The Real Heiress Just Wants to Be a Lazy Fish - Chapter 54

Chapter 54: Substitution

“Um…” Tao Yitong glanced at the man on the ground who looked like he was about to draw his last breath. “Auntie Liu, let me deal with him. Otherwise, you might face some trouble if an investigation starts later.”

“No need.” Auntie Liu spared a glance at the creature on the floor. “Unless you testify, no one will find out.”

Coming from anyone else, Tao Yitong might have found such a statement arrogant, but this Auntie Liu whom she herself couldn’t quite see through—might truly be able to hide things from the Special Affairs Bureau’s eyes.

Tao Yitong looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle. “Tonight was very peaceful. I didn’t see a thing.”

Auntie Liu’s lips seemed to twitch upward by the tiniest fraction, but upon closer inspection, she had returned to her cold, indifferent facade. “In this regard, you’re more flexible than your grandmother.”

The Dreamscape

The wind carries a dark, lingering fragrance; the night chill is met with the warmth of entwined arms. Frost covers the window in the heavy snow, while gauze curtains shield the spring-like warmth of the bedroom. It is quiet yet jarring, a blurred state of trance.

When Tao Yitong woke up dazed, the day was already bright. The winter sun filtered through the thin gauze curtains, warming her cheeks and toasting the bed. She tiredly lifted her eyelashes, only to see a fair, exquisitely contoured shoulder right in front of her.

“Coming to her senses, Tao Yitong screamed internally: “!!!”

Slowly and stiffly, she shifted her gaze. In the morning light lay a stunningly beautiful face. A strand of dark hair fell across a high bridge of a nose; the makeup-free skin was even and delicate, and the lips bore a natural, flushed redness as if they had been… ravaged.

It was Jiang Zitan. It was actually the universally acclaimed “God-tier Beauty” and Best Actress, Jiang Zitan.

As a newly signed talent at the agency, Tao Yitong who had graduated from the film academy a year and a half ago had spent her time clutching her resume and spinning through minor roles, often getting “dust in her face.” She had finally made it into this top-tier agency, silently regarding the “Big Sister” Jiang Zitan as a distant, unattainable goal.

Last night, did I actually… sleep with the Triple Crown Best Actress, Jiang Zitan?!

Tao Yitong reached out gently, grabbed a large white bath towel, and crept out of bed, her bare feet stepping onto the snowy, long-pile carpet. She tried to make no sound as she slipped toward the door, picking up her clothes along the way.

Unfortunately, her cerebellum was a bit underdeveloped, and her balance was poor. While rounding the nightstand, her center of gravity shifted, and she bumped into the furniture.

Clang! A vase full of blooming roses let out a sharp sound, echoing clearly in the quiet room.

Tao Yitong held her high heels, her fair shoulders and back stiffening, her shoulder blades accentuating her delicate silhouette. One second, two seconds, three seconds…

She counted to three in her head. Hearing no movement behind her, she breathed a sigh of relief and lifted her foot to leave again. But the moment her toe touched the floor…

“And where does this Miss Tao intend to go?”

The female voice that suddenly rang out was exceptionally clear mellow enough to melt into one’s bones, slow with a hint of laziness that made one’s marrow shiver. It scared the “fleeing” Tao Yitong into a frozen statue.

Behind her, after the rustle of someone sitting up in bed:

Jiang Zitan: “After tossing and turning all night, you plan to just leave like this?” “Heh, I couldn’t tell. You’re quite a ‘scumbag,’ aren’t you?”

Scumbag… sleeping with someone and then running away—that really is a scumbag move! But her only intention was to find a place to put her clothes on first… Unfortunately, at this moment, not a single word could make it out of her throat.

Seriously, universe, just explode already!

Tao Yitong’s ears and cheeks turned a deep crimson. She slowly and stiffly turned her body. Her gaze met Jiang Zitan, who was already propping herself up on the bed. Simply by leaning on her arm, her slender fingertips pulled up a fallen lace pajama strap; such a simple movement only served to highlight her graceful, curvaceous figure.

Tao Yitong’s face turned two shades redder. What do I do? Sinful, so sinful!

Jiang Zitan gathered her thick, wavy curls. “You were quite fierce last night. Why are you suddenly as well-behaved as a rabbit today?”

