for publicity.

Yes, Meng Zhiyu’s words were a bit harsh, but they did make some sense. After all, Shu Yue had abruptly shown up at Meng Zhiyu’s workplace. If Shu Yue thought about it from her perspective, if someone she didn’t like came to find her like this, she would also feel annoyed.

Wait.

A few words in her thoughts stabbed into Shu Yue’s nerves like needles.

Since when did it start?

She had already subconsciously placed herself among the people Meng Zhiyu didn’t like.

Shu Yue’s face lost all color, and the oxygen around her seemed sucked away by some giant vacuum. Heavy emotions pressed down on her. She couldn’t react. Instinctively, she felt her soul leap out of her body.

Her consciousness wandered like a wild ghost, her body like a corpse.

Among the group of work-obsessed staff, no one noticed anything unusual.

Who didn’t die a little at work?

The only group that seemed to be working yet laughing like silver bells was the guests at the center of the recording site.

Shu Yue saw Meng Zhiyu there.

In front of the picnic table, Meng Zhiyu seemed to hear a funny joke. She laughed so hard her body trembled, leaning toward the person beside her. The other person naturally put an arm around her shoulders, took a tissue, and wiped a small grain of rice from Meng Zhiyu’s mouth.

In that moment, Shu Yue truly felt like a dog.

Because even at this moment, she was still making excuses for Meng Zhiyu.

It was work, so Meng Zhiyu would be kind to others. Meng Zhiyu’s dream was to be an actress, and she was good at acting.

After this thought came up, Shu Yue genuinely felt nauseous. Her throat and chest felt blocked, and the urge to vomit kept bubbling up.

Don’t misunderstand.

She wasn’t disgusted by Meng Zhiyu.

She was disgusted by herself.

How clearly did Meng Zhiyu need to speak, how hard did she need to slap her, for Shu Yue to let go of her illusions and accept the reality in front of her?

Shu Yue lowered her head, gripped her backpack straps tightly, and turned to leave.

Someone stopped her.

“Miss Shu, right? Teacher Meng asked me to take you to the high-speed rail station. It’s late, and the buses have stopped running.”

Shu Yue couldn’t help but wonder if Meng Zhiyu was concerned for her or just finding another way to drive her away.

“No, thank you,” she heard herself say, her voice sounding distant, like it came from a stranger’s mouth.

The other person said awkwardly, “Um, Miss Shu, sorry, but Teacher Meng specifically instructed me to make sure you get to the high-speed rail station today.”

The question from earlier seemed to have a clear answer now.

Shu Yue emphasized each word, “I said, no need.”

Realizing her tone was a bit cold, she added, “Please tell Teacher Meng that I’ll leave on my own. She can rest assured.”

Perhaps her expression was too grim, because the other person didn’t dare insist further. They gave an embarrassed smile and stepped aside.

“Shu Yue?!” Another unfamiliar voice called out.

Shu Yue’s brows furrowed tightly behind her glasses.

“Who are you?” Shu Yue didn’t recognize the beta in front of her.

The beta laughed exaggeratedly and introduced themselves familiarly, “Me? Ningcheng No. 1 High School, same school, same grade as you. I was in Class 19, a classmate of Zhiyu’s. We studied acting together, but I wasn’t as good as her. I didn’t get into Ning University. I started working early, and I’m in this program crew too.”

Shu Yue still didn’t know them.

When Shu Yue was in school, she was buried in books, exams, and competitions. If Meng Zhiyu hadn’t barged into her life like a burglar every day, she wouldn’t even know Meng Zhiyu.

They were like two parallel lines in school. Without one side deliberately changing direction, they would never intersect.

Before meeting Meng Zhiyu, the popular figures, lively events, and hot topics at school had nothing to do with Shu Yue.

Shu Yue looked numbly at the beta, waiting for their next words.

“Are you here to see Zhiyu?” the beta asked.

Shu Yue shook her head and said, “Just passing by.”

The beta said with pity, “Oh, I thought you two were still together.”

Shu Yue paused, “You know about me and her?”

The beta said excitedly, “Of course! That bet was a huge deal in our class. How could I not know?”

Shu Yue sensed something bad but still asked, “Bet?”

The beta looked at her expression, hesitated for a moment, and said, “Since you and Zhiyu aren’t together anymore, it’s fine to tell you, right? Back then, Zhiyu made a bet with another omega in our class to see who could first win over the top students in your Class 1. Zhiyu picked you.”

“Shu Yue? Shu Yue? Are you okay?”

Shu Yue shook her head and said, “I’m fine.”

The beta suggested exchanging contact information, saying it was rare to meet and asking what Shu Yue was doing now, remembering that she had been admitted to Ning University, hoping they didn’t get it wrong.

