When the Villain Falls Madly in Love with Me - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: The Real and Fake Jiang Le

The major client Jiang Le was meeting today was none other than Miss Lin, Lin Yueying. The two played a round of golf and were now chatting in the lounge.

“CEO Jiang, you look quite radiant today. What, did you have a romantic encounter yesterday?” Lin Yueying teased with a smile.

Jiang Le leaned back on the sofa, her fingertips tapping the armrest erratically, her mind slightly drifting, but her mouth automatically responded, “Yes.”

Lin Yueying, who hadn’t expected a reply and was about to get up for another round, was surprised and amused by the affirmative answer. “Heh, a cold fish finally blossomed.”

Snapping back to attention, Jiang Le calmly took a sip of water and said flatly, “It’s normal. Shouldn’t I be dating at my age?”

Lin Yueying curled her lip. “I thought people like us would be single for most of our lives and then just pick someone we liked and get flash-married.”

Jiang Le raised an eyebrow, set down her cup, and retorted, “I’m afraid that’s just you. My lover is very much in love with me.”

“You’ve only just started dating, and already ‘lover’?” Lin Yueying rolled her eyes elegantly.

“That’s not exactly true. We’ve been together for a long time. I’m not a casual person,” Jiang Le said seriously.

“Then why didn’t you bring her out today? It’s just the two of us meeting, and it’s not a formal occasion. It would be livelier with more people.”

Jiang Le rubbed her chin, a slightly awkward expression on her face. “Today… is not very convenient.”

Lin Yueying seemed to realize something, raising both hands in surrender. “I came to play golf, not to watch you flaunt your relationship!”

Jiang Le saw that Lin Yueying seemed to have misunderstood something, but still nodded a little regretfully. “Since we’re not talking about that, why don’t we talk about the Lin family’s attitude towards you and Lin Zhen? As a business partner, I believe I have the right to know who I will be dealing with next.”

“Heh, what right does a younger brother who prioritizes love over family business have to compete with me?” Lin Yueying crossed her legs and leaned back comfortably.

Jiang Le raised an eyebrow and said calmly, “Oh? You can’t be sure about that. He might put love before the family business now, but later, he might also fight you for the family fortune for the sake of some romance.”

“Tsk, CEO Jiang, do you enjoy watching soap operas like that? Don’t worry, with me around, he won’t amount to anything.” Lin Yueying waved her hand, then suddenly sat upright. “Whoa, why do you seem to have such a big issue with my brother? What’s wrong? Did you two have a spat? Did he provoke you somehow? If so, that’s great news.”

Jiang Le rubbed her fingers, saying with low emotion, “Yes, there was indeed some conflict.”

“How did you cross paths with him?” Lin Yueying’s eyes lit up with curiosity.

Seeing that Jiang Le remained silent, she spilled all the gossip about her younger brother. “A few years ago, he was making a fuss and insisted on marrying a girl he brought back from outside. Grandpa didn’t agree, and he threw a huge tantrum, crying and threatening to hurt himself. Isn’t that ridiculous? Hahaha! It’s a shame I was abroad at the time and didn’t witness it in person, or I’d definitely have taken a picture for posterity!”

Jiang Le listened with interest. “And then what? Why did it all go quiet?”

Lin Yueying became animated. She sat up straight, patted her chest, and said clearly, “I met the girl. She was a pitiful soul. How could my Lin family do something so forceful? I secretly let her go.”

“When the person disappeared, my silly brother was distraught for a few days, but didn’t he get a new girlfriend now? This time, I see they’re both willing, so I can’t be bothered to interfere.”

Jiang Le smiled without speaking, but she saw it all clearly in her heart. Lin Yueying’s method was clever. First, she used this tactic to make Lin Zhen lose his composure in front of the old man, causing unrest throughout the Lin family and losing popular support. Then, she made people think he was just a useless man preoccupied with romance who couldn’t achieve anything great.

But so what? As long as she could continue to deal with Lin Yueying in the future, she was happy to see it happen.

As Lin Yueying said, their meeting was just a formality. The partnership was mostly settled the moment they knew the other party was in charge.

After the meeting, Jiang Le visited the Beishi branch of her company. She surveyed the area under the surprised eyes of the employees, occasionally giving a few pointers, and then left with a calm and nonchalant expression.

“What’s wrong with CEO Jiang? Suddenly coming here for an inspection?” someone whispered.

This remark instantly ignited the gossip fire, and everyone gathered together, heads bowed over their phones, speculating.

【I think this is significant…】

【How so? Hurry up and tell us!】

【CEO Jiang rarely shows up. Once she does…】

【What is it! Stop leaving us hanging!】

The person took a deep breath, typing mysteriously: 【Once she shows up, we have to desperately breathe in the air! Soak up the good fortune! Catch the wave of CEO Jiang’s career luck!】

Following this, the company chat group exploded, with a string of messages spamming: 【Soak up the good fortune! Catch the wave of CEO Jiang’s career luck!】

There was no helping it. Since Jiang Le took office, she had been invincible at the negotiation table, never suffering a loss. The company’s development had been smooth sailing, and she had long become a “legend” in the hearts of many in the group, attracting quite a few fanatics.

【So, is anyone going to analyze CEO Jiang’s strange behavior today?!】

“I think CEO Jiang looked like she was surrounded by pink bubbles today…”

Of course, this bizarre analysis was instantly drowned out by the flood of “Catching the wave” messages and quickly disappeared.

