Pretending To Be Affectionate [Transmigration] - Chapter 41

Li Juan was taken away by the police that night for attempted premeditated murder.

By the next morning, someone had deliberately pushed the incident onto the trending list.

The story spread at breakneck speed. Even Xu Miao, who had stayed up all night gaming, stumbled across the juicy gossip while still half asleep.

“Well, I’ve officially seen everything. Jiang Wei’s case has actually been whitewashed…”

Dark circles hung beneath Xu Miao’s eyes, and she looked distinctly exhausted.

She slid the tablet toward Ling Yu, gesturing for her to look at the day’s absurd top story.

A carton of yogurt between her lips, Ling Yu showed little surprise.

She had already seen the story that morning.

The headline blazing red across the tablet was impossible to miss:

“New Questions Emerge in Rich Heir Sexual Assault Case: Third-Party Killer Surfaces, Case May Face Major Reversal.”

Ordinarily, when a piece of social news shot straight to number one on the trending list less than twelve hours after the incident, anyone with half a brain could tell someone was deliberately steering public opinion.

Xu Miao pulled out a dining chair and dropped into it. Seeing Ling Yu calmly eating breakfast, she exclaimed in surprise.

“You’re not shocked? Jiang Wei was nearly killed by his mistress last night. Murder on Christmas Eve—even television dramas wouldn’t dare write something this ridiculous.”

Ling Yu shot her a cool sideways glance.

“Then you haven’t watched enough television. Plenty of dramas have plots this melodramatic.”

Xu Miao’s expression stiffened. Helplessly avoiding the point, she continued, “Listen, everyone in our circle knows exactly what kind of scum Jiang Wei is. But this morning’s trending story lays everything out so convincingly that even I’m confused.”

“The whole thing is incredibly melodramatic. Apparently, that woman killed Yan Shu several months ago because Jiang Wei kept sleeping around, then staged the crime scene to frame him.”

Xu Miao sighed and turned to look at Ling Yu.

“If she hadn’t genuinely tried to kill Jiang Wei last night, I never would’ve believed a monster like him could actually have been falsely accused.”

Before Xu Miao could finish, Ling Yu set down her chopsticks.

“It’s just another Jiang family tactic.” Propping her chin in both hands, she tilted her head and suddenly called, “Sister Miao?”

Xu Miao looked over in surprise. “Hm?”

“What do you think of Gu Qing?” Ling Yu asked lazily, her eyelids drooping.

Xu Miao paused.

Of course she thought Gu Qing was fairly decent.

She was capable and talented. Xu Miao had only interacted with her once, but Gu Qing had left a good impression.

Thinking about it now, there was a reason so many people liked her.

She was a decisive, efficient career woman. Frankly, Xu Miao admired her.

But there was no way Xu Miao could say that now.

Everyone in Yuncheng knew Ling Yu liked Gu Qing.

And judging by the dejected way Ling Yu sat there, practically wearing the words brokenhearted across her face, Xu Miao could guess with her toes that she had confessed again and been rejected again.

Xu Miao stuffed a fried egg into her mouth, chewed, swallowed, then lied solemnly, “She’s not much.”

Ling Yu lifted her eyelids.

“Gu Qing’s only virtue is that she’s beautiful,” Xu Miao continued. “Everyone who’s met her says she’s cold and ruthless. She isn’t gentle or considerate. Honestly, she hardly counts as a woman…”

“Oh.” Ling Yu focused on the first half of that statement and repeated meaningfully, “She’s ruthless?”

Xu Miao grinned. “Of course. Gu Qing doesn’t have a heart. Everyone in the industry knows that.”

As if suddenly recalling something, Xu Miao eyed Ling Yu suspiciously.

“Xiao Yu, I know you’re unwilling to accept what happened with Jiang Wei’s case. But it’s become too complicated for ordinary people to solve. Even Gu Qing couldn’t possibly—”

Ling Yu narrowed her eyes, planted a hand on the table beside Xu Miao, and abruptly sprang from her chair. She strode two steps toward the door.

Then she suddenly slammed on the brakes.

Turning around, she fixed her pitch-black eyes on Xu Miao and demanded with astonishing force, “You also think she isn’t a good person?”

Xu Miao froze and instinctively nodded.