Shu Yue wanted to say it wasn’t necessary, they weren’t close, and she didn’t want to share. But she had no energy to speak. She took out her phone, found her QR code, and let the beta add her.

“Where are you staying tonight? Here for travel? Booked a guesthouse yet?” the beta asked enthusiastically.

Shu Yue forced out a few words, “No, I’m going home.”

The beta said, “There are no buses at this hour. Want me to get you a rideshare number?”

For the first time since meeting this person, Shu Yue said a sincere thank you.

After a bumpy ride through the mountain roads, she reached the high-speed rail station. There were no more trains to Ningcheng, so Shu Yue waited outside the station.

“I told you, you shouldn’t have let Shu Yue go find her.”

“I just hoped she’d move on.”

“What if she falls for her again?”

Familiar arguing voices came over. Shu Yue looked toward the sound.

Chen Mi and Chu Yufei, who had rushed over looking travel-worn, were arguing as they walked toward her.

Shu Yue wanted to ask how they got here and why they came together. But seeing her friends, she suddenly couldn’t speak. When Chen Mi and Chu Yufei reached her, tears fell from her eyes.

Chu Yufei shot Chen Mi a look, as if to say, look at the mess you made.

Chen Mi looked helpless and pulled out a tissue to wipe Shu Yue’s tears.

“Why are you crying?” Chu Yufei asked, “Did Meng Zhiyu dump you again?”

Chen Mi turned and glared at Chu Yufei.

Chu Yufei pretended not to notice.

Shu Yue shook her head, her voice muffled, “No, I’m just upset at how stupid I am.”

Chen Mi thought she was talking about still thinking of her ex after the breakup. In a knowing tone, she patted Shu Yue’s head, “Hey, it’s fine. A lesbian who doesn’t check on her ex after a breakup isn’t a good lesbian.”

Chu Yufei rolled her eyes dramatically, sat next to Shu Yue, put an arm around her shoulders, and said, “Don’t listen to her nonsense.”

“Have you eaten? Let’s get some food,” Chu Yufei said.

Chen Mi chimed in, “On the way here, she kept looking up local specialties. I checked too, and there’s a place with great roasted chicken. Want to try it?”

Shu Yue looked at her friends and nodded.

Perhaps seeing her heartbroken, Chen Mi and Chu Yufei acted with a sense of camaraderie. After dinner, they dragged her to a KTV to sing, brought a whole bag of grilled skewers, and deliberately picked sad slow songs for Shu Yue to vent her emotions. But Shu Yue couldn’t get excited. She sat in the corner watching them compete, and as she listened, she fell asleep.

When she woke up, everything seemed fine. She took the earliest train home. Shu Yue even went to the lab to feed her senior’s hamster. After running through the week’s new data, she went home.

She took a shower, soaked in the bathtub for a long time, and finally dragged her heavy body to bed. She let herself think of nothing and buried herself in sleep.

When she woke again, pain woke her.

Her whole body ached, as if ants had bitten her everywhere.

A face that shouldn’t be there appeared in her vision.

Shu Yue paused, raised her hand, and rubbed her eyes.

“Awake?” Ji Shiyi still wore a pheromone-blocking mask and touched Shu Yue’s forehead with the back of her hand, “Hmm, your fever’s gone.”

Shu Yue asked hesitantly, “Miss Ji, why are you here?”

Her own voice startled her when she spoke.

Since when did her voice sound like a hoarse magpie, rough and hard to hear?

Ji Shiyi stood by the bed, petted the cat curled up on the blanket, and said, “You wouldn’t wake up, so Shiyi got worried and called me.”

Shu Yue said, “Huh?”

“Your phone password could use a change,” Ji Shiyi said, “The current one, Shiyi’s already memorized it.”

Shu Yue immediately looked at Shiyi after hearing this. The cat was smugly flicking its tail, washing its face with its paws.

Ji Shiyi’s gaze swept over the girl’s weak, pale face without much emotion and said, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll leave now. Miss Shu, for the sake of the fostering fee, please take better care of yourself.”

Shu Yue’s cheeks flushed slightly at these words.

What kind of foster was she? Taking care of someone’s cat, getting sick herself, and needing the cat’s owner to care for her.

As Ji Shiyi turned to leave, Shu Yue didn’t know what was wrong with her mind.

Maybe it was to get back at Meng Zhiyu, or maybe just to get back at herself. At that foolish, boring, unlikable, easily discarded self. Or maybe her brain was just fried from the fever, leaving nothing but impulse.

She suddenly called out, gripping the bedsheet tightly with both hands and sitting up, “Miss Ji, I’ve thought about your earlier proposal.”

Ji Shiyi turned back and saw the plain nervousness and unease on the girl’s face without her glasses. It seemed that what she was about to say was some kind of unprecedented bold act for her.

Then, she heard Shu Yue ask carefully:

“Miss Ji, do you still need me now?”