Chapter 52: Genuinely hated her
"Sit down." Wanqing said firmly, her eyes fixed directly on Anning without even blinking.
Anning blinked, glancing at the chair right behind Wanqing. "What?"
"Be reasonable for once and just take a seat. We need to discuss this whole thing.. properly." Wanqing said, running a hand down her dress.
Anning just stared at her after she finished speaking, then let out a small scoff.
She placed the bowl filled with blood stained water onto the floor, straightened and then repeated Wanqing’s words, "I should be reasonable?"
"Why do you even want to talk to me?" She muttered, taking slow steps toward Wanqing. "After kissing me, you treat me like I don’t exist and then expect me to come running whenever you call?"
Wanqing quietly remained standing, the look of indifference on her face didn’t change and by now, Anning had come to hate that expression. She hated it so damned much.
Before she could stop herself, she reached forward and lightly shoved Wanqing away from her by the shoulder.
"Wipe that look off your face, it makes you look arrogant." Anning muttered with a frown on her face.
"Watch your tone." Wanqing said softly, her brows furrowed together.
Anning didn’t respond to her words, she calmly pointed to herself and then said, "I have every right to be unreasonable. Every. Right."
She emphasized poking herself in the chest. "And nobody can do a thing about it. Not you, not you overbearing watchdogs, not even that ridiculous princess."
The more she spoke, the more upset she found herself becoming.
Meanwhile, our darling Wanqing wasn’t even listening anymore. Or perhaps she was, she simply found herself staring at Anning’s lips.
Those soft, sweet and luscious lips that had moved eagerly against her own. Even now, the way they moved had Wanqing feeling slightly hot.
Wanqing couldn’t help remembering how sweet they tasted and how flustered Anning had looked after that kiss.
"Stop staring at me like that!" Anning yelled suddenly, making Wanqing flinch.
Everything she had been thinking about dissolved instantly as she stared down at the now confused Anning.
"Young miss?" Anning called out, Wanqing a hand in front of her face. "Gu Wanqing?"
Wanqing finally snapped back to reality, muttering, "What is it?"
"Were you even listening to me?" She demanded, the frown on her face seemed to be becoming worse.
Wanqing needed distance and just like that, she took a step backwards as though she was startled.
Distance could help, she needed to stay away from Anning.
She closed her eyes briefly, taking in deep breaths as she calmed herself. When she opened them again, her expression had returned to normal.
"We kissed." She said coldly. "And so what?"
The words immediately caused Anning’s whole body to go stiff, but Wanqing wasn’t done.
"That doesn’t make you special."
For some reason, Anning wasn’t even surprised. It just...hurts. With a blank look on her face she found herself nodding.
"Right, I understand." She muttered. She didn’t argue, she wasn’t even in the mood to yell or shove someone again.
She simply turned around, glancing at the wooden bowl on the floor before saying, "I’d like to return back to my room now."
She had just taken two steps forward when she suddenly froze. A bitter chuckle escaped her lips as she thought, What room did she even have?
Life was truly being unfair to her.
Wanqing watched as she bent down toward the bowl and for some reason, panic suddenly engulfed her whole body.
"Anning." She called out softly.
Anning glanced over her shoulder, staring at Wanqing with blank eyes.
"I did not defend you because I didn’t have a choice." Wanqing said and that made Anning raise a brow at her.
Wanqing paid no mind to her expression and continued, "If I had shown concern for you in front of everyone, it would have appeared suspicious."
Anning remained silent, allowing her to speak.
"The rumours are already spreading. People think...no, they already believe we are lovers."
She hated saying the word ’lovers’ out loud, but she just had to do it.
"If I had defended you in public, they would have believed it completely."
Anning slowly turned around and then muttered a weak, "I see."
Wanqing nodded and calmly added, "I was trying to avoid unnecessary attention."
Clap.
A single clap echoed through the room and that sound made Wanqing freeze.
Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap.
