What's Wrong with My Love Rival Becoming My Wife? - Chapter 3

Jiang Ning paid no attention to the commotion behind her and strode straight into the private room.

Though the noise outside wasn’t loud, the music inside had already stopped. Everyone in the room had heard most of what was happening outside.

This included Bai Zhenyu, the Female Lead, whose cheeks were flushed and body felt limp.

Bai Zhenyu had left her glasses at home today, opting instead for a pair of cheap contact lenses.

After just a few sips of fruit wine, she was already tipsy. She stumbled to the restroom to splash water on her face, but one of her lenses slipped out, leaving her vision blurry and indistinct.

Hearing Jiang Ning’s voice, she struggled to her feet, as if trying to avoid her.

But Jiang Ning, whose gaze was fixed intently on her, had no intention of letting her escape so easily.

Jiang Ning hurried forward, firmly grasping Bai Zhenyu’s arm. Feigning concern, she cooed softly, “Aiya, you silly girl, why did you drink so much? It makes my heart ache to see you like this.”

Bai Zhenyu’s delicate frame trembled at these words.

Emmm…

I must have had too much to drink.

How else could she have heard Miss Jiang Ning, the arrogant and domineering heiress who treated Bai Zhenyu like her father’s murderer, utter such saccharine words?

“Come, sit down quickly. It’s soft here,” Jiang Ning said, patting the sofa with a resounding thump.

Bai Zhenyu, dazed and barely able to resist, was pressed down onto the sofa by Jiang Ning’s hand on her shoulder.

Jiang Ning then sat down beside her and abruptly pushed Bai Zhenyu back, forcing her to lie down with her head resting on Jiang Ning’s lap.

Bai Zhenyu’s long, disheveled black hair spilled across Jiang Ning’s silk-stockinged legs, the strands tickling her skin.

It had to be said: Bai Zhenyu was truly a beauty. Even from this unflattering, prone angle, her features remained stunningly captivating, making it impossible to capture an unflattering photo.

“Wait, wait! Miss Jiang, what… what are you doing?” Bai Zhenyu’s body was a battleground between the alcohol’s haze and her remaining rationality. She rubbed her throbbing temples, her large, watery eyes gazing at Jiang Ning with innocent apprehension. Her chest rose and fell rapidly with fear.

Click—

Jiang Ning gently took Bai Zhenyu’s hand, which was massaging her temples, and placed it back on her chest.

“You have a headache, right? Let me massage it for you. I’m bored anyway,” Jiang Ning said with a warm smile. “If you can’t handle alcohol, you shouldn’t drink it. It really worries me.”

“No! Wait…”

Bai Zhenyu was genuinely frightened.

What is going on here?

Jiang Ning massaging her head?

If she remembered correctly, just moments ago Jiang Ning had been threatening to smash her skull.

“Miss Jiang, I can do it myself! I’ll handle it!” Bai Zhenyu struggled to sit up, but Jiang Ning effortlessly pressed her back down.

This level of close proximity was perfect for boosting Jiang Ning’s luck stat. How could she possibly miss this opportunity?

Jiang Ning’s smile remained, but her eyes held a hint of threat. “Bai Zhenyu, are you going to refuse the toast and drink the penalty?”

Bai Zhenyu trembled and froze, daring not to move.

She closed her eyes, resigned to letting Jiang Ning’s slightly cool fingers press and knead her temples.

While massaging Bai Zhenyu, Jiang Ning didn’t spare the others in the private room.

She glanced around and realized that the few people remaining were all Lu Xu’s impoverished friends.

The real investors had long since departed.

These hangers-on usually trailed behind Lu Xu, calling him “Brother Lu” at every turn and freeloading off his generosity.

Now, sensing the situation turning sour, they hadn’t immediately fled.

In their eyes, “love-brain” was an incurable disease.

It was perfectly normal for a devoted simp like Jiang Ning to briefly lose her mind, vowing to cut ties with Lu Xu.

They figured it wouldn’t even take a day before she came crawling back, bearing gifts and begging for reconciliation.

By then, someone had gone to the doorway and helped the dazed Lu Xu, who was slumped on the floor, back into the room.

The man glared at Jiang Ning, his face full of reproach.

“Miss Jiang, what’s going on? Even if you’re angry with Brother Lu, you shouldn’t humiliate him in front of outsiders!”

Jiang Ning sized him up with a detached gaze. “That tie around your neck,” she remarked coolly, “looks like the one I bought.”

