Pretending To Be Affectionate [Transmigration] - Chapter 35

Ling Yu had never been as furious in either of her lives as she was at that moment.

Payment for sexual services?

What the fuck?

Gu Qing truly dared to say it. She sounded perfectly justified, without the slightest awareness of how vile she was being.

From now on, whenever shamelessness was discussed, Ling Yu would unilaterally declare Gu Qing the undisputed champion.

She had assumed that what happened that night was at least a mutually consensual one-night stand. How had it somehow turned into the equivalent of hiring an escort?

Fine. If Gu Qing wanted to pay her, she could.

But what did she mean by using Jiang Wei’s miserable case as payment?

Was she looking down on Ling Yu?

Ling Yu admitted that without Gu Qing, acting alone would most likely have ended in mutual destruction.

A few days earlier, she had even borrowed a public-relations team from Old Master Xu.

If Jiang Wei managed to reverse the case, Ling Yu intended to take him down with her by making his name infamous across the entire world.

So what the hell was Jiang Wei worth?

How could dealing with him possibly count as adequate payment for Ling Yu?

Ling Yu clicked her tongue.

“Who are you trying to humiliate?”

She raised a hand and removed Gu Qing’s cold fingers from her eyes.

Looking up at her, Ling Yu smiled ambiguously.

“So Attorney Gu is this stingy. If you insist on paying me, shouldn’t you consider the actual circumstances?”

“With a face like mine, skin like this… and my breasts are quite pleasant to touch too. I remember you touching them many times that night. If I charge by the number of times, don’t you think you’re paying too little?”

Gu Qing’s gaze stopped on Ling Yu’s chest and shamelessly lingered there for several moments.

Then her pale lips curved slightly, as though she had concluded that the blow had driven Ling Yu out of her mind.

Assuming the manner of a stranger, she gave Ling Yu a polite farewell smile.

Then she slowly withdrew her gaze, stepped back, and turned to leave.

Gu Qing pulled open the hospital’s metal door. The wind scattered her long hair over her shoulders, and it seemed she would once again merge into the darkness in the next moment.

“Wait,” Ling Yu called from behind her.

Gu Qing stopped.

As though her patience had finally run out, she turned around in exasperation.

“Is it interesting to keep chasing after me so relentlessly, Ling Yu?”

“I’ve seen plenty of people like you. Aren’t you disgusted with yourself?”

Ling Yu had long since become numb to Gu Qing’s vicious words.

Compared to these furious insults, Ling Yu cared far more about that “payment” and the fact that Gu Qing had left without even bathing her after they slept together.

Looking through lowered lids, Ling Yu stared at the two long, slender legs beneath Gu Qing’s fitted skirt.

She suddenly clicked her tongue.

“It is rather disgusting. Yet when you were dealing with someone as disgusting as me, both your legs became wet. Walking around like that must be inconvenient.”

As she spoke, Ling Yu took a packet of wet wipes from her pocket and tossed it toward Gu Qing.

Gu Qing did not catch it.

The packet struck the floor with a slap.

Her brows drew tightly together, sharpening the features of her ordinarily cold and indifferent face.

Under Ling Yu’s unrestrained, mocking scrutiny, Gu Qing brought her legs together without changing her expression.

Then she stepped forward in her high heels, crushing the wet wipes beneath one heel before grinding them into the ground.

“Ling Yu, the way you’re acting now makes you no different from a pervert.”

Ling Yu laughed in anger.

She had been telling the truth. Gu Qing’s legs really had been wet.

Perhaps it had not been because of Ling Yu.

So what?

Anyone would become furious after being repeatedly humiliated with such vicious words.

More importantly, Great-Grandmother’s death tonight had raised every sharp spine across Ling Yu’s body. Like a hedgehog, she stared at Gu Qing provocatively.

“The feeling is mutual.”

Gu Qing said nothing.

Faced with Ling Yu’s provocation, she experienced a powerless and absurd sense of defeat.

Helplessly, she withdrew her gaze and looked into the boundless night.

Even Gu Qing herself failed to realize that she had already repeated those cruel, wounding words many times.

She was not repeating them for Ling Yu’s benefit.

She was trying to sever the restless desires stirring within her own heart.

There were countless paths a person could take throughout life.

But for Gu Qing, ever since Gu Hongwei died, only one remained—a thorn-covered road of vengeance.

