My Wife Is The Female Lead In A Scum Alpha Novel - Chapter 37

37

Ruan Zhi heard Gu Qingci’s words and realized that Gu Qingci had misunderstood something!

“Who is she?” Ruan Zhi asked.

“Who else could it be but Ye Youli?” Gu Qingci pouted.

“…” Ruan Zhi paused. Ye Youli?

Gu Qingci thought she was going to be with Ye Youli?!

How was that possible?!

Now, Ye Youli was a lofty imperial princess, while she was merely a married merchant-class woman!

She had only visited Ye Youli’s residence a few times.

How could Gu Qingci have such a misunderstanding?!

No wonder that day, when Gu Qingci mentioned the matter of divorce, she said she would help Ruan Zhi pursue the person she loved and brought up Ye Youli.

At the time, Ruan Zhi thought it was sarcasm, but it turned out Gu Qingci genuinely believed it.

But this didn’t make sense either!

“How could you think that? Do you think I would be unfaithful?” Ruan Zhi reached out and pinched Gu Qingci’s chin, forcing her to look up.

An omega doing business outside was already subject to gossip, and now even Gu Qingci didn’t trust her, harboring such suspicions?

“You’ve been through life and death together, you gave her all your silver, and she even got injured protecting you… Your bond is so strong, you’re even married. I’m the extra one…” Gu Qingci said with a sob, shrinking back and burying her face in her arms again.

Ruan Zhi was confused by the first part but began to understand the latter.

Gu Qingci wasn’t the original Gu Qingci reborn, but she knew some things about the past life!

In their past life, Ruan Zhi and Ye Youli had collaborated—Ye Youli provided her with protection, and she managed Ye Youli’s finances, naturally investing a lot of silver.

As for Ye Youli getting injured to protect her, it was merely to safeguard her own financial interests.

Their relationship had always been purely professional; Ruan Zhi was essentially Ye Youli’s advisor.

Their association had initially been private, kept from others.

After all, Ye Youli needed to bide her time and hide her ambitions.

This time, when Ruan Zhi sent the tea gift set to Ye Youli, she had also sent similar gifts to other nobles in Youzhou City.

She had only included extra items for Ye Youli to establish a connection first.

Among the current imperial contenders, none were decent—only Ye Youli was somewhat reliable.

As for Gu Qingci’s mention of marriage, Ruan Zhi found it even more absurd.

The two of them could never marry. Even if Ye Youli had no romantic interests, it was impossible between them.

Gu Qingci seemed to know things even Ruan Zhi wasn’t aware of!

“How do you know this?” Ruan Zhi asked again.

“I came with memories of the plot when I arrived in your world. You’re characters in a book, the protagonists, the official pairing… I’m just a cannon fodder…” Gu Qingci mumbled with her head buried.

Some of the terms Gu Qingci used were unfamiliar to Ruan Zhi, but she grasped the general meaning—Gu Qingci seemed to have memories of her and Ye Youli, akin to having lived a past life.

Ruan Zhi asked a few more related questions, and Gu Qingci answered intermittently, her voice still choked with sobs, clearly heartbroken.

Ruan Zhi gradually understood.

Gu Qingci had a storyteller’s perspective, even knowing a longer timeline than Ruan Zhi herself.

However, she only knew the broad strokes of the plot, not the finer details.

Perhaps Ye Youli had indeed proposed “marriage” later, but Ruan Zhi suspected it might have been another of Ye Youli’s schemes or a move born of necessity.

Ruan Zhi hadn’t expected Gu Qingci to have such memories.

Recalling Gu Qingci’s earlier peculiarities, it wasn’t too hard to accept.

Watching Gu Qingci bury her head, her shoulders trembling, her sniffling nose radiating sorrow and grievance—

Ruan Zhi’s lips curled ever so slightly.

So, she hadn’t misjudged or misread the situation.

This person truly harbored sincere feelings for her.

Her anguish wasn’t because she had passed the provincial exams and wanted to marry someone else.

She was in such pain because she had feelings for Ruan Zhi, making it hard to let go?

Wanting to step aside for Ruan Zhi and Ye Youli, she proposed divorce and voluntarily withdrew?

Ruan Zhi sighed inwardly, her heart softening uncontrollably. Looking at Gu Qingci, she seemed utterly pitiful.

Restraining the urge to reach out, Ruan Zhi’s hand hovered, wanting to stroke Gu Qingci’s disheveled hair.

But before her fingers could touch Gu Qingci’s head, Gu Qingci suddenly lifted her face on her own.

