The Beauty with Terrible Luck Falls in Love with a Ghost - Chapter 2

A perfectly respectable CEO had lost all composure, shouting and yelling like a madman.

It was the first time Zuo Lihua had ever been struck. For a moment, she was too stunned to react. Dazedly, she raised her hand to wipe the burning corner of her lip, it felt wet, warm, and carried a faint metallic scent of blood.

Her lip was split.

At least, she thought numbly, she had been lying low these past couple of days and didn’t have any public appearances scheduled.

The man’s cursing continued, his once slender and elegant fingers now pointing accusingly at her. Zuo Lihua’s gaze turned cold. Although they were engaged, they hadn’t interacted much privately. Her impression of him had always been that of the gentle and refined man she first met. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined he had such a side to him.

“Shameless! Slut! Disgusting!”

It was hard to believe such vile words were coming from her fiancé’s mouth.

Once she regained her senses, Zuo Lihua was not about to let him bully her.

Slap! She grabbed Huang Gu’s wrist and lifted her head, staring directly at him with a clear, sharp gaze.

Huang Gu hadn’t expected this woman to dare stop him. He fell silent, the unspoken insults stuck in his throat.

“Slander is against the law, Mr. Huang,” Zuo Lihua enunciated each word clearly. “Defamation and personal attacks, everything you’ve done has been recorded by the camera in my car. If I take this to court, what do you think the public will say about you and your company?”

“You!”

He raised his other hand, ready to strike her again.

Zuo Lihua shouted, “How dare you!”

The slap halted mid-air.

Huang Gu’s eyes widened slightly. Perhaps out of sheer rage, the flesh on his cheeks trembled uncontrollably. He had never seen Zuo Lihua like this. “You dare threaten me? You really are cunning. If the media hadn’t exposed you, how long were you planning to keep up this act? Using me as a stepping stone, weren’t you? It turns out you’re no different from those gold-digging, social-climbing sluts! I, Huang Gu, despise being deceived more than anything!”

The girl beside him seemed frozen in fear, only now snapping out of it. She reached for Huang Gu’s raised arm, her slender fingers appearing delicate and boneless against his sturdy muscles, looking even more fragile and easily breakable.

Her voice was soft and breathy, as though she could barely muster the strength to speak. “Brother Huang, don’t be like this. It wouldn’t be good if someone saw.”

Huang Gu glanced at her, his expression instantly softening. “Youyou…”

The girl named Youyou shot a glance at Zuo Lihua before speaking gently to Huang Gu, “Brother Huang, weren’t you supposed to take me to school? I’m going to be late.”

Huang Gu paused for a moment, then yanked his arm free from Zuo Lihua’s grip. He glared fiercely at her before turning back to Youyou, his face now filled with remorse. “I’m sorry, I’ll take you right now.”

Watching their coordinated performance, Zuo Lihua could only find it laughable.

Huang Gu wrapped his arm around Youyou’s shoulder, pulling her close. Under Youyou’s flustered gaze, he proudly declared to Zuo Lihua, “Our engagement is off. Han Youyou is the one I truly love. If you dare try anything against her, I’ll make sure you regret it! …Youyou, let’s go.”

As she was being led away, Han Youyou turned back to look at Zuo Lihua with an expression of pure innocence and bewilderment.

Then he was grabbed by Huang Gu’s large hand, which forcefully turned his head back and shoved him into the Maybach parked by the roadside.

The car started and sped past Zuo Lihua.

Zuo Lihua stood in place, watching the car drive away, her arms hanging at her sides trembling uncontrollably.

Part of it was from anger, and part of it, today was the first time in her life she had ever hit someone.

Everything that had happened today felt like an absurd farce; she couldn’t even tell who the real clown was.

Out of the corner of her eye, a sudden flash of white light caught her attention.

Zuo Lihua whipped her head around. The small trees in the park stood there quietly, not even a single cicada chirp to be heard.

She lowered her head, wiped her face, and turned back to her car. Without hurrying to start the engine, she just sat there, her eyes vacant, staring blankly. Perhaps the events had been too tumultuous, her mind was a complete blank, and she forgot what she was supposed to do next.

