The Possessive Villain Is Too Clingy [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 37.2

Chu Yunshu tearfully begged Li Xia to take her away. Without hesitation, Li Xia agreed. “We’ll go to a small town. We have hands and feet—we won’t starve!”

But when Li Xia returned with a plan, ready to act, she found Chu Yunshu flanked by Old Master Chu and his wife.

“Mr. Chu! Yunshu doesn’t want to get married!” Li Xia shouted.

Old Master Chu bristled with anger, cursing that they had raised an ungrateful wretch with their money—compared to the other students in the youth program, she was a thousand times worse!

Chu Yunshu stood silently by, her eyes dim.

Only at the very end did she step forward and tell Li Xia, “I’m the only daughter of the Chu family. I have my responsibilities.”

Li Xia couldn’t bear to give up, but she had no choice but to respect Chu Yunshu’s decision.

From then on, her name vanished from the list of students sponsored by the Chu Corporation. But with her exceptional abilities, she clawed her way up in a law firm, staying by Chu Yunshu’s side as a friend.

Chu Yunshu’s marriage was unhappy, and she often turned to Li Xia for comfort.

Chu Tianheng seized the opportunity to slander them, accusing them of an improper relationship.

Old Master Chu, already suspicious after Chu Yunshu’s earlier attempt to escape, was easily swayed by Tianheng’s words. He believed the accusations and felt deeply humiliated.

He even began to feel sorry for Tianheng.

Later, on her deathbed, Chu Yunshu requested that Li Xia join the Chu Corporation as the legal director and take care of Chu Ning and Chu Xiao.

Unable to refuse his daughter’s dying wish, the old Mr. Chu honored his promise and appointed Li Xia as the legal director of the Chu Corporation’s headquarters.

However, he firmly forbade Li Xia from entering the Chu family home to see the children. As a result, Li Xia could only secretly visit them at school. Fortunately, the children were sentimental and always adored their aunt.

By the time Li Xia finished recounting this, the cigarette in her hand had burned out. But she didn’t turn to face Ye Zhixia—she simply flicked the butt onto the ground.

“Does Ningning know about this?” Ye Zhixia asked.

Li Xia shook her head. “The grievances of the older generation shouldn’t torment Ningning as well.”

“Then… did you love her?” Ye Zhixia stood up, facing Li Xia’s back, and mustered the courage to ask.

Li Xia didn’t answer. Instead, she turned away, lowered her head, and quickly walked out of the office, leaving Ye Zhixia alone inside.

Ye Zhixia guessed the answer. As she turned to sit back down, she noticed a calligraphy piece hanging on the wall.

For most people, cursive script isn’t easy to decipher. Ye Zhixia studied it for a long time, drawing on her experiences across many worlds, before recognizing it as a line from a poem.

The poem was titled Jiang Zhongzi, and the line inscribed read:

How dare I love him?
I fear my parents,
I fear my brothers,
I fear the gossip of others.

On the drive back, Ye Zhixia’s expression was grim. At one point, she even pulled over to the side of the road, lost in thought.

She knew that, over these past days, a seed had quietly taken root in her heart. And last night, a tiny bud had suddenly bloomed.

Her somber mood didn’t escape Xiao Mi’s notice.

“Xiaxia, what’s on your mind?” Xiao Mi asked curiously.

Ye Zhixia stared at the steering wheel, her voice barely above a whisper, as if speaking to herself. “I’m wondering if this mission has gone off track.”

“I’m just the executor. I shouldn’t interfere too much in the lives of this world’s characters. At least, not to the point of…”

She trailed off, too upset to continue.

Sensing her distress, Xiao Mi offered a gentle consolation. “The main system doesn’t forbid executors from forming emotional bonds with the world’s characters.”

Ye Zhixia’s eyes flickered with hope before dimming again.

“But my mission is to save her, not to burden her. Besides, she’s only eighteen—her future is bright, and the complicated world of adulthood awaits her. How could I possibly…”

Now, she understood Li Xia’s feelings all too well. Li Xia could disregard everything else—if the other person was willing, she would have whisked them away to wander the world together.

But Chu Yunshu couldn’t. She had family, responsibilities…

And the only thing Li Xia had to consider was Chu Yunshu, so Chu Yunshu’s problems became Li Xia’s as well.

Now, Ye Zhixia felt the same way.

Xiao Mi, who had accompanied Ye Zhixia to Li Xia’s office today, also understood the source of the pressure Chu Ning was facing.

Ye Zhixia fell silent. She stepped on the gas and drove toward the film set.

When Ye Zhixia returned to the set, Chu Ning was already waiting in her dressing room.

Chu Ning’s smile was radiant, with no trace of sorrow.

“Xiaxia-jie, I came to visit you on set,” she said, standing up.

