The Fake Daughter is a Max-Level Green Tea [Transmigrated into a Book] - Chapter 51

Chapter 51: Dangerous and Grotesque

Lin Chumu’s sharp gaze was fixed on Lu Chaoqing’s perfectly intact ankle as if trying to bore a hole through it. That look made Lu Chaoqing’s heart skip a beat.

She remembered she still had one chance to reload her save. She had considered using it, but then she saw the woman, dressed in a sharp business suit, slowly squat down. Lin Chumu’s slender fingers gripped Lu Chaoqing’s ankle, gave it a squeeze, and then she looked up with a wooden expression.

If glares could manifest into physical objects, Lu Chaoqing felt she would have been skewered by a thousand icy arrows.

That day, Lin Chumu said nothing. She simply brushed past her to grab something, made a phone call, and left. There was no blame, no extra words. But that silence made Lu Chaoqing feel as restless as if she were being smoked over a fire. Ultimately, she took all that pent-up anxiety out on Jiang Yang when she went to meet him.

The man looked much more haggard than before. It was likely because her change in status made him realize all his previous “efforts” had gone up in smoke. Both angry and resentful, Jiang Yang dropped his previous facade and became biting and sarcastic. Unfortunately for him, Lu Chaoqing wasn’t someone to be provoked by a few words; she threw every insult back in his face.

“A fallen phoenix is less than a chicken? If you’re referring to a ‘chicken’ like yourself, I didn’t even think much of you back when you were wagging your tail and begging for my favor.”

“True colors? I speak to people according to who they are. You’ve lived quite comfortably on my money all these years, haven’t you? Do you think just because you’ve stopped being a lapdog you can suddenly start acting like a human? Too bad you’ve never had the spine to stand up straight.”

Lu Chaoqing rarely used such harsh language, but she clearly held the upper hand in this verbal sparring match. Jiang Yang’s face turned beet red with rage; he didn’t dare get physical, so he could only resort to a limited vocabulary of curses.

In a clash of experts, the one who loses their temper first is the loser. Lu Chaoqing didn’t care to listen to him showcase the floor of his moral standards. She finished her Tiramisu and “Moon Boat” ice cream and left the cafe.

It’s worth mentioning that whenever they met in the past, they habitually chose cafes or Western restaurants where the average check was at least several hundred yuan. Even after his downfall, Jiang Yang couldn’t break this habit. He ordered an Iced Americano and several of his favorite desserts, only to be stopped by a smiling waiter just as he was about to leave.

The waiter thrust the bill toward him: “Sir, the lady just now said you would be paying. Please settle the bill before leaving. Thank you for your cooperation.”

Jiang Yang, staring at a four-digit bill: “…”

Returning home, Lu Chaoqing noticed that Jiang Yang’s hatred value had taken another step forward.

The recording of Voice of Joy happened roughly once a week, lasting two to three days each time, leaving Lu Chaoqing with the remaining time to herself.

Having finished her classes, Lu Chaoqing hurried home upon hearing that EM was hosting an important gala today. A fresh delivery of ingredients had been placed in the fridge by the nanny with her permission—basic items for making desserts.

Aside from the day they went to update the household register, Lin Chumu hadn’t spoken to her for three days.

It was strange. Previously, she had thought it would be best if she and Lin Chumu stayed out of each other’s way, but now that the other woman was actually ignoring her, a strange emotion bubbled up in her mind. She couldn’t stop her thoughts from wandering.

Did the things they said before still count?

Was Lin Chumu so angry she would never speak to her again? Given the woman’s personality, it wasn’t impossible.

She felt Lin Chumu was the type of person who deeply resented being deceived. Although she had only faked the injury to spend time with her, Lu Chaoqing couldn’t control how the other person perceived it. Recalling that look Lin Chumu gave her made her feel a lingering sense of unease.

That spreading unease caused Lu Chaoqing to break three eggs incorrectly while cooking. She finally succeeded on the fourth, using long chopsticks to pick the shell fragments out of the bowl.

She had never cooked in either her past or present life. Her culinary skills were limited to boiling instant noodles or frozen dumplings to keep from starving. Even a simple dish like tomato and egg stir-fry was a challenge, let alone jumping straight into the major hurdle of desserts.

