Transmigrated As The Villainous Scumbag Wife Of A Disabled Tycoon - Chapter 24

24

Jiang Ciyi’s expectations fell flat, and the breath she had been holding unconsciously relaxed.

She shouldn’t have expected anything from that answer in the first place.

Over the past few days, Jiang Ciyi had considered countless possibilities, even the remote chance that Cheng Xing might have a twin sister.

Yet, she still couldn’t find a logical, reasonable explanation.

Her intuition told her that the Cheng Xing of these past few days was not the same person as the one before.

Because no matter how much a person changes, they couldn’t possibly swap out their eyes overnight.

But Cheng Xing’s bone structure hadn’t changed in the slightest. Even identical twins couldn’t be this alike.

Jiang Ciyi had handled many cases in the past, encountering all sorts of bizarre criminal methods and psychological profiles.

Most cases followed some kind of logic, provable through reasoning.

But this thing with Cheng Xing? It was strange—truly strange.

That evening, Jiang Ciyi had already given Xu Congshi the toothbrush Cheng Xing used to use and some hair she found on her pillow. She wanted to verify something.

If the results matched her suspicions, it would prove that the current Cheng Xing and the previous Cheng Xing were not the same person.

But if they didn’t, then what would the truth be?

Jiang Ciyi had never believed in things like “turning over a new leaf” or “reforming one’s ways.” Those were usually just excuses criminals came up with when cornered, desperate pleas for mercy.

Once given the opportunity—the right conditions—they’d toss those words aside without hesitation and commit crimes again. And when they were caught, they’d repeat the same excuses.

The simplest and most common example was domestic violence.

When someone realizes that domestic violence can be forgiven with a few apologetic words, it proves the cost of their crime is low, making it easier for them to do it again.

Over and over, endlessly.

Jiang Ciyi had always been clear about how Cheng Xing used to treat her. She was skilled at observing people.

Behavior, speech, habits—within five minutes of meeting someone and exchanging a few words, Jiang Ciyi could roughly determine what kind of person they were.

Her judgment was almost never wrong.

Cheng Xing was the only mistake in her life.

But now, as she tried to set things right, Cheng Xing surprised her once again.

First, it was talk of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and now it was space and aliens. As a sci-fi enthusiast, Jiang Ciyi had more than once believed in the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations, but still!

How did she get here? In a spaceship?

The method, time, and place of her arrival—there was no evidence to support any of it.

Ruling out such illogical possibilities, what was the truth?

Every time Cheng Xing spoke, it sounded like nonsense, like she was making up stories. But her eyes were too clear, pure as a crystal-clear lake, clean and untainted.

It was precisely because of this that Jiang Ciyi couldn’t distinguish truth from lies in her chaotic words.

Every time, she felt it was true, but every time, she knew Cheng Xing was lying.

Her rationality and emotions swung wildly, but in the end, rationality won out.

But why was she so meticulously crafting these lies? What was she trying to hide? And what was her motive for being kind to her?

What trap was she setting next?

Jiang Ciyi’s mind was racing with a storm of thoughts, and her gaze toward Cheng Xing grew stern.

Cheng Xing, however, burst into a smile, shrugged, and flopped onto the bed with a relaxed gentleness. “See, I knew you wouldn’t believe me.”

She rolled over, lying on her side—a sleeping position that felt safer—then mumbled, “Doesn’t matter. I don’t even believe myself.”

Jiang Ciyi didn’t respond.

A drunk muttering to herself—she wouldn’t understand even if she did respond.

“Why do I keep making up stories every day?” Cheng Xing mumbled, her words unclear, possibly drunken ramblings or sleep-talk.

Jiang Ciyi listened quietly without replying.

Cheng Xing muttered a few more indistinct words that Jiang Ciyi couldn’t make out.

But after a pause, she suddenly said loudly, “I could write novels in the future.”

Jiang Ciyi: “…”

“Alright,” Jiang Ciyi said with a trace of patience, “What kind of story are you planning to write?”

“The daily life of traveling in outer space,” Cheng Xing said through a yawn, tears welling up from the effort. She buried her face in the bed, her voice muffled. “Aliens aren’t friendly at all.”

Jiang Ciyi: “…”

She twitched her lips. “Alright, good luck with that.”

The next morning, Cheng Xing was woken by the system.

At 7:20 a.m., the mechanical voice of the system rang in her mind, not at all cute today.

Perhaps because no alarm clock could ever be cute, it spoke in a stern tone: 【Beep—Today is the first day of your punishment. Please complete the punishment properly. Punishment is part of the reward. If you’re not awake by 7:30, the system will assist you.】

Cheng Xing’s body hadn’t woken up yet, but her mind was alert, seething with anger. 【Assist me with what? Do it for me?】

System: 【Beep—Of course not. The system will use pain to wake you up. One shock to refresh, two to supercharge, three to shatter your bones, four to land you in the hospital, and five to send you to the morgue. Exclusive pain service from the Interstellar Life Management Bureau—you deserve it.】

Cheng Xing’s eyes snapped open.