Ling Yu abruptly deflated like a punctured balloon. All her force vanished as she sat back down.

Picking up her chopsticks, she listlessly poked at the fried egg on her plate.

“But at least she isn’t a bad person…”

Her cheeks were puffed out. A moment ago she had been a lit firecracker; now she was a little ball of gloom, chin resting in her hands, a thread of uncertain conviction lingering in her watery eyes.

Xu Miao suddenly found her rather adorable. She casually took a photograph and posted it to her social feed.

Caption: Why can’t you just be a good person?

The reason Ling Yu felt so low was that she no longer had the ability to intervene in Jiang Wei’s case.

Thanks to Li Juan’s outrageous stunt the previous night, the Jiang family’s PR team had immediately seized the opportunity and manipulated public opinion.

The internet was filled with every conceivable theory. At a time like this, it was easiest to muddy the waters and divert everyone’s attention.

Even if Ling Yu now released those incriminating photographs of Jiang Wei, they would have little practical effect.

She had never expected that after all her effort and sacrifices, the case would still reverse in this way.

It seemed Gu Qing was the only one who might have a solution…

Ling Yu lifted her eyes. “Sister Miao, want to make a bet?”

Xu Miao’s hand trembled as she posted the photograph. She exhaled guiltily. “On what?”

“I bet there’ll be an even bigger reversal in Jiang Wei’s case.”

Cradling her milk, Xu Miao chuckled. “All right. What are the stakes?”

“If I lose, I’ll pay for every cosmetic product you ask me to buy for you in Country M over the next two years.”

Xu Miao’s eyes lit up. “Deal! What if you win?”

“If I win, call Gu Qing at midnight on the first day of every month. If talking feels awkward, you don’t have to say anything. Just make sure she’s still alive.”

Xu Miao’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

“What? Calling her in the middle of the night? Gu Qing won’t murder me, will she?”

Ling Yu gave her a reassuring look.

“Just tell her it’s the payment Ling Yu owes her for her services.”

How bad could Gu Qing really be when she had grabbed Li Juan at the last moment?

Ling Yu could not forget the utter lack of desire to live in Gu Qing’s eyes as she fell from the roof.

Her mission was over, but Gu Qing’s life would continue.

Ling Yu hoped that when Gu Qing went mad alone each month, someone would be there to pull her back—even if only slightly.

[Host, I didn’t expect you to be so…] After hesitating, 008 said emotionally, [So kind.]

Ling Yu raised her eyelids.

[I’m generous with everyone I break up with.]

008 heard the stubbornness in her words and eagerly played along.

[But Gu Qing was never your girlfriend. You’ve still arranged everything so thoughtfully for her. That’s why I said you’re a wonderful person.]

[…]

Ling Yu narrowed her foxlike eyes, shadows flickering within them.

[Perhaps it’s because she treated me so terribly. Maybe I’m doing this to make her experience a devotion she can never shake off. From now on, whenever she thinks of me—even if she despises me—I’ll remain like a thorn lodged in her throat…]

Ling Yu paused, her gloom vanishing.

[Daddy, isn’t that thrilling?]

008 was rendered speechless.

Good grief. That’s our host—vengeful, arrogant, and recklessly determined to court death.

After breakfast, Ling Yu opened an app and rescheduled her flight for ten o’clock two nights later.

Xu Miao leaned over in shock. “Why so suddenly?”

Ling Yu tugged at the corner of her mouth. “It’s time to go.”

Whatever the outcome of Jiang Wei’s second trial, Ling Yu had no reason to remain in Yuncheng.

If her guess was wrong and she lost her temper over the unsatisfactory verdict, then went looking for Gu Qing again, that woman would probably think she was an idiot who could never keep her word.

Two days later, H University held its postgraduate graduation ceremony.

A light rain fell that day, filling the air with the damp, earthy scent of mud.

Ling Yu completed the paperwork for studying abroad at the academic affairs office.

When she emerged, the morning drizzle had somehow turned into a torrential downpour.

Dark clouds pressed heavily across the sky, veiling half the heavens.

Standing beneath the first-floor corridor eaves, Ling Yu took out her phone, logged into the campus forum, and made a post.

“Can anyone tell me if today’s postgraduate graduation ceremony was moved because of the rain?”

