Transmigrated As The Villainous Scumbag Wife Of A Disabled Tycoon - Chapter 30

30

The grilled fish restaurant was bustling with noise, the staff so busy they barely had time to catch their breath. Spotting a familiar face, a waiter called out with a grin, “Brother Xi, you guys are here! Grab a seat.”

A group of five or six people, men and women, settled around a large round table.

But after sitting down, none of them reached for the menu. Instead, their gazes turned toward the entrance.

There, a tall, slender woman was pushing a wheelchair through the glass door. The woman in the wheelchair was strikingly beautiful, impossible to look away from.

What left the deepest impression, however, was her pair of cool, detached eyes.

It had been a while since they’d seen her, and the waiter froze for a moment, dazed, before breaking into a wide smile. “Dr. Jiang, you’re here! So, joining Brother Xi’s table or getting your own?”

Even though he hadn’t seen Jiang Ciyi since her car accident, the waiter deliberately ignored her disabled legs and greeted her like an old friend. “What’ve you been up to lately? It’s been ages since you came by.”

“Recovering,” Jiang Ciyi said lightly. “We’ll take a separate table.”

Her speech was sparse, devoid of unnecessary words, carrying an air of distance with everyone.

The waiter, used to this, smiled and scanned the room. “Alright, I’ll take you to that table in the back. It’s quieter.”

“Sounds good. Thanks.” Jiang Ciyi said with a slight nod.

The waiter led the way, and Cheng Xing pushed Jiang Ciyi forward.

As they passed the group’s table, a man in his forties with a stern, upright appearance spoke in a low voice. “Xiao Jiang, why not join us? It’s been a while, and we’ve all missed you.”

“No need, Brother Xi,” Jiang Ciyi said, lowering her gaze. “It wouldn’t look good if things got rowdy at your table and spoiled everyone’s meal.”

“Don’t mind that jerk Zhu Tao.” Brother Xi said. “Last week, his fiancée, who he was about to marry, dumped him. Then today, he got chewed out by Chief Lin for interrupting at a meeting. He’s been drinking since we got off work, and his mouth’s been foul.”

Worried Jiang Ciyi might still hold a grudge, Brother Xi added warmly, “If he dares say another word about you, I’ll shut him up myself.”

“No need, Brother Xi.” Jiang Ciyi replied. She looked delicate, like a fragile porcelain doll, but her resolve was unshakable. “He already apologized outside earlier. Besides, today I’m here with…”

She paused, as if searching for the right term.

After a moment, she continued, “With my wife, just for a casual meal.”

The implication was clear: she had no interest in joining their work gathering.

Brother Xi looked up, meeting Cheng Xing’s gaze.

Cheng Xing gave him a polite smile, and Brother Xi waved back. “Miss Cheng, congrats on winning the beauty’s heart.”

“My honor.” Cheng Xing replied warmly.

Brother Xi turned back to Jiang Ciyi. “Come back and visit sometime. Chief Lin and the others miss you.”

“Sure. When I have time.” Jiang Ciyi said.

Seeing the conversation wrapping up, Cheng Xing sensed staying longer might make things awkward. She spoke up, “Brother Xi, we’ll head off now. Enjoy your meal.”

Brother Xi nodded. “Alright, let’s have a drink together later.”

Jiang Ciyi instinctively wanted to decline, but Cheng Xing quickly chimed in, “Drinking on an empty stomach isn’t great for you. Let’s wait until everyone’s had some food, then I’ll come toast you all.”

Jiang Ciyi’s lips twitched slightly.

Her alcohol tolerance?

No one else at the table knew, though.

They all assumed Cheng Xing, the carefree, party-loving heiress, must have an impressive tolerance for liquor.

Cheng Xing and Jiang Ciyi sat at a quiet corner table. Zhu Tao, back at his group’s table, kept glancing their way.

Cheng Xing gave him a brief, indifferent look before ignoring him.

Earlier, outside the restaurant, Zhu Tao had been snide and sarcastic, far from likable. If Brother Xi hadn’t stepped in to mediate, who knows what might have happened.

Jiang Ciyi, however, had handled it gracefully, greeting everyone calmly and singling out Zhu Tao. “Officer Zhu, if you have questions, you can ask Chief Lin. I’m sure she’d be happy to explain.”

Zhu Tao’s face had twisted like he’d swallowed something foul.

Brother Xi had immediately scolded him. “Zhu Tao, watch your mouth. Apologize to Xiao Jiang.”

“Sorry,” Zhu Tao muttered reluctantly, dragging out the word with a lazy, insolent tone. “I forgot, our Dr. Jiang is the golden child of Jianggang Police Station. Who am I to question her?”

“You can question.” Jiang Ciyi replied coolly. “Ask Chief Lin. You’ll get the answers you want.”

Zhu Tao was speechless.

Fuming, he rattled off a string of accented Cantonese. Without waiting for Brother Xi to reprimand him again, he waved a hand. “You guys catch up. I’m going to the bathroom.”

With the troublemaker gone, the tension eased.

They were all Jiang Ciyi’s former colleagues, but Cheng Xing didn’t know what to say and stayed quiet.

