A Loyal Scumbag-A Who Became the Wife of the Goddess - Chapter 8

The brocade box was stuffed into the backpack, which sat beside her as the car smoothly glided through the villa district. On the way to the hospital, Chi Lengzhao leaned back against the comfortable rear seat, gazing out the window at the unfamiliar cityscape—roads, buildings, billboards, everything reminding her that she was truly living within the world of this book.

Xiao Song, the driver, glanced at the rearview mirror, noting how unusually quiet Miss was today.

As Chi Lengzhao stepped out of the car, she casually glanced at the back seat and noticed a metallic glint in the crevice. She picked it up and saw it was a lipstick.

If this wasn’t the original owner’s lipstick, it must belong to one of her women.

Chi Lengzhao glanced at it, then tossed it to the driver in disgust.

“Xiao Song, have the car serviced and completely reupholstered.”

“Yes, Miss,” Xiao Song replied.

“No, have all the cars in the house reupholstered.”

Xiao Song paused, then quickly responded, “Yes, Miss.”

*****

In the hospital room, Butler Zhou immediately approached upon seeing Miss return. “Miss, you’re back.”

“Mm,” Chi Lengzhao replied, removing her hooded sweatshirt and heading to the bathroom to change into a patient’s gown.

“Miss, Madam Shen came to visit again just now. As you instructed, I told her you were taking a walk in the hospital garden.”

“Is Madam Shen still here?”

“She should have left by now. I saw the Young Madam escorting her out just a moment ago.”

Chi Lengzhao nodded. Suddenly, she asked, “Did my father come today?”

Butler Zhou paused, unsure why she was asking. He replied truthfully, “No, the Old Master, Madam, and Young Master have not come yet.”

Chi Lengzhao showed no surprise. After thoroughly washing her hands, she abruptly said, “Butler Zhou, before I’m discharged, throw away all the cosmetics, skincare products, and toiletries in the house. Replace them all with new ones.”

“Understood, Miss.” Though puzzled, Butler Zhou didn’t question her. Perhaps the Miss wanted to purge any lingering misfortune upon her return home.

“Change all the bedding to new sets too,” Chi Lengzhao added after a moment’s thought. Recalling how Shen Zhixi’s room in the Shen family was described as simple and elegant, she specified, “Choose something more understated. Replace the curtains, decorations, and the bed itself. And remove that dual-keypad lock.”

“As you wish, Miss.”

“Also, renovate all the bathrooms I regularly use. Speed up the construction schedule.”

“Understood, Miss.”

A flicker of shock crossed Butler Zhou’s eyes before he quickly suppressed it. “Yes, Miss.”

Only then did Chi Lengzhao feel slightly relieved. She was determined to replace everything the original owner of this body—a scum—had used. She refused to touch anything unclean.

Suddenly, a more pressing thought struck her. She glanced down at her new body—she needed a full physical examination.

How repulsive. And there was no way to get a new one.

In another room, Shen Zhixi sat on the hospital bed, slender fingertips tapping on her phone screen.

“Zhixi, I’m so sorry I couldn’t attend your wedding! Next time I’m back, I’ll make it up to you with a huge gift.”

Shao Qiuqiu was Shen Zhixi’s childhood friend, the daughter of the Shao Group, and also an Omega.

Over the years, as new technologies emerged, the Shao Group, which clung to traditional craftsmanship, had gradually declined. Its business shrank, and Shao Qiuqiu had no interest in managing it. After her father sold the company, her family settled abroad.

To live as a wealthy ordinary person.

“No need. Just take good care of Auntie.”

This time, just before she was to board her plane, Shao Qiuqiu’s mother fell ill. She had to stay behind to care for her mother and couldn’t return home for her childhood friend’s wedding.

“I saw the news about your wedding online. You looked stunning! Chi Lengzhao was also strikingly beautiful.”

Shao Qiuqiu gave Shen Zhixi some face by not joining the netizens in mocking Miss Chi’s unconventional sense of aesthetics.

Zombie bride makeup? How could Chi Lengzhao even think of that?

“How has Chi Lengzhao been treating you? What was your wedding night like?” Shao Qiuqiu sent a shivering emoji.

Shen Zhixi stared blankly at the message, her mind drifting back to her wedding night in her previous life.

After the guests had left, she was changing in her room when Chi Lengzhao, reeking of alcohol, burst in, locked the door, and lunged at her, trying to embrace and kiss her.

Zhixi stiffly pushed her away. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“You’re my legally married wife. On our wedding night, shouldn’t I at least mark you?”

