Pretending To Be Affectionate [Transmigration] - Chapter 50

When Ling Yu returned home, Yu Xin was pruning flowers in the garden.

After two years, she looked a little plumper. Her face had been treated with hyaluronic acid, and although her expression was stiff.

It made her chin look less sharp.

It was four in the afternoon. The sun was still scorching, roasting the ground as if it were about to ignite.

Aunt Wu, holding a parasol, was following behind Yu Xin. She was the first to recognize Ling Yu walking through the main entrance.

“Madam, Miss is back.”

Yu Xin didn’t say anything. She stood by the flower bed, holding a watering can in one hand, meticulously tending to the flowers and plants in front of her with the other.

She seemed completely unconcerned.

Ling Yu couldn’t help but smile. Yu Xin was always like this—one face in front of people and another behind their backs.

She was putting on airs and ignoring her, trying to put Ling Yu in her place.

She wanted the servants in this house to see who the real mistress was.

If Ling Yu were to go up and greet her now, it would show a weakness, like a dependent, signaling to everyone in the Ling family that Yu Xin was in charge.

If Ling Yu ignored her, Yu Xin would use this incident later to complain to Ling Taiguo, and Ling Yu would inevitably face a reprimand.

In short, Yu Xin’s manipulation skills had grown deeper over the years.

Ling Yu glanced at the chubby little boy playing football with the nanny not far away.

She suddenly curved her lips with a smile and let go of the handle of her suitcase.

The wheel of the suitcase rolled, unfortunately hitting the football the little boy had kicked over.

“Clatter.” The suitcase fell to the ground with a loud bang. The little boy let out a frightened, childish scream.

Hearing her son’s terrified shriek, Yu Xin immediately dropped the watering can and ran to the boy in two steps.

She squatted down, carefully checking the child, her well-maintained face showing a look of distress: “Where does it hurt? Tell Mommy?”

The chubby boy shrank his neck and glanced at Ling Yu. His round eyes still held the naughtiness of a child his age.

He didn’t answer Yu Xin. Instead, he looked at Ling Yu with curiosity, then called out in a childish voice: “Sister.”

Children liked pretty people, especially Ling Yu, who walked gracefully from the entrance. Her appearance was more captivating than the flowers.

The chubby boy’s eyes held a genuine, simple liking. The nasty things Yu Xin did had nothing to do with the child. Ling Yu always judged the deed, not the person. So, she winked at the chubby boy, returning his smile.

This smile was caught by Yu Xin, who had confirmed her son was fine and turned her head.

A flicker of disgust crossed her eyes. She handed the chubby boy to Aunt Wu, motioning for her to take him away.

“Mommy, I want to play with Sister… football.”

Yu Xin bent down. She was more patient with her biological son than with Ling Yu. She said softly, “Sister is tired. Song Song is a big boy now. You should let Sister rest.”

Then, without waiting for Ling Song to whine, she impatiently glanced at Aunt Wu: “Aren’t you going to take the young master away?”

Ling Yu took in Yu Xin’s look of wanting to be angry but having no outlet for it. She couldn’t help but add fuel to the fire: “Aunt Yu, if Song Song wants to play with me, I’ll play with him. He is my younger brother, after all. We share blood. I’ve missed him a lot in the two years I was abroad.”

Missed him, my foot.

A vein popped on Yu Xin’s forehead. She thought, This little beast, Ling Yu, hasn’t called home once in two years. Even her father, Ling Taiguo, is just an ATM to her. How could this spoiled heir miss my son?

Furthermore, Ling Yu’s genes bear no resemblance to my brilliant son’s. She’ll only be a bad influence on him.

Thinking this, a chilling look flashed across Yu Xin’s eyes. When she looked up again, she forced a decent smile and said gently to Ling Yu: “Song Song will be home. It’s not too late to play with him tomorrow. Yuyu, your father is waiting for you in the study. Why don’t you go see him quickly? He’s getting older and constantly talks about you.”

Ling Yu didn’t say much. She smiled and agreed, walking up to Yu Xin and high-fiving the chubby boy: “Sister will play with you tomorrow, okay?”

The chubby boy’s eyes brightened. Under his mother’s strict gaze, he happily nodded: “Promise, pinky promise…”

Yu Xin’s face turned green on the side.

After Ling Yu went upstairs, Yu Xin suddenly raised her hand and slapped Aunt Wu’s cheek in front of the child, raging: “Take the young master back!”

There wasn’t much for Ling Yu and Ling Taiguo to talk about.

It was mostly Ling Taiguo detailing her itinerary after returning home.

Ling Yu had little right to speak throughout the conversation. Ling Taiguo was an extremely patriarchal man.

