The Fake Daughter is a Max-Level Green Tea [Transmigrated into a Book] - Chapter 50

Chapter 50: Feigning Illness

When she woke up, her mind was a complete fog.

Aside from the day she first transmigrated, Lu Chaoqing hadn’t felt this dizzy in a long time. She felt as if she had been accidentally tossed into a tumble dryer and spun around; even her dreams were a whirl of spinning skies and earth.

It was now early winter, but she inexplicably felt as if her body were being roasted over hot coals. The air felt scorching, causing sweat to pour out and dampen her bangs. However, a pair of hands patiently used a wet towel to dab at her, and it was only after the temperature on her forehead was lowered that she felt much better.

Lu Chaoqing slowly opened her sticky eyelids. Just as she tried to sit up, the world spun again, nearly causing her to tumble and hit her head against the edge of the headboard.

“Don’t get up!”

She felt a light flick on her forehead, but the same hand steadily supported her and guided her back onto the pillow. As her vision gradually cleared, Lu Chaoqing could see the indentation on the sheets where someone’s arm had pressed down; it was deep, suggesting someone had been leaning there for a long time. Seeing her awake, Lin Chumu let out an imperceptible sigh of relief before taking the towel from her forehead to the bathroom to wash it.

The unpleasant smell of disinfectant in the room was neutralized by the sweet scent of fruit. Lu Chaoqing took a deep breath, finally clearing the cobwebs from her head. She remembered that she had been sent to the hospital after being rear-ended by a sasaeng fan.

What she didn’t expect, however, was that Lin Chumu actually knew how to take care of someone.

The aroma of chicken and scallion egg-drop porridge was fragrant. As the insulated lunch box was opened, the tempting scent made her take several deep sniffs, which Lin Chumu caught as she stepped out of the bathroom. Lin Chumu set down the towel, scooped a small bowl of porridge, and placed it on the nightstand. “Eat.”

Having just woken up, Lu Chaoqing’s stomach felt empty and uncomfortable. The chicken porridge was exactly her favorite flavor and perfect for warming her stomach, but her body felt sluggish, and she didn’t want to move at all.

After staring at Lin Chumu for a moment, Lu Chaoqing guessed that for this woman, using a towel to cool her down was already “above and beyond the call of duty.” Feeding someone was surely a behavior a “steel-straight” woman would never perform—unless the patient had broken limbs and required a nurse.

Thus, while the other woman turned around to grab some side dishes, Lu Chaoqing began to huff and puff, feigning illness.

As a child, she had occasionally faked being sick to skip unimportant classes; she was an expert at this craft and hadn’t stopped practicing even as an adult. The moment the muffled groan sounded, Lin Chumu, who was holding the side dishes, turned her head nervously. She saw the girl, who had just regained a bit of vitality, now looking sickly with a drooping mouth, staring piteously like a wounded puppy.

Her face, pale from shock, and her thin, weak arms hanging listlessly over the edge of the bed combined with her large, hollow eyes to create a natural look of supplication. Lin Chumu’s heart softened slightly.

Actually, she had already entertained a small thought of feeding Lu Chaoqing, but then she figured the girl’s limbs weren’t injured; being too proactive might lead the brat to take a mile if given an inch. She had quickly dismissed the thought. But when Lu Chaoqing used silence as a tactical retreat, Lin Chumu bit the hook.

“The doctor said you didn’t break any bones. It’s just extreme shock plus some superficial injuries. We’ll observe you for a bit now that you’re awake, and then you can be discharged.”

Despite her words, Lin Chumu skillfully opened the thermal container, scooped a spoonful of porridge, blew on it, and took a small sip to ensure it wasn’t too hot before offering it. Lu Chaoqing sat up and scooted forward. Upon tasting the first warm swallow, her eyes curved into a smile.

The relief from her intense hunger made her feel much better. However, to continue enjoying the feeling of being pampered, Lu Chaoqing naturally suppressed the small joy rising from her heart and continued to drink the porridge from Lin Chumu’s hand.

The disinfectant smell she hated was replaced by fruit and the woman’s own fragrance. It was warm and comfortable.

“By the way, there are two things I need to tell you.”

