BDB Chapter 25

Perhaps even the heavens were celebrating her impending freedom. The next morning, when Jiang Rao drew back the curtains, she felt the bright sunlight, a rare sight after many days of gloomy weather.

After transmigrating into the book, because the original author had set the female lead to be delicate and soft, Jiang Rao had not only changed her daily diet but also started doing yoga in her room for a while to build up her strength.

However, after catching a cold from being in the rain, she quickly fell ill.

So, after recovering, she switched from yoga to morning runs.

It had to be said, exercise did indeed improve her physical fitness.

Though today was the day she was leaving, there was still time before her scheduled meeting with Madam Bai, and she wouldn’t skip her morning run.

Breakfast consisted of a sandwich and coffee.

After filling her stomach about seventy percent full, Jiang Rao went back to the second floor to change out of her pajamas.

Her actions weren’t particularly fast, yet by the time she came back downstairs in a light gray, thinly lined athletic jacket, the male lead was still calmly sitting in his usual seat.

—It wasn’t a day off.

The male lead was still meticulously dressed in his suit.

—This wasn’t his normal routine.

She knew the male lead was someone with a strong sense of time.

Although she was a bit puzzled, after living under the same roof for so long, she had observed that apart from his dislike for staying in his room and his habit of wandering around the ancient castle, the male lead hadn’t really disrupted her life.

Jiang Rao headed outside, and when she reached the front door of the ancient castle, her body suddenly tensed, driven by a strong sixth sense.

She had been about to investigate what was causing her to feel so alert, but in the brief moment when she turned her head, she almost bumped noses with him.

Startled, Jiang Rao nearly stumbled backward.

But the next second, she felt a tightness around her waist as he pulled her into his arms.

She wasn’t particularly short, but in these domineering CEO novels, the male lead was never under 180 cm.

Her face was pressed against his chest, and she could feel the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, as well as the faint smell of tobacco on him.

However, this scent, which should have been calming, made her feel particularly uncomfortable.

Frowning, she pushed away from his chest.

Just as she was about to thank him, she heard him ask, “Heading out for a run?”

Jiang Rao hummed.

“Sister Gu said you asked her to prepare the car. After your run, are you planning to go out for a while?”

“Hm.”

“Remember to come back early.”

“Got it.”

She had arranged to meet Madam Bai at two in the afternoon. Knowing Madam Bai’s swift and decisive style, she was certain that once the exchange was complete, she would immediately have Jiang Tang sent back to the old residence.

After their brief “chat”, Jiang Rao sensitively noticed that the corners of his mouth were slightly curved upward.

Not sure what the male lead found so amusing, she turned around, pulled open the ancient castle’s front door, and was ready to step out.

Sunlight poured in, scattering in broken patterns from above her head to her whole body.

Li Jueyan froze.

Most of the time, she had her wavy hair loose, but today, perhaps because she was going for a run, her hair was still curled but tied into a high ponytail. However, it seemed like she hadn’t been very careful when tying it up, as from his angle, several soft strands had fallen around her neck.

The light spots projected onto those strands, glowing brilliantly, stirring an itch in his heart.

But he forcefully suppressed the urge to smooth out her appearance.

It was all because of what his grandmother had said to him the day she left, words that still echoed in his ears.

At the time, the Old Madam had been lying on her side in bed. “You and Tangtang didn’t have any feelings for each other before, right?”

“What about it?”

“You’re asking me ‘what about it’? I’m five or six decades older than you, and back in my younger days, the atmosphere in China was extremely feudal and strict, but even so! Your Grandpa, that stiff old man, knew to court me first, showing me enough care before proposing that we build a solid comradeship that could make progress together. And you? You don’t have any feelings for Tangtang, yet you expect her to have a child with you? Do you think she’d agree to that? Impossible! If she doesn’t agree, what are you going to do? Force her? If you dare, I’ll break your legs myself before Tangtang even gets the chance!”

At first, he hadn’t taken her words seriously, but then the Old Madam sighed.

“Put yourself in her shoes. If someone tried to force you to do something, how would you react? You’d probably kill them if you were in a good mood, right? Don’t think it’s just because of your temper. Even people with mild tempers wouldn’t handle it much better than you. Remember, even a rabbit will bite if it’s cornered. That’s one of the truths passed down by our ancestors, and you should always keep it in mind.”

After a pause, the Old Madam added, “A’Yan, do you like Tangtang?”

“What about it?”

“If you do, treat her well, show her your good side. People have hearts made of flesh. If you show her kindness, she’ll eventually like you too.”

Because of those words, he had decided to give her some time to adjust to him when he came back.

That’s why he had planned everything for tonight.

Her name on the marriage certificate might be Jiang Tang, but his wife could only be her.

The wedding would belong to her and no one else.

After tonight, she will be his true wife.

For now, he would restrain himself from touching her too casually and risk making her dislike him.

…

Jiang Rao’s morning runs had been going on for about half a month.

