Scumbag Woman, But Pampering My Wife - Chapter 34

Zhang Wen was stunned upon hearing this.

It was utterly tragic—so heartbreaking it was almost unbearable to listen to.

Having a son in the family, especially one from a rural background, made it obvious that the parents favored boys over girls. It was likely they even expected their daughter to pay them back.

Zhang Wen clenched her fists in anger.

Lin Yuebai recounted her family’s circumstances calmly at the dinner table, without any deliberate attempt to evoke pity.

Yet, the more composed she sounded while describing those awful experiences, the more it twisted the listeners’ hearts with pain.

It was downright inhuman—those people were nothing but beasts.

Lin Yuebai tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her gaze apologetic. “These are just unpleasant things not worth hearing. Please don’t mind me—I’m just rambling.”

Zhang Wen’s heart ached unbearably, especially when she noticed how much this beautiful young woman resembled her and her husband. The pain in her chest reached its peak.

Even Jing Yuanjie, who had been discussing business with Qin Jue, lowered his voice slightly and shifted his attention to his wife.

Qin Jue took a sip of the orange juice placed beside Lin Yuebai. She wasn’t fond of alcohol, preferring sweet drinks instead.

She believed sugar was more uplifting than liquor, which was why she had a sweet tooth.

“I heard our Yuebai isn’t that family’s biological child. They wanted to raise her as a child bride for their son.”

The moment these words were spoken, silence fell over the dining table.

Jing Xin gasped sharply, her gaze flickering uncertainly between Lin Yuebai and Qin Jue.

The two of them were clearly playing off each other—even a blind person could see their intentions.

Even so, Jing Xin found it hard to believe that someone like Lin Yuebai could have been destined to become a child bride.

She had investigated that family—their son was still underage, yet he had recklessly tried to emulate adults in business and lost who knows how much money. All of it had been earned through Lin Yuebai’s hard work in the entertainment industry.

How dare they even consider such a thing!

Jing Xin looked down on those people, and she didn’t particularly admire Lin Yuebai either, but that didn’t mean she thought Lin Yuebai deserved to be trapped in some backwater village forever.

Zhang Wen clutched her chest, barely suppressing a string of curses before quickly focusing on the key point in Qin Jue’s words.

“You’re saying Yuebai isn’t their biological child?”

Qin Jue merely smiled faintly. “Back then, oversight was lax, and hospitals weren’t strict. Maybe they bought an unwanted daughter from somewhere, or perhaps they took the wrong baby from the hospital.”

“After so many years, the truth is hard to uncover, don’t you think?”

Zhang Wen exchanged a glance with her husband. Jing Yuanjie set aside business matters for the moment and raised his glass in a toast to everyone at the table.

“Fortunately, with President Qin’s support now, I’m sure Miss Lin’s future will be smooth sailing.”

“Yuebai is wonderful—she deserves it.”

Jing Yuanjie had long noticed that Qin Jue treated Lin Yuebai as a proper girlfriend, doting on her openly. If she were merely a companion brought along for appearances, she would have been pressured to drink at such an event. Who would have bothered to pour her a glass of orange juice instead?

Between work discussions, Qin Jue would occasionally serve Lin Yuebai her favorite dishes, even meticulously removing fish bones for her.

Without pressing further about Lin Yuebai’s past, Qin Jue picked up a lobster and quietly peeled it for her before returning to business matters.

Jing Xin remained silent beside them, her gaze fixed on her mother who was staring intently at Lin Yuebai. A mocking smile curled at the corners of her lips.

Now, even without concrete evidence, her mother had shifted all her attention to Lin Yuebai.

Once the DNA results came out… she would probably become even more precious, while Jing Xin herself would be treated like an outsider.

“Yuebai is so talented. I have a few friends who teach at the conservatory. If you’re interested, I can introduce you,” Zhang Wen offered.

Knowing how competitive the entertainment industry was, she found herself inexplicably drawn to this girl and wanted to help pave the way for her.

Lin Yuebai smiled graciously and raised her glass. “This one’s for you.”

Her glass of orange juice clinked against Zhang Wen’s wine glass, deliberately held half an inch lower—a sign of respect.

