After Transmigrating as the Abandoned Rich Wife O, I Turned the Scum A's Life into a Crematorium [Transmigration] - Chapter 9

Gu Bei watched the neon lights outside the window, the image of distant fireworks reflected in her clear pupils.

Throughout the car ride until they disembarked, Shen Siying neither spoke to Gu Bei nor looked at her. Once back inside the villa, they retreated to their respective bedrooms like two roommates who didn’t know each other at all. Gu Bei recalled her roommates in real life; they seemed more familiar than this “legitimate” husband of hers.

After showering, Shen Siying donned a gray bathrobe and stood by the study window, holding a glass of eerily red wine.

“Hello, Xiao Ye.”

Xiao Ye had been Shen Siying’s secretary for over seven years. To Shen Siying, she was more than just a simple assistant handling paperwork. Shen Siying had a high tolerance for alcohol, but even she had her moments of weakness. Once, while dining with a client, she drank too much; Xiao Ye, noticing signs of her rambling, supported her and led her away.

That was the first time she talked to Xiao Ye about her life before the “differentiation.” Through that conversation, Xiao Ye learned some of her boss’s hidden secrets, and Shen Siying gradually grew to trust Xiao Ye more, eventually letting her handle matters she didn’t want others to know about.

“President Shen, I have a lead on what you asked me to investigate,” Xiao Ye said. “The Omega who has been very close to the flower shop owner lately is indeed Xin Mengyao.”

Xin Mengyao was Shen Siying’s “White Moonlight.” Skilled in piano, chess, calligraphy, and painting, she had occupied most of Shen Siying’s youth and all of her longing since entering the workforce.

“So, she’s back in the country?” Shen Siying asked, taking a sip of wine.

“Yes. She seems to be busy with a piano competition lately,” Xiao Ye continued. “All her contact information has changed. Do you want me to find it for you?”

“No need,” Shen Siying replied.

Xiao Ye thought her boss had finally let go of the past and felt a bit of regret. After all, none of them had liked the “old” Gu Bei very much.

Shen Siying was very fastidious about people entering her office; business was always discussed in the meeting room. In the past, Gu Bei would raid Shen Siying’s office regardless of whether Shen Siying was there or not, ignoring Xiao Ye’s attempts to stop her. She often pointed at Xiao Ye’s nose, accusing the “shameless Beta” of trying to climb into the boss’s bed. During that time, Xiao Ye was quite depressed—being a Beta was true, but she also had her own true love.

That version of Gu Bei was, well, quite detestable.

“I’ll go pick her up. I know where she’ll be.”

Hearing this follow-up from Shen Siying, Xiao Ye beamed; her happiness was audible even over the phone.

Shen Siying set her wine on the bay window, changed into a black cashmere coat, and drove her sky-priced supercar out of the gate. The roar of the engine and the mechanical whine of the electric copper gates pierced the silence of the long night.

Gu Bei stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, drying her hair with a white towel as she watched Shen Siying leave.

Xiao Ba: “Oh boy, ‘Official Wife,’ aren’t you curious why your big CEO Shen is going out so late?”

Gu Bei replied indifferently, “Work, probably.”

Xiao Ba: “Let me educate you. Shen Siying is always driven by a chauffeur when going to the company—no exceptions. If she doesn’t take a driver and drives that McLaren herself, it’s definitely personal business, and it definitely involves an Omega.”

Gu Bei wrapped the towel around her head; water from her damp hair trickled into her eyes. She remembered the last time she sat in Shen Siying’s McLaren was the time she was so tired she fell asleep at the office.

Xiao Ba: “Do you believe me?”

Gu Bei didn’t know what Xiao Ba was getting at. “I believe you. You’re giving me spoilers, and I hate spoilers most in my life.”

Xiao Ba: “Your ‘hate’ is very cheap.”

Gu Bei grew restless. “How is it cheap? Everyone has different values. Besides, we’re in an era of peace; what is there to hate?”

Xiao Ba: “You’re a ‘Good Person’ [Nice Guy].”

Gu Bei: “I know you’re insulting me.”

Gu Bei truly didn’t care. All she thought about was how to organize the girl group faster. She had stood Jian Peiyun up twice; would she still accept her olive branch?

After drying her hair, Gu Bei collapsed onto the soft bed and checked her phone. People were still DMing her on Weibo. The one named Magna had sent over a dozen messages—all substantive, not just a bunch of useless emojis. Most of Magna’s messages were suggestions for entering the entertainment industry. Gu Bei found them a bit dry and replied, “Can you keep it simple?”

She knew DMs weren’t always answered promptly. However, Magna replied almost instantly: “Chat in person? The usual place?”

Gu Bei’s mind went blank. What was “the usual place”? She felt the excitement and nervousness of meeting an online friend.

