Pretending To Be Affectionate [Transmigration] - Chapter 48

Ling Yu had a layover in Hong Kong before catching a connecting flight to Jiangcheng. After getting off the plane, she headed straight to the departure lounge. She had just sat down when she received a call from the HKU Academic Affairs Office.

The person on the other end of the line was the Vice President in charge of personnel changes. After a brief self-introduction, the person went straight to the point.

“Are you considering coming over to report today?”

Ling Yu could easily tell that the Vice President’s tone was extremely polite, a careful, tentative approach spoken in a consultative manner.

Given this, Ling Yu had pretty much guessed that the other party likely knew her identity.

…

Ling Yu felt a bit helpless. It was an expected outcome, so she wasn’t surprised.

As she spent more time back in the country, her identity as ‘Lin’ would certainly not remain a secret.

Because the “Annotations on the History of Human Development” was recently included in the high school textbooks of Z Nation, Ling Yu’s personal identity information was submitted to the authorities. Although her privacy was respected and her personal information was not publicly disclosed, her file was no longer a major secret to many historical research institutes and university presidents.

The latest messages in Ling Yu’s publicly disclosed email inbox were almost all job offers from various domestic universities and the National History Research Institute.

The HKU Associate Professor’s current attitude proved at least one thing.

They likely already had a clear understanding of Ling Yu’s identity when they sent the offer.

Ling Yu took three seconds to analyze the other party’s intentions, almost certain that they were currently worried about the uncertainty of her employment there.

In fact, given Ling Yu’s current situation, she would not refuse the olive branch offered by HKU.

Firstly, Ling Taiguo’s intention was obvious: he wanted her to go to Hong Kong for a marriage alliance.

This meant Ling Yu wouldn’t be in Jiangcheng for long before her biological father would pressure her to attend various high-society banquets in Hong Kong.

However, the difficulty was that with Ling Yu’s current image as an idle, good-for-nothing second-generation heir, she certainly wouldn’t catch the eye of a top-tier wealthy family.

Ling Taiguo was bound to try every possible means to package her at a great expense.

For the sake of her own peace and quiet, Ling Yu had already devised a packaging strategy for him: as long as her ‘Lin’ identity wasn’t exposed, she could invent countless reasons to get Ling Taiguo to spend a fortune to buy her a professorship title at HKU.

With a little under-the-table maneuvering, Ling Yu would nonchalantly pocket the packaging fee Ling Taiguo paid. This would serve as a little pre-meal appetizer in return for the scheme they pulled on her two years ago.

Secondly, the results of Elder Xu’s investigation showed that the identity of the paramour Yu Xin was having an affair with was very interesting. He was involved with an underground organization in Hong Kong and was engaged in money laundering.

If Yu Xin hadn’t been so greedy, making too big a move during Ling Taiguo’s company expansion and exposing her tracks, even Elder Xu’s people within the Ling Group wouldn’t have discovered such a mess of bad debts.

Unfortunately, it was discovered too late. The other party was cautious and had destroyed most of the evidence, making it impossible to catch them all at once.

However, as their ambitions grew, the amount of money being laundered would only increase, and the Ling Group would eventually be dragged down and collapse by the two of them.

Ling Yu didn’t care about the company collapsing, but she wanted to reclaim what the original host’s mother had left her before she died.

Therefore, having a legitimate job in Hong Kong would allow Ling Yu to use the HKU position as an excuse to investigate evidence of Yu Xin’s paramour’s money laundering.

It was a two-birds-with-one-stone situation, and she certainly wouldn’t refuse.

Ling Yu was very quick on the uptake. She smiled at the cautious Vice President on the phone: “Leader, please listen to my situation first. I’ve been studying abroad and haven’t been home for two years… How about this…”

Ling Yu’s words were reasonable, well-grounded, and polite.

Her unconscious use of the nuanced term “Leader” for the Vice President was something an astute person would naturally understand.

