Coldhearted

That trick won't work on me.

"Uncle Li."

Xing Yue greeted him softly, a faint smile on her face. It was impossible to tell how she felt; her greeting was little more than a courtesy.

She had lived with the Bu Family for a while. Bu Yao's parents had refused to let their daughter move out to live with her, so Xing Yue had moved in instead.

Whenever Housekeeper Li spoke to her, it was usually to say things like, "The young miss is a very gentle girl. You'll see once you've spent more time with her," or "The young miss loves you. She's just young and sometimes says things she doesn't mean," or "Please give a little ground. The young miss is your wife."

But every time Xing Yue gave ground, she had to give more. Asking for a divorce was the only time she had ever stood firm. She had never seen a trace of gentleness in Bu Yao, nor any sign that Bu Yao loved her.

Besides, every servant in the Bu Family sided with Bu Yao. Coming from an ordinary family was already enough to earn their disapproval. Whenever they argued, big or small, someone would urge Xing Yue to put up with it. In that environment, she only grew more resentful of Bu Yao. How could she have been in any mood to discover another side to her?

Housekeeper Li gestured toward the car. "The young miss is here to pick you up from work."

A cool breeze had risen with the night. The trumpet trees along the road rustled, shedding purple blossoms in a flurry. The wind was so strong it blew Xing Yue's hair into disarray.

She smoothed her hair and brushed away a petal, smiling without warmth. "Did I ask the young miss to pick me up?"

The Bu Family's servants did not show Xing Yue even the most basic respect. As usual, they acted as though Bu Yao wanting to pick her up meant Xing Yue had to get in the car.

Often, Xing Yue had less freedom than the servants. If something happened at home, they could leave their posts and ask for time off afterward. What an understanding employer. But Xing Yue had to report wherever she went. Without Bu Yao's approval, she could not even attend a company team-building event.

What did they take her for? Did they still think she was Bu Yao's live-in wife?

Xing Yue sneered inwardly, tightened her grip on her bag, and walked around the front of the car toward the taxi behind it.

The car's left door suddenly opened. A black swan dress of luxurious fabric swayed gently as Bu Yao stepped out, right into Xing Yue's path.

"Why?" she asked, her voice a little hurried. Unfortunately, the wind was too loud for Xing Yue to hear it.

A light layer of makeup covered her delicate face. The velvety red on her lips matched her dress, making her look elegant and aloof.

Xing Yue spent a few seconds steeling herself. She would not back down this time, no matter what. Perhaps the resolve worked, because her voice stayed cold to the end. "Stop asking other people why and ask yourself something instead. Have you spent twenty-eight years being so overbearing that you think everyone has to indulge you? Whenever you want to do something to someone or have them do something for you, try asking 'may I' or 'would you mind.' Stop giving me orders."

Housekeeper Li's expression changed. "How can you speak to the young miss like that?"

He would have been better off keeping quiet. The moment he spoke, Xing Yue grew angrier, and her polite act fell apart completely. Her voice rose. "How can you treat me like that? Uncle Li, I respect you as an elder and treat you with respect at every turn. How have you treated me? When your young miss got tired from shopping and wanted to change into flats, she made me carry her shoes all the way over. You didn't say a word for me. You even told me to hold them properly. Did I marry your young miss just to carry her shoes? What gives you the right to expect me to obediently get in the car? You're the one with an employment contract with the Bu Family, not me."

People like him had played no small part in making Bu Yao so awful.

After letting it all out, Xing Yue felt much better. She had wanted to say those things for ages. She had never had the chance before, and after the divorce, she could hardly go back just to yell at them. Now that Bu Yao had come to her, she might as well get it off her chest.

Bu Yao simply listened as Xing Yue laid out her grievances. The things she had thought were playful—had Xing Yue hated them that much?

Perhaps the scolding had been too much. Bu Yao rubbed her eyes, and her bright gaze quickly clouded over.

Xing Yue held up a hand to block her view, her expression cold. "Don't try that on me. It won't work."

Her view was blocked, but she could still hear.

Bu Yao was miserable. She had not known how deeply her past actions had hurt Xing Yue. Wiping her eyelid with one finger, she sniffled softly. "I... I want to... pick you up from work. May I?"

Xing Yue knew it. Bu Yao had learned how to put on an act and play little tricks. She had been waiting for Bu Yao to ask, and now she gave her answer at once. "No."

Cold words, cold manner, cold face. All three.

Bu Yao took Xing Yue's hand and pulled it down, then stepped half a pace closer. The wind carried the heat of her breath to Xing Yue. "Really, no?"

Xing Yue's whole hand felt hot enough to turn red. She tried to pull it back, but two tugs got her nowhere.

Bu Yao moved even closer and pressed her forehead against Xing Yue's rising and falling chest. "Really, no?"

She seemed devastated, her body hitching with sobs. Afraid someone else would notice, she kept her crying low and muffled. "Really?"

She was too close, pressed too tightly against her. Through the thin shirt, Bu Yao could clearly feel that Xing Yue was wearing a one-third-cup bra today. Most of the soft fullness beneath it was pressed against her.

As she cried, her face flushed all the way to the tips of her ears, and her breathing grew uneven.

Xing Yue closed her eyes for two seconds. When she opened them again, her triple dose of coldness was almost melted away. Frustrated, she demanded, "What are you crying for?"

Bu Yao shook her head, looking innocent. She said nothing, only sniffled.

That made her look even more pitiful than if she had cried openly.

It's an act. It has to be an act! Xing Yue's thoughts were in turmoil. This woman wanted to follow her home, work out how much she owned, and take revenge. She had to refuse.

Before Xing Yue could muster her coldness again, a warm, soft tail curled around her ankle. It tapped against her calf again and again, its Snake Scales shifting and curling in a restless, furtive excitement.

She looked down. The red snake tail seemed to sense her gaze. It gradually went still, then stopped moving altogether, as if it had grown shy...

The tail quieted, but Bu Yao cried even harder. Afraid of being heard, she shed tears as big as beans without making a sound. Her silent sobs grew like a vine around Xing Yue's heart, binding it tight.

"What am I going to do..." Bu Yao's tears fell helplessly.

In front of everyone, her tail had tried to curry favor with Xing Yue without her permission. It was mortifying.

Xing Yue raised her hand, then lowered it. In the end, she placed it on Bu Yao's back and gave it a faint, habitual pat. What a pushover I am.

She all but bit out two words. "Get! In!"