A Self-Cultivation of a Stand-in [Transmigration GL] - Chapter 10

This “she” was naturally not that Young Master Zhou.

But as for which “she” it actually was, Yu Zhezhi never truly uttered the name.

Xu Ningshuang took it for granted that it was Yu Zhezhi’s “newlywed wife.” However, the rare display of dominance and warning from Yu Zhezhi sent a wave of inexplicable fear through her, making it impossible to say another word. Ultimately, she could only comfort herself with the thought that as long as Yu Zhezhi wasn’t coveting the Zhou family fortune or clinging to Zhou Junyao, she had already won.

Xu Ningshuang turned away sheepishly and, after standing around for only a moment, excused herself early. She came in a hurry and left in a hurry; no one knew why she had appeared at this banquet in the first place. She hadn’t even bothered to say hello to the host.

Even someone as good-natured as Zhao Xinyan showed a bit of dissatisfaction, complaining in a low voice: “Uncle Zhou seems like such a good person, how did he raise a child with such poor manners…”

It’s more than just a lack of manners, Yu Zhezhi thought to herself. Old Master Zhou had a first-rate mind for business, but when it came to the effectiveness of his parenting, it was an utter failure. Whether biological or adopted, their logic was more bizarre than the last.

Every time she looked at the collaborative projects with the Zhou family, and then at the Zhou siblings who pestered her from time to time, Yu Zhezhi could only tell herself not to bicker with the “sick.” If she really wanted to get even, she had plenty of ways to vent her anger, but none of them would bring her the most profit. On the contrary, by “enduring” them now, Old Master Zhou felt a sense of guilt toward her and would proactively offer better terms during negotiations.

As for the Zhou family, they would likely only enjoy their last period of glory while the Old Master was still alive.

Yu Zhezhi thought indifferently as she finished most of her wine. She scanned the room and estimated it was about time to take her leave. She had a meeting early the next morning. After making a round of farewells and scheduling a dinner with the second Miss Zhao for Friday, she prepared to depart.

The second Miss Zhao escorted her all the way to the door. Having overheard part of the argument with Miss Xu, she brought up the newlywed wife out of a mix of curiosity and goodwill.

“If you’re free, bring her along for a meal sometime so we can get to know each other. That way, I’ll know how to greet her when I see her in the future.”

“Next time…” Yu Zhezhi declined politely. “She has exams recently and doesn’t have the time.”

“Is Sister Yu’s lover still a student?” Zhao Xinyan was taken aback.

“A university student…”

What year was she in? Sophomore or junior? Yu Zhezhi thought for a moment but couldn’t be sure, so she simply avoided the topic. “I wouldn’t dare disturb her at a time like this. We’ll talk about it later when there’s a chance.”

Seeing the smile on her face and the natural, affectionate tone, Zhao Xinyan looked a bit envious: “Sister Yu and her lover have a very good relationship.”

Yu Zhezhi smiled and tilted her head, playing along with a few words.

Stepping out of the hotel, Yu Zhezhi watched the second Miss Zhao turn back inside. She stood still for a moment before getting into the car waiting for her. As soon as she sat down, the smile faded. she casually pulled off the ring and tossed it aside. The ring bounced twice on the leather and rolled under the seat.

Yu Zhezhi rarely wore accessories; the feeling of a ring stuck on her finger wasn’t particularly comfortable. But this act of venting only lasted for less than half a minute. Now that the news of her marriage had been leaked, she wouldn’t be able to go out and meet people without this symbolic prop.

After staring at the back of the front seat for a moment, she leaned over to retrieve the ring. As she sat back up, she noticed a small black box in the bag beside her. She recalled it was the ring box.

A wedding set naturally came in a pair. Yu Zhezhi had taken one to wear as an ornament, and the other she had tossed onto the back seat. Her gaze lingered on the small box for a moment.

The next morning.

Assistant Li set down the printed documents for the meeting. Just as she turned to leave, she bumped into Yu Zhezhi.

“Good work…” Yu Zhezhi nodded slightly to her, then called out before she could leave, “Help me mail something later.”

Assistant Li agreed and asked, “Who to?”

Yu Zhezhi pointed toward her office. “It’s on my desk, already wrapped. Mail it directly to Hua Luoyue.”

The meeting was about to start, and there was a series of tasks afterward; she didn’t have the spare time to handle it herself. More importantly, a trivial matter like mailing a package wasn’t worth wasting her precious time.

Assistant Li didn’t think much of it. When she pushed open the door and saw the wrapped small cardboard box on the desk, she assumed it was a whim of Yu Zhezhi’s. After all, Hua Luoyue was a poor student with nothing; it wasn’t strange for Yu Zhezhi to find something missing and send it over. After finishing her tasks, she called a courier and sent it to Hua Luoyue’s address.

City X.

By the time they left the school, it was already quite late. Cai Xinyue didn’t feel comfortable letting Hua Luoyue go back alone and insisted on escorting her. Since she was the one who had dragged Hua Luoyue into staying so late to practice, she felt responsible for her safety.

“Don’t worry about me, my brother is driving here to pick me up. He happens to be on a business trip nearby,” Cai Xinyue said, walking Hua Luoyue to the entrance of her residential complex. She was carrying a few packages; it was Saturday the next day, and she planned to go home with her brother for the weekend.

Hua Luoyue set the things she was carrying on the ground. “Then I’ll wait with you for a bit.”

The two stood under a streetlamp at the gate. As the cold night wind blew, both shivered. It had been a rare sunny day with a rising temperature, and many people had taken off their coats. But once the sun went down, the temperature plummeted, and the wind picked up. They had stayed in the music room for a long time and hadn’t thought to grab an extra layer.