Someone replied in less than a minute.

First floor: Tsk, tsk. Blind guess—the OP is going to confess to Senior Gu. Today’s hundredth suitor has arrived. Fireworks.jpg

Second floor: Girl, there are too many people. You don’t stand a chance.

Third floor: The auditorium is packed beyond capacity. I suggest you don’t come.

…

The corner of Ling Yu’s mouth twitched.

She glanced through the curtain of rain at the blurred scenery beyond. The auditorium was not far from Teaching Building Fifteen, where she currently stood.

Ling Yu calculated the feasibility of simply sprinting over.

During that moment of hesitation, two female students suddenly appeared on the tree-lined path in front of the building, one following the other.

The girl in front wore a black graduation gown. Through the heavy rain, her features were indistinct. Ling Yu could only make out her tall, slender figure and the long curls dampened by rain, clinging smoothly to the gown and falling to the hollow of her waist.

Ling Yu had only glanced at her casually.

Then her gaze moved upward and landed on the transparent umbrella in the woman’s hand. Its canopy was decorated with tiny white flowers.

It looked extremely familiar.

Surprise flashed through Ling Yu’s eyes, and she could not resist looking more closely.

Behind the woman, a younger student splashed through the puddles as she ran, finally catching up while panting for breath.

The younger girl carried an enormous bouquet of roses.

“Senior! I finally found you. At tonight’s appreciation banquet, Professor Wang specifically asked you to play a piano piece. Did she mention it to you beforehand?”

Gu Qing turned impatiently.

Her ordinarily tranquil pupils abruptly contracted. Her gaze seemed unfocused, yet it traveled past the younger student’s shoulder and landed on Ling Yu beyond the rain.

Three seconds later, Gu Qing stopped walking.

She stood there, her coldly beautiful face revealing little emotion, and gave an absent-minded hum.

Seeing that Gu Qing was not even looking at her, the younger student appeared slightly embarrassed.

But when she realized Gu Qing had stopped to wait for her, delight immediately surfaced on her face.

“I have the key to the School of Arts piano room. You can borrow it anytime to rehearse.”

The younger student paused, then asked shyly, “Senior Gu, could we exchange contact details? It would make things easier…”

[Host, this is the proper way for a younger student to pursue her senior. Think about everything you did before. You either fought with her, pinned her against a wall, or argued with her… See? The female lead likes the gentle, sweet type…]

Ling Yu’s foxlike eyes curved like petals.

[That’s right. But what the hell does it have to do with me?]

008 choked, then sighed.

[Wah… I’m just upset. My clever-little-trickster pairing ended in tragedy…]

Ling Yu: […]

Beneath the evergreen tree ahead, Gu Qing rejected the younger student as expected.

Yet her tone was far more courteous and considerate than it had ever been when rejecting Ling Yu.

She did not even say a single harsh word. Turning slightly away from the roses the girl offered her, she declined tactfully.

“Sorry. I didn’t bring my phone.”

Ling Yu scoffed and looked away.

Never before had she understood so clearly that Gu Qing did not direct such disgust at everyone who liked her.

From beginning to end, Ling Yu alone was the person Gu Qing found most repulsive.

To be singled out like this was humiliating to Ling Yu’s entire career as a player.

Fortunately, they would never have anything to do with each other again.

A clean break meant even their “payments” had to be settled perfectly.

Ling Yu resentfully withdrew her gaze just as another figure appeared beside her.

“Junior, the rain is so heavy. Where are you going? Want me to take you?”

Ling Yu lifted her eyelids.

The young man standing before her flashed a dazzling row of white teeth. He held a hundred balloons and bent toward her like a gentleman as he asked.

Ling Yu glanced at the colorful helium balloons in his hand. Her foxlike eyes curved into crescents.

“Thank you, handsome, but my partner will be here to pick me up soon. I do have a favor to ask, though. Could I buy something from you?”

The young man let out a devastated “Huh?”

“Sure. What do you want?”

Ling Yu stared fixedly at the balloons in his hand and pointed with one slender finger.

“Those.”

The next moment, the young man readily stuffed the entire bundle into her hands. Blushing furiously, he accepted her payment, said goodbye, and hurried away.

