Transmigrated As The Villainous Scumbag Wife Of A Disabled Tycoon - Chapter 52
52
Jiang Ciyi could hardly describe the sensation.
Before she could say anything, Cheng Xing had already swiftly gotten out of the car, leaving only the tightly shut car door in response to her stunned expression.
She raised her hand to touch the spot where Cheng Xing had kissed her. It was slightly warm and moist, yet it seemed to carry a hint of coolness.
Surprisingly, she didn’t mind it.
Perhaps it was the perfectly intoxicating atmosphere in the confined space of the car that made her blurt out those words without thinking.
Truth be told, she couldn’t deny that she had been testing the waters.
Testing Cheng Xing, and testing herself.
She hadn’t expected Cheng Xing, who had always seemed timid, to actually go through with it and kiss her.
Jiang Ciyi closed her eyes. The sensation lingered in her mind, her throat tightening with a faint dryness. She took a deep breath to steady her emotions.
The next moment, Cheng Xing knocked on the car window and opened the door again, already back to her usual demeanor.
As if nothing had happened.
But her eyes avoided Jiang Ciyi’s.
Jiang Ciyi’s gaze followed Cheng Xing’s evasive eyes, cornering them with no escape. In the morning sunlight, Cheng Xing’s ears turned a faint crimson.
Jiang Ciyi couldn’t help but curve her lips into a smile.
“You’re going to be late for work,” Cheng Xing said, lowering her head. She reached out, slipping her arms under Jiang Ciyi’s back and knees, and lifted her onto the wheelchair with ease.
“Oh,” Jiang Ciyi replied, tapping her fingers thoughtfully on the metal armrest of the wheelchair.
In the quiet elevator, the floors ticked upward. From the reflection in the glass ahead, Jiang Ciyi could see Cheng Xing’s face.
She tilted her head to look at her, but Cheng Xing’s gaze darted away.
Gone was the boldness she had shown in the car.
Ding—
The elevator doors slid open. Jiang Ciyi spoke in a low voice, “Just now…”
“I had your permission,” Cheng Xing interrupted hurriedly, as if afraid Jiang Ciyi might scold her. She coughed lightly. “Besides, I just noticed some milk on your cheek.”
Jiang Ciyi: “…”
Her words caught in her throat. She let out a soft chuckle, her lips curving slightly before returning to their usual calm. “OK.”
Cheng Xing: “?”
That was it?
“Go to work,” Jiang Ciyi said, maneuvering her wheelchair. “You’re going to be late.”
Cheng Xing: “…”
On her way to the lab, Jiang Ciyi kept thinking about what had happened, so lost in thought that she didn’t even hear Xu Congshi calling her.
It wasn’t until Xu Congshi stood in front of her, blocking her path, that she snapped back to reality and looked up.
Xu Congshi waved a hand in front of her face, exasperated. “Miss Jiang, what are you thinking about? I called you three times.”
“Sorry,” Jiang Ciyi paused. “Is something up?”
“Nothing major. Just wondering if you’ve had breakfast,” Xu Congshi said. “I brought you something.”
“I’ve eaten,” Jiang Ciyi replied. “You keep it.”
“I’ve eaten too,” Xu Congshi said, then hesitated before asking, “The documents I gave you yesterday… did you look at them?”
Logically, Xu Congshi shouldn’t be so involved in her affairs or interfere too much.
But Xu Congshi genuinely hoped Jiang Ciyi would focus all her energy on the current experiment and not waste time on emotional matters.
“I looked at some of it,” Jiang Ciyi said. “Is there something I need to know?”
“Not exactly need, but you should keep your guard up.” Xu Congshi said.
Jiang Ciyi nodded. “Got it. Thanks.”
Xu Congshi wasn’t used to this compliant side of Jiang Ciyi. She froze for a couple of seconds before saying, “Don’t get in too deep.”
Jiang Ciyi gave a faint smile. “Do I look like I would?”
“You do,” Xu Congshi said. “Jiang Ciyi, you’re very smart. But be careful not to outsmart yourself.”
Jiang Ciyi met Xu Congshi’s gaze, trying to read something in her clear eyes.
But Xu Congshi only smiled at her. “Don’t worry, I won’t harm you.”
Jiang Ciyi was momentarily taken aback. “Thanks.”
