Chapter 138 - 137: Kitten Sleeping
On the third floor of the villa, Yang Shen finished listening to what Xu Bamboo called her "unremarkable story."
Xu Bamboo had already fallen asleep... She was hugging Yang Shen’s arm tightly.
He could feel the soft touch on his forearm, but Yang Shen’s mind was no longer wandering.
There was only a complex mix of emotions...
Later... The story that followed became even more monotonous.
Before the Xu Family’s matriarch passed away, her heart ultimately softened, and she left a will... It gave the "Eldest Miss of the Xu Family" ample financial security.
A trust fund, from which a considerable sum could be withdrawn annually—enough for an ordinary person to live without worry, or even enough to be considered wealthy.
However, Xu Bamboo’s paternal aunt—the biological sister of Xu Bamboo’s father—had always despised Ye Qingyao and her daughter, so when executing the will, she added two stipulations.
First, Ye Qingyao and Xu Bamboo had to leave Jianghuai City and were not allowed to return.
Second, the majority of this money could only be used for Xu Bamboo’s education and upbringing.
Although many years had passed and the Xu Family didn’t enforce these rules too strictly, Ye Qingyao, as the guardian, had plenty of opportunities to manipulate things. Buying a mansion, driving a luxury car... all could be justified under the pretense that "Xu Bamboo needs a better environment."
The purpose of the money had long since been blurred, leaving it in a state that lacked oversight.
For example, she had moved to Jinshui County, which had not yet been incorporated into Jianghuai City, purchased property, and became a mysterious, wealthy madam.
To be honest, her gamble had paid off. She had exploited the Xu Family’s softheartedness and secured a comfortable life.
But Ye Qingyao herself probably didn’t see it that way... She always felt she’d been short-changed, that she should have had more... that she should be living in the Xu Family’s ancestral home, a member of high society.
Settling in Jinshui County was a product of this vague dissatisfaction, a sign she was waiting for an opportunity.
However, because of this, Xu Bamboo was able to spend a few relatively normal years.
Those experiences from her early childhood gradually faded into memory. With money to squander, Ye Qingyao no longer had the time to discipline her daughter.
She was basically left to her own devices. But Xu Bamboo was well-behaved, simply enjoying a peaceful life.
But a few years later, a rumor reached Ye Qingyao’s ears.
It was said that before the old matriarch passed away, she had said something aloud: "If that child grows up to be successful... let her come back. She is, after all, of Cheng’s bloodline."
Someone at her sickbed had asked, "What do you mean by ’successful’ and ’grown up’?"
The old matriarch, who had lost her husband in middle age and her son in her later years, smiled in her final moments and stated a standard: "Getting into Jiangti... that would already be outstanding..."
No one could prove it, the Xu Family never acknowledged it, and it was certainly not written into any agreement.
But once the rumor reached Ye Qingyao’s ears, it became another flickering candle in her paranoid life...
She began to throw all her energy into her daughter’s upbringing.
After years of not caring one bit about Xu Bamboo’s grades, she suddenly tightened her control, even to a pathological degree.
Back then, Xu Bamboo was just a freshman in high school, still not used to the changes of high school life. Her mother’s transformation was like pouring salt on a wound.
She was subjected to extremely strict control every day. Every moment was scheduled solid, leaving not a single crack for a life of her own.
In Yang Shen’s words, if Ye Qingyao could execute such a twisted plan, she’d be capable of reaching the Innate realm herself.
Instead of being some useless vase with nothing but looks, unable to even stand on her own two feet in the Martial Arts Society.
One could only say... she was as strict as the law when managing others, and as lazy as a pig when it came to herself.
And as her financial resources dwindled, Ye Qingyao became even more paranoid. She would never look for fault in herself; she only felt that after spending so much, Xu Bamboo had to give her a result!
Because she had been neglected for so long, Xu Bamboo’s academic foundation wasn’t strong. This matched Yang Shen’s impression from their freshman year. Back then, the two of them were actually on the same level; otherwise, they wouldn’t have ended up as desk mates.
But through those harsh, twisted methods, Xu Bamboo was forcefully pushed up to become first in her grade.
She wasn’t naturally gifted.
She was just being forced, unable to stop.
The pressure became most intense in her sophomore year when she started focusing on Body Forging. Her sleep was gradually compressed, pushing her body and mind to the breaking point.
During that time, it was as if Xu Bamboo had returned to her state before she was five. The only difference was that her "cage" had changed from a two-bedroom apartment to a villa.
And her desk mate at school, Yang Shen, became the only "freedom" Xu Bamboo could touch. It was probably just huddling together with Yang Shen in their little seating area, chatting about anything and everything.
In truth, Yang Shen couldn’t quite recall how his relationship with Xu Bamboo had improved...
Just like with many good friends or desk mates from school, the exact moment it started had become a blur. He only remembered an accumulation of small, happy moments.
Maybe it was a certain conversation, a bit of horseplay, or a stroll across the sports field under the setting sun.
It was the kind of happiness that seemed ordinary to most high schoolers, but which Xu Bamboo cherished immensely.
After her sophomore year, Xu Bamboo’s grades began to skyrocket, and part of that drive came from Yang Shen.
She wanted to help Yang Shen, and to do that, she needed to prove to her mother that she was outstanding enough to easily accomplish the task of getting into "Jiangti."
Only then would her mother relax her control a little, allowing her to secretly take some Supplements for Yang Shen...
She didn’t think that far ahead... nor did she feel she was qualified to get involved with romantic love...
