The Fake Daughter is a Max-Level Green Tea [Transmigrated into a Book] - Chapter 33

Chapter 33: A Diligent Task-Taker

Lu Chaoqing’s head exploded with a loud buzz.

She stared blankly at Lin Chumu. The other woman’s face showed no sign of testing her or joking. Although her gaze wasn’t accusatory—merely a peaceful conversation—the sudden spike in pressure made Chaoqing feel like she couldn’t breathe. She had thought of a thousand explanations, but now she couldn’t squeeze out a single one. Her heart hammered against her ribs; for a split second, she even considered using “Rewind.”

But would Rewind even help?

Lin Chumu had always been shrewd. She might turn a blind eye to Chaoqing’s “Green Tea” antics because Chaoqing’s personality or small gestures didn’t fundamentally affect her. But if every action triggered suspicion, the nature of the situation changed entirely.

If Lin Chumu noticed something once, she would notice it a second time. Doubt would accumulate in her heart until Chaoqing lost her trust completely. Chaoqing didn’t want that. Thus, after much hesitation, she withdrew the thought of rewinding.

She wanted to resolve today’s issue directly rather than relying on a save-state. After all, she only had one Rewind left, and she had no idea when she might earn another.

After a moment of reflection, Chaoqing decided to tell Lin Chumu almost everything that had just happened—omitting, of course, the true reason she had to go out. Few people would believe she was a transmigrator; most people were materialists who believed in science. Chaoqing couldn’t just blurt that out.

“Jiang Yang looked for you? And he borrowed money from you before?”

Lin Chumu wasn’t too surprised that she was still in contact with Jiang Yang; the previous incident wasn’t enough to make them break off completely. However, it didn’t look like a romantic relationship anymore. The knot of discomfort in her chest loosened into peace, but she couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity: “What did he need to borrow money for?”

Chaoqing briefly explained the mess with Jiang Yang’s company but kept the insider information to herself. By the time she finished, Lin Chumu had lost interest.

Lin Chumu knew exactly why Jiang Yang was short on cash, even if others didn’t. That man appeared refined on the surface but was rotten to the core, always calculating something disgusting. His startup was small; its current operations certainly didn’t require that much capital. The only possibility was that he was spending it on women.

In the original plot, Jiang Yang was a hypocrite through and through—a “gentleman” on the outside and a scoundrel on the inside. His private life was so chaotic it would stun even the most jaded circles of entertainment and business. Perhaps he hadn’t reached his peak level of vileness yet, but keeping several mistresses was likely already standard procedure. Otherwise, his lack of money made no sense.

From the looks of it, he intended to treat Lu Chaoqing as his personal ATM, using his fiancée’s money to pay for his debauchery and mistresses, only to eventually produce illegitimate children. Just thinking of his name made Lin Chumu feel nauseous.

According to the original plot, the original host truly loved Jiang Yang and believed everything he said. When he asked for money, she wouldn’t even mention a promissory note; she would just hand it over and let him “graze” on the green pastures of her betrayal.

But Chaoqing wasn’t stupid, and she felt nothing for him. She certainly wouldn’t use her parents’ money to support such a man. Meeting Lin Chumu’s gaze, her eyes were clear and honest: “Sister, don’t worry. I don’t like him. I’m just…”

Saying “playing around” might be misinterpreted by Lin Chumu, so Chaoqing replaced the words with a smile. It was the first time Lin Chumu had seen such a slightly wicked expression on her face. Though it was gone in a flash, based on her understanding of Chaoqing, she found herself slowly relaxing.

The “Little Green Tea” wasn’t as naive and sweet as she had imagined. Though she was a bit of a ditz sometimes, she wasn’t brainless in matters like this.

Still, Lin Chumu knew Chaoqing was definitely hiding more than just this one thing.

“Go home for a bit after the variety show is finished. Mom and Dad miss you. They’ll be back in a couple of days; they’ve been traveling for work and haven’t had time lately.”

Dropping the interrogation, Lin Chumu forced the strange emotions out of her mind. Her gaze toward Chaoqing returned to its usual calm gentleness. She saw the girl let out a long, relieved breath before beaming a sweet smile: “Okay!”

The next day, everyone woke up early. The boys were responsible for feeding the pigs, while the girls were in charge of breakfast. Unfortunately, most of the girls hadn’t lifted a finger in a kitchen their whole lives. Lin Chumu couldn’t just fry eggs every morning, so they had to learn from the chef on the spot.

Chaoqing regretfully discovered she had zero talent for cooking—she was even worse than the clumsy “Lemon Tea.” That woman, having finally won at something, raised an eyebrow in triumph and couldn’t stop smiling all morning.

