Bowing to Arranged Marriage [Rebirth] - Chapter 10

Although A-Yang had already prepared many things, they weren’t planning to set off immediately. After all, they had just picked up two guests, and leaving right away might make them uncomfortable. Finding a familiar inn in Chengdu, A-Yang booked three of the best rooms and handed room cards to Zheng Xiyun and Mu Qing, saying, “We’ll rest in Chengdu for the night and head to Kangding tomorrow.”

Zheng Xiyun took the card with a slight curl of her lips. She hadn’t shown her ID, which was exactly the outcome she had hoped for.

Domestic hotels weren’t particularly strict in this regard, especially smaller inns and guesthouses. Often, only the person booking the room needed to present identification, not every guest.

This was precisely why Zheng Xiyun and Zhang Yi had chosen a group tour with independent travel.

In high spirits, Zheng Xiyun headed toward her room, planning to call Zhang Yi once inside. But ahead of her, Mu Qing suddenly let out another pained gasp.

Zheng Xiyun looked up to see Mu Qing clutching her forehead, standing in front of a flustered, tall young man.

“Are you alright, Mu Qing?” Zheng Xiyun asked out of concern for her travel companion. The tall boy, however, nervously blurted, “I’m really sorry! I didn’t see you there!” Then, turning to Zheng Xiyun, he added, “Sorry, little sister is this your mom? I really didn’t mean to!”

Little sister? Mom? Zheng Xiyun stared at the boy in utter confusion, completely lost.

Mu Qing also lifted her head, baffled. The boy, growing even more awkward and nervous, stammered, “You’re not mother and daughter? I just heard you.” He pointed at Zheng Xiyun, “—call her ‘Mother.'”

This was a misunderstanding of cosmic proportions. Mu Qing suddenly forgot the pain in her forehead. The corners of her lips twitched upward, then she forced them down only for them to rise again.

Zheng Xiyun’s face darkened at the boy’s words. When she noticed Mu Qing’s fluctuating smirk, her eyes turned icy. She shot Mu Qing a glare, snorted, and strode off.

Mu Qing snapped her fingers at the boy, whose face was now beet red with embarrassment, and said breezily, “Honestly, it doesn’t hurt that much. Just my rotten luck today. See ya, handsome.” With that, she sidestepped him and hurried after Zheng Xiyun.

The boy stared after her, bewildered. Her words about bad luck had sounded almost sarcastic, yet her tone suggested otherwise. What he didn’t know was that Mu Qing genuinely believed she was unlucky and that this kind of misfortune had happened to her many times before.

“Stay away from me,” Zheng Xiyun said coldly, hearing footsteps close behind. She wanted no further interaction with Mu Qing to avoid more misunderstandings.

She quickened her pace, but Mu Qing grabbed her wrist. Under Zheng Xiyun’s furious glare, Mu Qing pointed to the nearby staircase. “We’re supposed to go this way.”

The inn had a quaint, artistic design with no elevator. The staircase was in the middle of the hallway, but Zheng Xiyun, in her anger, had stormed right past it.

Yanking her hand free, Zheng Xiyun glared at Mu Qing, her eyes blazing.

Mu Qing’s lips curled in amusement. “Why glare at me? I wasn’t the one who misspoke.”

Zheng Xiyun crossed her arms, her sharp eyes and straight lips lending a cold edge to her words, “But you were laughing so happily.”

“It’s not my fault!” Mu Qing spread her hands in a show of grievance, though the smile at the corners of her mouth refused to fade. “What that person said was just too funny.”

Zheng Xiyun grew even angrier. She turned sharply, brushing past Mu Qing’s shoulder as she headed upstairs, leaving behind an icy remark, “Your problem is bigger than theirs.”

Only then did Mu Qing wipe the smile from her face, watching Zheng Xiyun’s retreating figure. “Are you mad?” Zheng Xiyun didn’t answer. Finally realizing the gravity of the situation, Mu Qing sobered up. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh.”

Hearing her voice, Zheng Xiyun paused on the stairs and looked back at Mu Qing below. Seeing that she was finally willing to acknowledge her, Mu Qing stepped onto the stairs only to slip in her haste, her knee hitting the steps with a dull thud.

Zheng Xiyun’s arms tightened instinctively around herself, startled by the sound. Recalling the similar thud when they got into the car earlier, she suddenly felt a pang of pity for Mu Qing.

Mu Qing limped up the stairs, rubbing her knee, her furrowed brows betraying her pain. She lifted her head, her eyes downcast in a pitiful expression. “Given how unlucky I am, could you please not be mad?”

Zheng Xiyun ignored her and continued upstairs, but when Mu Qing placed a hand on her shoulder for support, she didn’t push her away.

Thinking back on their few encounters, Zheng Xiyun realized Mu Qing truly was a magnet for misfortune.

She had lost her wallet and train ticket at the high-speed rail station, couldn’t find a seat when dining out, was perpetually short on funds and had to borrow money, bumped her head in the car, collided with people while walking, and now bruised her knee on the stairs.

