Saving the Pitiful Villain (GL) - Chapter 4

Jiang Shangxue suddenly realized that, according to the current plot, the original owner had not yet had close contact with Yun Wu.

She had made Yun Wu sleep in the garden, forbidding her from entering the house. The two had only seen each other from a distance across the flower beds, which explained why Yun Wu didn’t recognize her.

Jiang Shangxue allowed this “beautiful misunderstanding” to stand.

People were coming and going on both sides of the street, and passersby occasionally stopped to look at them. The mingled sounds of conversations and car horns were a little noisy.

Yun Wu hadn’t changed her clothes; they were still damp. The jacket Jiang Shangxue had draped over her was stained with a large patch of spilled wine.

Her gaze fell on the wine stain, and Yun Wu pursed her lips. “Auntie Jiang, I will return the coat after I have washed it.”

Yun Wu’s head was bowed very low, her eyelashes flickering. From Jiang Shangxue’s perspective, she looked somewhat docile.

After a moment of thought, Jiang Shangxue said, “Okay. When it’s clean, you can leave it at the guard station of the East Villa community. But it’s getting late now, I’ll drive you home.”

Her words and actions suggested that this was truly their first meeting.

Without giving Yun Wu a chance to refuse, Jiang Shangxue started walking slowly forward.

Yun Wu first stood still, then followed.

With her eyes fixed on Jiang Shangxue’s slender back, Yun Wu let out a puzzling laugh.

Jiang Shangxue offered a pole, and she actually climbed right up it.

She didn’t recognize her? What a huge joke.

First waiting at the school gate, then following her from a distance, and finally entering Magpie Bridge to rescue her—was she planning to put on a show of a kind mother and a filial daughter?

What exactly did she want to do?

Had Yun Yuandao’s other will been discovered prematurely?

Or was it possible that Jiang Shangxue also liked playing with women? A surge of intense coldness and revulsion washed over Yun Wu at the thought of that possibility.

Disgusting.

Jiang Shangxue walked ahead, sending a message to the driver, Xiao Wang, as she went.

【Jiang Shangxue: Xiao Wang, you can leave work early today. Leave the car keys in the car.】

【Jiang Shangxue: Also, contact Uncle Li and have him quickly prepare a house in the East Villa community. Simple furnishing is fine.】

【Xiao Wang: Yes, Madam.】

After sending the messages, Jiang Shangxue occasionally looked back. Seeing the girl obediently following behind her, her lips curved into a smile.

In the book, Yun Wu was always surrounded by malice. Now, starting from the Magpie Bridge incident, she should gradually feel more kindness. She was at the age of beautiful youth and should proudly and openly pursue her dreams and ideals.

Yun Wu’s life should not be as tragic as it was written in the script.

Back in the car, Jiang Shangxue noticed in the rearview mirror that Yun Wu sat down extremely cautiously, pressing against the car door.

She was clearly trying to avoid leaving any trace of herself in the expensive-looking car.

Jiang Shangxue’s eyes flickered as she recalled a piece of narration about Yun Wu in the script:

“She was accustomed to facing the malicious environment in a self-isolating manner, stubbornly protecting that meager self-esteem.”

Rolling up the window, Jiang Shangxue shifted her gaze forward and casually asked for the address.

“Jiayuan, North Peak District,” Yun Wu’s voice sounded a little hoarse.

Jiang Shangxue took out a bottle of water and handed it back, but Yun Wu didn’t take it.

“Thank you, but no need.”

Jiang Shangxue didn’t force the issue. She put the water down, calmly engaged the gear and stepped on the gas. “It’s good for a girl to be cautious. Remember to buckle up.”

She didn’t mind Yun Wu’s refusal at all.

The towering skyscrapers sped past outside the car window. Yun Wu turned her head to look outside until the scenery was replaced by a cluster of old apartment buildings.

The vehicle slowly came to a stop, and Yun Wu got out with the coat.

She thanked her again. “Thank you.”

It was very quiet, but her voice was pleasant, like a clear stream flowing through a mountain gorge, pure and transparent.

It matched her looks and was very endearing.

Jiang Shangxue looked up, smiled at Yun Wu outside the car, and motioned for her to go first.

Yun Wu nodded, turned around, and walked step by step toward the old building in her memory. Behind her, the car started up again.

Only when the sound disappeared did Yun Wu stop and look back. In the distance, the faint red glow of the taillights was visible.

If this were the previous life, Jiang Shangxue would have already splashed water in her face and venomously cursed her for being an ungrateful wretch.

But what exactly went wrong in this life?

Yun Wu stood under the streetlamp, a thoughtful expression on her face, her shadow stretched long on the ground.

