Pretending To Be Affectionate [Transmigration] - Chapter 55

“If you ask me, when you run into an old pervert like Fang Jia, you should slap her so hard she sees stars.”

Ling Yu wedged her phone between her chin and cheek, took a sun hat from the walk-in closet, and placed it on her head.

Xu Miao sounded even angrier than she was. Amused by her cousin’s familiar, crude, simple-minded solution, Ling Yu burst out laughing.

Her mood improved considerably.

In truth, her relationship with Fang Jia hadn’t deteriorated to the point where violence was necessary. Given Fang Jia’s personality, the fact that she hadn’t barged into Ling Yu’s room and climbed into her bed last night was already impressive.

Continuing to live together, however, was absolutely out of the question.

Ling Yu could be extremely tolerant toward every ex—or pursuer like Aunt Fang—who didn’t cross her boundaries.

Especially when the other person was a woman.

Gu Qing was the sole exception.

On the other end of the call, Xu Miao received no response and failed to comprehend the breadth of a player’s universal affection.

She sighed as though she were profoundly reasonable.

“Fine. If you insist on remembering how Fang Jia helped you deal with Yu Xin, both openly and behind the scenes, several years ago, then I have nothing to say. But Yu Yu, I need to remind you that you already repaid her for that help, didn’t you? If I remember correctly, you wrote the promotional copy for the Fang Corporation’s new jewelry line three years ago. That advertising slogan became famous nationwide.”

The corner of Ling Yu’s mouth twitched, but she didn’t respond.

We ought to be polite to ladies, she thought.

She glanced at her watch from the corner of her eye. It was nine in the morning.

Today was the weekend. Normally, Xu Miao would have stayed up all night gaming, and this would have been when she went to sleep.

“You didn’t stay up last night?”

Xu Miao paused.

Only now did she remember the actual purpose of this phone call.

She had something even more shocking to ask—something that had completely shattered her worldview.

Xu Miao pinched her thigh hard, straightened herself, and asked gravely, “Yu Yu, what did you do with my cousin’s ID card two years ago?”

“Your cousin?”

Ling Yu didn’t immediately understand.

Standing before the full-length mirror, she adjusted the brim of her hat. Summer in Gangcheng was even hotter than in Jiangcheng. After glancing at the blazing sunlight outside, Ling Yu reconsidered and returned to her packed suitcase.

She opened it, took out her makeup bag, and applied a layer of primer followed by sunscreen.

Only the rustling of Ling Yu rummaging through her luggage came through the receiver.

Xu Miao couldn’t hear clearly, so she repeated herself.

“It was probably shortly before you went abroad. I remember you asking me for my cousin’s ID card one night. Sister, what exactly did you use it for?”

Ling Yu lowered her eyes.

It took her ten full seconds to remember.

She had used Xu Miao’s cousin’s ID card to sign a priority publishing agreement with Mo Yang, the publishing editor from CB Literature.

According to the dates, the agreement was nearing its deadline.

Because some of the knowledge in Treasure Appraisal had recently proven inaccurate, Ling Yu had suspended updates for a month. She hadn’t logged into the website during that time, so she hadn’t seen any internal messages and had nearly forgotten about the contract entirely.

Ling Yu raised her eyelids, still unable to understand why such a trivial matter had prompted this solemn interrogation from Xu Miao.

“Did someone from CB Entertainment call your cousin?”

Rather than answering, Ling Yu posed a question of her own.

She could more or less guess what had happened.

The contract remained in effect. Although Treasure Appraisal had yet to be officially signed, it had become an immensely popular intellectual property during its serialization.

Despite its author, Fishing in the Ocean, writing purely out of passion and ignoring every offer involving monetized publication, print rights, and screen adaptations, the novel had still risen to become the year’s most eagerly anticipated major literary IP.

It had achieved this through its excellent writing, exhilaratingly fast face-slapping plots, and innovative appraisal methods.

Xu Miao remained silent for a long time.

This was the first time Ling Yu had heard her sound so nervous. The curve at the corner of her lips diminished.

