Substitute Girlfriend Contract (GL) - Chapter 17

“Heh… Miss Tao, you really do keep your composure, don’t you?”Lu Mengze sneered.

Tao Anyu lifted her teacup, gave him a calm glance, then picked up the documents on the coffee table. “And then?”

“And then?” Lu Mengze snatched the file from her, pulled out one sheet—a forged police certification—and slapped it down on the table. “Aren’t you going to explain this?”

After a moment’s silence, Tao Anyu said slowly, “Yes, my ID is fake. So, Mr. Lu… what do you plan to do with me?”

She turned her head toward him and smiled faintly.

Lu Mengze froze, his breath catching for half a second.

“Are you going to hand me over to the police? Have me charged? Throw me in prison to watch me suffer?” Her bitter smile lingered as one hand slowly brushed her cheek. “Even if it’s just coincidence that I happen to share Sister Yuhai’s face, would you still destroy the life I’ve worked so hard to build? Would you watch me walk to my own death?”

Her tone sharpened suddenly.
“Mr. Lu, do you really love Sister Yuhai? If you did, how could you treat someone with the same face as hers like this? Just to stay by Xiaoxiao’s side, I erased my past and poured everything into this identity. And Xiaoxiao has done everything to protect me. I know I’m only a stand-in, but I can feel her deep love for Sister Yuhai!”

Her voice trembled with desperation.
“But you… you’re the kind of man who claims to love a woman, yet you can’t even spare a girl who bears her face and wants only to understand her feelings. Do you really love her?” Her eyes brimmed with tears, her cheeks flushing like a wounded fawn. “Can’t you tolerate my existence? Or is this just your way of forcing me to submit?”

Lu Mengxiao, who had been silent the whole time, rose from her seat, walked behind Tao Anyu, and pressed a hand onto her shoulder.

Tao Anyu’s heart skipped. She hadn’t expected Lu Mengze to investigate her, and she had no idea what Lu Mengxiao would think of her outburst. If she were an ordinary person, she could simply confess—but she wasn’t. She carried the weight of a killing and lies she had told…

What should she do?

At this point, she could only gamble everything on Lu Mengxiao.

“Big Brother,” Lu Mengxiao said, and both Tao Anyu and Lu Mengze turned to look at her.

Lu Mengxiao let out a cold laugh. “I didn’t think you were this kind of person. I used to think you were just weak and useless. But today I see you’re also petty, narrow-minded, and downright vicious.”

Bang—!

Lu Mengze kicked over a stool. “Lu Mengxiao! Say that again if you dare!”

“I’ll put that stool on your tab! My mother is your mother too!“Lu Mengxiao shouted back, flinging the papers from the table into his face. “Aunt Liu! Throw him out!”

Aunt Liu startled and hurried forward to mediate. “Second Miss, but this is the eldest young master—your elder brother—shouldn’t you—”

“Elder brother, my ass! Look at him—does he look like a brother to you? Five years ago he nearly sold the Lu family out! Useless, lazy, and still trying to compete with me for the chairman’s seat—spit in his face!” Lu Mengxiao waved her hand. “Get him out!”

Aunt Liu swallowed hard and went to help Lu Mengze up. “Young Master, you must take responsibility for your own actions. What you did back then was unforgivable—you handed over company secrets to our rivals. If not for Second Miss—”

“You’re just a servant! What right do you have to lecture me?” Lu Mengze shoved her aside.

That was the last straw for Lu Mengxiao. She grabbed him and flung him toward the door. “A servant who earns her keep with her own hands is far more noble than a parasite like you—lazy, treacherous, and worthless! I don’t know how our parents ended up with a son like you!”

Lu Mengze yanked free of her grip. “And who are you to criticize me? Aren’t you the one squandering the family’s money everywhere you go? Arrogant, shameless, disrespectful, utterly depraved—a disgrace to humanity!”

“Lu Mengze! Say that again!”

“What, you think I can’t take you in a fight? I’ve put up with you long enough!”

“No one asked you to! You stringy, scrawny chicken!”

“And you think you’re any better? A man-eating tomboy who toys with women—psychopath!”

…

A maid reappeared with a fresh pot of white fungus chrysanthemum tea and poured Tao Anyu a cup. “Miss Tao.”

Tao Anyu took it and gulped it down—she’d nearly choked herself with her earlier tirade.
“Mmm. Tastes good. Thank you.”

The maid shook her head. “Don’t worry, Miss Tao. My young master and young miss are always like this—quarreling the moment they meet, sometimes even fighting. You’ll get used to it. Nothing serious will happen. The master and madam don’t bother interfering anymore.”

Pfft—

Tao Anyu pressed a hand to her chest to steady her breath.
Damn. What a family of degenerates. Now she’d truly seen it all.

Still…

Her gaze fell on the scattered sheets of paper. She crouched down, gathering them one by one, her eyes scanning the densely packed information. Quietly, she pondered her next move.

******

For the rest of the day, Lu Mengxiao didn’t bring up the matter of her forged identity.

That night, while bathing, Lu Mengxiao lounged in the tub reading the international finance section of the paper. Tao Anyu stepped into the bathroom naked, eased herself into the water beside her, and rested her head on her shoulder.

They sat in silence for a while before Lu Mengxiao’s lips curled into her usual playful smirk. “What’s this? Has my beloved been frightened today? Would you like your emperor to offer some royal comfort?

Tao Anyu slid a little deeper into the water and wrapped her arms around her waist.

Lu Mengxiao flipped a page. “Nothing to be afraid of.”

The quiet stretched again.

When the water was nearly cold, Tao Anyu still hadn’t spoken. Lu Mengxiao patted her arms. “Alright, up you get. If you still want to soak, I’ll run you some hot water.”

She had barely started to stand when Tao Anyu yanked her back down with a splash.

“Oh? And what’s this supposed to mean, my dear?” Lu Mengxiao wiped the water from her face, her smile unreadable—it was unclear whether she was amused or annoyed.

Tao Anyu leaned over her, her bare chest pressing against her. “Aren’t you going to ask me?”

“Ask you what?” Lu Mengxiao lay back against the tub’s edge, giving her a squeeze on the rear.

“My identity is fake,” Tao Anyu said, looking straight into her eyes—eyes of pale gold, like enchanted gems that could steal a soul.

“I know.” Lu Mengxiao nodded. “Of course I know. You’ve always been fake—a stand-in. How could it be real?”

Tao Anyu froze for a beat, her lips parting.

“I already called the household registry office,” Lu Mengxiao went on. “From today onward, you are Tao Anyu—my woman. Let them dig, let them cause trouble. I don’t care.”

Water trickled down Tao Anyu’s face as she smiled suddenly.

This face—along with the privilege left to her by another woman’s death—was her greatest asset.

“Alright,” she murmured, nestling into Lu Mengxiao’s arms. “That’s just perfect.”