Pretending To Be Affectionate [Transmigration] - Chapter 59

Ling Yu had no desire to wade into the muddy waters of the Gu family.

It wasn’t merely because she feared another supposedly accidental encounter with Gu Qing. More importantly, she knew nothing about the details of Gu Qing’s rise to power.

The plotline 008 had given her omitted all minor details.

The only useful information Ling Yu had extracted was this: the Gu family would become the final stepping stone on Gu Qing’s path to the pinnacle of her life.

A stepping stone naturally implied an endless succession of face-slapping scenes.

In the future, Gu Qing would use swift, decisive methods to destroy the family’s deeply entrenched network of relationships. She would successfully inherit the Gu family fortune and lead the Gu Corporation onto the international stage.

At the same time, she would continue managing her law firm. With a flawless record of zero failures, she would ultimately become the foremost figure in the legal profession.

Judging from the novel’s ending, the members of the Gu family were undoubtedly the final supporting characters and antagonists on Gu Qing’s path of advancement and revenge.

Most of their endings had already been determined.

As an unofficial participant who had completed her mission and withdrawn to the sidelines, Ling Yu would most likely create trouble if she forcibly inserted herself into Gu Qing’s final progression arc.

Ling Yu understood her own position perfectly.

After completing her mission, she had become a native human of this world and received the right to live until a natural death.

She could cause as much trouble as she liked among ordinary people. But if she accidentally involved herself in matters affecting the plot, she might be dragged into it.

To be safe, she should stay far away.

Propping her chin on one hand, Ling Yu considered what excuse she could use to escape.

“Remember, once we go inside, don’t behave too…” unfamiliar.

Gu Bingtao glanced through the rearview mirror at the heavily made-up delinquent in the back seat. Her eyes overflowed with “possessiveness” toward him.

The rest of his warning died in his throat.

In truth, he wasn’t worried that Ling Yu would expose the deception. This perverted delinquent specifically preferred outstanding older men like him.

But remembering tonight’s plan, Gu Bingtao suppressed his disgust and emphasized, “Tonight, you’re the fiancée I’m bringing home. Whatever you do around me must appear enthusiastic. Understood?”

His face displayed profound distaste as he spoke.

Ling Yu looked up and first saw her heavily painted face reflected in the rearview mirror.

Bright lights illuminated the exterior.

Ling Yu blinked and scrutinized the gaudy delinquent in the mirror for several seconds.

The next moment, she pulled out a compact mirror.

She had found her solution.

After receiving no answer for a long time, Gu Bingtao turned around in confusion.

The moment he saw Ling Yu’s face, his pupils shook violently.

“W-What are you doing?”

“Touching up my makeup.”

Ling Yu raised her face and gave him an unbearably sweet smile.

“It’s my first time meeting Fifth Uncle’s family. Naturally, I need to dress myself up properly.”

The corner of Gu Bingtao’s mouth twitched. He could no longer maintain his expression.

The dim lighting in the underground garage fell across the woman’s ghostly pale face.

All Gu Bingtao could see were thick black brows as broad as noodles, writhing across her forehead like caterpillars.

Powder flaked from her face whenever she raised her head.

At least he had still been able to distinguish her features before. But after this additional application…

Gu Bingtao’s eyes nearly bulged from fright.

Drawing a deep breath, he looked away because he couldn’t bear the sight.

“You…”

“Is it not pretty?” Ling Yu interrupted, tilting her head.

Gu Bingtao didn’t know how to respond.

“All right, all right. I understand.”

Ling Yu blinked, then pulled a dark-gray lipstick from her handbag and applied more to her lips.

“I’ll keep working until you’re satisfied.”

“Okay?”

Gu Bingtao: “…”

He desperately wanted to throw this perverted woman out of the car.

Ling Yu fluffed her explosive hairstyle twice.

After looking at her unrecognizable reflection in the rearview mirror, she finally followed Gu Bingtao upstairs with satisfaction.

The Gu family villa occupied far more land than the Xu family’s ancestral residence.

The living room was circular. Freshly brewed tea and pastries sat on a gilded, palace-style European coffee table. Servants stood in orderly rows at the rear, ready to serve tea at any moment.

A circle of people currently occupied the custom U-shaped sofa.

Ling Yu swept her gaze around. Including the servants, approximately a dozen people were present.

Yet even with so many people in the living room, it didn’t feel remotely crowded.