After being secretly photographed, wrongfully accused, and taking the fall for someone else, she had been cheated on. Not only that, the scumbag who cheated on her had even hit her.

It felt like a dream. Maybe it should be recorded in the “Chronicle of Zuo Lihua’s Misfortunes”, this would undoubtedly be the unluckiest day of her life.

After all, it couldn’t get any worse.

She thought aimlessly, the car so quiet she couldn’t even hear her own breathing.

Buzz… The sudden vibration felt like the trigger of some signal. Zuo Lihua was startled and hurried to grab her phone, only to realize her hands were shaking as if she had Parkinson’s.

It took three attempts before she managed to align her finger with the fingerprint scanner, trembling as she unlocked it.

It was a message from her mom:

[Are you home yet?]

[Where are you?]

[What’s taking so long?]

After all, it was her closest family. Reading these messages, a wave of grievance suddenly washed over her, making her nose sting and tears uncontrollably fill her eyes, blurring her vision. Zuo Lihua covered her mouth, trying to keep her sobs from escaping.

She hadn’t even realized how deeply wronged she felt.

If it weren’t for her mom’s messages, she clearly hadn’t wanted to cry at all.

But this was her mom, the woman who gave birth to her and raised her, her closest kin. And this woman was now urging her to come home.

“Home”, such a blissful word, warm and beautiful, offering a unique kind of inclusiveness found nowhere else in the world.

Everyone might betray you, but not your blood-related parents, not your home.

Suddenly, Zuo Lihua didn’t want to care about anything else. She wanted to go home immediately, throw herself into her mother’s arms, and have a good cry. She wanted to tell her about everything she had been through, the grievances, the betrayal, and then have a bite of her mom’s stir-fried pork with chili peppers.

Her phone rang, it was her mom calling.

“Lihua, where are you?”

The familiar tone carried a subtle hint of anxiety.

Zuo Lihua naturally picked up on it, suppressing her emotions as she asked, “What’s wrong?”

“…There’s something going on. Just come back quickly, okay? That’s all.”

Listening to the dial tone after the call ended, a sense of foreboding rose in Zuo Lihua’s heart.

Had something happened at home?

In that case, she couldn’t let her family worry about her. With that thought, she unzipped her backpack, pulled out her makeup and a mirror, and began applying concealer to her swollen, red cheeks.

Her face was a bit red, but fortunately, the swelling wasn’t too severe. A little more concealer would cover it up.

Her home was located in the villa district of the old city, not too far away. It didn’t take long before she arrived.

The gate to the courtyard was wide open, as if waiting for her arrival.

Zuo Lihua drove the car into the driveway, double-checked her makeup, and then pushed the door open to step out.

Just as she closed the car door, an elegant woman emerged, pushing the front door open.

“Mom!” Zuo Lihua greeted her with a gentle smile. She was a little worried, had her parents already found out about the press conference? If they asked, how could she explain it in a way that wouldn’t make them worry too much?

“Lihua, you’re finally back! Come here!” Zhou Ying hurried down the steps, approached Zuo Lihua, and took her by the arm with a strange expression. “Let’s go inside. Your dad and I have been waiting for you for a while.”

Zuo Lihua glanced at the open door. “Aren’t we going to close it?”

Zhou Ying’s eyes flickered. “No need. Anyway, in a moment…”

Zuo Lihua didn’t catch the rest. “What?”

“Never mind, let’s go in.”

“Okay.” As usual, Zuo Lihua wrapped her arms around Zhou Ying’s arm, snuggling up affectionately. “Mom, it’s been so long since I’ve been home. I’ve been craving your stir-fried pork with peppers.”

Zhou Ying’s body stiffened almost imperceptibly before quickly relaxing, though her smile seemed a bit forced. “Alright, I’ll make it for you later.”

“Yay!” Zuo Lihua cheered, skipping into the house with a bounce in her step.

As soon as she entered, she noticed something different.

“Mom, Dad, did we get a new sofa?” She eyed the heavy, carved Chinese-style hardwood sofa in the living room, ran over, and sat down. The cushion was just as hard as the sofa itself.

