The Rebirth of the Socialite's Glory (GL) - Chapter 29
She was kept in confinement. Everything she ate and wore was provided by Ye Qiu, and the only person she could see was Ye Qiu. Ye Qiu was wearing down her will. Feng Hua realized this, but it was already too late. Ye Qiu was like boiling a frog in warm water, and she was already half-cooked.
A person who had never felt warmth was being gently cared for by someone—everything done personally, with sincere concern, making her extremely comfortable. This kind of kindness could create illusions, especially for someone who desperately craved love.
Feng Hua thought that if the subsequent event hadn’t happened, perhaps she would have continued to fall, eventually dying in the illusion woven by Ye Qiu.
But there was no “if.”
Ye Qiu brought a woman back to the apartment that originally only housed two people. Feng Hua saw them kissing, right in the art studio where she loved to stay. The studio had no chairs or stools, only easels, flower stands, and pigments. On the large drawing paper lay her not-yet-dry paint, a half-finished painting of a beauty sleeping among flowers. And Ye Qiu was holding that woman, passionately kissing her in front of the painting, utterly lost in the moment, to the point where she hadn’t noticed an extra person outside.
The woman in Ye Qiu’s arms was half-undressed, her exposed skin as fair as jade. Her ink-black hair swayed with the movements of their kiss, naturally seductive and vividly sensual, captivating enough to mesmerize even other women.
Feng Hua stared with wide eyes. Her first reaction was not disgust, but fear—a fear that made her want to immediately flee that place. Returning to her room, she stared at the ceiling for an entire night and didn’t fall asleep.
Ye Qiu might like women. Considering her own situation, Feng Hua felt a suffocating sense of distress—a breath that couldn’t be swallowed or exhaled.
Some seeds that were just beginning to sprout were unexpectedly sealed away completely at that time, slowly withering, and time would eventually consume their weakening presence.
Feng Hua never saw that woman again after that incident. Ye Qiu continued her slow-boil tactic, but Feng Hua found herself increasingly unable to stand Ye Qiu. The initial warmth had changed its flavor, and it also jolted Feng Hua back to her senses, making her even more annoyed that she had almost been so easily spoiled and destroyed by Ye Qiu’s cultivation.
After that, in Feng Hua’s mind, the relationship between her and Ye Qiu became clearer than ever.
In this life, Ye Qiu actually fell in love with her…
But now, whenever she thought of that incident, she felt nauseous. Whenever she thought of the love in Ye Qiu’s eyes, she would recall Ye Qiu and that woman being intimate in her art studio in the previous life. Then, she would feel like vomiting. Unfortunately, her stomach was empty, and nothing came out. A burning sensation invaded Feng Hua’s internal organs.
For the entire day, Feng Hua self-tortured by recalling her memories with Ye Qiu in rotation: Ye Qiu’s humiliation, Ye Qiu’s tenderness, Ye Qiu’s love, and that persistent image of Ye Qiu kissing a woman passionately in the art studio… The chest tightness eventually became familiar, and exhausted to the extreme, she finally managed to fall asleep…
When she woke up again, Feng Hua received news from Wang Ze, who said that they had searched the entire area where the two had the accident but found no trace of Ye Qiu. Feng Hua pondered for a while, then told Wang Ze to search a few major hospitals.
During the period she was waiting for news of Ye Qiu, Feng Hua did nothing but eat, sleep, and eat, resolutely following Wang Ze’s initial instruction to rest well. During this time, Shi Kexuan and An Ye visited once. An Ye questioned Feng Hua about Ye Qiu’s whereabouts. When Feng Hua told the truth, An Ye angrily kicked Feng Hua’s hospital bed and never appeared again. Shi Kexuan prepared to take time to accompany Feng Hua but was refused.
Feng Hua said, “I need to rest properly. Don’t come and disturb me. Come find me when I’ve fully recovered.”
“Mhm, you rest well. Not finding Ye Qiu yet might also be good news. She might have been found and rescued from that place. Don’t be too upset. Ye Qiu’s accident wasn’t what you wanted…” Seeing Feng Hua’s vacant expression, Shi Kexuan could only offer dry words of comfort. People are inherently biased. She felt very fortunate that Feng Hua was okay, fortunate that the person in the accident wasn’t Feng Hua.
A few days later, Wang Ze finally found Ye Qiu’s whereabouts.
“Where is she? How is she now?” Feng Hua held her phone with both hands, pressing it tightly to her ear.
“Ye Qiu was rescued. She’s currently receiving treatment at the Fifth Hospital. The doctor said her injuries are very serious, especially a severe blow to the head, but after surgery, her condition has improved. And Miss, you don’t have to worry too much. Ye Qiu’s recovery ability is very strong. The doctor said she’ll be perfectly fine after another period of recuperation.”
“Is she really… okay?”
“She can eat, drink, and sleep. She’s doing well!”
“…That’s good.” Feng Hua said with a trembling voice. After a while, when Wang Ze couldn’t help but ask, she continued, “Go to the hospital and pay all her medical expenses in one go. Find a few nurses to take care of her. Agree to any request she has, except for one thing: don’t reveal my whereabouts to her. If she asks about me, just say I’m fine.”
“Miss… you…” Wang Ze couldn’t understand Feng Hua’s attitude at this moment. She was her life-saver, she had worried for so long, yet after finally finding her, she wouldn’t even meet her. Although he didn’t want to label Feng Hua as cold-blooded, Wang Ze still found his Young Miss’s behavior rather strange.
“Just do as I say.” Feng Hua abruptly hung up the call.
