After Marrying the Villain with Seven Personalities [Transmigration into a Book]) - Chapter 10

“Ji-ji, get in from this side. Sit to my left,” Fang Fengyu called out warmly.

Noticing that Shi Ji was walking slowly and stiffly clutching her neck, Fang Fengyu assumed the two girls were still in the middle of a lover’s spat. She was certain that Linqiu had found out about Shi Ji’s string of girlfriends during her absence and had started a fight.

Though elders usually shouldn’t meddle, she decided to try and mediate. Once Shi Ji was settled in the seat, Fang Fengyu reached out with a smile, intending to gently pull Shi Ji’s hand away from her neck so she could hold it and have a proper talk.

To her surprise, the girl was quite stubborn; it took a bit of strength to pry her hand away.

Once she succeeded, Fang Fengyu’s gaze landed directly on a red mark that looked exactly like a hickey. Shi Ji turned her head, offering a stiff, awkward smile. “Hello, Auntie.”

Shi Ji’s lips were even more swollen than Linqiu’s, and the corner of her mouth was actually cut.

Fang Fengyu froze, a look of pure shock crossing her face.

Shi Ji panicked and began to explain frantically, “No—Auntie, believe me! I never mess around when I’m drunk, I’m actually very well-behaved! My mouth… I bumped it while I was drunk. And this mark—this is from a mosquito. I slapped it too hard myself!”

Fang Fengyu: “…” Xu Linqiu, peeking over from the middle: “…”

Shi Ji emphasized with desperate certainty, “Really!”

The air in the car seemed to freeze for several seconds. Finally, Fang Fengyu let out a long sigh of relief and began to smile. She looked at Xu Linqiu and said, “Mom knew you were lying to me. What’s there to hide about being with Ji-ji? You two are so dramatic, acting so eager to clear your names.”

She turned back to Shi Ji, patting her hand to show equal affection. “If you did it, you did it. It’s no big deal. We adults are very reasonable. I’ll talk to your mother about the wedding later. Anyway, you’ve played around until you’re twenty-seven; it’s time for an old girl like you to settle down.”

Shi Ji: “…” She sat there frozen, completely unsure of how to respond.

Xu Linqiu, however, quietly chimed in, “I’m not quite twenty-seven yet. Ji-ji is.”

Shi Ji: “…” She leaned forward slightly to glare at Xu Linqiu, who was clearly enjoying the chaos. Gritting her teeth, Shi Ji put on a sweet, obedient smile for Fang Fengyu. “Auntie, we really weren’t together last night.”

“Sigh, I’m ashamed to say it, but I’m just not good enough. I still haven’t inherited my father’s company. It’s only natural that Lin-zi looks down on me…” Her eyes drooped with a look of profound disappointment.

Xu Linqiu stifled a laugh. Just as Fang Fengyu frowned, ready to scold her, Linqiu took the initiative. She grabbed her mother’s hand and wore a pale, melancholic smile. “Mom, I’m the one who isn’t good enough for her. She’s the heir to Shi Entertainment, and I’m nothing. I’m just afraid she’ll find me beneath her…”

Before she could spin the lie further, Fang Fengyu interrupted her. “That’s easy then. Neither of you should look down on the other. I’ll settle things with your Auntie Lin, and you two can go get your marriage certificates tomorrow.”

“…” Things had officially gone too far.

Xu Linqiu quickly changed her tune. “Mom, what we meant just now was—”

“Mom—”

“Wait.” Shi Ji accidentally followed suit with the “Mom” address before quickly correcting herself. “Auntie, here is how we actually feel: Lin-zi just got back, and our romantic feelings have faded. We’ve realized our bond is more like family than lovers. So, we want to wish each other the best and find our respective soulmates.”

Fang Fengyu listened, appearing to understand, but then she sighed. “But if you don’t want Linqiu, I’m afraid she won’t find a good match.”

Xu Linqiu wanted to facepalm. Then she heard Shi Ji continue, “Auntie, how about this: I promise I will find Lin-zi a great partner. I’ll aim to get her married off this year. If all else fails, I’ll definitely marry her myself.”