From the end of February through March, from late winter into early spring, she had watched the plants around the ancient castle sprout new buds and bloom with flowers.

However, her body was still quite weak. After running only half a lap today, she was already short of breath and had to stop.

After walking about a hundred meters, she was just about to start running again when she suddenly heard some noise coming from the bushes beside her.

It had nothing to do with her, but the topic of the conversation seemed oddly relevant.

“Rich people are really different. Just for a small, private wedding for themselves, they need 9,999 roses. Imagine how much it’ll cost when they host a big wedding for friends and family!”

“Madam deserves it. Have you ever seen anyone prettier than her? I heard from Sister Gu that Madam looks even better without makeup. If I were a man, I’d pamper her too.”

…

Jiang Rao’s heart instantly sank.

Sister Gu said that Madam looks even better without makeup? Who was Sister Gu? Could it be Butler Gu? Has Butler Gu seen her without makeup?

Would Butler Gu tell the male lead? How detailed would the description be?

Could the male lead figure out she wasn’t the real Jiang Tang from those descriptions?

And what was this talk about a wedding?

Her panic lasted only a couple of seconds before she calmed herself.

After today, she wouldn’t be here anymore. What did any of this have to do with her?

Even if the male lead saw her bare face, there was no way he wouldn’t know her real identity.

Unless the Jiang family revealed everything about her.

And even if they did find out her information, not all tickets required ID at that time, and ticket sales weren’t yet fully connected to a nationwide network. China was so vast; she could go anywhere. Why should she be afraid?

Time flew by quickly.

In no time, it was already afternoon.

After saying goodbye to the driver, she arrived at the café where she had arranged to meet with Madam Bai, and the clock struck exactly two.

From a distance, she could see Madam Bai, decked out in gold and silver, draped in a dark blue mink coat, sitting there impatiently looking around. Next to her was a girl dressed head to toe in black—black down jacket, black hat, black mask—everything about her style screamed monochromatic.

Sitting down across from Madam Bai, she asked, “You were the one who first broke the agreement. Even if you don’t compensate me, you should at least settle the final payment, right?”

“Are you daydreaming?” Bai Yurou sneered. “If you make the switch quietly now, your mother’s gambling addiction might still be salvageable. Otherwise, like you said, who knows who’ll owe whom in the future.”

Villains in old-fashioned novels were always quick to anger and lacked patience.

Jiang Rao hadn’t expected to squeeze any more money from Madam Bai. She had only asked to put her mind at ease, so she could take the house payment without guilt.

Not wanting to engage further with Madam Bai, she turned her gaze to the girl sitting beside her. “How are we switching?”

Their eyes met. Although the girl only revealed her eyes, Jiang Rao immediately felt a sense of familiarity.

It was nothing more than the fact that, under heavy makeup, their eyes were almost indistinguishable.

However, despite her Buddhist-style¹ approach to life, her eyes often sparkled with liveliness.

The real Jiang Tang was different—her entire presence was somewhat introverted and gloomy.

Sure enough, the girl remained silent for a long time.

In the end, it was Madam Bai who spoke up, “Tangtang’s makeup is already done, and her hair is just tucked under her hat. You just need to switch outfits in the restroom. Hurry up.”

As the switch was being carried out, on the other side, at the same moment, Li Jueyan, who had compressed his entire day’s work into the morning, had just returned to the ancient castle when his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

His palm immediately clenched, and in an instant, a thorn from one of the roses pierced into his hand.

Blood seeped out almost instantly, and Butler Gu hurriedly pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket and handed it over.

Li Jueyan, however, didn’t take it.

Thinking he was angry because of the injury, Butler Gu quickly said, “Young Master Li, I’ll make sure to remind the maids and gardeners to be more careful going forward. This won’t happen again, and the thorns won’t hurt Madam.”

Li Jueyan’s gaze darkened as he softly hummed in acknowledgment.

Since taking over the Li Group at eighteen, such moments of premonition had helped him countless times, allowing him to expand the family business to its current scale.

But today, things felt different…

As the phone rang, Jiang Rao had already swapped clothes with the real Jiang Tang.

She hadn’t planned on answering the call, but after the ringtone stopped and started again three times, Jiang Tang hadn’t even glanced at her bag containing the phone.

Jiang Rao knew well how powerful the male lead’s influence was.

She feared that if she didn’t answer soon and pushed him too far, it wouldn’t be long before bodyguards barged into the women’s restroom looking for her. Thus, she had no choice but to press the answer button.

Since the real Jiang Tang was beside her, she also had to put the call on speaker.

As soon as the call connected, the voice on the other end was filled with coldness, “Where are you?”

“At a café in the East District.”

She hadn’t lied; it was exactly the location the driver had told him.

But he still felt something was off.

His body seemed to be engulfed in an icy chill to the bones as he pressed his lips together. “Come home.”

——

1. TL/N: [ 佛系人生 fóxì rénshēng ] A life attitude of pursuing inner peace without desire, sadness or joy, and being calm and indifferent. ↩︎