When the sprawling drug operation had been destroyed more than a decade ago, its most central members had escaped completely unharmed.

Gu Qing did not know her chances of defeating them.

Even with all the power she currently possessed, eliminating a single Jiang family would require every resource she had spent years cultivating.

What right did she have to dwell on the delirious passion she had shared with Ling Yu that night?

Gu Qing suppressed the inexplicable and useless emotions in her heart.

She gave Ling Yu one final, penetrating look, then walked away on her long, slender legs.

A sudden pain struck her back.

A high heel hit the ground with a sharp clatter.

Ling Yu stood on one bare foot and watched her shoe fall from Gu Qing’s back, landing heavily on the floor.

She looked at Gu Qing through lowered lids.

“Your body is more honest than your words. Take your payment back. I have my own way of dealing with Jiang Wei.”

The emotion on Gu Qing’s face instantly vanished.

She turned and examined Ling Yu with those mechanical blue eyes.

Her gaze was heavy, containing neither anger nor condemnation.

She looked exactly as she had while facing Gu Ting’s madness earlier—as though her eyes could contain nothing at all.

“What are you capable of doing?”

“Relying on those original photographs that already fell into Jiang Bochuan’s hands?”

Mockery filled Gu Qing’s voice.

Ling Yu raised her eyelids.

She knew that once Li Juan committed perjury in court and the case was lost, she could not take Jiang Wei’s life.

But with the photographs in her possession, she could at least make him infamous throughout the world.

Knowing that was one thing.

Having Gu Qing question her from such a superior position was another.

Completely infuriated, Ling Yu smiled and stubbornly replied, “If the law proves unjust, what’s wrong with turning to public opinion?”

“Injuring yourself by eight hundred to harm the enemy by a thousand?”

Gu Qing’s lips curved incredulously.

“Ling Yu, can you stop being so childish?”

“How much do you know about Jiang Bochuan? What about his connections? How much do you understand about them? You know nothing, so why are you pretending you can handle this?”

Gu Qing asked three questions in succession, hardly giving Ling Yu time to breathe.

Her penetrating gaze remained fixed upon Ling Yu.

“Do you think Jiang Wei’s case can only be won because I’m handling it? I’ll tell you the truth—anyone could win this case.”

“Do you know why Jiang Bochuan came to Yuncheng? He established connections throughout Yuncheng’s courts.”

“Why do you think Jiang Wei could be openly released on bail despite the overwhelming evidence against him?”

“It isn’t merely money. It’s a network of connections so extensive that you couldn’t imagine it no matter how hard you strained your brain.”

Ling Yu stared blankly at Gu Qing.

She remained silent for thirty full seconds.

Her pitch-black eyes met Gu Qing’s icy gaze.

The woman stood there like a queen high above everyone else, fierce and contemptuous of the entire world.

Although Gu Qing looked savage and utterly lacking in feminine softness, Ling Yu had to admit that everything she said was true.

Moreover, if Gu Qing claimed she had a solution, then she most likely did.

She might be cold, heartless, deranged, and stingy, but her abilities were undeniable.

Ling Yu had prepared for the worst.

She intended to use the Xu family’s influence to push public opinion to its peak.

But afterward, just as Gu Qing said, she would injure herself by eight hundred to harm her enemy by a thousand.

There was also no guarantee she could defeat Jiang Wei while Gu Qing was working behind the scenes to advise him.

Ling Yu thought about it rationally and soberly.

“So…”

Her tone abruptly changed.

She raised her face and studied Gu Qing for a long moment.

Then she asked calmly, “Can I trust you?”

The change in her demeanor was too sudden.

A moment ago, they had been at each other’s throats. In the next, Ling Yu’s eyes had turned clear and vulnerable.

“Sister, can I trust you?”

Gu Qing truly had not expected Ling Yu’s skin to be thicker than city walls.

Meeting those richly expressive eyes reminded her of the night their bodies had pressed together.

Gu Qing narrowed her eyes.

“Help me this once, all right?” Ling Yu repeated anxiously.

When she asked someone for help, the sharpness vanished from her black-and-white eyes.

Her curled lashes fluttered restlessly, while fragmented light danced inside her gaze, filling it with glittering sincerity.

Gu Qing glanced at her and quickly looked away.

She reached up and tucked her long curls behind one ear, seemingly attempting to conceal her momentary loss of composure.

Lowering her voice, she said, “I already promised. This is my payment for your services.”

