After Encountering My Deceased Wife, I Became the Male Lead's Love Rival - Chapter 39

Chapter 39: Housekeeper

In the end, Fang Ziyue simply cleaned the dusty dresses and organized them properly. She still chose to design a gown herself—not just to establish her own brand externally, but more importantly, to let her wife see her capability. The position of the Ling family housekeeper was still vacant; Fang Ziyue had to find a way to secure that spot.

“I really don’t know what’s wrong with you, running off to be a housekeeper instead of a perfectly good boss,” said a computer talent Fang Ziyue had unearthed from a rental apartment, rolling her eyes while tapping away at code. “Besides, weren’t you kicked out by the head of the Ling family? Will she even take you back?” The little assistant was highly skeptical. She felt her boss was basically offering herself up on a silver platter, just short of washing herself clean, wrapping herself in red silk, and delivering herself to the Ling family head’s bed.

“What are you talking about? Just get back to work,” Fang Ziyue replied as she emerged from the dressing room, having changed out of her sportswear.

The assistant looked up at the sound and was instantly dazed. Her mouth hung open, completely unaware that her hand was pressing down on the keyboard, typing out a long string of gibberish.

The wine-red trailing mermaid skirt accentuated Fang Ziyue’s exquisite curves to the limit. Her fiery red nails, matching lipstick, and the brown curls cascading down her back gave her an aura of wild, magnetic charm. Annoyed by the hair covering her eyes, she ran a hand through her tresses and swept them back, adding a sharp edge to her aggressive beauty—like lighting a fire, she savagely seized everyone’s gaze.

Now, look here—

The assistant suddenly began to cough. She let go of the keyboard and clutched her mouth, her chest aching from the coughing fit, yet she couldn’t bear to look away from Fang Ziyue. After living for so many years, she finally understood why so many wealthy women were willing to keep “trophies.” Someone like her boss—she’d be willing to sell everything she owned just to support her!

“Boss, give me a chance! You don’t have to pay me, let me support you, alright?” The assistant had stars in her eyes, wishing she could cling to this tall, glamorous woman immediately.

Fang Ziyue chuckled, reached out to press against the girl’s forehead, and patted her: “Just work hard.”

The crisp scent of cedarwood formed a sharp contrast with her intense, fiery beauty, tempting one to embrace her and use primal force to tear away the facade—to explore the glacier beneath the lava. Beneath that scorching red, how transparent and beautiful must the white snowfields be? In the cedar-covered mountains, would there be an elf in red singing? It invited endless imagination…

The moment Fang Ziyue stepped into the banquet hall, she became the focus of everyone’s attention. Even many young talents who had accompanied various socialite daughters couldn’t restrain their restless hearts, publicly abandoning their companions to strike up a conversation with her.

“Why is she dressed like that?!” Ling Nianyao’s face turned ugly as she gnashed her teeth, her plan ruined. “Who leaked the news?”

“It shouldn’t be about leaked news. Look at her outfit; it’s truly beautiful.” Even those close to Ling Nianyao couldn’t resist the temptation.

“Which master made that outfit? I have no memory of it.” “I don’t know. Why don’t… you go ask?” “Why me? If we go, we go together.” “Then let’s go together.”

Several of Ling Nianyao’s “besties” laughed and chatted as they headed toward Fang Ziyue, completely forgetting Ling Nianyao by their side. Ling Nianyao’s long nails dug deep into her palms, nearly tearing the thin gauze layer of her skirt. Clearly, she was the host of this banquet; she should have been the focus!

“Oh? You mean this dress? I designed and made it myself,” Fang Ziyue’s voice reached Ling Nianyao’s ears clearly, making her stumble. Usually, as soon as she showed an expression of discomfort or sadness, her friends, male companions, and even strangers would swarm over to care for her. But at this moment, not a single person noticed her distress. Everyone surrounded Fang Ziyue, letting the woman become the sole center of the banquet as if she were the moon surrounded by stars.

Eventually, unable to contain her anger, Ling Nianyao thickened her skin and squeezed into the crowd, trying to reclaim the lead from Fang Ziyue. However, she was shoved back by the elbow of one of her “best friends.” She actually heard the woman—who was usually like a sister to her—curse: “Don’t push, you idiot!”

Ling Nianyao’s eyes turned red with rage. She lunged forward, grabbed the woman’s hair, and began to brawl with her.

“Ah! What are you doing!” The woman, having a handful of hair ripped out, clawed back with a distorted face. The two glamorously dressed women tore at each other like madwomen, completely ruining the banquet.

Encircled in the middle, Fang Ziyue frowned slightly and took a very obvious step back. The people around her were discerning enough to shield her and move her aside; they actually let Ling Nianyao fight the other woman, even enthusiastically telling Fang Ziyue about the “dark history” of the two combatants.

In a dark corner of the banquet, Ling Qiu watched the farce on the dance floor through her wine glass.

Good. Her theory was correct. In this world where “Providence” imposed forced control, Fang Ziyue was the only person capable of breaking the game.

The gaze from the corner was too frantic and intense, carrying an uncomfortable desire for control. Fang Ziyue suddenly turned her head, her expression cold. She wanted to see who was so bold. Those eyes probably weren’t wanted anymore.

