32. Relying on favoritism and being arrogant.

The three words “smelling my clothes” sounded off, but Qin Zhaoyi couldn’t pinpoint what exactly was off about them.

Qin Zhaoyi immediately denied, [No.]

Luo Yue’s response came quickly: [Oh~]

The tilde (~) in her reply was gracefully elongated, resembling an extended tone teasingly.

Clearly, Luo Yue had already left, yet her scent lingered in the air, as if she were still there. Especially for someone as sensitive to words as Qin Zhaoyi, just by reading the text, she could imagine the tone of the other person.

Feeling embarrassed, she denied again: [Really, I didn’t.]

But no matter how you looked at it, it seemed like she was trying to cover it up.

Luo Yue, however, didn’t tease further and truthfully answered about the scent: “Fantasy Grace Rose.”

Not finding this scent among the well-known luxury perfumes, Qin Zhaoyi thought it might be from some niche brand and decided to look it up online.

The search results only showed “Liby Laundry Detergent.”

Qin Zhaoyi frowned and raised her collar to take a sniff. No matter how she smelled it, it seemed like perfume, a tempting fragrance.

Reluctantly, Qin Zhaoyi asked: [Can you send me the link?]

A few minutes later, Luo Yue sent the link.

[Liby Fragrance Fantasy Grace Rose Laundry Detergent].

This shattered Qin Zhaoyi’s hopes completely.

Miss Qin, who has long been immersed in the world of luxury, does not believe that such a fragrance can come from laundry detergent. She is more inclined to think it’s from a newly released fragrance by a renowned brand.

However, Luo Yue continues to defy her expectations.

After a while, Qin Zhaoyi gathered the coat, the scent of roses infiltrating her senses, mixed with the moist aroma of rain. She resignedly thought that this incident happening with Luo Yue was quite reasonable. Luo Yue always managed to turn ordinary things into luxurious ones, just like herself – seemingly gentle and approachable but ultimately elusive.

The enticing fragrance unconsciously drew her in. Qin Zhaoyi returned to her room, wearing the coat, and couldn’t resist smelling it again as she opened the wardrobe to find her own clothes.

Only then did she belatedly realize what was wrong with her behavior just now.

— She was acting like a pervert.

The worst kind.

As soon as Qin Zhaoyi became aware of this, she quickly pulled off the coat and threw it onto the bed. However, a few seconds later, she reached out, grabbed the collar, and pulled it up. The white coat stood silently in the air, as if it could outline Luo Yue’s figure.

Qin Zhaoyi closed her eyes, sighed lightly, and hung the coat in the wardrobe.

Leaning against the cold wardrobe door, she took a deep breath.

No, she wasn’t a pervert.

She just… really liked Luo Yue.

In the evening, Cheng Shijing arrived as promised.

Qin Zhaoyi changed into brightly colored clothes, even applying some lipstick to conceal her illness.

She was not used to showing her vulnerable side.

After Cheng Shijing arrived, he glanced at her while preparing the medicine. “You look much better. Still coughing?”

“No,” Qin Zhaoyi said and then coughed.

Cheng Shijing frowned, “Don’t lie to the doctor.”

Qin Zhaoyi replied hesitantly, “It’s about the same.”

Cheng Shijing hung up the IV bag. “A small difference can make a big change.”

The two were not familiar with each other, their interaction only eased by the connection through Luo Yue.

As Cheng Shijing hesitated while inserting the needle, he frowned at her bluish hand, causing Qin Zhaoyi to instinctively pull back.

Cheng Shijing reached out to hold her, indifferently saying, “If you want to harm your body, go somewhere else. Moon Island doesn’t welcome those seeking death.”

Qin Zhaoyi endured the pain but didn’t show it. She retorted, “How did you figure out I want to die?”

“If you can’t even take your IV properly,” Cheng Shijing replied coldly, “you might as well let yourself burn to death.”

Qin Zhaoyi retorted, “No one asked you to come.”

Cheng Shijing sneered, “If it weren’t for Luo Yue, who would care about you?”