Ruan Zhi saw Gu Qingci rub her face, wiping away her tears, pushing the stray strands of hair aside. Her expression shifted from despondent and fragile to resolute and solemn, as if she feared nothing.

Under Ruan Zhi’s astonished gaze, Gu Qingci reached up and yanked at her own head, as if grabbing something detestable. She clenched her fist around the imaginary object, threw it to the ground, and even kicked it for good measure.

“No! No more simp mentality! Simps dig for wild vegetables!”

“I want to be a happy slacker, eating, drinking, and having fun!”

“I’ll raise singers and dancers, watch beautiful sisters perform every day, listen to them sing!”

“I don’t need a wife!”

“Just a boss!”

Gu Qingci declared, clenching her fists. After speaking, she flopped onto the bed, limbs splayed, wearing a dazed smile.

“Be the boss’s core employee, lie flat, live comfortably!”

“No socializing, no writing essays, no overthinking…”

“Happy divorce, wish me happiness!”

Listening to Gu Qingci’s muttering, Ruan Zhi’s softened gaze shifted.

Gu Qingci didn’t need her comfort—she had comforted herself just fine!!

Raising singers and dancers?

Happy divorce?

Hah.

How impressive!

Not wanting a divorce was real.

Wanting a divorce was also real.

Ruan Zhi knew Gu Qingci’s thoughts were unconventional, but she hadn’t expected them to be this unconventional.

Ruan Zhi moved to the head of the bed where Gu Qingci lay, watching as her unfocused eyes and faint smile suggested she was already envisioning a blissful future.

“Who’s your boss?” Ruan Zhi asked softly.

Gu Qingci’s gaze landed on Ruan Zhi’s face. She crawled over and knelt in front of Ruan Zhi.

“Of course, it’s you, my rich lady. Sister, don’t I count as your core employee now? I’m very obedient. I’ll divorce you, make way for you and Ye Youli. Just don’t fire me, let me stay as your core employee, keep giving me my monthly allowance and dividends, okay? Once I have enough silver, I’ll hire musicians and dancers to perform for you!”

Gu Qingci’s clear, slightly dazed eyes fixed on Ruan Zhi, her cheeks tinged with red.

Ruan Zhi studied Gu Qingci and felt her own mind grow clearer.

As she’d suspected before, Gu Qingci was even more obsessed with money than she was with her “stink of copper.”

When Gu Qingci gave her silver, it wasn’t because she didn’t value money—it was a long-term investment.

She knew Ruan Zhi was good at business and would eventually become the imperial merchant and wealthiest woman.

That’s why she had treated Ruan Zhi so well all along—her goal was to become Ruan Zhi’s “core employee.”

After the divorce, she’d continue letting Ruan Zhi make money for her.

Then she’d raise musicians and dancers, indulging in pleasure!

What a brilliant scheme.

If Ruan Zhi didn’t know how to do business or make money, Gu Qingci probably wouldn’t be so conflicted.

“Sister, is that okay?” Gu Qingci pressed, staring intently at Ruan Zhi.

Ruan Zhi smiled.

She pinched Gu Qingci’s chin.

“Is this really what you want?” Ruan Zhi leaned in and asked.

“Mhm…” Gu Qingci nodded, her gaze locked onto Ruan Zhi’s face.

Up close, Ruan Zhi’s exquisite features held up under scrutiny—the closer, the more breathtakingly beautiful.

A faint tea fragrance wafted over, richer and more lingering than the finest tea in the teahouse.

Just a slight proximity made Gu Qingci swallow hard, her eyes fixated on Ruan Zhi’s full, soft lips, unable to look away.

“Are you sincere? Is it better to refuse the divorce and stay with me, or to divorce and find other sisters?” Ruan Zhi asked leisurely.

Several factors were tangled together here.

Ruan Zhi wanted to know which carried more weight in Gu Qingci’s heart.

Gu Qingci’s lips gradually turned downward.

She began to agonize.

Such a beautiful, fragrant, soft wife—gone just like that.

It hurt too much.

Plop. The tears Gu Qingci had just wiped away began falling again.

She reverted to her ostrich pose, burying her face in the bed.

“…” Ruan Zi silently watched.

Gu Qingci didn’t answer immediately. She hesitated, conflicted, tormented.

Pitiful.

Ruan Zhi sighed inwardly.

“There is no personal relationship between me and Ye Youli. There wasn’t in the past, and there won’t be in this life.”

As soon as Ruan Zhi spoke, she saw Gu Qingci grab at her head again, yanking something off and tossing it away.