“Dinner is almost ready. Why hasn’t Fifth Brother arrived yet?”

The speaker was the third branch’s madam.

She also came from an established family. Although she was older now, her bearing already possessed the authority expected of the eldest daughter-in-law in a great clan.

Among Old Master Gu’s nephews, Third Uncle Gu was the most capable.

Traditionally, she handled household matters and delivered the final word.

Second Aunt Gu set down her needlework.

“He went to pick someone up. I heard Bingcheng say that Fifth Brother intends to bring someone home today for the old man’s approval.”

Second Madam Gu wore a qipao.

Compared with Third Madam Gu, her face carried a more detached air. She came from a scholarly family, and both she and Second Uncle Gu had been university professors.

In recent years, Second Uncle Gu had joined a research institute. As she grew older, she retired to care for her husband and children.

Although they were around the same age, Second Madam Gu wore much simpler makeup.

Third Madam Gu acknowledged her.

She already knew that Fifth Uncle Gu planned to bring someone home tonight and didn’t comment further.

Glancing at the European clock overhead, she instructed her eldest son, “Call your fifth uncle. Your granduncle should be finishing his discussion soon. Don’t make an elderly man wait. There must be limits even to his nonsense.”

Just as Third Madam Gu finished speaking, Gu Xiu tossed half an apple into her mouth.

“Mom, stop tormenting my brother. Fifth Uncle always arrives at the last minute. If you make my brother call him, he’ll only get scolded.”

She sprawled gracelessly across the sofa.

Frowning, Third Madam Gu slapped the back of Gu Xiu’s head.

“Just wait until your father—”

Before she could finish scolding her, Fifth Uncle Gu’s voice interrupted.

“Xiu’er, am I really that unreasonable in your eyes?”

At the same time, every younger member of the Gu family and both elders in the living room turned toward the entrance.

Identical expressions froze across their faces.

Looking at the gaudily dressed delinquent beside Gu Bingtao, the living room descended into deathly silence.

Gu Xiu reacted first.

The piece of apple she had just swallowed lodged in her throat. Tears sprang from her eyes, and she began coughing violently.

The sound awakened everyone else.

Ling Yu walked beside Fifth Uncle Gu.

Terrified that she might approach him, he held his spine stiff and maintained as much distance as possible.

Ling Yu suppressed her laughter and swept her eyes across everyone, focusing especially on Gu Xiu.

Seeing that her former roommate hadn’t recognized her, Ling Yu’s mood improved.

That meant Gu Qing wouldn’t recognize her either.

Adopting an unbearably sweet smile, Ling Yu turned toward Gu Bingtao and spoke first.

“Oh, Bingtao! Your sisters-in-law, nephews, and nieces are all watching. Stop standing there and introduce me.”

Gu Bingtao’s face stiffened.

He signaled frantically with his eyes for Ling Yu to remain silent.

Ling Yu glared at him.

“I know you’re protective of me, but they’re all family. Even if I suffer a little grievance during our first meeting, I still can’t behave impolitely.”

Ling Yu didn’t care how humiliated Fifth Uncle Gu appeared.

She hadn’t genuinely come for a marriage alliance.

Ling Yu had always been vindictive. This Fifth Uncle Gu was already advanced in years, yet still wanted a wife in her early twenties.

He had been unlucky enough to encounter Ling Yu.

Moreover, she would inevitably meet Gu Qing soon. What if her identity was exposed and she died of embarrassment?

That added another charge to Fifth Uncle Gu’s crimes.

The angrier Ling Yu became, the wider she smiled.

Seeing everyone remain silent, she beamed while causing chaos.

“Hello, everyone. My name is Yu Yu. I’m Bingtao’s girlfriend.”

Without examining their expressions, Ling Yu familiarly seated herself on the U-shaped sofa.

Then she pointed at the oranges on the coffee table and blinked at Fifth Uncle Gu as though no one else were present.

“Bingtao, I’m hungry…”

Every gaze immediately turned toward Gu Bingtao.

Ling Yu’s shameless familiarity made his liver ache with anger.

At the same time, the female pervert’s thick skin terrified him.

Afraid she might say something even more disturbing and destroy his dignity before the entire family, he forced a smile and stepped forward.

Under the incredulous gazes of everyone present, he obediently peeled an orange for Ling Yu.

He could only pray that food would silence her.

Ling Yu struggled not to laugh.

Naturally, she wouldn’t eat an orange touched by a man.

