Take Away My Sickly Beauty [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 15

Given that Chen Jiyu was wearing a long date dress, Ye Wuming behaved herself this time and stripped off her waiter’s uniform, revealing the lily-embroidered gown underneath.

“The Chen Corporation has finally stabilized, and the next project is progressing smoothly. Only now did I find the time to keep our date,” Chen Jiyu spoke first, explaining her recent situation.

She hadn’t been lying when she spoke to An earlier. As long as the Chen Corporation wasn’t stable, she had no time to spare for romantic entanglements; after all, that was the family business her parents had left behind, and she couldn’t allow their life’s work to be destroyed in her hands.

Now, with the capital injection from Cupid, the Chen Corporation had stabilized and was even showing an upward trend. This allowed her to breathe a sigh of relief and finally find the leisure to handle her personal feelings.

“Open spears are easy to dodge, but hidden arrows are hard to guard against. Scoundrels won’t stop just because of one failure,” Ye Wuming nodded in agreement, but couldn’t help but offer a word of caution.

There was something strange about that woman, Hua Lingling.

Ye Wuming had investigated her. Previously, when she was abroad, she had been a very introverted and gentle girl with an excellent character. Most importantly, she was a proponent of non-marriage; she loved staying home alone to watch movies and binge-watch shows. Her friends always said she was a simple person who cherished her freedom.

However, a few years ago, her personality underwent a drastic change. Not only did she become incredibly manipulative, but she also began actively seducing many powerful figures.

The Hua family belonged to the lower-middle class of their social circle and originally didn’t even have a name for themselves. But Hua Lingling’s talent for “trading favors for influence” was significant, directly doubling the Hua family’s net worth and propelling them into the upper-middle class in one fell swoop. This also raised Hua Lingling’s own status, making her a match for Cheng Ye in terms of social standing.

Yet, what surprised Ye Wuming the most were the “powerful figures” attracted by Hua Lingling. Some among them were naturally lustful, so it wasn’t strange for them to have a secret affair with her. But others were incredibly devoted to their partners, and some were even proponents of non-marriage. However, upon meeting Hua Lingling, every single one of them changed their tune. If they had remained obsessed with her, it would be one thing, but they invariably had a change of heart midway.

After that change, they acted as if they had amnesia, completely forgetting Hua Lingling and any relationship they had with her. If it weren’t for the fact that several of their families had been shattered as a result, Ye Wuming would have truly believed they had nothing to do with her.

They weren’t lying, which meant their memories had indeed been tampered with.

Ye Wuming was a person who championed science, but she couldn’t ignore such eerie occurrences.

“I understand,” Chen Jiyu replied without objection.

After all, the shadow of Hua Lingling had been behind the plot against the Chen Corporation. Previously, she hadn’t pursued the matter for the sake of her cousin, Cheng Ye, but now she intended to take a heavy hand. She had given Cheng Ye many chances, but the girl had failed to grasp any of them.

It was a pity…

The date began with business talk, devoid of any romantic atmosphere. It wasn’t until they had inadvertently finalized the next collaboration between the Chen Corporation and Cupid that Chen Jiyu suddenly realized the situation.

This wasn’t a date atmosphere at all; it was clearly a corporate meeting mode. Chen Jiyu blushed slightly, awkwardly thinking that this was perhaps the dullness of being middle-aged.

On the contrary, Ye Wuming didn’t mind the situation at all. The fact that Jiyu was still holding the flowers she had given her, and had placed the ring nearby for fear of losing it, proved that she had feelings for her.

“Before we had established a relationship, it wasn’t appropriate for me to interfere in your family matters, Jiyu.” But now that she was her fiancée, there were some grievances she could finally settle on her behalf! “If you encounter any more trouble, just say the word. I will settle it for you.”

Ye Wuming didn’t name anyone specifically, but Chen Jiyu knew she was referring to Cheng Ye.

“She wasn’t like this before,” Chen Jiyu sighed. Before her aunt and uncle’s accident, although they had spoiled Cheng Ye to the point of being useless, at the very least, she didn’t have a malicious heart. But ever since she got together with Hua Lingling, it was as if she had become possessed. Especially today, publicly picking a fight in front of everyone she didn’t know where Cheng Ye got the nerve to think that she wouldn’t strike back.

“Don’t let these annoying matters clutter your mind. Why don’t you try the date feast I’ve prepared for you?” Ye Wuming always had a way of drawing Chen Jiyu’s attention back to her. And she always had a way of making her happy.

Without knowing how Ye Wuming had learned of her preferences, every dish and every dessert on the table was a favorite of Chen Jiyu’s.