Suddenly, the cheerful noise of a family arguing came from a nearby building.

Yun Wu was abruptly brought back to reality, then wore a smile that was both mocking and self-derisive. She continued walking, pulling out an ancient-style mobile phone—it only had physical buttons and a small lit screen.

She walked into the chaotic, dark shadows and dialed a number.

At the same time, her demeanor underwent a dramatic change.

The awkwardness and unease she showed in front of Jiang Shangxue vanished completely, replaced by the indifference and aggression of someone who had once held a high position—mysterious and dangerous.

The person on the other end of the phone listened to the contents of the voice recorder, and their attitude instantly changed.

After arranging a time and place, Yun Wu hung up the phone with an expressionless face and walked into the old, lightless stairwell.

The sound-activated light on the first floor was broken. Yun Wu fumbled to open the door.

This whole area was a resettlement community, standing out against the surrounding skyscrapers like a festering sore on a prosperous city.

Just like me, an ant only fit to cling to life in the shadows.

Yun Wu stared at the dust particles floating in the dim light, and gradually sleepiness set in.

Seeing Jiang Shangxue for the first time since her rebirth, Yun Wu was far calmer and more restrained than she had imagined.

She even had the presence of mind to play along with her act.

Unexpectedly, Yun Wu slept very soundly that night.

In contrast, Jiang Shangxue only arrived home in the early hours of the morning. She finally fell asleep, but her seven o’clock biological clock woke her up on time.

Trying to hide her fatigue, she went downstairs for breakfast. Feeling a little empty-handed, Jiang Shangxue instinctively asked, “Where’s the newspaper?”

“Huh?” The servant, Aunt Wu, looked baffled and quickly asked, “Madam, what newspaper do you want?”

“The business section.”

Aunt Wu quickly scurried to fetch the newspaper, eager to please. Not only had Madam woken up unusually early today, but why did she have the mind to read the business section?

Did she even understand it?

A string of questions popped up in Aunt Wu’s mind, but they were none of her concern. She only knew that this Madam had a terrible temper and would find ways to torment them if she was even slightly displeased.

Thinking this, Aunt Wu quickened her pace, fearing that delivering it late would upset Jiang Shangxue.

Watching the servant’s fearful manner, Jiang Shangxue secretly shook her head.

Thinking about the events of the previous night, Jiang Shangxue specifically asked as she took the newspaper, “How much is Wu Wu’s monthly living allowance?”

There was nothing wrong with a parent asking about their child’s living allowance.

But this was the Madam who desperately wanted to see Miss Yun dead who was asking.

Aunt Wu looked troubled, eventually saying with a veiled expression, “As you instructed, not a single penny is given.”

Not a single penny.

Jiang Shangxue paused in the act of eating her porridge. The air suddenly fell silent.

After a moment, Aunt Wu heard Jiang Shangxue continue to ask, “How much is the monthly rent in the East Villa community?”

The Yun Mansion was in the East Villa district, so Aunt Wu actually knew the answer. She thought for a moment. “I think the cheapest is about four thousand five and up per month.”

Jiang Shangxue pondered for a while.

“Give her three thousand a month from now on. Send the money over today, and make up the previous deficit of six thousand as well.”

“Oh, okay, okay.”

Why is Madam acting like a completely different person? Aunt Wu agreed out loud, but the feeling of strangeness grew stronger in her heart. Could it be that Madam has had a change of heart?

After breakfast, Jiang Shangxue prepared to go to the company. After all, she held the position of CEO and so many shares.

She would have to go sooner or later, so it was better to be proactive.

Meanwhile, Yun Wu quietly appeared outside an underground internet café.

This internet café was not far from East Villa High School, and from the outside, it looked highly decorated. It was about a thirty-minute bus ride away.

Yun Wu walked in. The café was empty. She went up to the second floor, pushed open the door, and saw a dozen people who looked like thugs sitting around a table. They had multi-colored buzz cuts, were bare-chested, and all had matching Peppa Pig tattoos on their left arms and large, glittering silver chains around their necks that hurt the eyes to look at.

They were waiting for her arrival.

A green-haired thug stared at Yun Wu several times.

“Boss, is this the person you spoke of? She looks like a little chick. Does she really have the capability?”

“Hey, little sister, even though you’re good-looking, I still have to warn you. Tattoo Peppa Pig on my body, we are all people of society. If you lie to us, you won’t walk out of this door today.”

Quite a rhyme.

Even the extreme attire couldn’t hide the ruthlessness on the face of the green-haired thug.

But before he could finish speaking, the boss, sitting in the middle of the thugs, snapped a loud flick on the green-haired thug’s head.

