The Real Heiress Just Wants to Be a Lazy Fish - Chapter 52

Chapter 52: Liking

Senior Guo’s enthusiasm exceeded Tao Yitong’s imagination. In the time it took to step out the door, she had contacted all her old colleagues and booked a private room at the best nearby hotel mainly because she hadn’t mastered the skill of cooking, otherwise she would have taken Tao Yitong home to eat.

“Um, Grandma Guo, I need to finish applying for my sister’s ‘informed person’ privilege first, so I have to head to the company.”

“Look at me, I was so happy I forgot about that. Go on, go on,” Guo Hanyu said with a smile. “Any dietary restrictions?”

“I’m not a picky eater.” In this regard, Tao Yitong was perfectly suited to satisfy an elder’s desire to provide food.

“Good, good. I’ll go to the hotel to arrange things and pick you up this evening.”

Director Gao had spoken.

Public opinion was in an uproar.

The number of people flocking to the livestream to watch the drama grew, and the bullet comments scrolled like crazy.

My god, Director Gao is a legend!] [Appointing her right on the livestream no matter how big a backer Liu Ruomeng has, they can’t save her now. Haha, so satisfying! Director Gao’s temper is still as stubborn as ever. No wonder she’s best friends with a legendary actress like Ruan Mengqing; they have the same personality.

Support Tao Yitong playing Princess Minglu! Annals of the Dynasty is now on my watch list! Wait, is this Tao Yitong the same ‘nobody’ who’s going on the dating show with Jiang Zitan? I thought she was a newcomer they were trying to push, so she was riding Jiang Zitan’s coattails. I assumed there was a sugar daddy involved.

I didn’t expect this getting splashed in the face by a C-list actress like Liu Ruomeng while playing an extra. I apologize for my malicious speculation. +1 to the person above. So is she really forming a CP with Jiang Zitan on that dating show? Probably not. I feel like the socialite Fu Mozheng and Jiang Zitan are a better match in terms of status; that’s more likely.

Right, everyone says Jiang Zitan is a Triple Crown Best Actress, but they forget she’s the only daughter of the Qualcomm Group. That background is top-tier ‘old money’ in the Beijing circle, even more prestigious than the Fu Group.

The bullet comments drifted off track, starting to gossip about the hottest recent news.

Tao Yitong stood before Director Gao, her heart still filled with a shock that was beyond words. In the past, she was always the unluckiest one, as if her luck had been stolen. But ever since that night with Jiang Zitan…

Actually, ever since she met Jiang Zitan, her luck seemed to be turning around bit by bit. In the past, she wouldn’t even dare to dream of such good fortune falling upon her, yet now, it was real.

Was it real?

She clenched her fists, and under the cover of her wide purple robes, she quietly pinched her palm.

Pain!

It was real. It was actually real.

Tao Yitong swallowed hard, the muscles in her slender white neck shifting slightly. She looked at Director Gao and spoke: “I will work hard to play the role well.”

“Whoosh”

The scene erupted in cheers, and someone even led a round of applause. The bullet comments were a sea of celebration, all happy for Tao Yitong.

Outside the camera’s frame, Liu Ruomeng’s face was ashen and grim. It was as if nothing she did now could fix the situation. Her gaze drifted through the crowd, looking at the smiles on their faces as a wave of grievance crashed through her chest.

Suddenly, she saw Fu Mozheng at the edge of the crowd. Fu Mozheng was standing beside her famous Best Actress mother, her expression equally unsightly. Sensing the gaze, Fu Mozheng looked back coldly. When her eyes shifted to Tao Yitong, her gaze became exceptionally icy indescribable, but certainly a bit terrifying.

In the makeup room, Tao Yitong was comforted in turn by the brothers and sisters of the costume, makeup, and props teams. Only then did the sisters help her remove her makeup so she could change into her own clothes and head out.

The moment she stepped outside, she was blinded by a wicked wind from the Beijing suburbs. It was almost Chinese New Year, and winter in Yanjing was deathly cold. The bare branches of the trees stuck out like skeletal legs.

The sky was dim. When the northwest wind blew in these far-flung outskirts, it carried clouds of sand and grit, lunging at people’s faces and bodies like a shrieking, clawing ghost, slaping them with frenzied madness.

Tao Yitong was blinded by the wind. She covered her dust-filled eyes with her hands, standing still and unable to move, her head lowered as her long hair shielded her cheeks.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her wrist. A voice tinged with a chill sounded from above: “Let’s go.”

Go?

Before Tao Yitong could react, her steps were pulled, and she was turned around and led toward another direction. The person pulled her along quickly and urgently. Tao Yitong squinted her eyes and saw a tall silhouette from behind. Long wavy hair fell loosely over the person’s shoulders and back, swaying elegantly with each rapid step.

A faint, ethereal fragrance wafted from the hair, drifting into Tao Yitong’s nose. The scent was very familiar it was the same fragrance that had tangled in her fingertips when she ran them through that thick hair that night, the same hazy and lingering scent that had emanated from those snowy white shoulders.

She recognized this faint scent; naturally, she was all too familiar with the silhouette. However, the person walking in front was moving very fast, and it was obvious she was quite angry.

“Jiang Zitan?!”

Tao Yitong discovered the person pulling her forward was actually Jiang Zitan. She stopped her steps, which naturally brought Jiang Zitan to a halt as well.

“Where are we going?”

The wind had irritated her eyes, and tiny grains of sand were rolling around inside. Immediately, two lines of tears began to flow down.

Jiang Zitan stood there, staring fixedly at Tao Yitong. Upon seeing those falling tears, her brow instantly knit together.

“What are you crying for?” Jiang Zitan seemed to mouth a censored word as she grabbed Yitong’s hand again. “Let’s go. Let her be the one to cry.”