Ye Zhixia adjusted her emotions and adopted a kindly tone as an elder speaking to a younger person: “Ningning, you sit here for a while. I have two scenes to shoot this afternoon, and I can only talk to you after I finish.”

Then, keeping about a meter’s distance from Chu Ning, she patted her shoulder and said, “I have something to tell you later.”

Chu Ning sensed that Ye Zhixia was deliberately keeping her distance today, and the unease she felt yesterday afternoon at the dinner table surged back.

Waiting anxiously for Ye Zhixia to finish filming, the two of them went to a small restaurant on the set.

It was quite late, so they each ordered a bowl of noodles and sat facing each other in the empty restaurant.

“I have something to tell you,” Chu Ning said nervously.

Ye Zhixia’s expression was unusually grave: “I also have something very important to tell you—about your mother.”

At these words, Chu Ning immediately set aside what she had been about to say and stared motionlessly at Ye Zhixia, waiting for her to continue.

“I went to see Director Li today, and she told me everything.”

Ye Zhixia knew that Chu Ning must have some understanding of these matters but had likely filled in the gaps with her own assumptions. So she cut straight to the conclusion:

“Your mother and Director Li were the closest of friends—always. All the other gossip was just rumors spread by Chu Tianheng.”

Chu Ning didn’t show any surprise. Instead, she calmly said, “My mother has always been an upright person.”

Seeing that Chu Ning’s emotions were steady, without the displeasure she had shown the last time her mother was mentioned, Ye Zhixia recounted the story she had heard from Li Xia that day in full detail.

After listening to Ye Zhixia’s account, Chu Ning fell into deep thought for a long time, her bowl of noodles untouched.

Beneath her calm exterior, her heart was in turmoil.

Finally, she couldn’t hold back any longer. Covering her mouth, she rushed to the restroom, retching violently.

It turned out that the person who had hurt her mother the most wasn’t Chu Tianheng or Secretary Jiang—it was that “loving grandfather”!

Chu Ning retched until tears streamed down her face—not from sorrow, but from fury.

She understood clearly: Chu Tianheng had no right to force her mother into marriage, and Secretary Jiang had no right to manipulate her.

The only thing that could have compelled her mother to comply was the unbreakable bond of blood; the only thing that could have held her hostage was so-called familial duty.

When her mother passed away, her grandfather had grieved—but he had never reflected on his own mistakes.

He treated his granddaughter as a substitute, showering her with affection and material comforts, yet he clung stubbornly to his old beliefs, repeatedly forgiving Chu Tianheng for the wrongs he had done to his daughter and harboring resentment toward Li Xia, who had cared for both mother and daughter in every possible way.

Chu Ning seemed to realize that, in her grandfather’s eyes, familial love was worthless compared to continuing the family line and preserving its reputation.

Ye Zhixia followed her, handing her tissues to wipe her face and patting her back.

“Ningning, your grandfather contacted me and asked me to see you less.”

Ye Zhixia had received a call from Old Master Chu at noon. He had said that someone had seen the two of them getting too close and hoped she would keep her distance from Chu Ning.

Chu Ning looked up at Ye Zhixia, the cold glint in her eyes making the hairs on Ye Zhixia’s neck stand on end.

“I’m fine now, Sister Xiaxia. Take me home one last time.”

Chu Ning’s voice sounded almost unfamiliar.

Ye Zhixia caught the words “one last time,” and her heart ached, but there was nothing she could do.

The entire way back, neither of them spoke. For the first time, Ye Zhixia—who had always been the guide—felt awkward and uncertain.

This time, Ye Zhixia’s car stopped at the main gate of the estate.

Chu Ning unbuckled her seatbelt, leaving only a brief remark: “Grandfather is getting old.”

After entering the elevator, Chu Ning pressed the button for her floor without hesitation. She knew her grandfather would be waiting for her in the living room every night, but she had no desire to see him right now.

Back in her room, she picked up her notebook and contacted the admissions office.

She wanted to discuss changing her major—she intended to study finance and learn how to manage a company.

At night, Ye Zhixia tossed and turned in bed, mulling over Chu Ning’s parting words: “Grandfather is getting old.”

“Xiao Mi, is Ningning telling me that Old Master Chu is aging, and she’s choosing to follow his wishes?”

Anxiety breeds confusion—she couldn’t think of any other explanation.

“Xiaxia, does Chu Ning mean we have to wait until her grandfather passes away?”

What did Xiao Mi know about aging? For an entity unbound by lifespan, growing old simply meant life was nearing its end.

Hearing Xiao Mi’s analysis, Ye Zhixia’s heart sank. Waiting until Old Master Chu died—didn’t that mean there was no possibility now?

In the end, Ye Zhixia made up her mind: from then on, she would protect Chu Ning from the shadows.

Yet, Chu Ning’s words—”Grandfather is getting old”—weren’t a sign of resignation. On the contrary, they brimmed with ambition, propelling her toward a new chapter in life.

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