Transmigrated As The Villainous Scumbag Wife Of A Disabled Tycoon - Chapter 72

72

Cheng Xing wasn’t too surprised by the outcome.

What did surprise her was that Jiang Ciyi had already checked the DNA of herself, Guan Linmin, and Cheng Zijing, and had obtained the results even earlier—on paper, no less. This meant Jiang Ciyi had realized there was a flaw in the situation before Cheng Xing did and had taken action.

Such a thing might seem unbelievable for most people, but for Jiang Ciyi, it somehow felt fitting.

She was just that kind of person—sharp and proactive.

Cheng Xing took the documents from her, flipping to the end to read the conclusion.

A weight lifted off her chest.

But now, figuring out how to bring this up with the Cheng family became the next hurdle.

Jiang Ciyi asked, “Have you thought about how to explain this to them?”

“It’s not my conclusion to present,” Cheng Xing said lightly, setting the documents aside. “It’s not my place to explain.”

Considering Guan Linmin’s emotional ups and downs over the past few days, still recovering in the hospital, Cheng Xing decided not to bring up the news and risk unsettling her further.

That night, Cheng Xing slept on the fold-out bed in the hospital room. Jiang Ciyi, on the other hand, seemed to have adapted to hospital life, sleeping and waking on schedule.

Cheng Xing, however, couldn’t shake the disappointment that surfaced at night. Waking up in the middle of the night, she wiped her eyes and found them wet.

She told herself it was probably because she drank too much water before bed, and instead of being filtered through her kidneys, it had somehow ended up in her eyes.

But after that midnight moment, she couldn’t fall back asleep, staring wide-eyed until dawn.

After days of gloom, Jianggang finally welcomed clear skies. By ten in the morning, warm sunlight streamed into the room, casting a glow on the pristine hospital bed.

Cheng Xing tidied up the room, took a shower, changed clothes, and prepared to talk to Cheng Zijing about the matter.

But before she could reach out to him, Cheng Zimo called her.

His tone was unusually serious, asking her to come to the top-floor conference room as soon as possible.

He also advised her to dress formally, as if it were an important meeting.

Cheng Xing didn’t dare delay. She informed Jiang Ciyi, called Sister Zhou as usual, and prepared to go alone.

But Jiang Ciyi, who had put on light makeup, applied a latte-colored lipstick, and loosely tied her hair into a casual low bun, looked like a sweet college student yet to graduate—except for her cool, piercing eyes.

Jiang Ciyi said, “I’ll go with you.”

“It might be…” Cheng Xing searched for the right word, “…noisy.”

She could already imagine the meeting would address the drama old lady Cheng had stirred up, and it wouldn’t just be swept under the rug.

Would she still return to the Cheng family after this?

Given old lady Cheng’s temperament, would Tinglan Mansion be taken back?

These were insurmountable gaps.

And in this meeting, Cheng Xing likely had no say.

She lacked Cheng Zijing’s capabilities, and the Cheng family didn’t need a useless heiress to prop up their reputation. If they offered her some assets and parted ways amicably, that would already be the Cheng family’s benevolence.

Although Cheng Zijing and Guan Linmin had assured her nothing would change, Cheng Xing felt this wasn’t a trivial matter. Such an idealized outcome was too good to be true.

In everyone’s minds, she was entangled with the Cheng family through a death.

Who had the right to forgive on behalf of another?

Even if they said nothing now and pretended everything was fine, over time, this issue would fester like a thorn in their hearts, ready to prick at any moment.

The idea of repeatedly revisiting this pain was something Cheng Xing didn’t want to see. It was better to clear things up now.

But the process of clearing things up wouldn’t be peaceful.

Old lady Cheng’s past “achievements” made Cheng Xing wary, and she feared Jiang Ciyi would get hurt if she came along, so she tried to politely decline.

To her surprise, Jiang Ciyi said, “Wasn’t I the one Xu Zhaozhao kidnapped? And wasn’t it me who crashed her funeral? If I go, it’ll be even livelier.”

