BDB Chapter 24

Jiang Rao felt somewhat complicated upon hearing this.

In the domineering CEO novels, whether it was the protagonists or the supporting characters, they all seemed to be very confident.

Despite her earlier indifference and obvious lack of cooperation, how could Madam Bai possibly think that her threats were effective?

As she remained silent, the voice on the other end of the phone spoke again. “Jiang Rao, I’m not concerned with what happened between you and Young Master Li for now. You must ensure that the Jiang family wins the bidding project in the West District.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Jiang Rao!”

Jiang Rao responded with a soft hum, lowering her eyes as she asked, “Can Jiang Tang really come back early?”

Her original voice was soft and sweet, but she needed to disguise it for a long time in front of outsiders.

Although Madam Bai could also be considered an outsider, she was the one who orchestrated her role as a substitute wife and was one of the few who knew her true identity.

There was no need for Jiang Rao to pretend in front of her, nor to be angry because of her. Therefore, her tone remained calm, and anyone who couldn’t see her expression would likely think she was yielding.

However, Bai Yurou’s smug smile faltered almost immediately, her expression freezing.

“I have no objections,” Jiang Rao said.

People often indulged in idle thoughts during their free time.

Jiang Rao was no exception.

But her idle thoughts weren’t about the mundane difficulties and twists of life; they were about the causal relationships between the plot events she could recall from the original story.

The reason the original female lead was caught by the male lead during her first escape was partly because of her striking appearance, especially her bare-faced look, which was both delicate and pure. However, she had removed almost all her makeup on the day she fled.

Another reason was that she spent almost every day at home and lacked a suitable excuse to go out. Thus, her only option to escape was to blend in with the servants.

Jiang Rao was different.

She had never been lax about her makeup during this period, and due to the need to follow the plot, she often went out.

So if Madam Bai could truly make Jiang Tang return, Jiang Rao would be able to make a perfect switch between them.

Although she often reassured herself upon arriving in this world: with money to spend, a villa to live in, no fears or worries, and no need to flee, living through the original plot as a runaway wife was too exhausting and terrifying; it was better to just enjoy life.

She still felt that the world outside was far better than the world affected by the domineering CEO novels.

What reason did she have to refuse leaving this place of troubles?

Bai Yurou’s face darkened almost instantly.

She was furious. “Jiang Rao, don’t regret it. If you leave now, you won’t get a penny of the remaining payment. I want to see how you’ll pay off your gambling mother’s debts.”

“Will I get the remaining payment if I leave later?”

It was often said that concern led to confusion, but as someone who had transmigrated into a book, she didn’t have much emotional attachment to the original’s mother.

After separating herself from the role of the person involved, she had long seen through Madam Bai’s schemes. “After settling the remaining payment and the debts owed by my mother, I might still end up owing you a considerable amount.”

She could see that Madam Bai was still hesitant, but she didn’t want to waste time arguing about these matters. Thus, she lowered her eyes and said, “I’m a bit tired and want to sleep. Call me back once you’ve made a decision. Whatever decision you make, I won’t have any objections.”

The call was promptly ended on the other end.

Bai Yurou was stunned for a moment, unable to recall how many times Jiang Rao had defied and confronted her.

From the moment she heard Young Master Li’s voice on the phone early that day, she had already considered swapping Jiang Tang back.

She wanted the best of both worlds—Jiang Tang could cure her depression in Country M, and Jiang Rao could perform well as Jiang Tang in the country.

But when it became impossible to manage both, maintaining and effectively using the identity of Jiang Tang was certainly a priority over treating the illness.

Bai Yurou thought for a moment and then made an international call to Country M. “End Tangtang’s treatment as soon as possible and bring her back to the country. Now! Immediately! Start the action.”

Then she pressed the number labeled “Daughter” again. “Get ready. It won’t be long before I’ll have Tangtang switch with you.”

…

In less than a month since Jiang Rao transmigrated into the book, she had planned to endure for six months, but she did not expect that the problem that troubled the original female lead for so long and wanted to leave the Li family could be solved so easily.

Moreover, the solution was proposed by someone else?

Lying on the bed, she fiddled with the gold bracelet that the Old Madam had placed on her wrist while thinking about what preparations she should make.

After much consideration, she felt as if she had no attachments. The only things she needed to prepare were the five houses that might need to be sold and the bracelet that she couldn’t remove and might need to be taken to a jewelry store to be removed.