Tao Yitong stood frozen, feeling the exposed skin of her shoulders turn cold in the breeze. “Um… I, I am…”

“You’re a little stutterer.” Jiang Zitan saw she couldn’t answer and provided the “correct” answer for her.

“Since it happened, why not think of a way to solve it? For example—if I’m planning to get engaged soon, how do you intend to take responsibility for me?” She leaned forward slightly, elbows on her knees, her long, well-defined fingers propping up her chin. Her eyes held the interested look of someone observing a small animal.

En… engaged?

Tao Yitong swallowed hard. “With your consent, the responsible thing to do would be to… marry you! But…”

“I agree.” Jiang Zitan cut off her transition, her answer crisp and direct. “Does saying yes immediately make me look ‘cheap’? Well, I don’t care.”

“???” “!!!”

Tao Yitong was almost speechless with shock; one of the high heels in her hand dropped to the floor.

“Pfft.”

The chuckle was light and soft. Jiang Zitan’s peach-blossom eyes fell on Tao Yitong’s pure, untainted face. Her tone became meaningful: “Getting engaged to anyone is still an engagement. With you, I quite like it. After all, you were so ‘wild’ last night. I rather like this ‘troublemaking’ streak of yours.”

“I couldn’t tell. A clean, little white rabbit face, but you weren’t hesitant at all when bullying people.”

Boom! A mushroom cloud seemed to explode in her head. Tao Yitong was shocked; she started to stutter again: “Don’t… don’t, please don’t joke around.”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

Tao Yitong’s face was burning with a feverish red. She was petrified where she stood. She instinctively clutched the remaining gold stiletto to her chest and tucked the bundle of clothes under her arm, wrapped in a knee-length white towel. She looked as if she were facing a great enemy, helpless and panicked, the tendons on her feet showing how much tension was in her body.

So weak. So helpless.

“Mhm, let me guess.” The Best Actress’s facial management was always excellent. “You plan to take responsibility for me, right? Little stutterer.”

“Ah… if… um, I will be responsible.” “But, I actually don’t remember why it turned out like this… I-I’m not trying to dodge responsibility, I just mean I didn’t do this on purpose…”

Tao Yitong panicked, her words becoming incoherent, but she was truly full of apology. If it were anyone else, they might have tried to take advantage of the situation. Given Jiang Zitan’s other identity as the heiress of the Qualcomm conglomerate for beauty or for profit all sorts of open and hidden battles would be common. But Tao Yitong couldn’t calculate at that level; she couldn’t even manage the math for “three yuan a pound vs. ten yuan for three pounds” at the fruit stand.

“Mhm,” Jiang Zitan listened patiently, as if she knew this newly signed actress very well. “I know you didn’t. I’ll give you time to think.”

Tao Yitong nodded vigorously. Jiang Zitan’s eyes were naturally enchanting; when she looked at people, her gaze always seemed a bit hazy. Now, her gaze remained on Tao Yitong’s face, but it appeared exceptionally serious: “Is there anything you want?”

Tao Yitong had been nodding, but upon hearing that, she shook her head like a rattle. A few strands of her voluminous hair fell over her forehead.

Jiang Zitan chuckled, leaning forward as if coaxing her: “For example, are you lacking anything?”

“No, I’m not,” Tao Yitong answered quickly, and then didn’t know what to say.

Jiang Zitan’s gaze became even more meaningful. “Is that so? Lacking nothing at all?”

Tao Yitong’s gaze was as firm as if she were taking an oath: “Yes, lacking nothing.”

“Then that’s truly… difficult to handle.” Jiang Zitan retracted her leaning body, shifting her weight back and propping herself up with her arms, her chin tilted slightly. She watched Tao Yitong for a long time. “So, are you standing there because you intend to tell me the answer you’ve decided on?”

“No, no,” Tao Yitong realized and retreated toward the door with her shoes, bowing while fumbling to open it. “Then, I’ll go first.”

Before closing the door, she didn’t forget to give her idol, her senior, and the sister she had slept with, a deep, forceful bow. The high heel in her arms dropped again, followed by the clothes; she busily picked them up several times before finally managing to close the door.

Witnessing it all, Jiang Zitan remained silent. Her fingertips lightly brushed the pillow on the other side that still held a trace of warmth. She whispered in a breathy voice: “Silly kitty, you still didn’t recognize me.”

