Transmigrated As The Villainous Scumbag Wife Of A Disabled Tycoon - Chapter 66

66

“Don’t you want to give Wang Tingwan the truth she deserves?” Xu Zhaozhao picked up the coffee in front of her, taking a delicate sip. “Or is it that, in your heart, Cheng Xing is now more important than Wang Tingwan?”

Jiang Ciyi’s tone was cold. “That’s none of your business.”

She desperately wanted to uncover the truth for Wang Tingwan. In fact, for a long time after Wang Tingwan’s death, after performing her autopsy, Jiang Ciyi would dream of her every few days during fleeting moments of sleep.

Performing an autopsy on someone she knew was a grueling test.

Jiang Ciyi tried her best to stay calm, but she couldn’t overcome the emotional barrier.

Even though she was seasoned in the dissection room, after finishing Wang Tingwan’s autopsy, she rushed to the bathroom and vomited until her stomach churned with acid.

After vomiting, she began to cry—starting with soft sobs, then biting her lip as she whimpered, her tears stinging her cheeks.

Those days were something Jiang Ciyi didn’t want to revisit. But to use those events as leverage for a deal? She couldn’t do it.

“Even if Cheng Xing divorces me, there’s still Su Manchun.” Jiang Ciyi said. “Do you think you can compete with Su Manchun’s place in her heart?”

Xu Zhaozhao didn’t care about that at the moment. It was as if a voice was whispering to her—if Jiang Ciyi disappeared, she would surely win Cheng Xing.

She wanted her “Sister Xing” back the way things used to be.

When Su Manchun was around, Sister Xing was never cold to her, never gave her the icy glares she did now.

If Jiang Ciyi vanished, everything would be fine.

Her career, her love, her life…

Yes, that’s how it would be.

Xu Zhaozhao finished her coffee. “That’s not your concern. I’m only offering you this deal.”

“I respectfully decline.” Jiang Ciyi said, maneuvering her wheelchair to leave.

Xu Zhaozhao stood up and chased after her. “Jiang Ciyi!”

“Hmm?” Jiang Ciyi let out a lazy hum, casual and indifferent, yet carrying an unapproachable distance.

The night breeze in Jianggang was chilly, especially after the temperature dropped. Jiang Ciyi hadn’t worn a jacket when she came downstairs, so as soon as she left the café, she shivered, squinting slightly at Xu Zhaozhao.

Xu Zhaozhao was instantly provoked. “Why do you always have to go against me?”

Her voice wasn’t quiet—it was almost a hoarse scream. Jiang Ciyi, however, calmly reminded her, “You’re a public figure, and you’ve been in the spotlight lately. Are you sure you want to make a scene in public?”

Xu Zhaozhao clenched her fists, standing rooted to the spot.

Jiang Ciyi spoke unhurriedly, “Xu Zhaozhao, if I were you, I’d take what you have and make a deal with Cheng Zijing. With his abilities, protecting the current you would be easy. But you insist on coming to me for Cheng Xing, playing a good hand so poorly. Love…”

She paused. “Or rather, is Cheng Xing really that important?”

Jiang Ciyi didn’t understand.

She had hinted to Xu Zhaozhao in every way possible.

But Xu Zhaozhao seemed possessed, fixated on Cheng Xing and nothing else.

If you said she prioritized her career, she hadn’t achieved much there.

If you said she valued love, she was still at odds with Cheng Xing.

In the end, she was stuck in a lose-lose situation.

Back in high school, she was like this—always living… twisted.

Jiang Ciyi found the word “twisted” perfectly suited Xu Zhaozhao.

They had known each other for a long time, and though Jiang Ciyi disliked her, she wasn’t cruel enough to kick her when she was down, mocked by the entire internet during her career’s lowest point.

Since the deal didn’t work out, Jiang Ciyi didn’t linger. She waited for the green light at the crosswalk and moved with the crowd.

Occasionally, someone walking quickly would glance back at her curiously.

Jiang Ciyi was used to such gazes and would sometimes return a polite smile.

It made others feel embarrassed.

What she didn’t see was Xu Zhaozhao standing still, tears welling in her eyes, biting her lip until it nearly bled, staring at Jiang Ciyi’s retreating figure as if she wanted to burn a hole through her back.