“What happened? I just thought over the dates. The agreement doesn’t expire until the end of next month, so I haven’t breached it. Did they make some unreasonable demand—”

“Husband!”

Xu Miao suddenly interrupted her with a wail. Her voice over the phone even sounded choked with tears.

“Fishing in the Ocean… is you, Ling Yu! You bastard! Am I still your cousin or not? Do you know how many little red flowers I’ve sent you over the past two years? How many times I’ve called you ‘Husband’?”

Her grievances poured out in a torrent.

“I was perfectly certain that I was gay. Then, two years ago, I fell for a male author I’d never met because of his writing. Do you have any idea how conflicted I was?”

“I came within one second of thinking I was bisexual and attracted to men! I almost lost all hope and branded myself bi. If I hadn’t gone to a bar to verify it—if my body hadn’t personally confirmed that, yes, I absolutely yearned for women—you would’ve ruined a perfectly good lesbian!”

“Fishing in the Ocean, are you even human? Dressing up as a woman while secretly being a man and misleading me about my sexuality!”

Ling Yu’s entire face cracked.

Xu Miao’s obsessive fangirling was no secret in Jiangcheng’s social circles.

Ling Yu knew she could be extreme, but she had never imagined that one day Xu Miao would chase a two-dimensional author straight into her own cousin.

Ling Yu coughed and interrupted the fan who had completely lost her mind on the other end of the call.

“Excuse me, Sister, but stop calling me ‘Husband.’ When did I ever imply to my readers, under the name Fishing in the Ocean, that I was a man?”

Xu Miao choked.

“CB Chinese Web specializes in male-oriented progression novels, and ninety percent of its authors are men…”

“That’s because you haven’t seen what women are capable of. A woman’s worldview and breadth of vision are no less impressive than a man’s.”

Ling Yu’s tone was calm.

“A talented female author can write a magnificent progression fantasy on an epic scale. She can also portray the smallest nuances of love with piercing precision. Naturally, I hope that one day, I’ll be able to move freely between the two.”

Ling Yu smiled.

But this time, her eyes didn’t contain her usual courteous, false smile.

This was her dream for the many years ahead.

It took Xu Miao a long time to digest the revelation and progress from shock and outrage to calm acceptance.

At last, her voice returned to normal, though it remained aggrieved.

“Fine. Let’s say I misunderstood. But Yu Yu, there’s a problem with the fact that you used my cousin’s identity to sign the contract, and I need to warn you in advance.”

“A few days ago, CB Entertainment called my cousin. When they mentioned Fishing in the Ocean, he had no idea that contract existed, so he firmly denied being the author. But they kept harassing him, and eventually… he called the police.”

Ling Yu: “…”

Xu Miao spoke hesitantly.

“What do we do now? They already know you used a false identity. If they sue you over this… I’m worried…”

Ling Yu paused before laughing.

A lawsuit was unlikely. The contractual penalty only amounted to twenty percent of the total earnings generated by Treasure Appraisal.

Ling Yu had neither monetized the novel nor signed away any rights.

In other words, it had earned nothing so far.

CB Entertainment would lose far more than it gained by suing her.

At most, they would use this matter as leverage in private negotiations. The final outcome would likely be nothing more than signing a new agreement under Ling Yu’s real identity.

She had originally used Xu Miao’s cousin’s ID card as a precaution, giving herself an extra layer of anonymity.

After all, CB Entertainment was a subsidiary of the Gu family.

Her conversation with editor Mo Yang that night had been coincidental.

Ling Yu had originally planned to force herself on Gu Qing that night and complete her mission.

She had inevitably felt a little guilty.

Ling Yu was both heartless and sentimental. She could treat even her fake lovers with tolerance and generosity, so naturally, she had felt some sympathy for Attorney Gu, whom she had intended to drag down from her pedestal.

Thus, when the opportunity to sign with CB Entertainment arose that night, Ling Yu had thought that if Gu Qing ever needed help in the future, she could lend her a hand. It would serve as compensation for forcing Gu Qing to sleep with her.

