Transmigrated as the Villain's Fiancée Who Seeks Death (GL) - Chapter 13

No good luck! Xia Rushui felt that ever since she transmigrated, she’d been synonymous with misfortune!

The legendary “good luck” simply didn’t exist!

One second, her head was getting cracked open, and the next, she was inexplicably stuffed into a crappy novel. Not only that, but she was a vicious cannon fodder character!

Fine, the only options she had were to accept and must accept.

Not long after arriving, and before fully figuring out the situation, she was caught red-handed by her fiancée in a questionable establishment.

Thankfully, the original owner and Jiang Xingzhi hadn’t had an intimate relationship, or it would’ve been a real-life version of The Temptation of Going Home!

Although her future status would be that of a rich woman worth nearly a hundred million, currently… she was still a minor, and all the money was spent by the original owner on chasing Shen Yishu, leaving her pockets cleaner than her face.

Truth be told, the current Xia Rushui couldn’t scrape up even fifty yuan. If the original owner’s meal card hadn’t had a decent balance left, Xia Rushui would have to beg for food every day at noon.

From now on, until she inherited her nine-figure fortune, she would firmly refuse to participate in any activity costing more than fifty cents!

These are minor issues, minor issues.

After being oppressed by modern education for more than a decade, Xia Rushui finally mustered the courage to get cocky and indulge just once, and she ran smack into a parent signature requirement!

Xia so-and-so was now finally remembering the meaning of embarrassment.

The current Xia Rushui was as timid as Ergouzi in front of Jiang Xingzhi, completely devoid of the reckless abandon she’d shown when she’d boldly slashed across her Chinese test paper.

Just thinking about Xu Fengjiao’s words—”The teachers in our research group have received a lot of joy from certain students’ papers. Thank you very much for bringing us laughter. All of us teachers unanimously decided that your parents must also receive this joy”—made Xia Rushui feel a liver ache.

She was using her life to perfectly interpret a famous saying: “No Zuo, no Die.”

At this moment, only four words echoed in Xia Rushui’s mind:

HEAVEN! IS! MOCKING! ME!

The parent signature was an unbeatable, unsolvable problem for her. It sounded hard, but doing it was even harder.

Students with good grades didn’t have to worry, like Su He and Xia Ranran. One looked indifferent, the other was beaming with joy.

Oh, right, the original owner’s hypocritical sister in name—Xia Ranran, who had previously messed with Xia Rushui at the Ye family banquet—was in the same class as her.

The two sisters shared no physical resemblance and had completely different styles. It was impossible to tell they shared a father.

It was strange. The original owner’s phone had photos of Shen Wanzi. Shen Wanzi, as her name suggested, had a gentle and graceful appearance, though a hint of sorrow between her brows added a touch of melancholy and captivating charm, making her look like a delicate, sick beauty swaying in the breeze.

Shen Wanzi sitting quietly was like a splash-ink landscape painting shrouded in mist, possessing the tender flow of a water town in Jiangnan and her own mysterious allure, inviting exploration.

The original owner’s appearance, however, was completely different from her biological mother’s, like a genetic mutation.

Shen Wanzi and Xia Hongsheng’s wedding photos were easily found. Back then, with the support of the Jiang family, the struggling minor wealthy Shen family and the poor boy Xia Hongsheng had their moment of glory. Newspapers, magazines, and online media reported extensively on the wedding, with photos from every angle.

Xia Rushui tried to pair Shen Wanzi with Xia Hongsheng’s chunky, beef-face to piece together the child’s appearance but failed.

In any case, the original owner didn’t look like an illegitimate child born of Beauty and the Beast!

Xia Ranran, however, bore a slight, indefinable resemblance to Shen Wanzi.

If the original owner had a vibrant look, Xia Ranran was all about the pure, white lotus route.

