We Are Filthy, Born From Mud - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Yes, She Is Cunning.

Zong Yougu ran out the door joyfully, laughing loudly.

She ran against the wind, which filled her mouth.

After swallowing a few mouthfuls of wind, she started hiccuping uncontrollably, one after another, strange noises emanating from her chest.

She was amused by herself. The strands of hair stuck to her face couldn’t stop her laughter.

A fan meet-and-greet! How could she let Zong Liangu go?

Of course, she had to go herself.

She, Zong Yougu, wanted to stand in the spotlight. She wanted to be surrounded by flashing lights. She wanted to enjoy attention from all directions.

She laughed even louder, her white teeth gleaming in the sunlight.

She jogged all the way and successfully got into Hu Yinghua’s car.

Her chest rose and fell dramatically. A burning sensation lingered in her throat.

As an assassin, Zong Liangu should have some drug tolerance. She would probably wake up soon.

The two locks on the apartment door definitely wouldn’t hold her.

However, as long as she reached the venue, Zong Liangu wouldn’t be able to cause trouble.

After all, Zong Liangu also needed her identity.

Zong Yougu’s mouth stretched into a wide grin. She was very happy.

“Sister Yougu, um… is your life assistant not coming? Should we go now?” Hu Yinghua asked cautiously.

Zong Yougu anxiously waved her hand: “Just me. Go, go quickly.”

Hu Yinghua hit the accelerator, and the car sped away.

The old neighborhood was left behind Zong Yougu, growing smaller and smaller, until it completely disappeared from her sight.

“Sister Yougu, didn’t you say last time that you didn’t rest well at the hotel? I specifically booked a spacious room for you this time,” Hu Yinghua said.

“I know,” Zong Yougu’s tone was matter-of-fact. “That’s what you’re supposed to do anyway.”

Zong Yougu’s little finger was curled up, tapping the side of her phone repeatedly.

She suddenly thought of something and asked, “Why do I have to go so early? I see Su Tongguo isn’t leaving until tomorrow, right?”

Hu Yinghua gave Zong Yougu a very complex look. She hesitated before speaking: “Sister Yougu, it’s because the director is afraid you’ll misbehave or cause some kind of mess again. She asked you to arrive early and specifically told me to keep a close eye on you.”

Zong Yougu didn’t feel embarrassed at all. She still smiled and asked openly, “Is that so? Am I really that unreliable?”

Hu Yinghua pouted and remained silent.

Zong Yougu was still in a great mood, humming softly along with the car music.

Beep—

Her phone rang.

Both phones were on Zong Yougu. The backup phone was ringing.

It was Zhang Yinyang’s call.

“Liangu, guess where I’m going?”

Zhang Yinyang’s voice landed right in Zong Yougu’s ear.

Zong Yougu fiddled with the car window switch. The window lowered, creating a small gap.

Fresh air rushed into Zong Yougu’s nostrils.

“Oh? I don’t know,” Zong Yougu said.

“You have a fan meet-and-greet tomorrow afternoon, right? I’m coming to see you,” Zhang Yinyang said with a hint of malice.

“What are you going to do?” Zong Yougu’s voice trembled, seemingly panicked.

“I’m going to—”

Zhang Yinyang was interrupted by Zong Yougu’s sharp laughter.

Zong Yougu laughed without reservation, completely devoid of the panic she had shown a moment ago.

“Tickets for the fan meeting aren’t cheap. If I hadn’t subsidized you every month, where would you get the money? Besides, the meeting is tomorrow night. You’re calling me now. Did you fail to catch a suitable train schedule? Should I guess how many hours you spent on the slow train?”

Zong Yougu’s tone was mean and sarcastic, completely displaying the demeanor of a petty person.

“Zong Liangu! What do you mean by that? Whose fault is my life today? Everything is because of you, because of you! I’m crippled in one leg because of you! Xiao Niu died because of you!”

Zhang Yinyang was indeed angry. Whenever she got angry, she brought up old grudges.

Zong Yougu held the phone away, impatiently rubbing her ear.

“So what? Should I feel guilty for the rest of my life? Should I be stuck in the mud forever? Besides, it wasn’t all my fault.

Are you completely blameless? You were too stupid! You were clumsy! I didn’t do anything!”

“You—”

“Don’t give me that ‘respect the dead’ routine.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately, and I figured it out. You can forget about dragging me down for the rest of my life.”

Zong Yougu hung up the phone without another word.

She opened her hands to the wind, which continually passed through her fingers.

“Sister Yougu, who was that?” Hu Yinghua asked.

“A poor relative. Don’t worry. It’s nothing serious. I can handle it,” Zong Yougu said calmly.

Fortunately, it was Zhang Yinyang. Zong Yougu smiled, her eyes showing relief.

Zhang Yinyang was stupid, and she was greedy enough.

Zong Yougu still remembered when she was little, she would sneak into the kitchen to fry egg pancakes when she was hungry at night.

Zhang Yinyang and Zhang Mumu would follow.

She had no choice but to make three servings.

Zhang Yinyang was greedy, and one egg pancake wasn’t enough. She would try to snatch Zhang Mumu’s. Zong Yougu had no choice but to make another one for Xiao Niu.