“Where?” She tapped her forehead, trying to get an answer from Xiao Ba.

Xiao Ba: “Are you looking for me?”

Gu Bei: “Duh!”

Xiao Ba: “This question is ‘out of syllabus.’ The book doesn’t mention it before you two meet.”

Gu Bei curled her lip. “Fine, you can go offline now.”

After a while, she replied to Magna: “Where?”

Magna replied instantly: “PT Bar.”

“PT Bar…” Gu Bei froze. That was the bar where Jian Peiyun—whom she had ditched twice—performed. “What a coincidence!”

If she went and Jian Peiyun saw her, she wouldn’t be able to explain herself even with a hundred mouths. And another thing: why was this “the usual place”? Was she a “wild Omega” who hung out at bars all the time? Or did she have some history with this Magna?

Before Gu Bei could untangle her thoughts, the electric copper gates downstairs opened again with a grating mechanical sound. Simultaneously, a harsh beam of light leaked through the curtain gap.

Shen Siying was back.

The butler and maids hurried to the side of the car as Shen Siying disembarked. Shen Siying didn’t put on the fur coat they offered; instead, she ran to the passenger side, opened the door, and helped someone out.

The night was too dark to see a face, but based on the silhouette alone, it was clearly a beauty. Shen Siying supported her with extreme care, took the long brown mink fur coat from the butler, and draped it over the person’s head herself, hiding her face completely.

There was a flurry of activity downstairs involving many people; the commotion was significant and didn’t settle until long after midnight.

The bigger the house, the worse the soundproofing!

Gu Bei didn’t sleep well that night. She heard Shen Siying telling the butler to cook “hangover soup,” telling the maids to be quiet, and telling them not to touch “her.” During this time, Gu Bei sneakily hid by the stairs more than once to observe the situation. However, without fail, she could only see maids running back and forth. Their black-and-white uniforms were tedious to look at.

She had to retreat to her room. An indoor courtyard separated Gu Bei’s and Shen Siying’s rooms, with a glass roof and a giant crystal chandelier hanging above. The distance wasn’t far. She didn’t hear Shen Siying return to her own room.

When she woke up the next morning, Gu Bei had dark circles under her eyes and looked haggard. She heard an unfamiliar female voice from the stairs. When she reached the living room, she saw Shen Siying cutting steak for the beauty from last night.

Wait, steak? Why was there meat for breakfast? And there were no little cakes today.

Seeing Gu Bei, the butler immediately came to greet her. After she sat down, Shen Siying finished cutting the last piece of meat and spoke faintly.

“This is my classmate, Xin Mengyao,” Shen Siying paused for a second. “And this is Gu Bei.”

“Hi! Nice to meet you!” Xin Mengyao’s smile was very harmless. Gu Bei responded politely. Shen Siying pushed the steak plate toward Xin Mengyao with very gentle, slow movements.

The butler brought Gu Bei’s breakfast: vegetable juice, a boiled egg, and two slices of raisin toast.

Gu Bei: “…”

Xiao Ba: “Psh, ‘classmate’ my foot. This is Shen Siying’s White Moonlight. Pretty, right? Special treatment, right? Start your frantic jealousy! Pick up your little fork and stab the table!”

Gu Bei wasn’t jealous; she just wanted to eat meat too. If there was no steak, two slices of bacon would suffice. Xiao Ba grew more excited, but Gu Bei ignored it. She could endure anything except that glass of green, foul-smelling vegetable juice. Looking at it, she was reminded of the smell of a park after the lawn had just been mowed; her stomach churned, and her appetite vanished.

The butler leaned toward Gu Bei. “Madam, would you like some milk?”

Gu Bei nodded; she needed it desperately.

Across from her, Shen Siying lowered her head to eat a vegetable salad, while Xin Mengyao chewed half-raw beef one bite at a time. The scene was so farcical.

“Hiss—”

Xin Mengyao suddenly stopped eating, her beautiful brows knit together in what looked like genuine pain. Shen Siying immediately dropped her fork, wiped her mouth and hands with a damp towel, and turned to her: “What’s wrong?”

Xin Mengyao: “It hurts!” Her voice was coquettish and fragile; anyone would have looked at her with pity.

Shen Siying’s gaze was glued to her face. “Where does it hurt? Let me see!”

Xin Mengyao complied, opening her mouth and sticking out a small tip of her tongue. “I bit it.”

Shen Siying moved the plate away and called a maid to pour warm water. “Stop eating for now. Rinse with warm water to prevent infection or inflammation,” Shen Siying said.

Xin Mengyao nodded, then smiled at the maid who poured the water, saying “Thank you.” The maid blushed, smiled back, and quickly scurried away.

Gu Bei saw everything. The vegetable juice in front of her looked even more unappealing.

They were a perfect pair; what did she have to do with any of this? She was clearly the redundant one.