Pretending To Be Affectionate [Transmigration] - Chapter 14

Gu Qing did not say another word to Ling Yu for the remainder of lunch.

Ling Yu was happy to enjoy the peace and chatted idly with 008.

[If you ask me, Host should hurry and explain everything clearly to the female lead,] 008 said. [Li Jun has nothing to do with you. Gu Qing is the only person you like.]

Ling Yu lazily responded:

[Would Gu Qing believe me?]

As the female lead of a novel without a romantic pairing, Gu Qing was extraordinarily meticulous.

Li Jun’s affection for Ling Yu was far too obvious. The more Ling Yu tried to explain, the more it would seem as though she had something to hide.

008 made a dejected sound.

[But you can’t allow the female lead to continue misunderstanding you! Host finally managed to establish some connection with her. You can’t let a man ruin it…]

Ling Yu chuckled.

[Relax.]

Across the table, Li Jun bent forward and used the serving chopsticks to pick up a sweet-and-sour spare rib.

“Yuyu, I remember you like sweet food. Try this…”

Ling Yu gave no response.

From the corner of her eye, she glanced toward Gu Qing. An identical spare rib lay in the woman’s bowl.

Li Jun was treating both women equally.

Sure enough, Li Jun was still the same Li Jun.

Even after spending two years abroad receiving treatment, he had not improved at all. His delusional fantasies were practically written in his eyes.

Ling Yu wondered whether he would still serve her food with such tender affection once he discovered that she was his romantic rival.

The smile on Ling Yu’s lips widened.

Just as Li Jun’s chopsticks reached the edge of her bowl, she swiftly picked it up and avoided them.

“You don’t like it?”

Li Jun looked embarrassed.

“Then what do you like? I’ll get it for you.”

“Don’t do that.”

Ling Yu interrupted him.

With an ambiguous smile, she lifted her chin meaningfully toward Gu Qing.

“Young Master Li, it’s been two years. I thought you would have learned to let me go.”

Back then, Li Jun had used every possible method to pursue Ling Yu.

His tracking and surveillance tactics emerged one after another, revealing an extreme desire for control. Forget serving her food—even when Ling Yu walked, he practically wanted to embrace her from behind and carry her forward himself.

Eventually, Li Jun irritated her so thoroughly that she publicly released his psychological assessment report.

Ling Yu had spoken pleasantly to him ever since their reunion, causing Li Jun to forget her fundamental tendency to disregard all conventions.

Now that she smilingly mentioned what happened two years ago, warning bells immediately rang in his mind.

If he continued, Ling Yu’s past temperament suggested she would expose him directly in front of Gu Qing without leaving him a shred of dignity.

Li Jun’s face instantly turned deathly pale.

He awkwardly looked away and dropped back into his chair.

After finally regaining control of his emotions, he raised his head.

At some point, Gu Qing had looked up.

The primordial color of the deep sea seemed to climb through her azure eyes as she scrutinized him.

When she noticed him looking back, her pale lips curved halfway, revealing a row of frighteningly white teeth.

For one moment, Li Jun felt murderous intent spreading upward from his tailbone.

He looked at her in alarm, but Gu Qing had already withdrawn her gaze as though nothing had happened.

She set down her chopsticks and wiped the oil from the corners of her lips.

Then she raised her wrist and glanced at her watch.

“You have ten more minutes to discuss the case with me.”

Her eyes were half-lowered, and her patience had clearly run out. She went directly to the point.

“Regarding Jiang Wei’s case, how thoroughly does the Jiang family expect me to resolve it?”

The subject changed so abruptly that Li Jun initially froze.

Then, no longer having time to investigate the murderous sensation from earlier, he adopted a serious expression.

“An acquittal.”

Gu Qing did not respond immediately.

She gave him a strange look before the faintest, coldest smile appeared at the corners of her lips.

“You certainly dare to dream…”

Jiang Wei’s case had been raging online for two months.

The evidence held by the victim’s family was nearly enough to condemn him beyond question. If the case followed normal legal procedures, he would receive at least life imprisonment for drugging and raping their daughter, resulting in her death in his bed.

Ordinarily, Gu Qing would not have spared a second glance for such a case.

But…

“I know it’s difficult, but you’re the only person capable of calming the public outrage,” Li Jun said, praising her without reservation. “The Jiang family said money isn’t an issue.”

He secretly studied Gu Qing.

When she remained unmoved, he hardened his heart and painfully offered, “If you can settle this matter, the ten-year employment contract you signed with Kaihe Law Firm will be terminated immediately. Xiao Qing, please help me for the sake of the assistance I gave you back then.”

Li Jun’s voice was almost pleading.