Zong Yougu still remembered Zhang Mumu’s nickname: Xiao Niu (Little Cow).

Many people said she was quiet like a cow and as honest as a cow.

Only someone like that would be willing to constantly follow Zhang Yinyang, talking about “Little Yang this” and “Little Yang that” all the time.

Among the three of them, Zong Yougu was cunning and dishonest, Zhang Yinyang was greedy, and only Zhang Mumu was kind.

Yet, Zhang Mumu was the first of them to die.

This world was like that. Kind people received no rewards, and the wicked lived long.

Zong Yougu rubbed her temples, peeling herself away from the memory.

Hu Yinghua handed Zong Yougu a pack of gum: “Sister Yougu, are you carsick?”

Zong Yougu accepted it and chewed slowly.

The mint flavor filled her mouth.

She took a deep breath, her gaze unprecedentedly firm.

She had to keep climbing up and leave everything in the past behind.

No matter the means.

The car drove into the parking lot.

Hu Yinghua instructed with some unease: “Sister Yougu, please check your identification again.”

Zong Yougu waved her hand helplessly and pulled her ID card from her pocket.

Only then did Hu Yinghua relax.

Zong Yougu walked in front, with Hu Yinghua trailing behind, dragging two large suitcases.

Zong Yougu was perfectly at ease, not caring if someone took photos and blew it up.

Her reputation was already bad anyway, so it wouldn’t be a big deal.

During the few hours at the airport, Zong Yougu idly looked in the mirror, looking relaxed.

Meanwhile, Zong Liangu, trapped in the bedroom, was in a completely different situation.

When Zong Liangu struggled to wake up, the minute hand on the clock had already moved across most of the dial.

Zong Liangu calculated. She had been unconscious for about forty-five minutes.

She walked to the door. The bedroom door was, as expected, locked.

But that couldn’t trap her.

She found one of Zong Yougu’s bobby pins in the drawer. She poked the thin pin into the keyhole on the doorknob.

After fiddling with it a few times, the door clicked open.

She pulled out a chair and sat down under the constantly flickering energy-saving lamp.

She was not in a hurry to leave. The immediate priority was to find out what Zong Yougu was planning.

Was it a new filming arrangement?

Or was there some other event?

Zong Liangu lifted her head.

She had been careless. She had underestimated Zong Yougu.

She shouldn’t be like this. She had become abnormal ever since she arrived in this world, or more accurately, whenever something concerning Zong Yougu came up, she became very strange.

She always found different reasons to delay killing Zong Yougu.

She hadn’t been like this before. Rationally, she kept telling herself that everything must be done quickly.

But…

She was hampered by some kind of instinct, as if by a self-preservation mechanism.

Zong Yougu and she were not the same person. Zong Yougu and she only looked alike. Yet…

“Sister Yougu, the director said the filming schedule is moving quickly. There might be a celebration banquet later, so remember to keep your schedule open. Detailed work arrangements will be communicated by Miss Liao.”

Hu Yinghua’s voice echoed in Zong Liangu’s mind.

Hu Yinghua had instructed her this way after The Rumor finished filming.

Zong Liangu frowned.

Zong Yougu went to all this trouble just for a meal? That couldn’t be right.

There had to be another arrangement. She had to confirm it.

She couldn’t be passive. She couldn’t sit and wait.

Most importantly, she didn’t want to see Zong Yougu’s smug, petty face.

She let out a sigh.

Zong Liangu pulled out Zong Yougu’s work badge from her pocket. Her fingers constantly rubbed the photo on the badge, her eyes narrowed in thought.

This was the spare badge Hu Yinghua had given her last time.

The oversized jacket by the door enveloped Zong Liangu. She also put on the wide mask.

Only after all obvious features were obscured did Zong Liangu pry open the last main door and prepare to leave.

Thirty minutes later, she reached her destination.

She looked up at the towering office building.

Beep—

She swiped the badge on the elevator button, and the button for the 28th floor lit up.

The elevator constantly ascended, but Zong Liangu felt like she was descending.

Zong Yougu kept pushing her boundaries, offending her time and time again.

She couldn’t let this continue.

The elevator door opened. She expertly walked toward Zong Yougu’s—no, her own—workspace.

The desk was still empty. There was nothing there except a computer.

Zong Liangu’s fingerprint successfully unlocked the computer.

The computer clearly hadn’t been used in a long time. As soon as it connected to the internet, messages poured out rapidly.

She opened the latest email. It was an invitation.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, quickly scanning the lines of text.

“Ms. Zong Yougu… (Wednesday afternoon)… fan meet-and-greet…”

“Little Zong… celebration banquet… Jiudun…”

Zong Liangu looked up. Through the glass, she gazed down at the city.

Now, she could understand Zong Yougu.

After all, who among the two of them wouldn’t want to stand in the spotlight?

“Yougu?”

Su Tongguo’s voice rang out from behind her.

The string in her heart tautened. Zong Liangu slowed her breathing, carefully sensing her heartbeat and the other person’s every move.

“Yougu?” Su Tongguo called again.

Only then did Zong Liangu turn around, seeing a surprised Su Tongguo.

She didn’t speak rashly.

Su Tongguo continued to ask:

“Why are you still here, Yougu?”