Listening to Bai Huizi’s critique of herself, Chi Qingya felt a burning pain flare across her face, as if it were on fire.
She forced out a smile that was even uglier than crying, her lips twitching tightly.
Her body trembled slightly, her throat stuffed with a burning iron ball— unable to swallow, unable to spit it out.
Her nails dug into the soft flesh of her palms, numb from the pain but unwilling to let go, afraid that even a single word of defiance would slip through her fingers.
Her ears buzzed with those harsh words, each syllable like a small iron nail crawling through her veins, stabbing viciously at her heart.
Was she really as worthless as Bai Huizi said?
She didn’t know.
But she knew what she had to do now was apologize to Bai Huizi.
“Sorry, sorry.”
Her mind went blank, her mouth endlessly repeating apologies, her body acting on instinct as if doing so could end all this torment.
She felt so miserable, wanting the whole thing to be over as soon as possible.
Her chest was heavy, as if a boiling aluminum pot pressed down on her ribs, the steam inside aching to burst out, but she forced herself to keep the lid tightly shut.
Chi Qingya lowered her head, letting her hair fall to hide the expression on her face.
Unwilling memories flashed before her eyes, making her want to curl up in a corner and hug her head, seeking a shred of safety.
Bai Huizi’s accusations suddenly ceased, but Chi Qingya’s apologies continued like a lost soul.
Seeing her disheveled, defeated appearance, Bai Huizi fell silent for a moment.
Finally, as if spotting some unlucky omen, she said, “You handle things yourself. If you can’t, then find somewhere else to rent. This place is small—I can’t afford to keep a big Buddha like you here.”
“But if you’re looking for a place, try a bit farther away, or ask me more questions. After all, there are plenty of complexes nearby that I own.”
Bai Huizi’s tone softened slightly, though Chi Qingya kept apologizing without pause.
Bai Huizi didn’t say much else. She picked up the already dirtied socks and left, taking a few photos of the filthy, pigsty-like room before her.
It wasn’t that she was afraid of Chi Qingya’s current state—she just worried that if she pushed too hard, blood might spill onto her.
If someone died in her room, dealing with it would be a huge hassle, and renting out the entire building afterward would be much more difficult.
Although Bai Huizi didn’t care much about her reputation, she didn’t want bad luck clinging to her either.
She suddenly understood why Su Li chose to leave and refused to deal with Chi Qingya.
This wasn’t just a ticking time bomb—it was a living time bomb; whoever got too close was doomed.
She had no idea how Su Li managed to live with Chi Qingya for so long.
During the time Su Li lived here, Bai Huizi hadn’t heard a single complaint from neighbors or noticed any problems in Chi Qingya’s home.
Managing Chi Qingya’s rented room was so simple that having Su Li lick her well-maintained feet didn’t even feel humiliating.
She felt every inch of her skin was infinitely cleaner than Chi Qingya’s.
Seeing Chi Qingya today shattered Bai Huizi’s idealized image of female students completely.
The other female college students she had met before were all decent—none like Chi Qingya.
Thinking this, she grew eager to see Su Li again.
[Little Su Li, where are you now?]
Bai Huizi sent Su Li a message, her heart pounding with anticipation, eager to get a reply.
She was desperate for Su Li to serve her, help clean her up, and listen as she vented about her ex.
Surely, Su Li would listen with a blank expression, right?
Or would her face show some other lively emotion?
Bai Huizi was curious but figured Su Li was most likely expressionless.
After all, when Bai Huizi had seen Su Li looking for a place to live, her emotions were completely calm.
Perhaps because Bai Huizi was one of Su Li’s major clients, the reply came quickly.
[In class, if you need anything, wait for me at home. I’ll be back after class.]
[Elder Sister will change clothes and wait for you~]
[1]
A faint smile curved Bai Huizi’s lips as she momentarily forgot her feet had just been washed with dirty water.
Only when she saw her already soaked black stockings in her hand did the annoyed expression return.
One wash wasn’t enough—Su Li would have to clean her multiple times.
She looked at her phone and suddenly felt time stretch endlessly.
Only after the door to the room closed did Chi Qingya slump down in pain.
She hugged her head with both hands, her body trembling uncontrollably.
She even forgot about the black water spreading from the bathroom, soaking her clothes, paying no mind to it.
“Sorry, sorry.”
Her apologies kept coming, even though Bai Huizi had long left.
After an unknown stretch of time, her mind blanked, and she drifted in a daze, wearing wet clothes, leaning against the wall near the bathroom, her gaze vacant.
After a long while, she snapped back to reality and stared blankly toward Su Li’s room.
Had she been wrong?
Was she really at fault?
If not, then why did even the landlady say those things about her?
But…
Why would the landlady say that?
She was the one who suffered back then…
She was the one who was bullied.
She had trusted the landlady enough to tell her what happened, so why use that against her?
Wasn’t she only causing a bit of trouble for the tenants downstairs?
The landlady could have just scolded her directly, so why bring up such painful, deeply buried matters to attack her?
There was no connection between those things, so why say them?
Chi Qingya didn’t understand but felt an overwhelming sadness.
A suffocating emotion pressed down on her.
She had thought she’d moved on, but apparently, she hadn’t.
She didn’t dare say more—this was the closest and cheapest place to school.
If she moved somewhere else, getting to school every day would be difficult.
She could find a more expensive place, but…
That would probably just trouble her parents more.
Thinking of how hard her parents worked every day, Chi Qingya fell silent.
She felt so stifled now and wished someone would come to help her…