After Marrying the Villain with Seven Personalities [Transmigration into a Book]) - Chapter 24

“No way. We have to be the first ones to get married.”

Yi Chengqing’s tone was solemn and earnest. In an instant, her “overbearing CEO” energy flared up. Xu Linqiu met her gaze, neither woman willing to back down.

Meanwhile, Xu Linqiu silently picked up a French fry and began to eat, handing another to little Yi Hehe as she settled in to watch the drama unfold. To her surprise, both women suddenly snapped their eyes toward her.

“Yes, ma’am!” Xu Linqiu straightened her back instantly. She turned a serious look toward Shi Ji. “Of course we’re getting married first. If you marry Yanbai, you’ll have to call me ‘Big Sister.’ The elder sister goes first—don’t you know the rules?”

Xu Linqiu let a smirk play on her lips. Shi Ji was clearly fuming, but Xu Linqiu felt this was for the best. This woman, Shi Ji, always claimed she didn’t want anyone meddling in her business, yet she couldn’t help meddling herself—even using her own marriage and happiness as a bargaining chip.

While Yanbai was a good person, it was obvious Shi Ji hadn’t “awakened” to her feelings yet. The two of them weren’t even that close; the spark just wasn’t there.

“I’m not buying that excuse,” Shi Ji said, patting Yi Yanbai’s leg under the table. Yi Yanbai immediately sat up straight and nodded. “Right.”

Shi Ji spoke up again: “If you’re so brave, let’s settle this with a bet. We’ll go to Yuntao Amusement Park and ride every extreme attraction. Whoever taps out first loses. How about it?”

“Do you dare?”

It was a blatant provocation. Considering Hehe was with them, Xu Linqiu was about to decline, but Yi Chengqing’s willow-leaf eyes narrowed slightly. Her lips were pressed into a thin line, but she spoke: “Fine.”

“What about Hehe?”

“We’ll take turns in groups to watch her,” Shi Ji replied, having thought it through.

Chewing on a fry, Yi Hehe added in a soft voice, “I’ll be very good.”

Xu Linqiu had nothing left to say. After finishing the food on her tray, she found herself standing at the base of the Drop Tower, still feeling a bit dazed.

The Drop Tower

Screams echoed from the tower as it plummeted. Since it was a weekday, the lines weren’t long, and their turn came in ten minutes.

Yi Yanbai and Shi Ji stayed behind to watch the child. Shi Ji shot them a provocative look. “I want to see which one of you cries first.”

How childish, Xu Linqiu thought, shaking her head with a smile. She walked over to Yi Chengqing and gently took her hand as they approached the ride.

Once the staff secured the safety harnesses, the tower began its slow ascent, rising toward the brilliant sunlight peeking through the clouds. A breeze brushed their faces, and golden light bathed their skin.

Xu Linqiu squinted slightly and glanced at Yi Chengqing. To her surprise, the CEO had her eyes tightly shut, her long lashes trembling. The sunlight danced on her lashes, casting a hazy glow over the light brown mole under her eye. Her lips were pale, and her palms were sweating.

“Are you scared?” Xu Linqiu asked worriedly as they reached the top.

Yi Chengqing opened her eyes slightly, her voice remarkably calm. “I’m not.” Then she added, “If you are scared, you can hold my hand tight.”

Xu Linqiu nodded and gripped her hand. “Okay.”

Suddenly, the ride triggered. They plummeted. A fierce wind whipped against their cheeks, blowing their long hair wild. The intense feeling of weightlessness actually gave Xu Linqiu a rush of excitement. She watched the distant buildings grow larger as the wind roared in her ears.

As the descent reached its maximum speed, Yi Chengqing’s grip tightened until her knuckles were white. Then, a familiar voice suddenly rang out in Xu Linqiu’s ear:

“SAVE ME!!!”

With that one scream, Yi Chengqing bit her lip, refusing to make another sound. But the weightlessness was too real; she couldn’t help but let out low whimpers that blended into the screams of the crowd.

Xu Linqiu wanted to soothe her fear, but all she could do was squeeze her hand back. She leaned over and shouted over the wind, “It’s okay!”

The roaring wind swallowed her voice. The screams subsided as the ride slowed to a halt. When Yi Chengqing opened her eyes, she met Xu Linqiu’s worried gaze. Realizing her eyes were brimming with tears, she quickly looked away.

Only when they were close to the ground did she ask in a feigned calm voice, “Are you alright?”

Xu Linqiu struggled to hold back a laugh. How did she manage to ask that in her current state? “I’m fine,” she replied. “And you?”

When Yi Chengqing turned back, only the slight redness of her eyes betrayed her. Her expression was once again composed. “I’m fine too. The wind was just so strong it made my eyes water.”

The Competitive CEO

As they stepped onto solid ground, Xu Linqiu finally couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Yi Chengqing’s legs were a bit shaky; she forced herself to take a few steady steps to hide it.

“What are you laughing at?”

“I was just thinking… there’s really no need to compete over who gets their marriage license first,” Xu Linqiu said, changing the subject. She reached out. “My legs are a bit weak. Help me up?”

Yi Chengqing stepped forward to support her, but Xu Linqiu bypassed her arm and simply interlaced their fingers. Yi Chengqing’s hand was slender and slightly cold.

As they walked, Yi Chengqing suddenly confessed, “It’s not just about the marriage license. I just want to be first. I’ve been number one in everything I’ve done since I was a child. I don’t want to lose to her.”

