The Cold, Aloof Dominatrix After Parasitically Entering a Rich Family - Chapter 56

Chapter 56: Exposed: The Cuscuta was startled, and her plant…

The Cuscuta spirit was startled. Her plant instincts instantly awakened, and she entered a combat state a step ahead. Golden-yellow vines shot out madly from under her feet. Gong Shayu spun around suddenly, subconsciously pulling her into a hug.

In a daze, Tu Si was pulled back by a rush of warmth. Her confused consciousness gradually cleared, but after meeting Gong Shayu’s puzzled eyes, she felt it would be better not to be clear-headed!

The familiar, increasingly intense scent of flowers and grass pushed Gong Shayu’s heart into her throat. She watched, wide-eyed, as the little yellow flower cap Tu Si used to wear on her head slowly grew out and then slowly disappeared.

This hellish feeling was a hundred times more terrifying than when the doctor announced her leukemia.

At least then, she was facing a reality that could be explained by medicine.

And now…

Gong Shayu profoundly understood the meaning of “fear desensitization.” If one shock is overshadowed by another, the first one doesn’t count as a shock anymore. Even if the sky were to fall now, she would remain unfazed.

“Ah! I clearly saw her head suddenly covered with yellow flowers…”

The person who had arrived was the female vendor who had pointed the way for Tu Si earlier. She dared not look directly at Gong Shayu, occasionally stealing glances upwards as she stammered her accusation.

“The lighting is too dim. You misread it,” Gong Shayu cut in coldly.

Only then did the female vendor shudder from the cold. If the female spirit with the flower cap had been terrifying just now, the woman in front of her was even more frightening.

She could only blame herself for not checking the almanac before leaving home today. She thought she could make a quick hundred yuan off this silly-cute girl, but instead, she lost a doll and was repeatedly scared out of her wits.

“I… I’m leaving now…”

The vendor’s legs turned to jelly from fear, but to prevent more dolls from being snatched, she turned and ran. Since her upper body’s resolve was too strong and her legs were uncooperative, she ended up genuinely stumbling and crawling away.

Tu Si looked at the vendor’s frantic retreat, suddenly thinking of something.

A ball of phosphorescence flared at her fingertips. At this distance, erasing two humans’ memories would be effortless.

But when she turned to Gong Shayu, the glow suddenly extinguished—the woman’s calm expression made her hesitate.

One minute was the effective limit for memory erasure. While Tu Si was still hesitating, Gong Shayu suddenly spoke: “You bought that doll from her, didn’t you?”

Tu Si pondered seriously and answered obediently: “She said the doll really liked me and asked me to take it. I thought the little violin on her shoulder was very pretty,” Tu Si’s voice trailed off: “So… I listened to her and took it, planning to give it to you.”

“Good. That’s her problem,” Gong Shayu said softly: “Let’s go home. Assistant Fang has arrived.”

If Tu Si had been more sensitive, she would have noticed the barely perceptible tremor in Gong Shayu’s voice.

…

When Fang Yu picked up the two of them, he finally understood why Gong Shayu had asked him to bring a bath towel.

Tu Si’s sweater was dripping wet, and Gong Shayu’s formal dress wasn’t much better.

He felt his heart sink and quickly handed over the bath towel: “Did Miss Tu fall into the water?”

“No, we were just playing in the fountain!” Tu Si replied cheerfully.

The car’s heating was strong. Tu Si felt drowsy. In a haze, she heard Gong Shayu say: “Take her home first. I’m going to…”

Tu Si didn’t quite catch the address that followed. She was too sleepy. She had used spiritual power twice tonight, hung up photos, and dug up the ground.

All of it significantly depleted the energy of her human body.

By the time the car arrived at Yufu, Tu Si was fast asleep.

After settling Tu Si, Gong Shayu found a random hotel nearby to stay.

Fang Yu didn’t understand why, thinking the boss didn’t want Tu Si to know about the poisoning. Hearing Tan Ke’s deduction that the eldest Gong brother was the main suspect, and knowing the company had many eyes and ears, it was difficult to discuss. That’s why she chose an outside hotel.