When Fifth Uncle Gu handed it to her, it slipped from her fingers and landed on the floor.

Seeing his face turn iron-blue, she raised her head, pouted, and muttered, “I’m sorry. I didn’t do it deliberately. Don’t worry—because you peeled this orange personally, it represents your love for me. I’ll pick it up and eat it…”

Ling Yu’s sickeningly sweet, infatuated gaze swept across him.

Gu Bingtao nearly died of terror.

He remembered the expression she had worn in the car while declaring her preference for sixty-year-old men.

His fingers contracted.

He quickly snatched the orange from the floor and threw it into the trash.

With his face frozen from fear, he turned toward the servants and rebuked them viciously.

“Have we supported all of you for nothing? Didn’t you hear Miss Ling say she was hungry? Bring out some pastries immediately!”

With her entrance, Ling Yu shocked the entire Gu family.

One moment, she exclaimed, “Third Sister-in-law, your dress is lovely!” The next, she asked, “Eldest Nephew, what does that financial article you’re reading mean?”

Whenever Third Madam or Second Madam Gu recovered and tried to rebuke her tactfully, Ling Yu immediately turned teary eyes toward Fifth Uncle Gu and called “Bingtao” in a thousand lingering tones.

She even appended two sinister cackles.

Like a protective wall, Fifth Uncle Gu stood before Ling Yu with a strained smile and endured every storm on her behalf.

The scene was magnificent.

This was Gu Xiu’s first time seeing her shameless Fifth Uncle behave like an obedient servant under someone else’s command.

She nearly burst out laughing.

What divine immortal had descended among them?

In Old Master Gu’s study, Gu Qing, Second Uncle Gu, and Third Uncle Gu stood on either side of the desk.

The old man was practicing calligraphy.

His wrist remained suspended as he completed the final stroke on the rice paper.

Third Uncle Gu stepped forward first, breaking the room’s silence.

“Excellent! Eldest Uncle’s calligraphy is comparable to that of Mr. Guo, the famous contemporary calligrapher.”

Gu Qinglang set down his brush without accepting the praise.

He turned toward Second Uncle Gu on his right.

“Bingcheng, what do you think?”

The old man was over seventy.

He wore a loose, modernized Tang-style jacket. Perhaps because he took excellent care of his health, he didn’t appear old and looked even more energetic than Second Uncle Gu beside him.

Having been called upon, Second Uncle Gu stepped forward.

He put on his glasses, his face filled with adoration, and murmured repeatedly, “Wonderful calligraphy. Truly delightful to behold.”

Seeing his expression, Gu Qinglang couldn’t help laughing.

He cheerfully turned toward Gu Qing.

“Both your uncles say it’s good. Xiao Qing, tell me—what makes it good?”

“Are you testing me, Grandfather?”

Gu Qing smiled.

“I don’t understand calligraphy. At most, I can tell that you wrote in Liu style. The strokes are powerful and vigorous, while the structure is balanced, lean, and firm.”

The old man smiled and shook his head.

Seeing that none of the three could explain what truly made it good, he didn’t enlighten them.

Second Uncle Gu had already picked up a magnifying glass and was examining the calligraphy on the desk.

Gu Qinglang waved his hand.

“That’s enough. Since we’re having a family dinner tonight, take it downstairs and let Haozhe, Xiu’er, and the other youngsters examine it too.”

Meanwhile, Ling Yu was gleefully destroying the entire Gu family’s perception of her.

Her objective was to sabotage the marriage alliance. After making such a spectacle, not only would Fifth Uncle Gu refuse to marry her, but no respectable family in Gangcheng would want a woman like her.

The wealthier the family, the more indirectly they expressed themselves.

This was especially true of the Gu family, with its strict traditions.

People like Third Madam and Second Madam Gu would never publicly say she was ugly and making a spectacle of herself. At most, they would label her troublesome and unbearable.

If that reputation spread, Ling Taiguo would merely curse her viciously. He wouldn’t suspect she had done it deliberately.

After all, she was already a spoiled second-generation heir. Improper behavior was perfectly consistent with her character.

When the elevator doors opened, Ling Yu was in the middle of another performance.

“I’m wearing high heels today, and my toes hurt. Oh, how much longer will it be? Can someone find me slippers?”

Hearing the elevator chime behind him, Gu Bingtao’s expression shattered.

He gave Ling Yu a warning look, telling her she had gone far enough.