When Ling Yu turned around, Gu Qing and the younger student carrying the roses were walking through the puddles directly past her.

At such close range, Gu Qing acted as if she had not seen her at all, walking forward without a sideways glance.

Behind her, the younger student chattered loudly.

“Senior, aren’t we going to the auditorium? Why did you come to Teaching Building Fifteen?”

Gu Qing lowered her eyes, their deep blue seemingly stained with ink as she stared at the ground.

Rain slid from the umbrella and soaked into the shoulder of her graduation gown. Before long, half her shoulder was drenched.

The younger student exclaimed, “Hold the umbrella properly! You’re getting soaked…”

Hearing that, Ling Yu thought of something and lowered her gaze.

Her pupils happened to land on Gu Qing’s exquisite figure.

A portion of her gown had been soaked through, the wet fabric clinging to the woman’s curves. As she moved through the rain, her graceful silhouette swayed enticingly.

Ling Yu chuckled and silently mouthed a suggestive taunt at Gu Qing.

“You’re all wet.”

She was angry and had only meant to mock her casually.

Unexpectedly, Gu Qing seemed to have eyes in the back of her head. She abruptly turned around, face taut.

Her gaze fell lightly upon Ling Yu, yet it felt almost tangible, simmering with suppressed fury.

Ling Yu silently withdrew her gaze, expression wooden, hands tucked away.

When someone was unlucky, even the weather conspired against them.

Ling Yu waited beneath the corridor for an entire hour, yet the rain showed no sign of stopping.

Her hands had turned red from the cold. Clutching the strings of a hundred balloons, she gritted her teeth and charged into the downpour.

By the time she entered the auditorium, the graduation speeches had already ended.

The postgraduate students from H University’s graduating class had gathered to take photographs together, with Gu Qing standing at the center.

Many people surrounded her, but Gu Qing remained the most striking among them.

She was mature and coldly beautiful, her graduation gown wrapping around her shapely figure.

During the single minute it took Ling Yu to walk inside, several younger students had already rushed onto the auditorium stage to confess to Gu Qing.

Standing ten meters from the stage, Ling Yu called, “Gu Qing.”

Gu Qing turned at the sound.

Anger simmered in her eyes as her gaze landed on Ling Yu’s drenched figure.

From less than ten meters away, she could see drops of water winding down Ling Yu’s slender neck. Dim daylight bathed her form, its fragmented glow brushing like kisses over Ling Yu’s graceful body.

Quite a few people nearby secretly looked at Ling Yu, briefly losing themselves in the sight.

Gu Qing’s expression iced over.

She stepped forward twice, positioning herself in front of Ling Yu, and swept an anger-laced gaze over her.

“Is this entertaining to you, Ling Yu? Haven’t I rejected you clearly enough? I have never been attracted to women.”

The auditorium instantly fell silent.

Gu Qing’s voice was filled with shards of snow, as if carried upon the bitterest winds of winter.

It chilled everyone to the bone.

Every person in the auditorium looked at Ling Yu with pity.

Everyone knew that no matter how Gu Qing rejected her, Ling Yu would always raise her bright, lovely face and say:

“It doesn’t matter. Loving you is my business.”

But this time, Ling Yu did not move.

Her fingers slowly opened.

The colorful helium balloons in her hand shot toward the sky like a shower of confetti.

Through the spaces between them, Ling Yu smiled and took one long, deep look at Gu Qing.

Then she turned and left without looking back.

[Congratulations, Host. The Devoted Supporting Woman mission is complete.]

[Mission reward: a full natural lifespan.]

Gu Qing stood frozen in place.

Staring into the dark, hollow sky, she suddenly felt a suffocating weight press down upon her chest.

The rain that day seemed as if it would never run dry.

After Ling Yu went abroad, her coursework became extremely demanding. Because she struggled with the language, she had only six hours a day to rest.

One week later, Xu Miao called her.

“Ling Yu, you’re so damn devious.”

“Did you already know Gu Qing’s plan? Is that why you made a bet with me that I was guaranteed to lose?”

“Seriously, have you checked the domestic news lately? Jiang Wei’s case has caused a nationwide sensation. Not only was Jiang Wei sentenced to death, the entire Jiang family was uprooted along with him. Gu Qing is incredible. I hereby announce that I’m in love with her.”