However, it was getting late, so these matters would have to wait until tomorrow.

Just as she was about to remove a layer of heavy makeup and go to sleep, a gentle knock sounded at the door.

Thinking it might be Butler Gu looking for her, she opened the door without much hesitation.

However, when the door opened, the person standing before her was not Butler Gu but the male lead, who was about to part ways with her and become irrelevant.

She looked at him calmly. “Is there something you need?”

“I wanted to thank you. Grandma is my only relative.”

After knowing him for so long, whether from dreams or reality, it was the first time Jiang Rao felt that the male lead had a human touch.

However, after blinking, she suddenly remembered that he had tightly embraced her when he wanted to thank her earlier that day, almost giving her a cold again.

And recently, the male lead had been obsessively focused on having children. Coming to thank her so late might not be without ulterior motives.

She shook her head, taking a step back while he was focused on her expression, and then quickly closed the door. “No need to thank me. It’s getting late. Go back and get some sleep.”

In the public areas of the ancient castle, the decor was all the same, but Li Jueyan stood still, staring at the closed door.

After an unknown period, he pursed his lips and finally turned to leave.

Never mind, there was no rush.

They had time to develop feelings between them.

At least she had saved his grandmother, and he would give her time to adjust to his presence.

…

When Jiang Rao had transmigrated over, it was right after the Chinese New Year, and the day she bought her house happened to be February 14th, Valentine’s Day.

Time had flown by like running water.

She originally thought that Madam Bai’s words, “It won’t be long”, referred to three or five days.

However, after going out several times and visiting numerous jewelry stores without being able to remove the gold bracelet, and after successfully selling two properties and listing her real estate information on the housing market on the tenth day, there was still no news from Madam Bai.

It wasn’t until March 13th, the day before White Day, that her long-silent phone finally rang again.

As soon as she answered, Madam Bai’s long-lost, haughty voice came through the receiver.

“Find time to meet tomorrow.”

“Reason.”

Jiang Rao wasn’t very keen on meeting Madam Bai alone if there wasn’t something important.

“The Jiang family doesn’t need you anymore.”

Jiang Rao instantly understood what the other party meant.

Not long after hanging up, she opened the housing website to check her account balance.

Because she had paid for all five properties in full, and there was a discount for full payment, the money she got from selling them wasn’t much less than what she originally paid.

The two houses sold for over 1.7 million yuan in total. Although it wasn’t the full 2.5 million yuan of the final payment she was supposed to get, she hadn’t worked the entire year, so she didn’t mind the difference.

Her plan was simple: wait until tomorrow, withdraw the money into her bank account, then take it out as cash and carry a bag of it with her.

By then, the sky would be wide open and free for her to fly. Even if the president had sharp eyes, he wouldn’t notice a small character like her who had never shown her true face in front of him.

She was happy inside.

Happy that she would no longer be trapped in this place, happy that she no longer had to sleep with makeup on every night to prevent her identity from being exposed, and happy that she would no longer have to worry about being emotionally and physically tormented in the future…

Her joy was so overwhelming that she couldn’t help but let it show, despite trying to suppress it.

So, at the dinner table that evening, when she heard him ask, “Are you also looking forward to tomorrow?”

Back then, computer software didn’t have the capabilities it does in the future. No matter the occasion—whether Chinese or foreign festivals—those software would remind you of the next day’s holiday.

Due to her identity, the servants kept their distance from her, and Butler Gu, who was close to her, didn’t like to chatter. Jiang Rao didn’t understand what the male lead meant by saying that.

But since he hadn’t lost his temper with her after the hospital visit, and given that they maintained a harmonious, friendly roommate and plastic couple relationship, she couldn’t ignore him. So, she nodded lightly.

Afterward, just as she was about to focus on her bowl of porridge again, she saw him curve his lips into a smile, the cold gleam of his gold-rimmed glasses reflecting in the light. “Have I been treating you well lately?”

Jiang Rao froze mid-action. “Hm?”

Well… just okay, she thought.

The bright light projected her blank, slightly dazed expression into his eyes.

He snorted softly through his nose. “I’ll come back early tomorrow.”

Come back to spend Valentine’s Day with you.

Seeing that he didn’t press the matter further, Jiang Rao calmly scooped up a spoonful of porridge and ate it. “Hm.”

Whatever, she thought. No matter how early he came back, by then, she would have already left.

It had nothing to do with her.

After tomorrow, she would no longer have any connection to him.

——