Tao Yitong didn’t know how she made it back home. Once in her room, she closed the door and leaned against it, unable to come to her senses for a long time. It wasn’t until her phone rang that she was pulled back to reality. The screen showed an incoming call from “Uncle.”

“Hello? Yitong, why did it take you so long to answer? You need to pay this month’s rent, and your mother’s nursing fees. Hey, I say, you’re a big star actress, why are you so stingy every time it comes to money? Your aunt and I saw an ion air purifier we want for… for your mom. Why don’t you find time to buy it?”

The high-pitched, machine-gun voice on the other end finally ended. Tao Yitong went to the bathroom, exhausted. She turned on the tap of the old house; cold water splashed on her face. She looked up and saw herself in the hazy mirror.

The young girl’s fair face was somewhat pale under the light, likely due to being too tired last night. When her long lashes lowered slightly, a trace of undeniable fatigue appeared in her eyes. But her features were still exquisitely beautiful a heart-shaped face with a high nose and “innocent” almond eyes. Round and clear, her chestnut-brown straight hair fell over her shoulders, curving over her well-defined collarbones.

She didn’t think much of it herself, but because her aura was truly pure and clean, her role as a school beauty had made her a “viral” minor hit, with fans dubbing her the “Natural Pure College Girl.”

Now, as she tilted her chin and opened her collar, this “Pure College Girl’s” shoulder revealed a rose-red tooth mark. Next to the mark and on the side of her neck were lingering hickeys—loud and piercing on her fair skin. The sudden sense of sensuality immediately made her title as a “Pure College Girl” feel somewhat ironic.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Tao Yitong saw her phone on the table flashing. She picked up: “Hello? Sister Nannan.”

The manager, Fu Nan, got straight to the point: “Yitong, come to the company this afternoon.”

“Ah, what for?”

Fu Nan didn’t just manage her; she was a major manager who had grown up alongside Jiang Zitan. She currently had several A-list stars under her wing; by comparison, Tao Yitong was at the bottom of the pack. Right now, she sounded very busy: “You’ll know when you get here.”

Tao Yitong nodded to the air, then realized the other couldn’t see and hurriedly replied: “Oh, okay.”

Before hanging up, Fu Nan warned: “By the way, there should be paparazzi downstairs at the company. Try to be careful. If they block you and ask about Jiang Zitan, just say you don’t know anything.”

At the mention of that name, Tao Yitong felt as if a thin needle had pricked her heart sour, sweet, and with a hint of a flutter. Her ears turned red instantly. “What… what Jiang Zitan, Sister Nannan, what are you saying…”

She was feeling extremely guilty, but Fu Nan clearly didn’t pick up on it.

“Just Jiang Zitan and that socialite Fu Mozheng… Tsk!” The landline rang on the other end, and Fu Nan was clearly in a hurry: “It’s all over the trending searches. Go see for yourself if you’re interested, but remember to say you don’t know or aren’t clear. Alright, that’s all.”

Tao Yitong waited a few seconds after hanging up before opening Weibo. Hanging at the number one spot on the trending list was: #Jiang Zitan and Socialite Fu Mozheng Engaged#. The tag was marked as “Explosive.”

Tao Yitong lightly clenched her fist, suddenly feeling her fingertips turn ice-cold. Jiang Zitan… she’s getting engaged?!

The “Goodies”

That’s great. Unfortunately, my situation is the exact opposite, so I can’t take any notes.

Tao Yitong’s gaze fell on the second file. She wanted to know what exactly was in the file labeled “Goodies.” She opened one of the “books.” As she read, Tao Yitong “slapped” the phone face down on the table, her face flushing intensely.

This… is this a smutty fanfic about the ‘Real vs. Fake Daughter’?! Did that little girl send the wrong thing? Is it really okay to send smut to your boss?

Tao Yitong was feeling second-hand embarrassment, but after a while, she started thinking about the plot. So there are those kinds of… seductive methods? No, I have to see more!

She picked up the phone again. As she read, she couldn’t help but apply some of the plot points to herself and Jiang Zitan. For example, the real daughter returning to the wealthy family to take everything including the mind and body of the fake daughter watching that usually proud person only able to make broken sounds beneath her… Hiss…

It’s over. No sleep for her tonight!

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