After Ling Yu ended the call, Xu Miao sent her a video through their messaging app.

It was a recording of Jiang Wei’s second trial.

Gu Qing had not appeared as counsel. Because she had witnessed Li Juan’s attempted murder of Jiang Wei that night, her name was absent from the list of attorneys.

Instead, she sat in the gallery beside Jiang Bochuan.

At the beginning of the recording, the two appeared to be having a pleasant conversation.

The middle-aged man defending Li Juan was a senior prosecutor and an excellent speaker. But the evidence that Li Juan had attempted to murder Jiang Wei was irrefutable.

Her counsel focused on the motive behind the attempted murder, yet during the first half hour of the hearing, Li Juan’s conviction seemed all but certain.

Then, unexpectedly, in the middle of what should have been Jiang Wei’s guaranteed victory, the presiding judge suddenly received orders from above.

The court was forced to recess for ten minutes.

During that brief half hour of proceedings, a wave of joint testimony had suddenly erupted online.

Past victims persecuted by Jiang Wei all spoke out at the same time without revealing their faces, each recounting in detail what he had done to them.

Every girl’s name and appearance had been blurred.

Yet the evidence each of them presented included records of their conversations with Jiang Wei before meeting him for sex.

More damningly, some victims produced clothing they had preserved from the attacks. Jiang Wei’s DNA could still be extracted from the biological material left on them.

Faced with such overwhelming evidence, the trial was forced into a ten-minute recess.

Meanwhile, excessive manipulation of Jiang Wei’s case had already given it enormous public visibility.

His second trial was being conducted publicly and broadcast live.

Now a shocking reversal had emerged. No longer were the accusations limited to Li Juan and Yan Shu—more than a hundred women had come forward simultaneously.

The joint accusation video instantly became the center of public attention. Official media accounts reposted it at the same time and announced that they were following the case.

Within half an hour, the joint statement had been shared by numerous key institutions.

Faced with such an overwhelmingly one-sided situation, the presiding judge shed his earlier drowsiness.

The court began reviewing the proceedings from the beginning, and Li Juan’s attorney launched his counterattack.

He presented recordings proving that the Jiang family had threatened Li Juan and forced her to give false testimony.

He also produced the recording button Gu Qing had taken from Ling Yu that day.

The evidence of Jiang Wei’s sexual assaults became irreversible.

Yet that was not even the most dramatic part.

As the evidence was unveiled piece by piece, the truth of Jiang Bochuan’s efforts to exploit his connections and force Li Juan to perjure herself was also exposed.

The brief three-hour trial was a spectacular show from beginning to end.

The court delivered the second-trial judgment immediately, with astonishing speed.

Because of the extreme severity of his crimes, Jiang Wei was sentenced to death.

Jiang Bochuan had bribed law-enforcement and judicial personnel, and the circumstances were severe. His case was immediately transferred to higher authorities for a thorough investigation.

The results of that investigation stunned the entire public.

Jiang Corporation had committed extremely serious tax evasion. To avoid paying value-added tax, the company had established third-party shell corporations and signed dual contracts with different declared values.

Over the past five years, the amount of tax evaded had reached eighty billion.

The enormous amount elevated the offenses to the level of financial crimes. Jiang Bochuan was arrested the following day.

The Jiang family’s vast business empire came to an end on the very day of Jiang Wei’s trial.

After watching the video, a smile spread through Ling Yu’s foxlike eyes.

Her phone suddenly vibrated.

Kaihe Law Firm—Gu: [You… withdrew from school?]

Ling Yu: [Yup.]

The other side remained silent for a long time.

Kaihe Law Firm—Gu: [Because of me?]

Ling Yu: [So ordinary, yet so confident.jpg]

Gu Qing stared at the dog-head meme on her screen for a long time, then narrowed her eyes.

[Ling Yu, you’re an adult. Can you act more maturely? If you withdrew from school to make me regret rejecting you, then I apologize. Please don’t abandon your own life because of me.]

With the greatest patience she had ever shown anyone, Gu Qing tried to guide Ling Yu back onto the right path.

The moment she sent the message, a notification appeared in the chat window:

[Message sent, but rejected by the recipient.]