After checking in, Assistant Fang was about to book two rooms but was stopped by Gong Shayu: “It’s the weekend tomorrow. Go home and rest. I’ll give you another day off next Monday.”

“President Gong? But the next few…”

Gong Shayu: “That’s enough. Don’t chatter.”

Assistant Fang suddenly realized: Oh, this is the boss and the boss’s wife having a fight!

Ah… this. The boss is leaving home and putting her personal safety aside?

Because of…

Xu Zhixia?!

…

Pushing open the hotel room door required nearly all of Gong Shayu’s strength.

The moment the door closed, she finally couldn’t hold on and her knees slammed onto the marble floor.

In the darkness, her ragged breathing was exceptionally clear. After three deep breaths, she managed to prop herself up, shifting from kneeling to squatting, and finally sitting cross-legged on the floor.

She couldn’t even feel the icy coldness emanating from the floor.

The room, without the key card inserted, was immersed in thick darkness. Gong Shayu habitually reached into her pocket for a cigarette. After fumbling for a moment, she remembered she was wearing a dress without pockets.

“Tusi, Tu Si, Tusi, Cuscuta…” Gong Shayu muttered the words repeatedly.

The strange floral scent, the jade-green eyes, the sudden appearance of the small yellow flowers, the strength beyond human limits, the non-human memory, and the movements that were sometimes human and sometimes spirit—all converged on one point: What exactly was that blank period of her memory on the uninhabited island?

—Gong Shayu shivered.

“Jie-jie, I have to be with you to survive.”

“Jie-jie, I like you.”

“Jie-jie, I love you!”

“Jie-jie, I’m actually a Cuscuta spirit.”

Gong Shayu suddenly recalled the movie—the one Tu Si had taken her to see when they first met. She remembered Tu Si laughing and crying at the time, but the memory now sent chills down her spine.

Fox spirits eat human hearts. It must be so!

What about a Cuscuta spirit?

The Gong family had no history of leukemia genes, and the illness had come on quickly and severely. If her condition worsened…

Gong Shayu had a realization in her confusion—Cuscuta strangling its host!

The moment the thought surfaced, the frigid air choked Gong Shayu. Her throat tightened.

She covered her mouth and coughed a few times. Using this physiological discomfort, she became even more determined not to go for the follow-up check-up on Monday.

What was certain was that Tu Si had never hidden anything from her or lied to her. She was always childishly straightforward in demanding everything she wanted.

And now, does she want this broken shell of a body of mine?!

Gong Shayu’s legs were weak. She leaned against the door to stand up and fumbled her way into the bathroom. As the cold water rushed over her from all directions, she realized she hadn’t turned on the light.

The coldness tonight was as bone-chilling as that dawn morning.

…

On Monday, Gong Shayu still met with the doctor, but at the hotel.

“39°C,” Dr. Wang looked distressed: “The illness is progressing faster than expected. We… strongly advise you to check into the hospital.”

Tan Ke was also on the verge of tears. On Friday, Gong Shayu had been laughing and talking at the banquet.

“What exactly…?” Fang Yu’s question was abruptly cut short. She had run too fast, a few strands of hair were loose, and her high heel caught on the hallway carpet, nearly making her fall. Tan Ke quickly steadied her.

“What do you mean? Didn’t you say President Gong was only poisoned? Why is it a bl00d disease again?”

Tan Ke was equally exasperated: “You ask me? Didn’t you take her home on Friday? Why is President Gong lying in a hotel with a fever two days later?”

“You—”

“Shh, quiet. President Gong is awake.” Dr. Wang poked his head out, motioning for both of them to be silent.

“President Gong, how are you feeling?” Fang Yu and Tan Ke asked simultaneously, then glared at each other.

“Not dead,” Gong Shayu’s eyes drifted over their faces without focusing, as if she were looking for something.

“Gong Zhijie is coming to the ICC today. Fang Yu, you go back first.” Gong Shayu tried to get up: “No, I’m coming with you.”

The high fever flushed an unnatural red onto Miss Gong’s skin, making her lips look even paler. Yet, her hoarse voice still carried an undeniable authority.

The other three exchanged looks. Even the doctor couldn’t stand it anymore: “President Gong, your current physical condition requires you to go to the hospital immediately.”