Ling Yu exclaimed softly and covered her mouth.

Following Gu Bingtao’s gaze, she saw Gu Qing walking in front while supporting Old Master Gu. Second Uncle and Third Uncle Gu followed behind them.

Despite the distance, the old man’s gaze paused on Ling Yu for one second.

Fifth Uncle Gu signaled to her.

He instinctively reached for her arm, intending to bring her forward and introduce her to the elder.

Ling Yu skillfully avoided his touch.

She didn’t create another scene. She simply refused to let Fifth Uncle Gu touch her and walked beside him toward the old man with a smile, her explosive hairstyle bobbing along.

Fifth Uncle Gu greeted the elder.

Then he introduced Ling Yu.

“Eldest Uncle, this is my girlfriend. Her name is—”

Ling Yu abruptly raised her head and took over.

“Hello, Eldest Brother. Hello, Second Brother. Hello, Third Brother…”

Her gaze moved across the four people before her one by one, finally settling on Gu Qing.

Ling Yu had assumed Gu Qing wouldn’t acknowledge her at all.

Instead, the moment Ling Yu looked over, Gu Qing abruptly raised her eyes.

Ling Yu unexpectedly collided with the woman’s cool gaze, and her heart jolted.

Drawing a deep breath, she raised her brows and calmly continued her introduction.

“Hello, Eldest Niece…”

“My name is Yu Yu. I’m Bingtao’s girlfriend…”

She deliberately omitted her surname, so it shouldn’t arouse suspicion.

Countless people in the world were called Yu Yu.

Even after Ling Yu completed her introduction, Gu Qing’s cold gaze didn’t withdraw.

Ling Yu wasn’t particularly frightened.

She was certain Gu Qing couldn’t recognize her. At most, the woman might become suspicious.

As long as Ling Yu refused to admit anything, she wouldn’t be the embarrassed one.

At the same time, Gu Qing narrowed her eyes, and an incredulous curve appeared at the corner of her lips.

Eldest Niece?

She stared at Ling Yu’s panda eyes for two seconds, scoffed, and naturally looked away.

Old Master Gu didn’t acknowledge Ling Yu’s address of “Eldest Brother.”

He merely glanced at Gu Bingtao.

“Are you serious about this woman?”

Gu Bingtao guiltily averted his gaze, but his answer was decisive.

“Yes.”

He reached for Ling Yu’s hand to prove his devotion.

Gu Qing abruptly spoke.

“Fifth Uncle.”

Gu Bingtao paused. “Yes?”

His eldest niece’s ice-blue eyes met his.

There was little emotion in her gaze, yet it carried the same immense pressure as the old man’s.

Was it a warning?

Gu Bingtao shuddered.

“So many younger relatives are watching,” Gu Qing said. “Control yourself.”

She spoke without the slightest courtesy.

Her clear, cool voice and lowered gaze naturally gave her an imperious air.

No one in the Gu family currently dared assert their seniority before Gu Qing.

Part of this was out of respect for the old man.

The other reason was Gu Qing’s extraordinary competence.

The Gu family’s jewelry exhibition could proceed this year only because Gu Qing had won the brand-agency lawsuit before the New Year.

Gu Bingtao smiled awkwardly.

The old man remained silent, and neither of his older brothers intervened to smooth things over.

His heart became increasingly unsettled.

He could only force himself to address Gu Qing first, avoiding her criticism by changing the subject.

“Eldest Niece, this is your future Fifth Aunt. Greet her.”

Gu Qing laughed in anger.

She hadn’t even had an opportunity to call Ling Yu her wife, yet Gu Bingtao was already addressing her so enthusiastically!

Gu Qing’s gaze slowly moved toward Ling Yu.

Unaware of the approaching danger, Ling Yu raised her head calmly.

Their eyes met.

The air descended into deathly silence.

Gu Qing’s gaze was so chilling that one might think Ling Yu had dug up her ancestors’ graves.

Ling Yu sighed internally.

As expected, Gu Qing was the most troublesome person here.

But she couldn’t expose her true temperament and confront her directly.

Ling Yu worked hard to adjust her expression, curving her panda eyes into enormous crescents and gazing at Gu Qing with anticipation.

For the first time since returning to the country, she gave Gu Qing ample respect.

Ling Yu assumed the woman would at least preserve appearances and greet her.

Instead, Gu Qing pressed her lips into a straight line, stared into her eyes, and enunciated each word.

“I refuse.”