After a moment, Xu Zhaozhao’s hand, hanging at her side, curled into a fist. She took out her phone, dialed a number, and said coldly, “Do it.”

Jiang Ciyi glanced at her watch, which coincidentally notified her that she had completed her daily exercise goal.

It was almost laughable—she hadn’t even stood up to move, just maneuvered her wheelchair around, yet her watch dutifully reminded her every day.

Sometimes it even told her she’d been sitting too long and should get up to move.

Jiang Ciyi would tsk helplessly, thinking to herself with a wry smile, I’d love to get up and move.

Since the car accident, she, who never much liked exercise before, found herself longing to run an 800-meter race.

Back in school, she used to think running 800 meters for a fitness test was worse than being paralyzed. But now, confined to a wheelchair, her perspective had shifted entirely.

Lost in her thoughts, Jiang Ciyi turned off the watch’s notification, calculated the time, and prepared to head upstairs to grab a jacket and wait for Cheng Xing to pick her up. But as she maneuvered her wheelchair into the lab building, someone struck her on the back of her head.

The blow was so sudden she had no time to react. Her vision went black, and she slumped forward.

At the last moment, someone caught her. Her eyelids fluttered, catching only a glimpse of a black-clad figure with just a pair of eyes visible.

Then she passed out completely.

When Jiang Ciyi woke up, she was in a car—a sports car speeding along an endless road.

The azure coastline stretched to the horizon, the lighthouse’s faint yellow glow illuminating waves that churned up fine sand, with no end in sight. The tire noise was so loud it irritated her ears.

But the most uncomfortable part was that she was tied to the passenger seat, her wrists aching from struggling against the ropes. And in the driver’s seat was Xu Zhaozhao, whom she had just seen.

Realizing she couldn’t break free, Jiang Ciyi stopped struggling and calmly scanned her surroundings, trying to determine her location.

But Jianggang had too many places like this. They drove for a while without passing any notable landmarks, making it hard to judge.

She didn’t speak to Xu Zhaozhao first, instead calmly taking in the scenery.

Xu Zhaozhao was the first to lose patience, almost gritting her teeth as she asked, “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“What do you want me to say?” Jiang Ciyi countered.

“Don’t you realize your situation?” Xu Zhaozhao said.

Jiang Ciyi glanced down. Xu Zhaozhao had even tied her immobile legs—quite thorough.

“Kidnapping?” Jiang Ciyi raised an eyebrow. “I get it.”

Her tone was so calm, it was as if she weren’t the one being kidnapped.

Xu Zhaozhao slammed on the brakes, stopping the car on the roadside. Jiang Ciyi’s body lurched forward from inertia, but thanks to the ropes Xu Zhaozhao had tied, she didn’t hit her forehead.

Xu Zhaozhao, sitting in the driver’s seat, nearly banged her head on the steering wheel, which only made her angrier.

“Aren’t you scared?” Xu Zhaozhao glared at her. “I’ve lost everything now. Killing you wouldn’t matter.”

“Scared,” Jiang Ciyi said calmly. “Scared to death.”

“Then why aren’t you begging me?” Xu Zhaozhao asked.

“If I beg you, will you let me go?”

“Depends on my mood.”

Jiang Ciyi stared at her for a moment. The car’s interior was dimly lit, revealing only Xu Zhaozhao’s haggard face. Despite heavy foundation, the dark circles under her eyes were still visible.

Xu Zhaozhao grew uncomfortable under her gaze and snapped, “What are you looking at?”

“Your mood,” Jiang Ciyi said with a light chuckle. “You don’t seem in a good mood, so you probably won’t let me go. No point in begging.”

“You!” Xu Zhaozhao was furious, choked by her retort. “Still as annoying as ever!”

“Likewise,” Jiang Ciyi replied.

Back in their first year of high school, when they were in the same class, Xu Zhaozhao had already disliked Jiang Ciyi.

She never imagined they’d cross paths again, and in such a coincidental way.

Xu Zhaozhao started the car again, driving to a desolate area with a large abandoned warehouse.

The car pulled into the warehouse. It was pitch black inside, with only the sound of relentless waves crashing, as if they could sweep them away at any moment.

