After Bringing Joy to the Short-Lived Mad Young Lady - Chapter 5

“Fang Yi, it’s best not to get too close to the Lin family.”

The woman pushed a freshly brewed cup of tea toward Fang Yi before leisurely pouring herself a glass of wine.

Her apartment featured a small bar counter, behind which stood a private collection of fine liquors. The moment the door opened, the subtle yet rich aroma of alcohol wafted through the air.

Though Fang Yi knew little about wine, she could tell these bottles were worth a fortune.

He Shuanghua knew how to mix drinks—it was in a bar that she had met that enigmatic young heiress.

Whether their encounter had been a blessing or a curse was hard to say.

She had a habit of drinking when discussing matters of the heart, using the slight buzz to numb the grievances and pain.

But before the mellow liquor touched her lips, she remained the sharp, undefeated queen. Pressing her lips together, her tone shifted from suggestion to something firmer. “Don’t get too close to the Lin family.”

“Why?”

“The Lin family’s rise to wealth wasn’t exactly clean. It wasn’t until Madam Lin Lan took over that they began whitewashing their image. Rumor has it they even worship something unspeakable—I can’t elaborate further.” He Shuanghua rarely held back, but this time, she hesitated, casting Fang Yi a cryptic glance.

Wealthy people dabbling in superstitions wasn’t uncommon, but Fang Yi was surprised someone like Lin Lan would believe in such things. Her fingers traced the rim of her cup before she lifted it, briefly recounting what had happened at the Lin residence.

She deliberately omitted any mention of Lin Shuxing, keeping her tone neutral—except for a slight softening when she mentioned the “claw machine shop.”

He Shuanghua frowned, her expression unusually grave. “You actually agreed to something as reckless as a chongxi marriage?!”

“It’s fine. I’ve got a tough fate—playing godmother to an old tree stump for a bit won’t kill me.”

Fang Yi waved it off, unbothered. “Besides, it was my grandma’s arrangement. I believe in science, and she handles the superstitions. No big deal—she wouldn’t steer me wrong.”

He Shuanghua was speechless. Fang Yi was always like this, brushing off even the gravest matters as if she lacked the capacity for worry.

Fang Yi: “What I’m more curious about is how that idiotic associate professor will be sentenced. Isn’t what he did an invasion of privacy, extortion?”

“Don’t worry about that,” He Shuanghua said, swirling the liquid in her wine glass as her gaze drifted toward the window. “Now that he’s in the Lin family’s hands, he’s as good as dead.”

“Even better. Like, actually dead?”

He Shuanghua shot her a look. “Worry about yourself first. Do you really think Lin Lan will let you stay a free agent?”

Free agent.

Fang Yi mulled over the term, feeling it carried an unspoken counterpart—slave.

“If I refuse her money, what leverage could they possibly have over me?”

“You’re underestimating the Lin family. Favors are harder to repay than debts—she’ll dangle an offer you can’t refuse.”

“Besides, haven’t you noticed something off about the Lin family?”

She locked eyes with Fang Yi, lowering her voice. “Lin Shuxing isn’t Lin Lan’s biological daughter.”

“Power struggles in wealthy families are far more complicated than you think. There can only ever be one heir. Don’t get dragged into it, or you won’t even see your death coming.”

Lawyers had their own networks, but He Shuanghua’s efficiency still surprised Fang Yi.

How did she know all this?

When the true heiress Lin Qingwan made her appearance, it wasn’t as if no one suspected some hidden family secrets. But Lin Shuxing’s haughty, mocking expression was almost identical to Lin Lan’s—who would have guessed they weren’t bl00d-related?

The original novel never specified exactly when she learned the truth about her origins. Even on her deathbed, she had murmured, “Mom…”

Just thinking about it made Fang Yi feel as though a ball of cotton were lodged in her chest, fluffy yet suffocating, making it hard to breathe.

He Shuanghua noticed the subtle shift in her expression and sighed. “Fang Yi, I know you’re always brimming with some grand sense of heroism, but you have to understand—people of their class have deeper motives behind every move. Even the children. You can’t outplay them. I don’t want you to be deceived.”

Fang Yi nodded, but He Shuanghua, having known her for years, immediately saw through her perfunctory response.

Most of the time, Fang Yi was easygoing. Even if someone told her the sun rose in the west, she wouldn’t argue—probably because she simply didn’t care.

But that didn’t mean she could be easily persuaded. On the contrary, she would just watch silently with those clear, unreadable eyes, like a quiet stone.

He Shuanghua twirled her fingers before finally relenting under Fang Yi’s impassive gaze, lowering her head slightly. “I’ll revise the contract for you, to protect your interests and safety as much as possible.”

“Thank you.”

“Between us, there’s no need for that. Without you these past few years, I really don’t know how I would’ve made it through.”

He Shuanghua took a sip of wine, her eyes slightly red.

Fang Yi patted her shoulder, recognizing the onset of lovestruck melodrama—time to take control.

Truthfully, that was an overstatement. She hadn’t provided much tangible help.

Most of the time, she just listened, offering advice only after He Shuanghua had vented.

The aroma of wine filled the air as He Shuanghua coughed, clearing her slightly hoarse throat. “We had a fight.”

“I know. She only ever saw me as the perfect bed partner, an obedient stand-in. But in the heat of passion, she’d call my name and say she loved me…”

“For a moment, I felt like we were one, from heaven to hell.”

