Marrying the Short-Lived, Maniacal Eldest Miss for Good Fortune 2

Chapter 2

Hi?

The butler looked at Fang Yi with an expression of utter disbelief. His hands, clasped behind his back, frantically gestured, implicitly telling her to retreat and not court disaster at a time like this.

A servant cautiously picked up the ‘weapon’ that had fallen to the floor. In the dead silence, Fang Yi, enduring Lin Shuxing’s unpredictable gaze, stretched out her hand, “Do you need help?”

Everyone: ?

System: ?

What kind of help is needed in this situation?

The System silently shrieked: 【I must remind you, this is a society governed by law!! Any method of murder is illegal!!!】

In her previous life in the wasteland world, Fang Yi had carved out a path of blood and ascended to the peak of existence. In her simple worldview, the winner ruled.

When they first bound, the System had warned Fang Yi that the task would not be easy: Villainesses are mostly obsessive, greedy, selfish, vengeful, ruthless, and will stop at nothing to achieve their goals!

Fang Yi listened with relish: “You’ve finished listing the advantages. What are the disadvantages?”

The System was instantly awed. From that moment on, it knew that it had chosen the right person for its new post in Villainess’s Wishes.

However, that had to be under legal and reasonable circumstances!

The times were different. She couldn’t get locked up before the mission was even completed.

The difficulty of raising a god-slaying Asura into a good citizen was no less than socializing a Tibetan Mastiff.

The System diligently gave Fang Yi prenatal education on morality and law, fearing that she would die before achieving success.

Lin Shuxing gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. The gloom in her eyes dispersed slightly, but her cold tone still formed a stark contrast with Fang Yi’s enthusiastic attitude, “It’s you.”

Their first meeting was at the claw machine arcade.

Fang Yi worked there part-time after class, always stacking the dolls high like a mountain, making them easy to grab.

Initially, Lin Shuxing only pretended to pass by outside the door inadvertently. As the visits became frequent, Fang Yi remembered her, and once, when Lin Shuxing glanced over, Fang Yi slipped her a handful of game tokens.

Employee price, acquired through exploitation.

Fang Yi didn’t recognize Lin Shuxing’s high-end custom clothing. She just saw her as an introverted, quiet young girl navigating a confusing age.

They hadn’t exchanged names, and their interactions were minimal, but Lin Shuxing had sewn the two small trinkets she grabbed together, creating the unique ‘Lucky Star’—the one Fang Yi carried with her.

They were strangers who met by chance, yet they felt like long-lost friends—at least, that’s how Fang Yi saw it.

Later, Lin Shuxing stopped visiting that mall, and Fang Yi also quit her part-time job to devote herself to her beloved professional field.

The System bounced around in place a few times, then trembled and bounced back behind Fang Yi after meeting Lin Shuxing’s icy gaze: 【Isn’t she an old acquaintance? Why does she seem unhappy?】

【Ah, right. The value of the marriage chip is different. She went from a wealthy family to our thatched hut poor girl T_T】

The ignored man squirmed forward like a loach. The cultivated gentleness and amiability he usually displayed shattered, and he was furious, “What, do you want to kill me to silence me?”

“She falsely accused me of taking pictures without proof. My body was harmed, and my dignity was insulted! Should common people just let the eldest miss bully them?”

“How dare you fire me? I’m calling the police! You must apologize and compensate me!”

The man’s voice was like fingernails smeared with lard scraping across porcelain, repeating over and over.

“The two misses should proceed to the living room first. Please leave this to me,” the butler bowed slightly, gesturing for them to leave.

“Give him more money,” Lin Qingwan’s gaze drifted over the bloodstains on the floor, showing some reluctance, and she quietly instructed, “Deal with it quickly. Don’t let Mother find out.”

Hearing this, the man’s eyes darted around, and he became even more arrogant, “No! I don’t want money. Lin Shuxing must apologize! She’s trying to harm people at such a young age. Who knows what kind of damage she’ll do to society in the future? I must speak with CEO Lin face-to-face!”

Lin Shuxing narrowed her eyes, the air pressure plummeting. The red text on the task list leaped again.