When he married the original host’s mother, his personal strength was lacking. His company’s development relied on the Xu family. Ling Taiguo had suppressed his pride and felt miserable for many years.

Therefore, the year after Xu Qian died, he openly brought his mistress into the house. Yu Xin was manipulative and knew how to endure and please a man. She was gentle and virtuous in front of Ling Taiguo, speaking softly.

Ling Taiguo’s chauvinism had been satisfied over the years. He was authoritative and insisted on having the final say in front of anyone.

Ling Yu yawned lazily, leaning back on the study sofa, responding intermittently.

Only when the conversation was almost over did Ling Yu ask casually: “Dad, do the second-generation heirs of those super-rich families in Hong Kong really like me?”

Ling Yu’s expression conveyed, “Unless they’re blind,” how could they allow a spoiled brat like her to marry into a top family?

Ling Taiguo didn’t say anything. He hadn’t told Ling Yu that her peers wouldn’t be interested, but he could probably arrange for her to marry a widowed, fifty-year-old second-generation heir.

He scanned Ling Yu up and down. She was sprawled out as if she had no bones, one leg crossed over the other, a candy in her mouth.

Seeing her unmotivated appearance, Ling Taiguo’s face darkened.

But he didn’t reprimand her. Ling Yu’s lack of ambition was actually a good thing for him. With her limited capability, she wouldn’t be able to scheme for the wealth Xu Qian had left behind.

The biggest problem now was that he needed to use Ling Yu’s marriage to connect with Hong Kong City.

Hong Kong City was unlike Jiangcheng. Its economic development had surpassed Jiangcheng five years ago. The top wealthy families there had names on the list of Asia’s wealthiest.

To be honest, while he called it a marriage alliance, Ling Taiguo had his own preference in mind. His optimal partner was the Gu family. He wanted to arrange for Ling Yu to marry Gu family’s fifth brother… a widowed, philandering old man.

Ling Yu was not bad-looking. Ling Taiguo wasn’t worried that she wouldn’t catch the eye of the fifth uncle Gu, but…

To enter the Gu family gate, she first had to pass Old Mr. Gu’s test. The Gu family had strict traditional values. The partners of all their descendants had to come from at least scholarly backgrounds.

Ling Taiguo looked at Ling Yu, and a sudden idea struck him: “Yuyu, I remember you studied World History when you were abroad?”

Ling Yu smiled faintly and nodded. She scoffed internally. This is my biological father.

She had studied more than just World History. She had also studied classical literature, modern literature, contemporary literature, and jewelry appraisal…

“Have you considered finding a stable job in Hong Kong City later on?”

This was the opening she was waiting for. Ling Yu subtly curved her lips. She first showed a surprised expression, then nodded with her eyelids half-closed: “I’ll follow your arrangement, as long as the work isn’t too tiring. Those big families in Hong Kong like girls from scholarly backgrounds. Why don’t you arrange for me to be a history professor at HKU? One or two classes a week. That workload is just right for me.”

Ling Yu smiled happily, her eyes gleaming when she mentioned one or two classes a week.

Ling Taiguo tossed a cushion at Ling Yu. She caught it with a beaming, typical ‘good-for-nothing’ smile.

Ling Taiguo was speechless. He was silent for a moment. He thought it over and realized that arranging for Ling Yu to go to HKU was an excellent idea.

“You think HKU is a place you can just walk into?”

Ling Taiguo had money, but not many connections in Hong Kong City. He couldn’t easily get access to HKU.

“Actually, I have a way.”

While Ling Taiguo was racking his brain, Ling Yu suddenly popped a candy into her mouth. She smiled at Ling Taiguo: “Aunt Fang has quite a few connections in Hong Kong, but…”

Ling Yu paused, giving Ling Taiguo a difficult, expectant smile.

Ling Taiguo motioned for her to continue. Ling Yu rubbed her thumb against her index finger, indicating she needed money.

Ling Taiguo: “…”

He hesitated, then thought of the big opportunity waiting for him in Hong Kong City. The fat on Ling Taiguo’s face jiggled: “How much?”

Ling Yu suppressed a laugh and held out five fingers to Ling Taiguo.

Ling Taiguo nodded: “Fifty million is acceptable.”

Ling Yu pulled a long face: “No, fifty million is too little. Aunt Fang’s connections reportedly start at least at five hundred million…”

Yu Xin walked in to deliver fruit and happened to overhear Ling Yu’s exorbitant demand.

The tray in her hand slammed onto the floor. Her exquisitely made-up face was white and green. She interjected without regard for composure: “Impossible! The company doesn’t have that much money for working capital!”