Fortunately, Cai’s older brother said he would be there within five minutes. Cai Xinyue’s phone chimed with messages; besides telling her not to worry, her brother asked if she was wearing enough and told her to stand somewhere sheltered. While replying, she discussed with Hua Luoyue when they would be free to practice again over the weekend.

The Cai family lived in a neighboring city with convenient transportation, so she would only stay for two nights and return Sunday morning. Hua Luoyue’s scheduled classes were on Saturday, leaving Sunday open.

“It won’t interfere with your dates, will it?” Cai Xinyue asked casually.

“It won’t…” Hua Luoyue smiled. “I don’t have anyone to go on dates with right now.”

Hua Luoyue spoke indifferently, but Cai Xinyue suddenly remembered something. Looking at the high-end complex nearby, she couldn’t help but ask, “Do you live alone?”

Hua Luoyue nodded.

Then what about your sister?

Cai Xinyue instinctively wanted to ask, but she hit the brakes at the last second, changing her question. “Is it scary living alone?”

“It’s fine…” Hua Luoyue said. “I’m used to it…”

“Oh…” Cai Xinyue replied dryly. She only remembered the girl’s family situation after asking. Both parents were out of the picture. Naturally, Hua Luoyue didn’t have a boyfriend either. Some things, even a wealthy and generous relative couldn’t easily provide.

How pitiful.

Saying that out loud would be rude, so Cai Xinyue racked her brain to change the subject. After a few more minutes of aimless chatting, a black sedan pulled up slowly in front of them. As the window rolled down, Cai Xinyue instinctively called out, “Brother.”

The elder Cai brother got out to help his sister load her luggage. Seeing the small box and bag in front of Hua Luoyue, he asked, “Do you need help?”

Hua Luoyue shook her head. “I live in the building right back there, it’s not far. I can manage, thank you.”

She watched the car drive away and was about to turn into the complex when she suddenly heard someone call her from behind.

“Hua Luoyue…”

Hua Luoyue turned instinctively. Her eyes searched the area until she found someone standing in the shadows on the other side of the gate. After walking a few steps closer, she recognized Yu Zhezhi’s face.

She was only surprised for two seconds. Thinking back, it had been over a week since they last met; it was perfectly normal for Yu Zhezhi to want to come and see this face. She just didn’t know how long Yu Zhezhi had been standing there. Had she refrained from calling her because she didn’t want to get involved in a conversation between students?

While Hua Luoyue was speculating, she heard Yu Zhezhi ask, “Is that the classmate who testified for you before?”

“Yes…” Hua Luoyue nodded.

It seemed Yu Zhezhi was just asking casually. She reached out to take the things from Hua Luoyue’s hands and gestured toward the complex with her chin. “Let’s go…”

Hua Luoyue dazed for a moment before following. When they reached the building, the light was brighter, and Yu Zhezhi’s gaze lingered on her hands for a moment. As the elevator descended, Yu Zhezhi suddenly asked, “Did you receive the package?”

Hua Luoyue looked back at her blankly. “What package?”

“The ring…” Yu Zhezhi locked eyes with her for a moment. Seeing that the confusion on her face was genuine, she didn’t get angry. She turned back to press the elevator button and said, “It should have arrived the day before yesterday. I’ll ask Yunting tomorrow.”

She didn’t seem to care that much.

Hua Luoyue followed her into the elevator. There were only the two of them. By shifting her gaze slightly, she could easily see the other’s expression in the reflection of the walls. Yu Zhezhi looked calm, with no hint of anger or suppressed dissatisfaction. She looked as if she were just casually passing through.

—Passing through from City A to City X.

Hua Luoyue stared at the reflection and asked, “It’s so late, why did President Yu come by suddenly?”

“Business trip, I was passing by,” Yu Zhezhi gave a generic reason. “Why, am I disturbing you?”

Hua Luoyue said, “No. It’s President Yu’s house; of course you can come whenever you like.”

Such “self-awareness” made Yu Zhezhi look at her for a few seconds. Hua Luoyue met her gaze calmly. With a soft ding, the elevator doors opened, breaking the strange silence between them.

Yu Zhezhi stepped out first and asked, “Which unit?”

“606…”

Yu Zhezhi stopped in front of the door and waited for Hua Luoyue to take out the key. Once inside, the apartment was surprisingly tidy, looking almost identical to the layout in the photos, save for a few daily necessities.

Yu Zhezhi was truly passing through on a business trip. She was scheduled to discuss business in a neighboring city the next day and was stopping in City X for the night. She had a slight intention of seeing Hua Luoyue, but she definitely hadn’t come specifically to inspect the house.

Therefore, her gaze swept once around the room before she turned back to Hua Luoyue. “Which room is empty?”

Hua Luoyue pointed to the closed door of the master bedroom.

Yu Zhezhi set the bag on the table and walked straight toward the master bedroom, briefly mentioning the business trip the next day. Her intent was to tell her not to be surprised by her coming and going so she wouldn’t be disturbed.

“If the negotiations go smoothly, I’ll come back tomorrow evening and take you to that new Western restaurant,” Yu Zhezhi said. “If I’m not back by 4:00 PM, you’re on your own.”

Hua Luoyue nodded and called out before she entered: “President Yu…”

Yu Zhezhi turned back. “I’m not interested in who you associate with. As long as they aren’t some disreputable thugs, there’s no need to report it to me. It’s not necessary.”

She had clearly misinterpreted Hua Luoyue’s hesitation. Her tone wasn’t harsh—it was even considered gentle—but the subtext was inevitably a bit embarrassing.

Hua Luoyue paused, but ultimately finished her sentence: “I just wanted to ask… what would you like for breakfast tomorrow?”