The Foolish Wife Turned Scheming After Her Recovery - Chapter 39

Chapter 39: Patience Forged Over Decades

After decades of torment, the one thing Yu Yao had in abundance was patience.

Lu Zhili’s gentle caresses, over and over, quickly calmed Yu Yao down. Her strong, steady heartbeat slowly soothed Yu Yao’s trembling.

Yu Yao took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of lime that clung to Lu Zhili. The hallucinated voices in her ears gradually faded away.

Soft kisses landed one after another on Yu Yao’s crown, earlobes, and the hollow of her neck. The warm, damp sensation sank deep into her heart, easing away all her fear and unease.

Yu Yao hadn’t expected to run into Ding Yuanyuan in Hechuan, and even less so for the woman to approach her so casually with a greeting—smiling, no less. That smile was utterly nauseating.

Feeling a gentle tug from the woman in her arms, Lu Zhili loosened her embrace, letting Yu Yao sit up. Her face and emotions looked much better now, and the weight on Lu Zhili’s heart finally lifted.

She lightly wiped the tears that had welled up at the corners of Yu Yao’s eyes with the pad of her thumb, then reached out to tidy the slightly messy strands at her temples.

Lu Zhili didn’t dare ask what had happened. She was afraid of touching a wound, afraid that Yu Yao might revert to that pained, fragile state that broke her heart.

“Ah Yao, are you alright now?”

Seeing the concern and affection in Lu Zhili’s eyes, Yu Yao forced a small smile. “Much better. Thank you… for earlier.”

Lu Zhili exhaled in relief, her expression tender. She leaned in and gently kissed Yu Yao’s forehead, lowering her voice to whisper, “I’m your girlfriend. This is what I’m supposed to do.”

At first, Yu Yao didn’t understand her sudden carefulness—but it soon clicked.

Lu Zhili had taken their “underground relationship” to heart so seriously that even now, when they were alone, she was no longer bold and uninhibited like before.

Realizing this, Yu Yao felt a needle pierce her heart—not painful, but it left a lingering ache that was hard to calm.

She drew a deep breath, turned forward, and after a long pause, reached for the seatbelt. “It’s getting late. Let’s go pick up Yu Ling.”

“Okay.”

Yu Yao stepped on the gas, and the white car merged smoothly into traffic, heading home.

Neither of them spoke along the way. It was as if nothing had happened earlier—just a fleeting interlude. But both Yu Yao and Lu Zhili remained deeply affected.

Lu Zhili didn’t dare ask. Yu Yao didn’t want to talk.

That time in her life—cruel and colorless—was a nightmare Yu Yao never wanted to relive.

But if only it had truly been just a nightmare…

…

Yu Yao’s trip to Hechuan had concluded successfully. Although she ended up seeing someone she never wanted to encounter again, what mattered was that she finally severed all ties between her mother, her sister, and Yu Zhujun.

It wasn’t until she set foot back in Yanjing that Yu Yao felt she could finally relax.

Before they even boarded the plane, Lu Zhili had informed Housekeeper He of their flight details. The moment they stepped out of the airport, they were met with a grand display—four luxury cars lined up: one at each end for bodyguards, and two in the middle—one to take Lu Zhili home, and the other to send Yu Yao and her sister back.

By the cars, Housekeeper He stood in a sharp suit, smiling warmly. “Miss, you’re finally back.”

The extravagant display drew many onlookers. Some were even secretly filming the two Rolls-Royce Phantoms in the middle, plates in sequence, speculating which heiress had just returned to the capital.

The three women stood by the road, stunned for a good ten seconds. Then Yu Yao finally turned to Lu Zhili, uncertain, and asked, “This… this was your idea?”

Lu Zhili shook her head quickly. “No, no. I just told Aunt He that you were bringing your sister to Yanjing to see the world… I didn’t expect her to arrange this.”

Though, honestly, she didn’t think the arrangement was too bad—except from Yu Yao’s expression, she clearly wasn’t thrilled.

Yu Yao: “…”

Well, it was eye-opening.

Yu Ling’s jaw practically hit the pavement and never lifted again. She blinked slowly and then looked at Lu Zhili in disbelief. “Xiao Lu-jie… these are your cars?”

Lu Zhili nodded.

Yu Ling’s eyes widened even more. “Your family’s rich?”

Another nod.

Yu Yao added coolly from the side, “Zhili’s father is the chairman of Shengtian Group.”

Yu Ling: O.O

Yu Yao shook her head and chuckled at her stunned expression. Then she turned to Lu Zhili and said, “Zhili, we’ll head home first. You should go rest. Yu Ling’s going to wear you out the next few days.”

On the plane, Yu Ling and Lu Zhili had already planned out their itinerary for the remaining days of vacation in Yanjing.

Lu Zhili had even consulted the most well-traveled person she knew—Xie Yanqing—and they had settled on a resort.

When Yu Yao teased her like that, Lu Zhili looked a little reluctant to part ways. But with so many people around, she didn’t dare show anything beyond friendship. She could only give Yu Yao a restrained hug and whispered in her ear, “Ah Yao, I don’t want to leave you. Can I come home with you?”

“Miss, absolutely not,” Housekeeper He, sharp-eared despite her age, cut in without missing a beat.

Lu Zhili blushed fiercely and had no choice but to let go, reluctantly following Housekeeper He into the car—glancing back with every step.

