Transmigrated into a Historical GL Novel as the Scumbag Heroine - Chapter 18
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- Transmigrated into a Historical GL Novel as the Scumbag Heroine
- Chapter 18 - Eighteen
Qiu Luo glanced at the stack of books Qiu Shuang had brought—some of them were exam papers the original host had written back at the county school. She forced a smile.
“Thanks, Qiu Shuang. Cheng Yu just happens to like my handwriting, so I’ll hang on to these. Stay for lunch—I’ll have Er Lang buy some food and wine.”
“I still need to study. Not all of us get to live in a rich family’s lap like you do now.” Qiu Shuang waved her hand dismissively. She was different from Qiu Luo—her eyes were firmly set on the official examination path, and she couldn’t afford to slack off.
Since Er Lang and Uncle Er Zhu hadn’t returned yet, Qiu Luo carried the books into the kitchen. She heated a pot of water and began burning the materials—everything that had the original Qiu Luo’s handwriting.
When Uncle Er Zhu finally got back, she instructed him to head into town and find Cheng Yu.
But once they met, Qiu Luo found herself at a loss for words.
What was she supposed to say? “Hey, did you figure out I’m not the real Qiu Luo?”
She looked at Cheng Yu’s calm, composed expression and finally decided to ask outright:
“I heard you’ve been collecting things I wrote?”
Cheng Yu seemed to know what she truly meant. She nodded subtly and signaled for the maid to wait outside.
Once they were alone in the study again, Cheng Yu pointed to a stack of books on the floor and said gently,
“They’re all here. Take them—do whatever you like with them. Also, this calligraphy copybook—keep it. It’s similar to your previous writing style but more proper, perfect for beginners.”
Her tone was light and emotionless, as if she were commenting on something as mundane as the weather.
Qiu Luo hadn’t expected Cheng Yu to be so direct—it made her feel a bit ashamed of her own suspicions.
She opened her mouth to explain.
“Cheng Yu…”
But Cheng Yu looked at her calmly and said,
“I don’t know anything. And no one else ever will.”
Her eyes were serious—either full of knowledge or entirely innocent. It was impossible to tell.
Sunlight streamed through the window, falling across Cheng Yu’s bright features, illuminating her like a rainbow after the rain—stunning and radiant.
In that moment, Qiu Luo felt all her anxiety melt away. She smiled.
“Alright. I’ll head back now. Once the watermelons are ripe, I’ll come to Cheng Manor with the betrothal gifts.”
So much was left unspoken.
Cheng Yu knew. She knew something wasn’t right, knew she wasn’t the same person as before—but she chose silence. She chose to help her.
What more could Qiu Luo ask for?
This was a kindness she wouldn’t forget. From now on, she would invest even more effort into their business partnership, doing everything she could not to betray Cheng Yu’s trust.
—
After Qiu Luo left, Cheng Yu couldn’t quite calm herself. She set her brush aside with a sigh.
One shouldn’t speak lightly of ghosts or the supernatural—but all those strange suspicions could no longer be dismissed.
Qiu Luo’s reaction made it clear: she wasn’t denying anything. In fact, she seemed to admit it—she wasn’t the real Qiu Luo. Not entirely.
Cheng Yu recalled the rumors gathered by her maids. The real Qiu Luo was supposedly cold, petty, and fiercely vengeful.
But the person she had been dealing with recently was polite, calm, kind, and sincere. Entirely different.
“Miss, we’ve gathered every last book we could find. There’s nothing else out there,” Xiao Miao said as she walked in, arms full of books.
“Leave them,” Cheng Yu said. She walked over, tossed the books into the brazier, and watched them burn until nothing was left but ash.
—
Back in Qiu Family Village, Qiu Luo stood by another boiling pot. The water inside was nearly gone, and only then were the pages at her feet completely reduced to ashes.
Er Lang stood in the doorway of the kitchen, pained by what he saw.
“Sis, books are precious! Why burn them for fun? Even if you didn’t need them, you could’ve sold them for some meat!”
He looked truly heartbroken. So many books—gone in flames.