Linqiu suspected Shi Ji was still drunk; otherwise, how could she say something so ridiculous?

“I really don’t understand you young people,” Fang Fengyu muttered. She lowered her headrest, leaning back exhaustedly with her eyes closed. “I’m done with you both. I have a headache.”

The partition between the driver and the back seat had already been lowered. Seeing that Fang Fengyu was resting, Xu Linqiu leaned forward and beckoned Shi Ji over. Shi Ji leaned in as well.

“One year?” Linqiu whispered in her ear. “Where am I supposed to find someone to marry in one year?”

“Aren’t you dating Boss Hong?” Shi Ji whispered back, glancing at the quiet Auntie Fang.

“We haven’t finalized terms yet,” Linqiu replied.

Shi Ji’s eyes darted down to Linqiu’s collarbone, which was covered in red marks. “You’re already at this stage and you haven’t ‘finalized terms’?”

As she stared at those marks, Shi Ji felt a sudden wave of melancholy. She felt genuinely sad, like a gardener seeing a flower she had carefully nurtured being plucked by someone else.

However, the sadness lasted only a moment before it was swallowed by a surge of joy. This is great! Lin-zi has finally escaped the villain, broken free from the original plot, and is heading toward a bright future!

Forgetting her own troubles, Shi Ji gave her a massive grin. “Then just talk to her! From the way Boss Hong looks at you, if you said you wanted to marry her, she’d probably carry you straight to the altar.”

Then, her eyes sparkled with gossip. “By the way… are you the ‘Socialite’ type or the ‘CEO’ type?”

“Was it fun? Was it comfortable?” Shi Ji coughed twice, adding a disclaimer: “I’m not asking because I’ve never experienced it, I’m just curious…”

“CEO type,” Xu Linqiu replied with a blink and a knowing smile. “And you?”

Linqiu knew Shi Ji was just acting tough. Shi Ji was so picky that her “girlfriends” were usually just for novelty or to appease her mother; she likely had no real experience. She remembered back in high school when Shi Ji spent a fortune on a girlfriend. Linqiu had thought she was serious and even spied on them behind a warehouse. Just as they were about to kiss, Shi Ji had pulled away.

“I feel nothing. Let’s break up,” Shi Ji had said coldly before walking away. “My dad cut off my allowance and I’m broke. Stop pestering me.”

“I’m the CEO type, obviously,” Shi Ji declared firmly, returning a knowing smile of her own.

Lin-zi is definitely just being prideful, Shi Ji thought. With her frail artist’s constitution and how dominant Boss Hong is, there’s no way she was the one on top.

The two shared a smile, then turned in unison to look at Fang Fengyu—only to find her watching them with eyes that seemed to see through everything. They both blinked and instantly flashed identical, obedient smiles.

Xu Linqiu shrugged at Shi Ji and gave her a look before sitting back and taking her mother’s arm. Fang Fengyu gave them both a reproachful look and sighed. “You two silly children.”

They clearly still care for each other so much, she thought sadly. And yet they’re pretending to be happy while discussing such things.

“Are Dad and my sister at home?” Linqiu asked, changing the subject.

“Your father is filming in Country C, and your sister is filming at the studio base,” Fang Fengyu answered. “You stay at Ji-ji’s place for the next few days. I’ll drop you both off now.”

Have a good talk and make up, she added mentally. She then smiled dotingly. “In four days, it’s the Yi family patriarch’s 82nd birthday. They’re hosting a large gala. Your father and sister will be back by then. I’ll come pick you up.”

A gala!

Before Shi Ji could intervene, Xu Linqiu had already agreed with a smile.

Shi Ji remembered this gala from the book. It was a legendary “clash of the titans.” The blackened villain, Yi Chenqing, would plot to drug both the real and fake heiresses and lock them in a room to humiliate them. Yi Yanbai would find out, leading to a massive confrontation.

However, the plot had already changed. Lin-zi had survived her “death flag” at age eighteen. As long as they were careful, it should be fine.

Shi Ji breathed a sigh of relief. She was being too reactive. She just hoped the gala would pass peacefully without any drama.