The Real Heiress Just Wants to Be a Lazy Fish - Chapter 67

Chapter 67: A Light Bite

The doctor examined Tao Yitong’s physical condition and confirmed that her vital signs were stable.

Liu Yue did not leave immediately after exiting that time-distorted space with the medical staff. Instead, she waited until all the living people and visible corpses had been transported out before personally sealing the space.

The situation within this area was complex. Furthermore, that young girl might have just blasted a hole through the “ceiling” of the Underworld. If the human world were not completely isolated from this place, there would likely be endless calamities.

“Congratulations, your plan succeeded,” Liu Yue said suddenly, standing before the deserted cave.

“I had been wondering why you suddenly lured me out after all these years of no contact. It turns out it was to put the final layer of insurance on your plan.” Her cold laughter drifted away with the wind.

“The Chronicles of the Dynasty, Scene 96, Shot 1, Take 1, Action!”

The clapperboard snapped in front of the lens, and the camera began to roll.

Tao Yitong had changed into Princess Minglu’s pale blue gown. This dress was truly beautiful; the shimmering hem was adorned with beaded tassels, and the corners and sleeves were exquisitely locked with silk thread. The dark-patterned embroidery elevated the sophisticated fabric to a level of extreme refinement.

Her hair was styled in a bun with the lower half falling in long tresses to her waist. Pale blue crystalline beads dotted her hairstyle, along with a small cluster of fine diamonds pasted below her right eyelid, curving upward along the arc of her almond eyes.

Tao Yitong’s appearance was so stunning that everyone in the crew those behind the monitors and those standing on the periphery stared at her fixedly. But she wasn’t just beautiful; she embodied the princess’s temperament, radiating a dignified nobility and resolve.

Director Gao, behind the monitor, nodded slightly. The next second.

“Stop right there!” “Don’t run! I saw you! You’re still running, stop!”

Two slender, tall figures chased each other through the antique corridor. One was in elegant ancient costume, the other in modern fashion. If Liu Ruomeng’s makeup hadn’t been smeared like a ghost’s, it would have been a fine sight.

Liu Ruomeng finally grabbed Tao Yitong’s arm, managing to catch the person who had run quite a distance away.

“Why are you running?!” Liu Ruomeng’s face was streaked with tears, her eye makeup smudged like a dirty little cat.

Why shouldn’t I run? It’s quiet and deserted here am I supposed to wait for you to come bully me again?

Driven by necessity, Tao Yitong turned around. “If it weren’t for this dress being so big today, you wouldn’t have outrun me.”

I’m a seasoned veteran from squeezing into subways and rushing for buses every day.

Liu Ruomeng’s face turned various shades of red and blue. Finally, she stamped her foot, crouched on the ground, and let out a “Wah” as she began to wail.

“How am I bullying you? You’re clearly bullying me!”

She wailed so loudly that she completely abandoned her image. Finally, she plopped down on the ground and hugged Tao Yitong’s leg. “No way, you have to help me find a way out. After all, I became this destitute because of you!”

Tao Yitong’s clothes were already complex and restrictive; now, with her leg suddenly hugged, she almost lost her balance and had to reach out to steady herself against a corridor pillar.

“How am I supposed to be responsible? Did I teach you not to memorize your script and bully people on set? How can you bite the hand that fed you like this?”

“I… that wasn’t bullying!” Liu Ruomeng stopped wailing and started sobbing. “They… they all said I did nothing wrong, that it was all other people’s fault. Sometimes my bad temper is just due to stress, it’s nothing. My assistants, my company manager they all said so.”

Tao Yitong sighed. “Then go find them.”

“Wooo!” Mentioning them only made Liu Ruomeng’s tears flow faster.

“They hic they’ve been avoiding me like the plague since the incident! Hic! The manager told me to apologize to Director Gao. I did, but Director Gao won’t accept it. They… they’ve all given up on me!”

“No! You have to compensate me!” With that, Liu Ruomeng scrambled up and tried to pull at Tao Yitong.