Lin Yuebai’s eyes briefly met Jing Xin’s across the table, but the latter only gave her a cold glance, her expression unreadable.

Suppressing a flicker of irritation, Lin Yuebai reminded herself that while she didn’t crave familial affection, she certainly wasn’t opposed to the resources the Jing family could offer.

She knew Qin Jue had brought her to this dinner for a reason—to facilitate her recognition by the Jing family.

But if Jing Xin decided to interfere… A shadow of unease crossed Lin Yuebai’s mind.

She had clawed her way up step by step, and precisely because it had been so difficult, she cherished every opportunity to climb higher.

She wanted a respectable background, something worthy of Qin Jue. Greedily, she wanted to seize every advantage within reach.

The meal left her mentally exhausted, her thoughts tangled in knots. By the time it ended, Zhang Wen still clung to her shoulder, whispering warmly,

“I heard you used to dance—the captain of Aurora, no less! That’s incredible. To lead at such a young age is truly impressive.”

Zhang Wen spoke carefully, her well-maintained fingers resting lightly on Lin Yuebai’s wrist. A faint scent of jasmine drifted from her.

Though Lin Yuebai usually disliked physical contact, she didn’t recoil from Zhang Wen. When their eyes met—Zhang Wen’s filled with earnest concern—Lin Yuebai’s heart clenched unexpectedly.

“You’re so thin,” Zhang Wen fretted. “Has Qin Jue been mistreating you? You can tell me.”

Jing Xin scoffed from the side. “As if Qin Jue would mistreat her. She treats her like a treasure—everyone in the industry knows they’re ‘close friends.’ Instead of spending New Year’s with her own family, Qin Jue gives her red envelopes, frames her old awards. Even couples in love aren’t as devoted as she is—or as pathetically doting.”

Her words were cutting, but undeniably true.

Lin Yuebai’s ears burned red, and even Zhang Wen looked taken aback.

“Qin Jue… really hasn’t mistreated you? If she has, you must tell me. Our family’s business may not be as vast as the Qins’, but we can certainly protect you.”

Zhang Wen wasn’t a fool. After Qin Jue arranged this dinner and casually mentioned Lin Yuebai’s adoption, she had already pieced things together.

In business, sincerity mattered. Qin Jue wasn’t the type to make baseless claims—if she hinted at something, there was at least an 80% certainty behind it.

Lin Yuebai didn’t know how to respond to the genuine concern directed at her. The intricate web of thoughts in her mind had knotted into an inextricable tangle.

No one had ever cared for her like this before. “Mrs. Zhang, I’m fine. My digestive system is weak, so I don’t eat much. Thanks to President Qin’s care, I’ve actually gained quite a bit of weight.”

Zhang Wen’s heart ached at these words. “You’re practically malnourished now—how can you call this gaining weight? You must have been skin and bones before.”

Lin Yuebai: “It looks better on camera.”

Zhang Wen: “…”

While Lin Yuebai remained unfazed, Zhang Wen was nearly moved to tears. When they finally parted, she gave her husband’s shoulder a firm slap.

Her husband, walking ahead, stopped to wait for her.

Zhang Wen pinched Jing Yuanjie’s face—which bore an eighty percent resemblance to Lin Yuebai’s—and gave his cheeks a few sharp pats.

The slaps rang out crisply.

Zhang Wen: “Do you think Lin Yuebai might actually be our biological daughter?”

Jing Yuanjie remained silent, avoiding Jing Xin before whispering, “I’ve had someone investigate. The hospital where you gave birth is the same one where Lin Yuebai was born. Maybe the nurses mixed us up.”

He didn’t want to consider the darker possibility—that it wasn’t a mistake, but intentional.

Back then, surveillance wasn’t as advanced, and finding evidence now would be next to impossible.

Dissatisfied with her husband’s response, Zhang Wen tugged hard at both sides of his cheeks, turning his already wine-flushed skin even redder.

“Once we return home, we’ll all take DNA tests. In the meantime, think carefully about how to break this to Xinxin. If it’s true… that child must be suffering terribly.”

Jing Yuanjie: “…Alright.” Please stop pulling—it really hurts.

…

Lin Yuebai drove while Qin Jue, who had only sipped a bit of alcohol, felt nauseated just from the taste on her tongue, though she wasn’t drunk.

