Pretending To Be Affectionate [Transmigration] - Chapter 2

The story of how Ling Yu became a notorious playgirl began with the original owner’s family background.

The Ling family had originally been nouveau riche in Jiangcheng. Later, Ling Taiguo married Xu Qian and used the Xu family’s connections and influence to develop his company into a publicly listed corporation.

During the most prosperous year in the family’s history, Xu Qian passed away from illness. Ling Taiguo had barely finished burying his wife before bringing his mistress home and officially making her his new wife.

Her biological father neglected her, while her stepmother treated her cruelly.

The original Ling Yu’s daily life consisted of throwing parties, gambling enormous sums of money, causing trouble…and saranghaeyo.

Then retribution arrived.

Three years ago, while racing someone along a winding mountain road, the original Ling Yu collided with a truck and died instantly.

Her death was shrouded in mystery. Meanwhile, her mistress-turned-stepmother unexpectedly became pregnant.

Ling Taiguo no longer needed Ling Yu to inherit the family business. However, before Xu Qian died, she had forced him to sign a contract.

As long as Ling Yu neither married nor died, half of the Ling family’s assets would belong to her.

For the sake of those shares, Ling Taiguo and Yu Xin discussed the matter and decided to arrange a marriage for Ling Yu, thereby maximizing the benefits they could obtain.

By the time Ling Yu transmigrated into this body, the entire second half of her life had already been meticulously arranged for her.

Had this happened in her previous life, Ling Yu would have had countless ways to sever her father-daughter relationship with Ling Taiguo.

Unfortunately, the original owner’s car accident had not been an accident. She had died with a grave injustice unresolved.

The evidence in the police’s possession pointed toward deliberate murder, and the main suspect was her stepmother, Yu Xin. However, Ling Taiguo had protected his wife, spent money to destroy the physical evidence, allowed the blame to be placed on the original Ling Yu, and hastily settled the entire matter with money.

Yet even that was not the most tragic part.

Ling Taiguo had built his fortune by stepping on the original owner’s maternal family and riding their success to the top.

The original owner’s mother had died from depression, but Ling Taiguo and Yu Xin had been the ones who drove her to it.

The two of them were thriving in high society, while the original owner and her mother had died filled with hatred and resentment.

Ling Yu believed in cause and effect.

Since she had taken over the original owner’s body, she could never allow the people who had harmed her to continue living freely and comfortably.

In her previous life, Ling Yu had been a woman of letters. After achieving fame as a novelist, she became a screenwriter. The one ability she could truly boast about was her skill with a pen.

Asking her to fight over the family fortune and manage a company would be nothing more than creating trouble for herself. Besides, Ling Yu had no shortage of ways to earn money.

As a top-ranking author and an exceptional screenwriter, she might not even find the Ling family’s money as satisfying to spend as the money she earned herself…

Ling Yu had little concept of money, but that did not stop Ling Taiguo and his wife from loving it.

The best way to take revenge was to find her enemies’ sore spot and stab it every single day.

Thus, Ling Yu changed her mind.

Instead of immediately falling out with Ling Taiguo, she moved into the Ling family’s old residence and spent every day with Yu Xin. She obediently followed Ling Taiguo’s arrangements and dutifully attended blind dates…

All while openly spending his money and squandering his family fortune.

She made life unbearable for Ling Taiguo and Yu Xin. Meanwhile, in private, she took the opportunity to reestablish contact with the original owner’s maternal grandparents and search for evidence.

Ling Yu might not always behave like a decent human being, but that did not mean she had no moral boundaries.

She had no interest in men, so naturally, she could not comply with Ling Taiguo’s wishes and harm respectable men through blind dates and arranged marriages.

To eliminate the problem once and for all, she decided to go all the way and joined one of Jiangcheng’s most infamous social circles: the playboys’ group.

Before long, tales of Ling Yu’s romantic escapades spread throughout Jiangcheng’s upper-class circles.

