Transmigrated as the Cannon Fodder Spouse of the Disabled Beauty - Chapter 7

Xu Luo was so exhausted and drowsy that she slept right through breakfast and didn’t wake up until lunch. Finally, unable to bear the hunger, she crawled out of bed to soothe her suffering stomach.

Auntie Li, the kitchen help, came from a line of imperial chefs, and her skills were unparalleled. Xu Luo owed the half-pound she gained every week to this woman’s talent.

Today’s lunch was exceptionally sumptuous and served in large portions.

Xu Luo sat at the dining table but didn’t start eating immediately. She chatted for a few moments with Auntie Li, who was preparing to leave after finishing the cooking. Once she saw Auntie Li off, she prepared to enjoy her happy hour.

Usually, she ate alone. As for Song Yunran, that beauty was the ultimate shut-in; she never even came downstairs for meals, preferring them delivered to her room. Mother Fu occasionally came down to eat, but not often.

Xu Luo patted her stomach and decided to start today’s lunch with some soup.

She took a small bowl to serve herself. Just then, the elevator on the first floor chimed. Looking over at the sound, she saw Mother Fu pushing Song Yunran out of the elevator.

Clang—

The spoon in Xu Luo’s hand slipped and fell into the soup bowl.

“Luo Luo has already started?” Song Yunran smiled as she saw Xu Luo. The smile showed no sign of illness; she seemed to have fully recovered.

“Go ahead and eat, don’t mind me.” She smiled faintly and arrived at the dining table.

Mother Fu secured her wheelchair, went to the kitchen to wash her hands, and returned to start serving dishes for Song Yunran.

Xu Luo: “…”

She stared blankly at the master and servant.

Song Yunran didn’t explain why she had suddenly stopped being a hermit. She pushed the soup bowl Mother Fu had prepared for her toward Xu Luo: “Luo Luo wants soup, right? Here.”

Luo Luo had wanted soup at first, but now she found it a bit hard to swallow.

However, food still had to be eaten. Xu Luo took a sip of the soup, and her appetite immediately opened up.

But she didn’t focus well on this meal; her eyes frequently drifted toward the person across from her.

The person opposite her ate very quietly—quietly and elegantly. Even the act of eating was aesthetically pleasing.

Distracted, Xu Luo took twice as long as usual to finish. This duration happened to be just right for the slow-chewing Song Yunran; the two of them put down their chopsticks almost simultaneously.

After the meal, Xu Luo immediately prepared to slip away, but she didn’t go far, staying just outside the villa door.

Song Yunran likely knew. From inside the house, she said, “Luo Luo, I am going out in half an hour.”

Hearing this, Xu Luo’s breathing quickened slightly, and joy began to bubble up.

But immediately after, the person inside corrected herself: “No, we are going out.”

She changed “I” to “we.”

The bubbles of joy floating in the air popped. Xu Luo poked her head back through the doorway: “We?”

Song Yunran said, “The Mo family is hosting a charity gala at the Grand Imperial Hotel. You and I are the representatives of the Song family for this event.”

Xu Luo blinked and asked tentatively, “What would happen if there was only one representative from the Song family at the gala?”

Song Yunran smiled. “Then after I return from the gala, you and I would still have to attend a Song family banquet together. As an elder, I imagine Madam Song would have many things to say to instruct us juniors in person.”

Xu Luo: “…”

She hadn’t seen Madam Song since she transmigrated, but she knew exactly how difficult that woman was to deal with.

She had zero desire to experience that.

She wilted and said to the person inside, “In the half-hour before we leave, please make sure to leave it for my own free disposal.”

This was her last bit of happiness.

Half an hour later, the Song family driver arrived on time at the villa door. Xu Luo’s happiness ended, and she climbed into the car reluctantly.

“The gala starts this early?” Xu Luo asked.

Song Yunran gave a soft “Mm.” “There are many procedures.”

Xu Luo asked, “What procedures?”

Song Yunran: “Socializing, dining, and the auction.”

“…I’m already feeling tired.” Xu Luo’s shoulders slumped.

Song Yunran chuckled. “Luo Luo was protected very well in the Xu family.”

This was true. The original Xu Luo was a “rice worm” (a parasite) in the Xu family. Because the Xu couple was still young and could support her for many years, they indulged her. The original body almost never needed to participate in social obligations, and even her social life was something she chose selectively.