Qin Zhaoyi, instinctively wanting to refute, smiled after two seconds, “Well, if you have the ability, make Luo Yue stop caring about me.”

Cheng Shijing said, “…Relying on favoritism and being arrogant?”

Qin Zhaoyi was initially testing the waters, but she didn’t expect Cheng Shijing’s four-word response.

She chuckled even more, not taking Cheng Shijing’s provocations to heart and casually said, “Yeah.”

Cheng Shijing: “…”

Before long, Cheng Shijing left with a cold expression.

Qin Zhaoyi lay on the bed, a smile on her face, and dozed off for a while.

The brief sleep brought pleasant dreams, and even when awakened by the phone, Qin Zhaoyi didn’t get upset.

It was a delivery from Zhong Ling, and the delivery person asked for her exact address. After a moment of thought, she gave the location as 64 Taoyuan Lane.

The delivery person spoke in the authentic Moon Island dialect, repeating three times before Qin Zhaoyi barely understood.

They asked, “Is it the small red building?”

Qin Zhaoyi confirmed.

The person quickly hung up.

The timing of the call was fitting; the first bottle of IV was almost finished.

Clearly, it was a bit challenging for her to do it alone. Cheng Shijing had already left, as if anticipating that someone else would come to replace her.

So Qin Zhaoyi opened her camera, took a picture of the nearly empty IV bottle, and sent it to the WeChat account that had only one message from the system and one payment record.

Staring at the transferred amount, she pondered how much Luo Yue had received.

Before she could finish her thoughts, Luo Yue replied: [Wait a moment.]

It indicated she was coming.

Qin Zhaoyi took advantage again and sent: [I’m hungry.]

The message “Typing…” appeared for two seconds, and then came, [What do you want to eat?]

Qin Zhaoyi replied: [Tiramisu.]

Realizing that her request seemed a bit excessive, she added: [Is that okay?]

Luo Yue: […I’ll have to go to town to buy it.]

Qin Zhaoyi felt disappointed: [Okay.]

Actually, she didn’t necessarily want to eat that. She wasn’t someone who ate desserts much; occasionally, she would pair one with an extremely bitter iced Americano.

She brought it up now just to experience what Cheng Shijing called “relying on favoritism and being arrogant.”

Luo Yue: [I’ll check with Shiyu.]

Qin Zhaoyi: [If it’s too much trouble, forget it.]

Luo Yue didn’t hesitate either: [Okay.]

Qin Zhaoyi stared at that “Okay,” feeling that it was both reasonable and unreasonable.

It seemed like she was experiencing what “relying on favoritism and being arrogant” was, but it also seemed like she wasn’t.

Her mood was somewhat complicated.

This continued until Luo Yue arrived. Seeing her with makeup, Luo Yue was a bit surprised but didn’t say anything.

Luo Yue quietly changed the IV bottle for her, adjusted the drip rate again, and only asked if she felt dizzy, with very little idle talk.

Qin Zhaoyi, lacking spirit, replied, “I’m a bit hungry.”

Luo Yue touched her stomach, “I haven’t eaten either. Besides tiramisu, what else do you want to eat?”

Qin Zhaoyi pondered for a moment, not wanting something too complicated that might not be available here: “Pasta?”

Luo Yue: “…”

“Is there?” Qin Zhaoyi asked.

Perhaps she asked too cautiously, and Luo Yue couldn’t bear to refuse, “Yes.”

Qin Zhaoyi felt a little joyous inside but didn’t show it, “Okay, thank you.”

It was just like ordering in a restaurant.

Luo Yue turned away to tidy up the table and couldn’t help but comment, “Do you have a taste for Western food?”

Qin Zhaoyi was taken aback, “Not really.”

Luo Yue said, “Can you accept instant noodles, then?”

Qin Zhaoyi hesitated, “Well, yes.”

So, five minutes later, Luo Yue entered the room with a bowl of stir-fried instant noodles.

Qin Zhaoyi: “…”

Luo Yue shamelessly said, “I just checked and found that the pasta we have at home was bought two years ago and has expired, so we can’t eat it.”