Xu Zhaozhao got out first, took a camping lantern from the trunk, and turned it on. She locked Jiang Ciyi in the car and called Cheng Xing.

When Cheng Xing received Xu Zhaozhao’s call, she was about to ask Cheng Zijing for help. An unexpected overtime and traffic jam had delayed her, and by the time she arrived, Jiang Ciyi was gone.

Jiang Ciyi’s phone was off, and her colleagues said she had left the building an hour earlier.

Sister Zhou said Jiang Ciyi hadn’t returned home, and Xu Congshi also hadn’t seen her.

Later, a security guard at the building told her he’d seen Jiang Ciyi, in her wheelchair, heading to the café across the street and returning shortly after.

Since Xu Congshi had specifically asked him to keep an eye on Jiang Ciyi, he paid extra attention.

But after she returned, he hadn’t kept watch, and she vanished.

Cheng Xing checked the surveillance footage and saw Jiang Ciyi being knocked out and taken away. Combined with the guard’s account, she went to the café across the street and demanded to see their footage.

The café owner was reluctant, and it took a lot of arguing and a police report to get access.

The responding officer happened to be Brother Xi. After Cheng Xing explained the situation concisely, considering Jiang Ciyi’s physical condition, Brother Xi treated it as a missing person case. But then Cheng Xing saw that the person who met Jiang Ciyi was Xu Zhaozhao.

Alarm bells rang in Cheng Xing’s mind as Xu Zhaozhao’s recent odd behavior flooded her thoughts.

The police immediately treated it as a kidnapping case, and given Jiang Ciyi’s special circumstances, it was escalated to urgent status.

They quickly checked road surveillance, but the car that took Jiang Ciyi had fake plates and took several unmonitored backroads, switching vehicles multiple times. The trail went cold halfway through.

Recalling Xu Zhaozhao’s earlier words, Cheng Xing thought she might contact Cheng Zijing about Wang Tingwan’s case.

Then Xu Zhaozhao’s call came.

Xu Zhaozhao didn’t waste time, getting straight to the point. “Sister Xing, I want to see you. Just you.”

“You could come to me directly. Why take Jiang Ciyi?” Cheng Xing asked.

Her phone was already being monitored by the police, with several officers around her holding their breath, careful not to make a sound.

Xu Zhaozhao gave a bitter laugh. “If I didn’t take her, would you meet me?”

Cheng Xing: “…”

“What do you want?” Cheng Xing asked. “Where’s Jiang Ciyi? What did you do to her?”

“I hate her. I’ve hated her since high school.” Xu Zhaozhao sneered. “Always acting superior, cold and arrogant, coming from a poor family yet looking down on everyone. But somehow, everyone I like likes her! Why?! Just because she’s pretty?! Fine, I’ll ruin her face. Then you won’t like her anymore, right?”

By the end, Xu Zhaozhao’s voice trembled with excitement.

Her drawn-out tone sounded disturbingly unhinged yet thrilled. “Sister Xing, tell me, if she’s crippled and ugly, would you still stay with her?”

“Then think about this—if you do that, could I ever be with you?” Cheng Xing’s mind raced, searching for a way to defuse the situation, careful not to provoke Xu Zhaozhao further as she was clearly spiraling.

“But if I don’t do this, would you be with me?” Xu Zhaozhao asked.

Cheng Xing: “…”

“It’s possible,” Cheng Xing said against her will. “Let me hear Jiang Ciyi’s voice first. I need to know she’s safe.”

Xu Zhaozhao sneered. “She’s alive. Perfectly fine.”

“But I don’t know when she might not be.” Xu Zhaozhao opened the car door and put the phone on speaker. “Say something to her.”

Jiang Ciyi had been resting with her eyes closed. She glanced at Xu Zhaozhao against the light, seeing the phone screen’s contact name: Sister Xing.

“Cheng Xing?” Jiang Ciyi asked.

Cheng Xing responded nervously, “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine,” Jiang Ciyi said, pursing her lips. “Just didn’t bring a jacket, so I’m a bit cold. It’s damp here, and the smell’s making me a little nauseous.”

“Your cold hasn’t healed yet.” Cheng Xing said.

Then Brother Xi placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. Cheng Xing immediately realized—Jiang Ciyi was giving her clues.