The Vice President’s tone revealed unconcealed joy. Even though Ling Yu didn’t provide a definite start date for her position, he didn’t press the issue. Instead, he chuckled and expressed understanding: “You’re right. I almost forgot that Teacher Ling hasn’t been back for two years. It’s not too late to come over after you’ve finished handling your affairs. HKU will always welcome you.”

Ling Yu chatted briefly with the Vice President and gently expressed that she did not want her ‘Lin’ identity to be exposed prematurely. The Vice President, who had previously learned about her low-key personality, nodded readily.

After the call ended, Ling Yu transferred planes at Hong Kong Airport and boarded the flight to Jiangcheng.

It is worth mentioning that ‘Q’ had not responded to her text message about meeting in person.

Ling Yu couldn’t help but laugh. She had a rough guess: older women have a persistent sense of mystique about their image, which was actually understandable.

Jiangcheng Airport.

Xu Miao was leaning against her flashy Maserati outside the car door.

Ling Yu was unlucky enough to run into a fan meet-and-greet as she walked out of the airport.

She deliberately avoided the crowded fan group and walked out with her head down.

Deafening screams filled her ears.

“It really is Sister! Ahhhhhh. I’m going to cry happy tears. Yesterday, the fan club leader personally said Sister would be going to Beicheng today to film the show Date with Love. I didn’t expect her to come here.”

“I didn’t expect it either. Maybe the studio released a smoke screen.”

“You all guessed wrong.” A young girl standing nearby held up a light board, her eyes full of excitement: “Sister’s itinerary was leaked by Yu Ba Ge after she got off the plane today. The airport got crowded, and Sister had no choice but to transfer from Hong Kong to Jiangcheng.”

“Enough talk, sisters, charge forward! I have to get an autograph from my wife…”

…

It was hot in the summer. Ling Yu finally broke through the crowd of fans, brushed the sweat from her head, and walked out of the T3 exit through the side door.

From a distance, she saw that wicked woman, Xu Miao, striding toward her. Ling Yu was about to toss her suitcase to her.

Unexpectedly, her cousin didn’t step forward to take the luggage but instead turned her gaze toward the crowd a hundred meters behind Ling Yu.

Then, she took off her sunglasses and let out a chicken-like shriek.

“Ah ah ah ah, Huihui-zi! I’m Nuomi!”

Ling Yu was taken aback. She turned her head in response. She hadn’t noticed before, but now, a hundred meters away, the celebrity in the crowd could only be Luo Huihui. She was wearing a baseball cap and hiding behind a group of security guards in black.

Because Xu Miao’s yell was so loud, Actress Luo instinctively glanced over, and her originally indifferent eyes suddenly brightened when she saw Ling Yu.

Ling Yu’s heart sank. She grabbed Xu Miao’s arm and shoved her into the car.

“What are you doing?”

Xu Miao drove the Maserati like a rocket. The look she gave Ling Yu through the rearview mirror was one of hatred, as if Ling Yu had stolen her wife.

Ling Yu slowly raised her head. Their eyes met, and Xu Miao, unable to hold her ground, backed down.

She pulled a long face and grumbled, “It’s fine if I miss anyone else. But that was my wife, Luo Huihui… When have you ever seen her come to Jiangcheng? It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Xu Miao turned the steering wheel gloomily and made a sharp turn, looking as dejected as possible.

Ling Yu glanced sideways at Xu Miao and asked unhurriedly, “Wife? You have quite a few wives, don’t you?”

Xu Miao slammed the accelerator and stopped just before the crosswalk. She turned to argue with Ling Yu: “I don’t have any wives! Only Luo Huihui… Ling Yu, I’m telling you, don’t think that just because we’re blood-related, I can easily forgive you for today…”

Before Xu Miao could finish, Ling Yu suddenly lifted her eyelids: “Did you and Gu Qing break up?”