System: 【Beep—Humans truly need a push to grow. You’re progressing quickly, and the system is very pleased.】

Cheng Xing: “…”

If the system were a physical robot, Cheng Xing would smash it to pieces.

No, pulverize it.

Crush it into dust with a tractor and toss it into the sea.

No, into a landfill.

Throwing it into the sea would pollute the environment.

As she fumed, the system spoke again: 【Beep—The system was right about you. You’re truly an environmentally conscious person. So, can you go complete your punishment now? Today’s required dish is: Yuxiang shredded pork.】

Cheng Xing: “…?”

Are you insane?

Who eats Yuxiang shredded pork for breakfast?

And Jiang Ciyi has a stomach condition!!

All of Cheng Xing’s complaints were heard by the system, but it remained unmoved: 【Beep—Yuxiang shredded pork was Miss Jiang’s favorite dish before her grandmother passed away. If you can recreate the flavor from her grandmother’s time, it will surely touch Miss Jiang. Predicted progress value increase: 10%.】

Cheng Xing: “…”

For a moment, the system couldn’t even detect her brainwaves.

System: 【Beep—Are you so moved by how much the system has done for you? No need—it’s what the system is supposed to do.】

Cheng Xing’s lips twitched. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

【Beep—Then why? This is the first time the system couldn’t detect brainwaves in a human’s mind. Fascinating. Did your brain short-circuit just now?】

Cheng Xing: “…Short-circuit is something you robots say. We humans call it a blank mind.”

【Beep—Then what were you thinking about?】

“I was thinking that if I could recreate that dish’s flavor, not only would Jiang Ciyi be touched, but I’d be even more moved. And my parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and distant relatives would all be so grateful they’d cry rivers and burn extra joss paper at my ancestors’ graves during Qingming Festival.”

System: 【Beep—】

Cheng Xing could cook a little, but not much.

The bowl of noodles she made for Jiang Ciyi that night was the pinnacle of her culinary skills. Beyond that, she didn’t know how to stir-fry.

When she was young, she nearly got burned trying to use a gas stove, so her family rarely let her near the kitchen.

During holidays, all she had to do was wait to eat.

The hardest thing she’d ever done was study, but since she was interested in medicinal herbs and grew up immersed in that environment, it never felt too tough.

But now, even her mom had never tasted her Yuxiang shredded pork.

How did the system think she could do this?!!

System: 【Beep—Have a pleasant cooking experience.】

Cheng Xing, curious, asked, “Why aren’t you saying ‘awoo’ anymore? Isn’t that your programmed setting?”

【During the host’s punishment, the program switches to short beep sounds.】

“…”

After a “brief” exchange with the system, Cheng Xing understood the rules of the punishment.

For the next week, she had to cook at fixed times each day: breakfast from 8 to 9 a.m., lunch from 12 to 1 p.m., dinner from 6 to 7 p.m., afternoon tea from 4 to 4:30 p.m., and a late-night snack from 9:30 to 10 p.m.

Before these times, the system would prompt her to cook based on her current situation.

Each day, a required dish would be announced.

She could make it during any meal of the day. After seven days, the punishment would end, and she’d receive a 50,000-yuan reward.

Cheng Xing tried to negotiate with the system, saying she’d forgo the 50,000 yuan if she could skip the punishment.

The system flatly refused.

At first, cooking for a week didn’t seem like a punishment to Cheng Xing.

She was used to fending for herself, and given Jiang Ciyi’s condition, some porridge or light dishes would suffice. She could muddle through the week.

But she hadn’t expected this!

First, for someone who rarely cooked, making a complex stir-fry dish was incredibly difficult.

Second, convincing someone to eat at fixed times every day—including afternoon tea and late-night snacks—was even harder.

Finally, cooking for Jiang Ciyi, who had a small appetite and was wary of her, without raising suspicion? That was next to impossible.

But no matter what, the task had to be done.

Cheng Xing wasn’t planning to make a big dish in the morning. She’d drunk the night before, and being forcibly woken up gave her a slight headache.

But after drinking, her sleeping posture had been much better than usual, and she slept clearly separated from Jiang Ciyi through the night.

When she woke, Jiang Ciyi was still sound asleep, her sleeping posture perfect—a real-life Sleeping Beauty.

Afraid of waking her, Cheng Xing crept out of the room carefully.

The moment the door closed, Jiang Ciyi opened her eyes, her gaze clear, showing no trace of sleepiness.

She’d actually woken up when Cheng Xing got up but pretended to sleep to observe what Cheng Xing was doing.

