The Real Heiress Just Wants to Be a Lazy Fish - Chapter 55

Chapter 55: Karma

Early the next morning, the warm sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains. Tao Yitong opened her eyes, her gaze devoid of any sleepiness.

She wrapped herself in the quilt for a long while before sitting up as if resigning herself to fate. She had insomnia. Insomnia itself was fine, but once she couldn’t sleep, she tended to overthink. After finishing that book, she had started calculating the success rate of a “forced love” scenario.

She didn’t want to share Jiang Zitan’s gentleness with anyone else. If Jiang Zitan got married in the future, she was destined to be unable to coexist peacefully with that person. At that time, would the spouse incite Jiang Zitan to kick her out to live alone?

It was a situation that hadn’t even begun to materialize, yet Tao Yitong’s hostility was already great enough that she wanted to bite that hypothetical person to death. She didn’t even know who they were yet; if she did, wouldn’t it be even worse?

Jiang Zitan had a face that exuded a strong sense of abstinence. A single tear mole under the corner of her left eye added a touch of enchantment to her features, softening her otherwise oppressive coldness. Her exquisitely beautiful features, enhanced by light makeup, and her clean, “cold white” skin made for a striking appearance.

It was impossible for Tao Yitong to mistake such a face. However, having an “affair” with her own “sister” was far too embarrassing. Tao Yitong was a considerate person and would never make things difficult for others. More importantly, she couldn’t face “social death” in front of her parents!

Thinking of this, the girl’s large, watery eyes narrowed into crescent moons. Tao Yitong’s voice was sweet, her rising intonation sounding like a coquette: “Sister is so beautiful, I like Sister so much!”

She called her “Sister” (Jiejie) rather than the more casual “Sis” (Jie), clearly not the way one addresses a biological relative. Jiang Zitan gave her a half-smile, a sharp, “knife-hidden-in-the-smile” look that made Tao Yitong shudder. But before she could say more, she was gently pushed aside. The girl, after her initial shock, walked past her expressionlessly, not giving her another glance.

Half an hour later, the family sat in the living room resting after dinner. Tao Yitong’s gaze occasionally drifted toward Jiang Zitan. Whenever their eyes met, the latter would turn her head away with an unreadable expression, seemingly unwilling to look at her a second longer.

The Tao family had a rule of silence during meals and rest, so after they sat down at the table, they barely spoke, only exchanging glances or silent confrontations.

“Tongtong, if your interview is successful this time, how long can you stay? Do you have half a month?” Sitting next to her was a beautiful middle-aged woman. Time had not left many marks on Mother Tao’s face; even though she was no longer young, her voice remained as gentle as a warbler’s song.

In the original work, Mother Tao had a deep twenty-year bond with the fake daughter, so even after the real daughter returned, she favored Tao Yitong. This was evident from her asking about Yitong’s work first. Tao Yitong gave Mother Tao a cute, obedient smile, appearing calm on the surface while her heart was in turmoil.

She felt Jiang Zitan’s gaze suddenly nail itself to her face, sharp as a spike. It felt as though if Tao Yitong said one wrong word, Jiang Zitan would leap up and swallow her whole.

Whether it was a residual psychological effect from the original owner or not, facing this formidable female protagonist made Tao Yitong feel a sense of fear and an instinctive urge to hide. She could feel that the original owner likely hated Jiang Zitan, yet before their formal meeting, the two had already shared such a night.

Is there anything more awkward than a one-night stand with a woman? Yes a one-night stand with the sister you just officially recognized.

Across the obstruction of Father Tao’s tall figure, Tao Yitong clearly saw Jiang Zitan’s cold expression, which showed no joy at the prospect of the sister having more time with the family. Jiang Zitan was like a meticulously carved ice sculpture, radiating an aura that warned others not to approach.

The last time Tao Yitong had seen a significant expression on her was when she threw herself into Zitan’s arms at the door; after finishing her shy opening line and looking up, she saw the girl’s face filled with… disgust and suspicion.

Tao Yitong couldn’t help but look a bit aggrieved.

Father Tao’s expression was calm. “Tongtong, go rest. We’ll talk about everything else tomorrow. Xiao Chu, you stay for a moment.”

Jiang Zitan gave an “mhm.” She intended to wait for Tao Yitong to leave before speaking, but the girl swept in front of her like a gust of wind. In front of the two elders, she lightly grabbed Zitan’s wrist, pulled it to her nose, and took an intoxicated sniff: “Goodnight, Sister. Sister smells so good.”

The moment their skin touched, Jiang Zitan instinctively wanted to pull her hand back, but under the gaze of the elders, she couldn’t be too cold to Tao Yitong. She had to suppress the urge and allow her to hold it. The girl’s nose, intentionally or not, lightly brushed against her hand.

“Chu-mi!” (Mwah!)

Tao Yitong tilted her head as if to kiss Jiang Zitan on the cheek, but pulled away a few inches after sensing the other’s instinctive resistance. Seeing that she had pushed far enough, she turned and headed for the bathroom.

APP: Congratulations on completing the first mission. Reward: 3 Survival Points!

System 77 flattered her gleefully: “Using such a method to disgust the female lead, Host, you’re really something.”

“Of course,” Tao Yitong said happily while stripping for a shower. Feeling the lingering traces of soreness on her body, she pinched her overly slender waist, feeling indignant at Jiang Zitan’s “turning a cold shoulder” while continuing to talk to 77. “Little Cutie, if I work hard, can I make you a bit happier?”