Halfway through the porridge, Lin Chumu, who had been watching Lu Chaoqing eat bite by bite, seemed to realize something. Seeking to shift her focus, she spoke up: “The source of the bugging incident has been found. It was your former teammate, the one surnamed Yao.”

Lin Chumu couldn’t recall Yao Xichen’s name for a moment, but it didn’t stop her from explaining.

Back when Yao Xichen was bullying Ji You, Ji You already knew her background wasn’t simple—though it was a far cry from Lu Chaoqing’s. Ji You, Chen Li, and Jiang Qishuang all came from ordinary families; the Yao family had some money and could afford marketing accounts and water armies.

When suspecting former teammates, Lin Chumu had initially focused on Jiang Qishuang, but she later discovered that girl had virtually vanished from the industry with no plans for a comeback, having reached a peaceful termination with MT after being blacklisted. Later, with a reminder from Ji You, they quickly found Yao Xichen. Both MT and EM work fast; once the hint was given, they had results within hours.

Yao Xichen had bribed the crew to eavesdrop, hoping to catch some dirt or rumors, but she never expected to overhear such a massive secret. She changed her plan to expose their identities, but she miscalculated the relationship between Lin Chumu and Lu Chaoqing.

Eavesdropping might not carry a heavy legal penalty, but installing a bug violated privacy and personal safety. EM and MT joined forces to sue her immediately, refusing any settlement. The matter was currently exploding on the hot searches. Yao Xichen had been cursed so much she deleted her Weibo, but it was useless; the topic had nearly a million hits.

During this time, Ji You and Chen Li had visited once but had to leave for work. The Lu parents had unavoidable business engagements; Mother Lu’s eyes had been swollen from crying for two days. Having never seen her daughter suffer like this, she had even uttered foul language for the first time in her life upon hearing about Yao Xichen.

Lu Chaoqing suddenly felt a bit complicated.

She wasn’t the original owner. The original owner demanded too much from her parents, wanting a unique, exclusive affection. If she were here, she might even be calculating whether their anger was for her or for Lin Chumu. But Lu Chaoqing had never enjoyed such treatment from parents in her previous world; her former parents were typical “Type Z” parents—even if they loved her, they rarely expressed it so emotionally.

Naturally, every set of parents has a unique way of loving their children; one cannot measure the depth or quality.

“Then, Sister, these past two days you…”

Lin Chumu skipped over her question: “Also, Jiang Yang came. He brought fruit, but Mom and Dad didn’t want it.” At this, a flash of mockery crossed Lin Chumu’s lips. “A basket of seconds from a roadside shop worth a few dozen yuan—he actually had the nerve to bring that out.”

In the original plot, Jiang Yang was exactly this kind of stingy “iron rooster.” No matter how much benefit he took from the original owner, if he returned even one percent of it, he was considered generous. When the original owner used to send him gifts, Jiang Yang had even bought fakes to return. The original owner naturally knew the difference, but after he played the poverty card and acted dumb, she would soften her heart, truly believing he didn’t know better.

That man didn’t know the meaning of gratitude. Everything was prioritized by his own self-interest. To him, Lu Chaoqing, having lost her status as the true heiress, was a discarded pawn. No matter how she had treated him before, she had lost her value. If it weren’t for the sake of the Lu parents, he likely wouldn’t have bothered to visit at all.

Lin Chumu felt nauseous just thinking about it.

Regardless of anything, Lu Chaoqing was not for a shameless “phoenix man” like Jiang Yang to look down upon.

She omitted the part where her legs had gone weak at the surgery room door and she had accidentally leaned on Jiang Yang’s shoulder, only for Jiang Yang to try and wrap his arm around her—only to be shut down so hard he looked ashamed. She also omitted Jiang Yang’s “green tea” attempts to drive a wedge between them.

For some reason, certain words sounded sincere coming from the “Little Green Tea’s” mouth, but coming from Jiang Yang, they were utterly revolting.

Lin Chumu didn’t go into detail, and Lu Chaoqing naturally had no interest in Jiang Yang. After finishing the porridge, she enjoyed some white glutinous lychees peeled personally by Lin Chumu. Afterward, her mouth was wiped clean by the young miss, making Lu Chaoqing involuntarily hope for a second—maybe breaking a hand or a leg wouldn’t be so bad.