He and Jiang Wei were not the same sort of person, but for the sake of his family’s interests, he had no choice but to do this—even if it meant granting Gu Qing her freedom.

The Li family’s foreign-trade business had been obstructed at every turn over the past several years. Then Jiang Bochuan unexpectedly visited the Li family and personally requested their assistance.

He promised that if they resolved Jiang Wei’s disastrous situation, the Li family would become friends with the Jiang family of Gangcheng.

That was why Li Kai had summoned Li Jun home.

Only Li Jun could possibly persuade Gu Qing through their personal connection and ensure there were no mistakes in Jiang Wei’s case.

Gu Qing lowered her eyes and remained silent for a long time.

Just as Li Jun assumed she would refuse, Gu Qing parted her lips and answered indifferently:

“Add another billion yuan.”

[What the fuck…]

[How can Gu Qing do that? She’s the female lead of this world! Why are her morals so distorted?]

[Is this where her established character begins collapsing? Has it already collapsed?]

…

008 began whining and muttering endlessly.

After an entire minute of incessant nagging, it noticed that Ling Yu had remained silent from beginning to end.

The system forcibly suppressed its fear and attempted to calm itself.

[Host, why aren’t you saying anything?]

Ling Yu poked the leafy vegetable in her bowl.

[Did you give me an opportunity to speak?]

[…]

008 laughed awkwardly.

[Sorry. I assumed you were frightened…]

[Why would I be frightened?]

Ling Yu remained expressionless.

[Has Gu Qing murdered anyone or started a fire?]

The system made a confused sound.

[No.]

Ling Yu shrugged.

[So you’re aware she hasn’t done either.]

008: […]

[But I still feel that Host is in a poor mood.]

After remaining silent for a while, 008 bravely contradicted her.

[Anyone who discovered that the female lead possessed this sort of personality would worry about their safety. It’s all right, Host. Say what you’re feeling. We can huddle together for warmth…]

Ling Yu was amused.

[I am indeed somewhat worried…]

[I knew it!] 008 exclaimed. [Tell me what’s worrying you.]

Ling Yu smiled.

[An ex.]

[Daddy, I think I’ve encountered another ex.]

008’s smile froze.

Ling Yu continued:

[You certainly won’t know who he is. I only just remembered myself. Jiang Wei.]

008 went numb.

That damned ex-boyfriend again.

Ling Yu genuinely had not remembered who Jiang Wei was earlier.

After all, she could not possibly remember the name of every ex she had dated.

Jiang Wei was the only son of Jiang Bochuan, a leading figure in Gangcheng’s foreign-trade industry.

Back then, Ling Taiguo stubbornly arranged one blind date after another for her, giving her the dubious privilege of spending a week seeing Young Master Jiang.

As for why their relationship ended, the reason was that Jiang Wei was an S&M enthusiast.

During their final meeting, that pervert locked Ling Yu inside his private dungeon.

Naturally, a pure and innocent young woman with combat abilities as formidable as Ling Yu’s defeated him with one punch after another.

She beat him to the floor.

Ling Yu had been furious at the time.

She had always followed the principle of never attacking anyone who did not attack her first. But after seeing an entire room covered with photographs of Jiang Wei’s victims, she put on rubber gloves.

Then she used every implement in the dungeon on Jiang Wei himself, leaving out nothing.

That night, Jiang Wei screamed continuously in a mixture of excitement and madness.

The noise eventually attracted Jiang Bochuan.

As a result, Ling Yu was forcibly expelled from Gangcheng.

According to rumors, Jiang Wei frantically searched for her for some time. Jiang Bochuan personally confiscated his passport, finally putting an end to the matter.

Now that Gu Qing was representing Jiang Wei, he would eventually have to visit the law firm as her client.

Once he encountered Ling Yu, attempting revenge would only be a matter of time.

Ling Yu could not help frowning.

After weighing the matter for a moment, she looked up at Gu Qing and attempted to awaken the fingernail-sized piece of conscience the woman might possess.

“Taking on a case whose conclusion is already so obvious—wouldn’t that damage Sister’s professional reputation?”

“What? Are you afraid?”

Gu Qing responded with a question.

Her dark-blue pupils were half-hidden beneath the scattered light, while her elegant oval face possessed a sickly, icy pallor.

She seemed to have expected Ling Yu’s reaction and scoffed softly.

Maintaining her noble, cold expression, she looked sideways at Ling Yu with disdain.

“I warned you to stay away from me, little girl. I’m not a good person.”

Little girl?

That contemptuous form of address made Ling Yu laugh in anger.

She tugged absurdly at the corners of her lips and finally noticed something was wrong.

Gu Qing and Li Jun were discussing a case. Under normal circumstances, no third party should have been present.