“If you’re happier…” The girl lowered her voice with a grin, “Can I get some feedback rewards?”

77 was a novice in the system world and was no match for Tao Yitong’s “mature and veteran” manipulative charm. Flattered by the title “Little Cutie,” it asked eagerly: “What reward do you want?” 77 was exceptionally generous: “No problem, Host! Leave it to me!”

Although the system closed its viewing channel after she entered the bathroom, Tao Yitong still gave a sweet smile: “Thanks, 77. You’re so nice.”

The room Jiang Zitan moved into didn’t have a private bathroom it had originally been designed as a yoga room. On the second floor, only Tao Yitong’s room and the guest room had bathrooms. Tao Yitong’s bathroom was out in the hall next door, meaning the two now had to share one.

After her talk, Jiang Zitan took her change of clothes to the now-dimly lit bathroom. Unexpectedly, she collided with someone right at the door. The refreshing scent of lemon-mint wafted from the girl’s hair into her nose. Seeing Tao Yitong, who had been lost in thought, stagger and nearly slip, Jiang Zitan instinctively reached out to grab her.

The “Little Green Tea’s” wrist was very thin; holding it felt as if it would break with a light squeeze, filled with a strong sense of fragility. Her freshly washed skin was smooth and sleek, still carrying a few droplets of water, cool and slippery like a fish.

It has to be said, the texture is quite good.

After meeting Tao Yitong’s confused gaze in the dark, Jiang Zitan realized her lapse in composure and almost roughly shoved the girl away.

“Sister!”

Jiang Zitan had used a bit too much force. The “Little Green Tea” felt the pain and called out to her in the darkness. Her voice was light, like a startled bird fluttering its wings to flee from her side. An inexplicable sense of restlessness welled up in Zitan.

She had always hated this type of person and wanted to snap, “Who’s your sister?” but the words were suppressed. In the dim light, she couldn’t see the girl’s expression, but she knew that snapping at her now would be of no benefit. She had been too agitated earlier and failed to control her emotions.

She clenched her fist and then released it. When she looked at Tao Yitong again, Jiang Zitan had put on a peaceful expression. She even reached out to tap the girl’s forehead with her finger, her voice gentle and poised: “Sorry, I accidentally hurt you. Why don’t I blow on it for you?”

Tao Yitong looked at her with surprise, seemingly shocked by the sudden shift in attitude. She didn’t dodge. The next moment, a soft fingertip pressed against her head, lightly massaging her forehead. The damp touch of the water droplets on her skin melted into the woman’s fingertips. The distance, closer than normal social interaction, allowed them to hear each other’s heartbeats. Tao Yitong couldn’t help but sniff, catching a strange scent of perfume on her.

Before she could identify it, Jiang Zitan had finished gently rubbing her forehead. She curled her fingers and lightly tapped Tao Yitong’s shoulder. Following the direction of the final flick of Zitan’s pinky finger, Tao Yitong’s heart suddenly constricted. She instinctively covered her aching waist.

Unfortunately, Jiang Zitan gave her no chance to decline, directly opening and closing the bathroom door.

Looking at the faint glow coming from Jiang Zitan’s bedroom, Tao Yitong clenched her fists and gritted her teeth.

“Host, what’s wrong? Are you unwell?” System 77 had opened its viewing rights after she left the bathroom. Seeing her poor complexion, it asked worriedly.

“It’s nothing.”

After a moment of silence, 77 heard a muffled sound from Tao Yitong’s throat, containing shyness, timidness, and a sense of total powerlessness. When Jiang Zitan’s hand had slid down her shoulder, she had seemingly “accidentally” pointed toward her own room. In that instant, Tao Yitong understood everything.

“Ice Queen” and “Cold Beauty” were all misunderstandings. Jiang Zitan’s intention was clear—she obviously wanted to sleep with her again.

But regardless of the situation, she had to be a competent task-taker. Tao Yitong felt that her next words were a bit hard to say, but for the sake of her waist being able to handle the interview tomorrow, she threw caution to the wind: “77, I have an unreasonable request.”

“Yes, Host?”

“Can you use a ‘Golden Finger’ to… to improve the female lead’s ‘technique’ a little?”

The Investigation

“You raised her to be so cold-blooded; this blade will eventually be turned on you.”

“It… it’s her…” Zhao Ye, who didn’t know the monster he raised had been captured, became nervous.

A small wood carving suddenly appeared in Tao Yitong’s hand. Zhao Ye’s consciousness began to haze; not just him, but everyone except Tao Yitong and Jiang Zitan fell into this state. Since the power of the black magic had almost dissipated, Tao Yitong let everyone “sleep” for a while to facilitate her evidence collection.

Tao Yitong pressed her hand onto the ice coffin. A grayish-white power seeped from her palm into the corpse. Gradually, blackish-purple curse marks surfaced on Zhao Zhengzhi’s body.

“This is…” Jiang Zitan felt a wave of nausea upon seeing those curse marks.

Noticing Jiang Zitan’s gaze, Tao Yitong was surprised. Being able to see this meant her sister had very strong “Spirit Sensation.” However, after her initial surprise, she hurriedly covered Jiang Zitan’s eyes. “Don’t look! This stuff will pollute your mind!”

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