Pretending To Be Affectionate [Transmigration] - Chapter 24

Ling Yu politely declined the short-haired girl who had confessed to her. After watching her leave, she turned around and saw Gu Qing standing under an old banyan tree ten meters away. The winter sky darkened early, and the colorful lights around the food street had already lit up. Through the dappled shadows of the tree, Gu Qing was bathed in light. She had changed into casual clothes: a solid-colored shirt, a dark skirt, and a long dark coat that reached her ankles. She looked like a queen from a vintage painting. Despite her relaxed posture, her long, straight legs standing by the tree trunk made her look even colder and more alluring.

When Ling Yu looked over, Gu Qing was holding her phone in her right hand and a simple scarf in her left. Her usually calm eyes were now filled with a cold indifference, staring intently at Ling Yu. Even from ten meters away, Ling Yu keenly sensed the other woman’s inexplicable anger. She was confused and a question mark slowly formed in her eyes.

Gu Qing just lowered her gaze, glanced at her, and then turned her back with a sarcastic look. That meaningful glance, with its obvious disgust, was something Ling Yu couldn’t ignore. The woman put her hands in her pockets and pulled out a small paper that looked like a restaurant waiting ticket. She crumpled it into a ball and tossed it into a nearby trash can. After doing that, she walked away from the food street without saying a word.

Ling Yu watched Gu Qing’s figure get farther and farther away. She didn’t even say hello and just left. She was going back on her word. “What the hell,” Ling Yu thought. The smile that had just appeared on Ling Yu’s face disappeared. She grabbed the milk tea and caught up to Gu Qing in a few steps. She grabbed Gu Qing’s elbow from behind.

“Hey,” Ling Yu said, using her free hand to block Gu Qing’s path. “What do you mean by this?”

Gu Qing’s ice-blue eyes didn’t show much emotion. It seemed she was in an extremely bad mood. She raised her eyelashes, and her gaze, filled with disdain, slid down from Ling Yu’s eyes, inch by inch, to the milk tea hanging from her wrist. After a moment, she looked away and said coldly, “You’re three minutes late.”

Ling Yu followed Gu Qing’s gaze to the milk tea in her hand. Then she heard her extremely harsh reason. Thinking about why she had just bought the milk tea from the girl who confessed to her, Ling Yu felt even more upset facing Gu Qing at that moment. She narrowed her eyes, in a bad mood. “Can you… hmm? Be reasonable. I, a grown adult, braved the cold wind to come and talk to you. Because I was three minutes late, you’re going to be so petty and turn around and leave? Did you see the girl who waited for you in the cold wind all afternoon turn around and leave?”

Ling Yu was genuinely a little angry, to the point of speaking without thinking. She regretted the last sentence as soon as it left her mouth. It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with it, but the way she phrased it sounded a lot like she was flirting with her girlfriend. A shiver ran down Ling Yu’s body at the thought of her acting coquettishly toward Gu Qing. She let go of Gu Qing’s arm and rubbed her cold arms.

At the same time, this sentence seemed to have ignited a hidden anger in Gu Qing’s heart. She suddenly turned around and stared at Ling Yu with an intimidating aura. Their eyes met, and Ling Yu felt like Gu Qing was about to raise her hand to hit her. She clicked her tongue and rotated her thin wrist. It wasn’t the first time she had asked, but it was the first time she had faced Gu Qing so openly. “You want to hit me?”

Gu Qing glanced at Ling Yu’s thin hand and scoffed contemptuously. She asked in her usual cold-hearted tone, “Do you think I need to spend too much time on a person who is insignificant and has ulterior motives?” The subtext was, “Who do you think you are?”

Ling Yu had been rejected by Gu Qing for two months. If this had been before, Ling Yu would have immediately squeezed out two tears and made Gu Qing back down. But she had messed up her persona a few days ago. Seeing that Gu Qing’s words were all mocking her for being a two-faced, fake piece of trash, Ling Yu had no choice but to show her true colors. She narrowed her eyes and held Gu Qing’s elbow with her other hand. She pushed down and dragged Gu Qing into the alley of the east gate.

Ling Yu had a transparent manicure on her fingers. She wasn’t very interested in painting her nails, but when she was pursuing Gu Qing a while ago, she had to show how beautiful and pitiful she was. Ling Yu had packaged herself as a sunny girl from an ordinary family. Therefore, the money Ling Taiguo had given her in the past few months had no place to be spent. To prevent Ling Taiguo and his wife from getting suspicious and to maintain her persona as a rich second generation, Ling Yu had simply asked someone to buy the latest sparkling diamonds from a jewelry exhibition in Australia. The transparent manicure was adorned with tiny diamonds. Ling Yu wasn’t careful, and the sharp edge of a diamond dug into Gu Qing’s skin.

