“Guess how much we earned today?”
Fu Shu curved her lips into a smile and repeated the question.
“How much did we earn?”
Not understanding why Fu Shu was asking her this, Youyou blinked and guessed, “Thirty? Or maybe fifty?”
Although she had never calculated the bookstore’s revenue, Youyou knew well enough that the shop wasn’t making much money.
After all, the price to rent a novel for a day was just a few cents. If this store hadn’t been purchased outright by Bai Qu, they would’ve been losing money for sure.
“Pfft, so you do know, huh?”
Fu Shu pinched Youyou’s cheeks, her tone carrying a hint of frustration, as if scolding her for her lack of ambition: “Is that all you aim for?”
Though Fu Shu didn’t particularly care what Youyou did, the thought that she was worth so little in Youyou’s eyes made her grind her teeth in frustration.
Bookstore, bookstore.
Heaven knows she earned more money in a single second than this place could make in a year.
“Mmhmm,” Youyou replied, completely unabashed. She wrapped her arms around Fu Shu’s waist, lazily let out a yawn, her sweet, sticky voice filled with absolute certainty.
“Anyway, Bai Qu left me plenty of money. This is already good enough. It’s enough for us and Su Duo,” Youyou mumbled. “Fu Shu, I’m sleepy. I want to go to bed.”
She never really had big ambitions—or rather, her life had always been too easy. Whatever she wanted, Bai Qu would always prepare for her. So, aspirations and drive were things she had never truly developed.
The only time she had ever wanted to prove herself was when she got bound to the system.
As the girl willingly nestled into her arms, Fu Shu couldn’t help but feel delighted. She adjusted her posture slightly to make Youyou more comfortable, her eyes narrowing into thin slits as the annoyance in her heart quickly dissolved.
Inside the cozy, elegant little bookstore, two stunning beauties sat behind the counter, leaning against each other. When Su Duo came in after school that afternoon and approached the bookstore, the dazzling sight before her froze her in her tracks. “What are you two doing?” she blurted, stunned.
“Shh.”
Pressing her index finger to her lips, Fu Shu signalled for Su Duo to be quiet. Seeing that Youyou hadn’t woken up, she let out a soft breath of relief.
Looking directly at Su Duo, Fu Shu’s eyelashes fluttered slightly as she spoke with unabashed confidence.
“Sort out your own dinner. I’ll take care of Youyou.”
Su Duo: ……
Why? Who is she? What’s her relationship with Youyou? Is she a good person or a bad one? Why is she here? Could she have drugged Youyou?
A string of suspicions flooded Su Duo’s mind, making her heart pound with anxiety. Meanwhile, Fu Shu couldn’t help but feel exasperated. As someone who wielded power and control, seeing through others’ thoughts was child’s play for her. And with Su Duo’s lack of subtlety, her blatant astonishment and genuine alarm practically screamed what was on her mind. Fushu didn’t even need to think twice to know exactly what the girl was imagining.
Gripping Youyou’s hand tightly, fingers interlocked, Fu Shu turned to Su Duo with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, her gaze sparkling with an odd glint. “Hello, I’m Fu Shu. Youyou is my girlfriend, so rest assured, I would never hurt her.”
Fu Shu’s plan was simple yet bold: take advantage of Bai Qu’s absence to claim Youyou as hers. As long as Youyou liked her enough, even Bai Qu wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.
“Fu Shu? Girlfriend?”
Su Duo blinked in confusion. When she had encountered Bai Qu and Youyou, and they had saved her, Youyou and Fu Shu had already broken up. So, naturally, Su Duo didn’t recognize Fu Shu.
She gave Fu Shu a peculiar look, her thoughts swirling with disbelief. Could girls really date other girls? And Youyou, of all people?
To Su Duo, Youyou had always been like a child in a woman’s body. Older in age, but far less mature mentally. In her imagination, Youyou’s ideal partner was a towering, rugged, yet gentle and caring “dad-type” man who would know how to look after her properly.
This stark contrast between Su Duo’s fantasy and the reality of Fu Shu’s claim left her completely dumbfounded.
“Yes, girlfriend.”
Ignoring Su Duo completely, Fu Shu turned her attention to the two phones on the counter, her lips curving into a cheerful smile as she resumed her exploration.
Just like before, the young girl still didn’t bother setting a security password on her phone. With her slender, jade-like fingers gliding over the screen, Fu Shu re-added herself to Youyou’s WeChat and other chat platforms. She also removed her phone number from Youyou’s blacklist.
Just like before, the young girl still didn’t bother setting a security password on her phone. With her slender, jade-like fingers gliding over the screen, Fu Shu re-added herself to Youyou’s WeChat and other chat platforms. She also removed her phone number from Youyou’s blacklist.
Su Duo watched Fu Shu’s actions with a twitching corner of her mouth, but the sheer presence Fu Shu exuded was so overwhelming that Su Duo couldn’t muster the courage to confront her.
By the time Youyou woke up, Su Duo had already left for her evening self-study session.
Having just been discharged from the hospital, Fu Shu’s body tired easily.
So after taking a shower, she collapsed onto Youyou’s bed, refusing to move.
“Hey, you should go sleep in the guest room, or Bai Qu will get mad.”
Youyou said, lying on the bed and giving Fu Shu a gentle push. She didn’t want to upset Bai Qu, so Fu Shu would just have to be the one to compromise. For some reason, Fu Shu had snuck into her room while she was in the shower, even though the guest room was perfectly fine.
“Fu Shu, Fu Shu.”
The girl’s soft, sweet voice made Fu Shu’s lips curl into a faint smile. Effortlessly, she pulled Youyou into the blanket, their bodies pressed closely together. “Be good, Youyou. Just sleep well. I promise I won’t try anything. You know I have mild insomnia—I can only sleep well when I’m next to you.”
It was the truth, and Youyou knew it.
Pouting her lips, Youyou hesitated in silence, torn.
Knowing how soft-hearted the girl was, Fu Shu buried her face into Youyou’s shoulder and neck, breathing in her sweet scent as she slowly drifted off to sleep.
Left behind, Youyou, worried about Bai Qu’s reaction, lay awake, her thoughts tangled in anxiety.
‘Xixi, when will Bai Qu be back?’
In the stillness of the night, Youyou suddenly felt a deep longing for Bai Qu and Su Ling.
‘And Su Ling? Why is he in danger? Is the Lord God’s Space always like this? How did my brother know Su Ling was in trouble? Could they be in contact? Then why not now? Why hasn’t my brother or Su Ling reached out to me?’
A sense of abandonment and exclusion washed over her. For someone like Youyou, who rarely delved deeply into her thoughts, it was the last question that mattered most.
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