Substitute Girlfriend Contract (GL) - Chapter 12

Lu Mengxiao asked, “What do you like most?”

Tao Anyu glanced at her. “Most? Your Majesty likes plenty of things.”

“I’m asking what you like most in the ocean park,” Lu said. “We’ll go see that first.”

“I want to see whale sharks.”

“They don’t have those here. I’ll take you to see the penguins,” Lu replied.

“Why?” Tao asked. Lu’s grip on her wrist was so tight it hurt.

Lu stopped and looked at her. Tao pulled her hand free and rubbed her wrist before lifting her head. “What?”

Lu took her hand again and turned it over. There was a red ring around her wrist. She brushed it lightly with her fingertips. “Was I really holding you that hard?”

“Yeah! You just realized that?” Tao snapped. Then she suddenly took Lu’s hand and spread her palm open. “Wait, are you a ‘broken palm’?” Sure enough, there was a single horizontal line running straight across Lu’s palm. “You really are! No wonder you’re so strong.”

“What does a ‘broken palm’ have to do with strength?” Lu turned her hand over and studied it for a long time without understanding.

Tao gave her a withering look. “You’ve made it all the way to adulthood and don’t even know what it means? Come on, allow me to explain. See this line? It runs straight across from one end of your palm to the other, right?”

Lu nodded.

“That’s called a ‘broken palm.’ People with it are strong, and when they hit you, it hurts,” Tao explained.

Lu suddenly smirked. “So… if I’ve got hands like this, do you think during… bed activities, I could make you scream just from squeezing?”

Tao took a deep breath and swallowed down the urge to explode.

Lu took her hand again, this time with much less force. “I’ll take you to see the penguins. I like penguins. Since they don’t have what you like, we’ll start with what I like.”

So they headed for the penguin exhibit first. Behind thick glass, the water shimmered with floating ice. The air conditioning was on full blast. Tao pulled her coat tighter, which caught Lu’s attention. She shrugged off her leather jacket and draped it over Tao’s shoulders.

“What’s this for?” Tao asked, holding onto the slipping jacket.

“If you’re cold, stop pretending you’re fine,” Lu said, one hand braced against the glass. “I’m lending you the imperial robe. See? I dote on you.”

Tao Anyu chuckled, handed it back, and said, “Thank you, Your Majesty. But you only dote on my face. Put it back on, or you’ll catch a cold.”

“I’m not cold. If I say wear it, you wear it! What kind of emperor can’t even protect his beloved concubine?” Lu insisted, settling the jacket firmly on her shoulders. “Quit talking back!”

“Mm…”

“Look! Penguins!” Lu pointed at a little one that had lost its balance on the ice and slid into the water. She burst out laughing. “Ha! What an idiot!”

Tao forced a dry chuckle.

Idiot.

“Look, look!” Lu tugged Tao’s sleeve. “Oh my god, it fell again! So dumb! Hahaha!”

What’s so funny?

Tao wanted to just walk away. Maybe she should take Lu in for a check-up—there might actually be something wrong with her brain.

Lu noticed Tao’s lack of enthusiasm. “What’s wrong? Still thinking about that whale shark? Fine, when we get to S City tomorrow, I’ll take you to see one. Cheer up, yeah?”

“I’m not upset,” Tao said, shaking her head. “Just keep your voice down—people are staring.”

“Let them stare,” Lu said, utterly unfazed.

…

Once Lu had had her fill of acting crazy in the penguin house, she insisted on buying skewers. Not only did she eat them herself, but she also kept trying to force one on Tao.

“I’m not eating.”

“You have to! If I say eat, you eat!” Lu shoved the skewer toward her.

“Mmph—” Tao chewed it down, tossed the stick, and glared. “Can you respect other people’s choices? You’re basically forcing a decent woman into—”

“You got a problem with me? You got a problem?!” Lu planted one foot on the flowerbed beside them, slapped a wad of bills on her thigh, and growled, “Say it again—you got a problem?”