Xu Miao choked. Meeting Ling Yu’s scrutinizing gaze, she harshly pinched her thigh, managing to suppress the urge to let the secret slip.

She didn’t know what to say.

Xu Miao actually wanted to sit down with Ling Yu and talk about Gu Qing.

Because the latter wasn’t as heartless as she appeared. At least for Ling Yu, that woman had done the best she could under the circumstances.

An hour before she impulsively called Ling Yu a few days ago to test her, Xu Miao had discovered the heart-wrenching truth behind Gu Qing’s cold rejection of Ling Yu two years ago.

That was why she had acted on her own, making that impulsive, probing call to Ling Yu.

However, Xu Miao regretted the act immediately after.

Some secrets should be kept even if they rot in your stomach. She had to respect Gu Qing and also needed to protect Ling Yu.

The car fell silent for a moment.

Xu Miao paused, then her eyes darted around. She was genuinely awkward for a moment, then spoke with a rotten playboy attitude: “Sigh, don’t mention it. I couldn’t catch Gu Qing. Can’t I shift my focus to chasing a celebrity?”

Mentioning this got Xu Miao excited: “Yuyu, you don’t know this, but Luo Huihui’s last movie, Aesthetics, had a huge scale. After seeing her body, and then comparing it to Gu Qing’s, which is like a power strip…”

Against her conscience, she likened Gu Qing’s stunning, cold, curvaceous body, which was toned without an ounce of excess fat, to a power strip. She felt a bit guilty as the words left her mouth, and she unconsciously glanced at Ling Yu.

The latter simply yawned lazily and pointed ahead: “The green light is about to turn.”

“Shit!” Xu Miao couldn’t help but curse. She stepped on the gas in the last second, and the Maserati sped out like lightning.

Ling Yu frowned. She had originally intended to ask Xu Miao to help transfer the money for the box of candy to Gu Qing.

However, Xu Miao and Gu Qing clearly seemed to have fallen out.

Bringing it up now was obviously inappropriate.

Ling Yu rested her chin on her hands, hesitated for a moment, and pulled out her phone to find ‘QY Law Firm Gu’ in her block list.

Up front, Xu Miao had returned to normal from her fan-girl state. She drove onto the overpass and began to calmly update Ling Yu on the situation in the Jiangcheng circle over the past two years.

“Yu Xin’s son is three years old now. You haven’t seen him in two years, have you? Your dad dotes on him immensely.”

Ling Yu gave an ‘oh’ of disinterest: “In another month, he probably won’t be doting on him anymore.”

“Li Jun got married half a year ago. His wife is Fang Jia’s second niece.”

Ling Yu didn’t even raise an eyelid and replied nonchalantly, “That’s good then.”

Seeing her lack of enthusiasm, Xu Miao complained wildly in her heart, You truly are heartless.

Li Jun had argued with his family for three days and three nights over the marriage.

If it weren’t for the subsequent decline of the Li family business, which was implicated by the Jiang family, Li Jun would never have agreed to marry. In his own words, his heart could only hold two women in this lifetime.

Thinking of that statement, goosebumps instantly rose on Xu Miao’s body. Damn, having two women at once, well done. You truly don’t deserve any sympathy.

“Where are you staying tonight?” After talking a lot, Xu Miao belatedly realized the issue. She glanced at Ling Yu in the rearview mirror and cautiously added, “Ling Taiguo should be home today. He publicly said he came back from Hong Kong specifically to welcome you.”

Ling Yu clicked her tongue: “Alright then, I’ll pay a visit to my loving father. Take me back to Jinxiu Garden.”

Jinxiu Garden Garden Villa Area was the residential area where Ling Taiguo and his family of three usually lived.

Ling Yu owned properties herself. Since she came of age, she had two properties left to her by Xu Qian and a coming-of-age gift from Elder Xu.

She also bought some herself, so she definitely wasn’t without a place to stay.