Qin Zhaoyi stared at the perfectly cooked stir-fried instant noodles, dumbfounded, and couldn’t help but swallow saliva.

Luo Yue’s cooking skills were indeed excellent.

She managed to turn simple ingredients into a sophisticated flavor.

Seeing Qin Zhaoyi not saying anything, Luo Yue thought she didn’t like it, so she added, “Tomorrow, I’ll go out, and when I come back, I’ll buy some. If you need anything else, you can let me know.”

Qin Zhaoyi suddenly looked up at her, “Where are you going?”

“To the city,” Luo Yue said, “There’s a teaching competition.”

Qin Zhaoyi only realized then that Luo Yue had mentioned it before; she needed to prepare a teaching plan for an open class, and she would be going out tomorrow.

But at that time, she was being teased by Luo Yue, and her heart was in turmoil, so she didn’t pay attention to it.

Now that it was brought up again, the noodles in front of her suddenly lost their appeal. She put down her chopsticks and stared straight at Luo Yue.

Luo Yue leaned against the windowsill, bathed in the night’s soft glow.

“What are you looking at?” Luo Yue asked. “Or maybe you can make a list now, and I’ll get it for you.”

Usually, she helped the elderly on Moon Island in this way, procuring items for them.

Qin Zhaoyi hesitated, “Do you need a driver?”

Luo Yue was puzzled, “What?”

Qin Zhaoyi volunteered, “I can drive you.”

Luo Yue: “…”

After a moment, Luo Yue chuckled, her long hair dancing around her shoulders. The moisture in the air touched the corners of her eyes and eyebrows, adding a touch of tenderness for no reason. “Take a boat with the teachers from our school.”

“Let me drive you,” Qin Zhaoyi said. “I’ll take you.”

Luo Yue shook her head. “Rest well.”

After stretching lazily, Luo Yue reminded, “You eat first, and I’ll go back to continue making the teaching materials.”

After saying that, she walked out without looking back. Qin Zhaoyi stared at her departing figure and asked, “When will you come back?”

Luo Yue waved without turning around. “I’ll be back after the competition.”

Qin Zhaoyi watched her leave and coincidentally encountered the delivery guy outside. They seemed familiar and exchanged some local dialect for a while, both smiling.

The man handed the package to Luo Yue, who signed for it and then returned.

Qin Zhaoyi’s bowl of noodles remained untouched.

“Your delivery,” Luo Yue placed it at the door. “It seems to be some documents.”

Qin Zhaoyi nodded, looking somewhat gloomy.

She didn’t feel the joy of being favored.

Luo Yue cautioned her again, “Don’t be picky, Princess Qin.”

Even because she knew Qin Zhaoyi didn’t like spinach, she fried some spinach and placed it on top, green and shiny.

“If I finish eating,” Qin Zhaoyi negotiated with her, “will you come back tomorrow night?”

Luo Yue hesitated, “Maybe not.”

Qin Zhaoyi: “…”

Qin Zhaoyi pursed her lips. “I can’t cook.”

Luo Yue chuckled, “Don’t you have restaurants? You went to eat that day when you came.”

Qin Zhaoyi: “It’s not delicious.”

Luo Yue frowned, “Ah jie’s cooking is famous for being delicious. Next time you go, try ordering clay pot rice.”

Qin Zhaoyi: “…It’s not as delicious as yours.”

Luo Yue, who had a neutral expression, couldn’t help but laugh after hearing this, “Alright.”

Qin Zhaoyi thought she was going to compromise, but then she heard Luo Yue saying as she walked away, “You can starve tomorrow.”

Qin Zhaoyi: “…”

She didn’t indulge her annoying habits at all.

After Luo Yue left, Qin Zhaoyi angrily finished a bowl of noodles.

Ate until she was particularly full.

Casually endured the long infusion period, and after the drip was finished, she pulled out the needle expertly.

After placing the bowl in the sink, she tore off the white tape and saw the lingering bruise on the back of her hand and the needle hole from today’s infusion.

