The Scumbag’s Redemption: Kept by Her - Chapter 66

Something was right in front of her.

Ling Jiao thought to herself, this trip was definitely worth it.

“Yes, my name is Zhou Zhi. May I ask how I should address you?” Ling Jiao relaxed slightly, found a chair nearby, and sat down. She didn’t move closer.

There’s a saying about longing for familiarity. Whatever she had imagined earlier no longer mattered. The screen between them now felt like the last barrier between two worlds.

The woman in the qipao remained seated in the same position. Her voice was calm and distant as she spoke.

“Zhou Zhi. After your parents were betrayed and your family went bankrupt, they couldn’t take it and both took their own lives. Debt collectors came to you, demanding you repay what they were owed.”

Her voice was smooth like flowing water, cold and distant, the tone of someone used to giving orders from a position of power.

She gave nothing away, yet seemed to know everything.

“You fell seriously ill.”

Clearly, she had already learned everything about Zhou Zhi’s past. But Ling Jiao had no idea when this woman had taken interest in her or why she knew her story in such detail.

What exactly was she planning?

“You have a beautiful voice,” Ling Jiao said with a small smile. “It sounds like you’ve done your homework. That would explain why you stepped in outside the restaurant to help me. I appreciate the gesture.”

“I’m married,” the woman interrupted, placing special emphasis on the word.

Ling Jiao paused for a moment, then nodded and corrected herself.

“Madam.”

The silhouette behind the screen slowly stood up. The soft sound of her heels tapped against the floor as she walked forward. The edge of her qipao lifted slightly with each graceful step. She didn’t rush.

Ling Jiao lowered her eyes. Her long bangs fell across her lashes, hiding her expression.

She resisted the urge to look up.

The dark green silk hem of the qipao swayed quietly in front of her. A pair of pale, slender legs stepped into view, just barely brushing the edge of Ling Jiao’s vision.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Then, suddenly, a cold fingertip lifted her chin with firm pressure.

Ling Jiao was forced to look up and met Shen Yuwei’s eyes.

After all these years apart, Ling Jiao saw her again.

All the emotional preparation, all the mental defenses she had carefully built collapsed in an instant. For Ling Jiao, it felt like just one tragic accident and a short deal with the system had passed. She had gone to sleep, only to wake up six years later.

But Shen Yuwei had lived through every moment of those six years.

The youthful softness in her face had faded. The shadow of sadness that used to linger in her eyes was gone. In its place were eyes deep and unreadable, a face sharper and thinner, elegant and cold.

She now stood high above, completely out of reach.

It was hard to imagine her holding a public event to choose a husband.

Shen Yuwei looked at her without a trace of emotion. After a moment, her lips curved slightly.

“Do you want to take back everything that once belonged to you?”

“Do you want to make those who betrayed you pay?”

Ling Jiao blinked.

Oh wow.

Here I am, about to walk right into her trap, and she actually makes it sound like a dream come true.

Not that she was unhappy about it.

Ling Jiao leaned back slightly, her fingers interlocked. She gently pulled away from Shen Yuwei’s hand so her chin could be free again.

“Not really,” she said softly. “There’s no point in clinging to hatred. It’s bad for the heart and the body.”

“Money is just something external.”

Shen Yuwei gave a quiet laugh. “External? You mean to tell me you showed up at Huajian Restaurant wearing last summer’s outdated Tina collection, a set that’s been washed so many times it’s practically falling apart?”

Ling Jiao fell silent.

Can I just say I picked up whatever was clean and left the house?

Seeing Zhou Zhi go quiet, Shen Yuwei seemed to be in a rare good mood.

“If you really don’t care,” she said, “then why are you standing here looking like this?”

The light above her head poured down unevenly, casting shadows across her face. The shifting brightness made her seem like a figure emerging from the dark. Her gaze was cold and commanding, her presence overwhelming.

“If you truly don’t want this,” she added, “you can leave now.”

Ling Jiao didn’t move.

Shen Yuwei gave a smile that was difficult to read.

“I heard Madam is seeking a husband,” Ling Jiao said slowly after a long pause.

Shen Yuwei wasn’t surprised that she recognized her. She adjusted the hem of her qipao and sat gracefully in the chair opposite Ling Jiao. “As you can see.”

Ling Jiao stared at her without looking away.

“You’re inviting a wolf into your home.”

Face to face now, the distance between them felt more real than when the screen had stood between them, with only the image of a swan and embroidered mist separating them. Now, there was no illusion. Everything was vivid and undeniable.

“If ‘she’ comes through that door, she could plot your early death and take everything for herself. She could drive a lonely widow into a heat just to claim you, possess you, and take over everything your husband left behind.”

“And yet, you’re still willing to bring someone in?”

Shen Yuwei laughed. Her raised brow carried a mocking arch, and her red lips curved into an elegant, ironic smile.

“Everything comes with risk, doesn’t it?”

“You’re right. I have been widowed for years. Wanting a strong and capable Alpha is perfectly reasonable. And yes, I’ve already accepted the possibility in my heart. If the Alpha I choose has the ability and the means, entrusting her with the Ling family wouldn’t be out of the question.”

She spoke like an experienced widow, candidly laying out her needs to a stranger, her tone half teasing.

Ling Jiao felt an unexpected surge of anger.

It burned through her like fire.

She ground her back teeth, fully aware that what Shen Yuwei was saying might not be the full truth, but it still made her furious.

How could she talk about her like that?

Pain and jealousy twisted together inside her.

Why?

Without warning, Ling Jiao stood up and stepped forward. She placed her hands firmly on either side of the chair, trapping the delicate omega who kept speaking in this playful, infuriating tone.

She wanted—desperately—to reclaim something familiar. She leaned down and moved to kiss Shen Yuwei.

Shen Yuwei looked up at her calmly, without flinching or moving away.

Just two inches from her cheek, Ling Jiao saw her reflection in Shen Yuwei’s eyes. The face she saw was unfamiliar, reckless, and desperate.

Her body tensed.

“Is this how you think you can kiss me?”

There was a faint smile in Shen Yuwei’s eyes. She gestured downward with her gaze.

Ling Jiao followed it and froze.

A sharp blade was resting against her lower abdomen. It gleamed faintly under the light, cold and deadly. Just one more inch forward, and it would pierce her body without hesitation.

Shen Yuwei watched her closely, then said with quiet curiosity, “You don’t quite match the information I received.”

Ling Jiao felt a chill spread through her chest. She gave a cold, strained laugh.

“Words on a page are lifeless. A real person is far more vivid.”

“Madam,” she said, straightening up and smoothing out her expression. Her voice was calm and courteous. “Perhaps you’ve misjudged me.”

“I’m not the kind of puppet who can be controlled or cut down without resistance.”

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