“By the way, once you’re discharged, we need to go update the household register,” Lin Chumu said. She hadn’t expected the conflict over their swapped lives to be resolved so peacefully. But in the next second, the “Little Green Tea,” who had looked calm just a moment ago, suddenly leaned in, her warm breath fanning across Lin Chumu’s face.

Lin Chumu’s cheeks couldn’t help but flush slightly.

“So, is Chuchu-jie still thinking about kicking me out?” The girl’s voice was soft and sweet, like a bouncy fruit gummy. Her bright eyes were full of mischief as she leaned in closer. “Miss Lin is so capable, why don’t you protect me from now on?”

“I’m very well-behaved, you know.”

Looking back much later, Lin Chumu could never quite remember exactly when she had boarded Lu Chaoqing’s “pirate ship.”

Perhaps it was when this girl stared at her with the focus of a Samoyed while talking, or when she saw the girl’s flustered look and felt a sudden sense of mischievous amusement, or perhaps it was today when Lu Chaoqing “accidentally” sprained her ankle upon being discharged and naturally acted spoiled to have Lin Chumu carry her.

Lu Chaoqing’s weight had recently climbed back to just over a hundred pounds, but she had lost a little during her two days of illness. She weighed exactly one hundred pounds—not too light, not too heavy. For the short distance to the car, Lin Chumu could manage. She wasn’t weak and exercised regularly; while she wasn’t a weightlifter, she could carry Lu Chaoqing for a stretch.

In truth, she had never done such labor before. She originally wanted the tall, sturdy driver to carry her, but Lu Chaoqing acted shy and mentioned that “men and women should maintain distance,” while secretly pointing at her chest—carrying someone definitely involved a lot of physical contact.

Lin Chumu glanced “disdainfully” at those “A-cup” curves and ended up carrying her anyway. On her back, the Little Green Tea looked like a villain who had succeeded in her scheme, even reaching out to poke Lin Chumu’s shoulder. Her fuzzy head leaned in from the side, her ear pressed against Lin Chumu’s, looking utterly satisfied and excited.

Consequently, when they got out of the car, Lin Chumu didn’t wait for Lu Chaoqing to ask; she proactively carried her from the car into the house and placed her gently on the bed. The sprained ankle wasn’t serious enough to need ice; walking was just a bit inconvenient. She just needed a few days of rest.

The plan to update the household register was put on hold for a few days. The family wasn’t in a hurry; once the Lu parents finished their work, they planned to take a short two-day break to have a proper gathering.

Lu Chaoqing’s life over these past two days was incredibly comfortable.

Aside from replying to well-wishing messages from friends and doing a bit of homework assigned by her company’s teachers, the only thing she had to deal with was the growing negative energy from Jiang Yang. When Lu Chaoqing checked her app again after a day, she found that Jiang Yang’s hatred for her had maxed out. She had no idea what Lin Chumu had said to him.

This man likely blamed her for everything—why Lin Chumu hated him and why he couldn’t successfully court her. The hatred grew much faster than his previous favorability. Jiang Yang had always viewed the original owner as a fool, “coaxing” her because she was easy to manipulate; now that he felt his time had been wasted, he was naturally furious.

However, Lu Chaoqing didn’t have much to do lately and figured she could play along with this guy to see who was actually the more skilled player.

After taking a call from Jiang Yang and successfully provoking his anger with just a few words, Lu Chaoqing arranged a meeting in a crowded place. She ordered pepper spray online and began reviewing the Wing Chun she had learned in her previous life.

This was a skill her parents had forced her to learn. She started with Taekwondo but switched to Wing Chun halfway through. She only knew the basics, but it wasn’t just for show. Combined with pepper spray, she figured she could handle a hollowed-out shell like Jiang Yang, whose body was already ruined by wine and women.

It was just a precaution, in case he suddenly lost it in the street.

An hour before she was supposed to meet Jiang Yang, Lu Chaoqing didn’t even bother to put on makeup. She planned to go out bare-faced and was currently practicing Wing Chun in the hallway.

When her ears finally caught the sound of footsteps muffled by her phone’s loud music, Lu Chaoqing had just finished a large movement. She turned around, panting, and locked eyes with Lin Chumu’s deep, sea-calm eyes.