The Fake Daughter is a Max-Level Green Tea [Transmigrated into a Book] - Chapter 56

Chapter 56: The “Script”

In the bustling crowd, the girl’s flower-like smile was an eyesore to Jiang Yang.

Lu Chaoqing, having accidentally gotten a bit of food on her clothes, went to the restroom to wash it off. While examining her makeup in the mirror, she heard footsteps approaching from behind. Despite the chaotic noise outside, she could easily distinguish them. She shifted her high heels slightly on the floor, bracing herself.

When she decided to play that video of Jiang Yang, she had already anticipated the fallout of them turning against each other. However, she wasn’t afraid of him at all; for him to try anything reckless in such a large public setting would be a fatal mistake.

The approaching footsteps were hurried, and behind him, she could hear the low laughter and hushed discussions of others—the mockery in their tone was palpable. Lu Chaoqing turned off the faucet and calmly pulled a lip glaze from her small makeup bag to touch up her color, allowing him to get closer until he was standing directly behind her.

In the smooth surface of the mirror, she caught the flash of a sharp, silver blade.

Surprise lasted only a second. Having prepared for this, Lu Chaoqing was about to spin around and aim her makeup tube at his eyes when a female voice interrupted the scene.

“What do you think you’re doing!”

The moment Jiang Yang heard that voice, his reason snapped back into place. His hand, touching the cold steak knife in his pocket, shuddered. He felt a delayed sense of horror at his own previous thoughts. But Lin Chumu, who had sensed something wrong and followed them, did not let him off just because he hesitated. On the contrary, her sharp gaze locked onto Jiang Yang’s hand as she strode forward and grabbed his arm.

Lin Chumu used every ounce of her strength. Even a strong man like Jiang Yang couldn’t shake her off immediately, and by then, her sharp exclamation had drawn the attention of most of the guests.

“Lin…”

Before Jiang Yang could stammer out a word, Lin Chumu reached into his pocket and yanked out the steak knife. Its sharp tip gleamed brilliantly under the lights. A chorus of sharp gasps and short screams erupted in the dining hall. The Lu parents’ expressions shifted instantly—one shouted for security, while the other ran toward them.

Father Lu stepped forward protectively, shielding both Lin Chumu and Lu Chaoqing behind him. His gaze toward Jiang Yang was filled with disgust and shock. When he felt a hand trembling slightly as it gripped his jacket from behind, his fury reached a boiling point.

“What were you planning?” Father Lu barked. “To commit murder in broad daylight?”

Jiang Yang, now fully conscious of his actions, felt his mouth go numb and his body break into a sweat. He couldn’t find a single point to argue; tears were on the verge of spilling over. But then, he saw Lu Chaoqing hiding behind the man, raising a middle finger at him from an angle no one else could see. The anger he had just suppressed flared up again.

“You! It was you, Lu Chaoqing! Stop acting like a pure lily!”

Lu Chaoqing’s expression instantly shifted to one of pitiful shock the moment he pointed at her, making Jiang Yang even more livid. His public humiliation was all her doing. If it weren’t for her, he might have already succeeded in wooing that other woman. Because she wasn’t living well, she wanted to drag him down with her!

The girl took a bewildered, innocent step back, looking as if she were terrified by Jiang Yang’s sudden aggression. She even shrunk her shoulders and trembled, her eyes filled with a confused disbelief. Looking at her, Father Lu—who felt sickened remembering he had once considered this man as a son-in-law—stepped forward and delivered a stinging slap to Jiang Yang’s face before the guards even arrived.

He didn’t hold back. Jiang Yang’s head snapped to the side, and a trickle of crimson leaked from the corner of his mouth.

The whispering around them grew louder.

Father Lu was a man of deep sentiment. Because his old friend’s son had grown up with Lu Chaoqing, and she had always seemed to have a vague crush on him, it was common knowledge that the Lu family had been helping Jiang Yang’s family. Now that Lin Chumu was back and Jiang Yang seemed to be pursuing her, people speculated about sisterly discord—perhaps Lu Chaoqing had leaked the video out of spite.

“If I can’t have it, no one can.” It was a sentiment many in this circle found familiar.

The gossip buzzed in her ears, but Lu Chaoqing didn’t mind. A moment later, the hand that had let go of Father Lu’s sleeve was enveloped by a familiar warmth. Lin Chumu stepped forward, positioning herself right in front of Lu Chaoqing, blocking the prying eyes of the crowd.

The woman’s back was slender and delicate, yet she didn’t seem fragile. Lin Chumu scanned the room until the baseless speculations died down, then she dropped a heavy sentence: “I was the one who played the video.”