Cheng Xing: “…”

No need to add to the chaos.

“It’s almost the end of the year,” Jiang Ciyi said calmly. “Might as well stir things up.”

Cheng Xing: “?”

As Cheng Xing expected, the entire Cheng family was present, with old lady Cheng seated at the head.

Guan Linmin, Cheng Zimo, and Qin Zhiyun sat on one side, while Cheng Kunshan sat alone on the other.

Old lady Cheng, who had been furious enough to faint that day, looked rosy-cheeked and healthier than Guan Linmin after just a couple of days’ rest.

After Cheng Xing wheeled Jiang Ciyi into the room, she politely asked, “Is anyone else coming?”

“No,” Cheng Kunshan replied.

Cheng Xing nodded. Guan Linmin waved her over, “Xingxing, come sit by Mommy.”

“No need,” Cheng Xing smiled at her. “I’ll sit with A’Ci on the other side. Otherwise, you’re all on one side, and Dad’s alone on the other.”

The conference room felt tense. Cheng Xing lightened the mood with a teasing remark, “What’s this? Holding a meeting to collectively ostracize Dad?”

Guan Linmin’s voice was cold, “He won’t be your dad much longer.”

“Minmin,” Cheng Kunshan called out, his gaze pitiful, but Guan Linmin turned her head away, refusing to look at him.

“Alright,” Cheng Xing said, sitting across from Cheng Zimo and diagonal from Guan Linmin. She tossed a handful of candies she’d bought in Jing City across the table. “Mommy, you’re still recovering. Don’t get worked up.”

“Don’t think a few small favors can erase your sins,” old lady Cheng suddenly spoke. “Cheng Xing, leave the Cheng family.”

It was the outcome Cheng Xing had anticipated. Her gaze swept over the others seated across from her, then settled on old lady Cheng. Calmly, she asked, “Why?”

“You’re not a Cheng,” old lady Cheng said. “And you caused the death of my only granddaughter. The Cheng family has no place for someone as vicious as you.”

“How do you know she was your granddaughter?” Cheng Xing asked. “Did you do a DNA test?”

Old lady Cheng froze. “Don’t stir up nonsense!”

“I’m just making a bold hypothesis and seeking careful verification,” Cheng Xing said, unruffled and without anger. Her gentle voice raised the question that would hit old lady Cheng the hardest. “When Xu Zhaozhao was brought into the Cheng family, plenty of people whispered that she was Dad’s illegitimate daughter, didn’t they? They said she must look like her mother. Why was that?”

The vast conference room fell silent.

Cheng Xing continued, unhurried, “Because she didn’t look like Mommy or Dad. So why were you so certain she was the granddaughter you swapped back then?”

“You swapped a child once. Who’s to say someone else didn’t swap her a second time? Or even a third or fourth…”

“Nonsense!” Old lady Cheng slammed the table. “Are you questioning me?”

“I’m questioning every conclusion that hasn’t been scientifically verified,” Cheng Xing said. “And if you can provide evidence now to prove I’m not a Cheng, I’ll leave politely.”

“Xingxing,” Guan Linmin called out anxiously, as if unsure about the situation.

But Cheng Zijing’s expression shifted, and Cheng Zimo looked at her steadily, his gaze encouraging her to keep going.

“Why would I frame a junior like you?” old lady Cheng said. “Zhaozhao was killed because of you. I only regret not setting things right sooner, letting you take her place and cause her death.”

“I don’t know why you’re framing me,” Cheng Xing said calmly. “I haven’t offended you.”

Old lady Cheng: “…”

The atmosphere in the conference room grew tense, but Cheng Xing didn’t back down.

Amid the charged silence, Jiang Ciyi interjected appropriately, “Xu Zhaozhao was killed by her own ambition and greed. If she hadn’t died, she’d be a murderer.”

“She was driven to it! If not for you all, she wouldn’t have resorted to such extremes!”

