After Faking My Death, My Iceberg Ex-Wife Went Crazy for Me - Chapter 8

No one was more suited to say such words than Geng Xiaoxiao, or rather, Lan Xiao.

Four years ago, the real Geng Xiaoxiao and her parents died in a plane crash.

Lan Xiao, on the brink of death herself, was chosen by the System, a being from another world.

System 823 explained that this world was derived from a novel.

The female lead was the true heiress, raised among the common folk, while the second female lead was the illegitimate daughter, neglected by her family.

They met in humble beginnings, bonded through hardship, and fell in love amidst adversity. After enduring countless trials, they finally achieved their happy ending.

Oh, and Ye Ling was their greatest “trial.”

As for Geng Xiaoxiao, she was merely a background character, living only in memories throughout the entire story.

Her label was Ye Ling’s deceased wife, and the catalyst for Ye Ling’s transfer of affection to the female lead.

The novel described how Ye Ling schemed relentlessly and resorted to coercion to claim the female lead. Yet, while she could imprison the female lead’s body, she could never capture her heart.

Every hardship they endured only strengthened the bond between the female lead and the second female lead. Together, they seized power amidst the chaos, orchestrated a scheme, and dealt Ye Ling a crushing defeat in the business world.

And this was just the beginning.

Protagonists and antagonists are naturally opposed. The protagonist’s growth inevitably leads to the antagonist’s downfall.

By the story’s end, Ye Ling, the once-favored daughter of heaven, was left with nothing.

Like every transmigrator, after explaining the backstory, the System issued Lan Xiao her mission:

Play the role of Geng Xiaoxiao, complete her plotline, which meant—

Marry Ye Ling, then die.

The more stylishly she tore up the documents, the more pathetic she looked cleaning up the mess.

Xiao Hua couldn’t stand the vacuum cleaner’s buzzing, so they had to use brooms and their hands to painstakingly gather every scattered scrap of paper.

Picking up the last fragment, Chen Qiao squatted beside the trash can, her face filled with regret. “Why were you so quick? I didn’t even memorize the contents yet! What was Ab Sister’s favorite color again?”

Geng Xiaoxiao picked up the now-cold hotpot and said, “I’ll send you the PDF later.”

She had stayed up half the night working on it—she wasn’t about to destroy it so easily.

“Got it!” Chen Qiao replied brightly, taking the pot from Geng Xiaoxiao’s hands. “You rest, Mother. I’ll clean up.”

Since someone was willing to do the work, Geng Xiaoxiao didn’t argue.

She strolled around the living room, nudged the cat off the beanbag chair, and sprawled out in the most comfortable position she could find, watching Chen Qiao busily tidying up with nothing better to do.

Xiao Ba.

She called out to the System residing in her necklace, and it responded promptly.

I’m here.

For the ten-thousandth time, Geng Xiaoxiao thought the System was just like Siri with a different voice—a high-tech upgrade.

How much time until Geng Xiaoxiao’s death scene?

Calculating…

Based on current calculations, Geng Xiaoxiao is projected to die within 10-25 days.

That soon?

Three days ago, when she asked the System, it had given her at least two months.

When the plot hasn’t fully unfolded, character trajectories are difficult to predict, hence the discrepancy.

I didn’t ask for that explanation. Never mind. From now on, give me the updated projection every morning and evening.

Understood.

The System fell silent.

Ten days. She didn’t have much time left.

Geng Xiaoxiao idly played with the necklace pendant, her gaze lowered, lost in thought.

After a while, she stood up and said to Chen Qiao, who was washing dishes, “I’m going out to print something. There’s ice cream in the fridge—help yourself.”

“Okay~”

Geng Xiaoxiao went to print two copies of the contract:

Investment and Equity Agreement

Chen Qiao took the document and flipped through it from beginning to end, then from end to beginning. “I just failed at my last venture and don’t even know what I’ll do next,” she said. “Why are you investing in me so early?”

Geng Xiaoxiao remained noncommittal. “It doesn’t matter what you do. I’m investing in your next venture, or the one after that.”

Chen Qiao clicked her tongue. “You have so much faith in me. Someone might think you have a secret crush on me.”

Geng Xiaoxiao was speechless. “Read the contract properly. Don’t think I don’t know you haven’t read a single word past the cover.”

Chen Qiao grinned sheepishly. “There are so many words! How am I supposed to read all that? I might as well just sign it. I was planning to ask you to partner with me anyway. Being your own boss is way better than working for someone else.”

As Chen Qiao flipped to the signature line and reached for a pen, Geng Xiaoxiao quickly stopped her.

“I told you to read the contract. I’m only providing the capital, not the labor.”

She opened the document and pointed out several key clauses to Chen Qiao:

“Investment amount, beneficiaries, additional terms…”

“So much money?!” Chen Qiao gasped, interrupting Geng Xiaoxiao.

She counted the zeros twice, her eyes fixed on Geng Xiaoxiao as if she were a goddess of wealth.

“Why bother starting a business? Just take care of me, Mom! I don’t eat much, I know to put on more clothes when it’s cold, and I’ll take shelter when it rains. I’m easy to look after!”

“One more word and the PDF’s gone,” Geng Xiaoxiao threatened coldly.

“Fine, fine,” Chen Qiao clicked her tongue regretfully and scanned a few more lines, spotting another blind spot.

“Jiang Yuheng? That name sounds familiar…” she chuckled lewdly. “Could it be…?”

“What’s with the creepy giggling?” Geng Xiaoxiao smacked her on the back of the head to prevent her from uttering any blasphemous remarks. “That’s my own grandma!”