Lin Yuebai: “Does Sister Qin Jue have an alcohol allergy?”

The Qin Jue she knew loved to drink. Before her former agent had dropped her off at Qin Jue’s villa, Qin Jue had already drained her bank account partying at bars.

Qin Jue: “I drank too much in the past. Now even the smell makes me sick.”

System: “Host QWQ”

The system whined loudly: “You weren’t listening to me at all during dinner!”

Qin Jue: “There, there, don’t worry. I am bullying Lin Yuebai.”

System: “Stopping her from drinking doesn’t count as bullying.”

Qin Jue set the GPS for a hot spring resort an hour’s drive away.

Nestled on the slopes of an active volcano, the resort’s geothermal warmth fostered a landscape of blooming peach blossoms. The pink petals swirled like clouds clinging to the mountainside in the night. As the car wound up the rugged path, it startled showers of falling blossoms.

Qin Jue: “Patience. I’ll sexually harass the protagonist later.”

Though she called it harassment, her gaze burned with intensity and focus—and a hint of barely perceptible nervousness.

Pity the system couldn’t read between the lines.

Finally pacified, the system cheered, “Go get ’em, Host! You’re the best villain ever!”

Qin Jue: “…”

Sometimes the system’s naivety is genuinely tragic.

Staff awaited them at the resort entrance. In Europe’s sparsely populated countryside, the roads grew quiet as they left the city behind. The car pulled up before an Eastern-style building flanked by red lanterns.

As they stepped out, attendants on both sides bowed deeply. “This way, please.”

Lin Yuebai, who had never been to such a place, trailed behind Qin Jue, her steps unsteady and head spinning.

She hadn’t been drinking, but the overwhelming fragrance of peach blossoms in the courtyard left her slightly dizzy.

When her patron brought her to the hot springs tonight, did anyone truly believe it was just for bathing?

By the time Lin Yuebai finished rinsing off, Qin Jue was already leaning against the edge of the spring. The bright moonlight spilled through the branches, causing delicate pink petals to drift down like silver snowflakes onto Qin Jue’s bare shoulders.

Her eyes were closed in contemplation, her head resting against a towel-covered stone. The thermal waters enveloped Qin Jue’s body as her fingers idly traced the petals floating on the surface. Her sandalwood bracelet, likely removed to avoid water damage, lay abandoned on a stone table some distance away.

Crickets chirped softly in the grass behind them as Lin Yuebai walked barefoot across the pebbled path, wrapped only in a bath towel. The steam had flushed Qin Jue’s cheeks with heat—beneath her calm exterior, nervous tension coiled tight.

Never before had she bathed naked with another woman. Even before her transmigration, when she’d known her preferences, hot spring outings with friends involved proper swimwear—more like dumping dumplings into broth than anything remotely sensual.

Tonight’s full moon hung heavy with stars, the rustling peach blossoms unable to disperse the perpetual mist hovering over the springs. When the water rippled with Lin Yuebai’s entrance, Qin Jue’s lashes fluttered nervously as she instinctively retreated.

[System vision reduced to pixelation] System: “This is what you called sexual harassment?” The scene looked more like pure romance to the system, but if the host claimed harassment, so be it.

Before Qin Jue could mentally respond, sudden warmth settled across her lap—Lin Yuebai’s pliant body pressing close.

Qin Jue: ! Though visually blocked, the system wisely retreated to its mental corner for cartoons.

Free from digital interference, Qin Jue’s pupils dilated. Her hands hovered uncertainly above the slender waist as the girl’s hair spread through the water like deep-sea tendrils. When Qin Jue finally opened her eyes, she found Lin Yuebai’s damp strands clinging to flushed cheeks, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

Abandoning restraint, Qin Jue encircled the girl in her arms, fingertips tracing delicate shoulder blades. Lin Yuebai sighed as featherlight kisses dusted her skin—indistinguishable from falling petals.

“Do you understand what you’re doing, Lin Yuebai?” Qin Jue’s voice emerged rough.

“I know. I’ve always known.” The reply came thick with steam-induced lethargy as Lin Yuebai surrendered to the kisses trailing her neck.