“What… what are you doing?” Tao Yitong was pulled forward, stumbling a few steps.

Jiang Zitan didn’t look back: “To get your payback.”

“Ah! What payback?” “I’m fine…” “Wait, no, I’m really not crying…”

Tao Yitong was so anxious she began to sob slightly, sniffing her nose as if she actually were crying. Jiang Zitan’s silhouette seemed to stiffen. She slowed her pace and finally came to a halt, turning back to look at Tao Yitong, whose eyes were red.

“I’m not blind. Can’t I see whether you’re crying or not?”

Though the words were somewhat blunt, the tone became softer and softer toward the end. Then, she raised her hand and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of Tao Yitong’s eyes. Her movements were as light and tender as if she were caressing a fragile piece of art.

Though Tao Yitong was used to being “rough,” she felt a powerful shock in her heart at this gentle touch.

“Why didn’t you just tell me people were bullying you here? Why did I have to find out from someone else and scroll through a livestream to see what happened to you?” Jiang Zitan complained slightly, her finger still lingering on Tao Yitong’s face.

The wind outside was cold and desolate, but Jiang Zitan’s fingertips were warm. Brushed against her face, where the skin touched, a tingling sensation began to spread through Tao Yitong’s heart.

At that moment, Tao Yitong actually found herself distracted, wondering could it be winter static electricity again?

Until Jiang Zitan’s voice rose above the whistling cold wind once more, her words carried by her warm breath.

“You silly girl, you can just ask me for help.”

At this moment, warmth welled up in Tao Yitong’s heart like hot spring water bubbling up in the middle of winter, diluting the desolate chill of the cold. According to her values, given that she and Jiang Zitan hadn’t established a formal relationship, she would never allow such an ambiguous act to occur.

But today, she suddenly wanted to be greedy for once. The winter day was freezing, making her truly crave the temperature of those fingertips. And having someone care for her it really felt good.

A smile couldn’t help but rise on the corners of her mouth as she shrugged: “Hasn’t it been solved already?”

“I even got a role that others would fight over but can’t get. That cup of water wasn’t splashed in vain.”

The smile was so bright that Jiang Zitan’s anger mostly dissipated. She could only shake her head helplessly and let out a soft “Heh.” That sound carried both compromise and a subtle hint of doting.

These two stood against the dark winter sky. Yet, they were a spark of light for each other. Jiang Zitan’s hair was slightly tousled by the wind as she parted her lips.

“You’re quite happy… but I’m not.”

“Oh, what’s there to be unhappy about? I’m quite happy, so be a little happier too~” Tao Yitong looked at Jiang Zitan with a smile, sweet as a human-shaped White Rabbit candy.

After a moment, Jiang Zitan spoke, word by word: “I must splash it back.”

Tao Yitong felt that if she were a manga character, a giant sweat drop would be on her temple right now. She was still smiling, but she had a bit of a headache. She coaxed: “Really, don’t. I got her role; that’s already the greatest punishment for her.”

“Since I have already won, how can I be like her and do something I detest?”

Jiang Zitan finally curled her fingers that were resting on Tao Yitong’s cheek. She didn’t let go; instead, she suddenly pinched the skin with her thumb and forefinger. In a move that carried a hint of venting, she pinched a large section of her cheek and gave it a tug.

Tao Yitong’s fair skin was pinched upward, looking very elastic.

“You idiot. Remember to tell me if anything happens in the future. If this happens again, I’ll throw you and your daughter out onto the street.”

Tao Yitong dazed for a moment, not even noticing that her face was being pinched painfully. Why does this sound like a wife complaining to her partner? Wait, ‘daughter’? She must mean One Yuan (the cat).

“I can’t give birth to a kitten…” Tao Yitong couldn’t help but retort. With one side of her cheek pinched, her left teeth—which rarely saw the light of day were exposed to the air, making her words sound a bit “breathy” as air leaked out.

With a “Pfft,” Jiang Zitan was amused by her. Where did that come from? This girl is a bit too cute.

Jiang Zitan pinched her face and heard her words leaking air, so she released her fingers and instead rubbed that fair, smooth cheek as if to say: Did that hurt? Sister will rub it for you.

Tao Yitong, while having her cheek rubbed, emphasized seriously: “I really can’t give birth to kittens. One Yuan isn’t my daughter.”

“I know.” “Then shall we go?” “Where?” “Didn’t you say you wanted to go back and get some clothes? I also need to see Mom.”

“Are you trying to show me your ‘sincerity’ by keeping a ‘true love’ on the side while having a different lover every week?” Jiang Zitan was keeping his dignity for the sake of the two families’ long-standing friendship, but some people insisted on putting their faces on the ground to be stepped on, so they couldn’t blame anyone else.

Li Xu’s face looked wonderful for a moment. He hadn’t expected Jiang Zitan to know so much. He felt as if he could hear the surrounding people whispering about him.

Tao Yitong stood beside Jiang Zitan, nodding along. To master a business rival’s weaknesses, her sister had investigated these matters long ago.

“Also…” Jiang Zitan glanced at the person beside her, her gaze softening slightly. “I have someone I like, so I’d appreciate it if President Li keeps his distance from now on.”

A moment of silence fell over the surroundings.

Tao Yitong’s eyes widened suddenly. She almost thought she had misheard, and her thoughts even fell into a brief blank. It took a long time for her to slowly come to her senses. Everyone’s expressions proved she hadn’t misheard. Tao Yitong looked at Jiang Zitan, instinctively wanting to ask who it was her sister liked, but an inexplicable panic gripped her chest.

A sour sensation spread from her heart to her throat, such that she couldn’t utter a single word.

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