The Aloof Arch-rival Insists On Carrying The Child Of A Useless Alpha - Chapter 8

Jiu Yi never expected anything to be inside the suitcase. Setting everything else aside, she immediately reached out and caught the object that had popped out from Leng Xuelang’s luggage. It felt soft and cool to the touch. Opening her palm, she discovered it was actually a pink undergarment with a cutout design in the middle.

This felt inexplicably intimate and awkward.

Besides, could anyone actually wear a style like this?

[Host, it can be worn, and it’s not meant for you to see. It’s meant for your nephew.] The system, knowing what she was thinking, chimed in.

“…Did she wear it?” Jiu Yi’s expression turned rather displeased.

[Didn’t you save her just in time before she could wear it? Calm down a little~]

Only after hearing this did Jiu Yi’s expression soften slightly, though it still wasn’t particularly pleasant. She didn’t want to see a girl, who was perfectly capable of living well on her own merit, degrade herself because of this wretched plot. Fortunately, she had arrived just in time.

“You didn’t have money to buy clothes, did you?” Jiu Yi snapped out of thoughts and noticed Leng Xuelang’s awkward, stunned expression. She assumed Leng Xuelang was reacting this way because her secret had been discovered. If the girl hadn’t been too terrified to do anything, Jiu Yi wouldn’t have taken the initiative to prepare these things for her.

But now, it seemed she had turned good intentions into a bad situation, which wasn’t what she wanted. Since things had turned out this way, she could only find an excuse to help cover it up and preserve the girl’s dignity.

“It’s not like that…” Leng Xuelang realized a moment too late what Jiu Yi had misunderstood. Glancing at the suitcase, she saw that it was filled entirely with eye searing clothing, even the underwear was that kind of style… never mind the outfits themselves.

Even looking at it made her feel incredibly awkward. How could a situation be this socially agonizing?

“I know this wasn’t your doing. This is entirely the fault of my playboy nephew. Don’t worry, I will demand justice for you regarding what happened last night and everything before that.” Jiu Yi had no intention of letting Leng Xuelang live under such a burden of shame. Moreover, most of the worst events in the book hadn’t happened yet, so Leng Xuelang could completely live her life free of any baggage.

Leng Xuelang: ?

She stared at Jiu Yi for a few moments. The words she wanted to say never left her mouth; instead, she let out a sad, bleak expression. “But I… I still feel so miserable… What should I do if I feel like I’m tainted?”

“Then write a few more proposal drafts, work a few more days of overtime, and take on the workload of a few more people. In due time, once you realize your own value, you naturally won’t feel miserable or despise yourself anymore.”

Leng Xuelang: ?

System: …Brilliant.

In the end, Leng Xuelang didn’t dare mention her misery or feeling tainted anymore and focused on eating her breakfast first.

Although this human, Jiu Yi, was strange, she didn’t abuse her when it came to work, instead, she insisted that she eat before doing anything else. The suitcase was also dealt with, and Jiu Yi ordered someone to prepare a new set of clothes for her.

However, Jiu Yi hadn’t asked for her sizes. Was she just going to prepare them randomly?

Seeing that Leng Xuelang looked hesitant to speak, Jiu Yi asked, “What is it?”

“You… didn’t ask me what size I wear.” For some reason, her face flushed slightly as she asked this.

“There’s no need to ask,” Jiu Yi stated matter-of-factly.

“?”

“You pressed yourself so close to me last night, and you did it so many times. How could I possibly not know?”

Leng Xuelang couldn’t help but recall the events of the previous night. She had been the one initiating the physical closeness to Jiu Yi almost the entire time. She had never known that the combined effects of her special period and a specialized drug could make a person completely throw away their dignity and surrender unconditionally. Every time she looked back on it, she felt as though her face was burning up, wishing she could strangle Jiu Yi.

Furthermore, why could Jiu Yi say these things so completely deadpan? It left her as the only one feeling awkward.

How deeply frustrating.

[Host, Leng Xuelang’s resentment value toward you… has increased again.]

“…Is she turning villainous?”

[…Almost.]

“Then tell me when she actually turns villainous.”

[…By then it will be too late.] The system was driven to fits of anxiety.

“If you tell me now, it’s not like I can change anything, can I?” Her tone sounded somewhat helpless.

[At least… shouldn’t you try to find the reason why she dislikes you?]

“I’m not looking for it.” Jiu Yi refused to trap herself in such a logical impasse. In any case, she didn’t believe she had done anything wrong. If Leng Xuelang insisted on disliking her, there was nothing she could do about it.

The system began to fret once more. Are we really going to have to roll back the save state and start over this time?!

Half an hour later, the clothes and dresses were delivered. This time, the outfits were much more normal, and the chosen style surprisingly aligned perfectly with Leng Xuelang’s aesthetic.

Xin Tang genuinely wanted to foster a good relationship with Leng Xuelang. After all, they might become colleagues in the future, and… anyone her boss fussed over this much was definitely no ordinary person. Thus, she was exceptionally friendly to her.

“Our boss personally picked out these clothes for you just now. She selected a few more later on, and they’ll be delivered progressively.”

“She picked them out for me personally?” Leng Xuelang found it very strange. “Does she personally pick out clothes for you all as well?”

“No,” Xin Tang paused, her smile widening into a genuinely heartfelt one. “But she will personally give us money to go buy them, as much as we want.” After all, Jiu Yi was incredibly generous, her monthly bonuses reached up to the millions.

Leng Xuelang: ?

She felt as though she had tumbled into a den of demons, it was completely bizarre and terrifying.