Yu Ling clung to the car door and called out excitedly, “Xiao Lu-jie, don’t forget tomorrow’s plan! We’re picking you up!”

Lu Zhili waved back through the window. “I won’t forget!”

They looked like they were saying farewell forever.

Once the Yu sisters got into their car, it headed toward their home.

Back in her own ride, Lu Zhili slumped in the seat, staring gloomily out the window as the other car disappeared into the distance.

Housekeeper He, who’d cared for her for two years, immediately picked up on her mood. She started gently coaxing her, asking about the trip. “Did you have fun going to Hechuan with Miss Yu?”

Lu Zhili nodded silently.

“Anything interesting happen?”

Lu Zhili didn’t want to talk and shook her head—then suddenly remembered something.

Ah Yao said she could tell her family, and Aunt He had taken care of her for years. That definitely made her family!

Suddenly excited, she sat up and beamed at Housekeeper He. “Aunt He, I have big news!”

“Ah Yao and I are together! She’s my girlfriend now!”

“We…”

At first, Housekeeper He listened eagerly. But by the third retelling of how Lu Zhili helped Yu Yao take promotional photos, she nearly dozed off on the spot.

How had she never noticed this girl could talk this much?

Soon, the new “victim” of Lu Zhili’s storytelling turned out to be Xie Yanqing, who had been waiting at the villa.

Xie Yanqing had just returned from an island trip, her skin a healthy tan. She’d been eagerly waiting for Lu Zhili to come home and spill every juicy detail about the trip. Sure, she’d heard bits from Qin Yue, but nothing beat hearing it straight from the source.

Once home, Lu Zhili seamlessly shifted her energy from one audience to the next, chatting non-stop. In the end, Xie Yanqing couldn’t take it anymore and pinched Lu Zhili’s cheeks into a duckbill.

“Whah are you doing?” Lu Zhili mumbled in protest. “If you don’t stop, I’m gonna get mad!”

Still, she took the high road—because older sisters should be gracious—and forgave her sister when she finally let go.

“Okay, I just want to confirm—you two are really dating, right? Like, holding hands, kissing, sleeping together… that kind of dating.”

“Of course!” Lu Zhili lifted her chin proudly. Then paused. “Wait, what do you mean by ‘sleeping together’? Like, sharing a bed?”

Xie Yanqing grinned wickedly, batting her eyes as she took out her phone and sent a few links.

“My carefully curated collection of romantic clips. Watch them at night. Alone. You’ll get it.”

Lu Zhili tilted her head. “Can’t I watch them with Ah Yao?”

Xie Yanqing choked. “I mean… I guess. Just wait till the resort. Watch them together there.”

“Okay!”

Poor Yu Yao had no idea that her relaxing vacation was about to be hijacked by a playlist of steamy romantic vibes.

…

It wasn’t Yu Ling’s first time at Yu Yao’s place. She headed straight to the guest room she’d stayed in before.

“Jie, I’m gonna take a shower. Flying is exhausting.”

“Mm, go ahead.”

Once Yu Ling closed the bathroom door, Yu Yao headed into her studio with her phone. That was her work space, and even if Yu Ling finished her shower, she wouldn’t barge in.

It was 4 p.m. already. Around 3, Yu Xiulan had messaged saying the property transfer was completed, and she was back home packing up.

Yu Yao replied briefly, then dialed a number.

Her senior had given it to her—it belonged to a man called Brother Snake, who was handling the situation with Yu Zhujun.

“Hello, is this Brother Snake?”

A rough male voice answered, “That’s me. You must be Miss Yu?”

“Yes.” Yu Yao’s tone was flat and calm. “Once Yu Zhujun gets the money and the house, you can start.”

Brother Snake laughed. “Don’t worry, Miss Yu. We’ll handle this scum for you—no problem at all. Give it a week, and you’ll see results.”

Yu Yao finally breathed easy. Still, she reminded him, “Please also keep an eye on my mother for the next few days. I’m afraid Yu Zhujun might try to harass her again.”

“Of course. I’ve got it covered.”

“Then thank you.”

After hanging up, Yu Yao tossed the phone aside and slumped into her chair, fully relaxing.

What she’d told Yu Xiulan about making Yu Zhujun pay hadn’t been empty words. She’d planned everything before even going to Hechuan.

Yu Yao wanted Yu Zhujun to develop a gambling addiction. The fastest way? Let him win—win so much that it clouded his judgment, until he lost everything.

To the people in Hechuan, it looked like Yu Zhujun only ever won. Flush with cash, he sold his house and headed to the big city to “do business.” No one knew what kind of business.

In reality, broke and indebted, Yu Zhujun not only had to mortgage his house—he had to sell himself to his creditors. To squeeze out the last bit of value, those creditors would send him overseas for hard labor. For how long? That would be up to his “creditor”—

—Yu Yao.

The linchpin of this plan was her senior, Zuo Lingyan.

Yu Yao had helped Zuo Lingyan years ago, and she was well aware of Yu Yao’s family situation. So when Yu Yao made the request, she agreed without hesitation.

Zuo Lingyan was from Hong Kong. The Zuo family was a household name there—reputable merchants who operated primarily in Hong Kong and Yanjing. Taking down a powerless gambling addict? Child’s play.

Yu Yao didn’t need to confront Yu Zhujun herself.

All she had to do… was wait.

And patience was something she had more than enough of.