However, Lin Chumu wasn’t particularly interested in other foods; her only real weakness was sweets—something Lu Chaoqing had discovered while on set. Lin Chumu had to eat nutritional meals to maintain her figure, but every time a staff member ate dessert, she couldn’t help but steal a few glances.

One staff member had been eating a black tea cake. Lu Chaoqing had specifically asked for the brand, only to find out it was homemade by a friend.

Since Lin Chumu was at a business gala today, she likely wouldn’t eat much there. This was an unwritten rule for her; business banquets were full of people with ulterior motives. Someone with Lin Chumu’s high level of self-preservation would definitely avoid eating or drinking if possible.

After mounting her phone on a bracket to display a black tea cake tutorial, Lu Chaoqing began to get busy in the kitchen.

Business galas usually lasted quite late.

The wind in late November was bone-chilling. While not as blinding as the snowy winds of December, it was cold enough to make one’s fingers stiff.

Lin Chumu didn’t always bring a driver, especially for these types of galas. Before going, she would assess the safety risks. When the crowd was such that she needed to be alert enough not to drink, she chose to stay sober and drive herself. This insistence dampened the spirits of some, but Lin Chumu didn’t care about the feelings of greasy men who tried to pressure women into drinking.

After dealing with an old man who was old enough to be her grandfather but still tried to pester her, Lin Chumu jogged back to her car. As she started the engine, she swapped her high-heeled boots for comfortable platform flats. A notification popped up on her private phone’s memo; a calendar square marked in green indicated a private schedule.

Their birthdays were in early December—next week.

Mother Lu had told her earlier that she had pre-selected several gifts at a bespoke boutique and wanted Lin Chumu to find time to pick one. The Lu family was celebrating their birthdays differently this year; the two girls would receive one matching item together, and then individual gifts from their parents. Today was the last day for the appointment for the matching item.

It was already 10:00 PM, but the shop had agreed to stay open until midnight for her. Lin Chumu estimated the time and drove over, arriving close to 11:00 PM.

The shop was empty save for a young foreign man dozing off. He opened his eyes at the sound of her entry and hurriedly stepped from behind the counter to bow politely. “Hello, Miss,” he said in very standard local Mandarin. “These are the three templates the other lady reserved for you. Please choose one.”

The wind outside was still quite strong. As Lin Chumu lowered her head to look, the foreigner considerately closed the door to block the cold air. The sudden warmth made her mind clearer. She looked down at the three options: a necklace, a ring, and a clavicle chain.

All three featured a color palette of blue-silver and rose gold. While they were beautiful, Lin Chumu’s first thought was that the color scheme looked less like sisters and more like a couple.

When Mother Lu asked them to choose, Lu Chaoqing had said she didn’t know much about these things and would go with whatever Lin Chumu liked. Of the three, she preferred the clavicle chain. The blue-silver one was engraved with a vivid rose, while the rose gold one featured a pure lily. Both were feminine flowers, but together they gave off a strange vibe.

To put it bluntly, it felt as if she and Lu Chaoqing were about to go get a marriage certificate the moment they picked up these chains.

Lin Chumu immediately banished this dangerous and grotesque thought from her head.

However, she would absolutely not take the ring, and the necklace design wasn’t particularly striking. Only the design of the two clavicle chains hit her aesthetic preferences perfectly. Time was ticking away. The foreign youth, maintaining a polite social distance, couldn’t help but yawn. Although he quickly covered it up, it made Lin Chumu feel bad about delaying further.

“Let’s go with this one,” Lin Chumu finally decided to follow her heart, no longer considering the ambiguous meaning. It was just a first draft; the designer could add more details later. “I hope you can pay attention to the details when adding them. I’ll take the blue-silver one. The other half is for my sister.” She then added suddenly, “A sister not on the same household register.”

The foreign youth’s look changed from confusion to realization, and he nodded quickly. “OK, I understand. It will be shipped within five days. I guarantee you will be satisfied.”

Lin Chumu, surprised that she was stumbling over her words despite not having a drop of alcohol, assumed he fully understood her intent. She gave a smile, waved, and walked out in a good mood. The foreign designer watched her silhouette until she was out of sight, then closed his eyes and muttered a few words in English.

All traces of sleepiness vanished. He pulled a pen and paper from a drawer and began sketching additions in the “Design Concept” column.

“Hidden love, pure as white lilies, calling a lovely lover one’s ‘sister’.”

“Nice, perfect.”