Once Ling Taiguo discovered that none of the respectable families were willing to marry into his family, he had no choice but to shelve his plans for an arranged marriage, no matter how bitterly he resented it.

Jiang Song was one of the “fish” Ling Yu had immediately hit it off with in the playboys’ group.

The only reason he continued pestering her now was that she had not offered him enough money.

Ling Yu looked from beneath lowered eyelids at Jiang Song, who was busy cleaning the stains from his clothes.

Perhaps her scrutinizing gaze was too direct. As though sensing it, Jiang Song turned slightly and met her eyes across the space between them.

His tone was considerably more honest this time as he began portraying himself as the victim.

“Ling Yu, ever since you left Jiangcheng, I haven’t been able to eat or sleep properly. I’ve been completely beside myself…”

Ling Yu slipped both hands into her pockets and suppressed the urge to yawn. Looking over his shoulder and out the window, she saw that several private cars had already stopped outside Kaihe Law Firm.

Gu Qing would be getting off work soon.

For the past two months, Ling Yu had pretended to be poor, devoted, and miserable in every possible way to approach Gu Qing and complete her mission.

Her money was dwindling by the day.

Frankly, this was the first time Ling Yu had ever been troubled by the difficulty of spending money.

Although Jiang Song had violated one of her taboos, his ability to demand money was still rather useful.

Since she had found a perfectly legitimate opportunity to spend a considerable sum, she might as well take it.

With this thought in mind, Ling Yu retrieved a check from her handbag, pressed it against the table, and pushed it toward Jiang Song.

She gave him a meaningful look.

“Coffee stains won’t come out of your clothes with a tissue. Turn left on the first floor, and you’ll find Landu’s bespoke suit shop. Go buy yourself another one…”

Ling Yu’s finger rested on the check, her pitch-black eyes locked unwaveringly with Jiang Song’s.

She had naturally alluring peach-blossom eyes. Whether she smiled or not, she possessed an innately seductive charm. Yet her delicate nose was straight and refined, while the elegant contours of her nose and lips lent her features a sense of tranquility.

At that moment, the smile at the corners of her mouth did not reach her eyes. An inexplicably commanding air settled over her, allowing no room for dispute.

Jiang Song lowered his gaze, and his pupils contracted.

The check lying on the table was worth exactly five million yuan.

He was familiar with Ling Yu’s rules. With a single glance, he understood that the five million yuan was his breakup fee.

In the playboys’ circle, people got together when they clicked and separated when they no longer did.

According to their unspoken rules, no one suffered a loss or paid money after a breakup.

Only Ling Yu was different.

She was extremely generous and gave every boyfriend a breakup fee when they separated—exactly one million yuan, no more and no less.

This time, however, the amount had increased fivefold.

Jiang Song’s fingers curled. He greedily looked at the check once more before reluctantly dragging his gaze away.

He was secretly delighted.

His gamble had paid off. Ling Yu was eager to break up with him.

Regardless of why she wanted to get rid of him, Jiang Song was certain he could force the breakup fee even higher.

He lowered his head and took a moment to prepare his emotions. Then, wearing the expression of someone who had suffered the greatest humiliation imaginable, he refused even to look at the check.

“Ling Yu, is money really the only thing left in your eyes?”

His furious, grief-stricken roar carried such genuine hysteria that it attracted everyone’s attention.

The café fell completely silent.

As the conflict between them intensified, every gaze settled on the “scumbag woman,” Ling Yu.

Jiang Song lowered his lashes, a calculating gleam flashing through his eyes.

“And you…”

Ling Yu raised her eyes. Her orange-tinted lips slowly curved upward, and the dimple in her cheek deepened, gathering the soft fragments of light falling from above.

That gentle call, almost a whisper, sent a tingling sensation through Jiang Song’s heart. He instinctively murmured in response.

“What exactly do you want?”

