booknovelhub
Chapter 18: She Only Likes Sheng Yuxiao
Chapter 18: She Only Likes Sheng Yuxiao
Chapter 18
Qin Sui had gone hungry all night and couldn't fall asleep. When he got up the next day, his expression looked even gloomier.
But Li Xiaoya wasn't afraid of him at all.
She said in a stiff tone, "I'm going to school now. Goodbye."
By this time, Qin Sui was already feeling uncomfortable in his stomach. He grabbed the little girl's arm, "Aren't you having breakfast?"
"I'll eat at school. It's free," Li Xiaoya answered.
[When Sheng Yuxiao was here, you weren't like this. You would at least steam a potato for him and bring him hot water to drink.]
[Haha, I don't know why, but I suddenly find Li Xiaoya even more adorable like this.]
[Treating people differently based on closeness, such blatant double standards!]
Qin Sui initially wanted to ask, "What about me?"
But as the words reached his lips, he felt it was rather pointless. So he narrowed his eyes and promptly made a decision: "I'll go to school with you."
Li Xiaoya responded with an "Oh." Her face showed no sign of happiness or displeasure.
Qin Sui suddenly felt a bit stifled.
Usually, he was the young master surrounded by adoring fans. Although he considered himself above such petty interests and looked down on others' pursuit and flattery.
But to be ignored to this extent... was really quite hard to adapt to.
Qin Sui said nothing, gathered some personal items, and then followed Li Xiaoya as they set out.
The area affected by the previous landslide hadn't been completely cleared yet, so Li Xiaoya was taking another, more circuitous path today.
"This road is dangerous," Qin Sui said in a deep voice.
The path was too narrow, making it easy to slip down the slope.
Li Xiaoya's small, thin figure walked ahead, not looking back. "Is it dangerous?"
Qin Sui grabbed her. "Don't go any further."
"I need to go to school," Li Xiaoya pushed his hand away.
Qin Sui could only follow, coldly thinking to himself that he'd just wait and see if she'd trip... The production team must have gone mad, how could they let such a small child walk alone on a path like this?
An atmosphere of silence, bordering on deathly quiet, enveloped them.
The biting morning wind swept across their faces, making even Qin Sui tighten his coat involuntarily. But the slender figure in front seemed completely oblivious, continuing forward step by step.
Just as Qin Sui was silently observing her...
"Splash!"
Qin Sui's foot slipped, and he tumbled into the paddy field beside the path.
Water and mud instantly surged up, soaking through his clothes and frantically seeping in through the collar.
Qin Sui was frozen for a moment, then realized what had happened, his face immediately turning ashen.
[Holy crap!]
The barrage of comments was stunned.
[Nothing bad is going to happen, right?]
[Don't worry, you can't drown in a paddy field.]
Li Xiaoya, who was walking ahead, heard the commotion and turned back in time, running to Qin Sui's side.
"How did you fall into the field?" Li Xiaoya tilted her head, puzzled.
Qin Sui: "..."
He felt thoroughly despised.
At this point, the production team following far behind saw that something was wrong! They were about to rush forward but, considering the show's appeal, they forcibly restrained themselves.
So Qin Sui waited for a while, saw that the production team wasn't moving, and his mouth twitched. He reached out to grab the edge of the field and pulled himself up with a flip.
The water he brought up with him splashed all over Li Xiaoya.
Li Xiaoya looked at him unhappily. "You got me dirty."
Qin Sui's mood actually improved a bit. He looked down carefully and saw that the little girl's face was covered in mud spots. But she was originally good-looking, so even smeared with mud and water, she only looked adorably disheveled and messy.
Li Xiaoya pulled out a handkerchief from her cloth bag, wiped her own face, then looked at Qin Sui, hesitated for a moment, and handed it to him.
"For me to wipe?" Qin Sui was a bit surprised.
"Mm. Wipe yourself and go back," Li Xiaoya said, then turned to leave. She gave off a strong sense of not wanting to be held back by Qin Sui anymore.
Qin Sui hurriedly wiped his face. "Go back? You don't have gas or a shower at your home. Where am I supposed to wash up and change clothes?"
Li Xiaoya turned back, looking at him strangely. "You can heat water yourself, can't you?"
