The Foolish Wife Turned Scheming After Her Recovery - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: How Could Someone Be This Cute? Silly,  In A Way That Makes You Want To Bully Her A Little

Fu Shuang and Lu Zhusheng showed an unusual amount of attention to Yu Yao’s arrival. The smiles on their faces didn’t feel fake, nor did they resemble the expressions they wore when entertaining business partners.

Keen observers silently took note and started re-evaluating. There weren’t many people whom the Lu couple would treat so warmly.

“Who’s that kid talking to President Fu? Some young relative? I don’t recognize her,” someone whispered.

“Never seen her before,” another replied. “I’ve been to previous birthday parties too. She’s definitely new. But that girl next to her in the black dress is President Fu’s daughter.”

“President Fu’s daughter? Isn’t that the Lu family’s…” He stopped mid-sentence. He didn’t dare say the next two words aloud in this setting.

The ‘fool’.

Everyone in the upper circles of Beijing knew that the Lu family’s eldest daughter became mentally impaired after a car accident. But even so, nobody would dare openly mock her in the Lu family’s own territory.

“Still, that kid does carry herself well, and she seems close with Miss Lu. She must be from some prominent family too. Otherwise, why would President Fu and her husband treat her so nicely?”

“Yeah, probably.”

The guests’ speculation had no effect on the four of them, who were acting practically like family. Just as Lu Zhili had said, Fu Shuang and Lu Zhusheng genuinely liked Yu Yao.

While chatting with the older couple, Yu Yao glanced over at Lu Zhili. The latter beamed at her smugly, as if to say, See? I told you I wasn’t lying.

Yu Yao had attended her fair share of business events in Beijing over the years. But from the moment she stepped into the banquet hall today, she hadn’t felt even the slightest discomfort. She knew it was all thanks to this little fool beside her.

Because of Lu Zhili’s protective presence, Yu Yao was treated with a level of courtesy that was hard to come by. There were no judgmental stares. Some people were curious about her identity, but no one came over to interrogate her.

To put it plainly, she really felt like she was home.

The conversations with the elders stayed within polite boundaries. After a while, Fu Shuang let her daughter take Yu Yao around the venue. If they got tired, she said they could rest in the lounge on the second floor or check out the entertainment area.

Given permission, Lu Zhili excitedly dragged Yu Yao straight to the food section.

When Chu Jiayan arrived, the first thing he saw was the two beautiful girls happily stuffing themselves at the refreshment area. Unbelievable! Lu Zhili hadn’t replied to his messages, and now she was here eating cake with Yu Yao?

He’d had a bit of trouble at the entrance—his invitation had been scratched out and rewritten three times, which made the staff suspicious. Chu Jiayan didn’t throw a fit, just stood there frustrated, texting Lu Zhili to come get him. She never replied. He ended up waiting ten whole minutes until a guest who had worked with his family vouched for him, and only then was he allowed in.

Holding a small grudge, Chu Jiayan quietly snuck up behind them, deliberately approaching from their blind spot.

Lu Zhili, completely unaware, was lifting a glass of juice to her lips when suddenly—wham! Her shoulder was slapped hard.

“Hey!” Chu Jiayan yelled with a smirk, clearly pleased with himself. “You look like you’re having fun. Why didn’t you answer my messages?”

Lu Zhili was so startled that she choked on the juice, coughing violently as it burned her throat.

“Miss Lu!” Yu Yao jumped in panic. Because she was standing so close, the mint green dress she was wearing got splashed with juice, the stains very noticeable on the light fabric.

Lu Zhili’s face turned bright red as she coughed uncontrollably. Yu Yao rubbed her back gently, trying to ease her breathing. “Do you want some water? I’ll get you a glass, okay?”

Before Lu Zhili could respond, Yu Yao shot a look at Chu Jiayan, her meaning clear without words.

“Oh—oh! I’ll go get water! Sorry, I didn’t realize she was drinking!” Chu Jiayan quickly apologized and rushed off to find a waiter.

Just then, Xie Yanqing returned with a plate of hot food and saw the whole chaotic scene. I was only gone a few minutes. How did everything fall apart so fast?

Luckily, Yu Yao’s fur shawl covered some of the stains on her dress. But Lu Zhili wasn’t so lucky—her chest area was soaked and exposed. Xie Yanqing quickly set her plate down and said, “I’ll go grab a coat from the lounge. You take her to the restroom to clean up. Auntie will probably want her to make a brief appearance during the formal dinner. Let’s move fast.”