Seeing Ling Yu finally give in and offer him an opportunity to raise the price, Jiang Song nervously wiped the sweat from his palms.

Outwardly, however, he appeared utterly devastated as he began dredging up their past.

“Three months ago, when we met for the first time, weren’t you the one who suggested going to a bar for a drink?”

Ling Yu nodded, indicating for him to continue.

“You were always the one in control. You even set the duration of our relationship…” Jiang Song’s eyes flickered. “You love the entire ocean, but I love you…”

Ling Yu was amused.

She might have so much money that she had nowhere to spend it, but that did not mean she absolutely had to give it to him.

Her peach-blossom eyes narrowed halfway as she prepared to take back the check.

Out of the corner of her eye, she casually glanced toward the entrance.

The instant she saw the woman entering the café, her fair, delicate fingers accidentally exerted slightly too much force, leaving a fingernail mark on the five-million-yuan check beside her.

Cold wind swept in from outside, making the wind chime above the café entrance ring brightly.

Accompanied by drifting snowflakes, the woman who entered wore an earth-toned plaid wool coat. Her long, light-coffee-colored curls covered her satin-smooth back like a curtain.

She was speaking on the phone. Her phoenix eyes were slightly narrowed, and she occasionally gave a brief response.

Her naturally thin lips were painted with cool-toned lipstick, accentuating the elegant bone structure and almost mixed-race appearance of her face. She possessed an imposing beauty capable of dominating the entire room.

Even if she were thrown into the middle of a crowd, she would still stand out and draw everyone’s attention.

She stood before the counter, cool and aloof, radiating an intimidating chill.

She resembled a snow lotus blooming atop a mountain peak—noble, cold, and beautiful, yet too imposing to look at directly.

If almost everyone in the café had not been staring at the “scumbag woman” Ling Yu, the arrival of such a striking beauty would undoubtedly have caused an uproar.

After being ignored for three seconds, the woman politely tapped the front counter.

The young cashier, who had been engrossed in the unfolding drama, abruptly turned around. When she saw the woman’s face, her almond-shaped eyes widened.

After staring blankly for three seconds, she instinctively wiped the corner of her mouth.

Then, blushing, she apologized.

“I’m sorry, Miss—Miss… The café is full, so we can only accept takeaway orders.”

Gu Qing ended her call and surveyed the café. Her voice was cool and indifferent.

“I have a reservation. Table thirty-eight.”

As soon as she spoke, Gu Qing’s roaming gaze followed everyone else’s and finally moved toward the corner where Ling Yu was seated.

Their eyes collided across the café.

Ling Yu’s fingers curled. She instinctively pulled her hand back, dragging half the check over the edge of the table, where it hung suspended beside the booth.

The movement looked distinctly like a guilty attempt to hide something, and she regretted it the moment she did it.

Sure enough, Gu Qing’s scrutinizing gaze settled on Ling Yu’s fingers before slowly moving away, inch by inch.

Crossing her arms, Gu Qing turned back to the cashier and nodded as though she had not seen Ling Yu at all. Her expression remained cold and indifferent.

Ling Yu was so irritated by Gu Qing’s detached bystander attitude that she nearly laughed. She picked up the check once more.

Across from her, Jiang Song was still listing her offenses.

“Ling Yu, I know you don’t like me. Fine, I accept that you played me. But whether we’re talking about feelings or basic reason, you still owe me an explanation…”

Jiang Song continued pressing her aggressively, recounting each of her supposed crimes.

He was remarkably skilled at first lowering expectations before raising them, preparing the ground before making his extortion demand.

Ling Yu privately sneered and looked at this thoroughly ordinary yet inexplicably confident man as though he were an idiot.

The lazy smile on her lips gradually vanished.

Her expression changed in an instant. A rich, beautiful sheen of tears suddenly filled her clear black-and-white eyes, and her voice trembled with grievance.