“It must be a misunderstanding,” Lin Qingwan whispered, “Sister is sensitive. It must be something you did that made her misunderstand. She’s not that kind of person…”

Lin Shuxing coughed softly a few times, pulling out a look of derisive laughter, “Misunderstanding? You made a move to take pictures, and you touched my shoulder. I don’t care if it was a misunderstanding, you deserved to be hit. Keep your tail tucked in from now on, or it won’t be as simple as a bloody head.”

“See! She admitted it, and her attitude is extremely malicious! I’m calling the police!”

“No matter what, she shouldn’t hit people, right? She doesn’t look like a girl at all!”

“If you don’t believe me, check my album, it’s clean, feel free to check! There’s nothing there, yet she falsely accused me of taking pictures!”

The man’s attitude was too eager, his blood-smeared face faintly showing a sense of triumph.

“Have you heard of avoiding suspicion? Others having reasonable suspicion doesn’t constitute slander.”

Fang Yi studied him for a moment, then snatched his phone and said faintly, “You want it checked so badly? Then let me take a look.”

“Fang Yi? I didn’t expect the one marrying into the Lin family as a kept man to be you?”

The man pushed up his glasses, recognizing her as a student from the same university. His tone instantly became sharp, adopting a superior air, “Young people should focus on their studies instead of trying to take shortcuts. How many years of youth do you think you have to rely on?”

Fang Yi slowly exited the photo album, “Mr. Zhao, you pride yourself on being the youngest professor at our university, but you’ve been stuck in the associate position for many years and haven’t been promoted. You’ve been begging everywhere, and your title review failed again this year.”

The man’s face changed drastically after being exposed. He tried to lash out but was restrained by the butler, his face turning red with anger, “What are you doing! Photos are naturally in the album. Looking at anything else is infringing on my personal privacy!”

“How can everyone be reassured without a thorough inspection? I’m helping you.”

Fang Yi smiled, adjusted a few attributes in the file manager, pulled up the recent files, and her expression turned cold, “This is your innocence—”

In the hidden folder, there were countless encrypted photo files.

“These are my classified documents. You have no right to see them. Give it back to me.”

The man immediately changed his tune, “These are all my experimental data, a national project. If anything goes wrong, can you take responsibility?”

Fang Yi raised an eyebrow: “Wow, a national project freshly baked six minutes ago. Did you just pull it out of nowhere?”

“Want to make a bet with me? Let’s see if this thing opens up to be classified documents.” Fang Yi looked at the butler, “Please call the police. We have a case for them to boost their performance.”

“Heh heh,” a scornful laugh squeezed out of the man’s mouth, “I advise you not to try blindly. If the password is wrong, the files will—”

Fang Yi thoughtfully finished his sentence: “—will all be destroyed.”

The man’s face paled slightly, “You know that’s serious. Considering your advisor’s reputation, I can let you off the hook today.”

Fang Yi smiled, showing a mouthful of white teeth, “But, I don’t want to let you off.”

This kind of photo-taking software was disguised as a browser interface. The photos taken would automatically be filed into an encrypted folder, using an extremely complex encryption algorithm that a student could absolutely not solve empty-handed.

The man furrowed his thick brows, scanning Fang Yi up and down. Believing he was safe, he resumed his lecturing tone, “Don’t push your luck! A momentary impulse could lead to—”

Before he finished speaking, a gasp arose from the surrounding servants.

Just as he was talking, Fang Yi had already cracked the password, and the secretly taken photos were immediately exposed to everyone.

Fang Yi: “Go on, why did you stop talking? Lead to what? Is this your classified research project?”

The System also put its hands on its hips: 【Speak up! My Host is asking you a question!】

In an instant, the man seemed to have all his strength drained away. He stared at Fang Yi in disbelief, “How did you do that? Do you know my password? Are you using this software too!”

Trying to sling mud even when facing death.

Fang Yi sneered, about to erupt, but the butler had already pressed against the man’s chin, silencing the noise abruptly.

The whole world fell silent.

“Mother… why are you back early?” Lin Qingwan scurried toward the door.

“Head of the Household, my apologies. I did not handle this in a timely manner.”

The butler bowed toward the main entrance. With a wave of his hand, everyone immediately moved in an orderly fashion.

“I already know,” Lin Lan held Lin Qingwan’s hand, patting it, and glanced distastefully at the man being restrained by security personnel.

“Take him away and clean up the mess.”

“Yes.”