Chen Jiyu was thoroughly satisfied with the meal. Her appetite, which hadn’t been properly indulged for a long time, was completely fulfilled, and the red wine on the table was unknowingly finished by the two of them. Perhaps the alcohol content was a bit high, as Chen Jiyu became bold and blunt after getting tipsy.

“I say, President Ye… you are too wicked.”

“Hmm?” Ye Wuming, who usually had a high tolerance for alcohol, responded in confusion. “That can’t be right…”

She considered herself a good person, and she was very good to Jiyu. How did she suddenly become a wicked person?

“Ugh, you still say that…” The more she mentioned it, the more Chen Jiyu wanted to sigh. “I’ll be spoiled rotten.” The low murmur sounded nonsensical.

But Ye Wuming understood. She couldn’t help but laugh. How could someone be afraid of being spoiled? But Jiyu was right; that was exactly her intention. What was wrong with wanting to treat her beloved like a princess?

“Um, I don’t quite understand. Why do you like me?” The drunk Chen Jiyu was terrifyingly direct. She even spoke logically: “I don’t remember meeting you. We were strangers, so why did you help me? Don’t say it was love at first sight; that kind of plot only exists in novels and isn’t suitable for people like us.”

As leaders and managers, their rationality outweighed their sensibility. Hot-headedness and impulsive actions were things that could not be found in them. Let alone “love at first sight” leading to a “hot-headed” capital injection into the Chen Corporation that was nothing short of a fairy tale, or rather, a joke.

Since they were going to be together, she had to find out the reason the other person liked her. After all, Chen Jiyu was determined to spend the rest of her life with Ye Wuming.

“Well…” Ye Wuming’s ears turned a rare shade of red.

How should she put it? Her story with Jiyu began many years ago on a winter’s day. At that time, she was a homeless “drifter,” while Jiyu was already the CEO in control of the Chen Corporation.

When Ye Wuming was ten, her mother passed away from illness. At eleven, her father sent her abroad to be fostered under the guise of providing her with a better education. Her days abroad were carefree. She had inherited her mother’s personality confident and optimistic and because she didn’t lack money, she had many friends. She had always believed her happy life was provided by both her parents, so even though she hadn’t seen her father for years, she often called him to chat.

Back then, her father would hang up after only a few words. Being an optimist, she never thought anything of it, simply assuming he was too busy. Later, when she returned home on his birthday to surprise him, she discovered she actually had an older brother.

A half-brother.

Her mother was a wealthy socialite whom her father had pursued relentlessly. In Ye Wuming’s later words, her father was a “Phoenix Man”—a man from a humble background who married into wealth to climb the social ladder. He had abandoned his “true love” for power and status to pursue the wealthy heiress, only to secretly murder her once he got everything he wanted. Then, he tossed the daughter of his legal wife abroad and brought his true love into the house with grand fanfare.

The reason he hadn’t killed Ye Wuming as well was thanks to the late Old Master Ye, who had left all the Ye family assets to her. Ye Wuming took her mother’s surname, and she would only ever use her mother’s surname. Her Phoenix Man father was frustrated by his inability to get his hands on that massive fortune, so he could only keep Ye Wuming alive while slowly plotting a way.

Unfortunately, Ye Wuming’s sudden return disrupted his plans.

Although Ye Wuming lived a free and happy life abroad, it didn’t mean she was a happy fool. After discovering the truth, she quickly erased the traces of her return so as not to alert anyone.

It happened to be a day of heavy snow. As she walked down the unfamiliar streets, she was suddenly overcome by endless loneliness and pain. In all the vast world, there was no one to take her in, no one who needed her. A fear of being abandoned choked her, making it hard to breathe. Before she knew it, she was curled up in front of a closed convenience store, haunted by nightmares.

The snow fell heavier, the cold seeping through her limbs and freezing her mind. Her mind went blank; she couldn’t even imagine what the future would hold or where she should go.

“Hey? Are you drunk?” A cool, displeased tone accompanied by a refreshing scent of perfume woke her from her daze.

Ye Wuming looked up with difficulty and saw a woman silhouetted against the light. The dim yellow glow of the streetlamp lent her a touch of softness. But her words were not friendly at all.

“Not drunk? Then you’ve run away from home?” Seeing the girl was dressed in designer clothes and had no injuries, Chen Jiyu assumed she was just another rebellious youth. “Move aside a bit. Wait for big sister to go in and buy you some candy.” Chen Jiyu, whose ankle was throbbing painfully because of the damn snow, was in desperate need of heat pads.

But this rebellious girl happened to be blocking the convenience store entrance. This was the nearest store on this stretch of road, and her ankle hurt so much she really didn’t want to walk any further.

The dazed Ye Wuming didn’t even realize how she moved her body. When she came to, there was only pain. The mess at home and her disheveled state being seen by a stranger made her unable to stop trembling. She began to regret returning to the country.