Qin Sui: "..." Heat water for a bath? Just imagining it made Qin Sui's head start to throb painfully.
"Doesn't your school have a bathhouse? I'll just keep going with you," Qin Sui calmly decided.
"But the school is still far away."
"How far?"
"We still have to walk two hours on mountain roads."
"..."
"You'll catch a cold."
"..."
Right now, Qin Sui had only one thought: when he got back, he would tell his father that the Ming Dynasty antique he had collected for thirty million was a fake.
Qin Sui had never said anything before, not wanting to hurt his father, whose knowledge of history and culture was rather shallow.
But now...
He just wanted to pierce his father's heart.
"Forget it," Li Xiaoya sighed softly. "I'll take you to find someone living nearby."
[I can feel Li Xiaoya's weariness.]
[This family relies entirely on Li Xiaoya to take care of them! Aww, I can't help but love her even more.]
Before the main road was built, Li Xiaoya had walked this small path countless times, so she was very familiar with where people lived.
She led Qin Sui to a household, poked her head in, and her tone finally revealed a hint of sweetness: "Auntie, do you have hot water? We fell into the paddy field."
Qin Sui used the hot water the family had boiled here and dried his clothes by the stove.
When he came out after cleaning up, Li Xiaoya was negotiating with the woman: "Auntie, is ten yuan okay?"
The woman said, "No, no, fifty!"
Li Xiaoya looked pitiful, "But I don't have that much money."
The auntie put her hands on her hips, "Everyone for miles around knows you're filming that whatcha-call-it show. They all say you've paid off your father's debts. That show must pay so well, I'm not even asking for a hundred."
Qin Sui vaguely understood and interjected, "Why do we need to pay?"
Li Xiaoya glared at him, "Because you used her water and stove."
Qin Sui pondered briefly, "Just give her the money directly. Don't you need to get to school? You'll be late."
Li Xiaoya shook her head angrily, "It's okay to be late, but not okay to overpay!"
Qin Sui couldn't understand, "Give her a hundred, and I'll pay you back ten times, no, thirty times later."
Hearing this, the auntie was overjoyed, "That's right, that's right. City folks sure are generous. Xiaoya, hurry and give auntie the money."
Li Xiaoya glared fiercely at Qin Sui, pulled out a fifty yuan note from her pocket, stuffed it into the auntie's hand, then grabbed Qin Sui's hand and ran.
The auntie cursed behind them, "Didn't you say a hundred? Damn misers! Little girl playing tricks."
[...]
[Giving a hundred is indeed exaggerating. Li Xiaoya doesn't have much money. She lives such a hard life, saving every penny with great difficulty! All her money has gone to paying off her father's debts.]
[If this is the "swindler" Li Xiaoya that the villagers talk about, then I think she's right to swindle. Why should she give them however much they ask for?]
[Ah, Qin Sui is driving me crazy! This young master really doesn't understand the hardships of life! You're not even as good as Sheng Yuxiao! Sheng Yuxiao, come back quickly, Li Xiaoya really can't do without you!]
After running quite far, Li Xiaoya finally slowed her steps and muttered, "Just give me back fifty, that's enough."
Qin Sui was at a loss for words.
For a moment, he felt like he might have done something wrong.
But he could give her more money...
"Why won't you take it?" Qin Sui asked directly.
"What?"
"The thirty-fold compensation I gave you, why won't you accept it?"
Li Xiaoya didn't respond. After a long while, as she walked forward, she finally said, "There's no such thing as kindness without reason. Kindness... comes at a price."
Qin Sui wondered if this could even be considered kindness.
He pressed on, "Then what about Sheng Yuxiao? He's kind to you, why can you accept it from him?"
Li Xiaoya kicked away a small stone at her feet and said softly, head lowered, "He's different."
Qin Sui was too curious. With Sheng Yuxiao's temperament, wasn't he even more unlikeable?
He asked, "How is he different?"
Li Xiaoya turned back, glaring at him fiercely, "He just is different, different from you!"
Her eyes were beautiful; even when angry, she didn't look unappealing. If anything, she seemed even more adorable.
Qin Sui thought to himself, he was determined to figure this out.
Why was it that Sheng Yuxiao could win her affection?