Xu Miao looked at Ling Yu with hesitation, knowing that Ling Yu wouldn’t have a moment of peace if she went to Jinxiu Garden.

So, she earnestly advised: “Yuyu, it’s your first day back. How about I take you to Boshui Huating to rest for a night? You can save your energy for tomorrow’s fight.”

Ling Yu was amused by Xu Miao’s look, as if she was about to go to war. In fact, she couldn’t help but laugh out loud dismissively.

“Don’t worry. It’s not a big deal. You should know my level.”

She hooked Xu Miao with her foxy eyes. Xu Miao was about to retort, but she seemed to remember something and silently swallowed the words back.

She thought, Damn it, after two years, Ling Yu, this drama queen, has gotten even more beautiful. Her eyes look like they can electrify someone at any moment. She’s captivating to the bone.

But thinking about it carefully, Ling Yu had indeed never lost when facing the ‘White Lotus,’ Yu Xin.

Xu Miao relaxed. Changing the subject, she said: “Meng Ke and that group all know you’re back. They’ve been calling me to arrange a gathering, saying they want to welcome you back. Tomorrow night at nine, Qiqu Bar. Are you coming?”

Xu Miao scratched her head. In truth, she didn’t dare to tell the whole truth.

Ling Yu was famous in Jiangcheng. She was beautiful and charming, with fake lovers everywhere. Although her reputation wasn’t the best, she was on sisterly terms with all the rich second-generation heirs…

Two years after she left Jiangcheng, the social circle had become incredibly dull.

Now that she was finally back, various gatherings were being organized through Xu Miao.

Xu Miao was actually urgently tasked by a bunch of rich second- and third-generation heirs—who practically held a knife to her neck—to invite “Sea King Ling” to “bestow favor upon her harem, sharing the bounty.”

“No.” Ling Yu was uninterested. Her fingertip circled the block list on the social app, then she asked abruptly, “If I unblock someone to settle a debt, will it give the other party the wrong impression that I still have feelings for them?”

Unexpectedly dragged into the topic, Xu Miao hadn’t recovered from the previous conversation. She casually fabricated a response: “Who cares what she thinks? Be above board. Just unblock, talk business, and then re-block.”

Ling Yu lifted her eyelids and gave Xu Miao a thumbs-up: “Well said.”

Xu Miao: …

What did I say?

QY Law Firm Conference Room.

Gu Qing rested one hand on the table. Her slender fingers picked up the fountain pen in front of her and slammed it down in front of lawyer Wan, who was rambling on with a lengthy case file.

The lawyers below shrank their necks in fear, collectively giving lawyer Wan sympathetic glances.

Lawyer Wan was a star lawyer who had just transferred to their firm. He was rumored to be a PhD graduate from Stanford University and had a very impressive resume of experience abroad.

He was also a bit arrogant. For instance, in this simple civil dispute case, they could usually handle it themselves. For Gu Qing, he only needed to state the solution and the result.

Instead of wasting time recounting the tedious case process and affecting work efficiency.

“Lawyer Wan.”

Gu Qing gathered the hair falling in front of her. She suddenly lifted her eyelids and looked directly at the lawyer she had called out.

“If reading the case file is all you have to offer for this case…”

All the veteran employees simultaneously lowered their heads, thinking, Here it comes, here it comes. This is the prelude to Boss Gu personally humbling the presumptuous intellectual.

Just at that moment, an untimely phone vibration sounded, followed by another one.

Everyone knew that Gu Qing always required all senior staff to turn off their phones during meetings.

She was no exception herself. The only time she ever paused a meeting was when her personal phone vibrated once.

Everyone was waiting for Gu Qing to reprimand the lawyer mercilessly. In the next second, the female boss, who had been frosty-faced moments before, stared intently at the phone on the desk.

Her eyes showed superficial shock. With a grating sound, she pulled back her swivel chair, leaned forward, and quickly picked up the phone.