“Your parents—” Lin Yuebai blinked in confusion. Why mention them now? She wanted no conversation—only to erase every inch of distance between them.

Her exploring hands found the defined muscles of Qin Jue’s torso, approving of her patron’s athletic physique. Even the calluses on those elegant fingers—likely from gym equipment—felt perfect beneath her lips as she began kissing each digit with deliberate slowness.

A seemingly delicate girl was surprisingly proactive in such matters.

Her soft tongue swept over Qin Jue’s knuckles, sending shivers down her spine.

“Do you like Zhang Wen and Jing Yuanjie?”

“…”

Lin Yuebai was both exasperated and annoyed. Qin Jue’s mouth, which had always been sharp and unrelenting before, was now ruining the romantic atmosphere in the hot spring pool with such untimely words.

Her body had already made it clear that she was willing to let Qin Jue do as she pleased—so why was this person still so oblivious?

Meeting Lin Yuebai’s reproachful gaze, Qin Jue was utterly confused.

Her actions might be crossing a line, but she secretly hoped Lin Yuebai would grow fond of her body.

Ever since transmigrating into this world, she had realized that this body was identical to her original one—down to every scar and muscle memory.

The girl who had struggled through hardships in the novel was now by her side, spared from too much suffering.

Thankfully, she had managed to protect her little moon.

Qin Jue: “If you don’t like Zhang Wen and Jing Yuanjie, I can help you refuse the DNA test. Whatever resources the Jing family can offer you, I can provide. If you want to play the role of a wealthy heiress, I can arrange a foreign lineage for you—just buy a castle in Europe, pay the taxes, and I can set it all up…”

Packaging a person’s identity was all too easy.

Qin Jue was willing to invest everything in Lin Yuebai.

She didn’t want Lin Yuebai to hate her—or rather, before Lin Yuebai achieved success and began resenting her, she hoped they could share a beautiful relationship.

She would be the indelible stain in Lin Yuebai’s otherwise flawless life.

And before Lin Yuebai decided to erase that stain, Qin Jue wanted to do as much for her as possible.

Lost in thought, Qin Jue suddenly found her lips sealed.

The night was ink-dark, the hot spring water rippling as Lin Yuebai knelt on the smooth stones at the bottom, pressing her weight against Qin Jue’s thighs.

One hand braced on Qin Jue’s shoulder, the other guiding Qin Jue’s fingers to her own cheek, Lin Yuebai leaned in and silenced Qin Jue’s incessant, well-intentioned chatter with her lips.

She didn’t want to hear any more words that ruined the mood.

Lin Yuebai admitted she was greedy—she wanted Qin Jue to grow fonder of her through physical intimacy. But there was also a restless emotion surging within her, compelling her to shut that infuriating mouth right now.

Qin Jue had brought her here precisely for this closeness.

Lin Yuebai was certain of it.

Her lips pressed urgently against Qin Jue’s, her soft tongue entwining with Qin Jue’s, careful to avoid any accidental nicks from teeth.

Qin Jue’s arms tightened around her, the spring water growing hotter by the second. A sudden gust of wind swept through, scattering peach blossom petals over them both.

The water’s surface shimmered with fragmented moonlight, disrupted by their movements into ever-widening ripples.

“Yuebai…” Are you sure?

The one who had initiated the kiss was the first to lose strength, relying on Qin Jue’s grip around her waist to stay upright.

Qin Jue loved her—whether out of tenderness, pity, or the shared understanding of someone who had stumbled their way to the top.

When she had first read this novel, her own life had been in turmoil, making the story resonate deeply.

Many of Lin Yuebai’s thoughts aligned with hers—they were both highly goal-oriented individuals who believed enduring detours and hardships was necessary to achieve their ultimate objectives.

Lin Yuebai didn’t give her a chance to ask further questions. Instead, she impulsively took Qin Jue’s fingers into her mouth.

She wanted to moisten them.

“Don’t move.”

She had already prepared gloves.

Qin Jue picked up a small, thin sealed packet from the drink tray.

Biting one end to tear it open, Lin Yuebai’s eyes shimmered with moisture as she fumbled eagerly to retrieve the contents and press them against Qin Jue’s fingers.

“It’ll be uncomfortable in the hot spring. Be good, we…” could go back to the room.