When Jiang Le returned to the villa, the one who called herself the “caged bird” was bored and dozing on the sofa. The TV was still playing the company’s new product launch from a few days ago, where she was standing on stage, clearly demonstrating the product details.

She paused to watch for a couple of seconds before turning off the TV. She patted Jiang Congyue’s shoulder and spoke in a flat tone, “Get up.”

Still half-asleep, Jiang Congyue reached out and pulled Jiang Le toward her. Her eyes weren’t open yet, but her mouth spoke naughtily, “I’m Sleeping Beauty, you know. I need a true love’s kiss to wake up.”

With that, she puckered her lips, waiting for the “true love’s kiss.”

Jiang Le’s eyebrow twitched. She smacked Jiang Congyue’s tempting face and said coldly, clearly annoyed, “I don’t care if you get up or not.”

How could someone use her face to make such a detestable expression?

Jiang Congyue laughed and opened her eyes. She pressed down on Jiang Le’s neck and brought herself closer, making a loud “smack” sound. “Fine, if the mountain won’t come to me, I’ll go to the mountain. I’ll do it myself.”

Jiang Le was unexpectedly kissed again. Her lips tightened even more, her face showing a mix of distaste and annoyance.

Before she could explode, Jiang Congyue kindly released her, sprang up with a flip, and stretched comfortably. “Mmm, I had a good nap.”

Jiang Le glanced at Jiang Congyue, then walked past her and went to the study.

The days passed uneventfully, but both knew it was only the calm before the storm.

On the tenth day of Jiang Congyue being “locked up” in the villa, she was, as usual, tinkering with something in the kitchen, while Jiang Le sat on the sofa, focused on work without glancing up.

Their actions both paused when the doorbell abruptly rang.

However, the doorbell only rang symbolically once. The next second, the door was swung open.

Li Yan, carrying a suitcase and looking travel-worn, burst in. She was about to cheer “Surprise!” but the scene inside the house froze her in place.

She furiously rubbed her eyes, ripping off the annoying mask and sunglasses. Her two round, apricot eyes widened dramatically. She stammered, pointing at the two of them, “You… you two… I… I’m not awake yet?”

The poor celebrity Li Yan, who had been traveling for a day and a night, almost fainted. The other two exchanged a look, clearly not having expected Li Yan to show up here suddenly.

Jiang Le closed her laptop with a snap, annoyedly holding her forehead. She was about to stand up to explain something, but the other person beat her to it.

“Oh, if it isn’t the big star Li! What brings you to see me?” Jiang Congyue took off her thick baking mitts, her smile extraordinarily gentle.

This scared Li Yan even more, making her cringe. Her gaze darted back and forth between the two, and she said dazedly, “I went to Y City and ate some mushrooms, but I shouldn’t be having such a bizarre hallucination…”

Was this episode titled The Real and Fake Jiang Le?!

And when had Jiang Le ever smiled at her like that! The person standing calmly on the sofa seemed like the genuine one. She immediately ran over and said to Jiang Le in horror, “It’s over, Jiang Le, your place is haunted!”

Hearing this, Jiang Le looked puzzled. “Why?”

“Didn’t you see the ghost behind you that looks exactly like you!” Li Yan subconsciously raised her voice, then deliberately lowered it.

Then, loud laughter came from behind them. Li Yan was terrified and clutched Jiang Le, letting out a sharp screech: “Aah!—”

Jiang Congyue’s mischievous side was instantly provoked. She crept up to Li Yan, patted her shoulder, and whispered eerily, “Li Yan~ Li Yan~”

“Aah!!!” Li Yan frantically clung to Jiang Le, her feet kicking wildly.

So, the innocent Jiang Le was accidentally kicked several times. She gritted her teeth, covering Jiang Congyue’s mouth with one hand and pushing Li Yan away with the other. Then, without looking back, she hugged her laptop and turned to go upstairs.

Leaving the bewildered Li Yan and the intrigued Jiang Congyue alone in the room.

Li Yan bravely glared at Jiang Congyue, who kept making faces. From her movements, Li Yan seemed to recognize a familiar feeling and frantically searched her mind for where this familiarity came from.

After Jiang Congyue laughingly ruffled her hair, a light bulb went off in Li Yan’s head. She suddenly understood, pointing at Jiang Congyue and barely managing to speak coherently: “You, you are… Auntie Jiang?”

How was that possible? Li Yan bit her tongue. How could she have such a thought!

But what if? After all, who could say whether or not such a thing as a soul possessing another body existed in this world?

But why did she look exactly like Jiang Le?

A jumble of confusing thoughts instantly filled her mind, churning it into a chaotic mess.

Jiang Congyue felt a pang of pity and gently rubbed her face. “Oh dear, don’t think so hard. You’re not the brightest to begin with, don’t break your brain. Yes, it’s me, your Auntie Jiang, back from the dead. Isn’t that normal?”

Li Yan was first terrified, then confused, and finally shocked and excited. A certain emerging inner chūnibyō spirit couldn’t be contained. “Ah! Seriously?! How did you do it? What’s it like when a person dies? Can you do spells? Magic? Or…”

Having starred in more than a dozen xianxia (immortal hero) dramas, Li Yan was incredibly accepting, practically believing and understanding at light speed.

Jiang Congyue stroked her chin, the smile in her eyes deepening. All these years later, this child was still the easiest to trick.