But she also knew that discovering the truth about her father was the right thing to do; she couldn’t live in a lie forever. Ye Wuming, who had been cheerful for over a decade, cried uncontrollably for the first time. A girl standing in the snow with no one to rely on, crying so pitifully… the heavy snow falling on her body, her hair, melting into water and freezing her hands and neck.

She really looks like an abandoned Golden Retriever, Chen Jiyu thought as she came out with the heat pads.

Perhaps because Ye Wuming was crying too pitifully, or perhaps because she didn’t want the girl to feel embarrassed, Chen Jiyu stopped and waited inside the store for her to calm down before heading out. Through the glass, she frowned at the grieving young person. On a whim, she went back into the store and stopped in front of a shelf of snow globes.

In her childhood memories, she had received a snow globe from her mother. When the switch was flipped, the light would turn on and snow would flutter inside, where a Golden Retriever waited in front of a house. Her mother said the Golden Retriever would protect her.

Chen Jiyu picked up a blue snow globe; inside were two girls standing in the snow as the flakes fell. This is good, Chen Jiyu thought. This fits the scene.

The low, muffled crying outside had stopped at some point; quite a bit of time had passed. Chen Jiyu moved her numb feet, thinking humorously that young people really had the energy to cry for so long.

Exhausted, Ye Wuming crouched by the streetlamp, staring blankly with her back to the store. She was thinking about where to go and what to do. The events of the day were too shocking, and she hadn’t reacted in time. Now that she had vented, her sluggish brain finally began to turn slowly.

Crunch, crunch… The sound of leather boots stepping on the snow drew closer. The tinkling music of a snow globe and a giant lollipop appeared before her eyes.

Ye Wuming, who hadn’t played with snow globes since she was ten, was stunned. She instinctively followed the arm upward and finally saw the other person’s face clearly. It was a very beautiful woman, sharp and mature. But when she smiled, she was truly gentle and lovely.

In that unfamiliar street corner, when Ye Wuming was alone and her world was on the verge of collapsing, someone offered her a blessing: “Happy first snow. From now on, you must take care of yourself every day, and be happy and blessed.”

To the Chen Jiyu of that moment, this was nothing more than a sudden impulse to comfort a stranger. Perhaps the other person didn’t need it, but seeing her take the snow globe and the lollipop, she couldn’t help but feel happy.

“Where is your home? Do you need me to take you back? Or should I take you to the police station?” To avoid being mistaken for a human trafficker, she added the last part.

She couldn’t go home, and there was no need for the police station. Ye Wuming had actually booked a hotel nearby.

“I’ll walk with you.” The pain in her ankle was irritating, and walking the girl back to her hotel would serve as a distraction.

As Ye Wuming walked side-by-side with her, she couldn’t help but notice the difficulty in the woman’s gait. Her downward glance was too obvious. Chen Jiyu sighed inwardly; it’s that damn limp again.

“Don’t look, it’s congenital.” Chen Jiyu’s tone was flat, as if it were of no concern to her. So many people focused on her limp—some mocked her, some pitied her, and some even gloated. She was used to it.

“How could it be like this?” Ye Wuming frowned upon hearing this, her eyes feeling hot as if she were about to cry again. Her tear threshold was very low today.

“What…” This was the first time Chen Jiyu had seen genuine heartache and anger in a stranger’s eyes. She couldn’t help but laugh as she pulled the girl, who was about the same height as her, into a hug. She chuckled softly, “Why are you crying? It doesn’t hurt. Don’t cry now.”

Ye Wuming, who had stopped crying, was pushed over the edge by this warm embrace. “How could it not hurt?” This person’s brow hadn’t unfurrowed once, and she clenched her jaw from time to time. How could it not hurt?

“Alright, alright, you’re a big girl now, hmm? Don’t cry. With such heavy snow, doesn’t it feel cold to cry?” Chen Jiyu didn’t know how to comfort people; she could only hold Ye Wuming and keep patting her back. But when someone feels wronged and sad, the more they are cared for and comforted, the more they want to cry.

Ye Wuming remembered she had made a scene for a long time that day, but until the moment Chen Jiyu left, the expression on her face remained gentle, without a hint of impatience or annoyance. To coax her, she even pointed to the two girls in the snow globe and said, “Don’t cry. See? I’ll stay with you.”

Although those were words to coax a child, she had remembered them for many years.

Ye Wuming rested her chin on her hand, smiling happily and brightly. She reached out and gently stroked Chen Jiyu’s hand on the table. To the question Chen Jiyu had asked, she gave an answer that had settled over many years.

“Because it’s you. That’s why I like you.”

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