Lin Yuebai didn’t want to hear her hesitate. She wasn’t that fragile—the moment she chose to follow Qin Jue, she had already prepared herself for whatever might come.

Being able to enjoy such good days by her side for so long was already beyond her expectations.

Blurred by tears, Lin Yuebai lowered her head with intense focus as she retrieved the item and slipped it onto Qin Jue’s fingers.

Anyone watching might have thought she was conducting an experiment with such seriousness.

“Call me a few more times.”

“Hmm?”

“Call me ‘good girl,’ ‘baby,’ ‘girlfriend,’ ‘little moon’… a few more times.”

Lin Yuebai buried her face in the crook of Qin Jue’s shoulder. Before anything even happened, she was already whimpering and crying. “No one ever comforted me before. Comfort me more—give me back everything fate owed me in the past.”

Qin Jue’s pitch-black eyes reflected the trembling curve of the girl’s back. “Good girl, you’re my good girl.”

Her cries were muffled and sticky. Lin Yuebai’s manicured fingers clawed faint red marks onto Qin Jue’s back.

Dark clouds veiled the moon. A petal landed in Lin Yuebai’s hair, only to be plucked away by Qin Jue.

Worried that soaking too long in the hot spring might exhaust her, Qin Jue carried her back to the room.

Wrapped in the blankets, the girl was utterly spent, yet she still hooked her legs around Qin Jue. “Qin Jue… sister… President Qin… hold me a little longer.”

Her voice had long grown hoarse, tearful and clingy as she buried herself in Qin Jue’s arms.

This was her first time.

Given to the one she wanted most.

Lin Yuebai melted into an embrace of unparalleled tenderness, every muscle in her body relaxing. She lifted her legs to entwine with Qin Jue’s, wanting to go again.

She wanted Qin Jue to enjoy herself even more.

“I can still take it. I’ve practiced dance since I was little—my stamina is good.”

Exhausted to the point of barely forming coherent sentences, she still clung and tangled herself around Qin Jue, her infatuation on full display.

How could anyone not cherish her?

The next morning, Lin Yuebai’s body ached terribly.

The room had been tidied, and she felt clean and dry—aside from the faint kiss marks on her waist and lips, everything else was as usual.

Wearily shielding her eyes with her arm, Lin Yuebai replayed the scenes from last night in her mind.

In the end, they had only done it twice before she couldn’t take it anymore, crying and trying to push Qin Jue away—only to then hook her legs back around her, wanting to continue.

She had been so wanton. Would Qin Jue secretly laugh at her?

Her throat was unbearably dry and scratchy, as if rubbed raw by sandpaper. Between the crying and moaning, she couldn’t make a sound now.

“Awake?” The aged door creaked open as Qin Jue entered with a glass of water. “Drink some warm water. Come have breakfast.”

A bowl of congee, a poached egg, and a few side dishes.

Hearing Qin Jue’s voice, Lin Yuebai immediately ducked under the covers, turning away and curling into a ball.

Qin Jue pulled open a corner of the blanket. “Be careful not to suffocate yourself. Come out and have some water.”

Though telling her to emerge, Qin Jue instead knelt on one knee, inserting a straw into the cup and directing it toward the dark opening in the blanket.

The level of warm water in the cup gradually lowered.

Gulp, gulp.

A muffled “Thank you” came from within the blanket cave.

Qin Jue patted the blanket, eliciting a soft muffled groan from within. She ran her hand over the surface and realized she’d probably tapped her butt.

“Time for breakfast. You expended a lot of energy yesterday, so I borrowed the kitchen this morning to make you some congee.”

A sulky voice came from under the covers: “Not hungry.”

Lin Yuebai rarely acted spoiled. This refusal to communicate made her seem more like a kitten hiding in its nest.

System: “…Good morning.”

Qin Jue: “Mm.”

Having binge-watched cartoons all night, the system sounded pleased. “The protagonist doesn’t want to see you right now. I detected signs of emotional collapse last night—what exactly did you do to her?”

Qin Jue fingered a tube of ointment in her pocket. “Just completing the villain tasks you assigned. Go back to your cartoons. This wicked antagonist has a protagonist to torment.”