Ling Yu looked at Yu Xin, then at Ling Taiguo.

She gave a disappointed “oh”: “I was just making a suggestion. The money is ultimately up to Dad…”

Ling Yu paused, then looked at Yu Xin, immediately changing her tone: “No, it’s up to Auntie. After all, Auntie has the final say in family matters…”

At this, Ling Taiguo’s face darkened again.

He was extremely patriarchal. He allowed Yu Xin to flirt and throw tantrums, but company matters were not hers to decide.

Ling Taiguo’s face fell. He gave Yu Xin a slight, warning glance, then walked around her to the study desk and wrote out a check for Ling Yu right then and there.

“Use the extra one hundred million to buy yourself some clothes… and jewelry. Don’t embarrass our Ling family when you attend banquets.”

Ling Taiguo instructed her, putting on a brave face to cover his embarrassment.

Yu Xin, on the side, was so angry that her nails were digging into her palms. She stormed out of the room, slamming the door.

Ling Yu smiled, happily accepting the compensation for the two years these two had schemed against her.

She was a person who believed in getting revenge.

Qiqu Bar, despite its name, had long evolved into a nightclub.

It was located in Jiangcheng’s notorious Degeneration Street.

At night, colorful lights illuminated the signs, filling the narrow street with a blurry, ambiguous atmosphere.

Ling Yu arrived with Xu Miao in her car.

She had spent the day at Elder Xu’s residence, drinking tea with him all day.

She got out of the car, wanting nothing more than to find a restroom. She hadn’t expected Meng Ke to block her path outside the bar.

With one hand, she greeted her: “Wife, you’re finally back. Missing you day and night, drinking the Yangtze River water together…”

With the other hand: “When will the spring flowers and autumn moon end? How much of the past do we know?”

…

Ling Yu kicked the latter’s shin: “Damn it, are you done yet?”

Meng Ke pretended to yelp. Her beautiful eyes darted over Ling Yu until they met Ling Yu’s dark eyes. Only then did she drop her intentionally pretentious air of learned decay.

Meng Ke smiled, grabbed Ling Yu’s arm from Xu Miao, and said cheerfully: “Sister, I was just worried that after two years of foreign culture abroad, you’d be too high-class for us low-life friends.”

Ling Yu lowered her eyelids and tilted her head, asking, “Was the test successful?”

Her eyes were very dark. The colorful lights reflected on them, casting mottled silhouettes. When she glanced over, it was breathtakingly beautiful.

Meng Ke was startled, silently cursing her for being a demon.

Then she held Ling Yu’s arm even tighter. She stood on her tiptoes provocatively, leaning her lips close to Ling Yu’s ear and whispering: “Can we test it a little more?”

In the next second, Meng Ke was shoved against the wall by Ling Yu, who was pressing against her chest like a crab.

Qiqu Bar was rented out by Ling Yu tonight. The people who came were a bunch of trouble-making second-generation heirs. Seeing the main person arrive, and immediately pinning Meng Ke against the wall.

Almost everyone started to cheer at the same time: “Oh yeah! That’s our Yuyu! The welcome gift is so exciting…”

“No way! Why does only Meng Ke get it? All the brothers and sisters here tonight deserve this treatment!” A young man with a red spiky haircut threw his beer bottle away, jumped onto a table, and yelled: “Share the bounty! Everyone agrees, right?”

“Yes! Yes! Yes!”

The group of people had drunk who knows how much alcohol. Their speech was slurred.

The bar music was booming. The lights were dazzling. Ling Yu hadn’t actually touched Meng Ke, but her hand was propped against the wall beside the woman’s shoulder, and the intersecting lights made it look exactly like she was pinning her against the wall.

The people behind them were full of dirty thoughts and started to shout.

Ling Yu rarely attended these kinds of parties. Not only was the crowd mixed, but some people had impure motives. For example, Yu Xin’s cousin’s daughter was among this group, clearly there to monitor whether she was ‘misbehaving.’

Ling Yu gave the smile of a pervert. She looked back at the crowd lazily. She was about to take her arm away from the wall beside Meng Ke. In the next second, her peripheral vision met a pair of glass-like eyes.

She really came!

Ling Yu’s gaze swept over Gu Qing’s body in a seductive appraisal, filled with a mix of pickiness and assessment.

Gu Qing didn’t avoid her gaze. She met Ling Yu’s eyes in mid-air, maintaining a sitting position without leaning back.

Ling Yu could feel the suppressed anger emanating from the woman. She thought, Is she serious?

I’m just looking at you the way women look at women, assessing your face, your chest, your waist, and your reasonably toned butt.

If you can’t handle this, why did you even come?