The gaze Fang Ziyue swept over was as sharp as a blade, just as chilling as the day she stepped on the housekeeper and held the security captain by his collar. A curve rose on Ling Qiu’s lips as she raised her glass to the woman looking over.

Very good. I have seen your value.

Surprised to see her wife here, Fang Ziyue hid her joy deep in her eyes and turned back to deal with the people around her. Her wife liked quiet; now was not the best time to go to her side.

“Um… Ziyue, do you take commissions?” Someone finally couldn’t help but ask. These people had praised Fang Ziyue for so long—weren’t they just coveting the accessories and clothes she designed?

“I do.” Fang Ziyue took out four business cards and placed them in the hands of the girls who stood out first. Others saw this and clamored for cards, but Fang Ziyue refused. She nodded with a smile and said with regret: “Apologies, everyone, but I only take four orders a year. Because I handmade everything myself, one set of clothing takes a very long time.”

Scarcity increases value; Fang Ziyue knew what she was doing. Moreover, she had to design clothes for her wife; how could she spare time for others? This was merely a means to expand her network.

The others lamented and regretted not speaking up sooner. Looking at the four lucky girls, their hearts grew even more jealous. Several people who had hesitated because of their relationship with Ling Nianyao cursed her a hundred times in their hearts. It was all her fault for slandering Fang Ziyue every day; otherwise, one of those cards would have been theirs!

The cursed Ling Nianyao had long since been escorted upstairs by bodyguards, where a doctor was treating her wounds. Fang Ziyue remembered catching a glimpse of a large bald patch where Ling Nianyao’s hair had been ripped out; her face was covered in blood, looking quite terrifying. But with this lesson, Ling Nianyao should learn some restraint and stop bothering her wife.

Seeing Ling Qiu leaving in her wheelchair out of the corner of her eye, Fang Ziyue immediately made an excuse to bid farewell to the persistent crowd. Fang Ziyue was, after all, one of the Ling family heirs; the others couldn’t force her to stay and had to let her go reluctantly.

Once the focus of the banquet left, the crowd turned their attention back to Ling Nianyao. Only this time, they were no longer comforting or feeling pained for her. Instead, they blamed her for slandering Fang Ziyue. The woman who had clawed Ling Nianyao’s face bloody even cursed her relentlessly: “If you have the guts, don’t leave your room for the rest of your life, otherwise I’ll beat you every time I see you!” Her family background was better than both Ling Nianyao’s and Qu Haoyu’s; she spoke with confidence and a straight back.

Prompted by her, others also began to gossip about Ling Nianyao and Qu Haoyu. Anyone who knew them knew Ling Nianyao acted innocent and vulnerable on the surface, but wasn’t she just a mistress behind the scenes? Hooking up with a cheating scumbag. These young socialites were proud; now that they had “woken up,” they suddenly found it disgusting.

“How did I ever hang out with her before?”

“True, it was like being possessed. So gross.”

After meeting Fang Ziyue, these people suddenly opened their eyes and saw clearly what they had been doing. In the massive banquet hall, before Ling Nianyao could even finish treating her wounds to come down and clean up the mess, everyone had already left. Looking at her face covered in red and yellow medicinal liquid, Ling Nianyao nearly crushed her teeth in hatred.

“Fang Ziyue!” she shrieked, smashing the wine glass in her hand. She and that bitch were irreconcilable; she wanted her dead! Dead!

“Achoo!” Back at the Ling house, Fang Ziyue turned her head and sneezed while holding a fruit platter. The sound was loud, drawing a look of disdain from Ling Qiu.

Fang Ziyue rubbed the tip of her nose and lifted the platter sheepishly: “I’ll go change this for another one.”

“No need.” Ling Qiu stopped the woman from slipping away, signaling she didn’t need to be busy. “I don’t want to eat fruit.”

Realizing her wife had something to say, Fang Ziyue sat opposite Ling Qiu and asked, “What is it?”

Ling Qiu pursed her lips. To be honest, she really liked the clothes and accessories Fang Ziyue designed. “I want to hire you as my designer. You can name your own salary requirements.”

It was much easier to express her preference through a professional hiring arrangement, though Ling Qiu felt Fang Ziyue might not agree. After all, with her ability, she didn’t need to be anyone’s exclusive designer; she had the capital to wait freely for buyers to come to her.

But to her surprise, Fang Ziyue agreed very readily. As for the salary…

The tall, beautiful woman smiled with crinkled eyes: “The housekeeper position has been vacant for too long; it’s better if I take it.”

“Is that the ‘salary’ you want?” Ling Qiu’s expression was complex. Who on earth refuses money and actively offers to work several jobs for someone? “Think about it properly.” Ling Qiu was a successful businesswoman; profit stood above all else to her.

But that “all else” did not include Fang Ziyue.

The woman, sensing her doubt, spread her hands. Her voice trailed off with a teasing tone: “The Madam surely knows my purpose for becoming the housekeeper, right?~”

She wasn’t working for free. As the saying goes, “a pavilion close to the water gets the moon first”—she was here to chase her wife.

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