She didn’t say more, steering her wheelchair back to her office. She pulled out the documents Xu Congshi had given her from beneath a stack of experimental data and began reading them again from the start.
Xu Congshi’s words just now had made her pause.
It was as if Xu Congshi had already seen through her calculations.
Jiang Ciyi flipped through the documents quickly. In less than ten minutes, she had read them twice.
The text she had skimmed over yesterday revealed Xu Congshi’s deeper meaning upon closer inspection today.
In high school, Cheng Xing had bullied other students on behalf of Su Manchun. When Su Manchun got close to someone else, Cheng Xing would harass and humiliate them, even driving some to drop out of school.
After Su Manchun went abroad, while Cheng Xing was pursuing Jiang Ciyi, she was also entangled with multiple others.
From her school days, Cheng Xing had been an undeniable troublemaker.
Xu Congshi was reminding her that no matter how much a person changes, such a drastic transformation in a short time is unlikely.
If it happens, there’s only one possibility—pretense.
For some ulterior motive.
But what could that motive be?
Jiang Ciyi was also grateful that, because her grandmother didn’t understand many things and no one had ever made decisions for her growing up, she had developed the ability to think independently.
She didn’t trust anyone.
Not Cheng Xing, nor Xu Congshi.
She only trusted her own judgment.
Jiang Ciyi rested her hand on the documents, warm sunlight streaming onto her face. Her phone was playing the recording from the car this morning.
She listened to every word Cheng Xing had said again, trying to break free from her usual thought patterns to feel the person anew.
From an outsider’s perspective—
Was Cheng Xing really who she seemed to be?
When the recording finished, Jiang Ciyi replayed it, listening again to Cheng Xing’s words: “You let me kiss you. Your face is so soft.”
The trembling in her voice carried both nervousness and excitement.
Jiang Ciyi’s lips curved unconsciously.
She pressed her hand to her mouth to smooth her smile. Her phone vibrated slightly—Zheng Shuqing had sent her a message: [Jiangjiang, are you going to the class reunion this Sunday?]
Jiang Ciyi stared at the screen and replied decisively: [Not going.]
Zheng Shuqing sent a voice message: “Our classmate Luo Li and Jia Zhencheng are getting married next month and want to hand out invitations. Luo Li specifically asked me to invite you, saying you didn’t pass her WeChat friend request. Back then, she was one of the few who looked out for you. So…”
Jiang Ciyi still wanted to refuse, but Zheng Shuqing continued, “I told Jia Zhencheng, but she said if you don’t go, everyone will show up at Tinglan Mansion to hang out with you… The Jia family has business ties with the Cheng family, so they probably want your help. They all know you married into a wealthy family and are eager to cozy up to you. Just go, show them up, and make them regret looking down on you back then.”
Jiang Ciyi: […]
She didn’t enjoy these kinds of events.
Especially after the car accident, whenever she saw old classmates or friends, they would look at her with pitying eyes and offer insincere words of concern.
Behind her back, who knew what kind of mocking comments they made.
Zheng Shuqing: [I told the group you’d go and added you to the chat, okay?]
A new group named “Mingyi High School Class of 2010 Reunion” appeared in Jiang Ciyi’s WeChat.
People in the group started tagging her: [@CY, HKU, I added you, please accept.]
[@CY, pretty lady, accept my friend request too.]
[@CY, long time no talk, HKU.]
[…]
CY was Jiang Ciyi’s WeChat name, with a black-and-white profile picture of a hand-drawn, scribbled black dog.
It was a stray dog she had once taken in.
Years later, these people still weren’t exactly kind to her.
Her friend request list was full, but Jiang Ciyi didn’t accept any of them or reply in the group.
Zheng Shuqing messaged her privately: [These people are just opportunists. Knowing you married into the Cheng family, they all want to use you to get close to them.]
Jiang Ciyi: [I know. I’m busy.]
Zheng Shuqing: [OK, muah.]
Jiang Ciyi didn’t reply.
During school, Zheng Shuqing was a hardcore otaku, from a middle-class family, with a small circle of friends and little interaction with others in the class.
She was someone who thrived in her own world but didn’t pay much attention to class affairs.
Jiang Ciyi only got close to her in their senior year when they happened to sit together.