However, she wasn’t accustomed to wearing such revealing clothes. Last night had been an act of desperation, but she obviously couldn’t dress like that now. Because of this, she selected a set and went to change.

Meanwhile, Jiu Yi continued eating her breakfast and questioned Xin Tang about the incident with the snake. “Have you managed to find out anything?”

“We’ve already extracted some of the snake’s blood and conducted an extensive sweep of the manor. We uncovered some suspicious drugs, but the specific details will require further chemical analysis.”

“Aside from me, who else is attending the auction this time?” Jiu Yi asked again.

“Mr. Si Yining might go.”

“Aside from him.”

“We don’t know if anyone from your mother’s side will be sent,” Xin Tang said guardedly.

This mother was, of course, not Jiu Yi’s biological mother, but rather the stepmother her father had married later on. Her stepmother had also given birth to a pair of daughters who were not much younger than Jiu Yi.

Not only that, but her stepmother had a vast number of relatives, even within the Si Group, her relatives held positions, which was thoroughly irritating.

This occasion was the original host’s maternal grandmother’s 70th birthday. Her grandmother had recently undergone a minor surgery and had finally recovered, so the event naturally needed to be a grand celebration to bring good fortune and wash away the bad luck.

This was an excellent opportunity to showcase oneself. No one in the Si family was foolish, so they would naturally attend this auction to look for treasures.

What the original host had her eye on was an 18^th century gemstone necklace. Her grandmother loved sparkling gems, so bidding on it would count as playing to her preferences.

However, since she had her eye on it, others naturally did too. Therefore, she couldn’t fixate entirely on a single necklace and needed to add a few alternative options as backups.

Jiu Yi organized her situation while reviewing the auction catalog items, selecting several more pieces as contingencies.

Standing to the side, Xin Tang seemed to recall something else and said to Jiu Yi, “That young lady from the Zhao family… also came to ask if you would like to attend the auction with her this afternoon?”

“The Zhao family?” Jiu Yi asked in confusion. Seeing this, Xin Tang knew she hadn’t taken the matter to heart at all. “She is one of the marriage alliance candidates arranged for you by the Old Matriarch.”

Jiu Yi: “…” No, wait. Do you people in an ABO world still play by the rules of arranged marriages?

Just as Xin Tang said this, Leng Xuelang emerged from the dressing room after changing her clothes. She couldn’t help but cast a glance at Jiu Yi. Seeing that Jiu Yi’s brows were relaxed and that she looked visibly expectant about this meeting, Leng Xuelang let out a cold laugh.

“Then let’s go together,” Jiu Yi said directly without giving it too much thought.

“…Yes.” Xin Tang thought she had misheard, but she quickly snapped out of it and went to make the arrangements.

[Host, you’ve finally seen the light, ahhh!] The system hadn’t expected her to take the initiative to go on a date and was already starting to celebrate.

“Don’t misunderstand, I simply don’t want to go against the wishes of the original host’s grandmother,” Jiu Yi murmured, reviewing her current predicament, which truly felt like being surrounded by enemies on all sides. “If I give the young lady of the Zhao family the cold shoulder, it’s no different from actively handing a grievance over to the Si family and my stepmother. Rather than letting that happen, it’s better to just put on a show.”

[Host, you really cover all the bases!]

“Heh, would I be reduced to this if you hadn’t chosen such a bizarre world for me?”

[Since your brain is so useful, if you don’t use it often, it will rust~]

“Hmph.” Jiu Yi didn’t feel like talking. Turning around, she saw that Leng Xuelang had finished changing and come out. This particular outfit was a combination of professional and casual wear, truly maintaining a sense of capability and agility.

It could be said that she was truly a heaven-sent worker drone.

Jiu Yi was highly satisfied with her attire and did not stint on her praise. “Looking at you in this outfit makes me feel like you could write a few more proposal drafts for me.”

Leng Xuelang: ?

System: Stop talking, stop talking. The resentment value has increased again.

The two of them continued with their breakfast in silence. Jiu Yi had already finished eating and was holding a tablet, browsing through the entire structure of the Si Group and analyzing the situations of her competitors to prepare herself.

“You need to accompany me to the auction this afternoon. You can bring your work along to do there.”

Leng Xuelang: ?

“Can’t I just stay here and work overtime?”

“I don’t feel at ease leaving you here alone.”

“…I am not as weak as you think.” Besides, she had her own matters to attend to.

“I still don’t feel at ease,” Jiu Yi repeated, her tone earnest. She possessed naturally alluring bedroom eyes that made her look intensely affectionate; when one locked eyes with her, it was easy to get unconsciously drawn in and lose oneself.

She couldn’t look too much.

“You have that Miss Zhao accompanying you. If I really run into danger by then, I doubt you’ll even have the leeway to look after me,” Leng Xuelang said, shifting her gaze away and speaking in a calm tone.

“You are my employee. Naturally, I consider you more important. Don’t go robbing me of the joy of paying you every month.”

A demon. She really is a demon.

System: …Target’s resentment value +1.

Following this, the two shared no further words, and afternoon quickly arrived. The original host’s alliance candidate was exceptionally proactive, going so far as to come straight to the door to find Jiu Yi.

Jiu Yi, who claimed to consider her employee more important, smiled delightfully upon seeing Miss Zhao and even took the initiative to pull at her arm.

Perhaps because her high heels were too tall, Miss Zhao’s foot unexpectedly twisted beneath her, causing her to fall directly into Jiu Yi’s embrace, her lips coming perilously close to pressing against Jiu Yi’s.