“…No, Your Majesty, I don’t…” Tao shrank back, swallowed hard, and carefully took the money from her hand. “No problem at all. I’ll just… take this, okay?” She shook the bills slightly.

“Pathetic!” Lu poked her on the forehead.

“Hehe.” Tao pocketed the cash with a silly grin.

“Let’s go.”

“Where now?”

“To a show,” Lu said, checking the map and schedule on the tickets. “There’s a dolphin show at three-thirty. I think the performances are the best part of ocean parks. We’ll sit in the front, and if the host calls for volunteers, we’ll go up.”

“Hey—” Tao barely got a word in before Lu dragged her away again.

This woman, honestly—always charging ahead, never following the script.

To get into the amphitheater, they had to climb a long flight of stairs. Lu bounded up like she was running on pure sunshine, while Tao dragged herself behind.

“You’re hopeless, my dear concubine,” Lu said with a frown. “You’ve got no stamina at all.”

This woman—every other sentence was filthy, half her words were “me,” and every third was about s3x. Why didn’t she just go be a pimp?

“Lu Mengxiao, do you think you’re so… lasting? Like some kind of invincible Viagra?” Tao asked, hands on her hips.

“Exactly! And it’s not just what I think—it’s true! Although wait… why would I have Viagra? I’ve got golden fingers!”

Nearby, a child licking an ice cream asked his mother, “Mama, what’s Viagra? And what’s a golden finger?”

The woman shot a horrified glance at both of them, grabbed her kid, and hurried away. “Don’t ask. Those weird aunties are talking nonsense. Good boys don’t listen to bad things.”

Tao’s face went black. She yanked Lu away at a run. “Did you hear that? You’re a weird auntie!”

“Bullshit! I’m the emperor!”

“Right, right—you’re the Yellow Emperor. Now get inside.”

“How dare you, Noble Consort Tao, speak to me so disrespectfully!”

More and more people turned to look. Tao covered her face and dragged Lu into the crowd, practically fleeing the scene.

When they finally ran out of steam, they leaned against a railing to rest.

From the top, they could see the packed audience below—just a dense sea of heads. Tao glanced at Lu. “What now? There are no seats left.”

“No seats, no problem,” Lu said coolly, plopping herself down on a bench. She patted her thigh. “Come.”

Tao ignored her and sat beside her instead. “If I sit on your lap for half an hour, you won’t be able to stand afterward.”

“Haha, if I can’t stand, you can carry me.”

“You’re too heavy. No thanks.”

The host appeared with a microphone, and the big screen showed the shimmering blue pool. A playful beluga kept splashing onto the shore, delighting itself.

“Your beloved beluga,” Lu said, lifting Tao’s arm and pointing it toward the pool.

Tao smiled faintly and played along, waving her arm. “If I like it, why don’t you buy me one?”

Lu’s lips curled. “Sure. As long as you behave.”

Tao leaned against her shoulder, eyes closed. “Then buy me one—and a beach villa. Build a huge pool in the living room and keep the beluga there.”

Lu laughed, wrapping her arms around Tao’s head. “Fine. As long as you keep the emperor happy, anything within human capability is yours.”

Tao pressed her lips together and rubbed her cheek against Lu’s shoulder. For some reason, her eyes stung.

She thought, Pei Yuhai… this woman must really love you.

Why did you leave like that?

Sure, Lu Mengxiao had a foul temper, a sharp tongue, a dirty mouth, and a domineering, unreasonable nature with a hundred irritating flaws… but she really did love you.

If she loved me like that… maybe I wouldn’t be able to stay angry at her.

Should I be glad I have the same face as you—or should I be sad?

Lu pulled Tao close and patted her back. “Don’t get too emotional, my love. I’ll treat you well.”

Tao hugged her back. 

Alright. I’ll trust you this once. Hopefully, when the contract ends, we’ll still be friends.