“Shut up. This is a society ruled by law. Our Piglet Gang must, of course, abide by the law.”

Ye Mei chewed gum, her leg propped up on the table, her posture wild and unrestrained. She squinted at Yun Wu. “Where’s the goods?”

Yun Wu calmly opened her palm, where a voice recorder lay quietly. She pressed the play button, and Zhao Rongrong’s extremely arrogant voice started playing:

“Who in the entire A-City wouldn’t give my dad face? I personally handled the negotiation for that piece of land in the North Peak area. Sanlin Company has already taken the bait and is just waiting for them to be unable to pay back the bridging loan. The land they mortgaged will naturally be ours…”

The boss of Sanlin Company, Ye Jianwei, made his fortune in retail. After becoming wealthy, he blindly followed the trend of buying land everywhere and was a notorious nouveau riche in A-City.

In Yun Wu’s memory from her previous life, Sanlin Company would soon go bankrupt due to a broken capital chain caused by the inability to repay the bridging loan. The Chairman, Ye Jianwei, would jump off a building, and his only daughter, Ye Mei, would disappear thereafter.

Until that big fire—the fire she intended to use to burn Zhao Changming and Xu Chacha—Ye Mei pulled her out of the flames.

Ye Mei was a tomboy, handsome and heroic-looking. No matter how she dressed like a visual kei or a non-mainstream person, she was beautiful, and she was the famous academic failure of East Villa High School.

After listening to the recording, Ye Mei slowly sat up straight. She looked at Yun Wu for a long time. “How did you know I was having trouble recently? And you even want to help a little thug like me?”

Yun Wu had a very unique aura, especially noticeable in a school full of rich kids like East Villa High School. Ye Mei had seen her a few times at school and remembered her face—a solitary oddball.

Ye Mei had never imagined that the person on the phone was Yun Wu.

Facing Ye Mei’s scrutiny, Yun Wu still stood perfectly straight, showing no nervousness. She said directly, “I need money.”

She then continued, “Send the recording and the letter of denunciation to the A-City Procuratorate and the Administration for Industry and Commerce. Also, send a copy to the Municipal Party Secretary. Don’t leave any real information.”

The moment this recording was exposed, Zhao Rongrong would have no way of acquiring the North Peak land as she had in the previous life. Consequently, her cousin, Zhao Changming, wouldn’t be able to use that land to connect with a high-ranking official later.

Zhao Changming’s business and political path would definitely not be as smooth as it was in the previous life.

Ye Mei signaled for someone to bring the money—a cash-for-goods exchange.

The money was wrapped in an envelope, a thick stack, estimated to be about ten thousand yuan. Yun Wu took it, put it in her bag, gave Ye Mei a faint look, and left.

The other thugs were stunned by Yun Wu’s imposing manner. After she left, one couldn’t help but ask foolishly:

“Boss, do you think the recording might not be fake? Even if it’s real, what if we get discovered? Will we face retaliation?”

Ye Mei glared at the speaker and said seriously, “What the hell do you know? This is called legal reporting and legal rights protection.”

As for the voice, Ye Mei recognized the voice of that idiot Zhao Rongrong immediately; it was undoubtedly her.

Ye Mei picked up the voice recorder, walked to the window, and looked at Yun Wu’s receding figure, quietly saying,

“How interesting.”

Just as Yun Wu reached the school gate, she saw Uncle Li waiting by the guard station.

The moment he saw Yun Wu, Uncle Li walked out with a smile. “Miss, Madam asked me to bring you your living allowance.”

Uncle Li was holding a small leather bag containing nine thousand yuan. A wealthy child’s living allowance would certainly be more than that, but Yun Wu’s situation was special.

Although Uncle Li disliked Jiang Shangxue, his years of professional dedication won over the slight discomfort in his heart.

The nine thousand yuan Jiang Shangxue instructed—not a penny more, not a penny less.

Yun Wu nodded coolly as she took the bag, walking into the school without saying a word.

Uncle Li rubbed his hands awkwardly, chasing after her and saying, “Miss, Madam might have had a change of heart. Try to find an opportunity to get closer to her.”

Jiang Shangxue, a change of heart?

What new tricks was she trying to pull now?

Yun Wu sneered. Could Jiang Shangxue have become addicted to playing the role of a good mother, thinking that after abusing her, a dramatic, charitable handout could move her?

Just like in the previous life, if someone showed her the slightest bit of kindness, she would want to repay them wholeheartedly.

How useless.

But this life would be different.

Author’s Note:

Tattoo Peppa Pig on my body, we are all people of society.