Gong Shayu, who had already decided against the check-up, was even less inclined to follow medical advice now: “Please prescribe some fever reducers for me.”

…

Tu Si spent the weekend incredibly busy: planting vegetables, learning to drive, drinking milk tea, eating barbecue, sunbathing. Most importantly, while Gong Shayu was away, she secretly visited Haina Manor.

Gong Shayu hadn’t lied to her; the Butterfly spirit was long gone.

Fortunately, she also learned to drive, so it wasn’t a total loss.

Monday morning. Gong Shayu wasn’t there. Fang Yu wasn’t there. Tan Ke wasn’t there either.

That meant no one to drive her to school. Riding her skateboard was out—it was raining, and she didn’t want to scare passersby.

After much deliberation, Tu Si decided that driving was the most suitable option.

“I came from the mountains… hey, bringing the orchid grass… heeey…”

Humming an off-key tune, she got into the car and glanced casually at the adjacent parking spot.

Gong Shayu’s black Bentley was quietly lurking in the space, like an emotionless iron monster.

Tu Si stuck her tongue out at the iron monster, then got out and took a selfie of herself and the pink Ferrari.

She posted it. In a moment, she got several likes.

Red: Boss, is that your car?

Yellow: Boss, drive over so we can ride in it?

Blue: Ahhh, my dream car…

Peacock Dream: Drive over. Let’s go out tonight.

It was a pity for everyone’s enthusiasm that the WeChat comment section didn’t have a voice function. Tu Si only recognized the words for big, ah, and middle. Still, she was happy to see so many characters.

Almost all her WeChat friends liked the photo, except for Gong Shayu and that assistant.

Tu Si mimicked Gong Shayu’s cold snort, opened her chat with Gong Shayu, where there was only a large pile of unreplied messages she had sent.

“Forget it,” Tu Si sighed, suppressing the tenth impulse of the day to call Gong Shayu, and quickly started the car.

The pink Porsche roared like a leopard, shooting out of the villa complex and onto the main road.

…

The air, which was already solidified, now condensed into blocks of ice.

At opposite ends of the conference table, the Gong siblings faced off. The other senior executives of ICC tactfully filed out.

“President Gong, that’s quite a sleight of hand you’re pulling off,” Gong Shaodong tapped the table rhythmically, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Gong Shayu nodded. The high fever didn’t affect her demeanor at all; she was still perfectly poised and elegant: “You’re too kind. Too kind.”

Gong Shaodong’s face changed when he heard this: “Gong Shayu, let’s stop pretending!”

“Oh? So Big Brother was pretending all along? I, your little sister, don’t have that kind of free time.”

Gong Shaodong: “Bringing some low-class woman from outside back to the Gong family. Is that the only dirty trick you, Gong Shayu, can pull?”

Gong Shaodong’s words were like a bullet fired from a barrel, hitting the raw, still-healing core of Gong Shayu’s heart dead on.

With a “bang,” the heart, still crisscrossed with stitching, exploded.

Yes! Gong Shayu, what are you doing?

Wasn’t that the purpose of finding this woman in the first place?

Whether she’s human, ghost, deity, or demon, her role has only ever been one thing: to help you secure the Gong family succession.

“Thank you for the reminder, Big Brother.” Gong Shayu smiled at Gong Shaodong from the bottom of her heart: “Don’t worry. You’ll see her at Grandmother’s birthday banquet… cough, cough, cough… cough…”

Gong Shaodong grew angrier: “I think you’re insane.”

Gong Shayu couldn’t control the violent coughing fits. Her appearance was clearly sickly and alarming.

She watched Gong Shaodong’s every subtle expression, not missing a single contraction of his pupils, even as she was nearly drowned by her own coughs.

But strangely, after she coughed for so long, she didn’t see the look of satisfaction she was hoping for on his face.

“Gong Shayu, let me tell you something: too many schemes, bad for the body.” He said, then turned and left.

The coughing prevented Gong Shayu’s counter-attack. Her phone, however, vibrated first—

“Hello, may I speak with Ms. Gong Shayu? This is the North District Traffic Police Department. Are you acquainted with student Tu Si?”