Coldhearted

That trick wouldn'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; the smile was little more than a courtesy.

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

Whenever Uncle Li spoke to her, it was always some variation of "The young miss is a very gentle woman. 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 "Give a little ground. The young miss is your wife."

Xing Yue had given ground again and again. Asking for a divorce was the only time she had 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 took Bu Yao's side. Coming from an ordinary family was already enough to make them look down on Xing Yue. Whenever they argued, someone would urge her to put up with it. In that environment, she had only grown more averse to Bu Yao. How could she have been in the mood to discover some other side of her?

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

A cool wind rose that night. The trumpet trees along the road rustled, shedding purple blossoms in great flurries. The wind was so strong it blew Xing Yue's hair into disarray.

She smoothed her hair and brushed away the petals, her smile never reaching her eyes. "Did I ask the young miss of the Bu Family to pick me up?"

The Bu Family's servants didn't show Xing Yue even the most basic respect. As far as they were concerned, if Bu Yao wanted to pick her up, Xing Yue had to get in the car. Nothing had changed.

More often than not, Xing Yue had been treated worse than a servant. If something came up at home, the servants could leave their posts and ask for time off afterward. What an understanding employer. Yet Xing Yue had to report wherever she went. Without Bu Yao's permission, she couldn't even attend a company outing.

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 a taxi behind it.

The car's left-side door suddenly opened. A black swan dress of exquisite quality swayed softly as Bu Yao stepped out, stopping right in 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 graced her delicate face, and the velvety red on her lips matched her dress. She looked noble and coldly beautiful.

Xing Yue spent a few seconds steeling herself. This time, she wouldn't back down, no matter what. Perhaps the thought worked, because her tone was cold to the end. "Ask other people 'why' less often and ask yourself more. Have you been overbearing for twenty-eight years and come to think everyone has to indulge you? Whenever you want to do something to someone, or want someone to 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?"

She might have kept up her polite act if he had stayed quiet. Instead, Xing Yue grew even angrier, her voice rising. "How can you treat me like that? Uncle Li, I respect you as my elder. I've always treated you with respect. 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 who signed an employment contract with the Bu Family, not me."

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

After letting it all out, Xing Yue felt much better. She had wanted to say those things for ages. She hadn't had the chance before, and after the divorce, she could hardly go back just to yell at them. Now Bu Yao had come to her, giving her the perfect opportunity to vent.

Bu Yao simply listened as Xing Yue laid out her grievances. So the things Bu Yao had thought were playful moments between them—Xing Yue had hated them that much...

Perhaps the scolding was too much for her. She rubbed her eyes, and her bright gaze soon clouded over.

Xing Yue raised a hand to block her from view. "Don't try that with me. It won't work."

Her hand blocked her sight, but she could still hear.

Bu Yao was miserable. She hadn't known how deeply her past actions had hurt Xing Yue. Wiping her eyelids with an index finger, she sniffled softly. "I—I wanted to... pick you up from work. May I?"

Xing Yue knew it. Bu Yao had become quite the actress, full of little tricks. Xing Yue had been waiting for her to ask. "No."

Cold words, cold heart, cold face. All three in a row.

Bu Yao took Xing Yue's hand and pulled it down, then stepped half a pace closer. Her heated breath reached Xing Yue even through the wind. "Really? I can't?"

The back of Xing Yue's hand and her palm felt hot enough to turn red. She tried to pull away twice, but couldn't free herself.

Bu Yao moved a little closer and rested her forehead against Xing Yue's rising and falling chest. "Really? I can't?"

She seemed terribly upset, crying in little gasps while trying to keep anyone else from hearing her muffled sobs. "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 her softness was pressed against Bu Yao.

As she cried, her blush spread 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 melting away. Frustrated, she demanded, "What are you crying for?"

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

Somehow, she looked even more pitiful than if she had been bawling.

It's an act. It has to be an act! Xing Yue's thoughts were a mess. Bu Yao wanted to follow her home, size up her assets, and take revenge. She had to refuse.

Before Xing Yue could deliver another triple dose of coldness, a hot, soft tail wound around her ankle. It tapped against her calf again and again, its scales shivering as it curled with furtive excitement.

She looked down. As though it could feel her gaze, the red snake tail gradually fell still. It didn't move at all. It had actually grown shy...

The tail quieted, but Bu Yao cried harder. Afraid others would hear, she shed tears as large as beans without making a sound. Her silent sobs grew like a vine around Xing Yue's heart, binding it tight.

"What do I do..." Tears streamed helplessly down Bu Yao's face.

In full view of everyone, her tail had tried to curry favor with Xing Yue all on its own. It was too embarrassing.

Xing Yue raised her hand, then lowered it. In the end, she placed it on Bu Yao's back and gave her a few tentative pats—out of habit, against her better judgment.

She all but ground out two words through clenched teeth. "Get! In!"