“I’m so jealous,” Song Yunran sighed, half-joking.

Xu Luo nodded in agreement.

To be honest, she was jealous too.

Song Yunran: “…”

Before going to the hotel, the Song family driver first took them to a private stylist’s studio. This stylist was famous in the circle, handling the gala looks for more than half of the wealthy socialites.

Stylists usually provided home services, but Song Yunran disliked strangers near her residence, so she always went to the studio herself.

The stylist had taken the Song family’s reservation, so the large studio had no other guests except for a group of assistants.

Once inside the studio, most of her freedom was lost, taken over entirely by the stylist.

Xu Luo was moved around like a mannequin. Under the exhaustion, she actually drifted off to sleep.

After an unknown amount of time, the stylist tapped Xu Luo on the shoulder.

“Open your eyes,” the stylist gestured. “Look in the mirror.”

Xu Luo yawned and looked into the mirror.

She wasn’t the only one in the mirror; Song Yunran was there too. Both were wearing matching light blue gowns. Xu Luo’s was a knee-length short style, while Song Yunran’s was an ankle-length long gown. The fabric was semi-transparent, adorned with woven flowers and tiny pearls.

Likely drawing inspiration from legendary elves, the stylist had braided Xu Luo’s hair. Her fine, soft hair was pinned up, revealing her delicate and exquisite features; she looked like she had stepped out of a painting.

The stylist probably expected Xu Luo to be stunned by her own beauty. Xu Luo was indeed stunned, but she cared more about something else: she realized that her reflection in the mirror had now shed the shadow of the original owner and was completely her own original face.

Even her physique matched her original self.

Xu Luo was happy.

The stylist was also happy, interpreting her reaction as praise for his work.

The two of them were happy for different reasons.

Coming out of the studio, Xu Luo swept away her previous gloom, appearing uncharacteristically cheerful.

Song Yunran quietly watched the scenery, occasionally turning to glance at Xu Luo. Just like that, they arrived at the Grand Imperial Hotel.

Xu Luo was like a fish out of water she hated socializing and wasn’t good at it. In stark contrast, Song Yunran was perfectly at home in such settings, navigating them with ease.

In fact, most of the Song family’s social interactions over the past few years had been handled by Song Yunran. Madam Song had barely left the house since the death of her son, spending her days praying and chanting sutras at home. However, based on her twisted treatment of Song Yunran, her “Buddha-heart” wasn’t very well-cultivated.

Mr. Song had some ambition in business years ago, but since Song Yunran had matured, he had slacked off significantly. He spent his days among flowers, clearly harboring deep doubts about the doctor’s diagnosis of his infertility, thus working day and night “sowing seeds” outside.

Although Mr. Song was still the head of the family, the power layers of the company had already shifted away from him. As the heir, Song Yunran still maintained her gentle and blunt appearance, looking as if she were easy to bully. Yet, the power gathered in her hands had already formed a sharp blade ready to carve out territory for her.

The Song couple, blinded by arrogance, had not noticed this, but the outside world had already picked up on the signs. Therefore, in dealing with Song Yunran, the clever people had hidden their previous contempt and etched “respect” into their hearts. Because now, the one representing the Song family at the gala was no longer just an heir in name, but a person with actual power.

Currently, this power-holder was chatting idly with the guests, seeing off wave after wave of people.

Some people tried to talk to Xu Luo, but she had no interest in entertaining them. Seeing her lack of engagement, fewer people came to approach her.

After seeing off another socialite who had come to chat, Song Yunran took a moment to look at Xu Luo. She lightly took her hand and asked when Xu Luo looked back, “Bored?”

Xu Luo gave her a look that said what do you think?

Song Yunran laughed softly.

A young couple walked over and greeted Song Yunran. After thinking for a moment, Song Yunran pulled Xu Luo closer and introduced her: “This is my partner.”

The wife of the couple heard this and offered a greeting to Xu Luo, adding a polite remark: “You two are truly a perfect match.”

This was merely a common social pleasantry. Who would have thought the young husband, upon hearing it, would burst out laughing on the spot?

Xu Luo: “…”

“Ah, sorry.” The husband quickly apologized, made a couple of excuses, and scurried away.

“What was he laughing at?” Watching the young couple flee, Xu Luo felt it was bizarre.