In the end, she did nothing and just left.

Jiang Ciyi suppressed her doubts and closed her eyes to rest.

In the kitchen, Cheng Xing ran into the maids, who respectfully asked what she wanted to eat.

Without thinking, Cheng Xing waved them off. “I’ll do it myself. You guys go do your thing, don’t mind me.”

The maids were flustered. “Miss, you cooked yourself yesterday, and the old lady already scolded us. With your esteemed status, how could you personally cook?”

Cheng Xing: “…I’m just making porridge.”

The maids still tried to stop her, but Cheng Xing asserted herself. “You’re afraid of her but not of me?”

The original Cheng Xing was a bit of a troublemaker, after all.

Cheng Xing continued, “Don’t worry about me. I’ll handle it. If Grandmother asks, just say I insisted on doing it myself and threatened to hit you if you didn’t let me.”

The maids hesitated. “This…”

“Don’t bother me.” Cheng Xing found a pot and rice, poured water, and started making porridge. “I’m running out of time.”

In the end, Cheng Xing hurriedly made a stomach-soothing porridge with millet and rice, sliced some pickled vegetables, and laid a few strands on top of the porridge to make it look prettier.

She also stir-fried some greens.

Cheng Xing had mastered the art of “half-assing” it.

Satisfied, she carried the tray out of the kitchen, ready to head upstairs, when she ran into Xu Zhaozhao.

Xu Zhaozhao greeted her as if nothing had happened before, waving cheerfully. “Morning, Sister Xing! Here for breakfast?”

Then, looking closer, she exclaimed, “Oh, Sister Xing, are you taking this to Grandmother? She’ll be so touched.”

Cheng Xing: “?”

Before she could respond, a cold scoff interrupted. “This old lady can’t accept such kindness.”

“Oh, Grandmother, the maids said Sister Xing was busy in the kitchen. She must feel bad about what happened the other day and is making this to apologize,” Xu Zhaozhao said cheerfully, trying to mediate. “There’s no such thing as overnight grudges in a family. Sister Xing has you in her heart.”

“But Grandmother wants to eat in her room today, so, Sister Xing, just give this to me.” Xu Zhaozhao reached for the tray, but Cheng Xing quickly turned away.

Cheng Xing wasn’t great at saying no, but after coming here, she’d realized there were too many snakes in the grass.

Sometimes, you have to be blunt.

Seeing her refusal, Xu Zhaozhao softened her tone. “Is Sister Xing going to personally serve Grandmother? Then I’m being nosy.”

“No,” Cheng Xing said. “The maids made your food. This is for Jiang Ciyi.”

The old lady’s face darkened instantly. “Who does she think she is, that you’re cooking for her?!”

“She’s my wife,” Cheng Xing said, refusing to indulge the old lady. Ever since Jiang Ciyi crushed that walnut, their relationship with the old lady was doomed to be strained. Her tone hardened. “It’s only natural for me to cook for her.”

Xu Zhaozhao chimed in, “Jiang Ciyi’s not well. Sister Xing is just taking care of her. It’s only right.”

“There’s no place for you to speak here,” Cheng Xing shot her a sidelong glance. “Even if I weren’t married to Jiang Ciyi, I wouldn’t be with you.”

“You!” The old lady glared at her. “Are you that woman’s servant? Cooking for her?! Is this the pathetic state of the Cheng family’s younger generation?!”

Cheng Xing’s face tightened. “Aren’t you overthinking this? She’s my wife—my closest family. Isn’t it normal for me to take care of her? Have you never been cared for by a loved one, so you talk like this? Relationships are built on sincerity. If you see everything as scheming, your heart’s too filthy.”

The moment her words landed, the old lady raised her hand and knocked the tray out of Cheng Xing’s hands.

The porridge and dishes spilled all over the floor, and her morning’s efforts went to waste.

Cheng Xing stared at the mess, her eyes lifting just as the old lady spoke. “Since when is it your place to lecture me in the Cheng family?! And that wife of yours! I’m not satisfied. You’re getting divorced.”

Xu Zhaozhao, still soothing the old lady while subtly fanning the flames, said, “Grandmother, don’t be angry. Sister Xing is filial to you. She must’ve listened to that woman this morning and forgotten to make your porridge. She’ll remember tomorrow. You and Sister Xing are family. That woman, no matter what, is an outsider. Sister Xing will definitely listen to you.”

Cheng Xing clenched her fists, gritting her teeth. “In your dreams.”

Just as she was about to confront them, the system’s voice suddenly rang in her mind.

【Beep—Detected that the host has failed to complete the punishment task within the designated time. Pain penalty will now be administered.】

【Beep—Pain level: Three.】

Cheng Xing’s heart suddenly felt like it was being squeezed, so tight she couldn’t breathe. Her face flushed red instantly.