“Who told you to be so fair-skinned!” “Who allowed you to be so fair-skinned!”

Tao Yitong brushed her arm away. Liu Ruomeng stumbled but then jumped up and down, shouting, “I don’t care! You have to find a way to compensate me! You have to take responsibility for me!”

As she shouted these “confusing” nonsensical words, she prepared to lunge forward again.

Tao Yitong dodged to the side. Liu Ruomeng reaped what she sowed and fell flat on the ground with a smack.

“I will not take any responsibility for you!”

The assistants peeping from the bushes narrowed their eyes in a straight line, hissing in unison: “So scummy.”

Finally, the beaten Liu Ruomeng yelled out.

“If you don’t take responsibility for me, what will happen to my two stray animal rescue centers? Woo woo woo!”

“Eh?”

Tao Yitong let go. “What stray animal rescue centers?”

Liu Ruomeng took the opportunity to sit on the ground, wailing as she hugged Tao Yitong’s leg. Out of breath, she naturally couldn’t answer the question.

After a long time, the one hugging the leg still wouldn’t stop crying.

Finally, Tao Yitong frowned. She leaned down and pinched Liu Ruomeng’s chin, forcing the tear-stained face upward.

She looked down from above with a powerful sense of pressure. The “Little White Rabbit” image was gone. In Liu Ruomeng’s eyes, that beautiful face was covered in shadow, exuding an undeniable and unavoidable aura.

She said, “Answer the question.”

“Answer, and I might help you. Don’t answer, and go cry somewhere else. Don’t get my clothes dirty.”

Liu Ruomeng’s crying stopped instantly. She swallowed with difficulty, the gloom in her eyes swept away, and little stars began to twinkle as she stared into Tao Yitong’s eyes.

“Sister, I’ll tell you.”

When Tao Yitong sat in Funan’s office, her ears were still burning hot.

Jiang Zitan had just asked for a morning kiss.

In the car, the distance between them had been so close that their scents almost intertwined. She had smelled the elegant fragrance on Jiang Zitan the top notes were the fresh scent of bergamot, and the base notes were the alluring iris, making one feel the enchanting bloom of purple irises.

But actually, the best scent was her natural body fragrance.

Jiang Zitan’s face had been so close to Tao Yitong’s. At that moment, Tao Yitong thought dazedly: I don’t think we’ve ever kissed while I was sober. She couldn’t remember what Jiang Zitan’s lips actually tasted like; last night’s memory had been robbed by alcohol, leaving only the sensation of soft lips stained with the taste of red wine and roses.

“Yitong? Tao Yitong?”

The sudden voice pulled Tao Yitong back to reality. She looked up and saw her manager sitting in front of her, observing her.

Funan: “What are you daydreaming about? I called you several times and you didn’t react. What are you thinking? Did you—”

“We didn’t kiss!” Tao Yitong blurted out, waking from her dream.

“Huh?”

“No!” Tao Yitong hurriedly explained, “I wasn’t thinking about anything.”

“Wait, what ‘didn’t kiss’?” Funan looked quite heroic, with sharp eyebrows, reflecting her personality. She was especially sharp when scrutinizing someone. “Yitong, you aren’t in a relationship, are you?”

“No!”

Tao Yitong’s skin was fair and delicate; now her slender neck was turning red with anxiety, luckily hidden by her turtleneck sweater.

“I’m really not in a relationship.”

If that counts as being in a relationship…

Fortunately, Funan had just been through a chaotic period and didn’t have time to dig deeper. She just waved her hand. “Good. Remember your contract states you cannot do anything to affect your image during your term with the company, and that includes dating.”

Tao Yitong smiled and nodded. “I know.”

Funan’s phone rang again. She raised a hand to signal Tao Yitong to wait, said “I’ll take this,” and went to the floor-to-ceiling window to talk with a professional smile.

Tao Yitong heard fragmented phrases, which repeatedly included the names “Jiang Zitan” and “Fu Mozheng.”