“Your feelings for me are your business. My lack of feelings for you is my freedom. Young Master Jiang, that does not give you the right to twist the truth and humiliate me.”

Jiang Song opened his mouth in disbelief.

Ling Yu lowered her eyes. Without giving him an opportunity to speak, she continued in a choked voice, as though she had suffered unbearable humiliation.

“From beginning to end, I never once agreed to your confession.”

Of course Ling Yu had not agreed that night.

She had merely raised her wineglass and clinked it against Jiang Song’s.

Jiang Song felt as disgusted as though he had swallowed a fly.

Growing anxious, he retorted, “So what if you didn’t? You—”

Ling Yu sniffled crisply.

A single crystalline tear quietly rolled from the corner of her eye.

As though she had finally reached the limit of her endurance, she interrupted him with a burst of emotion, her eyes glistening with moisture.

“So…to force me to submit, you produced a check, turned around and accused me instead, then repeatedly slandered me in front of everyone?”

With impressive seriousness, Ling Yu crumpled the check in her hand and threw it at Jiang Song.

Crystal-clear tears fell like a broken string of pearls, streaming down her delicate face.

“Do you find this amusing, Young Master Jiang? You’re only behaving this way because you found my weakness and became convinced that I would never dare reveal the truth in public.”

Ling Yu wept calmly, as though she had been pushed beyond her limits. Her eyes were bright red.

“Fine. I’ll give you a reason. I simply don’t like you—because I like women. She…”

Ling Yu paused.

She raised her tear-washed eyes and looked toward Gu Qing.

The overhead lighting divided the woman’s face into two halves. One side was bathed in natural light, while the other rested in shadow. Her expression was impossible to discern.

She looked lofty and unapproachable.

As cold as ever, Gu Qing remained detached from everything around her.

It was as though she had been born without empathy and intended to watch the entire situation from the sidelines.

Ling Yu sighed.

For two months, she had found a different way to deliver meals to Gu Qing every day.

Yet Gu Qing had taken this shameless devotion and affection entirely for granted.

Ling Yu snorted inwardly, though nothing showed on her face. Her long lashes trembled as she lowered them, then lifted her face like a pitiful little white flower.

“I could live for her. I could die for her…and you are nothing in my eyes.”

Jiang Song’s eyes nearly fell from their sockets. He was too stunned to utter a word.

Ling Yu, Jiangcheng’s famously promiscuous queen of playgirls, liked women?

What complete bullshit!

She had so many ex-boyfriends—and ex-ex-boyfriends—that ten fingers would not be enough to count them all.

And someone like that claimed she could live and die for a woman?

Jiang Song wondered whether his excessive demand had frightened Ling Yu so badly that she had started spouting nonsense and deliberately ruining her own reputation.

During that brief moment of stunned hesitation, he missed his best opportunity to confront her.

Ten seconds later, public opinion inside the café had completely turned against him.

“Damn, so he’s a PUA scumbag…”

“He’s not only manipulative, but absolutely shameless.”

“She clearly doesn’t like him, yet he keeps pestering her with a straight face as though he’s completely justified. What a piece of trash!”

“Another day of being terrified of men… That young woman looks so helpless! Ahhh… She’s so beautiful. She’s probably still in university, right? This is awful. After being harassed by such a greasy scumbag, she won’t end up emotionally traumatized, will she?”

…

Almost everyone stared at Jiang Song as though he were a filthy pig.

He had failed to steal the chicken and lost the rice used to lure it as well.

By the time Jiang Song realized what had happened, his handsome face had turned a dark, liver-like shade. His sleeves were rolled halfway up, exposing forearms bulging with veins.

An arm’s length away, Ling Yu stood elegantly, bathed in natural light. Her peach-blossom eyes rested lightly on him.

From Jiang Song’s angle, he could clearly see the blatant contempt written across Ling Yu’s face.