Jiang Ciyi had expected Zheng Shuqing to shun her like her previous deskmates, but instead, Zheng Shuqing placed a box of chocolates on her desk and said enthusiastically, “Top student, you’ve got to look out for me! Maybe share some of your smarts with me. These are from my dad’s business trip—have some!”
Zheng Shuqing was like her name, bringing a comfortable sunny day into Jiang Ciyi’s world.
Back then, Jiang Ciyi was occasionally locked in the girls’ bathroom, left there for hours.
Or someone would dump a bucket of water on her while she walked.
Sometimes, after school, she’d be dragged into an alley where a group of older girls would point and laugh at her. She had to stay silent, or they’d pull her hair or slap her.
Of course, those incidents didn’t happen every day.
Jiang Ciyi didn’t know who she had offended.
It felt like the whole world was against her.
Then Zheng Shuqing burst into her life, saying she wanted to be her friend.
For a while, Jiang Ciyi genuinely saw her as a close confidante, sharing her struggles and dreams. When Zheng Shuqing heard about the bullying, she slammed the desk, saying she’d call the police and bring those people to justice.
But one day, when Jiang Ciyi was dragged into that alley again after school, she sent an emergency text to Zheng Shuqing.
In her peripheral vision, she saw Zheng Shuqing walking outside the alley. Their eyes met.
But Zheng Shuqing was pulled away by her other friends.
It was just an ordinary Thursday.
Clear skies, not a cloud in sight.
Yet Jiang Ciyi’s world was drenched in a downpour.
The next day, Zheng Shuqing asked if she was okay. Jiang Ciyi directly asked why she hadn’t called the police or come looking for her.
Zheng Shuqing’s eyes darted away, and she apologized quietly, “I’m sorry. My dad has business with Lu Qi’s family. I can’t afford to offend her.”
That was when Jiang Ciyi learned that the leader of the group bullying her was named Lu Qi.
Jiang Ciyi didn’t blame Zheng Shuqing. She continued sitting with her, talking to her, letting her copy her homework.
But she never made another request of Zheng Shuqing.
When Jiang Ciyi visited Zheng Shuqing’s home, her parents were kind to her, but Jiang Ciyi never let her guard down again.
She never dared trust anyone again.
Perhaps carefree Zheng Shuqing had forgotten the incident, which was why she enthusiastically invited Jiang Ciyi to the reunion, hoping she’d show up in style after all these years to put those who looked down on her in their place and vent some old grudges.
But Jiang Ciyi had no such intentions.
Still, Zheng Shuqing was right—Luo Li was one of the few in their class who had been decent to her.
She could give her that courtesy.
After dropping Jiang Ciyi off, Cheng Xing sat in the car, resting her head on the steering wheel and banging it lightly twice.
…She regretted it so much.
It was her first time kissing someone, and it was a woman.
Though it was her nominal wife, Cheng Xing knew there was no love between them.
But earlier, she had undeniably kissed her cheek.
So soft, like freshly baked bread.
Cheng Xing calmed herself for a long time. Checking her phone and realizing she was about to be late, she quickly started the car and headed to the company, pushing aside her chaotic thoughts.
But she was distracted all day. She urged Xu Jingcheng again, only to get a reply: [That person left the country last minute. I flew overseas last night to track them down, but who knows if I’ll find them.]
Cheng Xing: “…”
Her workday went much like the previous one.
Cheng Xing left with Daisy on time, sitting in the evaluation room with her copied forms, earnestly assessing each candidate.
During their trio’s meeting, Cheng Xing shamelessly joined them, staying silent to avoid annoying anyone, just listening as they analyzed and set development paths for the day’s interviewees.
After a busy day, Cheng Xing went to pick up Jiang Ciyi on time.
But sitting in the car, she froze, unprepared to face her.
The morning’s scene replayed in her mind endlessly.
Cheng Xing played two rounds of a puzzle game in the car before starting the engine.
When she saw Jiang Ciyi, she was downstairs chatting with Xu Congshi about something.
Xu Congshi, accommodating her, was half-squatting to speak at her level, leaning closer when the conversation got animated.
Cheng Xing got out of the car, stood by it, and called out in the breeze, “Jiang Ciyi.”
Xu Congshi’s voice stopped abruptly as she glanced over.
Cheng Xing walked over unhurriedly, taking hold of Jiang Ciyi’s wheelchair and greeting Xu Congshi, “Hello.”