Yes, that was a true match of equal social status a match made in heaven. Both were daughters of zaibatsus; it’s just that Jiang Zitan went into entertainment, while Fu Mozheng went abroad to a world-renowned music conservatory. Although they had a five-year age gap, Jiang Zitan at 27 was in her prime.

Fu Mozheng seemed to be the same age as her Tao Yitong had checked it on the subway. Not only the same age, but born on the same year, month, and day.

Quite a coincidence. People born at the same time could have such vastly different fates. If one were to be harsh, it was like the moon in the sky and the dust on the ground.

While Tao Yitong was lost in thought as Funan took the call, she suddenly heard her own name float from Funan’s mouth.

“What? Tao Yitong? Ah? Is that so… why? Mm-hmm, but I think this role suits her…” “Was it the investor’s decision? From the Fu family side? Their top leadership knows Tao Yitong? No, I don’t understand…”

It was all a blur. Tao Yitong only saw Funan repeatedly glancing at her, the frown deepening as the call went on. Finally, Tao Yitong stopped daydreaming and stared back with her clear, watery almond eyes, meeting Funan’s gaze silently.

It didn’t sound good, but her life was already bad enough. She could only say that things didn’t get better easily; opportunities always slipped away. She felt oddly calm.

Funan returned clutching her phone and sat opposite Tao Yitong, looking solemn.

“Yitong, I originally wanted you to look at a role, but there’s been a temporary change. The role was given to… Fu Mozheng.”

“Fu Mozheng?” Tao Yitong chewed on the name, instinctively casting her eyes down.

Funan patted her hand on the table. “Actually, I don’t know why this happened. The Fu Zaibatsu is an investor in this drama, and Gaole Entertainment has shares too. But since that side spoke up, the high-level management has to show respect. Coincidentally, the Fu family’s youngest daughter, Fu Mozheng, is returning from the music conservatory and wants to play this role, so… I’m sorry you were wronged.”

Tao Yitong’s fingertips tightened slightly as she withdrew her hand from Funan’s. “It’s fine, Sister Funan. I understand.”

“Sigh, I feel like Fu Mozheng hasn’t even finished school and she’s a music student; she’s completely unsuitable for this role…” Funan shook her head helplessly. “Anyway, I’ll look for another project for you. You’ll have to wait for my news.”

“Okay. Thank you, Sister Funan.” Tao Yitong stood up. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll head out.”

She had guessed as much and accepted it relatively calmly.

“Wait…” Funan hesitated but asked anyway, “Yitong, have you had contact with the Fu family before?”

It was a strange question. Tao Yitong, a wage slave who rented an old apartment and raised money for her mother’s treatment, how could she have ties to such a high and mighty family?

She shook her head. “I first heard of the Fu Group and Fu Mozheng today.”

“That’s strange then.” Funan’s brow remained deeply furrowed. “Did you offend someone before?”

“I don’t think so.” Tao Yitong was honest. “I’m just an ordinary person with slightly bad luck. Fate always seems to trip me up just when things look like they’re picking up.”

She was used to it, as if her luck had been stolen by someone. Ordinary people weren’t usually this unlucky.

But Funan’s face was full of suspicion. “It doesn’t seem like it… then why wouldn’t they let you…” Funan muttered to herself, her voice getting lower until Tao Yitong could no longer hear her.

After a long while, Funan sighed deeply. “Sigh, forget it. It’s fine. I’ll keep your matter in mind. Don’t worry, go back and wait for news.”

After leaving her manager, Tao Yitong walked along the road, clutching her soiled white baseball cap. She looked up at the grey sky over the capital and sighed, her breath turning into mist.

The white mist showed its brief existence in the dry, cold northern air. At this moment, she suddenly felt her name was quite fitting Tao Yitong (Yitong – falling/descending). Even if she fell from the clouds, she would eventually just be a speck of dust, picked up indifferently and blown away by someone, drifting without direction until she ended up battered and bruised.

Fu Mozheng had stolen her role. As soon as she returned to the country, someone had paved a broad road for her. She even had three brothers who doted on her. It must be nice to be loved.