Her finger felt a slight numbness and itchiness. Gu Qing lowered her eyes and happened to see Ling Yu’s diamond-studded fingers. Ling Yu pushed her glasses up her nose and said with a smile, “You always go back on your word. You once promised me that if I could drive a Porsche to school, you would agree to take a ride with me. And now, I work three jobs every day… and you’ve gone back on your word again and again.” Ling Yu’s tone suddenly changed, and she provocatively curved her lips. She suddenly climbed up Gu Qing’s slender arm and put her other hand on Gu Qing’s waist. She leaned forward slightly and breathed into Gu Qing’s ear. “Sister, my patience has its limits… don’t push me…”

A sweet smell of candy wafted into her nose. Gu Qing’s cold eyebrows twitched fiercely. She knew the woman in front of her was lying, but she didn’t push her away immediately. Ling Yu’s hair brushed against her neck, and her soft, slender body was almost touching hers. This close contact, with their breaths intermingling, made the air feel ambiguous and seductive. Gu Qing took a deep breath. She didn’t understand why her behavior toward Ling Yu was getting more and more strange lately. She decided to ignore the annoyance in her heart and squeezed out two words from between her teeth. “Let go.”

Gu Qing’s voice was a little hoarse. Ling Yu raised her eyebrows and held on even tighter. Gu Qing’s lips twisted into an absurd smile. “Ling Yu, don’t you think you look ridiculous right now?” She looked at Ling Yu’s thin wrists with a harsh and impolite gaze, then scoffed. Her contemptuous gaze was like she was looking down at a little ant seeking its own death.

The two confronted each other for a moment. In a flash, it seemed they could slap each other at any moment. They were about the same height. Ling Yu was gentle and elegant, with a beautiful face that held a hint of seductive charm. Gu Qing was a force of nature, with a cold and intimidating aura. Standing together, they became a sight to behold. Even though both of them were filled with anger at the moment, it was incredibly eye-catching. The food street was usually filled with students from H University. It was after school, and the narrow street was almost full of students. Ling Yu and Gu Qing’s big argument looked like they were about to slap each other as a greeting for their date. The braver students rushed forward to mediate.

“Senior Gu, let’s talk this out. Don’t fight. We’re all students.” The mediator finished with one person and then rushed to the other. “Ling Yu, what’s wrong with you? We all know you’re sad about not being able to win her heart, but don’t do something foolish. F-f-f…” The student who was mediating didn’t dare to say the word “force.” His mouth couldn’t help but tremble. He glanced at the cold and beautiful Senior Gu and couldn’t imagine what the gentle Ling Yu could do to the cold and noble talented girl.

The mediators came one after another. More and more people gathered to watch. Ling Yu looked away. She threw the milk tea in her hand to Gu Qing, but the next second, she sensed a thick, unyielding sense of anger coming from the other woman. Ling Yu thought, what’s wrong with her? She’s so arrogant. Who would put up with her?

She said with a fake smile, “I also think I’m ridiculous. It was ridiculous of me to waste my time buying you milk tea.” “If I hadn’t bought milk tea, I wouldn’t have been three minutes late,” Ling Yu said sarcastically, letting go of Gu Qing’s wrist. She waved to her indifferently. “Goodbye.”

Ling Yu felt she was also being ridiculous. Last night, she had made up her mind to go all in, to ruthlessly strip away Gu Qing’s arrogant high and mighty attitude. To cruelly watch her fall into the mud, and then to bandage her wounds. The process would be bloody, but it would be very effective. This way, she could quickly complete her task and stay away from a cold woman like Gu Qing who was destined to be alone.

However, because of the umbrella from last night, the Porsche in the rainy night, and the woman who had put out countless cigarette butts in front of the Xu family’s old house, Ling Yu even kindly guessed that it was raining so hard last night, and Gu Qing was standing downstairs, perhaps because she was too lonely. Perhaps she hoped that Ling Yu would find her and lead her out of the cold darkness.

If that was the case… Ling Yu just wanted to talk to Gu Qing, to have a calm conversation. But now, it seemed that Gu Qing clearly didn’t allow anyone into her world and had built high iron walls against anyone who tried to get close to her. Ling Yu had been hitting the wall again and again, but she also got tired. The rebellious pride in her bones would only drive her to pick up a weapon, destroy the high wall, knock the person out, and drag her out.

Ling Yu took two steps with her slender legs, walking away without hesitation. But then, a hoarse voice came from behind her. “Did you buy this milk tea?…” Ling Yu was facing away, but she could still hear the doubt in Gu Qing’s tone. It wasn’t her who bought it? Could it be a gift she accepted after agreeing to the short-haired girl’s confession?

Gu Qing never wasted words. Since she asked, it was something she had already confirmed. Ling Yu laughed in anger. “What do you take me for? Do you want me to show you the transaction record, Lawyer Gu?”

Ling Yu thought the dinner was off for the night, but Gu Qing suddenly went crazy. She turned around, took a pair of silver tweezers from her briefcase, reached into the trash can, and pulled out the crumpled paper she had just thrown away.

Ling Yu: …

Gu Qing avoided Ling Yu’s questioning gaze. Her lips were slightly pursed. She condescended to walk over to her, grabbed Ling Yu’s arm, and rushed out of the crowd. The students who had been mediating were confused.

“Damn. That’s so sweet.”

“Could it be that Ling Yu and Senior Gu are actually dating?”