“Evil is evil, no excuses.”

“No manners!”

Old lady Cheng spat out the insult, and Cheng Xing immediately bristled. “Talk properly. What’s with the disrespect for your age?”

Jiang Ciyi pressed down on Cheng Xing’s hand, which rested on the table.

Cheng Xing’s hand was warm, her palm slightly sweaty. In contrast, Jiang Ciyi’s hand was cool. Cheng Xing turned her hand over, holding Jiang Ciyi’s and rubbing it gently.

Jiang Ciyi glanced at her but quickly looked away.

Instead of snapping back at old lady Cheng, she responded calmly, “By your logic, I have no manners because I have no mother, my father’s a criminal, and my only living relative, my grandmother, can barely take care of herself. Compared to you, or anyone here, or even the deceased Xu Zhaozhao, I’m a nobody. So, after surviving a car accident and nearly being killed by Xu Zhaozhao, and now being roasted by you, if I were to kill you or everyone here to drag you down with me, would that be fine?”

Her words stunned everyone, who turned to look at her in shock.

Her tone was light, not like she was joking.

Everyone felt she was capable of such a thing—especially when she pulled out a scalpel she carried with her.

“By your logic, I’d be driven to it. If not for you all, I wouldn’t have to endure this injustice. So, choosing an extreme path would be understandable, even forgivable.”

The silver scalpel glinted under the sunlight streaming into the conference room.

Despite the clear weather outside, the room felt icy.

Even old lady Cheng, seasoned in the business world, froze for a moment.

Instinctively, she shuddered, her back breaking out in cold sweat.

No one isn’t afraid of death. Her boldness stemmed from believing she was untouchable.

But now… she wasn’t so sure.

That day, Jiang Ciyi had stormed into the funeral parlor, smashing Xu Zhaozhao’s portrait with a stone.

Today, she might just throw that scalpel and take her life.

She seemed… like a lunatic.

Old lady Cheng was speechless, and Jiang Ciyi seized the upper hand, saying coolly, “I don’t want to make things difficult for anyone, but I hope you can distinguish right from wrong and not just follow hearsay or believe everything blindly.”

“Of course, I know everyone here has more life experience than me. But since I’m already ‘ill-mannered,’ let me overstep once,” Jiang Ciyi said.

“How can you talk about them in front of Mom and Dad?” Cheng Xing shot her a playful, resentful glance. “With Mom and Dad right here, saying you have no manners is like slapping their faces.”

Jiang Ciyi gave a faint, warm smile. “True, my apologies.”

After this exchange, old lady Cheng was left speechless, occasionally glancing at Cheng Xing and Jiang Ciyi.

Especially Jiang Ciyi.

Seeing the timing was right, Cheng Xing prepared to present the DNA report to wrap things up neatly.

But before she could, the conference room door swung open. A woman in an indigo qipao, draped in a white furry coat, strode in with an commanding presence, followed by a dozen bodyguards.

Her hair was fully silver, but she wore bold Chinese red lipstick and small-framed glasses with gold chains, exuding elegance.

Upon seeing her, Guan Linmin stood, ran over, and buried herself in the woman’s arms, crying out “Mom” like a child.

No matter how old someone is, they’re always a child in front of their mother.

Because mothers always comfort.

At that moment, Cheng Xing’s mind filled with information about the woman—her maternal grandmother, the face of the Guan family for years.

The Guan family ran a luxury goods business, their brand consistently winning international awards. Their spokesperson wasn’t a celebrity but Fu Ling.

Fu Ling was an international supermodel. Though older now, she still occasionally walked international runways and designed shows for brands.

She had just returned from abroad.

After comforting Guan Linmin for a while, Fu Ling looked toward Cheng Xing and Jiang Ciyi, smiling fondly. “My precious granddaughter, it’s been a while. This is your new wife? She’s stunning.”

Fu Ling’s accent wasn’t standard, having just landed in Jianggang, her speech still mixed with occasional English.