Then, she signaled to Wei Minjun on her right, stating concisely, “I’m going out for a moment. You take over the rest of the meeting…”

Everyone: …

Ling Yu deliberately searched online for the price of the White Rabbit Creamy Candy at the duty-free shop. The price was a very bizarre 520.

Ling Yu was speechless. Unblocking Gu Qing was already a difficult enough effort for her. She was just paying for the box of White Rabbit candy.

She certainly wouldn’t be so disgusted with herself as to give that woman any chance for ambiguity by transferring 520, which would allow their relationship to become ambiguous again, like a severed thread reattached.

So, Ling Yu, following the principle of doubling the amount, grandly transferred 1040 to the other party. The rest was to be considered a tip. After all, Ling Yu still maintained the image of a prodigal second-generation heir, and casually tipping someone a thousand yuan or so might even feel a bit beneath her.

To prevent any misunderstanding between the two of them, Ling Yu specifically added a note: [That bag of candy on the plane was yours, right? Here’s the money, thanks.]

After sending the message, Ling Yu swiped her finger, ready to block the person again.

Suddenly, Xu Miao slammed the brakes. She was probably distracted and rear-ended another car.

The driver of the white BMW that was hit was a middle-aged woman. She opened the car door and got out, looking for trouble. She immediately started taking aggressive photos of Xu Miao’s license plate.

Xu Miao was not good at handling the nitpicking of middle-aged women. Helplessly, Ling Yu had to get out of the car to resolve the dispute.

After settling on the compensation amount, Ling Yu got back into the rear seat and unlocked her phone.

The screen was fixed on the chat interface from earlier.

Five minutes ago.

QY Law Firm Gu: [?]

Two minutes ago.

QY Law Firm Gu: [You don’t need that much.]

Right now.

QY Law Firm Gu transferred 520 to you.

Ling Yu glanced at the time difference and then at the boldly written ‘520’ on the social app.

She was speechless for a long time. The emotion on her face faded slightly. Whether it was an illusion or not, she had a strange feeling of being taken advantage of. Ling Yu squinted and then expressionlessly blocked ‘QY Law Firm Gu’ again.

She thought, in twenty-four hours, if she didn’t accept the transfer, this 520 would be sent back!

Sent back?

No way.

Ling Yu slapped her thigh.

Damn it! If she sent it back, it would be even more misleading, giving the other party another 520.

When will this ever end?

Within just one day of returning, whether by coincidence or fate, she had been tangled up with that woman, Gu Qing, multiple times in a bewildering way, and the key was that the other party hadn’t even meant to.

As far as Ling Yu was concerned, the events of two years ago were ancient history.

She was trying to avoid her in a peaceful way, making such a deliberate and concerted effort. What more did she have to do? Should she really tear off their protective facade and beat the woman up to demonstrate her resolve to completely break all ties?

Ling Yu scoffed.

The more she thought about it, the more she felt that these inexplicable encounters between the two of them must be cut off. She stared thoughtfully at the back of Xu Miao’s head.

After a moment, she asked:

“Where is the gathering tomorrow night?”

Xu Miao didn’t dare to be distracted right now. She let out an “Ah?”: “Didn’t you say you weren’t coming?”

Ling Yu didn’t answer. She just squinted and scoffed: “I have a little personal hidden danger to resolve. Repeat the location of tomorrow night’s gathering again.”

Xu Miao happily reported the address.

The next second, Ling Yu gave a noncommittal “Oh.” Her slender fingers tapped rhythmically on her crossed legs.

She showed a meaningful smile: “Tell Fang Jia that I’m going to the club to party tomorrow night. The bar tab is on me. She’s welcome to bring people.”

Xu Miao felt that Ling Yu’s tone was full of hidden meaning, but she couldn’t figure out what was strange about it. Just as she was about to ask.

Ling Yu reminded her just in time: “I don’t want to deal with a second car accident for you today.”

Xu Miao was startled. This time, she didn’t dare to get distracted again.