Xia Ranran’s chosen extracurriculars at St. Lan were the Guzheng and dance. Her mother had deliberately cultivated her in ballet since childhood. Coupled with her fair skin, beauty, height, and long legs, her demeanor—though far inferior to Jiang Xingzhi’s—was more than enough compared to other students her age.

Apart from her malicious nature, she was generally considered worthy of the title of St. Lan’s Campus Belle.

Her overall score in this exam was still second place. However, due to an error, Su He’s Chinese score was a few points lower than Xia Ranran’s. This was the only time Xia Ranran had surpassed Su He in over two years, and she couldn’t hide her completely unrestrained look of triumph.

Thinking of this, Xia Rushui couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness for the original owner.

Regardless of their scores, all the other students had parents. But the original owner’s so-called parent, her only relative in the world—her father Xia Hongsheng—didn’t care about her.

Xia Hongsheng’s attitude toward the original owner was one of complete disregard from beginning to end.

He would attend parent-teacher meetings for Xia Ranran, deliberately avoiding any mention of being Xia Rushui’s father. He took Xia Ranran to banquets and public events, held extravagant birthday parties for Xia Ranran every year, and let Xia Ranran pick all the best things first…

Xia Hongsheng had always been proud of his younger daughter, Xia Ranran, acting as if the original owner was a shameful daughter.

Xia Ranran, the illegitimate daughter, had been carefully raised outside by Xia Hongsheng and was brought back to the Xia family at the age of seven to spite Shen Wanzi. She was deeply favored by Xia Hongsheng’s “chunky beef-face.” The original owner, having grown up in the Xia family, was like a transparent person.

She received no love, felt no attention, and her mother was miserable all the time. All happiness belonged to her half-sister.

This kind of family environment was suffocating.

Reading it in the book, she could never truly empathize with the characters. But after experiencing the original owner’s life firsthand, Xia Rushui felt that the book only offered a one-sided view of the character.

The original owner’s role in the novel was merely to drive the plot, constantly creating difficulties for the female lead, and then retiring after the female lead’s successful counterattack.

Yet, Xia Rushui felt the original owner was a person with a profoundly rich inner world and wouldn’t have done such extreme things without reason.

She was arrogant and domineering, but she never actually hurt anyone.

She was aloof and indifferent, yet she had several unusual friends by her side.

Without the oppression from Xia Hongsheng and the accumulation of her mother’s negative emotions, the original owner might have been a sunny, positive girl!

Wait! There seemed to be a key detail here!

Xia Hongsheng didn’t acknowledge her and found her embarrassing = He wouldn’t care about a parent signature!

She was free!

After meticulous reasoning, precise calculation, and fully engaging her logical thinking skills, Xia Rushui was absolutely, definitively certain that Xu Fengjiao would not have called the original owner’s so-called father, Xia Hongsheng.

Because the original owner’s phone simply didn’t have Xia Hongsheng’s phone number!

The original owner and Xia Hongsheng’s relationship was extremely tense, and it was easy to see how fragile their father-daughter relationship was.

Xia Hongsheng didn’t care about the original owner, and the original owner was indifferent to this father, perhaps even constantly butting heads and challenging the authority of the “chunky beef-face.”

Shen Wanzi knew about this situation, which is why her will explicitly named Jiang Xingzhi as the original owner’s guardian!

Guardian is not Xia Hongsheng = The “chunky beef-face” has no say in her life!

Therefore, when collecting parent contact information, the original owner definitely did not give Xia Hongsheng’s number to the homeroom teacher.

As for how the original owner managed to get away with it, that remained unknown.

It was highly likely she just made it up.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Heaven always leaves a path!

Xia Rushui held up her bright red 49-point test paper and laughed like a dark dahlia.

Tomorrow, she’d just ask Shen Anru or Su He to sign it for her!

I’m still the best, Sister Shui!

Xia Rushui immensely admired the ingenuity of the original owner and Shen Wanzi, as well as her own genius-level logical deduction!

She was simply too smart!