Anning clapped slowly, her lips stretching into a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
"Wonderful. You are truly brilliant." She said softly, lowering her hands. "We’re you expecting me to thank you?"
Wanqing frowned as Anning pointed to the bandages covering her forehead. "For letting me get hurt?"
For a brief second, Anning saw a guilt flash through Wanqing’s eyes. But that was just for a brief second, and then it disappeared as quickly as it came.
But it didn’t matter anymore.
"You call me your tiger. You call me your slave." She muttered, taking a step toward Wanqing. "And yet, you couldn’t defend me when I needed you most."
Wanqing opened her mouth to speak but one look from Anning had her closing her mouth, feeling slightly frustrated.
When Anning spoke again, her voice had become quieter with a hint of disappointment in them, "Why? Because you’re engaged?"
Wanqing pulled her gaze away from Anning and that had Anning swallowing hard, her heart was racing far too fast.
Yet, she still forced herself to ask. "Or is the reason because you are embarrassed for us to be seen as lovers?"
The moment those words left her mouth, the whole room went silent. Wanqing inhaled slowly and then exhaled.
"It is very shameful."
Anning’s face turned pale but Wanqing wasn’t looking at her, so she couldn’t see it.
"I only did what I thought would keep you safe." She said, her hands curling into fists. "I never expected things to turn out this way."
Anning stared at her for a long time and then she looked away. She didn’t know what else to say...she was utterly disappointed.
In herself, in Wanqing, in whatever supreme being that brought her here. God!
She had always known Wanqing was arrogant, cold, and difficult.
But now, she was truly done.
Ever since arriving in this world, Anning had always considered herself extremely pretty. Not in an arrogant way, just objectively.
She had eyes, she could definitely see. So why was it shameful?
Because she was a slave? Was that all this was about?
Anning nodded and then finally said, "We have nothing else to talk about."
Wanqing immediately looked at her but Anning continued, staring deep into Wanqing’s eyes.
"I want a room of my own and I would like to be assigned different duties."
Wanqing’s face darkened instantly, she detested that blank look in Anning’s eyes. If Anning was crying, shouting or even insulting her...she could tolerate all of it.
But seeing her like this? All blank and indifferent, she disliked it more than anything.
"You are MY slave." Wanqing said, looking Anning in the eyes. And of course, Anning didn’t back down. She stared right into Wanqing’s eyes.
"You will serve me and only me." Wanqing said, her voice growing colder.
Anning let out a small chuckle, but Wanqing ignored it.
"If anything, you should be grateful to me." Wanqing continued, folding her arms against her chest. "Have you forgotten?"
Anning stared at her without a hint of emotion in her eyes. She had no idea what Wanqing was speaking about.
"I saved you from becoming a breeder." She said sharply and at that point, Anning found it hard to breathe.
She simply stared at Wanqing with wide eyes, hoping that she was now hearing things. But when she literally saw her reflection in Wanqing’s cold eyes, something in her chest shattered.
The pain that followed was immediate, like someone had driven a knife straight into her chest. She couldn’t remember when she had started feeling this way, but she knew didn’t want to feel like this anymore.
A breeder. Wanqing had said it like she had done something good, like she had given her salvation.
But to Anning, she saw it as humiliation. Her eyes became red almost instantly but she refused to cry.
Especially not in front of Wanqing. She slowly nodded.
"Is that what you think?" Anning said, laughing softly. But this time there wasn’t a hint of humour in that laugh.
"No." Anning said, shaking her head. "No, Gu Wanqing. I would’ve preferred becoming a breeder."
She said, her voice trembling slightly. She watched the way Wanqing’s pupils contracted, but she didn’t care.
She could feel her vision turning blurry, but she ignored it and said in a loud voice, "I would’ve preferred that! At least then I would know exactly what people thought of me."
Then she gestured around the room with a bitter smile on her face. "But here? I get to live with people who don’t even consider me human."
And for the first time since arriving in the Gu Residence...
Anning genuinely hated her.
