Pretending To Be Affectionate [Transmigration] - Chapter 5

As the winter solstice passed, the weather in Yuncheng grew colder. In the past month, there had been several consecutive days of heavy snow, and a cold rime mist hung in the air.

Ling Yu woke up naturally. When she pulled back the curtains, she saw a gloomy, overcast sky, with lead-gray clouds piled on the horizon.

[Host, wake up quickly. You’re going to be late for today’s daily mission…]

The system’s voice was a frantic stream of consciousness in her mind. Ling Yu half-closed her eyes and gave a lazy yawn.

Ling Yu’s daily tasks were a set of optimal strategies that the system had simulated based on big data and Gu Qing’s personality. In short, her routine for the past two months was: delivering meals, three times a day, rain or shine.

At this time of day, Ling Yu would usually be waiting eagerly outside the Kaihe Law Firm, ready to hand over her “homemade” bento box the second Gu Qing arrived for work.

According to 008, Ling Yu had to be in front of Gu Qing at any moment of the day when Gu Qing needed her.

To complete the mission and achieve the goal of her soul and body becoming one and dying a natural death, Ling Yu was naturally willing to endure this little bit of hardship.

But after two months of being a sycophant, even outsiders were convinced of her undying devotion. Gu Qing, however, was completely unimpressed.

After what happened last night, Ling Yu suddenly realized that the only time she had a deep conversation with Gu Qing was yesterday, when she went off-script.

In her mind, the system was so anxious it felt like its mouth was on fire.

Ling Yu finally spoke slowly. [Remind me again what my mission is?]

[…] 008 was speechless. Although it knew the host was doing this on purpose, it had to get today’s mission done. It rattled off the details at lightning speed: [The “devoted supporting character” mission: take care of the protagonist’s daily life, care for her, and protect her. When she encounters difficulties, step up without hesitation and go through fire and water for her. The ultimate goal is to make the protagonist feel that there is true love in the world and dispel the apocalyptic thoughts in her heart.]

The system spewed out the information like a waterfall.

[Well said.] Ling Yu clapped her hands, interrupting it.

008: [Huh?]

Ling Yu: [The key is the second half. As long as Gu Qing’s apocalyptic thoughts disappear, my mission is complete, right?]

[That’s correct, but…] 008’s voice suddenly faltered. It remembered her reckless actions from yesterday. It warned, [Host, you, you, you… don’t do anything crazy.]

Ling Yu fastened the last button on her shirt, took out a hair tie, and loosely tied up her black hair, looking at the girl with red lips in the mirror.

[Don’t worry.] Ling Yu smiled. [Sister Gu is a “no-romance” protagonist, so she’s been emotionally repressed and celibate her whole life. She’s never been with anyone, right? Tsk, being so pent-up can easily lead to a twisted personality… How about we try a different approach?]

008 wanted to hit her. It frantically repeated, [Don’t do anything reckless. Have you considered that after the mission is completed, you still have to stay in this world and live out your natural life? Sleeping around too much won’t do you any good.]

Ling Yu clicked her tongue. [Boss, I didn’t realize that’s what you were worried about. You should give up on that idea. Do you really think Gu Qing would be so easy to get a hold of?]

008 rolled its lifeless eyes. So many suggestive thoughts. Its ears were practically turning yellow.

Ling Yu lingered upstairs for a while. After getting ready, Xu Miao called her downstairs for breakfast.

She had left the Zanghai Club close to midnight last night. It was too late to get into her university dorm, so she went to Xu Miao’s family mansion in Yuncheng instead.

The original owner’s mother was Xu Miao’s aunt. In recent years, Ling Yu had become close to the Xu family, and the grandfather’s opinion of her had changed. Xu Miao and Ling Yu were the same age and had similar values and personalities. Their relationship had grown closer than that of blood sisters in the Xu family.

“Are you really not going?” Xu Miao looked at Ling Yu without hiding her thoughts.

“I’m not going.”

Ling Yu calmly picked up a piece of scrambled egg with her chopsticks and placed it on the porcelain plate in front of her. She casually changed the subject. “I went to the hospital a few days ago. Great-grandmother isn’t doing well.”

Xu Miao didn’t say anything.

Ling Yu’s tone softened a little. She looked into Xu Miao’s eyes and asked, “Miao, why did you come to Yuncheng alone this time?”

The Xu family had moved to the coastal city of Jiangcheng during the period of “Reform and Opening Up” and had gradually established their family roots there. This old mansion in Yuncheng had always been home to their great-grandmother. The elderly lady was nostalgic and didn’t want to leave her hometown, so she had been living out her retirement in Yuncheng.

In recent years, the old lady had been getting worse. She had made it past her 100th birthday last year, but her health was declining. A few months ago, her old illness flared up, and she was bedridden. The doctor had warned them that she might not live for more than three months.

The four generations of the Xu family had been taking turns caring for her. But for the past month, it had just been Xu Miao.

Ling Yu put down her knife and fork, meeting Xu Miao’s gaze.

Xu Miao’s eyes flickered. She looked at Ling Yu’s clear eyes, which seemed to see right through her. After a moment of silence, Xu Miao gave in. She ran a hand over her forehead in frustration, grabbed a napkin, and wiped her lips.

“I knew I couldn’t hide it from you.”