Alright, this must be Gu Qingci’s “simp mentality.”

It had regrown, only to be plucked and discarded again.

“Happy divorce, wish me happiness!”

“I can find someone better!”

Gu Qingci began chanting.

Listening to Gu Qingci’s strange, singsong repetition of those phrases, Ruan Zhi’s lips twitched.

Very good. Just great!

Drunk and babbling nonsense.

But quite skilled at self-comfort.

It seemed she’d chosen divorce.

Her unhappiness and pain were temporary—once divorced, she’d be drowning in beauties, happier than ever.

Gu Qingci muttered a few more times, her head spinning harder, her stomach churning until she vomited again.

Ruan Zhi stepped back, covering her nose.

She’d asked most of what she needed. Better to wait until Gu Qingci was sober to continue.

Ruan Zhi called the maids to clean up, then lit incense to mask the odor.

Originally, Ruan Zhi had pitied the little puppy for fighting on her behalf and planned to personally feed her sobering soup.

Now, she couldn’t be bothered.

She had Lian Rui place mouthwash by Gu Qingci’s bedside, letting her rinse her own mouth, then drink the sobering tea herself.

Gu Qingci, still disoriented, held the cup unsteadily, spilling much of it.

As she drank, tears still streaked her cheeks.

Ruan Zhi stepped out briefly to handle some matters. When she returned, Gu Qingci was already asleep, face-down, her lashes still damp.

Exhausted from physical exertion and emotional highs and lows, she’d quickly succumbed.

Asleep, she looked docile and pitiful.

Who’d have thought she’d spout such nonsense while awake?

Seeing Gu Qingci asleep, Ruan Zhi had someone fetch fresh clothes for her.

The teahouse’s back courtyard served as both storage and living quarters for the manager and staff, fully equipped.

Those who’d taken the troublemakers to the yamen returned to report.

“After a few lashes, they confessed—a steward from the Yangling Marquis’s estate paid them to do it.”

Ruan Zhi wasn’t surprised.

After the Yangling Marquis’s servant came looking for her, acting arrogantly and refusing to back down, they were bound to stir trouble.

Such crude, despicable tactics couldn’t cause real waves.

But…

Ruan Zhi considered further.

The tea business’s success far exceeded her expectations.

Countless eyes were green with envy.

And this was only the beginning.

She hadn’t even released the higher-end teas yet.

The tea-making methods weren’t exactly top-secret.

Though she employed only trusted people bound by life contracts, determined individuals could extract information from them.

They wouldn’t get the essence, but the general process would leak.

This method couldn’t stay hidden.

Nor could she monopolize this business alone.

Had Ye Youli noticed the tea-making instructions Ruan Zhi sent to the Youwang residence?

If Ye Youli publicized the method, her reputation would improve slightly, and she’d owe Ruan Zhi a favor—useful for future assistance.

If Ye Youli didn’t, Ruan Zhi planned to announce it herself.

She needed to meet Ye Youli.

Ruan Zhi had visited the Youwang residence several times but never met Ye Youli, only the steward.

Their status gap was too vast for easy audiences.

As Ruan Zhi pondered how to arrange a meeting, the manager hurried to her room.

“Madam, this is an invitation from His Highness Prince You.” The manager handed it to Ruan Zhi.

The invitation was for Gu Qingci.

Today, Gu Qingci had made quite a splash at the Eagle Banquet.

Ye Youli summoning her wasn’t unusual.

This simplified things—no need for alternative plans.

Ruan Zhi handled the teahouse affairs, ensuring smooth operation, then stepped out again.

By late afternoon, Gu Qingci still hadn’t woken.

Ruan Zhi didn’t force her up, staying overnight in the teahouse’s back courtyard.

The next day at dawn, Gu Qingci awoke.

Her body had rested enough.

But her hungover head throbbed dully, thoughts sluggish.

Her stomach growled loudly.

Gu Qingci pressed a hand to her belly and sat up, surveying the unfamiliar surroundings. The architecture outside was wholly foreign.

For a moment, she wondered if she’d transmigrated again.

“My lord is awake!” Shimo, assigned to attend to Gu Qingci, was an early riser.

“Where is this?” Gu Qingci rubbed her temples.

“This is…” Shimo summarized the previous day’s events.

Gu Qingci patted her head.

Her last clear memory was punching someone at the Eagle Banquet. How she’d been dragged back by Wen Renyi or arrived at the Qingyou Teahouse existed only in fragmented, disjointed flashes.