Provoked by her gaze, blood rushed to his head. He strode forward and angrily raised a hand, intending to seize Ling Yu’s arm.

At that exact moment, a shadow fell beside them.

Holding a briefcase beneath one arm, Gu Qing abruptly stepped between them and blocked Jiang Song’s hand.

“Mr. Jiang?”

Her face was cold and beautiful. Her long, straight legs were encased in fitted, wide-legged trousers, and she naturally carried an air of dignified elegance.

Jiang Song froze.

When he noticed the young assistant behind Gu Qing frantically signaling to him with her eyes, the fury on his face crumbled inch by inch.

“A-Attorney Gu! Hello, hello. I’ve heard so much about you.”

Suppressing his anger, Jiang Song bent slightly at the waist. His voice carried a careful note of deference.

Gu Qing had always been a woman of her word. She was harsh, cold, and extremely forceful in her methods.

Even when dealing with clients, if someone offended her, she would refuse to accept their case afterward, no matter how much money they offered.

Gu Qing gave a faint hum.

Without sparing Jiang Song a glance, her phoenix eyes fell solely on Ling Yu’s elbow. She glanced at Ling Yu’s fair, smooth wrist.

Only after confirming that she was unharmed did Gu Qing withdraw her gaze without leaving a trace.

Her manners were impeccable. With her face cold and expressionless, she delivered her verdict to Jiang Song.

“Mr. Jiang, you don’t appear to be in a suitable condition to discuss your case today. Perhaps we should reschedule.”

“Reschedule” meant returning to an indefinite waiting list.

Jiang Song had struggled tremendously to obtain this single opportunity. It was far more important than extorting Ling Yu.

Although the Jiang family’s company was small, it had encountered a genuinely serious crisis. Without Gu Qing’s help, the entire company would collapse.

Sweat broke out across his forehead. He glared fiercely at Ling Yu, the instigator of everything, before urgently explaining:

“You’ve misunderstood. The matter between this young lady and me has already been settled. I like her, but she’s a ji—a lesbian…”

“A chicken?”

Ling Yu narrowed her eyes, her fists clenching with audible cracks.

She looked at Jiang Song as though he were already dead.

008 warned her:

[Host, calm down. The female lead is still here. You cannot allow the pitiful persona you worked so hard to establish—that of a poor, humble, miserable woman—to collapse.]

Ling Yu: […]

Her curled lashes fluttered violently twice. She glanced toward the cold, elegant woman standing an arm’s length away.

The hostility in her eyes flashed and vanished.

As 008 repeatedly bombarded her with warnings not to act rashly, Ling Yu took two steps forward and wrapped both hands around Gu Qing’s arm.

She called to her pitifully.

“Gu Qing, I’m sorry for causing you trouble. Are you hungry? I made honey-glazed three-cup chicken today… Of course, my cooking could never compare to your client’s…”

Lowering her eyes meekly, Ling Yu reached for the insulated bag in the corner as she spoke and removed a pale-pink lunch box.

She had ordered and packed the food from a five-star hotel half an hour earlier.

She placed the lunch box on the table, pointed at Jiang Song, and raised her face. Then she gave Gu Qing a seemingly innocent smile.

“He’s quite good at passing the blame, isn’t he? Did you see that?”

Gu Qing said nothing.

Frowning, she glanced at Ling Yu, who was practically pressed against her chest. Just as she was about to shake her off, she raised her eyes and met Ling Yu’s reddened gaze.

Gu Qing pursed her lips.

She allowed Ling Yu to continue holding her arm and expressionlessly turned her eyes away.

Meanwhile, Jiang Song, who had been anxiously explaining himself, felt his breath lodge in his throat.

He remembered Ling Yu personally admitting that she already loved someone. Then he looked at their intertwined arms, and his face instantly turned ashen.

008 remarked:

[Host, you’re incredible. You actually dared to touch the female lead’s arm. In my eyes, you’re already a dead woman.]