“I suppose it’s because,” Song Yunran said nonchalantly, “the last time Luo Luo attended a gala with me, she had such a great time playing with a ‘friend’ that others misunderstood. They thought the two of us were at odds.”

Xu Luo translated Song Yunran’s words in her head: The original Xu Luo had attended a gala with Song Yunran, left her aside the entire time, and spent the night laughing and flirting with someone else, becoming a laughingstock to the other guests.

Xu Luo: “…”

In truth, in the upper-class circles, there were plenty of hypocritical couples. But in social settings, the couple represents the family’s dignity, so they usually give each other face acting for appearances if nothing else. The surface work is always sufficient.

Only the original Xu Luo was different; she didn’t follow the usual path. To humiliate Song Yunran, she deliberately acted flirtatious with others at the gala. Now, that joke had become widely known.

The original body really did court death quite a lot…

Thinking of this, Xu Luo immediately straightened her face and promised Song Yunran: “Today I will stay right by your side. No one can pull me away!”

Song Yunran only smiled.

Xu Luo kept her promise, staying a step away from Song Yunran until she felt hungry and wanted to get some food.

Even then, she didn’t just wander off. She informed Song Yunran before heading to the dessert section to raid it.

Once she filled her stomach, she returned bringing a piece of cake she thought was the most delicious.

“Here, for you.” She handed the cake to Song Yunran. “This one is good.”

It was a fluffy cream cake, small and cute, topped with some crushed hazelnuts.

Song Yunran’s gaze swept over the hazelnut pieces on the cake. “And you? Have you eaten?”

Xu Luo promoted it: “I tasted it myself before bringing it to you. It’s truly delicious.”

Song Yunran: “…”

She smiled.

Xu Luo felt her smile was a bit strange.

Of course, Song Yunran smiled strangely most of the time; her smiles were as precise as if they had been measured with a ruler. But this current smile how should she put it felt very profound.

Xu Luo: “???”

She didn’t feel great about it. After thinking, she found an excuse to take back the cake she had given and ate it herself.

Next was another long and tedious period of socializing. Xu Luo really couldn’t stay put anymore and used the “bathroom excuse” to escape.

Leaving the noisy banquet hall, Xu Luo followed the hotel waiter’s directions to the restroom. She found a stall and sat down to play mobile games.

She had run here for some peace and quiet, but not long after, two people entered the stall next to her and started talking in tandem.

They were talking about Song Yunran. Song Yunran was too prominent at the gala, and it was inevitable that small-minded women would gossip behind her back.

“Song Yunran is proud of herself now, but I haven’t forgotten the her from five years ago. Following behind the Master of the Song family, she was a nobody. Where was there a place for her to speak?”

“Haha, what’s the use of being that beautiful? She’s still a cripple.”

Xu Luo was annoyed by the noise. She exited her game, opened an app, found a recording of natural thunder, and turned the volume up to the maximum.

BOOM!

BOOM!

Thunder suddenly roared in the restroom, scaring the two ladies in the stalls so much they let out high-pitched screams.

In the next stall, Xu Luo unhurriedly typed a line of text on her phone and clicked the AI voice playback.

Don’t be wicked. Heaven is watching. Be careful not to be struck by lightning.

The emotionless AI voice echoed in the restroom, repeating three times.

The two ladies in the stalls were as quiet as mice.

Xu Luo curled her lip, pushed open the door, and left the restroom.

As she stepped out, she saw someone.

Song Yunran was right at the restroom door.

“Coming to the restroom?” Xu Luo asked her, then paused and added, “Do you need help?”

Song Yunran shook her head.

She looked at the girl in front of her, who was wearing a matching couple’s gown with her.

Different.

She was different from the original Xu Luo.

The original Xu Luo wouldn’t say things that touched her heart; the original Xu Luo wouldn’t make her laugh; the original Xu Luo wouldn’t take care of her all night when she was sick; the original Xu Luo wouldn’t defend her behind her back.

And the original Xu Luo was allergic to hazelnuts. At the first family banquet after marrying into the Song family, she had accidentally eaten hazelnuts and broken out in rashes all over her body on the spot.

This was not merely a change in a person’s personality, but… a complete change of the person itself.

Song Yunran looked at the partner before her, and something more appeared in the depths of her eyes.

“I just came to get you,” she said. “You were gone for a long time.”

Support Transmigrated as the Cannon Fodder Spouse of the Disabled Beauty