Will that Fu Mozheng get engaged to Jiang Zitan later? After the engagement comes marriage. If those two families unite, they would truly be of equal status and reach new heights, right?

Actually, it was quite good. She wished them happiness.

She wandered through such thoughts and unknowingly returned home.

Calling it “home” was a stretch; it was a rented old house. She had to climb a mottled, ancient staircase where the lights only worked on every other floor. The concrete stairs were covered in scuffs and marks. The house was very old; it was said her grandparents left it to her uncle. Why didn’t they give it to her father? Because her father passed away shortly after she was born, and they feared her mother would plot for the family property.

Now her mother was bedridden and cared for at home. She had to rent this old house from her uncle and aunt. Because she was often busy filming, she needed someone she knew well to provide care, so she hired her aunt to look after her mother. In this cycle, the monthly expenses were high, but her income hadn’t increased significantly. She often struggled with the high costs of nursing medicine and equipment.

The key turned a circle and a half in the lock, and the old-fashioned security door let out a strange creak. Tao Yitong opened the door and saw her aunt with her young nephew (her cousin’s son) in the living room watching short videos. The nephew shouted loudly, “The big star is back! The big star is back!”

“Aunt, Xiaokai.” Tao Yitong was a bit surprised. She glanced at the toys scattered all over the floor. “Didn’t we agree that since I’m free today, I’d take care of Mom myself? Why are you here?”

“Oh, it’s like this. Xiaokai had a tutoring class and we happened to pass by. Your uncle told us to come up and check on your mother,” the middle-aged woman said with a wink and a smile. “And while we’re at it, to ask about the rent.”

“The rent…” Tao Yitong hesitated.

The middle-aged woman immediately raised her voice and began nagging: “Yitong, I know your situation. Your father died early and you have a mother to support. Your uncle and I sympathize with you, but as you can see, your cousin and his wife don’t have steady jobs, and Xiaokai is reaching school age. Money is tight everywhere, so your aunt has no choice.”

“I know.” Tao Yitong opened her phone and transferred the rent. “Aunt, please check. I’ve sent you the rent for next month and the month after.”

With a “ding-dong” notification, the middle-aged woman unlocked her screen and checked the numbers. She then pursed her lips and put the phone away.

“I say, Yitong, you really calculate things clearly with me. The rent is exactly the amount and not a penny more for your elders.”

After a long day, Tao Yitong’s face wasn’t looking great. She threw her hat on the sofa and turned to face her harsh-looking aunt. “You said yourself, the rent is what it should be. That shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Hmph,” the aunt pursed her lips again. “What your uncle said last time about buying an air purifier for your mother have you considered it? I say, you can’t be so unfilial. Look at the sky in Yanjing; the smog is so heavy in winter. How can she get by without an air purifier!”

“Exactly!” The nephew had a square head and a short neck, looking like a dark-skinned little can, but his voice was quite loud. “Xiaomei’s family has an air purifier! Grandpa and Grandma said the big star should buy one for our house. Hurry up and transfer the money!”

The aunt quickly covered the brat’s mouth. “Don’t talk nonsense! This purifier is something your aunt is buying for her mother.” The child shook off his grandmother’s hand and continued to shout, “But you said it would stay here for two days then be moved to our house! I don’t care, I want it now! My classmates all have them!”

“The child is just talking nonsense, don’t take it to heart,” the aunt hurriedly tried to fix the situation. “It’s just for your mother’s sake. She’s been bedridden for years and her body is weak. She really needs a nursing machine like that…”

“Fine, I get it,” Tao Yitong interrupted. “I’m very tired today and want to shower and rest early. I’ll buy a wall-mounted fresh air system myself some other day. No need for you to worry about it.”

Seeing her plan fail, the aunt was very displeased. The smile vanished from her face and her tone became aggressive. “What about that young man your uncle introduced to you last time who works at the Tobacco Bureau? He’s very satisfied with you. He doesn’t mind your family situation and is willing to give you a large sum of money to support your mother. You really turned him down?”

“He’s in his forties and his kids are about my age. You call him a ‘young man’?”