Yet, even after they entered the restaurant, Zhu Tao kept staring at their table. Cheng Xing met his gaze without backing down.

Then she felt something sharp poke her hand. Looking down, she saw it was a plastic-laminated menu.

Jiang Ciyi said calmly, “Stop looking at him. Order.”

Without turning, she knew it was Zhu Tao.

“I’ll have the tomato grilled fish and a bowl of rice.” Cheng Xing said quickly. “You want pumpkin porridge, right? Anything else? Maybe some assorted fried rice?”

“Sure.” Jiang Ciyi said.

She paused. “This place is known for its green peppercorn grilled fish. You can handle spicy.”

“No thanks,” Cheng Xing replied. “I’ll stick with the tomato one. If you want a bite, you can have some. But if it’s spicy, you can’t have any.”

Jiang Ciyi: “…Oh.”

She raised her hand to call the waiter to place their order.

As the waiter jotted it down, he smiled. “Business hasn’t been the same since you stopped coming.”

“It looks pretty good to me.” Jiang Ciyi said. “Every seat’s taken.”

“Eh, just a lucky night,” the waiter said, finishing the order. “Maybe they all knew you were coming and showed up early.”

Jiang Ciyi gave a helpless smile. “It’s been so long, and you’re still flattering me.”

“Flattering? It’s genuine praise,” the waiter said. “Without you, this place wouldn’t even be open.”

They chatted a bit more before the waiter hurried off.

Cheng Xing noticed he didn’t smile as warmly at other tables, quickly taking orders and dashing away.

Curious, she asked, “You know him well?”

Jiang Ciyi paused, thinking seriously for a moment. “Sort of.”

“He was here when the shop first opened,” she explained. “I was their first customer.”

“No wonder.” Cheng Xing muttered.

Jiang Ciyi didn’t catch it and asked, “What?”

Cheng Xing shrugged. “I said you seem right at home the moment you walked in.”

There was a unique sense of ease about her.

Whether meeting her old colleagues or the waiter, Jiang Ciyi carried a relaxed air Cheng Xing hadn’t seen before.

Jiang Ciyi pressed her lips together, not denying it.

At the other table, Zhu Tao was still staring. Brother Xi, sitting beside him, slapped the back of his neck.

Cheng Xing couldn’t help but laugh.

Jiang Ciyi handed her a pair of chopsticks. “Stop watching the drama.”

“How’d you know I was?” Cheng Xing asked.

“Zhu Tao’s stubborn.” Jiang Ciyi said. “Talks too much, holds grudges. No need to stoop to his level.”

“You two have history?”

“Sort of.”

“What?” Cheng Xing cupped her ear. “Spill.”

Just then, the grilled fish arrived. Cheng Xing carefully picked out the best part of the fish, meticulously removing the bones.

This type of fish had few bones, but they were trickier to remove.

As she worked, Jiang Ciyi said coolly, “He pursued me. I turned him down.”

Cheng Xing: “…”

After hearing this, Cheng Xing glanced at Zhu Tao again and commented, “You made the right call.”

Him, chasing Jiang Ciyi?

How did he even dare?

Where did that confidence come from?

Jiang Ciyi sipped her pumpkin porridge slowly, exuding a sense of calm tranquility.

After a while, Cheng Xing pushed her bowl toward her.

Jiang Ciyi looked at it, puzzled. Though she didn’t speak, her eyes asked, What’s this?

“It’s a portion you can eat.” Cheng Xing said. “This is all the fish you’re allowed today—any more isn’t good for you. I’ve removed the bones, but be careful not to choke.”

Her voice was gentle, her tone like a doctor’s—serious, precise, yet kind.

Jiang Ciyi stared at the neatly deboned, perfectly arranged fish in the bowl, lost in thought.

Cheng Xing, thinking she might be dissatisfied, added, “I haven’t used the chopsticks.”

“No.” Jiang Ciyi looked up, wanting to say something but stopping herself.

Finally, she just said, “Thanks.”

Cheng Xing’s tension eased. “No big deal.”

She then instructed Jiang Ciyi on the order to eat her meal, and Jiang Ciyi watched her intently.

Cheng Xing, feeling self-conscious, touched her face. “Is there something on me?”

Jiang Ciyi shook her head, looking at the deboned fish and suppressing the stirring in her heart. “No. Let’s eat.”

She picked up a piece of fish with her chopsticks.

She usually ordered the mildly spicy green peppercorn or vine pepper fish and had eaten here at least twenty times. This was her first time trying the tomato flavor.

Without the tomato broth, it tasted a bit bland.

As she thought this, Cheng Xing suddenly said, “Want some broth to soak it in? It’ll taste better.”

She scooped a bit of the red broth with a small spoon.

Jiang Ciyi froze for a moment.

Cheng Xing urged, “Eat before it gets cold.”

Looking at the bowl of fish, Jiang Ciyi’s eyes suddenly welled up.

…I miss Grandma.

Years ago, when she’d just started working and this restaurant had just opened, a murder case occurred there within two weeks.