There’s a saying: When man thinks, God laughs.

God is not afraid of mankind thinking; he’s afraid of Xia Rushui thinking.

Tonight was likely a sleepless night for many St. Lan students. They were about to face an insurmountable hurdle in their young lives, including but not limited to single beatings (by father or mother), mixed doubles (by both parents), a crying mother and a silent father, referees being switched out, and so on.

And this did not include Xia Rushui.

At least, that’s what Xia Rushui personally believed.

This belief persisted until Xia Rushui and Jiang Xingzhi sat down at the dining table, quietly eating together.

Jiang Xingzhi, on a rare occasion, got off work on time and ate dinner with Xia Rushui.

The cook, seeing that the mistress of the house had returned, happily added two extra dishes.

The cook rarely saw Jiang Xingzhi and hadn’t yet grasped her preferences. Usually, Jiang Xingzhi only ate breakfast at home, which Xia Rushui sometimes prepared, and no one had specifically instructed the cook about Jiang Xingzhi’s tastes. Therefore, dinner was prepared according to Xia Rushui’s preferences.

Xia Rushui liked spicy, sour, and sweet flavors. The cook made Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs, Spicy Diced Chicken with Peanuts, Corn and Pork Rib Soup, and Toffee Milk Curds, along with a few refreshing, palate-cleansing cold side dishes and purple rice, which was plenty for Xia Rushui alone.

Seeing Jiang Xingzhi’s rare presence, the cook quickly added her best Mala Chicken and Sichuan Boiled Fish Slices, Stir-fried Celery with Lily Bulbs, and Stir-fried Lotus Root Slices.

Xia Rushui loved the Mala Chicken, but the cook wouldn’t make it every day. Xia Rushui had eaten it just two days prior and needed to wait at least another week for nutritional balance.

Seeing the cook place the Mala Chicken on the table, Xia Rushui swallowed hard. She used the excuse that Jiang Xingzhi couldn’t eat spicy food and subtly maneuvered the Mala Chicken and Sichuan Boiled Fish Slices closer to herself.

Jiang Xingzhi frowned at the Stir-fried Lotus Root Slices and Stir-fried Celery with Lily Bulbs in front of her.

She glanced at Xia Rushui, who was happily eating the Mala Chicken. The tempting red chili oil was evenly spread over the uniformly shredded chicken pieces, and she could see a few Sichuan peppercorns on top. Imagining the numbing and spicy flavor exploding in her mouth…

Jiang Xingzhi’s brow twitched. She silently ladled herself a bowl of Corn and Pork Rib Soup.

Given the Jiang family’s status, fussy conventions were inevitable.

Fortunately, Jiang Xingzhi wasn’t ridiculously demanding. Although she was meticulous and had many annoying habits in private, she didn’t always put on airs, such as needing two maids to serve her soup and rice just to demonstrate her family’s prestige.

Most of the etiquette and conventions were for outsiders.

This was also why Xia Rushui could tolerate Jiang Xingzhi’s bad temper and even had a decent impression of her.

Jiang Xingzhi elegantly drank a bowl of soup, put down her spoon, and suddenly said, “I heard your mock exam scores are out.”

Xia Rushui had already analyzed the situation at school. The parent signature was nothing to fear, so she was completely calm, steady as a mountain.

“Mhm.” She picked up a chopstick-full of bean sprouts from the Sichuan Boiled Fish. The spicy, crisp-tender texture, coupled with the subtle sweetness of the bean sprouts, was exquisite.

The cook Jiang Xingzhi hired was excellent in every way. Aside from not letting Xia Rushui eat Luosifen, the dishes she made were perfectly to her liking.

Jiang Xingzhi reached out her chopsticks.

Her chopsticks touched the edge of the blue-and-white porcelain bowl containing the Sichuan Boiled Fish!

Just as she was about to pick up a slice of fish, the referee blew the whistle at the finish line!