Zheng Xiyun glanced subtly at the slender, delicate hand resting on her shoulder and gave a slight shrug. When Mu Qing showed no intention of letting go, Zheng Xiyun silently hoped she wouldn’t pass her bad luck onto her.

As Zheng Xiyun reached her door, Mu Qing finally released her, waving goodbye with a casual flick of her hand.

Zheng Xiyun exhaled imperceptibly in relief. She really didn’t want to share Mu Qing’s streak of misfortune; it looked far too painful.

But just as she let out that breath, Mu Qing let out a yelp and tumbled to the ground again. Zheng Xiyun’s grip on the keycard tightened until her nails dug into her palm, the sharp pain snapping her back to reality. Without a word, she swiped the card, pushed the door open, and shut it behind her in one swift motion.

Mu Qing lay on the floor, stunned, before suddenly bursting into laughter.

Throughout her life, many people had shunned her misfortune, afraid of catching it. In the past, Mu Qing had despised such people. But today, witnessing Zheng Xiyun’s reaction, she found the outwardly cold woman unexpectedly warm-hearted, with occasional responses that held a hint of endearing charm.

Struggling to her feet, Mu Qing returned to her room, rubbing her sore spots as usual yet her eyes sparkled with amusement. The more she thought about it, the more intriguing Zheng Xiyun seemed. Is she a lesbian? If not, what are the chances of turning her?

Unaware that she had become a target, Zheng Xiyun immediately used the phone to contact Zhang Yi once inside her room. The first thing she asked about was the situation at home. “What’s their reaction now that I’m gone?”

Zhang Yi groaned. “Do you know how many calls I’ve gotten? They all suspect I’m hiding you. Your dad has already reported you missing. After 48 hours, the police will file a case.”

If the case was filed, Zhang Yi would be in trouble. Because her whereabouts before arriving in Chengdu could be traced through various modern technologies. She had ridden in Zhang Yi’s car, stayed in Zhang Yi’s villa in Shanghai, and the travel agency had been arranged by Zhang Yi. Although investigating these details would be difficult, with enough effort, all this information could certainly be uncovered.

All of this would become clues leading to her discovery. Zheng Xiyun paced back and forth in the room and said to Zhang Yi, “Tell him to drop the case. Let him know about the attempted kidnapping and that we’ve already gathered some evidence. I’ll continue investigating in secret, and the evidence points to him.”

“But what if he didn’t do it?” Zhang Yi’s voice was laced with urgency and doubt. “If he’s innocent, he won’t be intimidated by my threats.”

“He will. Tell him I heard his name from the kidnappers’ mouths. If he reports this to the police, I’ll come forward immediately and accuse him.” Zheng Xiyun stopped pacing and stood by the window, gazing at the quaint streets of Kuanzhai Alley. With certainty, she said, “He doesn’t have the guts to gamble with you. If he were that smart and bold, how could Lanyu Company have fallen into the hands of his dear older brother?”

Zheng Xiyun knew her father well. He was a man content with the status quo, even somewhat cowardly. That was why her mother had held the majority of the company’s shares because she had been far more diligent than him. Most of Lanyu’s success today was due to her mother’s efforts. And her father was even more spineless otherwise, after her mother’s death, how could his elder brother have risen to seize most of Lanyu’s real power, even becoming a shareholder now? Though his stake wasn’t large, it was enough to give him a voice in shareholder meetings.

She understood her father too well. He wouldn’t dare take the risk because he feared the evidence she might uncover would truly put him in danger. He didn’t trust the police to find the truth.

Zhang Yi’s confidence grew under Zheng Xiyun’s firm tone. “Alright, then I know what to do. But we still have no leads on your kidnapping.”

Zheng Xiyun replied, “Yes, I need to think about how to handle this. You should be careful. Now that you’re exposed, I’m worried you might be targeted.”

Zhang Yi said, “Don’t worry about me. Who am I? I’ve got the blessing of the goddess of luck. I’ve never had a streak of bad luck.”

Zhang Yi’s words were undoubtedly exaggerated, but Zheng Xiyun suddenly thought of someone else. After saying goodbye to Zhang Yi, she sat on the edge of the bed, recalling Mu Qing’s misfortunes, and couldn’t help but laugh.

Then she lay down, her slightly furrowed brow gradually relaxing, the shadows in her eyes fading away.

Mu Qing was also lying in bed, though at the moment, she was on the phone with her brother, Mu Jin. When he asked if she’d had any bad luck today, Mu Qing replied as usual, “Is there a day when I don’t?”

Mu Jin’s voice was tinged with concern and confusion. “Really? What happened this time?”

Mu Qing recounted her unlucky day, and after a few words of concern from her brother, the call ended.

After hanging up, Mu Jin’s frown deepened, and his right index finger tapped rhythmically on the table.

He had already grasped Mu Qing’s situation the day after she moved into Zhang Yi’s villa. Then, he hired a specialist to crack Zhang Yi’s IP and located the independent travel team Zhang Yi had contacted. Mu Qing had always clamored to drive to Tibet, but Mu Jin had never agreed. Now, however, Mu Jin wanted to test whether things would truly be different if Mu Qing were with Zheng Xiyun.

At the moment, it didn’t seem so.