Chapter 19: Look, a UFO

Jiang Wanning fled at light speed.

It was terrifying; true enough, one must use magic to defeat magic. To defeat a lunatic, one must be even crazier than them. Jiang Wanning reflected on this, concluding that her skills were still lacking and required further cultivation.

So that was why the butler hadn't married at fifty—he was gay.

It seemed she had returned empty-handed for the night. As she ambled slowly back toward her room, she caught sight of the kitchen light on and curiously took a peek.

Another peek.

She walked away.

Then she turned back for one more look.

"Madam, what are you doing?" She couldn't help it; her curiosity was piqued. Though they say curiosity killed the cat, she was no cat.

Madam Lu, who had been facing away, stiffened and remained crouched on the floor, motionless for a long time.

"Madam?"

Moving softly, Jiang Wanning leaned in to look. *Pfft*, it was just a trash can—what was there to see? The trash hadn't been taken out and it reeked; the servants must have been slacking off.

Looking closer, she noticed Madam Lu’s mouth was oily, as if she had just been eating.

Jiang Wanning was shocked: "Madam, are you... are you eating from the trash?" This was incomprehensible and disrespectful.

Madam Lu shook her hands nervously: "No, I didn't."

Her shifty eyes lacked any credibility.

"Then show me your other hand." Jiang Wanning narrowed her eyes. This Madam Lu was a bit strange. According to the book, she was the only daughter of the Lu family, named Lu Huimin. She had married into her family her husband, Li Tianhe, Lu Jingchen’s biological father. The two were deeply in love until Li Tianhe died in a tragic car accident. Since Lu Huimin wasn't adept at managing the company, she had handed full power over to Lu Jingchen. Even if she wasn't pampered, surely a woman of such high birth wouldn't be this timid?

Madam Lu shook her head frantically and turned to run.

Something was wrong.

"Look, a UFO!"

Madam Lu actually looked up foolishly, and the item in her hand instantly fell into Jiang Wanning’s grasp.

How to describe this item? It was common enough, but it had no business being in the hands of a noble lady. It was an open, half-eaten... can of dog food.

"Give it back." Madam Lu was angry, pouting in a way that was actually quite cute.

"Madam, didn't you have enough for dinner?" Right, their dinner had been overturned by Jiang Xinwan.

"Mm-hmm." She nodded vigorously, looking pitiful.

"I'll cook you some instant noodles." She was hungry too.

Opening the cupboard...

It was a magnificent sight.

A whole cupboard full of dog food.

Jiang Wanning asked curiously, "Is it really good?"

Madam Lu's eyes lit up: "It's delicious, it's the best food in the world." She was practically acting as a spokesperson, pushing it with fanatical zeal.

Really?

She didn't believe it!

The two of them crouched in the corner to eat. As for the taste—it wasn't as good as Madam Lu claimed, but it wasn't terrible either. The texture was soft and it was nutrient-rich.

"Madam, why are you so afraid of Lu Jingchen?" The night was long, and since they had nothing else to do, she decided to chat.

"He’s so fierce. We used to have a dog, a smart and cute one. But just because it accidentally bit him once, he beat it to death right in front of me, boo-hoo..." As Madam Lu spoke, tears poured down her face; she looked as heartbroken as if she’d lost her husband.

"If you're so afraid of him, why go out of your way to break them up?"

"Because if I don't break them up, I’ll die..."

"Huh?" What was going on?

"Why?" There had to be a story here.

After a long silence, Jiang Wanning looked up from her dog food. She turned her head—where had she gone? Why was she missing?

She looked at the floor.

Madam Lu was foaming at the mouth, twitching on the ground.

Jiang Wanning instinctively glanced at the trash can. The bottle of paraquat she had thrown away had cracked, and the liquid had leaked onto the other trash.

*Oh my*, and she’d said she wasn't eating from the trash.

Wait, no.

"Help! Someone call an ambulance..." Jiang Wanning shouted.

Madam Lu was rushed to the ER for a stomach pump, though it turned out that the product Jiang Wanning had bought online was a cheap knockoff—just colored mineral water.

Lu Jingchen never showed up, as if his mother's life or death had nothing to do with him.

Unfilial son! How did such a person deserve to be the male lead? The author must have warped values; to them, love was everything, right? It was said that Jiang Xinwan had scratched her finger and was getting it bandaged in the next department.

She had gone to see Jiang Xinwan; it was such a "major" wound that it probably would have healed if she’d arrived a moment later.

Taking advantage of everyone going to the hospital to care for the patient—including that lingering butler who always smiled at her like a blooming chrysanthemum—Jiang Wanning snuck back to the old mansion.

Why were the lights on in the living room? She remembered turning them off before leaving. The bodyguards were all outside in the courtyard, so they wouldn't have gone in.

Jiang Wanning quietly opened the door a crack. What met her eyes was a pair of red high heels, black silk stockings, a pencil skirt, a leather jacket, a large string of pearls around her neck, and flaxen-colored wavy hair. A complete fashionista.

Was Lu Jingchen hiding a mistress?

Of course not. How could the "male lead loves the female lead" trope collapse?

The fashionista’s face slowly turned toward her; her delicate features didn't quite match the outfit.

When she saw who it was, Jiang Wanning couldn't help but rub her eyes. She suspected she was becoming face-blind, but this face—she remembered it so clearly.

Lin Xiaoting!

What was going on?

"Who are you? How dare you stare at me like that." Lin Xiaoting had spotted her. Being stared at by an old geezer made her incredibly uncomfortable.

Jiang Wanning walked in smoothly with a fawning smile: "Miss Lin, you've arrived. Mr. Lu asked me to wait for you here. He had to step out for something, so please sit and wait for him."

As she spoke, Jiang Wanning quietly checked her wrists. They were smooth and fair, showing no signs of any injury.

"Who are you? I’ve never seen you before."

"Oh, I’ve been at the Lu villa. Mr. Lu has been staying there recently, so I followed him over."

According to the original novel, Lin Xiaoting was the female supporting character who was infatuated with Lu Jingchen. She had a good relationship with Lu’s mother and frequented the old mansion, whereas Lu Jingchen rarely let her step foot in his own villa for fear of making the female lead jealous.

Jiang Wanning had caught a loophole here.

As for how she knew the plot—she had used force to coerce the system, and that stingy system had grumbled while unlocking only a portion of the story.

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiaoting’s expression toward her changed instantly. She herself hadn't even been qualified to go to the villa; anyone who could be by his side must be a trusted confidant.

"Why did Mr. Lu move back here?" Lin Xiaoting asked tentatively, cautious and afraid of being ignored.

"Because Mr. Lu is about to marry Miss Jiang. He wants Miss Jiang and Madam Lu to spend more time together to foster a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship."

Jiang Wanning watched her expression; sure enough, a flash of jealousy crossed her eyes.

"Then where did he go?"

"He went to the hospital. Miss Jiang hurt her hand—such a big wound—Mr. Lu was so worried." Jiang Wanning gestured with her fingernail.

"That bitch is so pretentious." Lin Xiaoting couldn't help but curse.

"Mr. Lu told me to come back and deliver food to the young man locked up here, but I’m getting on in years and I can't quite remember where he is." She kept provoking Lin Xiaoting, wanting to let jealousy cloud her judgment.

"Isn't he just in the butler’s room..."

Lin Xiaoting’s eyes narrowed, turning sharp: "You aren't one of Mr. Lu's people!"