Ling Yu’s expression stiffened.

There it was again.

That damned payment.

Despite rejecting the phrase with every fiber of her being, Ling Yu maintained her smile.

She nodded cheerfully and flattered Gu Qing without changing expression.

“Mm-hmm. I certainly trust you. With your intelligence and ability, destroying one Jiang Wei will be effortless.”

“After all, you’re such an outstanding lawyer for the people. I thank you on everyone’s behalf.”

Half of Gu Qing’s face was concealed in shadow.

She glanced at Ling Yu, her pale lips curving slightly.

“Thank me?”

Ling Yu nodded.

“I’ll give you the opportunity.”

Gu Qing’s gaze settled on Ling Yu’s lips, which had turned purple from the cold.

She casually removed her windbreaker and threw it into Ling Yu’s arms.

“Wash this coat for me afterward.”

Ling Yu was speechless.

[Ahhh! That was so charming! So seductive!]

Ling Yu replied, [You’re an idiot.]

008 whimpered.

[Host, don’t say that. My eyes are specially trained to find sweetness everywhere. No matter how I look at it, the female lead gave you her coat because she was worried you were cold.]

[I recommend gouging out those eyes to cure your delusions.]

Ling Yu did not sleep for the entire night.

Because the old lady’s body had to be taken to the crematorium, every member of the younger generation remained in place, waiting for the staff to begin work the following morning and perform the cremation.

In the middle of the night, Gu Qing’s windbreaker truly became useful.

Xu Miao obtained a down jacket from the logistics staff. When she handed it to Ling Yu, she glanced suspiciously at the coat Ling Yu was wearing.

“This windbreaker looks familiar. Huh? I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere.”

Ling Yu gave a lazy “oh.”

“It belongs to Fang Jia.”

Xu Miao looked at its size, thought about Fang Jia’s figure, and exclaimed, “I never expected that old enchantress to stop wearing bright reds and purples and switch to cool colors.”

Ling Yu nodded.

“Right? I found it strange too. Perhaps after eating too much rich meat, she wanted some plain congee and side dishes. There’s nothing strange about changing one’s style.”

Xu Miao clicked her tongue and was about to speak.

“Yuyu, when did I change my clothing style? Why don’t I know about it?”

Fang Jia stood behind them, adjusting the fox-colored fur coat around her body.

No one knew how much she had overheard.

Her experienced eyes scrutinized the windbreaker in Ling Yu’s hands.

Only after a moment did she calmly look away.

“The temperature has dropped several degrees this late at night. Quickly put on the padded coat your Sister brought you.”

As she spoke, she bent down and reached for the windbreaker in Ling Yu’s hands.

Ling Yu abruptly shifted her elbow and casually draped Gu Qing’s dirty coat over the back of a chair.

Then she smiled and nodded at Fang Jia.

“Aunt Fang, why did you come?”

Fang Jia’s gaze remained on the windbreaker.

“I was worried about you.”

“Yuyu, this windbreaker of yours…” Fang Jia narrowed her eyes. “It looks like one belonging to a friend of mine…”

Even when her lie was exposed directly, Ling Yu did not feel embarrassed.

She had never intended to tell anyone about her recent grievances and entanglements with Gu Qing.

So she answered perfunctorily, “Does it? I thought it was yours.”

That clearly meant she had no intention of explaining further.

Fang Jia’s eyelashes trembled. Understanding the signal, she did not continue asking.

She handed Ling Yu a portable hand warmer.

Under Xu Miao’s teasing noises, Fang Jia calmly took out her phone and sent Gu Qing a message.

[Sister Gu, do you remember the darling I mentioned to you before?]

Kaihe Law Firm—Gu: [?]

[What a coincidence. She’s actually interning at your law firm.]

[Please help Sister look after her from time to time.]

[Oh, right. Her name is Ling Yu.]

Fang Jia narrowed her eyes and stared at the messaging screen.

A profound, probing look gathered within her gaze.

Ten minutes later, Gu Qing replied.

Kaihe Law Firm—Gu: [No.]

Fang Jia: [Why?]

Kaihe Law Firm—Gu: [Human Resources will issue her dismissal notice tomorrow. She’s being persuaded to resign.]

Fang Jia’s tense expression abruptly relaxed. A teasing smile appeared on her face.

[What happened? Are you openly bullying my girl?]

Kaihe Law Firm—Gu: [Your girl? [smile.jpg]]