“I wanted her to make our relationship public, but she actually tried to humiliate me with money!”

In her agitation, she downed the wine in one gulp, the highball glass clinking sharply against the table.

Fang Yi silently refilled it for her.

The system whispered: I’ve noticed rich people love solving problems with money. If only we could be rich too.

Tears glistened in the woman’s cool eyes. “So, I punished her with handcuffs—”

Fang Yi swiftly muted the system.

System: Again?!

System: If I can’t listen, then you can’t either!!

The little failure of a system, whose motto was “Failure is the mother of success,” worked most efficiently when emotionally charged.

Before He Shuanghua’s tears could hit the table, it had already covered Fang Yi’s ears with two invisible, doughy hands.

Fang Yi exhaled in relief, her tense muscles gradually relaxing as she smoothly stood to fetch a napkin, handing it over for the woman to dry her tears.

In this state, He Shuanghua didn’t need a response—she just needed to pour out her pent-up emotions.

When Fang Yi first took on this deadly mission, she foolishly exchanged points for the “Hear No Evil” prop to filter out inappropriate content.

But the system was often glitchy, and the prop was essentially a bug-ridden mess.

Once, she accidentally overheard He Shuanghua boasting about using ruthless methods to make a flirtatious socialite cry all night, which made Fang Yi’s ears burn with shock—she nearly choked to death on her tea.

Later, she figured out a way to mutually block their ears with the system. It was effective, efficient, and, most importantly, free!

The system was petty and loved gossip, so in its frustration, it sealed itself tightly—much to Fang Yi’s relief.

Because of this, Fang Yi missed He Shuanghua’s drunken confession after three glasses of wine:

“Just five million? Hah, who do they think they’re looking down on?”

He Shuanghua’s usually icy voice melted with intoxication, flowing like a cold mountain stream.

Fang Yi only saw her tearful, unfocused gaze, her sharp edges softened, and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

Love really was a terrifying thing.

Once the woman had cried herself out, she pushed herself up from the cold table, swayed to the fridge, and pulled out a pre-prepared ice pack.

Wrapped in a pale purple gauze pouch, it faintly carried the scent of roses.

Ice compress, reduce swelling, prevent trouble before it happened.

Her public image had to be flawless—even the way she wiped her tears was heartbreaking.

After venting, her rationality returned like clouds parting to reveal a sliver of sunlight, and a faint smile appeared.

Fang Yi knew this was the prelude to a wish. Sure enough, the mission panel flickered and refreshed with her request:

Side Mission · He Shuanghua’s Request: Want the other party to publicly announce their relationship.

Reward: 50 points.

Penalty for Failure: Termination of vital signs.

He Shuanghua’s mission was a “labor dispatch” drawn after owing points—low pay, heavy workload, and usually only worth 10 points. This reward was already generous.

“You’ll help me, right?”

The woman’s eyes were red-rimmed, her voice rippling like water as her gaze drifted past Fang Yi’s hair.

“Mm.” This blockhead naturally shielded herself from the woman’s charm, already calculating how to complete the mission.

They’d been together for years, yet not a single photo existed—the flirtatious socialite clearly treated her as a secret lover.

Jumping straight to going public was indeed difficult.

More importantly, He Shuanghua’s secrecy was airtight, on par with state secrets. Even Fang Yi didn’t know who the other woman was.

“She loves me,” He Shuanghua declared with the calm confidence of a lawyer, “but she can’t see her own heart clearly.”

In short, she needed Fang Yi to accompany her as a date to a masquerade ball a month later to provoke the other woman’s jealousy.

He Shuanghua’s plans were always thorough. Based on past experience, following her lead would guarantee success.

But Fang Yi’s right eyelid twitched, and an ominous premonition rose in her chest.

“Can you tell me who this socialite is?”

“Ah, sorry, I thought I mentioned it,” He Shuanghua dabbed away the last tear with a tissue. “It’s Li Sinian.”

Li Sinian.

Li Sinian!

Lin Shuxing’s former fiancée, the same Li Sinian who might one day fall for Lin Qingwan!

So these cliché scripts were layered on top of each other—the flirtatious socialite Li Sinian cuts ties with the fake heiress, gradually falls for the real one, and then has to endure trials like the white moonlight trope and more.

The fake heiress Lin Shuxing and the white moonlight stand-in He Shuanghua were both the villainesses in their respective central stories.

“…”

The system, munching on popcorn from who-knows-where, watched with relish: So impressive! Everything is actually interconnected!

Fang Yi couldn’t care less about whether things were interconnected. All she knew was that Li Sinian was the root of all misfortune.

Oh, never-met-yet-destined protagonist, you’re clearly a jinx—otherwise, why is it that every girl who crosses your path ends up in trouble?

Noticing Fang Yi’s stiff expression, He Shuanghua thoughtfully refilled her teacup and said gently, “Don’t worry. Everyone’s wearing masks—no one will recognize you.”

“Before you get into any trouble, I’ll escort you out of the venue. Leave the rest to me.”

At this point, with the threat of mission failure looming over her, Fang Yi had no choice but to comply.

But still…

“If everyone’s wearing masks, how can you be sure Li Sinian will recognize you?”

“She will.”

He Shuanghua repeated softly, a trace of madness flashing deep in her eyes. “Because she loves me—just as I… deeply love her.”