Leaving those few words behind, and ignoring the stunned looks of the onlookers, Lin Chumu pulled Lu Chaoqing along. They brushed past the security guards pinning Jiang Yang down and walked straight out the door without looking back.

The December night wind carried a chill that even heavy coats couldn’t fully block.

For the sake of fashion, Lu Chaoqing had only worn a black slip dress under her coat—clearly summer attire. In the heavily air-conditioned hall, she hadn’t felt it, but as soon as they stepped outside, her teeth began to chatter.

She followed Lin Chumu closely, the alternating sounds of their high heels echoing through the underground parking lot. It seemed someone was following them, but Lu Chaoqing didn’t turn around; she just hooked her finger into Lin Chumu’s as a signal. Seeing this, the woman quickened her pace.

“Wait a minute!”

Lu Chaoqing wasn’t used to such high, thin heels. Pulled along too quickly, she nearly stumbled into Lin Chumu’s back. She hissed in a low voice, “There’s no need to walk so fast for the sake of acting, and you missed a part of the plan earlier!”

“It wasn’t necessary. Stimulating him enough to make him go crazy was the goal, and it’s been achieved. He even got slapped, didn’t he?”

Navigating between rows of cars, Lin Chumu patiently looked for the spot where she had parked, answering Lu Chaoqing without turning around. Her voice was as cool as if it had been soaked in winter snow, her tone carrying a hidden sarcasm: “Besides, you didn’t tell me about tonight’s ‘script.’ How can you blame me for not finishing the scene?”

Lu Chaoqing choked on her words, momentarily silenced.

Everything tonight had indeed been orchestrated by Lu Chaoqing. Most things went as expected, including the crowd’s reaction and Jiang Yang’s downfall. The only thing she hadn’t told Lin Chumu was the possibility of Jiang Yang’s violent outburst. If Lin Chumu hadn’t noticed in time, if Jiang Yang had actually lunged with that knife…

What would have happened to the Lu parents? What would have happened to Lin Chumu? No one dared imagine the consequences.

Actually, while arranging the “script,” Lu Chaoqing had even planned a “kissing scene” for the two of them.

That “kissing scene” was designed to provoke Jiang Yang, but it hadn’t been used. Who knew Jiang Yang would be so easily enraged? It was a waste of her good ideas. Lu Chaoqing only dared to do this because she had the system as a safety net; she had discussed with the system beforehand that it could intervene in case of an emergency.

She still had one “reload” chance left. Lu Chaoqing felt it was a fair trade to get rid of Jiang Yang. As long as he existed, he was a ticking time bomb. Only by dealing with him could she truly rest easy.

But she forgot—she was the one with the system. She was the one with the life-saving means to ensure she wouldn’t be hurt, not Lin Chumu. In Lin Chumu’s eyes, the blade Jiang Yang had hidden in his pocket was lethally sharp. He was strong, and in a fit of madness, no one might have been able to stop him. If the blade had pierced Lu Chaoqing, the damage would have been irreversible.

Lin Chumu didn’t understand why she would continue such a “game” after realizing Jiang Yang might have dangerous intentions, nor why she hadn’t warned her.

Lin Chumu didn’t tell her that her own hand was shaking when she grabbed Jiang Yang’s wrist. She was afraid she wouldn’t be able to stop a strong male who could snap at any moment. She was terrified that if she blinked, Jiang Yang would lunge past her and plunge that knife into Lu Chaoqing.

After all, in the original ending of the novel, Lu Chaoqing did die. Although the prison ending was different from this potential outcome, Lin Chumu was terrified the plot would take a different path to the same tragic destination.

I don’t want Lu Chaoqing to die. That was her only thought.

Sensing Lin Chumu’s emotional turmoil, the girl stopped her complaining. Simultaneously, she noticed the sound of high heels following them was getting closer. The rich girl’s eavesdropping skills were clumsy; she hid behind a car but forgot that the lighting made her silhouette glaringly obvious.

It was the girl who had a grudge against Lu Chaoqing and had tried to hook up with Jiang Yang. She naturally had zero interest in that “trash” Jiang Yang now, but watching Lu Chaoqing and Lin Chumu bickering felt surprisingly satisfying.

Just as she mischievously turned on her voice recorder and aimed it toward them, hoping to record the sisters fighting, she saw the two of them exchange a few heated words. Lin Chumu suddenly grabbed Lu Chaoqing’s hand and pinned her against the car. From the back, it looked incredibly aggressive.

The eavesdropping girl’s eyes widened. She scrambled to open her phone’s camera. But when she peeked out, she saw Lin Chumu, who had pushed the girl against the car, lean down and kiss her.