Chapter 103: The Young Lady on the Road
At noon, Xia Yu just wasn’t in the mood for lunch. Fortunately, her family didn’t force her to eat; instead, they suggested she take a nap. They figured that a little snooze might calm her nerves.
Meanwhile, after Xia Yu fell asleep, her family let out a collective sigh. They had to admit, Xia Yu’s illness kept them on edge all day long.
Not wanting to eat lunch either, Xia Ling, who had been by Xia Yu’s side, understood perfectly. Now that Xia Yu was finally quiet, Wang Wenjuan pulled Xia Ling outside the room and suggested, “Little Ling, have you eaten yet? I’ve kept some food warm in the pot; you can go down and eat if you’re hungry.”
“Hmm, no rush. I’m going to take a shower first; I still have sand in my hair!”
She was spot on. Both she and Xia Yu had ended up covered in sand, and the thought made Xia Ling itch to dive into the shower. Otherwise, she wouldn’t feel right at all.
Xia Yu slept through the day and didn’t wake until evening, when she noticed her trusty companion Xia Ling and her mother, Wang Wenjuan, watching her from beside the bed.
“Xiao Yu, are you hungry? Mom made some meat porridge downstairs. Want some?” Wang Wenjuan asked, her motherly instincts kicking in.
Feeling the warmth of her mother’s concern, Xia Yu, now calmer, nodded: “Sure.”
“Xia Ling, take good care of Xiao Yu. I’m heading down to scoop up some porridge for you both. You can’t go all day without eating; that could ruin your health!”
After making sure Xia Ling was okay, Wang Wenjuan scooted out of the room to fetch the food.
Naturally, with Xia Yu now awake, Xia Ling lost interest in her phone—the stuff on the screen couldn’t compete with her sister’s well-being.
With a shift, Xia Ling nestled closer to Xia Yu, whispering: “Hey sis, did you know? Mom and Dad are enrolling us in a school in the city!”
“Wow… that must be expensive, right?” Xia Yu replied, surprised.
“No idea. They haven’t said yet. But don’t worry about money! Dad said your compensation money is still available; we can use it for school!”
Oh great, just what Xia Yu wanted—more pressure on her family. The thought dimmed her spirits; she never meant to burden them with her issues. She just wanted to go to school for her own sake, not add stress!
Xia Ling noticed the change in her sister’s demeanor, the last thing she wanted to see. She quickly shook Xia Yu: “Dad said we’re leaving in three days! Do you want to buy anything?”
Snapping back to reality, Xia Yu replied, “No, I don’t need anything.”
At that moment, in strode Wang Wenjuan with a big bowl of delicious-smelling meat porridge.
Passing a bowl to Xia Ling, she turned to Xia Yu with a hopeful look: “So, Xiao Yu, do you want to eat by yourself or shall Mom feed you?”
Xia Yu: “…”
“I’ll… eat myself.”
Seriously, Xia Yu thought, it’s not like her hands were broken. Why was her mother asking such ridiculous questions?!
What Xia Yu didn’t realize was that Wang Wenjuan wanted to feed her, but she was just trying to be considerate.
Wang Wenjuan had recently come to a startling realization. She had neglected Xia Yu in the past, always buying clothes and toys only for Xia Le and Xia Ling. Back then, she thought Xia Yu could just wear old clothes, wasting nothing. So every New Year, while Xia Le and Xia Ling were excitedly receiving gifts, Xia Yu was lonely in her room watching TV, knowing she would probably get nothing new.
Their interactions had dwindled, and Wang Wenjuan never realized how painful her carelessness had been for Xia Yu. “Don’t say anything that could upset her,” the psychologist had advised, but she didn’t even know what kind of words frighten her daughter. How ironic!
So now Wang Wenjuan wanted to make amends and treat Xia Yu better, but now that Xia Yu was older and had changed, she wasn’t sure what her daughter needed anymore.
What a tough situation!
After a good nap, Xia Yu’s appetite seemed to have improved, or maybe the porridge was just that good because she polished off the entire bowl in no time.
“I’m going to shower now,” she announced, getting up to return to her room for some clothes. Just like Xia Ling, she felt uncomfortable and needed to freshen up.
This time, Wang Wenjuan and Xia Ling didn’t push her to wear anything feminine to align with their preferences; they let her wear whatever she wanted.