There was a subtle air of claiming her territory.
Xu Congshi nodded back. “Hello.”
“Are you two done chatting?” Cheng Xing asked proactively.
Xu Congshi slipped her hands into the pockets of her white lab coat. “Just finished.”
“Have you eaten?” Cheng Xing asked. “Want to join us for dinner, senior?”
Xu Congshi looked at her polished demeanor, beginning to doubt the information in the documents she had.
She and Cheng Xing were distant relatives—her aunt was Cheng Xing’s aunt—but they weren’t close.
They only vaguely knew each other’s names.
But Xu Congshi had heard of Cheng Xing’s notorious reputation.
In their social circle, even though Xu Congshi didn’t mingle much, gossip still reached her.
The Cheng Xing in front of her seemed completely different from the past.
“No, thanks,” Xu Congshi said, sizing her up discreetly. “I won’t disturb your couple’s time. I’ll head out.”
“We’ll treat you another day, then,” Cheng Xing said with a gentle smile. “Drive safely.”
Xu Congshi: “…”
She nodded calmly. “Sure.”
As she left, she kept glancing back, trying to spot a flaw in Cheng Xing.
But Cheng Xing only bent down to ask Jiang Ciyi, “Hungry? What do you want to eat tonight?”
Jiang Ciyi turned her face slightly, saying softly, “It’s cold. How about hotpot?”
Cheng Xing agreed, “Sure.”
Xu Congshi overheard their conversation—mundane topics, no embellishments, their tones calm.
Yet somehow, it carried a sense of quiet contentment.
A gust of wind blew.
Cheng Xing took off her jacket and draped it over Jiang Ciyi, sniffing slightly. “I checked the weather this morning—low of eight degrees. No one told me eight degrees would feel this cold.”
“It’s probably still ten degrees now,” Jiang Ciyi said. “It’ll drop to eight overnight.”
“God, this temperature is so unfriendly,” Cheng Xing said. “I’ll prepare a coat for you tomorrow. Is your lab cold?”
“It’s fine.”
“Our office was warm today. I only wore a T-shirt.”
“That’s warmer than ours, then.”
“…”
They chatted casually as they moved away, Xu Congshi pausing to look back at their receding figures.
Cheng Xing, in a thin base layer, pushed Jiang Ciyi forward, their shadows under the streetlights nearly overlapping.
Their voices, carried by the wind, faded in and out.
Xu Congshi suddenly felt a fleeting urge to fall in love.
…
The thought flashed through her mind, nearly making her slap herself.
Her experiments were stalled—how could she even think about romance?!
Scientists didn’t deserve it.
But… for a moment, she genuinely thought Cheng Xing and Jiang Ciyi were a good match.
There was a gentle, magnetic harmony between them.
Gentle?
Xu Congshi was startled by her own thought.
Neither of these two could be described as gentle.
She rubbed her temples, thinking she must have spent too long in the lab, her mind muddled with absurd ideas.
Shaking her head to clear the clutter, she checked her phone and saw another message from her mom.
[Mommy: Sweetie, are you really not going to meet her? What if she’s a beautiful girl?]
Xu Congshi: […No.]
[Mommy: This is the engagement your grandpa arranged. He said if you meet her and don’t like her, he’ll swallow his pride and call it off. But if you don’t even meet her, he’s coming to your lab.]
Xu Congshi: [!]
She typed back while walking, “Mommy, can you all respect my choices? What era is this, and you’re still playing the arranged marriage card? You’re driving me crazy.”
Xu Congshi: “Did Mom agree to this?”
A saccharine voice came through, “Funny thing—Mom’s the mastermind behind it. If she’d hit it off with Gu Ling back then, Grandpa would’ve fulfilled his promise to his war buddy. But she fell head over heels for me, so I had to rebel with her.”
Xu Congshi: “…”
Fresh off a dose of PDA, here came another.
Xu Congshi thought she was used to her moms’ lovey-dovey antics, but she still got a faceful.
Standing alone in the chilly street wind after leaving the lab, she felt particularly isolated.
Worst of all, her own mom had sold her out!!
Xu Congshi: [Fine, you two get divorced, and let Mom marry that Gu Ling first.]
Her mom’s call came through instantly. Xu Congshi picked up, “What?”