“Chi Lengzhao, you promised me before the wedding!”

“What did I promise? Oh, right—’I won’t touch you.’ Before we were married, I didn’t have the right to touch you. But now, my dear wife, if even I don’t have the right, then who does?”

“You! You lied to me! You’re despicable!”

“What a joke. Who kicks their wife out on their wedding night? Be good and drink this.”

“What are you doing? I won’t drink it!”

“It’s not poison. Don’t resist so much. Drink it, and I’ll make you feel good.”

“Get away from me!”

Then, someone gripped her chin and forced her to drink the liquid.

A deep loathing and fury surfaced in Shen Zhixi’s eyes, unbidden.

When Shao Qiuqiu received no response from the other end of the call, she sent another text: “I heard about Meixi too. I’m sorry, but I can’t help you. If you need to borrow a few million, that could be arranged in minutes.”

Shen Zhixi curled her lip. “No need. It hasn’t come to that yet.”

“Zhixi, why don’t you just become a wealthy ordinary person like me? Come to Country C, and we can be neighbors.”

Is she suggesting we sell Meixi?

Shen Zhixi fell silent. Meixi was the life’s work of her grandfather and father.

She remembered how her grandfather used to dote on her. When she was little, he would stroke her soft hair and say, “Little Xi is clever and beautiful. One day, Meixi will have its own female leader.”

“Grandpa, what does ‘leader’ mean?”

“A leader is the head of the family. When you become the leader, everyone at Meixi will have to listen to you.”

“Wow! Everyone will listen to me?”

Children are just children. At the time, she had only thought it sounded impressive, with no understanding of the weight that came with being a leader.

Meanwhile, Shao Qiuqiu began daydreaming about being Shen Zhixi’s neighbor.

“My mother absolutely adores you! She’s always telling me I’m not ladylike enough, too tomboyish and lacking refinement. She’s the type who adores someone like you—poised, elegant, the epitome of a true young lady.”

Shen Zhixi forced a smile. “Me, a true young lady? Hardly.”

“By the way, do you still plan to act?”

Shao Qiuqiu knew that Shen Zhixi had previously dabbled in the entertainment industry.

When talent scouts approached the then-student Shen Zhixi about entering the industry, Shao Qiuqiu had been even more excited than Shen Zhixi herself.

Shen Zhixi possessed exceptional physical attributes: naturally fair skin, an outstanding presence, and striking features that far surpassed those of the current crop of entertainment industry “little flowers.”

Thus, after landing her first luxury brand endorsement, she skyrocketed to fame, rapidly amassing a massive fan base.

However, Shen’s Father strongly disapproved of her pursuing a career in entertainment. As the heiress of the Shen Group, she didn’t need to enter the industry to secure wealth or connections.

After that endorsement campaign, she resumed her studies and continued her education. It wasn’t until a few years ago that she acted in a historical drama, Shiyuyin, where she portrayed the leading lady, Rong Yin.

Though Shen Zhixi and her female co-star were initially overshadowed by their lack of promotional efforts, their exceptional beauty and acting skills proved unstoppable. After the release of Shiyuyin, the drama received widespread acclaim and unexpectedly exploded in popularity. Her co-star also skyrocketed to fame overnight, and the two quickly became top-tier celebrities, dominating trending topics and social media headlines for months. Their fans were utterly obsessed, practically going wild over their pairing.

Shiyuyin marked the pinnacle of Shen Zhixi’s acting career. Afterward, she only occasionally appeared in commercial endorsements.

Not long after, Meixi faced a financial crisis. When the Chi Family proposed an alliance through marriage, Shen Zhixi began dating Chi Lengzhao. After over a year of dating, they smoothly transitioned into marriage.

In her previous life, Chi Lengzhao strictly controlled Shen Zhixi’s interactions with the outside world after their marriage. Even Shao Qiuqiu’s visits to see Shen Zhixi were met with suspicion, let alone allowing her to go out, film commercials, or act with other A-listers.

As a result, Shen Zhixi effectively withdrew from the entertainment industry entirely after marriage.

As for whether she would continue acting in this life, Shen Zhixi truly didn’t care. Her sole desire was for Meixi to recover.

“No, I don’t have any plans for that right now.”

Shao Qiuqiu sent a deeply regretful emoji.

“Waaah, I’ll never get to see you in another play again.”

“No more chance to introduce you to people and say, ‘Look, the female lead? She’s stunning, and she’s my good friend.'”

“I can’t go on set visits anymore. I didn’t even get a chance to visit the filming locations. I’ll never see those big stars again.”