Xu Miao’s voice was low. “The company ran into some trouble recently. My second uncle was embezzling funds and evading taxes, which made my grandparents so angry they were hospitalized.”

Ling Yu frowned. “Are Grandpa and Grandma okay?”

Xu Miao shook her head, her face serious. “In short, you don’t need to worry about the elders’ health, but the family has been in turmoil because of my second uncle. We can’t leave Great-grandmother here without a caretaker, so my mom asked me to come first.”

Ling Yu understood the situation a little better. She wisely didn’t ask any more questions. The Xu family was a large corporation, and the bigger it got, the more scandals there would be. If something was serious enough to make the grandparents neglect their great-grandmother, it couldn’t be explained in just a few words.

Xu Miao didn’t elaborate, which meant it was something she shouldn’t talk about. Ling Yu wisely lowered her head, chewed her food, and dropped the subject.

After breakfast, Ling Yu accompanied Xu Miao to the hospital.

The old lady had Alzheimer’s and was not very lucid. She couldn’t recognize anyone. Her eyes looked hazy.

Ling Yu and Xu Miao spent the whole day talking to her. In the afternoon, the old lady finally said, “Xiao Yu, Miao Miao.”

Xu Miao wanted to stay with her great-grandmother longer. Seeing that it was getting late, Ling Yu told Xu Miao she was going out to buy some food for them to have dinner with the old lady.

The great-grandmother was in a VIP ward. The corridor outside wasn’t as crowded or noisy as in a regular ward. The family members who passed by were all well-dressed.

Ling Yu was carrying a takeout box back to the room when she noticed the food had gotten a little cold. She turned around and headed to the pantry to reheat it.

As she rounded a blind corner, a basketball rolled out of nowhere. Ling Yu’s heel slipped on the ball. She stumbled forward, barely catching herself by planting a hand on the wall.

Although she was fine, the takeout box flew out of her hand.

With a crash, the box opened, and the food—white rice and green vegetables—mixed together. Some of it spilled on the floor, while the rest landed on a young boy in a wheelchair at the corner.

The boy, who looked to be around fifteen or sixteen, had a twisted mouth and his head was limp on his shoulder. He made a rough, gurgling sound as he exhaled.

He stared at Ling Yu, then suddenly burst into tears.

Ling Yu’s eyes, which had been filled with annoyance, softened as she looked at the boy’s twisted mouth and eyes. The anger faded. The boy in front of her wasn’t a troublemaker; he seemed to have cerebral palsy. He wailed loudly, his voice broken by heavy gasps.

Ling Yu stood at the corner. From her angle, she couldn’t see the person taking care of the boy. She quickly stepped forward, pulled some tissues from her purse, and prepared to clean up the mess.

“I’m sorry, are you… okay?”

Ling Yu looked up. In the dim hallway, a beautiful woman was standing three meters behind the boy. When Ling Yu saw her, the last syllable of her sentence became distorted.

Gu Qing was on the phone, her voice filled with impatience. “I don’t need to explain the importance of that voice recorder again. Even if you have to dig up the earth, it must be on my desk by tomorrow morning… Just tell me if you can or can’t do it.”

With all the commotion Ling Yu was making, Gu Qing couldn’t ignore her. As she walked toward the scene, she looked down at the food on the floor. The coldness in her eyes reached its peak.

The moment Ling Yu looked up, her eyes met Gu Qing’s furious ones. A moment later, Gu Qing recognized her. She was briefly startled, then looked at her again, and the hostile look in her eyes slowly faded.

“I have something to take care of. Let’s talk about it back at the office.”

Gu Qing looked away and ended the call. She knelt down, a wet wipe in her hand, and began cleaning the stains off the boy.

The boy seemed a little afraid of Gu Qing. He had tears in his eyes but didn’t dare to cry out loud.

“What a coincidence, Gu Qing. Is he your brother?”

“Are you following me?”

Their words came out at the same time. Ling Yu looked down at her. Gu Qing frowned in disgust. She was always arrogant. At this moment, she didn’t even have the urge to nod or shake her head at Ling Yu. She expressed her disdain through her actions, acting as if Ling Yu didn’t exist. She continued to wipe the stains off the boy in the wheelchair as if she were alone.

At this moment, Ling Yu could clearly feel her intense coldness and distance. In Gu Qing’s heart, she was like a piece of dirt to be avoided at all costs.

She was utterly disgusted.

It had to be said that this woman, Gu Qing, was frighteningly smart. She always knew that to hurt someone, words were unnecessary. All she needed was a dismissive action to reduce a person to dust.

Ling Yu lowered her eyes.

“Stalking is a crime, especially for a lawyer.” Ling Yu smiled. “Gu Qing, what kind of person do you think I am?”

Gu Qing buried her head, vigorously wiping the last stain off the boy’s clothes. Perhaps she used too much force, as the boy let out a sob and said, “Sister, it hurts.”

Gu Qing patted the boy’s shoulder as a sign of comfort. She then stood up and pushed the wheelchair back without a word.

Ling Yu couldn’t help but smile wryly.

[Host… are you… okay?] 008 stammered a comforting message. [Sigh… Don’t be too sad. A “no-romance” protagonist is supposed to be heartless and cold. It’s to be expected.]

[Who said I was sad?] Ling Yu smiled. [I’m just excited. It’s the first time in my life I’ve met someone I hate so much. I’m just thinking about how to make her cry…]

008: […]