Xia Rushui moved the large bowl inward. “No, you can’t eat this right now. It’s too heavy on oil and spice. Your stomach hasn’t fully recovered; you’ll be uncomfortable tonight.”

She righteously claimed the Sichuan Boiled Fish.

She thought for a moment, then used the serving chopsticks to pick up a few pieces of Mala Chicken and Boiled Fish for Jiang Xingzhi. She dipped them in the pure, unadulterated Corn and Pork Rib Soup she had just served herself, and placed the bland, washed pieces onto a small porcelain saucer, pushing it toward Jiang Xingzhi. “Here, if you really want to eat it, try it like this for now.”

Jiang Xingzhi’s brow twitched again at the sight of the chicken and fish without the chili oil and peppercorn garnish.

Xia Rushui was completely oblivious. She picked up a slice of boiled fish, wrapped it in a little rice, and shoved the blend of sauce and rice into her mouth. The flavor burst on her taste buds. She closed her eyes happily, letting out a small, blissful sigh.

Jiang Xingzhi forced her gaze away from that expression and said calmly, “How did you score?”

Xia Rushui was still unhurried. What could Jiang Xingzhi do to her? Frankly, their relationship was just a fragile connection—a landlord and tenant. Could she really manage her life?

Impossible.

The little person inside Xia Rushui lazily and cockily waved her hand.

So she replied immodestly, “Pretty good.”

In a way, it was pretty good.

For instance, in the aspect of bringing joy to all the teachers in the research group.

Jiang Xingzhi’s lips curved subtly. She was wearing a bold true-red lipstick today, which made her look fair and gave her an aura. Coupled with her naturally intimidating presence, Xia Rushui suddenly felt a strange pressure radiating in the air.

“Your homeroom teacher called me today. She said your scores in Chinese and Liberal Arts were very good.”

How did Xu Fengjiao get Jiang Xingzhi’s number???

Wait! That’s not the point! The point is why did Xu Fengjiao call Jiang Xingzhi?!

Xia Rushui’s hand, holding her chopsticks, trembled. She finally understood humility and guilt. She let out two forced, dry laughs. “No… no… it’s actually not that good. Just average.”

What is going on??? Why am I so guilty?!

Xia Rushui was about to lose her appetite under Jiang Xingzhi’s gaze.

“Didn’t you say the scores needed a parent’s signature? Why didn’t you bring them for me to see?”

Xia Rushui: “……”

She had completely lost her appetite.

“No need, no need,” Xia Rushui said, setting down her bowl and chopsticks and waving her hands repeatedly. “You’re so busy with a million things (girlfriends) every day. I wouldn’t bother you with a simple chore like a parent signature.”

Heh.

“Oh? Then who do you want to sign it for you?” Jiang Xingzhi asked with a smile.

Xia Rushui thought Jiang Xingzhi was unusually talkative today.

This was the most she had ever seen Jiang Xingzhi smile, yet it wasn’t a benevolent smile.

It made her… hair stand on end.

A chill ran down Xia Rushui’s spine. She said evasively, “It’s a small matter, a small matter. Not worth mentioning.”

Jiang Xingzhi continued to smile. “Show me the test paper.”

“……”

There had never been a moment when Xia Rushui wanted to crawl into a hole more than this.

Embarrassing. Too embarrassing.

She would resist to the death.

Where she is, the test paper is! If she dies, the test paper dies!

Jiang Xingzhi raised an eyebrow. “Give me the test paper.”

Xia Rushui braced herself against the table and stood up, putting on a brave and determined front. She walked over to Jiang Xingzhi but instantly wilted, acting like she was ushering the Empress Dowager. She helped Jiang Xingzhi out to the living room and fawned, “No rush, no rush. Why trouble a busy CEO like yourself with a student’s insignificant grades? You must be tired after a long day at work, right?”