But she clearly liked Jiang Ciyi.

Jiang Ciyi nodded slightly. “Hello.”

“I’m…” Fu Ling pointed at Cheng Xing, “her grandmother. You can call me… Beauty.”

Her unexpected pause and shift carried a foreign sense of humor, instantly easing the room’s tension.

Even Jiang Ciyi couldn’t help but smile, indulging her. “Hello, Beauty. You’re very witty.”

“Thank you,” Fu Ling waved. “I came in a rush today. I’ll give you a red envelope another day. One for the wedding, too.”

“You’re very generous,” Jiang Ciyi said.

Fu Ling smirked. “Of course. I’m not like some people.”

Fu Ling and old lady Cheng had never gotten along.

Old lady Cheng thought Fu Ling was ostentatious, always in the spotlight, and lacked refinement.

Fu Ling thought old lady Cheng was rigid and mean-spirited, growing stranger after her husband’s death. They almost never held joint family events.

Though they hadn’t met in years, their habit of clashing at every encounter remained unbroken.

The room fell silent for two seconds before old lady Cheng sneered, “Almost eighty and ready for the grave, yet still dressing so garishly and speaking so rudely.”

Guan Linmin’s eyes widened, ready to defend her mother, but Fu Ling shook her head and sauntered toward old lady Cheng with a captivating air.

Whatever old lady Cheng disliked most, Fu Ling made sure to flaunt.

Old lady Cheng, losing her composure, spat, “Vulgar.”

“Not like you,” Fu Ling said. “Purely vulgar.”

Old lady Cheng: “?”

Fu Ling continued, “If I recall, you’re a few years older than me. When are you planning to kick the bucket? The dirt hasn’t reached your mouth yet, has it? Your mouth’s still flapping. What a pity.”

Cheng Xing: “…?”

Her grandmother seemed so gentle—how was her fighting spirit this strong?

In that moment, old lady Cheng looked like she might explode.

But Fu Ling kept going. “Why don’t you just drop dead? The older you get, the worse you act. Go join that fake granddaughter of yours and let us have some peace.”

Old lady Cheng’s eyes blazed with fury, raising her hand to strike Fu Ling. But Fu Ling effortlessly caught her wrist, her loose coat sleeve sliding down to reveal toned muscles.

…Stronger than many youngsters.

“Hitting me? Not afraid you’ll shorten your lifespan?” Fu Ling said. “Back then, your Cheng family had the upper hand, so I let you have your way. Now, at this age, you still want to throw your weight around?”

“My shares…” old lady Cheng shot a threatening glance at Cheng Zimo.

“Do what you want,” Fu Ling said. “If need be, let the Cheng Group go down with you. These kids can just take the Guan name. I always thought the Cheng name was unlucky.”

Old lady Cheng gritted her teeth. “You really think I won’t?”

“With Zimo and Zijing’s abilities, do you think they need the Cheng Group?” Fu Ling gave a light smile.

Cheng Xing felt like she was watching a beauty step out of an ancient painting.

Fu Ling said, “It’s Zijing who’s been running the Cheng Group, so you can enjoy your retirement. Get that straight.”

Old lady Cheng pointed a trembling finger. “You… you…”

Her vision darkened, and she fainted again.

After Fu Ling’s arrival, she first sent old lady Cheng into a rage-induced faint, then sat calmly in the hospital room where old lady Cheng was hooked to an IV, sipping red tea.

She looked up at Cheng Kunshan. “What did you promise when you married my daughter? That you’d cherish her and treat her well. And now?”

Cheng Kunshan lowered his head, silent.

He was a quiet man, shaped by years under old lady Cheng’s domineering influence, lacking significant achievements.

He’d once been ambitious, but old lady Cheng crushed that spark early on.

Marrying Guan Linmin and leveraging the Guan family’s support allowed him to take over the Cheng Group when old lady Cheng was ready to step back.