It wasn’t that the young woman had no feelings; she just felt that she would never escape her cage in this lifetime and thus had no right to even think about it.
This was probably also why... when Yang Shen simply brought her breakfast, the girl felt indebted to him.
She wasn’t qualified to reciprocate. She just... wanted to make things a little better for Yang Shen.
He was the only window in the prison of her high school life.
Although she only achieved this goal in the second semester of her senior year, it was already Xu Bamboo’s limit.
Both physiologically and psychologically.
The little bit of freedom she’d managed to wrest from Ye Qingyao’s hands was bought with countless days and nights of gritting her teeth and being utterly obedient.
The seemingly endless supply of Essence Liquid Xu Bamboo had was, in reality, also something she’d earned with her sweat. Then, every morning, she would bring it to school, full of energy, to share.
Didn’t Ye Qingyao know that Xu Bamboo was the foundation of her comfortable life? Didn’t she know that if something really happened to Xu Bamboo, it would all turn to dust?
No... gamblers and fanatics aren’t that clear-headed.
Just like over a decade ago, Ye Qingyao hadn’t cared that the Xu Family, if they got ruthless, could have made her disappear from the face of the earth.
She won her first gamble by giving birth to Xu Bamboo. She won her second gamble by obtaining a comfortable life.
What made her think she couldn’t win a third?
Xu Bamboo was sleeping very soundly.
The young woman was curled up, her lips having at some point touched Yang Shen’s arm.
The touch was warm and soft, and her steady breathing tickled him.
Yang Shen looked at Xu Bamboo’s lovely profile and gently tucked away a stray lock of hair by her ear.
’So that’s why you like stray cats... You’re a little stray cat yourself...’
One little stray cat, wanting to help another.
Training hard to get an extra share of food, trying to teach her companion her own survival skills, pulling her companion up when he was about to sink into despair.
Tapping her companion with a furry little paw: Look, don’t give up. Be like me. Let’s fight together.
Fight for a small piece of territory to truly call their own, fight for the right to bask leisurely in the sun, even if they’re battered and worn.
It was just as their homeroom teacher had said.
A part of Xu Bamboo’s effort was for Yang Shen.
Unfortunately, her poor performance on the monthly exam and the approaching college entrance exams had made Ye Qingyao tighten her control again, even more intensely than before, to a degree that showed a complete disregard for her health.
Yang Shen couldn’t sleep at all. There were too many thoughts running through his mind.
With one arm held by Xu Bamboo, he just stared at the ceiling, listening to her steady breathing.
He was unwilling to pull his arm away.
Only when he was certain that Xu Bamboo was deep in sleep did he look around.
’Sigh... things have come to this... I’ll do the test papers first.’
Yang Shen raised his right hand. A black substance spread out like a tentacle, grabbing the language test papers and a pen that Xu Bamboo needed to do from a nearby desk.
Then, he formed a supporting board that stood upright on his chest, allowing him to do the papers with one hand while lying down.
He was getting more and more skilled at using his "Curse Engraving" ability.
He didn’t know how much time had passed, but while he was in the middle of extrapolating the "author’s central theme," Yang Shen was suddenly startled and instinctively looked out the window.
Someone was back!
The feedback from the "Alarm Array" was clear. From the hazy sense of volume, it seemed to be a car—no, two cars!
Yang Shen checked his watch. It was much earlier than Xu Bamboo had said.
He carefully pulled his arm out. Xu Bamboo didn’t wake up immediately, but she became restless, her brow furrowing slightly.
Yang Shen stared at the lights downstairs.
’I really want to go downstairs and skewer Ye Qingyao on my spear...’
’The kind that sizzles as it cooks...’
’But... it’s not time yet.’
——————
A long time later, after Ye Qingyao saw Jin Wu off, she came up to the third floor.
Xu Bamboo was jolted awake by the sound of footsteps. She saw no trace of Yang Shen, only the open window with the curtains fluttering slightly, letting in a fresh wind.
It was as if a spirit that belonged to her had just departed.
Ye Qingyao didn’t have the habit of knocking. She pushed the door open and walked right in, frowning as she asked, "Were you sleeping?"
Xu Bamboo turned her head, her expression complicated. "Just... for a little while. I didn’t realize."
Dissatisfaction was written all over Ye Qingyao’s face. She walked to the desk. "I told you, you can sleep as much as you want after the college entrance exams. According to the plan, you should be doing your test papers..."
Xu Bamboo looked nervously at the desk and was surprised to find... three completed test papers on it.
The handwriting... was very similar to hers. Of course, she could tell the difference, but her mother wouldn’t be able to.
Or rather... her mother didn’t have the habit of checking the papers carefully... She had neither the patience nor the ability for it.
She also believed that Xu Bamboo wouldn’t dare to lie to her.
Sure enough, Ye Qingyao glanced at the test papers, the harshness in her eyes lessened somewhat, and she turned to leave. "You’ve been diligent enough. I’ll go prepare your medicine."
After her mother left, Xu Bamboo quickly sat down and curiously looked through the three test papers.
’Yang Shen actually did them seriously... while I was asleep?’
’He must have put in a lot of effort. After all, he didn’t just fill in random answers; he completed every question seriously.’
Xu Bamboo kept flipping through them until she reached the final essay section and saw that only a single sentence was written there.
It was the most perfunctory part of the entire test paper, yet also the most sincere.
"Don’t be afraid. I’m here."
Xu Bamboo pressed her lips together, the corners of her mouth lifting into a faint, secret, yet sweet smile.