Her hands naturally settled on Jiang Xingzhi’s shoulders. “Let me give you a massage. Tell me if this technique is okay. I used to…”

She almost let slip too much. Fortunately, Xia Rushui slammed the brakes and shut up just in time.

“Used to what?” Jiang Xingzhi leaned languidly on the sofa cushion, her tone casual and inquiring.

“Used to follow videos to learn techniques in my free time. See if you like it. This set of techniques is specifically for relieving fatigue. After the massage, take a bath, and I guarantee you’ll sleep soundly all night. The next day, your body will be awesome, and everything will taste great! You’ll be a refreshed CEO Jiang, ready to spiritedly scold people again!”

“Mhm?” Jiang Xingzhi let out a drawn-out nasal sound.

Xia Rushui: Oops, I accidentally said what was on my mind.

“Nothing, nothing. Just enjoy it! All your fatigue will be gone after a good night’s sleep!” Xia Rushui saw Jiang Xingzhi closing her eyes to rest and made her kneading motions even softer.

Jiang Xingzhi didn’t bring up the test paper again. With her eyes closed, her thick, curled lashes looked like two small brushes. A faint smile played on her lips. She was clearly enjoying Xia Rushui’s shoulder-rubbing service.

She was inherently beautiful. Dressed in her suit and pants, she had a competent, neat, and sharp business style, and her efficiency in work was commanding and admirable.

Xia Rushui had yet to see what Jiang Xingzhi looked like in a dress. The Jiang Xingzhi she’d always seen was in a suit and pants. Xia Rushui personally thought her best outfit was the rose-red suit. The sleeves were rolled up, revealing a small section of her delicate arm. Her fingers, holding a wine glass, were slender, graceful, yet firm.

That was the outfit that had amazed the “face-dog” Xia Rushui for half a day.

Based on her experience in her past life, Xia Rushui’s shoulder massage technique was excellent. It didn’t look like she was a novice. The pressure and the knowledge of acupuncture points were precise. The smile on Jiang Xingzhi’s lips widened, her eyelids partially lifted, and she looked increasingly languid and comfortable.

Xia Rushui, however, was not enjoying it at all.

She wanted to hit someone!

Jiang Xingzhi wouldn’t call it quits, and she wasn’t asleep!

The moment her movements slowed down or the thought of stopping crossed her mind, Jiang Xingzhi would immediately lift her eyelid and silently question her with dissatisfaction, forcing Xia Rushui to maintain her focus.

Why won’t she sleep! Won’t! Sleep!

Ah! Are all villains this full of energy?!

Xia Rushui could almost visualize Jiang Xingzhi at the company, being tyrannical, doing whatever she pleased, and spiritedly scolding people!

After more than an hour, Xia Rushui’s arms ached. She quit.

She ignored the look Jiang Xingzhi sent her way.

She was going to rebel! I don’t care who’s boss!

Xia Rushui sat down in a huff. The little kitten, Ergouzi, was let out by the cook at that moment to get some fresh air.

Ergouzi saw Xia Rushui and excitedly wagged its tail. Its lake-blue eyes reflected Xia Rushui’s image as it scampered over in tiny steps.

It crouched down, pushed off, and leapt onto Xia Rushui’s lap.

Xia Rushui stroked Ergouzi once. The kitten obediently lay on her lap, letting her fuss over it. Its soft body spread out like a liquid, feeling warm and comforting under her palm. Xia Rushui felt cured by Ergouzi; the sky was clearing up.

Jiang Xingzhi timely handed Xia Rushui a glass of orange juice, receiving a grateful look in return.

“Alright. Now, take out your mock exam paper. I’ll sign it for you.” CEO Jiang’s words were shocking.

“Pfft…” Xia Rushui spat out a mouthful of orange juice.

She hadn’t forgotten about this!!!

What was the point of all that hard, wasted effort for the past hour?!

It was a genuine case of exhausting hard work and ending up right back where she started.

Aaaahhhhhhh!