But under his leadership, the Cheng Group steadily declined, and it was Cheng Zijing, barely twenty, who took on the burden.

Caught in the middle, Cheng Kunshan sometimes resented his own incompetence.

He’d long accepted his mediocre life.

But he hadn’t expected this upheaval in middle age. Back then, seeing his daughter in the incubator with pale lips, the doctor had said her heart was weak, and she might not survive.

The Cheng family had money and resources, but even the best doctors couldn’t save her despite their costly efforts.

Coincidentally, a friend had a healthy daughter. Under his mother’s urging and pressure, he and the Xu family made the swap.

The babies were only a few days old. Guan Linmin, frail, hadn’t seen the child, and only he and his mother had. Looking at the two infants in incubators, he couldn’t tell them apart.

After the swap, he waited a few days before showing the baby to Guan Linmin, hoping to keep her safe and spare her the pain of losing a child, lest he live with guilt forever.

Fu Ling scoffed. “Cheng Xing is your and Minmin’s daughter.”

The statement made everyone turn to Cheng Xing.

Cheng Xing shrugged and pulled out her DNA report. “I had it tested too. I’m definitely Mom’s daughter and Zijing’s sister. As for others… I didn’t test, so I don’t know.”

Cheng Kunshan was stunned, his gaze darting between Fu Ling and Cheng Xing, then to Guan Linmin, stammering, “This… this…”

“Want to know how I knew?” Fu Ling crossed her arms. “Simple. After you swapped, I swapped again.”

She continued, “I went to Mrs. Xu, gave her two million to keep quiet, took the child, and raised her myself.”

“The girls didn’t look alike, but you and your mother never noticed,” Fu Ling said. “I was curious, so I looked into it and found you both have face blindness.”

Cheng Zijing blinked. “No wonder I’m face-blind. It’s hereditary?”

The room fell briefly silent at his comment, as if it slapped him in the face—really, now’s the time?

Fu Ling ignored him, staring at Cheng Kunshan. “Kunshan, you and Minmin sort out your issues. But I won’t stand for your mother bullying them.”

Guan Linmin said firmly, “I want to stay at my family’s place for a while. We need to separate and cool off.”

Cheng Kunshan looked around at the kids, hoping someone would speak up for him, but they all turned away.

Back in the hospital room, Cheng Xing wheeled Jiang Ciyi in just as the doctor came for rounds.

After a brief check-up, the nurse hooked Jiang Ciyi to an IV. The doctor advised, “Rest quietly these next few days. Don’t get upset or wander around.”

Jiang Ciyi nodded.

Leaving the Cheng family’s mess behind, they spent a leisurely afternoon reading in the hospital room.

As the sky turned red at dusk, Cheng Xing, with the doctor’s approval, bundled Jiang Ciyi in a thick coat and wheeled her downstairs for a walk.

They ended up at Fusheng Bookstore, where they read for over two hours and bought a few new books.

Back at the hospital, they ran into the doctor. The moment their eyes met, Cheng Xing said earnestly, “Don’t worry, we won’t go out tomorrow.”

The doctor didn’t dare push. The Cheng family was in turmoil, and even though Miss Cheng seemed mild-tempered, the doctor wasn’t bold enough to lecture her.

Especially… after seeing her in action that day.

The woman in the wheelchair was even less to be trifled with.

The doctor gave a few resigned instructions before returning to her office.

Before bed, Jiang Ciyi and Cheng Xing chatted as usual. With the bedside lamp casting a soft yellow glow on their faces, Cheng Xing had grown used to the cramped fold-out bed, curling up without much discomfort.

Jiang Ciyi asked why she didn’t sleep in the other room, which had better conditions.

“I want to chat with you.” Cheng Xing said.

“About what?” Jiang Ciyi asked.

“Anything,” Cheng Xing replied, sitting up. She rummaged nearby, pulled out her silver acupuncture needles, and dragged a stool to the bedside. “I wasn’t going to do this in the hospital, but we’ve got nothing else to do.”