“Oh my god, oh my god, just looking at their profiles, I can’t stop smiling.”

…

H University is located in the old part of Yuncheng. In recent years, new industries have gradually gathered in the new city. After many factories and businesses moved away, the old city became deserted.

Later, it was renovated by the city and became the university campus it is today. Perhaps because of its unique historical location, many of the small, unassuming restaurants near H University are decades-old, or even centuries-old.

The most famous one is hidden in an alley in the east district of H University, called Li Ji Clay Pot. It’s not easy to find, but the taste of the clay pot is in the top ten on Yuncheng’s food list. Ling Yu had been there many times, but each time she had to make a reservation and wait in line. The owners were a middle-aged couple.

They were honest and simple, and their business was very good. There was a long line outside the small shop every day. Because of the quality of their products, they refused to expand their shop.

Gu Qing forcibly took Ling Yu there.

Ling Yu had expected to wait for at least three hours, but Gu Qing unfolded the crumpled waiting ticket she had just retrieved from the trash can, handed it to the owner without changing her expression, and led Ling Yu into the shop.

At the table, the two of them ate in silence.

“How did you get the waiting ticket for this place? Did you make a reservation in the afternoon?” The address was provided by Ling Yu, but she had been delayed by her thesis. She had thought she would have to find somewhere else for dinner tonight. The woman across from her carefully wiped her lips with a wet tissue before raising her eyes to glance at her.

She obviously didn’t want to continue the previous topic. Her fingers tapped on the table, and she said in a calm tone, “Don’t get involved in Li Juan’s case.”

“Why?” Ling Yu scoffed, tore off a napkin, and asked the owner’s wife for a hot soy milk. Her gaze then met Gu Qing’s profound eyes again.

Gu Qing’s long eyelashes were lowered, concealing the complex emotions in her eyes. She brushed a strand of hair from her forehead and called out slowly, “Ling Yu.”

Ling Yu: “Hmm.”

Gu Qing’s eyes were like a layer of mist. She said calmly, “If you think being rejected by me is embarrassing, I can compensate you. But, for Jiang Wei’s case… don’t interfere anymore.”

Ling Yu had never heard Gu Qing plead so humbly. If she weren’t sitting across from her so gracefully and speaking to her in the same tone she used for negotiations in court, Ling Yu would have almost thought that the woman in front of her was about to surrender.

“Why are you in such a hurry to persuade me?” Ling Yu saw the determined look in Gu Qing’s eyes.

She scoffed. “Because the Jiang family gave you 300 million?”

Gu Qing was stunned. The emotion in her eyes faded away little by little. She stood up, leaning over, and stared at Ling Yu. “If you insist on going against me…”

Upon hearing this, Ling Yu couldn’t help but laugh. “If a rapist like Jiang Wei can get away with it, Gu Qing, I can guarantee that you… all of you will go to jail…”

Ling Yu’s eyes were clear and bright. At that moment, she met Gu Qing’s gaze without flinching. After a moment, her eyes curved, filled with an equal amount of anger, like stars illuminating the sky.

Gu Qing’s heart stirred. She smiled coldly without a trace. “Then you can try.”

Ling Yu said, “Oh,” and then climbed over the table. Her nimble fingers quickly grabbed Gu Qing’s waist.

Gu Qing impatiently stepped back, her back hitting the corner of the table. She narrowed her eyes. In that moment of misstep, she watched Ling Yu’s excessively pale face get closer and closer. Their breaths mingled, and the scent of milk candy filled her nose.

Gu Qing looked at Ling Yu’s approaching orange-red lips with a troubled expression. Her chest rose and fell dramatically. Her gaze was uncontrollably fixed on Ling Yu’s overly delicate neck, which reminded her of a pinhole. Her eyes darkened, and something was about to come out of her heart. However, in that split second, she felt a sharp pain in her neck. Ling Yu had bit her neck hard enough to draw blood.

She swung her ponytail back. Her eyes were dark.

“You lose.”

Gu Qing’s gaze lingered on the woman’s bright red lips, and her eyes gradually became hazy. She didn’t even know what Ling Yu was saying. Her thoughts were suspended for a moment. Gu Qing subconsciously touched the glass-shaped pendant on her chest.

After a full ten seconds, her pounding heart finally calmed down. She glanced at Ling Yu expressionlessly. She suddenly extended her long leg and kicked Ling Yu’s calf without mercy. Using Ling Yu’s momentary dodge, she propped herself up with one hand on the table and stood up easily.

“There’s one thing I didn’t tell you last night,” Gu Qing said, her eyes lowered as she looked at Ling Yu indifferently. “Your entanglement is as disgusting to me as Gu Ting’s.”

After saying that, Gu Qing pointedly glanced at the transparent umbrella Ling Yu had placed on the table. “Nurse Wang borrowed that from Gu Ting. You should return it to her.”

Ling Yu raised her eyebrows, and the smile on her lips faded a little.

Then Gu Qing added, “The address of the personal villa the law firm bought for me is in West Mountain.”

“Ling Yu,” Gu Qing said, looking at her as if she were a lunatic.

She pointed to her own head. “There’s something wrong with you here.”