I Crossed Over with My Enemy, Only to Find Him Running the Empire - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Changing Faces

As soon as the sturdy silhouette of the mother-in-law, Zhang Jinhua, vanished through the doorway, the thin facade of domestic harmony in the room instantly collapsed.

Li Qiaoqiao tossed the bowl in her hand onto a nearby broken wooden stool and shook her arm out with an annoyed huff. She glanced sideways at Wu Ya, who was sitting on the edge of the kang bed, a sharp sting in her voice: “Oh, not playing the fool anymore? When Mother was here just now, that drool was flowing so sincerely. Tsk, tsk—truly a moving performance.”

Wu Ya slowly and methodically used his coarse cloth sleeve to wipe away the drool that didn’t actually exist.

He lifted his eyes, which were now crystal clear and devoid of any idiocy. Instead, they were filled with sheer disdain and mockery: “I can’t compare to you. Your flattery has reached the pinnacle of perfection. The tears come on command; anyone watching would actually think you were heartbroken at the idea of being sold. Hypocrite.”

“I’m a hypocrite?” Li Qiaoqiao put her hands on her hips, nearly laughing from pure rage. “If it wasn’t for my hypocrisy, would you still be sitting here eating in peace? You and your ‘dear mother’ would have bundled me onto a donkey cart to be sold in town for silver long ago! You little… ungrateful white-eyed wolf!”

She bit back the word “idiot” just in time. Since the soul inside the body had changed, the insult didn’t feel quite right.

Wu Ya let out a cold snort, elegantly adjusting his posture. “The feeling is mutual. Looking at this face of yours, I can’t find anything nice to say either.”

“What a coincidence!” Li Qiaoqiao rolled her eyes. “I find you repulsive too! Let me warn you—don’t think that just because we’re grasshoppers tied to the same string you can start bossing me around. If you push me…” She paused, searching the original body’s memories for the most vicious threat she could find, “…I’ll tell Mother you’ve been stealing steamed buns from the offering table at midnight!”

Wu Ya: “…”

He seemed choked by the sheer childishness and malice of the threat. After a long moment, he forced a fake smile. “Rest assured, if it comes to that, I’ll be the first to shout about the private stash of money you’ve hidden under the stove.”

Their glares sparked in the air for several rounds before they both looked away in disgust.

“Hmph!”

“Pfft!”

After all that noise, the hunger in their bellies felt even sharper. Li Qiaoqiao irritably pushed the portion of food she had saved for him across the table.

Wu Ya didn’t say another word and took the bowl. Even while holding a chipped, coarse porcelain bowl, his eating habits remained slow and deliberate, chewing silently with a naturally straight back. He possessed a sense of nobility and elegance that was completely out of place in this dilapidated farmhouse.

It was as if he wasn’t eating coarse grains, but dining on delicacies in a world-class restaurant.

Li Qiaoqiao’s eye twitched at the sight. This guy—even trapped in the body of a simpleton, he can’t drop his arrogant habits! She stuffed her portion of flatbread into her mouth in three bites, gulped down half a bowl of cold water, and tapped the table impatiently. “Hey! Eat faster! After this, I have to scrub the pot and feed the chickens! Do you really think you’re a young master waiting to be served?”

Wu Ya didn’t even look up, chewing thoroughly. “One does not speak while eating, nor talk while sleeping. It seems someone has forgotten basic etiquette entirely.”

“Etiquette? You’re talking about etiquette in the Wu family’s fourth branch?” Li Qiaoqiao’s voice rose. “Can etiquette put food on the table or stop your ‘cheap’ mother from selling me? Hurry up! Stop dawdling!”

Just as one was eating with elegant resentment and the other was fuming with impatience, the wooden door creaked open again.

The third sister-in-law, Lady Liu, walked in with a wide grin, carrying a coarse ceramic bowl. “Qiaoqiao, Tie Niu, are you eating? Mother just finished a pot of egg soup and asked me to bring some over to nourish your bodies.”

The room went dead silent.

The two people who had been at each other’s throats a second ago swapped expressions like a mask change in a play.

Suddenly, Li Qiaoqiao lunged to Wu Ya’s side. A ragged but clean cloth had appeared in her hand, and her movements were incredibly gentle and meticulous as she carefully wiped the corners of Wu Ya’s mouth.

Even though he had eaten perfectly cleanly and there was nothing to wipe.

She looked up and gave Lady Liu a shy, grateful smile. “Thank you, Third Sister-in-law. Sorry to trouble you with the trip. Tie Niu was eating a bit too fast, so I’m just tidying him up.”

On the kang, Wu Ya cooperated perfectly, tilting his head and grinning foolishly at Li Qiaoqiao while mumbling, “Qiaoqiao… good wife…”

The “dumb” performance was absolutely seamless!

Seeing this scene, the last of Lady Liu’s doubts vanished. Her smile became even more genuine. “Oh my, look at you two—such a loving couple! Tie Niu is truly blessed to have such a careful wife. Mother can rest easy now! Anyway, I’ll leave the soup here. Drink it while it’s hot; I have to get back to the kitchen!”

“Yes, thank you, Third Sister-in-law. Take care!” Li Qiaoqiao’s voice was sugary sweet as she politely saw Lady Liu at the door.

Once Lady Liu’s figure had completely disappeared, the sweet smile on Li Qiaoqiao’s face instantly collapsed.

She jerked back, shaking the hand she had used to wipe Wu Ya’s mouth as if it were contaminated by something filthy, spitting twice in disgust.

On the kang, Wu Ya shed his foolish expression at the exact same moment, returning to his cold, lifeless demeanor. He instinctively rubbed the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, his brow furrowed deeply enough to crush a fly.

Their movements were synchronized, their expressions identical: pure, unadulterated loathing.

Li Qiaoqiao sat back down on the stool, glaring at the man across from her who, despite his coarse clothes, still couldn’t hide his tall frame and striking features.

To be honest, putting aside his unbearable personality, this “Wu Tie Niu” was exceptionally handsome. Deep-set eyes, a high bridge to his nose, and thin, well-defined lips. Even with his current sickly pallor, his beauty wasn’t diminished; if anything, it added a certain “fragile” charm.

Compared to the protagonist of the original novel The Tale of Wu Canghai: Prime Minister of Western Jin, described as a man as bright as the moon, this man was easily his equal—if not more.

Thinking of Wu Canghai made Li Qiaoqiao’s head ache. He was the future hope of the Wu family’s first branch, the grandmother’s darling, the future Prime Minister, and the ultimate cause of the original character’s tragic death.

Now that she was stuck as this pathetic child bride, having to struggle for survival in this mud pit of a family alongside this “fake idiot” husband… the mere thought made her head spin.

Wu Ya—or rather, the current Wu Tie Niu—finally finished the last drop of porridge, leaving not a single grain behind. He set the bowl down softly, his movements still pleasing to the eye.

Li Qiaoqiao pulled her thoughts back and tapped the table, speaking seriously: “Hey, let’s talk business. For now, Mother has put aside the idea of selling me, but there’s no guarantee she won’t change her mind later. What’s the plan? We can’t just act like fools forever.”

Wu Ya picked up the cooling egg soup, taking small sips as he contemplated for a moment. “What’s the rush? This is only the first day. We know too little about this world and this family. Acting rashly is the fastest way to die.”

He set the soup bowl down and looked at Li Qiaoqiao, his gaze becoming grave. “The most important thing right now is to figure out the thing that bound us together—the ‘Heart-to-Heart Lock.’ What it’s for and how to use it is the key to whether we can survive here… and maybe even go back.”