Shao Qiuqiu sent a few more adorable, tearful emojis.

Someone knocked on the door. Shen Zhixi looked up. “Come in.”

When she saw Chi Lengzhao enter, the smile on Shen Zhixi’s lips vanished. She quickly typed “Talk later” in the chat window and pressed the lock screen button.

“Did I interrupt you?” Chi Lengzhao asked with a professional, polite smile.

“No,” Shen Zhixi said, meeting her gaze. “What brings you here?”

“I’m here to fulfill our post-marriage agreement.” Chi Lengzhao opened her bag and pulled out a brocade box. “As you requested, the sapphire necklace.”

A flicker of surprise crossed Shen Zhixi’s eyes. She hadn’t expected Chi Lengzhao to hand over the necklace so easily.

In their previous life, Shen Zhixi had stumbled upon Chi Lengzhao going to the basement and staying there for hours at a time.

Once, Chi Lengzhao drank too much and saw a news report about a house fire where the owner rushed inside to save their pet. For the first time, she didn’t mock the person as foolish. Instead, she muttered drunkenly, “Can you believe it? I’d rush in too… There are some things that are just that important… You’d escape yourself, wouldn’t you? But the necklace wouldn’t. It would get burned…”

Later, while Chi Lengzhao was away, Shen Zhixi secretly took the key and opened the basement door. She went down several times before finally finding the hidden compartment and discovering the brocade box inside. It turned out the necklace really existed—a sapphire necklace, not particularly valuable.

Shen Zhixi took the necklace from Chi Lengzhao with a mixture of belief and skepticism and opened the box.

It was indeed the sapphire necklace: a platinum chain with a raindrop-shaped sapphire pendant.

In their previous life, this was the necklace Chi Lengzhao had treasured above all else, carefully guarding it as if it were more precious than her own life. Yet now, she was handing it over to Shen Zhixi so easily.

“Chi Lengzhao, are you really willing to entrust this to me?”

Chi Lengzhao smiled. “Of course. You’re my wife. My things are your things. There’s no difference in entrusting it to you.”

Shen Zhixi scoffed, as if saying, “I’ll believe that when I see it.”

“Put it away. The hospital is full of people, and we wouldn’t want it to get lost.”

Shen Zhixi closed the brocade box and tucked it under her pillow.

“Miss Shen, I’m being completely sincere. I’ve given you what you asked for. So, can our agreement take effect now?”

Chi Lengzhao’s gaze was earnest, her sincerity palpable as she spoke of the post-marriage agreement.

Two voices waged war in Shen Zhixi’s mind.

One warned, Don’t trust her. She’s a cunning, treacherous devil. Don’t make any deals with her—she’s surely scheming something to harm you.

The other countered, You have what’s most important to her in your hands. There’s nothing to fear if she reneges. It’s only a year. After that, a peaceful divorce will at least satisfy Mom and Dad.

Shen Zhixi’s chest rose and fell slightly, her pale jade-like cheeks flushing with emotion. Finally, she bit her lip and said, “I’ll say it again: it’s only one year. During that time, you must not harass or restrict me. After a year, we’ll divorce amicably, leaving no debts between us.”

“Of course,” Chi Lengzhao replied, seeming genuinely pleased. She picked up two glasses from the tea table, twisted open a bottle of mineral water, and filled each glass halfway.

Chi Lengzhao handed one glass to Shen Zhixi and kept the other for herself.

“There’s no wine here, so let’s toast with water instead. To our happily agreed-upon year-long marriage contract!”

With that, she clinked her glass against Shen Zhixi’s before downing hers in one gulp.

Shen Zhixi watched her drink, then picked up her own glass and drained it in a single swallow.

“You should get some rest. I don’t have anything else to add. From now on, I’ll call you Xixi—it sounds more intimate. You can call me Zhaozhao, Lengzhao, or even Chichi.”

Shen Zhixi’s hair stood on end at these cloying nicknames. Suppressing her revulsion, she forced out a reluctant, “Zhaozhao.”

Chi Lengzhao’s eyes narrowed into a smile, her lips curving. “Well then, I’ll be off, Xixi.”

The smile was mischievous, yet endearing, even a little ingratiating. Shen Zhixi had never seen Chi Lengzhao display such an expression before. Her beautiful eyes were like sweet grapes basking in the vineyard sun.

“Why… why are you doing this? Agreeing to pretend to be my wife?”

Chi Lengzhao turned, her tall figure framed in the doorway, and glanced back with a smile. “I told you I’d save Meixi.”

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