Unexpectedly, Gu Qing had rejected her so thoroughly that night that Ling Yu had slunk away in disgrace. Naturally, the compensation she had prepared was abandoned.

Since Ling Yu had no intention of helping Gu Qing now, she no longer feared exposing her identity.

If her cousin’s ID card could no longer be used, signing under her real identity made little difference.

After all, Ling Yu and Gu Qing had severed all ties two years ago. Ling Yu certainly wouldn’t interfere in Gu Qing’s affairs lightly.

She prided herself on keeping her word.

After chatting casually with Xu Miao for a few more minutes, Ling Yu ended the call.

When she opened the door, Fang Jia was changing her shoes at the entrance.

The bath towel Aunt Fang had worn earlier had long since vanished. She had changed into a pale-blue business suit and carried a handbag, apparently preparing to leave for an impromptu meeting.

Hearing Ling Yu’s door open, Fang Jia instinctively looked over.

“Yu Yu, I’m going out for a while…”

“If you get bored, you can go shopping by yourself. The commercial district is only five hundred meters ahead. There are two large malls, Qianyi and Century Lianhua, along with plenty of import shops nearby. Oh, right—remember to take the access card when you go out. I left it on the coffee table…”

Before Fang Jia could finish, Ling Yu dragged two large suitcases out of the bedroom.

“Yu Yu!”

Fang Jia narrowed her eyes, her tone abruptly turning dangerous.

“Don’t throw a childish tantrum at me. Even if I’m interested in you, what could I possibly do to a grown woman like you? Apartments around the university district are extremely difficult to rent, and all the new developments are still under construction. Don’t put yourself through the inconvenience of living in a hotel over something as trivial as sharing a home with me.”

Housing around the University of Gangcheng was in extremely high demand.

When Fang Jia had wanted to rent a place here, she had specifically relied on Gu Qing’s connections.

She felt rather aggrieved as she spoke.

They were only living together, yet Ling Yu guarded against her as though she were a thief.

Fang Jia believed she had already shown more than enough patience, but Ling Yu refused to appreciate it.

Ling Yu didn’t seem to care. She merely raised her eyes and curved her lips into a smile that was precisely thirty percent polite.

“I’m not accustomed to living with outsiders.”

At the word outsider, Ling Yu saw Fang Jia’s beautifully maintained fingers clench.

Remembering how Aunt Fang had helped her years ago, Ling Yu softened her tone as much as possible.

“Aunt Fang, it isn’t appropriate for us to live together. There are plenty of available properties nearby. A friend just sent me several listings that look quite good. I’ll view the layouts shortly. If one suits me, I may move in this afternoon.”

Fang Jia’s face stiffened.

She cast Ling Yu a suspicious glance, clearly unconvinced. Housing near the university was impossibly scarce.

“There’s no way you found somewhere that quickly. You must have encountered a scammer.”

Fang Jia kicked off the high heels she had just put on. Forgetting even to close the door, she walked toward Ling Yu with narrowed eyes.

“Where is this property? Let me see—”

Before she could finish, the half-open security door was pushed inward from outside.

When Ling Yu saw the person standing there, her pupils contracted.

They had run into each other again?

The woman’s clothes were different from her usual style today.

She wore a black V-neck top beneath a lightweight black cardigan-style shirt, paired with dark-gray wide-legged trousers.

She tugged one fallen sleeve back onto her shoulder. A layer of vivid crimson gloss colored her lips.

Although her expression looked no different from usual, the casual outfit lent her an additional air of languid ease.

Gu Qing remained at the threshold without entering. Curling her fingers, she politely knocked against the security door.

Fang Jia turned around.

Gu Qing’s cool, crystalline gaze swept over Ling Yu before settling on Fang Jia.

There was little warmth in her eyes. After meeting Fang Jia’s gaze in midair, she calmly reminded her,

“President Yi of Yike Jewelry is extremely difficult to arrange a meeting with, and she has an eccentric temper. If you intend to let today’s negotiations end before they begin, feel free to keep wasting time here.”