Tossing the phone aside, Feng Hua shrank back under the covers, pulling the blanket over her head. Her exposed shoulder moved up and down under the blanket, subtly revealing muffled sobs. It’s good that Ye Qiu is okay. It’s good that she’s okay…
She had thought a lot these past few days. She realized that between her and Ye Qiu, there was no better way to get along now than to be strangers.
Hopefully, after this incident, Ye Qiu would know when to retreat, be utterly disappointed in her cold-blooded self, and keep her distance.
On this side, Feng Hua stayed in the desolate hospital room. Apart from Wang Ze coming to deliver meals, no one else came to disturb the peace of this room.
On the other side, Ye Qiu’s hospital room was very lively. An Ye, Ye Qiu’s friends from school, and even Shi Kexuan had visited a few times, intending to thank Ye Qiu on Feng Hua’s behalf.
A not-so-small hospital room was still slightly crowded with a group of people. At this moment, An Ye, relieved that Ye Qiu was recovering well, began to angrily complain to her about Feng Hua. “I’m telling you, I knew Feng Hua wasn’t a good person. You were seriously injured for her, but she doesn’t care at all. She didn’t even pretend to visit you once. I really think you deserve better!”
Ye Qiu’s friends, upon hearing An Ye’s words, developed an extremely poor impression of the never-met Feng Hua. They said people are biased. Compared to the unfamiliar Feng Hua, they felt more sorry for the injured Ye Qiu. They felt Ye Qiu was an innocent person who was foolishly dragged into this. Ye Qiu was simply too kind, so kind that it seemed foolish. Yet, Feng Hua wouldn’t even look at Ye Qiu, whom she had implicated. She was truly cold and heartless to the extreme.
Even though Wang Ze had paid all the medical expenses and Shi Kexuan had dropped by a few times, it still didn’t reverse their negative feelings toward Feng Hua.
Ye Qiu rubbed her forehead and said to An Ye in a somewhat cold tone, “The competition was your idea, the challenges were your idea, and the location was your choice.”
An Ye’s eyes widened. He looked at Ye Qiu in disbelief. “Ye Qiu, are you blaming me?”
Ye Qiu looked at An Ye indifferently. She didn’t say yes, but she didn’t say no either.
An Ye’s expression grew increasingly awkward under Ye Qiu’s gaze. “If you had been in my car back then, there definitely wouldn’t have been any problem!”
“Those people and the people who targeted you might be the same group. Feng Hua never complained about the terrorists you provoked. Instead, she privately investigated the matter and warned you to be vigilant to the maximum extent. But this time, when the terrorists targeted Feng Hua, she still instructed you all to leave immediately. Have you ever considered that perhaps the reason these people targeted Feng Hua was because she angered them by warning you, thus incurring this deadly disaster?” Ye Qiu’s voice carried a chilling tone. “She has never harmed you from start to finish. Even though you constantly spoke ill of her, as the eldest daughter of the Feng family, she never did anything to you. Honestly ask yourself, has Feng Hua ever wronged you? You may not like this forced engagement, but Feng Hua is innocent. She is not obligated to be the target of your anger.”
“Can you have less prejudice against her? I don’t want to hear you slander her again.”
An Ye’s expression was no longer awkward but mortified. The person he was wholeheartedly trying to protect was instead blaming him. A surge of anger and resentment welled up in his heart, although he had essentially taken Ye Qiu’s words to heart.
Fine, fine, he wouldn’t target Feng Hua anymore!
But An Ye didn’t dare to look at the eyes of his friends around him now. He felt that Ye Qiu’s words were a direct slap across his face. His face was burning with pain, utterly humiliated and miserable. He could only question Ye Qiu, “In your heart, is Feng Hua more important than me… your friend? Why are you so good to her?”
“You are a friend, and she is the person I love. It’s different.”
Ye Qiu answered both of An Ye’s questions with one sentence. Because Ye Qiu loved Feng Hua, of course she would be good to her.
Although An Ye had speculated about this, he had never taken it seriously. But now, Ye Qiu shattered all his illusions and self-deception. Ye Qiu truly had a thing for Feng Hua!
“You, you like Feng Hua? A woman? Do you know what you’re saying?” An Ye stared at Ye Qiu’s eyes, not missing the slightest change in her expression.
Ye Qiu nodded. She scanned the people in the room and announced seriously, “Feng Hua is the person I love. You are my friends, so I hope you can abandon your prejudices against Feng Hua and get along harmoniously in the future.”
Then, Ye Qiu spoke in an intensely affectionate tone, “I was willing to die for her. Given another chance, I would still choose to protect her.”
Everyone in the room was stunned, their jaws dropping.
Outside Feng Hua’s hospital room, Wang Ze led Ye Qiu to the door and softly instructed, “Miss doesn’t want to see you right now. Just take a look here and then leave.”
Wang Ze was very grateful to Ye Qiu. When Ye Qiu pleaded to see Feng Hua once, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of compassion and brought her here, leading to the current situation.
Through the small window, Ye Qiu gazed greedily at Feng Hua lying quietly on the hospital bed, getting closer and closer until her entire face was pressed against the glass pane.
Feng Hua was painfully thin, and her skin was pale to the point of transparency. With her eyes closed, she looked like an exquisite but lifeless human doll.
All the emotional turmoil in Ye Qiu’s heart vanished the moment she saw Feng Hua, leaving only profound pity and a racing heartbeat.
I’ll give you a little more time to calm down. This is the final period. I can’t let you escape again…
Ye Qiu pulled down her hat, didn’t even greet Wang Ze, and turned to leave the hospital, her movements so decisive they appeared utterly devoid of lingering attachment.