Making Three Heartless Woman Go Crazy for Me - Chapter 29

Qi Lanshi stormed off, leaving Luan Hua to face her mother and Bai Jiao alone.

The atmosphere in the living room instantly grew tense. Though Madam Luan’s smile remained, her eyes had turned cold, betraying no trace of genuine warmth.

She asked Luan Hua, “Is this girl always so… impolite?”

Luan Hua nodded. “Yes, she’s always been very studious and ambitious. That’s a good thing.”

Madam Luan stared at her daughter, speechless. Does she even understand what I’m saying?

“You seem quite fond of this girl,” Madam Luan continued, her tone shifting. “You’re always busy with work and don’t have anyone close. It’s understandable to keep someone you like by your side. But…” Her voice hardened. “Why did you bring her home?”

The moment her mother appeared, Luan Hua knew exactly why she had come.

She glanced at Bai Jiao, her expression complex, making Bai Jiao feel a sudden pang of guilt.

Bai Jiao instinctively lowered her gaze, avoiding eye contact. She knew that Madam Luan, whom she had brought here herself, didn’t particularly like her. But compared to Qi Lanshi, Madam Luan would undoubtedly find Qi Lanshi’s existence even more unacceptable.

After all, Bai Jiao was a familiar face, having grown up alongside Luan Hua as childhood playmates. But Qi Lanshi… she was just a disreputable girl who would sell herself for money, a worthless thing.

Madam Luan wouldn’t have cared if Luan Hua kept such a trinket around for amusement. But now that Luan Hua was clearly becoming attached, as a mother, she couldn’t tolerate letting the situation escalate.

Thus, even knowing Bai Jiao intended to use her, she had still come.

“I insisted she stay,” Luan Hua said calmly, merely stating a fact. “From the beginning, I forced her to remain by my side. She never wanted to.”

“She’s a simple girl with few social connections. Her past was miserable, but she worked hard to support herself. I exploited her gambling father to force her to submit to me.”

“So, Mom,” Luan Hua said, pouring her mother a cup of tea, “you’ve never truly understood her. All your impressions of her are based on prejudice. In our relationship, Lanshi has always been the passive one. She hasn’t done anything wrong.”

The smile on Madam Luan’s face gradually faded as she listened to Luan Hua’s words.

Madam Luan was well aware of the relationship between Luan Hua and Qi Lanshi. She didn’t care about how it had started; her only concern was this:

Luan Hua had initially treated Qi Lanshi as a mere amusement to pass the time. Now, she was about to be the one being played.

This was what Madam Luan could not tolerate.

Qi Lanshi felt a sneeze coming on, but remembering she was in class, she suppressed it.

I wonder what they’re saying about me, she thought. It can’t be anything good. If I had to guess, Madam Luan will come looking for me. I wonder if she’ll pull out the classic move of waving a check in my face and telling me to leave Luan Hua?

The answer was yes.

Qi Lanshi had barely stepped out of the classroom when she saw several black-suited bodyguards. Their imposing figures made the surrounding students give them a wide berth.

Undeterred, Qi Lanshi pretended not to see the guards and walked straight ahead. As she passed them, they blocked her path.

Qi Lanshi couldn’t help but marvel at the game’s character modeling. Every bodyguard looked like a double-door refrigerator.

“Is there something you need?” she asked.

“Madam Luan wishes to see you,” the bodyguard replied politely. “Please come with us.”

Qi Lanshi had no choice but to follow them.

Madam Luan had chosen a rather stylish venue for their conversation. If not for the game, Qi Lanshi doubted she would ever have the chance to visit such an upscale restaurant, let alone a private dining room.

As soon as Qi Lanshi entered, the restaurant staff turned to stare at her, scrutinizing her attire from head to toe. Their gazes weren’t malicious, more like critical appraisal, but they were enough to make her feel deeply uncomfortable.

“See that? That’s what professionalism looks like,” Qi Lanshi remarked to the System. “Choosing a place like this is all about giving me a taste of her power.”

“If I were a self-deprecating, introverted female lead with pride and dignity, I’d feel out of place and anxious right now. Madam Luan wouldn’t even need to say anything; my own inferiority complex would do the work.”

But these tired tropes, worn thin by countless early-era dramas, had no effect on Qi Lanshi.

After settling into her seat, she maintained her composed demeanor, smiling warmly. “Hello, Madam Luan. It’s nice to see you again.”

Madam Luan scrutinized Qi Lanshi from head to toe, her gaze lingering on her face for a long moment before she nodded slightly. “You’re exactly the type Luan Hua would fall for. No wonder she’s so devoted to you.”

“I’m just average, really. I’m merely a pale imitation. What CEO Luan truly admires is someone like Miss Bai—the kind who remains untainted by the mud they rise from.”

Qi Lanshi immediately brought up the “stand-in” issue, causing Madam Luan to raise an eyebrow.