Tonight, I’ll show you what the real world is like!

Thinking this, Ling Yu raised her eyebrows, displaying defiance on her face.

The lights were blurry. She used her captivating foxy eyes to scan Gu Qing, then quickly pulled her gaze back.

In the crisscrossing light in front, Ling Yu propped one hand beside Meng Ke.

The distance between them was extremely close. She lowered her head, leaning forward, stopping an inch from Meng Ke’s ear, and whispered in a gentle tone: “Honey, you’re not good enough. See the one above? She’s prettier than you.”

Meng Ke’s chin subconsciously lifted. In the alternating light and shadow, they looked like they were kissing.

The cheers around them grew louder. Some people whistled.

They shouted: “Ling Yu, that’s what we expect from you!”

“Is it this exciting as soon as you get back?”

Gu Qing held a cigarette in her mouth. She opened her lighter and silently brought it closer, lighting the tip of the cigarette.

In the moment she lit the cigarette, Fang Jia, who was sitting across from her, threw the glass in her hand away. She clicked her high heels, “thump, thump, thump,” and walked downstairs.

Gu Qing clenched the cigarette between her back teeth.

The colorful, dazzling lights shone down on Gu Qing’s elegantly structured face. For the first time, she couldn’t control her gaze, staring intently at Ling Yu, who was laughing and talking intimately with others.

She saw that thing surrounded by admirers in the crowd.

Fang Jia tried to rush over but couldn’t get close.

Gu Qing was silent for a moment. When Ling Yu walked into the dance floor, the lights brightened slightly, and Gu Qing finally saw Ling Yu’s full appearance clearly.

She was wearing a black lace camisole dress tonight. The two thin straps were taut on her shoulders, looking like they might break at any moment. Below that was a well-developed softness.

Her waist was slender. Her pale, long legs looked as smooth as if they had been waxed.

Ling Yu smiled and greeted the rich second-generation heirs dancing around her. Someone invited her to dance. She only gave a lazy smile and didn’t move herself, but she somehow blended in with the crowd, dealing skillfully with the wealthy heirs who came to cheer her on, calling them sister or brother.

People were already shouting in the crowd.

“Ling Yu, you’re not being a good sister!”

“You used to dance the opening dance with us. How did you change so much after two years abroad?”

Ling Yu smiled and kicked the person: “You said it yourself. Opening dance. This run-down club isn’t worthy of that!”

The light shone down on her face. Her eyes held an untamed arrogance.

Even though she was acting spoiled, the crowd below unanimously stared, then burst into laughter.

She talked to people with an exaggerated, bold look.

Suddenly, someone else asked: “Damn, Yuyu, I heard that during those two months in Yuncheng, you desperately pursued Lawyer Gu, the one from QY Law Firm?”

As these words fell, the air grew quiet for a few seconds.

Xu Miao, standing on the side, frantically signaled the clueless rich heir. Ling Yu, however, was incredibly calm, showing no concern. She nodded without reservation: “It was a long time ago. I think something like that did happen.”

Cigarette ash fell from Gu Qing’s lips and landed on her fingers, instantly scorching a large red patch on her pale skin.

She bit down on the cigarette, her ears uncontrollably waiting for Ling Yu’s reply.

The woman only smiled casually.

Her friend laughed in surprise: “It really happened? Damn it.”

“Yuyu, seriously, after loving a cold, beautiful woman like Gu Qing, do you find everyone else bland?”

“Type?” Ling Yu picked up the wine glass and tossed it onto a waiter’s tray. Her tone was casual: “Do you mean the stingy, straight woman type? I’ll let you know after I actually fall in love with her…”

“Shit, does that mean you never loved Gu Qing?” The friend who had asked the question realized suddenly and burst into laughter: “I knew it! How could our Yuyu ever be defeated by one woman?”

Gu Qing saw Ling Yu shrug noncommittally. She raised her hand, removed the cigarette, and fiercely stubbed it out in the ashtray.

In the next second, before she could even react, she stretched out her long, straight legs and slowly walked toward the stairs.

Fang Jia was milling around the edge of the crowd. She called out Gu Qing’s name.

Gu Qing ignored her and walked out of the bar without looking sideways.

A minute later, the lights in the originally hazy nightclub went out.

The dance floor was plunged into darkness.

“Shit, the power went out.”

“What the hell is going on?”

“Where’s the owner?”

…

The crowd descended into panic. Ling Yu was casually retreating to lean against the corner wall when a hand suddenly grabbed her collar from behind. A woman with a cool, clear scent pressed her chest against her, half-dragging, half-hugging her out of the dance floor.

Ling Yu raised her eyebrows: “Let go!”