“I had no idea… The coffee table’s been replaced too. Why didn’t you tell me? I still think the old fabric sofa was nicer, soft and white, the kind you never want to get up from once you sit down.”

She curled up on the sofa, completely unguarded, like a child.

This was her usual tactic, when she needed to hide something, she’d act spoiled, change the subject, and avoid the issue altogether.

Zhou Ying and Zuo Jianyu exchanged a glance before Zhou Ying sat down next to him. “Lihua, you’re not a child anymore. Sit properly.”

“If there’s no one else around, I don’t have to act formal outside.” Zuo Lihua puffed out her cheeks but stopped midway as a twinge of pain made her freeze. She lowered her head as if nothing had happened, letting her hair fall over her cheeks.

“Lihua.” Zuo Jianyu raised his voice, his tone stern.

Zuo Lihua inwardly groaned. Ever since she was little, whenever she made a mistake or upset her father, he would use that tone, no amount of pleading would help. Confessing might earn her some leniency.

Reluctantly, she straightened her legs, placed her hands on her knees, and sat up properly.

She had made up her mind: unless her parents brought up the press conference, she absolutely wouldn’t mention it!

“Ah…” Zuo Jianyu sighed.

Here it comes! Zuo Lihua thought to herself.

Zuo Jianyu’s voice was filled with authority. “You’re not a child anymore… There’s something your mother and I have discussed, and we think it’s time you knew…”

Zuo Lihua’s anxiety instantly doubled.

“We’ve raised you all these years, poured so much effort into you. Even if we don’t say it, you know it well. Your mother and I don’t expect anything in return. No matter what, you’ll always be our daughter.” With that, he looked up at Zuo Lihua.

Zuo Lihua nodded eagerly like a chick pecking at rice. “Mhm, mhm!” Her heart was pounding nervously.

“As long as you understand, then I’ll be direct. Actually, you…”

Here it comes, the final moment!

In an instant, Zuo Lihua decided to change her approach and come clean. Steeling herself, she closed her eyes and spoke rapidly, “I know everything, but I’m an adult now. I can handle it. Please don’t worry about me!”

“…You’re not our daughter.”

“…”

“…”

Zuo Lihua froze, her pupils slightly widening.

A few seconds later, Zuo Jianyu continued, “It was a hospital mix-up. We’ve already done a DNA test. The results are here.” He tossed a document across the coffee table toward Zuo Lihua, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Since you understand, that’s even better. You’ve always been sensible. Our biological daughter has been found, and she’ll be moving in tonight. Youyou… has had a very hard life. To prevent her from facing unnecessary stress in an unfamiliar environment, your mother and I hope you’ll move out. Once Youyou has settled in and accepted this home, you two can meet.”

Zuo Lihua didn’t speak. She remained motionless in the same position, her face obscured by strands of golden hair, her expression unreadable, like a discarded doll.

The warm glow of the crystal chandelier cast its light upon her, making her appear even more fragile and slender.

The living room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

As if unable to bear the silence, Zhou Ying stood up, her expression flustered and unnatural. “You two talk. I’ll go make some stir-fried pork with chili. There should still be time. Lihua, you can take some with you on the road.”

Almost simultaneously, Zuo Lihua stood up and said, “No need!”

Zhou Ying halted her steps and turned to face her, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes seeming to deepen. She averted her gaze and called softly, “Lihua…”

“I’m leaving now.” Zuo Lihua grabbed her bag from beside her and strode out, moving so quickly it was as if something were chasing her.

“Lihua!” Zhou Ying blurted out.

Zuo Lihua paused mid-step but did not turn around.

From the very beginning, she had kept her head lowered, never looking up.

Zhou Ying seemed surprised by her own impulse to stop her, but now that she had, saying nothing would only make things awkward. After a moment’s thought, she said, “…Your father and I aren’t forcing you out. Even without a blood relation, you’ll always be our daughter.”

Zuo Lihua’s grip on her bag tightened. She lifted her head, her waist-length curly hair cascading down, slightly disheveled from rubbing against the sofa earlier.

Her lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she remained silent and walked away without looking back.

As the car drove out of the courtyard, passing through the two open iron gates, Zuo Lihua thought numbly, No wonder they didn’t let me close the gate.