Following her lead, Cheng Xing asked, “Are you smelling the sea?”

“Enough!” Xu Zhaozhao put the phone aside and taped Jiang Ciyi’s mouth shut.

“Sister Xing, I’m not an idiot,” Xu Zhaozhao said. “I’ll send you the location. Just come. I won’t hurt Jiang Ciyi. But if you bring the police or Brother Zijing, I don’t know what I might do.”

Her voice was cold yet carried an odd tenderness. “Come, and the three of us can talk.”

Cheng Xing: “…”

She’s insane!

Cheng Xing found Xu Zhaozhao’s proposal absurd but had no choice but to go.

The location Xu Zhaozhao sent was a seaside spot outside Jianggang city limits. The police coordinated with local forces to send more officers but were cautious not to alert her.

After discussion, they decided Cheng Xing would go to the meeting while the police set up nearby, waiting for the right moment to act.

Cheng Xing sped down the empty highway at 180 kilometers per hour, her legs trembling when she stopped the car, more intense than any race she’d driven at Wangqing Mountain.

The abandoned warehouse stood in the dark, a faint glow inside like a lighthouse in the night.

Cheng Xing parked outside, scanned the surroundings, and saw no notable landmarks but sent her location to Xi Ge.

She had a satellite tracking chip on her back, connected to the police.

For safety, she kept her phone in hand, with another hidden in her jacket’s inner pocket.

As she entered, Xu Zhaozhao was taking selfies with her phone, the camping lantern’s light growing dim.

Cheng Xing frowned. “Where’s Jiang Ciyi?”

Xu Zhaozhao smiled. “In the car, of course. Sister Xing, are you sure you only want to talk about Jiang Ciyi?”

“What else is there to talk about?” Cheng Xing countered.

“Wang Tingwan,” Xu Zhaozhao said. “And our marriage.”

“Look.” Xu Zhaozhao pulled a document from the car. “This is a divorce agreement. You and Jiang Ciyi sign it, put your fingerprints on it, and your marriage is over.”

Cheng Xing was baffled. “That’s it?”

She went through all this for that?

“Of course not.” Xu Zhaozhao took out another document. “This is a marriage agreement. Let’s sign it and get married, Sister Xing.”

Cheng Xing: “…”

She was speechless.

Was Xu Zhaozhao lovesick?

“Think about it. I’d never betray you.” Xu Zhaozhao pulled out a sealed file. “This is evidence of you contacting Scar Brother. Sign, and I’ll burn it. No one will know Wang Tingwan’s case is tied to you. Everyone wins, right?”

“Why?” Cheng Xing asked seriously.

Xu Zhaozhao froze.

“You’re the Cheng family’s daughter. You could marry countless suitable people who’d treat you well and match your status. Choosing me isn’t your best option—it’s the worst,” Cheng Xing said. “If you stop now, I can ask Big Brother to help clear up the online news.”

“It’s useless,” Xu Zhaozhao said. “The golden PR window has passed. In everyone’s eyes, I’m just a fame-chasing villain. Since I’m already bad, I’ll be bad to the end… hehe.”

Xu Zhaozhao suddenly laughed, her white teeth gleaming, sending chills down the spine.

“So what are you going to do?” Cheng Xing asked.

“Make you divorce her, obviously.” Xu Zhaozhao said, getting into the car. “Think about it. I’ll wait for your answer.”

Cheng Xing quickly signed the divorce agreement and the other document, passing them to Xu Zhaozhao through the car window. “I signed. Let Jiang Ciyi go.”

Xu Zhaozhao hadn’t expected her to decide so quickly. Then she smirked coldly. “You’d sacrifice this much for her?”

Cheng Xing: “…”

“I hope you won’t be so extreme,” Cheng Xing said. “We can talk this out, work things through.”

Xu Zhaozhao stared at her, then glanced at Jiang Ciyi, her eyes brimming with growing disgust.

“Sister Xing, if she and I both fell into the water, who would you save first?” Xu Zhaozhao asked.

Cheng Xing: “?”

Obviously, Jiang Ciyi!

“I’d save whoever’s closer,” Cheng Xing said, trying to calm her. “Don’t be impulsive. Really, there’s more to life than love. You don’t have to be so drastic…”

Before she finished, Xu Zhaozhao started the car, her lips curling into a sinister smile. “Really?”