“My lord was amazing—even drunk, you spotted the villain’s scheme instantly. You stepped on him, and he screamed himself awake. So ridiculous.” Shimo recounted.

Gu Qingci was speechless. She had zero recollection of this.

With her blackout drinking habit, without Wen Renyi and Ruan Zhi, she might’ve been hacked to pieces unaware.

“What happened to the troublemakers?” Gu Qingci asked.

“Sent to the yamen. Madam said assaulting the lord was a grave crime.”

“I see, and Madam?”

“Madam returned to the inn. She said for you to clean up and meet her there. She sent your toiletries and fresh clothes. Would you like to wash up first, exercise, or bathe and change?”

Gu Qingci’s head still ached, but her exercise routine was ingrained—skipping it felt unbearable. After washing up, she worked out briefly, then bathed and changed.

Once ready, she headed to the inn to find Ruan Zhi.

Ruan Zhi, having slept late, rose leisurely at mid-morning.

After dressing, she summoned Gu Qingci.

Sober Gu Qingci was neat and clean, much more spirited.

Her clear eyes conveyed docility.

Her emotions seemed stable—nothing like the tearful mess from before.

Ruan Zi’s gaze flicked involuntarily to the top of Gu Qingci’s head.

Was the “simp mentality” currently growing, or had it just been plucked away?

“You mentioned divorce earlier. I’ve thought it over. No time like the present—let’s settle accounts today.”

“…” Gu Qingci’s heart lurched.

First thing in the morning, just for this?

“Madam Zhao has prepared the ledgers. I’ll explain if you don’t understand. Shops and estates belonging to you will be returned—I won’t withhold a single coin. Post-divorce, I’ll find another scholar to register under for tax breaks, so your share of those savings ends. Xia Lingyan’s several thousand taels were invested in the tea plantation. Though the teahouse is doing well now, initial costs were high—we’re not yet profitable, so no dividends. Many covet the teahouse and would seize it by force. It’s troublesome. If you want it, it’s yours. But the current staff are mine—I’ll take them back.”

“No, no… Madam, why? Divorce doesn’t require splitting assets. Keep managing my shops and estates—I’ll take just ten percent, you keep ninety! I can’t run the teahouse. Business is booming—why abandon it? With Prince You’s backing, who’d dare steal it?” Panic set in.

Her income was plummeting, with a gaping hole to fill.

Business and estate management baffled her—just thinking about it made her head ache.

Why couldn’t she remain a silent partner?

“Why should I manage them for you? Post-divorce, we go our separate ways—no lingering ties.”

“As for Prince You, her status is worlds above mine. We have no personal relationship—never have, never will. Don’t spout nonsense.”

Ruan Zhi’s cool tone made Gu Qingci twitch like a tail-stepped puppy, her expression shifting with each word.

Gu Qingci stared blankly for seconds.

“Madam means you won’t be with Prince You?”

“While married, I’ll uphold my duties without transgression. Post-divorce, we’re strangers—my affairs are none of your concern.”

“My lord, back to the topic. As stated, this box contains your belongings. Write the divorce letter today, and we’ll visit the yamen. Once processed, we’re done. I’ll return to Minshan County with my people.”

She pushed an ornate box toward Gu Qingci, who recoiled as if bitten.

Ruan Zhi said she had no “personal relationship” with Ye Youli—as long as they didn’t divorce, Ruan Zhi remained her wife!

Moreover, without divorce, Ruan Zhi would keep managing the businesses. Post-divorce, she’d be on her own—likely bankrupt in no time.

How could she laze around happily then?

“Madam, can we… not divorce?” Gu Qingci ventured weakly.

“Is divorce something you propose on a whim and withdraw just as capriciously?” Ruan Zhi arched a brow.

Hah. This shallow woman!

Merely laying out the net had trapped her flailing prey.

“…” Gu Qingci’s lips trembled; her entire being wilted.

So fierce. So scared.

“Madam, I’m sorry for misunderstanding and doubting you. I was wrong!” Utterly contrite.

Ruan Zhi leaned in. Quite adaptable.

Her clear black eyes shone with sincerity.

Not a hint of pretense.

Gu Qingci gulped under Ruan Zhi’s gaze.

Beauty at close range was devastating—her eyes threatened to glaze over.

“Want a monthly allowance?” Ruan Zhi murmured.

“Yes.” A stiff nod.

“Want me managing the shops while you collect dividends?”

“Yes.” Another nod.

“Then work hard to please me. Wrong methods won’t get you anything.”