She paused, then looked at Xu Linqiu’s reaction. “Do you… not like these extreme rides? Are you very scared?”

If she’s actually scared, I’ll stop the competition, Yi Chengqing thought.

Xu Linqiu suppressed a smile. She’s the one who’s terrified, yet she’s asking me if I’m okay. The Great CEO Yi really did care about her “face.”

Thinking back to that “Save me!” on the tower, Xu Linqiu’s eyes crinkled into crescents. She looked into Yi Chengqing’s calm, bottomless eyes and said slowly, “Scared…”

She trailed off, watching Yi Chengqing’s expression relax at the word. Then she smiled and finished, “…I am not. In fact, I quite like it. Since that’s the case, let’s keep playing.”

Yi Chengqing’s expression remained stoic as she nodded.

When they met back up with Shi Ji and Yi Yanbai, the other two had just finished their turn on the tower.

“Next project, let’s go!” Shi Ji said excitedly. She nudged Yi Yanbai with her elbow, teasing her mercilessly. “This one screamed so loud. She kept trying to grab my hand; I almost choked laughing at her.”

“I have a slight fear of heights. It might be genetic—Mom is afraid of heights too,” Yi Yanbai said, putting her glasses back on and trying to reclaim her dignity.

“Then why aren’t I afraid of heights?” Yi Chengqing debunked her sister’s claim without blinking. “Don’t blame genetics.”

Xu Linqiu let out a laugh that drew everyone’s attention. She quickly straightened her face. “My Chengqing didn’t make a sound the whole time. It was just the wind making her eyes water.”

Yi Chengqing’s ears turned red, but she said nothing.

A Moment of Warmth

Xu Linqiu bent down to pat Yi Hehe’s head. “You two go ahead to the next big ride. We’ll take Hehe to the Rotating Swings.”

“Fine.”

As the swings slowly rose and the children were spun into the air, Xu Linqiu recorded a video of the beaming Yi Hehe. She nudged Yi Chengqing with her shoulder. “Hehe is a little afraid of you. If you smile more, she won’t be.”

“I don’t really like children,” Yi Chengqing said, glancing at her. After a few seconds of hesitation, she forced her lips upward into an incredibly stiff, fake smile.

Xu Linqiu waved to Yi Hehe as she swung past. The child couldn’t tell the smile was fake; she only saw her mother smiling at her, and her little face lit up even more brightly.

Yi Chengqing let out a sigh of relief. Xu Linqiu reached out and took her hand, tickling her palm with her fingertips.

For years, Yi Chengqing had found life dull, finding interest only in challenging business projects. But in these past few days, a series of accidents had shifted her perspective. She was starting to feel that having a wife and child at home—having a wife cook dinner and wait for her to return—was a beautiful thing.

The Final Showdown

By the time they reached the Roller Coaster, Xu Linqiu realized just how heavy Yi Chengqing’s “CEO baggage” really was.

As the train climbed to its peak and plummeted through 360-degree loops, Yi Chengqing’s face went pale. To help her save face, Xu Linqiu gripped her hand and started screaming along with the crowd.

“I’m so scared! Scream with me, or I’ll be even more terrified!” Xu Linqiu yelled.

Finally, Yi Chengqing let go of her composure, gripped Xu Linqiu’s hand, and let all her terror out in a scream.

Finally, they stood before the Giant Pendulum.

Even now, Yi Chengqing was pale and trembling, yet still pretending to be calm. Beside them, Yi Yanbai looked at the massive machine swinging violently and suddenly slumped into a chair in the waiting area.

“What’s wrong?” Shi Ji asked.

“I can’t… I’m done,” Yi Yanbai said breathlessly.

“How can you be ‘done’?” Shi Ji teased, but then she saw how exhausted the female lead looked. She sat down beside her.

Xu Linqiu led Yi Chengqing to the ride and buckled in. “After this one, we win. Don’t be scared; I’m here,” Yi Chengqing whispered, still trying to comfort Xu Linqiu.

As the pendulum reached its highest point, swinging them toward the sky until they were nearly upside down, the safety bar rattled slightly. Yi Chengqing finally broke.

“LET ME DOWN!!! WAAAAAH!” “AAAAAAAH!” “HELP!!!”

The Victory

When the ride stopped, Yi Chengqing scrambled to get out. Her legs gave way, and Xu Linqiu quickly caught her by the waist.

Yi Chengqing’s face was flushed with embarrassment and her eyes were red with tears. “I am never coming here again!” she hissed, mortified that she had lost her cool in front of her future wife.

Xu Linqiu pulled her into a hug, pressing Yi Chengqing’s head against her shoulder. Once the tears had dampened her collar, she whispered, “We won. You’re number one. The marriage licenses are ours.”

“I was so scared just now,” Xu Linqiu lied gently. “I kept my eyes closed the whole time. I’m so glad you were there. And man, that wind was so strong, it hurt my eyes too.”

Yi Chengqing looked up, her eyes still slightly red but her expression back to its calm, cool self. She gripped Xu Linqiu’s hand tightly.

“Oh? Someone was crying,” Shi Ji noted, spotting the wet patch on Xu Linqiu’s shoulder as they walked out.

“Maybe, but we won,” Xu Linqiu countered with a smile. She grabbed Hehe’s hand. “Let’s go home. And Shi Ji—remember to line up behind us at the civil affairs bureau tomorrow.”