Jiang Ciyi asked, “Will this really work?”

“It will,” Cheng Xing said. “Can you feel any nerve twitches in your legs?”

“Nothing at all.”

“…”

Cheng Xing comforted her, “It’s a process. Keep at it, and one day you might just stand up.”

“That’d be sudden.”

“Who knows?”

“Why are you mimicking my tone?”

“Why do I feel like you’re mimicking mine?”

“…”

Jiang Ciyi said, “I’m done talking to you.”

Cheng Xing grinned. “Don’t! It’s just us in this room. If you don’t talk to me, I’ll be so bored.”

As she spoke, she warmed her hands and began massaging, using her self-blended essential oil. The room filled with the scent of lavender and dried tangerine peel.

“Where’d you get the oil?” Jiang Ciyi asked.

“Made it myself one night,” Cheng Xing said.

“Well, Dr. Cheng, you’ve got quite the skill set,” Jiang Ciyi said, her tone lightening as she half-closed her eyes, barely making out Cheng Xing’s silhouette.

The dim light outlined Cheng Xing’s figure. The room was quiet, her breathing audible.

Her hands worked on Jiang Ciyi’s legs, which had no sensation, but the sound of skin against skin reached Jiang Ciyi’s ears clearly.

It gave her the illusion that she might lift her leg.

Cheng Xing didn’t mind the teasing and smiled. “Hardly. Long nights call for something useful.”

“Can’t you just sleep through long nights?” Jiang Ciyi asked.

“Sleeping alone is boring.”

Realizing her words could be misinterpreted, Cheng Xing quickly corrected, “I mean…”

She stopped. Correcting would only make it worse.

What she meant was that sleeping with Jiang Ciyi meant fewer nightmares, but in the hospital, especially after seeing Su Jiaming, nightmares plagued her.

She couldn’t mention Su Jiaming, though—Jiang Ciyi’s sharp mind would piece it together in seconds.

So, she’d have to simplify, and the result would be: Sleeping with you is more fun.

…Better not to say it.

“I didn’t mean anything,” Cheng Xing said instead.

Jiang Ciyi teased lightly, “No meaning? What’s that mean?”

“Just that sleeping’s boring,” Cheng Xing said.

“Let me guess—you think sleeping alone is boring, but sleeping with someone else is fun?” Jiang Ciyi asked.

Cheng Xing’s ears turned red, and she avoided Jiang Ciyi’s gaze.

Jiang Ciyi continued, “I’ll take a bolder guess. Your ‘sleeping’ is a verb, not a noun.”

Cheng Xing frowned. “Why a verb?”

Jiang Ciyi paused, then laughed, her tone playful. “Because it takes two to make it happen.”

Cheng Xing: “…”

She lightly tapped Jiang Ciyi’s leg. “Don’t talk nonsense.”

Jiang Ciyi was about to tease further when she felt a brief pain in her leg. She tried to lift it, and the next second, Cheng Xing exclaimed, “It moved!”

“What moved?” Jiang Ciyi, unable to lift her leg, felt a wave of disappointment. Lazily, she teased, “You mean you’re ready to make it happen with two—”

“No!” Cheng Xing was instantly at her side, flicking her forehead. “All you do is tease me.”

“Dr. Cheng, this is teasing? I’m just following your lead,” Jiang Ciyi said.

“You know that’s not what I meant,” Cheng Xing said.

“So you’re sure ‘sleeping’ with me is a noun?” Jiang Ciyi asked.

Cheng Xing: “…”

A verb didn’t sound so bad.

Cheng Xing zoned out briefly, then smacked her own forehead. “You’re leading me astray, A’Ci.”

Jiang Ciyi laughed. “You’re the one with no resolve, and you blame me?”

“Not blaming the temptress, just my weak will,” Cheng Xing said. “But seriously, your toes moved just now. Did you feel it?”

Jiang Ciyi’s half-closed eyes snapped open. “Really?”