“You are Fang Yi?” Lin Lan approached, looking Fang Yi over twice, her sharp gaze almost piercing her.

“Uh-huh,” Fang Yi’s gaze wandered between Lin Lan and Lin Shuxing. She found it curious that their auras were remarkably similar, especially the faint, enigmatic smile on their lips.

Are they really not mother and daughter? It’s astonishing.

“Lin Shuxing,” Lin Lan stood still, her sharp gaze not softening, but growing colder, “I have seen the surveillance footage. You were too impulsive.”

“What have I taught you?”

The air pressure in the room dropped to freezing point.

The smile that had just appeared on Lin Shuxing’s cheek instantly vanished.

Without the embellishment of arrogance, her entire face became pale, then flushed with shame and anger.

Fang Yi stepped sideways to shield Lin Shuxing, feeling somewhat displeased, “Don’t scold her. She didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Fang Yi, in what capacity are you asking that question?” Lin Lan was expressionless, “You are the one who wants to break the engagement, and you are the one instructing us here. What is your demand?”

The girl suddenly looked up, her slender, proud posture trembling, “You want to break the engagement? How dare you—!”

She covered her lips, coughing violently.

“Sister!” Lin Qingwan quickly ran up the stairs, supporting the tottering Lin Shuxing, “Are you okay? I’ll take you back to rest.”

Lin Shuxing noticed the little bear in Lin Qingwan’s hand, bit her lip hard, and pushed away the hand that reached out to her, saying viciously, “Don’t touch me!”

“I’m sorry, Sister, I forgot. I’ll go disinfect myself. Please don’t hate me.” Lin Qingwan hid her hands helplessly.

“Fang Yi, who do you think you are? You’ve climbed up to the Lin family, aren’t you satisfied?”

“Remember, I am the one who doesn’t want to be engaged to you. I. Hate. You!”

She threw down these words and turned to leave, leaving behind an arrogant silhouette.

“Sister…” Lin Qingwan wanted to chase after her but was held back by Lin Lan.

“Qingwan, have you finished your coursework? Don’t waste time.” Lin Lan turned her eyes, radiating an uncompromising firmness in every gesture, “Fang Yi, come with me to the study. We need to talk.”

“Oh.” Fang Yi withdrew her gaze from where Lin Shuxing had disappeared, deliberately putting her hands in her pockets and raising her chin toward Lin Lan.

The System quietly advised her: 【Host, this is your future mother-in-law, this is the patron. Be low-key.】

Fang Yi: She shouldn’t have been harsh with Lin Shuxing.

System: 【You two are equally at fault. Your decision to break the engagement is also a big blow to her.】

【Why no ‘oh’ now?】

Fang Yi remained silent. After taking two steps, she obediently took her hands out of her pockets.

Inside the study.

The steam from two cups of Dahongpao tea misted the air. Lin Lan propped her chin with one hand, looking sideways at Fang Yi.

“Do you think you’re very impressive for standing up for Lin Shuxing? That we would have wrongly accused her without you?”

Fang Yi stared at the teacup for a moment, then slowly spoke, “So what if I do? In any case, you shouldn’t have scolded her.”

The System was shocked: 【Is this the attitude you should have when talking to your mother-in-law!】

Lin Lan narrowed her eyes, then suddenly smiled.

“You underestimate the Lin family too much.”

“Except for the bedrooms, all areas have surveillance with no blind spots. Leaving it to the butler would have been faster.”

“Your excessive involvement, getting tangled up with people like that, lowers your status.”

Her calm, almost cold gaze poured over Fang Yi like moonlight, enveloping her, “Suppose that person genuinely wasn’t taking pictures, or you couldn’t find evidence. If his goal was extortion, how would you handle it?”

Fang Yi was silent for a moment, then asked, “Since you knew, why did you still scold Lin Shuxing?”

She really wouldn’t let it go.

Lin Lan raised an eyebrow, “Why should I explain myself to you?”

Despite her words, she picked up the teacup, took a slow sip, and said slowly, “Shuxing is not well. It’s very dangerous for her to take matters into her own hands when alone. She could have simply pressed the bell for the butler to handle it, instead of putting herself at risk. That is foolish.”

“A member of the Lin family does not need to act personally. Do you understand?”

She gave Fang Yi a deep look.

“You show some sense of responsibility. Tell me, why do you want to break the engagement?”