That was especially true for an utterly immoral attempt to overturn a rape case like Jiang Wei’s.

Yet Gu Qing had deliberately discussed it in Ling Yu’s presence.

Ling Yu had wondered why Gu Qing was behaving so strangely today.

So this was the main performance.

From the beginning, Gu Qing had intended to show Ling Yu firsthand how ruthlessly predatory she could be, thereby frightening her into retreating.

Attorney Gu truly deserved her reputation for meticulous scheming.

She killed without spilling blood.

No one was more skilled than she was at exploiting the weaknesses of the human heart. She stepped directly upon Ling Yu’s most vulnerable moral boundary, shattered the bloody truth, and spread every piece before her.

Without making a sound, she intended to destroy this “little girl’s” admiration for her.

Unfortunately, Ling Yu was no little girl.

Furthermore, she had taken offense at the term.

Suppressing the urge to hit her, Ling Yu slipped off her high heel. Concealed beneath the dining table, she raised her bare foot and slid it beneath Gu Qing’s business skirt.

“Sister.”

Ling Yu’s lashes fluttered twice, and her cherry-red lips curved into a shy smile.

“I’m an adult…”

As she spoke, her toes climbed higher.

Gu Qing’s expression froze.

The immortal beauty’s face, ordinarily covered in perpetual frost, cracked apart in an instant.

Both hands braced against the table, she shot to her feet.

Beside her, Li Jun looked over in surprise.

“Hey? What happened?”

Gu Qing’s eyes were half-lowered, their sea-dark depths fixed unwaveringly on Ling Yu.

This was how she looked when her fury reached its limit.

Ling Yu fearlessly greeted her with a smile. Then she took a sip of warm water and pretended not to understand.

“Why are you standing? Hurry and eat.”

Ling Yu’s toes slid downward along the base of the woman’s thigh.

The movement struck Gu Qing’s anger yet again.

A layer of cold, merciless mist gathered in her eyes, and her gloomy gaze enveloped Ling Yu’s face without restraint.

Ling Yu stared back provocatively, her eyes clearly declaring:

You said I was underage, so I’ll show you exactly how adult I am.

Gu Qing clearly understood her brazen retaliation.

A hoarse, incredulous sound emerged from her throat.

Her chest rose and fell.

Then she kicked Ling Yu’s foot away.

Gu Qing pulled back her chair with a harsh scrape, knocking it backward. She stepped over it and walked around the table.

On the other side, Li Jun sensed the surrounding temperature drop by several degrees.

He looked at Ling Yu. When she returned a baffled expression, he hesitantly called after Gu Qing.

“Was the chair unstable? Waiter—”

“Don’t call anyone.”

Gu Qing interrupted him.

She pulled down the long curls tucked behind her ear, allowing them to fall and completely conceal the sides of her face.

After glancing at her watch, she said faintly, “I have something else to do. I’ll leave fir—”

Before finishing, Gu Qing noticed Li Jun’s attentive expression from the corner of her eye.

She abruptly changed her words.

“You…”

“Return to the firm with me.”

Unaware of what had happened beneath the table, Li Jun nodded. Then he looked hesitantly toward Ling Yu.

“Yuyu, I’m sorry. Attorney Gu and I have something to handle.”

Ling Yu watched Young Master Li shrink his neck in an undignified manner. A sentimental smile remained plastered across his face as he attempted to please both women.

His concealed romantic intentions made him look ridiculous.

Looking at him was like staring across an endless green pasture—the unmistakable mark of a man destined to be cheated on.

Ling Yu gave him a pitying glance before smiling and gesturing for them to proceed.

“It’s fine. I can return by myself.”

When she raised her eyes again, Gu Qing had already reached the entrance.

Her coat was still with Ling Yu, so she wore only a thin blouse. Her frost-like face acquired a faint flush beneath the wind and snow.

Radiant as an autumn chrysanthemum and flourishing as a pine in spring, she looked too beautiful to belong to the mortal world.

Her two slender, straight legs stood in the snow, perfectly proportioned.

The sight made one want to see the folded beauty of those legs bending as she knelt.

Ling Yu’s gaze involuntarily lingered on them for two seconds.

“Why is your face red again? Do you have a fever? No, it’s far too cold outside. Wear my coat.”

As Li Jun spoke, he reached for his jacket.

In the next second, Gu Qing sidestepped him, retrieved a slim cigarette from her bag, and placed it between her lips.

“I haven’t seen you in several years, yet you’ve become remarkably talkative.”

Disgust flashed through her eyes.

Then she strode into the snow on her long, straight legs.

Ling Yu froze before chuckling.

She lowered her head and composed a text message to Gu Qing:

“Sister, did you like what I did?”