After Encountering My Deceased Wife, I Became the Male Lead's Love Rival - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Clown

The two lay on the bed for a long time until Ling Qiu was teased by Fang Ziyue to the point of losing her temper. It was as if Fang Ziyue wanted to return the embarrassment her wife had caused her earlier twofold; one could only wonder where she learned this useless competitive streak.

Because they had waded through the pond on their way out, their pants from the knees down were covered in mud, leaving a large, dirty patch on Ling Qiu’s bedsheets. After teasing her wife to the point of a mental “system crash,” Fang Ziyue stood up happily, preparing to change the sheets and wash up.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she reached out, she was stopped by Ling Qiu, whose face was still flushed and hadn’t quite recovered. Fearing that Fang Ziyue’s left hand would hurt, Ling Qiu pushed her aside and tidied the bed herself. During the process, she didn’t forget to urge her: “Don’t do any work lately. Leave it to me.”

Although Fang Ziyue used to do most of the chores even taking on all the heavy labor times had changed. Their relationship was different now, and Ling Qiu couldn’t bear to see her suffer or overwork herself.

Fang Ziyue, enjoying being treated like a porcelain doll by her wife, sprawled lazily to the side, feeling exceptionally content. It felt like returning to the days when she was fourteen or fifteen, protected by Ling Qiu; she could run recklessly ahead, knowing that no matter how big the storm, there was always a lighthouse to guide her home.

Life was just too comfortable. So comfortable that she didn’t have to work, and she didn’t even have to handle the clarification of her past. Ling Qiu took charge of everything, including releasing the evidence against Lin Mingcheng to finish him off once and for all.

The woman standing by the window making phone calls possessed a mature temperament and a unique, gentle charm. It was precisely this gentleness that led many in the industry to mistake her for someone easily bullied, kind-hearted, and ignorant. But only Fang Ziyue knew and had seen the real Ling Qiu. The woman who carved a blood-stained path through business wars and stood her ground among men possessed incredibly iron-fisted methods.

She was like the Morning Star hanging in the dark sky, her dazzling light guiding those who had lost their way. Fang Ziyue’s current existence was like a feather brushing the dust off a dim star, letting it shine, letting it awaken.

Unconsciously, a design began to take shape on the paper. Fang Ziyue stopped her pen and looked at the necklace design she had drawn in a burst of inspiration. A feather embracing the blue Morning Star, witnessing its light and glory in the vast universe in the name of protection and companionship, providing for its needs, and offering the most silent guardianship.

Fang Ziyue took her pen and wrote two characters on the paper: “Chang Geng.” (The Morning Star/Venus).

Bright is the Morning Star, a banished immortal should descend.

Ling Qiu was her immortal.

“Are we really doing this?” Although she had worked with Ling Qiu for many years, the manager still felt a chill at the ruthlessness and toxicity with which Ling Qiu was now handling matters. Such methods shouldn’t appear on the gentle and approachable Ling Qiu.

Before meeting that “other Ling Qiu”—that ghostly entity—Ling Qiu herself didn’t know she would use such severe methods. In the past, she never fought for heaven or earth; even when others danced on her face, she remained peaceful and incredibly Zen-like. Looking back now, with her previous cowardly behavior, it was no wonder Lin Mengyan dared to dance on her head.

“A person like Lin Mingcheng should be sent to the Eastern Depot to be a eunuch,” Ling Qiu said, recalling a drama she had performed in. “Once he becomes Lin Mengyan’s castrated slave, he’ll understand his own worth.” He was just a pile of rot, unworthy of any good girl.

“Aren’t you afraid Lin Mengyan will cause trouble for you?” The manager was still hesitant. Releasing those scandals was enough to ensure he never rose again; was it truly necessary to risk performing a chemical castration on him?

“She should thank me.” Ling Qiu gently stroked the Jack-in-the-pulpit on the windowsill. The white flowers had long since fallen, leaving only the green leaves growing well. Her features were soft and her tone was light: “I’m helping Lin Mingcheng settle down, leaving him with no choice but Lin Mengyan. Doesn’t Lin Mengyan love him to death? If she finds out, she should be weeping with gratitude toward me.”

The manager was speechless, feeling that this “ancestor” was now afraid of nothing and dared to do anything. She only hoped that if Lin Mengyan came jumping around later, Ling Qiu would strike as ruthlessly as she did with Lin Mingcheng instead of suddenly turning Zen again. Thinking back to Ling Qiu’s “Buddhist” phase, the manager felt frustrated that she hadn’t stood up for herself.

With Ling Qiu personally taking action and Zhao Mumu busy on her end, the situation online reversed very quickly. While everyone was busy cursing Fang Ziyue, they were slapped in the face by the iron-clad evidence released by Ling Qiu. For a time, people were seen streaming themselves eating keyboards, washing their hair while standing on their heads, and various other indecent operations that would be censored if described.

Fang Ziyue scrolled through these videos every day until her face went stiff from laughing. One had to admit, some of these operations really weren’t something a carbon-based lifeform could think up.

“Ancestor, are you in a good mood?” As soon as the person spoke, Fang Ziyue knew her little assistant abroad wanted her to attend a ceremony.

Fang Ziyue prepared to hang up without a second thought: “Not good. Hanging up.” Is she joking? How could attending those stupid banquets be more important than accompanying her wife?

“Don’t, don’t! Master! Ancestor! Just three days, three days is enough!” the girl howled like a wolf. This was a very prestigious and powerful awards ceremony; other designers couldn’t go even if they wanted to. Who was like her master, who couldn’t be dragged there even with force?

“Princess Mian and Prince Brevi have emphasized many times that they want to invite you, and your ‘Gold Master’ Empress Vera will also make an appearance. This isn’t just any ordinary ceremony; the people coming are all big shots. Master, please don’t be willful.”

