The Villainess Is Pretending to Be Sweet Again Today (Transmigration) - Chapter 12

Cheng Bai: “Should I help you ask for leave again today?”

Nuo Yang: “Yes, there are still some family matters to take care of. I’m really sorry.”

Cheng Bai: “No worries, I’ll talk to the boss. Things have been slow lately anyway, so take your time handling things at home~”

Nuo Yang glanced at the group chat on her phone, finally letting out a sigh of relief.

She turned her gaze to Long Huaichang, who was sitting on the carpet in front of the sofa. Since being expelled from school, aside from the first few days when she was bedridden with a high fever, she had been spending her time at home playing video games.

Nuo Yang recalled the original story—after suffering these setbacks, Long Huaichang had resorted to making shady deals with unsavory people just to survive, barely scraping by. The thought made her heart ache.

No, no, no!

With her here, Long Huaichang would never walk down that same path!

“Xiao Huai,” Nuo Yang said, smoothing her skirt as she spoke to Long Huaichang. “I have to go out for a bit later. Don’t forget to feed the cat.”

Long Huaichang glanced back at her and nodded. “Okay.”

Her indifferent tone and expression made it hard for Nuo Yang to gauge what she was really thinking.

Checking the time, Nuo Yang saw that it was almost time for her appointment. She changed her clothes and headed downstairs.

As the front door closed behind her, Long Huaichang spotted a small, golden head peeking out from the corner. The cat let out a soft “meow” before padding over and curling up in her lap, rolling onto its back to expose its soft white belly.

The orange tabby had been with them for over a week now. From being timid and wary at first, it had gradually started acting like the little “emperor” of the house, growing more comfortable by the day.

Except…

Long Huaichang paused her game and reached down to rub the cat’s belly, listening to its contented purring. Her expression softened slightly.

Except they still hadn’t given the little tabby a name. She wasn’t sure what would suit it best.

Nuo Yang didn’t have to go far—just outside the neighborhood to a café, where she met with Lawyer Chen.

Today’s meeting was mainly to sign some documents: property transfer paperwork, renewing the contract with the financial advisor from the law firm, and finalizing the ownership transfer for the apartment they were currently living in.

“The market price for this apartment is 1.7 million, and with additional costs like renovations, the basement, and transfer fees, it comes to about 2 million in total,” Lawyer Chen explained, spreading the documents out one by one. “Just sign here, here, and here. I’ll handle the rest for you.”

Nuo Yang followed her instructions, completing the paperwork. Now, the 800 million left by her great-grandmother, along with the apartment, was officially under her name.

Lawyer Chen seemed satisfied with her work, sipping her iced coffee with a smile. “So, Xiao Nuo, are you settling in, okay? Not too scared living alone?”

Nuo Yang chuckled. “I’m not living alone.”

Lawyer Chen raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

Nuo Yang told her about taking Long Huaichang in. Lawyer Chen listened quietly, finishing her coffee before speaking slowly. “Xiao Nuo, you might not know much about the Long family.”

Attorney Chen set down her coffee cup and said to Nuo Yang, “It’s best if you avoid any contact with Long Huaichang .”

Nuo Yang looked at her puzzled, “Is this about the Long family inheritance issue?”

With a troubled expression, Attorney Chen nodded and said, “After the head of the Long family died unexpectedly, the inheritance should have been divided quickly. But it’s been three months now, and no one has touched Long Yingjun’s estate.”

“Nobody’s touched it?” Nuo Yang asked in confusion, “Aren’t they in a hurry?”

With so much money just sitting there, how could they not be tempted? Were the Long family members really that indifferent?

Stirring her coffee, Attorney Chen lowered her voice and told Nuo Yang, “Our firm has had some dealings with the Long family. Some colleagues suspect there might be issues with the will.”

Nuo Yang didn’t understand much about these matters, and she couldn’t quite grasp the implications.

Anyway, these things had nothing to do with her. All she wanted now was to help Long Huaichang grow up properly and meet the woman she would love. Other matters held little significance for her.