“Xu Congshi, have you been away from home so long you forgot what your mommy looks like?” Her mom dropped the sweet tone, sounding menacing. “Some filial daughter you are, encouraging your mom to divorce.”
Xu Congshi let out an “oh.” “You wouldn’t divorce anyway.”
Her moms had been inseparable since she was a kid, and even now, they were glued to each other.
The Earth could explode, and they still wouldn’t split.
Xu Congshi complained again about the arranged engagement, ready to follow her mom’s rebellious path. “If it comes to it, I’ll have kids someday. If gender’s an issue, I’ll have one of each, a boy and a girl, and we’ll marry them into Gu’s family. I can’t be her wife, but I could be her in-law.”
Her mom: “…”
Five seconds of silence followed as Xu Congshi got into her car, turned on the heater, and played a random song.
It was a drama OST.
The singer’s voice was gentle yet carried a fitting strength.
“Xu Congshi! You’re meeting her whether you like it or not! Otherwise, I’ll hang myself at your lab door!” her mom roared.
Xu Congshi: “…”
The call ended. Xu Congshi sent a message to her other mom: [Mom, control your wife. She’s lost it.]
Mom: [You’re badmouthing my wife? Blocked.]
Xu Congshi: [?]
The message didn’t send, a red exclamation mark appearing on the screen.
Xu Congshi: “…”
Damn.
The song hit its climax.
“How do I embrace the homeless you
How do I warm you
I want to hold you, yet keep my distance
But tonight, I selfishly want to have you”
Xu Congshi scoffed, “Sappy nonsense!”
She glanced at the singer’s name: Gu Qingfeng.
Surname Gu.
Bad luck!
She switched the song, but the next one’s voice wasn’t as good.
At the next intersection, Xu Congshi switched back.
Cheng Xing hadn’t heard back from Xu Jingcheng for two days. As the days passed, the three-month deadline loomed closer.
By Friday night, she had to take a risky move.
Before bed, she went to the kitchen to heat a glass of milk for Jiang Ciyi, mixing in some pre-ground sleep aid powder, then brought it upstairs and handed it to her.
Jiang Ciyi was still watching Spring Court Evening.
Since starting work, her time was limited, and she could only watch a few episodes a day, three at most.
Cheng Xing held the milk to Jiang Ciyi’s lips. Jiang Ciyi glanced up at her. “Thanks.”
Her teeth nearly clinked against the glass.
“No problem,” Cheng Xing said. She’d been bringing Jiang Ciyi hot milk every morning, and now she’d started heating a cup for her at night too.
Jiang Ciyi’s health was poor, and she needed nourishment in every way.
Dietary supplements were the most subtle approach.
Cheng Xing had given her prepared meal plan to Sister Zhou, who followed it for all three meals. The maid prepared Jiang Ciyi’s lunch each morning to take to the lab, ready in just two minutes in the microwave.
Cheng Xing glanced at her screen, saying casually, “Gu Qingfeng’s coming to our place to shoot tomorrow. Want to go down and watch?”
“Depends,” Jiang Ciyi said. “I’m not really interested in that stuff.”
“Mm,” Cheng Xing nodded. “We’ll see tomorrow morning. Sister Zhou will handle everything. I’m kinda curious if Gu Qingfeng looks as good in person as on screen.”
“You can go check it out,” Jiang Ciyi said, finishing her milk and setting the glass aside, her tone calm.
Cheng Xing took the glass, then added suddenly, “But I still think you’re prettier than Gu Qingfeng.”
Jiang Ciyi paused, her lips curling into a faint smile. “Damage control?”
“From the heart,” Cheng Xing said.
There was no one supervising at home, and Jiang Ciyi hadn’t mentioned sleeping separately, so Cheng Xing didn’t bring it up.
Since she was treating Jiang Ciyi’s leg, sharing a room was convenient.
At eleven, Jiang Ciyi’s eyelids were drooping. She yawned, turned off her phone, and closed her eyes, mumbling groggily, “So sleepy.”
Cheng Xing, beside her, coaxed softly, “Sleep.”
Half an hour later, Cheng Xing waved a hand in front of her face to confirm she was asleep. Then she quietly took out the prepared silver needles from the drawer.
She sat on the bed, lifted the blanket, and gently held Jiang Ciyi’s ankle.
It was so pale it was almost dazzling, momentarily throwing her thoughts into disarray.