Fang Yi: “In fact, I’m more interested in knowing why the engagement happened, and why it was changed to me.”

“Didn’t your grandmother tell you?”

“No. I don’t understand. Our family has no value for a marriage alliance, does it?”

“But you have value.”

Lin Lan’s eyes, which could decide contracts worth hundreds of millions with a blink, swept over Fang Yi. She had no intention of hiding anything, “Your destiny is noble, while Lin Shuxing’s horoscope is extremely weak. We need you to marry her for good fortune.”

“You should know, just like how sickly children recognize an old tree as a godmother. Although it’s superstitious, it is effective.”

She lightly tapped her finger, pushing a black card symbolizing unlimited, distinguished status toward Fang Yi, crossing her hands, as easily as if she were handing over a slip of paper.

“In exchange, we will take care of your mother and grandmother. This card and the property in Yanyuan here are yours.”

Marriage for good fortune?

Since arriving in City Z, Fang Yi hadn’t heard this outdated term in a long time. She frowned, thought for a moment, and asked seriously, “Then why can’t she recognize me as her godmother?”

System: ?

Listen to yourself! Does that sound reasonable?

Lin Lan was slightly stunned but didn’t laugh, “If only it were that simple.”

“The diviner calculated that Shuxing will not live past twenty-two.”

Fang Yi’s finger, resting on the teacup, stiffened imperceptibly.

The System felt a strange sense of schadenfreude: 【That’s the content of the original book. It’s not like you didn’t know.】

“And your destiny is special. Logically speaking—”

Lin Lan glanced at Fang Yi, not continuing.

Fang Yi knew what she wanted to say.

She was indeed special. Her family ties were weak, and she was born in a remote village. Because her gender was locked, her first two ‘character creations’ were speedruns, a physical version of a hellish start.

It was her mother who protected her by chance, and her grandmother, a revered shaman in the village, overruled all objections and took them in.

The three of them were not related by blood.

If fate had played out differently by a single move, she wouldn’t have lived this long.

“You are the only variable, Fang Yi. You only need to accompany her past her twenty-second birthday. I have no other demands.”

“The marriage is only to bind your destinies together. We can sign an agreement that will not affect your private life.”

“This is merely a paper marriage alliance, and Lin Shuxing is aware of this. Furthermore, I hope you keep our conversation confidential.”

After a long silence, Fang Yi heard her own voice, “Fine.”

She looked up, “I don’t believe in fate, and I don’t need your money. Consider this destiny a free ride I’m giving her.”

Accepting the money meant accepting invisible shackles of rules. There was no such thing as a free lunch in the world.

The Lin family might not have told her the whole truth. Even if there was nothing to covet about her right now, she still had to be wary.

The System was aghast: 【No, no, no, I want it, I want it, I want the money!!!!】

Lin Lan nodded slightly, “I will hire you. This is the compensation you deserve.”

“Then it can only be part-time. I have a main career, starting a business with my friend.”

“Good. It’s excellent for young people to have drive,” Lin Lan stirred the tea leaves, asking casually, “With that child from the Wang family? Are you a technology shareholder?”

She had clearly investigated Fang Yi thoroughly.

“Yes.”

“Regarding finance, you can ask Lin Shuxing if you don’t understand anything,” Lin Lan checked the time, tapping her wrist watch, and stated in an irresistible tone, “Go now. I have other matters to attend to.”

She waved slightly. The butler immediately came in, leading Fang Yi toward the second floor.

The butler introduced the layout and rooms one by one, stopping at a blue door, smiling, “I can only escort you this far. The area inside is the main family’s private space.”

“Your room is the second one on the left. The eldest miss’s bedroom is directly across from it.”

“Finally—”

The butler bowed, revealing an ambiguous smile, “The eldest miss is in her rebellious phase. Please listen to her words in reverse.”

It sounds a bit like a rules-based horror story. Fang Yi nodded solemnly, “Thank you.”

The butler felt she hadn’t understood, and slowly explained in detail, “I mean, the eldest miss does not dislike you.”

Fang Yi repeated the same words: “Thank you, I know.”

The butler, somewhat frustrated that she wouldn’t take the hint, shook his head and left.

It wasn’t until his figure completely disappeared that Fang Yi relaxed her expression and quietly repeated, “I know.”