Fang Ziyue let out a long sigh: “What’s the use of me being ‘old’? Don’t I still have to drag my limbs to attend those ceremonies that serve no purpose other than putting gold on one’s face?”

The assistant’s teeth ached hearing this. What did she mean “useless”? She wailed: “Master, wake up! If you win the award, you’ll be the ‘Giant Panda’ of the jewelry design world! Everyone will have to worship you!”

“What’s the use of that?” Fang Ziyue sneered. “Won’t I still be working for others? At the end of the day, I’m just a brick-mover.” Empress Vera was the one presenting the award; even if she won, she couldn’t escape the name of Empress Vera’s “Gold Master” status. Wasn’t she still an employee?

The assistant was furious that was Empress Vera! Once she acknowledged her master’s skill, anything her master made at random could sell for an astronomical price! And yet, her master was still dissatisfied?!

“My dream is just to make some accessories and tailor some clothes for my wife. Sigh, why is it so hard?” Fang Ziyue slumped on the table and sighed. The key was that she couldn’t refuse Empress Vera and the other princes and princesses she was on good terms with; after all, they had blocked a lot of trouble for her. Otherwise, the moment she returned to the country, her doorstep would have been flattened by people seeking her designs.

“What’s the specific time?” Forced by circumstance, Fang Ziyue had to go.

The assistant breathed a sigh of relief: “Next month on the 18th.” She had already arranged the tickets and everything, just waiting for her master to agree.

Next month on the 18th? Fang Ziyue frowned. Wasn’t that when her wife was starting a new variety show? A short two-to-three-hour show that was quite popular. Although it had segments designed to make things difficult for people, given her wife’s status, no one would dare treat her that way once she arrived. Thinking this way, Fang Ziyue felt reassured, but she couldn’t bear the thought of leaving…

When Ling Qiu returned from her phone call, she saw Fang Ziyue slumped in her chair like a corpse, looking like a half-fried salted fish that had lost all hope. Ling Qiu stepped forward, brushed the hair from her cheek, and massaged her forehead, asking softly: “What’s wrong?” When she left, this person was a sunflower bright and yellow, making one want to swat her.

How did she become a salted fish in the blink of an eye, radiating the aura of “giving up on life”?

Fang Ziyue looked up at her wife. Her wife’s face looked good from any angle. The more she looked, the more she didn’t want to leave. “I have to go abroad on the 18th of next month to attend an awards ceremony.” Fang Ziyue scratched her hair in frustration. She didn’t want to go! She didn’t want to go at all!

Seeing Fang Ziyue’s mood darkening, Ling Qiu leaned down and printed a kiss on the forehead of the frantic woman. She rubbed her cheek against the other’s and said: “Then how many days will you be gone?”

Ling Qiu’s comfort gave Fang Ziyue a great sense of security; her mood rebounded, and the dark thoughts were extinguished before they could even sprout. Instead, she asked another question. “Wife, what if I’m keeping something from you?”

Ling Qiu looked into her eyes and asked: “Will this thing hurt our relationship?”

“I don’t know.” Fang Ziyue shook her head honestly; she wasn’t sure how important the identity of “Z” was to her wife.

Ling Qiu tilted her head and tried another way of asking: “Will it hurt you or me physically?”

“It won’t.”

“Then it’s fine.” Ling Qiu breathed a sigh of relief, appearing unconcerned. Since it wouldn’t hurt either of them, if there were secrets, let there be secrets. “After all, who doesn’t have a bit of secret pocket money?” Ling Qiu raised her eyebrows, hooked Fang Ziyue’s chin with her finger, and said with a smile: “I allow it.”

Fang Ziyue swallowed at her wife’s gesture. People are truly different; when her wife performed such “greasy CEO” moves, they were pleasing to the eye and made her heart pound wildly.

Seeing this, Ling Qiu rubbed Fang Ziyue’s reddening earlobe. This woman was even more shy and innocent than she had imagined. She was just a paper tiger who acted tough verbally. When it came time for the real deal in bed, who knows who would be the first to feel embarrassed.

Ling Qiu’s thunderous methods had dragged nearly half the industry into the mess. Some fence-sitters had just picked a side when Ling Qiu knocked them off the boat, leaving them no chance to escape.

Lin Mengyan had never found a suitable opportunity to release the black material she held. She never imagined that her attempt to push the newcomer would be her only chance to harm Ling Qiu. She didn’t understand why those women who had slept with Cheng-ge were so shameless as to dare to stand up as witnesses?!

“Bitches! Bitches!” Hiding at home with doors and windows tightly shut, Lin Mengyan chewed her nails neurotically. Ling Qiu’s sudden attack caught her off guard, but more than that was a fear she was unwilling to admit. She was afraid Ling Qiu would come to settle scores with her.

She didn’t understand why Ling Qiu, who had always been like a dead fish allowing herself to be slaughtered, had suddenly awakened and started treading on their heads. Lin Mengyan would never admit she was wrong; if there was a fault, it was in Ling Qiu’s drastic change in personality. She had become selfish, unscrupulous, and unfeeling, actually heartless enough to send Cheng-ge to court.

In the face of crisis, love meant nothing to Lin Mengyan. Husband and wife are birds of the same forest, flying their separate ways when disaster strikes. Cheng-ge was completely finished; she couldn’t allow herself to be destroyed, otherwise who would make money for him in the future?

She loved him too much to allow him to have no one to support him. She still needed to stay famous in this circle for a while to support him, so she absolutely could not step forward and cause trouble now.

Lin Mengyan was so moved that she burst into tears again, like a clown performing a self-deceiving play to the air.

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