So she took another photo of her hand to show Luo Yue.

Luo Yue replied: [You still need to get an infusion tomorrow.]

Qin Zhaoyi: […]

She didn’t feel any care at all.

Cheng Shijing was deceiving her!

Where did this “relying on favoritism and being arrogant” come from? It was just Cheng Shijing’s imagination.

Luo Yue sat under the desk lamp, enlarged the image a few times, and opened the chat box with Cheng Shijing: [Shijing ge, I asked you to teach her a lesson, not to physically harm her.]

Cheng Shijing: [??]

Luo Yue: [The girl has delicate skin and tender flesh. You pierced her too harshly.]

Cheng Shijing: [Do you also know that she has delicate skin and tender flesh? What can I do if it turns purple with just a touch?]

Luo Yue: Well, then be gentler. Did your medical skills not reach a satisfactory level?]

Cheng Shijing sent a voice message through gritted teeth, “You can question me, but don’t question my professionalism.”

Luo Yue: [Fine. But tomorrow you must be gentler, change to a single-hand infusion, and keep an eye on her. Don’t let her mess around.]

Cheng Shijing: […]

A few minutes later, Cheng Shijing sighed, “Xiao Yue, am I your hired nanny for your girlfriend?”

Luo Yue: [If you’re willing.]

Cheng Shijing: [Of course not!!!]

Before Luo Yue could reply, Cheng Shiyu knocked on her door.

The woman, now in casual clothes, with her hair tied up in a high ponytail, wearing sportswear, handed over the bought Tiramisu. She also reminded, “Yue jie, eat less sweets at night, it’s not good for your teeth.”

Luo Yue smiled, “Alright.”

Cheng Shiyu, swift like a gust of wind, quickly left.

Holding the Tiramisu, Luo Yue returned to her room to finish the last page of the PPT.

After Qin Zhaoyi finished the drip, she received Luo Yue’s response, and her mood was not good.

She also happened to receive a message from Zhong Ling asking if she had opened the package. She replied irritably, “Didn’t open, didn’t look, not interested.”

Zhong Ling: [Don’t regret it!]

Qin Zhaoyi didn’t respond. She sat on the bed in a daze, but eventually chose to open the package.

Inside was a piece of clothing and a script.

Zhong Ling had mentioned the script before, a suspense script, and asked her to help with the revisions.

Qin Zhaoyi used to help with scriptwriting, and even her self-directed IP “Fox Under the Moonlight” was written by Qin Zhaoyi herself.

This time, the movie was titled “Treading Wind,” and thanks to Zhong Ling’s reputation, several actors had been interested in it online.

Qin Zhaoyi casually flipped through a few pages and asked Zhong Ling if the leads were decided. Zhong Ling confirmed that the leads were Wang Xinqi and Lu Xinyan.

Qin Zhaoyi searched for the images of the two actors, and indeed, they matched the appearance of the male and female leads.

Putting the script aside to revise it later, she opened the clothing package.

It was a dark green color with a bit of a Republic of China style. Qin Zhaoyi thought it was a dress for her.

When she unfolded it further, she found it a bit puzzling.

The fabric was scarce, and in the middle, there was a piece of paper. The four prominent characters at the top were “Interest/Fun Sleepwear.”

Qin Zhaoyi: ??

She gestured to herself, and before she could figure out how to wear this thing, she heard a “tsk” sound.

Qin Zhaoyi slowly turned her head and saw Luo Yue standing by the window, staring at her intently.

Not forgetting to compliment, “This outfit makes you look very fair.”

Qin Zhaoyi: …

Her face blushed for a moment.

The dark green suspender dress had a large neckline with ribbons in the front and almost entirely hollow in the back. A bow adorned the side of the waist.

When Qin Zhaoyi gestured, the dress just covered the root of her thighs.

And Luo Yue, propping up her chin, smirked, “Princess, you should look quite good in this.”

Qin Zhaoyi: …

Her mind went blank for a moment. To cover her embarrassment, she cleared her throat and said, “Bought it for you.”