The morning sun was already fierce; the “Autumn Tiger” heatwave showed no signs of leaving. Even covered in sunscreen, it felt like they were melting. The mission this morning was to gather herbs on the mountain. Chaoqing immediately thought of the task she had accepted last night and began to plot.

If she directly asked Lin Chumu to help her bathe, Lin Chumu would refuse 100%. Not only that, she’d think Chaoqing had lost her mind. Since the suspicion from yesterday hadn’t fully faded, Chaoqing didn’t dare do anything too bizarre.

But there are so many mosquitoes on the mountain. If I get bitten and it happens to be on my back, that’s normal, right?

I can’t see or reach my back. It’s perfectly fine to ask a member of the same sex for help applying medicine, right?

She didn’t believe Lin Chumu would coldly toss her aside and call Yan Yun in to help instead.

Chaoqing was a woman of action. Having formed a plan, her mood brightened instantly. She light-heartedly overtook Uncle Zhong and even surged past the young Lu Ziqi. Lu Ziqi, who was discussing a new movie with Yan Yun, was startled to see the girl zip past them. “Is Xiao Qing on a caffeine high today? Why so fast?”

Despite her slender legs, Chaoqing’s stamina was well-recognized. She climbed the mountain no slower than the men. Normally, she should have acted delicate to maintain her persona, but to find an opportunity, she tossed her persona out the window.

Unfortunately, mountain mosquitoes usually only appear at night. During the scorching day, even the bugs preferred to stay cool. No matter how much Chaoqing looked—even exposing her fair calves as bait—she couldn’t find a single industrious mosquito.

Seeing the others catching up and knowing Uncle Zhong carried repellent, Chaoqing grew desperate. She began rummaging through clusters of grass. Finally, just before the group arrived, she found an ant nest. She wasn’t a masochist, but she repeatedly told herself this was for the mission.

From that moment on, “Vibrant Xiao Qing” seemed like a different person. She looked drained for the rest of the day and couldn’t even perk up during dinner. The live-stream audience noticed the change immediately, flooded with comments asking what was wrong with her.

Chaoqing timely addressed their concerns: “Tsk, I got stung by ants when I was going up. I was looking for herbs and accidentally tripped into them.”

The sun had been too bright during the day, so she waited until dinner to take off her sun-protection jacket and roll up her sleeves. Her skin was very fair, so the red spots from the ant stings stood out clearly, making viewers wince in sympathy.

Chaoqing had a decent public reputation; as a rising star from a disbanded girl group, people knew the split wasn’t her fault. Her performance over the last few days had brought more surprises and fans, and the bullet chat was soon filled with “Poor baby” comments.

The young girl looked delicate, and she hadn’t been stung just once—there were several spots on her arm, and likely more hidden elsewhere. Lu Ziqi insisted on doing the dishes alone so Chaoqing could rest. Soon, Yan Yun brought over an ointment. “Here, this is a local folk remedy. If the regular cream doesn’t work, use this. The ants on this mountain are fierce; the bites hurt a lot and will probably swell. Remember to apply it when you shower, and maybe soak in some herbal water.”

Lin Chumu was in the room removing her makeup while Yan Yun spoke. Chaoqing had been hesitating on how to bring it up, and now the perfect excuse had been handed to her on a silver platter. She almost wanted to give Yan Yun a high-five. Yan Yun, unaware of the schemes in Chaoqing’s head, only urged gently: “Make sure to use it! It’ll be more painful once it swells!”

Chaoqing nodded vigorously. “I will!”

Once the other girls left, Chaoqing dimmed the lights slightly and directly took off her top. Lin Chumu tried to look away but wasn’t fast enough; she caught sight of the scattered red spots on Chaoqing’s back.

The red dots were scattered across her skin like flaws on fine jade, trailing down to her slender waist which was also slightly flushed. One could only imagine how long Chaoqing had endured the stinging heat under the sun. Unconsciously, Lin Chumu realized that Chaoqing had shattered and rebuilt her impression of her many times. The thing that least matched her initial impression was…

This girl didn’t put on airs at all; she was always cheerful. Even showing wounds that must have stung from the sweat, she still wore her usual smile.

She rarely complained. Even when she had expectations, she hid them away or only revealed them inadvertently. Like now—she was staring at Lin Chumu with upturned lips, looking like a puppy, as if a flowering tail were wagging behind her.

“Sister,” Chaoqing’s voice was soft and sweet. “If Sister is willing to put aside our past differences and help me rub my back… I would be very happy.”