The man froze, his face flushing crimson. “What do you mean ‘you bought it’? Brother Lu didn’t want it, so he gave it to me!”

Jiang Ning’s lips curled into a slightly malicious smile. “Don’t get so worked up. I have the receipt. You have two choices: either take it off and give it back right now, or I’ll call the police and report you for theft. Just so you know, this tie cost me twenty-five thousand yuan—it’s a limited-edition, handcrafted Italian masterpiece. It’s one-of-a-kind, and verifying its authenticity would be child’s play…”

Before she could finish, the boy, seething with anger and frustration, tore off the tie and flung it at her.

“Who even wants it?!”

After throwing the tie, he abandoned Lu Xu on the sofa and stormed out.

What a damn nuisance.

Jiang Ning must have taken the wrong pills tonight.

When Brother Lu wakes up tomorrow, I’m going to give him a piece of my mind about her. She’ll be groveling on her knees, begging for forgiveness!

Jiang Ning cast a disdainful glance at the crumpled tie on the floor, showing no intention of picking it up.

The Jiang Family wasn’t short on cash.

She had no need for this second-hand item, reeking of some sleazy man’s scent.

Once the man had left, Jiang Ning quickly turned her attention to the others in the private room.

“Hey, beautiful, that new iPhone you’re holding? I bought it for you.”

“Young man, those sneakers you’re wearing? I bought them for you too.”

“And you, take off that belt. I bought it for you as well.”

With just a quick glance around the room, Jiang Ning spotted several items that had once passed through her hands.

All these things had been gifts she’d given Lu Xu to win his favor.

And that shameless Lu Xu had casually passed them on to others, using them to solidify his connections!

Even the love-blinded Jiang Ning of the past had noticed this happening.

But her logic was twisted. Instead of feeling anger, she felt only shame: Why can’t I ever guess what Brother Lu likes? Next time, I’ll have to give him something even more expensive, better, and more to his taste!

Looking back, it was truly absurd.

Love-brain syndrome is clearly an incurable disease.

Jiang Ning continued to casually massage Bai Zhenyu’s head, calmly observing the varied expressions on the faces of the others as she slowly said:

“Are you going to hand them over now, or would you prefer to wait until tomorrow morning, when I return with my bodyguards and lawyers?”

After a brief silence, the girl with the latest iPhone glared at Jiang Ning through gritted teeth. “I’m Brother Lu’s adopted sister,” she snapped. “Didn’t you know that?”

Jiang Ning raised an eyebrow. “Even if you were Lu Xu’s mother, taking my things without my permission is still theft.”

The girl clutched her phone tightly, clearly unwilling to give it up. Sticking her neck out stubbornly, she retorted, “Brother Lu gave this to me. If he wants it back, he has to ask me himself. What business is it of yours?”

“Fine!” Jiang Ning said, her patience wearing thin. “Then wait for my bodyguard and lawyer to contact you tomorrow.”

Too tired to argue further, she yawned involuntarily.

The others exchanged uneasy glances, none willing to relinquish their ill-gotten gains. They stood rooted to the spot like wooden figures.

Jiang Ning smiled faintly, saying nothing.

She lowered her gaze.

Bai Zhenyu, lying on her lap, was trembling visibly.

She had heard every word Jiang Ning had spoken.

If anyone in the room had profited most from the Jiang Family, it was undoubtedly… herself.

Although she didn’t have any of the gifts Jiang Ning had given Lu Xu on her person, everything she wore—her clothes, the bag on her back, her phone, her school meal card, even her pillow and blanket—had been purchased with red envelopes Jiang Ning had sent to Lu Xu, who then transferred the money to her.

Jiang Ning could easily find this out with a little investigation.

After all, Bai Zhenyu’s family was several times poorer than the original Lu Family.

Bai Zhenyu’s parents had died early, and without grandparents or other elders to help, she had barely survived from childhood to adulthood, relying on sporadic support from her uncle and aunt.

Without their help, she wouldn’t have been able to leave the mountains, let alone study in a bustling metropolis like this.

She had always been deeply grateful to Lu Xu for pulling her out of that impoverished mountain region.

But in her heart, she was even more grateful to Jiang Ning.

If Jiang Ning weren’t her romantic rival, she would have gladly served as Jiang Ning’s personal maid, attending to her every need as repayment.

Alas, they were rivals.

Whenever Jiang Ning saw her, it was as if she were staring at her father’s killer, forcing her to keep her distance.

And now, Jiang Ning was likely about to start demanding repayment.

What should she, Bai Zhenyu, do tonight?