No wonder Bai Jiao couldn’t handle this.

“Since you’re so clear about everything, I won’t beat around the bush.” Madam Luan slid a bank card across the table. “Don’t rush to refuse. I don’t mean to look down on you. I know Luan Hua is the one at fault in all this.”

“She shouldn’t have dragged you into this on a whim. You’re so young, attending such a prestigious school, with a bright future ahead of you. If you accept this money, you can start a completely new life.”

“As for Luan Hua, you don’t need to worry about her. She’s my daughter, and it’s my responsibility to discipline her. You’re a well-educated young woman; you know what choices are best for you.”

Qi Lanshi took a deep breath internally.

Damn it, this isn’t just your average evil mother-in-law. She’s playing at a higher level, making this much harder to handle.

According to her character profile, after hearing these words, she should have burst into tears, overwhelmed with shame, refused the money, and vowed to cut ties with Luan Hua completely.

But from Luan Hua’s perspective, whether she took the money or not, the outcome would be the same: she ran away after listening to an outsider.

Given the CEO’s perpetually deranged thought process, the subsequent development would likely be Luan Hua’s furious reaction: Woman, how dare you betray me for a mere pittance!

After capturing Qi Lanshi, she would face even stricter control than before. Given the game’s hyper-realistic nature, this could even lead to new, even more explicit scenarios…

Wait, why does that sound… tempting?

“I can’t think like that. It’s too depraved, utterly depraved,” Qi Lanshi scolded herself. “It’s all this game’s fault, twisting my thoughts like this. How utterly despicable.”

System: …

Even the “Master of Lewdness” was now complaining about the game’s settings.

Qi Lanshi shook off her thoughts, looked up, and returned the bank card with a smile. “Madam Luan, your offer is very tempting. If this money were actually going to reach me, I might have considered it.”

Madam Luan frowned, feigning confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Madam Luan, since you know Luan Hua has always held the upper hand in this relationship, forcing herself on me, why aren’t you confronting her to resolve this? Why come to me instead?”

“Don’t give me that ‘I’m her mother, I’ll discipline her’ nonsense. If you could truly control her, Luan Hua would have come to me herself to end things after your morning encounter. There wouldn’t have been any need for you to come here.”

“Madam Luan, unable to solve the problem yourself, you’re just dumping it on me, the victim. How utterly unfair.”

Qi Lanshi’s arguments were logical, well-reasoned, and delivered with unwavering conviction.

The smile completely vanished from Madam Luan’s face.

“You’re indeed a clever girl,” Madam Luan said, “but it’s a pity I don’t care for women who are too clever.”

Qi Lanshi’s brow furrowed instantly. The misogyny in her words was overwhelming.

“Luan Hua shouldn’t have tried to treat a clever girl like you as a pet. Her thinking was too simplistic.” Madam Luan retrieved the bank card. “But it doesn’t matter. Young people need to learn from their mistakes and hardships to understand what’s wrong.”

Qi Lanshi couldn’t tell if this was directed at Luan Hua, herself, or both. But it no longer mattered.

“If that’s all, I’ll take my leave now,” Qi Lanshi said, rising. “I hope our next conversation will be more pleasant.”

“Wait a moment.” Madam Luan frowned. “It’s impolite for a junior to rush off before their elder has finished speaking.”

Qi Lanshi wanted to retort that they had no real relationship, so why was Madam Luan putting on this act of seniority? But she restrained herself, patiently asking, “Please continue, Madam Luan.”

“This relationship between you and Luan Hua…” Madam Luan continued to scrutinize Qi Lanshi, her gaze now more probing, no longer just fixed on her face.

“Was it truly Luan Hua who initiated and controlled it?”

Qi Lanshi mentally applauded.

As expected of a seasoned player, she had already pinpointed the problem with just a few words, while Luan Hua remained completely oblivious.

“It depends on how Madam Luan defines ‘initiative.’ All I can say is… Luan Hua was the one who actively pursued this relationship. That much is undeniable.”

Qi Lanshi finished speaking and turned to leave.

As soon as she stepped out of the restaurant, she pulled out her phone to complain.

This was the first time Luan Hua had received a call initiated by Qi Lanshi. Her first reaction was shock, followed by… a sense that something was wrong.

Sure enough, the moment she answered, Qi Lanshi’s complaints came pouring through:

“I can’t take another day of this! Your mother actually came to see me, offering money to leave you and claiming I was the one who pursued you. Luan Hua, ask yourself honestly—who made the first move?”

“I’m not getting paid like a mistress, yet I’m being branded as a vixen! I’ve never been so wronged in my life!”

Luan Hua took a deep breath and asked, “Where are you?”

“I don’t know, some fancy restaurant or something.” Qi Lanshi’s voice wavered with genuine grievance. “Your mother dragged me here during lunchtime and didn’t even order a single dish!”

Truly, Madam Luan was her daughter’s mother—a miser through and through!