It earned the nickname “cursed shop,” and business plummeted.

Jiang Ciyi, fresh off a shift, walked in.

No particular reason—she didn’t believe in superstitions.

If even she, who dealt with corpses daily, bought into that nonsense, what was the point of lawyers? Everyone might as well consult fortune-tellers.

What use would forensic experts like her be? They could all just pray to gods instead.

After eating there, the owner showered her with free dishes.

Later, when Jiang Ciyi got her first paycheck, she brought her grandma to the restaurant.

While Jiang Ciyi excitedly shared stories about her work at the police station, her grandma carefully deboned the best piece of fish and placed it in her bowl, murmuring, “Aci works so hard. Eat more.”

No one but her grandma had ever deboned fish for her.

She rarely ate fish with others and was used to being alone.

This sudden gesture caught her off guard.

Jiang Ciyi stole glances at Cheng Xing, who didn’t seem to think much of it.

It was as if she’d done it casually, not to impress her.

They’d eaten together many times before.

When Cheng Xing was fervently pursuing Jiang Ciyi, she’d show up at the police station in a different sports car every day, taking her to fancy restaurants with cuisines from around the world. Jiang Ciyi rejected her repeatedly at first, only relenting when she couldn’t refuse anymore. But every time, Cheng Xing would say in the car, “This is a flavor you’ve never tasted in your life.”

If Jiang Ciyi found a dish remotely impressive, Cheng Xing would look at her like she was some unsophisticated bumpkin. “Never seen the world, huh?”

Back then, Cheng Xing was lofty, her arrogance rooted in her privileged background.

Jiang Ciyi had chalked it up to the confidence her upbringing gave her.

She never imagined someone could be that bad.

But now, Cheng Xing’s eyes were like a clear spring, rippling with gentle warmth, without ulterior motives.

Or perhaps there were motives Jiang Ciyi couldn’t discern.

Still, her heart fluttered.

She suppressed it, eating more slowly.

Finally, she set down her spoon and wiped her lips with a napkin.

Cheng Xing looked up. “Full?”

“Yeah.” Jiang Ciyi subtly observed her, scanning her from head to toe before looking away.

Cheng Xing said naturally, “Wait for me a bit. I’ll finish quickly.”

“No rush.” Jiang Ciyi said. “Take your time.”

“We still need to toast them.” Cheng Xing said.

Jiang Ciyi frowned slightly. “It’s not necessary.”

Cheng Xing set down her chopsticks, wiped her lips, and called for the restaurant’s most expensive bottle of liquor. Smiling gently, she said, “It’s very necessary, Dr. Jiang.”

Oddly enough, when she called her “Dr. Jiang,” it carried a teasing tone, but Jiang Ciyi sensed a hint of flirtation.

Or maybe it was her imagination.

After saying this, Cheng Xing grabbed the bottle and headed over, instructing, “Play on your phone for a bit. I’ll come get you.”

She sounded like a parent leaving a child for a long trip.

Jiang Ciyi had never gotten this vibe from Cheng Xing before.

Usually, when they were together, Jiang Ciyi felt like she was watching an immature kid.

So she’d made peace with Cheng Xing’s haughty flaws.

Now, though, Cheng Xing walked steadily to the other table, set the bottle down, and poured a glass of baijiu. She toasted everyone, pausing at Zhu Tao. “Officer Zhu, I get that you’re having a rough patch lately, so we won’t hold what happened outside against you. Our Dr. Jiang is generous like that.”

Zhu Tao: “…?”

“What’s she got to hold against me?” Zhu Tao asked, confused.

Cheng Xing raised her glass. “Dr. Jiang’s big-hearted. Even if you’re petty and bitter because she rejected you before, she doesn’t take it personally. She’s too busy, even now when she’s not at the station, keeping up with social issues. She doesn’t have time for your little grudges.”

Zhu Tao: “…?”

Someone at the table couldn’t hold back a laugh.

Zhu Tao whipped his head around to glare, but the person glared back, egging him on. “Exactly, Zhu Tao, you’re a grown man with a heart smaller than a needle’s eye. Good thing Dr. Jiang doesn’t stoop to your level, or you’d be in Chief Lin’s office getting reamed out tomorrow.”

Zhu Tao, already tipsy, snapped, “Shut up.”

Cheng Xing finished her round of toasts, feeling a bit dizzy but holding her glass steady. “Alright, Officer Zhu, let bygones be bygones. Dr. Jiang will still work with you all in the future, and you’re all the great, admirable protectors of Jianggang’s people. So let’s put these petty things aside and take care of our Dr. Jiang going forward.”

She downed her glass in one go.

As she reached to pour another, a cool hand pressed against hers.

Jiang Ciyi’s voice was calm. “No more drinking.”

Her words carried a warmth that touched Cheng Xing. Looking down at her, Cheng Xing couldn’t resist patting her head. “Wait till I finish toasting, alright?”

After a moment, Jiang Ciyi let go.

Though seated in a wheelchair, no one dared underestimate her. She said simply, “Last glass.”

Cheng Xing patted her head again, smiling gently. “Okay.”