What happened in town to make his sister act like this?
Qiu Luo sighed. “You wouldn’t understand, Er Lang.”
“…I don’t,” he admitted. He only knew those books could’ve been traded for something delicious.
Uncle Er Zhu chuckled from the side. “I think Er Lang has a point. Books for meat? What a waste.”
Qiu Luo shook her head again. “Uncle Er Zhu, you don’t get it either. Someday when you fall in love, you’ll understand.”
She didn’t mind pinning her motives on the female lead—after all, who could argue with a love-crazed heroine?
Er Zhu twitched at the corners of his mouth. A lover? Can you trade that for meat?
He was too old for this. His wife had passed early, and their marriage had been arranged. They never even had the chance to fall in love. So, he’d lived alone all these years—this was a blind spot in his life experience.
Er Lang sighed like an old man.
“Sis, Sister Cheng really is obsessed with you. It’s just a few characters, and she’s collecting them like treasure!”
Still, he was secretly thrilled. If Cheng Yu was that serious, then their engagement probably wouldn’t fall through.
And that meant he could officially be Cheng Yu’s little brother-in-law!
Sure, he couldn’t act all high-and-mighty like a brother-in-law to a powerful husband, but following behind Cheng Yu felt pretty prestigious too.
She was the wealthiest heiress in the county, a former top scorer in the entrance exams, renowned for both her beauty and intelligence—and soon, she’d be calling him “little brother.”
The more he thought about it, the more he grinned like an idiot.
Qiu Luo looked at her silly brother with utter speechlessness. She got to her feet.
“How are the watermelons doing? The closer we get to harvest, the more careful we need to be. We can’t afford any mistakes.”
Er Lang immediately sobered. “I was just about to tell you. Someone’s been snooping around our fields these past two days. I ran into them once—shifty-eyed guys. Could be watermelon thieves.”
Qiu Luo frowned, but before she could speak, Er Zhu cut in.
“I know who they are. I’ve seen them before—they’re servants from the Shen family.”
Shen family? Shen Yanding? The male lead!?
Her frown deepened. She thought back to her last encounter with Shen Yanding—young, arrogant, and clearly not over Cheng Yu. The kind of man who wouldn’t give up easily.
Seeing her expression, Er Zhu scratched his beard and offered a suggestion:
“Why don’t we let Miss Cheng know? Young Master Shen used to be most afraid of her—uh, well, that was before…”
He trailed off, worried Qiu Luo would get the wrong idea.
But he wasn’t wrong. Shen Yanding had always listened to Cheng Yu. Her word was law to him. For years, their families had quietly expected them to end up together.
No one could’ve predicted this twist. Shen Yanding already had a concubine, and Cheng Yu now clearly liked someone else—Qiu Luo.
What once seemed like a perfect match… had missed its timing.
“Letting Cheng Yu know is a good idea,” Qiu Luo nodded. If the male lead was involved, it was usually because of the female lead. Let the leads deal with each other—she, the cannon fodder, wanted no part of their love drama.
She just wanted to grow watermelons. And get rich. That was it.
—
In the Shen household, Shen Yanding listened to his servant Xiao Luzi’s report, frowning in deep thought.
Building greenhouses to grow watermelons… Watermelons in winter were rare, and could fetch a good price. But greenhouses were expensive to build. Even if they sold well, it was unlikely to make a profit the first year.
What exactly was that poor girl Qiu Luo scheming?
He didn’t believe she was just “experiencing life.” That would be stupid.
Even if she was that dumb, Cheng Yu wouldn’t just let her waste time—that was her beloved, after all.
At the thought, Shen Yanding’s expression soured. His fists clenched.
“Keep watching them, Xiao Luzi. When the watermelons ripen, bring me a few. I want to see what she’s really up to.”ac
“Don’t worry, young master. I’ve already found a local family to stay with in Qiu Family Village. I’ll keep a close watch.”
Everyone in the Shen household knew how their young master felt about Cheng Yu. There was no way he was giving up.
The ones you never had were always the most tempting. No matter how many concubines he had, none of them compared to Cheng Yu.
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