Their conversation didn’t last much longer. Attorney Chen had other business to attend to and left with the documents.

Instead of going straight home, Nuo Yang stopped by a nearby cake shop.

Tomorrow was Long Huaichang’s birthday, and she still hadn’t decided what to give the girl.

“Would you like to order a cake, miss?”

A young woman at the shop approached Nuo Yang as she browsed the display counter.

“Yes, do you have any other cake designs?” Nuo Yang wasn’t particularly fond of the few options in the case—they all seemed too plain. After everything Long Huaichang had been through recently, Nuo Yang wanted to make her birthday special.

The attendant brought out a photo album and said, “How about these over here?”

As Nuo Yang flipped through the pages, she spotted a number cake—a “16” decorated with cream and chocolate, looking both novel and adorable.

“This one,” Nuo Yang pointed at the cake. “I’ll place the order now and pick it up tomorrow afternoon.”

—

Early the next morning, Nuo Yang got up and went downstairs to buy breakfast. When she returned home, she found Long Huaichang already awake, standing by the fridge drinking chilled water.

“You’re up so early?” Nuo Yang set down the steamed buns and shaomai, walking over to Long Huaichang. “Let me have a sip too—it’s scorching outside.”

Long Huaichang watched as Nuo Yang took her cup and drank from it, then averted her eyes slightly, looking somewhat uncomfortable.

Completely oblivious to the girl’s reaction, Nuo Yang felt refreshed after the cold drink and said, “I have work today, but I’ll come back early tonight. Do you feel bored staying home alone?”

Long Huaichang shook her head. “Not at all. I’m perfectly fine staying home.”

Nuo Yang smiled. “Then order takeout for lunch—get whatever you like. I’ll be back early in the evening.”

Long Huaichang nodded in agreement.

The two exchanged a glance before Nuo Yang added somewhat sheepishly, “Well… today’s your birthday.”

Long Huaichang blinked.

Nuo Yang grinned. “Don’t eat too much at lunch. I’ll come back tonight to celebrate your birthday with you~”

No child dislikes birthdays, and Long Huaichang was no exception. Her fair face flushed slightly as she gently tugged at Nuo Yang’s sleeve and asked in a soft voice, “Do I get a birthday present?”

Nuo Yang: “…”

She’d forgotten.

The air fell silent for a moment.

Nuo Yang quickly smiled and said, “Yes, yes, of course! But I can’t tell you what it is.”

Long Huaichang couldn’t help but laugh—it was the first time she’d laughed in so long that Nuo Yang felt a wave of emotion.

“Eat up quickly, sis, or you’ll be late,” Long Huaichang said, slightly embarrassed. “I’ll eat less at lunch and wait for you to come back.”

Aww, who said this girl would grow up to be a villain?

What kind of villain could be this adorable?

Sweet, sensible, and beautiful—if not for bad luck, Long Huaichang could have been the protagonist of the next book!

Nuo Yang’s heart soared at being called “sis,” and she floated off to have breakfast before heading to work in high spirits.

Before leaving, she told Long Huaichang to stay home alone and promised to return early that evening.

But some things just don’t go as planned.

After a full day’s work, Nuo Yang stretched and prepared to head home on time.

She planned to pick up the cake she’d ordered the day before and stop by a boutique shop to buy a toy—after all, Long Huaichang was still a kid and wouldn’t expect anything extravagant.

Just as Nuo Yang was about to leave, a sudden exclamation erupted from the editorial department—

“Hey hey hey, check out Weibo’s trending list—it’s blown up again!” Chu Kexin shouted. “That popular young actor just announced his relationship with a recently divorced actress! Rumors say he cheated during his marriage!”

Nuo Yang’s heart sank.

The team scrambled to open their browsers, only to find the internet flooded with news about the scandal—so much so that the trending page crashed!

The general manager, who had been about to leave, rushed back in upon hearing the news and barked, “Overtime today! Nobody leaves yet!”