“Aiyah!” The aunt slapped her thigh. “What does that matter? Older men know how to dote on people. Having kids is fine too, he won’t force you to give birth. Besides, you’re stuck in the middle—do you really expect to marry into a wealthy family?”

Tao Yitong froze for a second. Wealthy family…

The aunt, thinking she had made an impact, became even more animated. “Your father used to work for the Fu Zaibatsu, you know. He was Mrs. Fu’s private chef! He made so much money every month!”

“But for some reason, after you were born, he wasn’t quite right. He’d often stare at the Fu family’s newborn daughter and smile dotingly, and then he was fired. You know what happened after that he got into a car accident. But anyway, our family has indeed had connections with wealthy families…”

“Anyway, back to the point. Will you see that young man? He’s very sincere and promised a hundred thousand yuan as an introduction fee.”

“That’s a hundred thousand! If I give you a bit, you can hire a professional nurse for your mother and have several months of physical therapy covered. Why not?”

“Seriously, with your looks, you could have as much money as you want! Why are you so stubborn!”

The aunt was still rambling. But Tao Yitong was dazed. She suddenly thought of the question Jiang Zitan asked her: “Are you lacking anything?”

At this moment, she realized more deeply than ever that she truly lacked money. If she loved money a bit more, or even just wavered slightly, perhaps there wouldn’t be so many troubles. She had so many opportunities before her, so many temptations…

So, should she consider accepting Jiang Zitan’s suggestion?

What was the difference between a contract marriage and being “kept” every month?

Shifting her gaze from the aiming frame on the monitor, she saw the dignified Princess Minglu walking gracefully amidst everyone’s attention.

Her long gown trailing on the ground, Princess Minglu arrived under the palace dome. She turned back to look at the civil and military officials beneath the vast high steps, then flicked her wide sleeves, leaving all those figures behind her.

Someone off-camera shouted: “Princess Minglu arrives”

Tao Yitong placed her hands in front of her abdomen, palms inward, left hand over the right, shoulders level. Even while moving, she kept her head slightly raised. The icy colors of her hair ornaments and clothing made it seem as if she were as cool as water. In that short walk, her aura was captured precisely, showcasing the inherent noble pride of a princess.

The set was quiet; no one thought she was “Tao Yitong.” What everyone saw was the elegant and noble Princess Minglu.

The slender, tall figure passed through layers of hanging veils and arrived before the Golden Dragon Throne. The throne sat atop the crimson steps, a presence like a high mountain. Sight was separated by layers of gauze curtains.

After a brief pause, she lowered herself in a salute: “Minglu pays respects to Her Majesty, the Empress Mother.” “It has been many years. I hope Mother is well.”

Above the steps, a woman in gorgeous robes stood with her hands behind her back, facing away. Her long skirt and wide shawl flowed down like a waterfall of expensive silk along the ornate platform.

Ruan Mengqing turned slowly. The Empress Sovereign had a vibrant flame floral mark on her brow, long eyebrows reaching her temples, fair skin, and red lips. Her almond eyes held the tolerance and composure gifted by the years.

“My child, long time no see.”

She spoke as she sat down slowly. The golden dragon chair was vast, yet it was filled by her elegant and noble presence. It felt completely right, as if she were meant to sit there, looking down upon all living beings.

“Sister~” Tao Yitong hugged her and nuzzled. “Like…”

This was the second word she had spoken besides “Sister.” Jiang Zitan was suddenly stunned. Her heart skipped several beats. Just because Tongtong said the word “Like,” she had such an undignified reaction.

But after meeting those naive blood-red eyes, Jiang Zitan couldn’t help but smile bitterly. Does the current Tongtong even know what “Like” means? What was she expecting?

In that brief moment of distraction, Jiang Zitan felt the world spin as she was pinned down by Tongtong. Though those blood-red eyes were naive and pure, they also hid a trace of the most sincere emotion.

Under Jiang Zitan’s shocked gaze, Tao Yitong lowered her head and lightly bit her lip.

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