In the living room, Xia Le was watching TV. Since Xia Yu had returned after her mysterious disappearance for six months, their conversations had noticeably decreased. So, Xia Yu didn’t bother with him and headed straight for her room.
“How’s Xiao Yu doing now?” Xia Hong asked Wang Wenjuan and Xia Ling when Xia Yu was in the shower.
Wang Wenjuan sighed, “I’m not sure if she’s getting better or worse. She’s still quiet, but she did finish the porridge I brought up.”
Looking at the empty bowl, Xia Hong nodded. “As long as she can eat, it’s a good sign. Hopefully, a change of environment will help her get better.”
“Let’s hope so. The doctor did say there’s no cure for her condition, and it could flare up again in the future,” Wang Wenjuan added.
“Right. For now, let’s focus on getting her to feel okay again.”
…
In the bathroom, as Xia Yu stripped down, she glanced at her developing curves and panicked, fearing they might keep getting bigger.
She could hide them for now, but if they grew more conspicuously, that would be super awkward!
So that night, Xia Yu didn’t go downstairs, nor did she feel like eating dinner—even when Wang Wenjuan brought food up. Her mind was too busy dwelling on today’s events and when her true identity would be revealed. If that happened, what would she do?
After finishing the dinner her mother brought, Xia Ling couldn’t resist the urge to chat with Xia Yu. She flopped down beside her and, noticing how far Xia Yu strayed from looking like a boy, asked with a grin, “Hey sis, what are you thinking so hard about?”
Xia Yu didn’t reply, but Xia Ling continued curiously, “I bet you’re wondering what we’ll do after moving to the city, right?”
Xia Yu: “…”
“Not it? Okay, let me guess again: are you thinking about that sister named Jiang Kekai? Can you tell me about her?”
Xia Yu turned slightly, seeing Xia Ling’s eager expression, sighed: “She’s a good person.”
Achoo!
Having just sneezed, Jiang Kekai pinched her nose, thinking that Xia Yu, the little cutie, must be thinking about her!
Then she nudged the pretty girl next to her, Zhao Wei, and said, “Come on, let’s get started! As long as we’re back before the weekend ends, we’re good, right?”
“But Young Lady, if the family head finds out, we’ll be in big trouble, and I’ll get punished too!” Zhao Wei retorted.
“Pfft! Don’t be such a scaredy-cat! With me here, Dad won’t fire you. Besides, they’re busy and won’t be home all weekend. I’m going out!” Jiang Kekai insisted, her rebellious streak shining through.
Seeing her owner so stubborn, Zhao Wei begrudgingly tightened her grip on the keys: “Fine, fine.”
Yet even as she climbed into the car, Zhao Wei secretly messaged her boss, “The Young Lady is going to see Xia Yu this weekend and will be back before it ends.”
Ding!
At that moment, Jiang Bin was in a meeting. He read Zhao Wei’s message and felt a wave of headache coming on, but still decided to indulge his daughter.
“Got it. Be careful on the road. I’ll arrange a bodyguard to keep you safe.”
Thinking that if he tried to stop Jiang Kekai, she would probably run away anyway, he decided it was better to let her have her way.
When Zhao Wei saw the quick response, she finally felt relieved. As long as her boss was on board, everything would be fine.
To keep a low profile, Zhao Wei decided a business car worth over 200,000 was sufficient for their trip in style—after all, it’s not just any old ride.
But don’t let the ‘business car’ label fool you; it had been outfitted with all sorts of high-end safety features—especially since the Young Lady’s safety was paramount. The bulletproof windows ensured that any external threats wouldn’t bother her inside.
After parking, Zhao Wei was about to hop out to open the door for Jiang Kekai, but the Young Lady bypassed her completely and hopped in: “Zhao Wei, let’s hit the road!”
“Alright, alright, my Little Young Lady,” Zhao Wei chuckled helplessly as she stepped on the gas.
Reaching the Demon City from Xia Yu’s town would take over a thousand kilometers, so even if Jiang Kekai left late at night, they’d arrive the next morning.
To make sure they wouldn’t waste time, Jiang Kekai fell asleep as soon as she got in the car, planning to have plenty of energy for fun with Xia Yu the next day.
Poor Zhao Wei, on the other hand, felt the pressure of driving through the night. She was determined to ask her boss for a raise after this trip—she definitely earned it.
Meanwhile, Xia Yu had no idea the exciting Jiang Kekai was racing towards her, ready to deliver a huge surprise!