“Let’s see.” Xu Zhaozhao floored the gas, the car spinning rapidly in the warehouse, leaving a long black tire mark.

Cheng Xing was stunned as Xu Zhaozhao drove straight out, stopping toward the sea. She opened the panoramic sunroof and lowered the windows, shouting, “Sister Xing, you really won’t love me?”

Cheng Xing stood in the cold wind, her clothes clinging to her body. She caught Jiang Ciyi’s gaze and shook her head, signaling her not to provoke Xu Zhaozhao.

“I’m willing,” Cheng Xing said. “But you have to give me time to prepare.”

“I’m done waiting!” Xu Zhaozhao laughed hysterically. “I hate this! I hate you both! I hate Jiang Ciyi! I hate the Cheng family! I wish everyone would just die.”

Cheng Xing didn’t know how things had spiraled so irretrievably, but before she could say more, Xu Zhaozhao ripped the tape off Jiang Ciyi’s mouth, tearing off a layer of skin and drawing bl00d.

“Jiang Ciyi.” Cheng Xing called out.

“I’m fine.” Jiang Ciyi said.

“You two are really…” Xu Zhaozhao glared at Jiang Ciyi with hatred. “What makes you better than me? Why?! I hate you! Go die—”

She floored the gas, the engine roaring as the car plunged into the sea.

In an instant, water flooded in.

It happened so fast Cheng Xing couldn’t react. As the car hit the water, it swerved, as if Xu Zhaozhao hesitated and tried to steer back.

But as the sea poured in, a thought flashed through Xu Zhaozhao’s mind: What am I doing? This isn’t worth it.

The water gave her no time to think, engulfing her.

The moment the car submerged, the immense pressure felt like it was tearing her organs apart.

She suddenly remembered the day she met Cheng Xing at sixteen.

Her parents had just died, and she entered the Cheng family, seeing a girl with a radiant smile who extended a hand and said, “Hi, I’m Cheng Xing.”

Xu Zhaozhao softly said, “I’m Zhaozhao.”

“Does that make you my little sister?” Cheng Xing said. “Then I’ll protect you.”

From then on, Cheng Xing became her guardian.

But somehow, she had lost everything.

All taken by someone named Jiang Ciyi, so she should hate her.

Yet in the moment her eyes closed, a fleeting will to survive surged, and she wondered how she’d ended up here.

…There seemed to be no reason.

Her initial plan to kidnap Jiang Ciyi and bring her here was a sudden impulse, as if guided by some unseen force.

It was as if her existence was solely to kidnap and kill Jiang Ciyi.

She was so tired.

Her body sank deeper…

At dawn, Jianggang’s best private hospital cleared its most advanced operating room, with doctors on standby for the ambulance.

Soon, a soaked patient was brought in.

After a full night of surgery, the doors of two operating rooms opened almost simultaneously.

Xu Zhaozhao’s lead surgeon removed their mask and said solemnly, “I’m sorry, we did our best.”

Jiang Ciyi’s lead surgeon shook their head. “The patient needs another surgery. I need an assistant.”

Cheng Xing asked who, and the surgeon named someone: “Qin Shuang.”

Cheng Xing hadn’t heard the name but agreed immediately. “I’ll find her. Please, you have to save her.”

“I’ll do my best,” the surgeon said.

Cheng Xing called Cheng Zimo for help, who paused before saying, “That’s your sister-in-law’s cousin.”

“That’s quite a coincidence. Can you help me contact her, Big Brother?” Cheng Xing asked.

Cheng Zimo heard the tremble and panic in her voice and asked with concern, “What happened?”

“Last night, Xu Zhaozhao kidnapped Jiang Ciyi and drove into the sea with her,” Cheng Xing said, her heart clenching as she struggled not to choke up. “Xu Zhaozhao’s gone. Jiang Ciyi’s still in surgery.”

Cheng Zimo, not great at comforting, only said he’d get Qin Shuang there quickly.

Soon, both Cheng Zimo and Qin Zhiyun arrived.

Qin Shuang immediately prepared for surgery.

And so, the operating room’s red light lit up again.