Chen Qiao clutched her head, blinking as she retreated two meters. “I remember now! She’s Teacher Jiang, the famous professor! It all comes back to me!”

“Good,” Geng Xiaoxiao withdrew her hand, still feeling unsatisfied. “This is the total investment. Once you sign the contract, the money will be transferred to your account. How you use it is up to you.”

“I had my lawyer draft the specific terms, so there are definitely no hidden clauses, but you should still read them carefully. Basically, if the venture fails, you’ll bear the losses yourself. If it makes a profit, you’ll give Grandma a share of the dividends each year as a way for me to support her retirement.”

“There’s also an additional request: take Grandma for a full-body checkup at the hospital every year. I’ve already bought her medical insurance, so you don’t need to worry about the costs…”

“Xiaoxiao,” Chen Qiao interrupted, her voice trembling with unease, “I feel like you’re… making arrangements for after you’re gone?”

She swallowed, afraid to voice the thought aloud, lest it become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

An eerie silence fell over the room. Geng Xiaoxiao pursed her lips, then burst into laughter after a moment.

“What are you imagining?” she teased nonchalantly. “Didn’t I tell you? If everything goes as planned, I’ll be studying abroad in the second half of the year. It’ll be difficult to look after Grandma properly once I’m overseas.”

“You know my parents are gone, and there’s no one else to care for her. I just want you to keep an eye on her for me.”

“Whew—so that’s it,” Chen Qiao said, patting her chest with a relieved expression. “You nearly scared me to death! It’s just studying abroad? That’s great! I was so disappointed when you gave up your guaranteed postgraduate spot.”

Remembering something, she asked, “Did you get into any schools?”

Geng Xiaoxiao replied casually, “I got a few offers, but I haven’t decided yet.”

“Typical you, still getting to pick and choose,” Chen Qiao said with a mix of admiration and annoyance. The weight lifted from her heart, she reverted to her usual carefree demeanor.

Pushing the contract back, she patted her chest and declared, “Studying abroad is expensive enough. Forget about investing. Your grandma is like my own—I’ll take care of her without any bribes.”

Geng Xiaoxiao tilted her chin. “Who do you think you’re talking to? Do you think I care about this petty cash?”

Chen Qiao gritted her teeth. “I hate you rich kids.”

Geng Xiaoxiao smiled, offering no further explanation.

In truth, she cared quite a bit.

After all, she wasn’t a true heiress. The money she’d scraped together included not only her entire savings but also a portion of her mission rewards advanced by the System.

The total sum was divided in half: one part invested in Chen Qiao, the other entrusted to a trust fund.

Jiang Yuheng’s fate in the original novel was far from ideal.

Ye Ling, mistaking the female lead for someone resembling “Geng Xiaoxiao,” transferred her affections to her. To an elderly woman who doted on her granddaughter, this was an insult.

Enraged, Ye Ling turned her anger on the innocent female lead, offending Ye Ling and being deliberately ignored.

Teacher Jiang, who had nurtured countless talents, ultimately met a desolate end, dying alone at home, her passing unnoticed.

Lan Xiao refused to let this happen. However, altering the established plot of the novel was no easy task. She needed to create numerous variables before the story unfolded to gain even the slightest leverage to shape the future.

Chen Qiao had never appeared in the original novel, meaning she wouldn’t be controlled by the plot.

She was the best choice.

Lan Xiao had to gamble.

After some back-and-forth, Chen Qiao reluctantly signed the contract, her face crumpled in a grimace. Geng Xiaoxiao promptly transferred the funds, but due to the large sum, the bank required time to process the transaction.

“Taking this much money from you makes me feel uneasy unless I work myself to the bone for you,” Chen Qiao said, capping her pen with a sigh. “Oh, Xiaoxiao, have you told your partner about your plans to study abroad? What does she think? Long-distance relationships are tough.”

Geng Xiaoxiao casually replied, “It’s fine. She travels abroad for work often anyway, so it’s pretty much the same.”

“Alright then,” Chen Qiao said, scratching her head. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Geng Xiaoxiao had answered her question without really answering it.

Having gotten into university through her athletic talent, Chen Qiao’s mind wasn’t exactly sharp. She decided to drop the matter and ask something she could understand.

“Ab Sister seems really rich. Are you a hidden heiress too? Did you and your partner meet at some lavish high-society party and fall in love at first sight?”

“Or maybe it’s a ‘marriage first, love later’ scenario? Like an arranged marriage from childhood?”

Chen Qiao’s imagination ran wild, as it always did in these situations.

“I know there’s another trope in marriage-themed stories: the protagonists try to avoid an arranged marriage, only to fall in love outside and then discover their partner is actually their intended spouse…”

What is she even talking about?

Geng Xiaoxiao glanced at her and suddenly said, “Give me your phone.”

“Why?” Chen Qiao asked, bewildered, but obediently handed over her phone.

Geng Xiaoxiao unlocked it in a few swift motions and declared, “I’m uninstalling Green River Literature City.”

“Noooo!!!!”

Chen Qiao snatched back her phone and carefully hid it, grumbling resentfully, “This isn’t fair! You practically know about my bedwetting incident from third grade, but I don’t even know how you met your girlfriend.”

“……” Now she knew about the bedwetting incident too.

Geng Xiaoxiao wisely kept that to herself.

After a moment’s thought, she said quietly, “It’s not that I can’t tell you. It’s just that our meeting wasn’t romantic at all.”

If she had to describe it in one word, “humiliating” would be more accurate.

How humiliating?

That day, she genuinely believed she would die at Ye Ling’s hands.