Do You Despise Me

“Crunch crunch crunch crunch.”

“Crunch, crunch.”

“Slurp—”

“Gulp, gulp, gulp.”

Accompanied by the rustling of bags inside the trash can, a long-haired girl was currently relocating the snacks from the basket in front of her. Relocating them straight into her own stomach.

The empty wrappers, naturally, were left for the trash can to enjoy.

“Yu You, don’t eat too much; it’s almost mealtime,” said Tang Keke, who was sitting cross-legged nearby playing a game. Unlike Bai Yuyou, who was still wearing the uniform of Yinshan Academy, Keke had changed the moment she got home into a cool little tank top and shorts—after all, it was still pretty muggy today.

“Don’t worry, I can finish it all,” Bai Yuyou said through a mouthful of chips, all while making sure to pass some to the little girl beside her, Yezi.

The two of them, big and small, eating snacks at the same time looked as alike as if they had been cut from the same mold.

So similar.

So very similar.

This sight landed squarely in the eyes of Ye Shuang, who was sitting across from them. Though he had the appearance of someone absorbed in his phone, his gaze was firmly locked on Bai Yuyou and Yezi. Since the match had come up in his mind, Ye Shuang grew more and more convinced that Yezi was Bai Yuyou’s daughter.

But then, how old had she been when she gave birth?

And Bai Yuyou had never once mentioned it before. It wasn’t like she could have been cloned, right?

Just as Ye Shuang was lost in thought, Bai Yuyou noticed his stare and tilted her head slightly.

“Corner of your mouth,” Ye Shuang said, reaching out to brush away a few crumbs stuck to the corner of her mouth.

Bai Yuyou wiped reflexively, then looked as though she wanted to throw herself into Ye Shuang’s arms.

Holding the soft, clinging warmth of Bai Yuyou in his arms, along with the faint floral scent that clung to her, Ye Shuang silently summoned his system interface, asking his question,

“Did Yuyou really experience something like that?”

[Character: Bai Yuyou

Touch to verify]

Ye Shuang: “…”

Are you out of your mind?

Seeing that the system was as unreliable as ever, Ye Shuang decided not to dwell on it. He figured he’d just take Bai Yuyou and little Yezi for a paternity test so he wasn’t jumping at shadows.

Humans are the sort of creatures that need repeated confirmation before they accept the truth—but maybe even then, that truth isn’t always the real one.

With Bai Yuyou in his arms, Ye Shuang’s mind raced over her relationship with Yezi and whether Bai Laoqi (that old man) had done anything to Bai Yuyou.

Based on the timeline, only that single possibility existed. After all, she had been locked up in the attic all that time.

Unless someone else had gotten in.

If Yezi really was Bai Laoqi’s daughter, Ye Shuang knew he would never be able to accept it.

Had Bai Yuyou simply forgotten, or had she lost the memory due to trauma? He had no way of knowing. What he did feel was a pang of sympathy as he gently patted her on the back.

Bai Yuyou looked up, catching the expression in Ye Shuang’s eyes, and tilted her head again, not understanding.

After dinner came, there was a short rest before it was time for a bath. While Ye Shuang sat at the desk, lost in thought, a sound came from behind him. He turned around to see Bai Yuyou standing in the doorway.

( • ω • )

Ye Shuang couldn’t help but smile softly at that. “What are you standing there for? Come on in.”

“Okay,” Bai Yuyou replied, hurrying into the room. But she was holding a towel, and judging by the eager look on her face, Ye Shuang understood immediately that this girl had come to take a bath with him.

“Yu You, let’s bathe together tonight. We can talk a bit,” Ye Shuang said.

That simple sentence made Bai Yuyou’s movements pause almost imperceptibly, as if her actions had slowed down. A flicker of confusion passed through her pitch-black, gemstone-like eyes—this was completely unlike Ye Shuang, who always kept his distance. Seeing him invite her was something she had never encountered before.

Her brain was about to start overheating.

Ye Shuang grabbed his change of clothes and walked into the bathroom, the air inside already carrying the faint scent of body wash.

When he looked back, Bai Yuyou was standing right behind him, setting her clothes on the rack.

“Hug,” the girl said, wrapping herself around him, so soft against his front.

Ye Shuang’s expression flickered. “Yu You, there’s something I want to ask you.”

“Something?” Bai Yuyou looked up. She sensed something off about Ye Shuang today, like he had something weighing on his mind.

“Mm… Let me rinse off first,” Ye Shuang said. Noticing her confused look, he quickly washed up and then slipped into the bathtub. As soon as he did, Bai Yuyou eagerly turned around in the water and settled into his arms.

The warm bathwater brought a pink flush to her cheeks as she seemed to bask in the heat and the comfort of his embrace.

Seeing her eyes half-closed, on the verge of dozing off, Ye Shuang had to put an arm around her waist and splash a hand out of the warm water to pinch her soft cheek.

“Yu You, I have a question for you.”

“It might stir up some unpleasant memories—is that okay?”

Unpleasant memories…

“Yeah.” Seeing her puzzled face, Ye Shuang gave a nod.

“With Ye Shuang here, there are no unpleasant memories.”

“What if I’m asking about a long time ago? Time far, far before now?” Ye Shuang’s voice was low, resting his chin on top of Bai Yuyou’s head while one hand gently rubbed her back.

“Ask whatever you like, Ye Shuang, it’s okay.”

Bai Yuyou burrowed deeper into his arms, her whole body seeming to relax completely.

“You probably understand the sort of thing I mean. That Bai Laoqi—the one who locked you up—did he do anything like that to you?” Ye Shuang asked.

Bai Yuyou lifted her head, clearly puzzled as to why he was bringing this up. Still, she had always answered Ye Shuang’s questions without hesitating.

“No, he didn’t do that. He just beat me and said I ruined his life.”

“That’s it?” Ye Shuang pressed.

“That’s it. Because I had to stay in that dark room, I barely ever saw him. And he said I smelled bad so he didn’t want to be near me,” Bai Yuyou spoke softly. Perhaps the warmth of her life now made the cold memories feel even darker by contrast.

But what Ye Shuang was asking about simply had never happened.

“So, not Bai Laoqi…” Ye Shuang thought about other possibilities. “Then, have you ever… done something like that with anyone before?”

Bai Yuyou looked directly at Ye Shuang, as if surprised he would even ask such a question. She said, bluntly,

“Ye Shuang, are you disgusted with me?”

Those soft words made Ye Shuang’s heart jolt, but he immediately explained, “No, Yu You, absolutely not. It’s just… there are some reasons why I need to know this.”

“I trust Ye Shuang,” Bai Yuyou nodded.

Then she answered, “No. Never, not once.”

Bai Yuyou didn’t know how to lie—especially not to Ye Shuang. Yet now, with that answer, Ye Shuang only felt more confused than before.

So then, Yezi…