Yu Yao nodded and supported the still-coughing Lu Zhili as they walked to the restroom. Chu Jiayan, holding a glass of warm water, followed behind.

“It’s warm. Let her drink some first,” he said, knowing it wasn’t his place to go into the ladies’ room.

Lu Zhili held her throat with one hand, trying to ease the discomfort. Her tear-streaked eyes turned back to glare at Chu Jiayan, furious and frustrated.

“You… cough cough… you just… cough… wait for it!” she sputtered.

Yu Yao couldn’t help laughing, even though she was still a little annoyed. Still has the energy to plan revenge, huh?

“Alright, alright. Let’s go in first. Didn’t Miss Xie say you’ll need to be on stage with Auntie later?”

Lu Zhili’s angry expression instantly crumbled. She pouted toward Yu Yao for comfort. “Yu… Yao Yao… I feel awful… sob sob sob sob—”

With that face, pouting at Yu Yao? That’s cheating.

Yu Yao didn’t stand a chance. She wrapped her arm around her, patting and soothing her gently, her voice soft and doting. Finally, they made it into the bathroom.

There was a sink outside, but since Lu Zhili’s chest area was soaked and the outer area wasn’t private, Yu Yao took her into one of the stalls where there was another sink.

After drinking the warm water, Lu Zhili’s coughing eased slightly. Yu Yao turned on the tap, wet her hands, and carefully cleaned the juice stains and pulp off Lu Zhili’s dress.

They stood very close. Lu Zhili was slightly taller than Yu Yao. As Yu Yao leaned in, Lu Zhili could smell the faint scent from her hair. She could feel Yu Yao’s warm breath against her chest, making her skin tingle and itch.

Feeling nervous, Lu Zhili shifted her body slightly. Yu Yao immediately placed a firm hand on her waist, tilted her head up, and looked her in the eyes.

“Don’t move,” she whispered.

Lu Zhili froze like someone under a spell. A flush crept up her ears and spread across her cheeks, even tinting her teary eyes pink.

She had never felt like this before. It was like there were little bugs crawling all over her skin, but she didn’t dare scratch them—not when Yu Yao had just told her not to move.

Agonizing.

Yu Yao could feel Lu Zhili’s rapidly increasing heartbeat and the refreshing citrus scent that lingered on her skin, making Yu Yao restless as well.

But she never forgot one crucial fact: Lu Zhili’s mental age was only eight. She was, essentially, still a child. Even if her body had grown, even if her reactions were mature, Yu Yao couldn’t and wouldn’t allow herself to view her any other way.

The juice stains and pulp were soon wiped clean. Yu Yao straightened up and took a step back, putting space between them. The citrusy scent immediately dissipated.

A wave of disappointment washed over her, but she pushed it down quickly. She handed a few tissues to Lu Zhili. “Here, wipe it off. Let’s wait here for Miss Xie to bring your coat.”

Lu Zhili took the tissues blankly and pressed them to her damp chest. Her cheeks were still flushed, clearly still caught up in the atmosphere from a moment ago.

Yu Yao watched her silly expression and couldn’t help smiling.

How could someone be this cute? So dumb, it makes you want to bully her.

Yu Yao leaned against the sink, casually watching Lu Zhili slowly dab at her chest. The air between them was practically shimmering with pink bubbles.

But suddenly, voices came from outside the restroom—bursting that pink haze.

“Did you see that just now, Chen Shao? That little fool’s actually pretty hot.”

“Not bad. About the same as one of those club starlets. But I’ve never had a go at a ‘retard’ before. Kinda curious what the difference is.”

“Hahaha! If you really want to, just get your dad to arrange a marriage. Isn’t that what this party is for? To find someone to marry off the idiot daughter?”

“Eh, no thanks. I’m not babysitting some fool. Stay around her too long, I might go dumb myself. But that chick beside her—she was hot too. Wonder which family she’s from. I’ll get my dad to check.”

They didn’t mention names, but every word was about Lu Zhili. She stood there, stunned, slowly realizing they were talking about her—and referring to Yu Yao as “that chick.”

Her expression darkened. A flame ignited in her amber eyes. She could tolerate people calling her a fool; she knew she wasn’t. But no one—no one—was allowed to talk about her princess like that. Yu Yao didn’t deserve to be gossiped about by disgusting monsters.

She was about to storm out when Yu Yao moved faster.

The bathroom door was a sliding one. Yu Yao slammed it open with her palm—bang!—and it crashed against the wall, cutting off the men mid-sentence.

Her face was ice cold as she snapped, “If you’re gonna spew sh1t, at least don’t drag your leaking intestines all over the place.”