Chapter 30: The Greedy Deceiver

“Go home and rest well. The Production Team will send someone to your house tomorrow morning to film. Have your partner cooperate, and try to appear as sweet and loving as possible,” Agent Lin Yuan reminded Xie Moluo before she got out of the car.

“Okay, I understand.” Xie Moluo nodded. With a cake in her left hand and her bag in the right, she stepped out of the vehicle.

Sweet Travel was a couple’s travel show Lian Mei had persistently urged her to secure an invitation for. It featured newlywed couples. The buzz was decent, and if the personas were well-crafted, it could even boost popularity somewhat.

The nanny van quickly disappeared from Xie Moluo’s sight. She turned her head, looking at the grand and opulent upscale apartment complex entrance, and couldn’t help but sigh.

They had been married for three months, yet still hadn’t shared a bed. Lian Mei said she wasn’t ready. Xie Moluo couldn’t really press the issue.

Lately, she felt Lian Mei’s affection for her growing fainter, making it even harder to bring up.

Today, Xie Moluo had specially bought Lian Mei’s favorite cake, hoping it might lift her spirits.

Arriving home, it was pitch black. Xie Moluo frowned. Lian Mei was out partying again?

She opened her phone, accidentally tapping into Weibo. Finding numerous private messages, she opened one. A fan had sent her many photos. In them, Lian Mei was intimately dancing close to a handsome man under chaotic, flashing lights.

The fan cautiously added that perhaps she had mistaken the person. However, she provided the address of that Bar.

Sitting on the sofa, Xie Moluo suddenly felt an immense emptiness in her heart, an overwhelming weariness.

She knew deep down, the woman in the photos was indeed Lian Mei.

She called Lian Mei countless times. Always turned off.

Xie Moluo bit her lower lip hard, then finally grabbed her bag and left.

The cake was left on the coffee table, surrounded by various small snacks. Those were all laid out by Xie Moluo before leaving for work, just so Lian Mei would have something to nibble on when hungry.

—

When Lian Mei opened her eyes, she found herself leaning back against a sofa, a men’s jacket draped over her.

Before her was a scene of garish lights and drunken revelry. Multicolored spotlights whirled around, casting the entire Bar in a dim, flickering light. Her ears were filled with the Bar’s pounding, frenzied music. What sounded passionate and exciting to others was just noise to Lian Mei. Unbearable noise.

She sat in a booth. Across from her was a guy in a black baseball cap, looking roguishly handsome in a short-sleeved white T-shirt.

Not far away, on the dance floor, a crowd of energetic, skimpily dressed men and women were dancing intimately—a lively, bustling scene.

Suddenly, a flood of the Original Owner’s memories surged like a tidal wave into Lian Mei’s mind, causing her to grimace in pain.

In this world, the orphaned Lian Mei was originally just a washed-up former Girl Group member, a D-Rank tier celebrity. But she managed to hook the nouveau riche daughter, Xie Moluo, at a bar. Xie Moluo, having just graduated from a performing arts college and acted in a few small, sweet romance dramas, was immediately captivated by the flirtatious, worldly Lian Mei. Lian Mei, spotting Xie Moluo’s designer labels, pretended to be gay on the spot. She seduced the naive Xie Moluo, who ended up falling out with her family to be with her.

They started dating fervently and rushed into marriage. Afterward, Father Xie and Mother Xie cut off funding and resources and threw her out of the house, saying they’d reconcile only when she divorced Lian Mei.

But Xie Moluo, seemingly bewitched, stubbornly stayed with Lian Mei. They bought an apartment in an upscale complex in the city and a luxury sports car for Lian Mei to drive.

But without the financial backing of the Xie parents, Xie Moluo, just starting her career in the entertainment industry, struggled immensely. Their standard of living declined sharply. Lian Mei grew increasingly dissatisfied with Xie Moluo. While Xie Moluo ran around to small gigs everywhere, Lian Mei became infatuated with a handsome guy at the Bar, even exchanging contact information and chatting with him every night.

The Original Owner was practically a textbook scumbag—pretending to be gay, spending Xie Moluo’s hard-earned money to chat up her lover!

Emerging from the flood of memories, Lian Mei reached up and massaged her temples.

Why was her luck so terrible, transmigrating into a body like this?

Didn’t she choose to be a ranch owner? A ranch owner with wide open spaces? How did she end up as an obscure, Z-list celebrity? And with an actor for a Wife?

“What’s up? Woke up?” The guy sitting across from her smirked roguishly.

Lian Mei glanced at him, his name surfacing in her mind—Shu Feng, a Bar Resident Singer here.

Lian Mei had spent quite a bit of money on him, all earned by Xie Moluo.

“Mm.” Expression cold and detached, Lian Mei nodded, stood up, and tossed the jacket back to him. “Leaving.”

Shu Feng keenly sensed Lian Mei’s enthusiasm for him plummeting. He immediately put his phone away and stood, blocking her way. He draped his leather jacket over her shoulders, raising an eyebrow in a smile. “It’s windy outside. Take the jacket, don’t catch cold.”

He looked every bit the rebellious bad boy turning gentle just for you.

This move was probably quite effective on many people. But clearly, Lian Mei wasn’t one of them.

Lian Mei frowned, about to take the jacket off. But before her hand could even touch it, she heard a crisp, clear female voice ring out beside her.

“Lian Mei.” Full name, coldly spoken. The voice was strangely familiar.

Lian Mei turned her head and saw Xie Moluo in a blue dress, tightly clutching her handbag, eyes locked onto her.

Lian Mei froze, staring blankly at Xie Moluo.

‘System, I think I just fell for a woman at first sight!’

Lian Mei shouted internally for the System, but received no reply. Belatedly, she remembered—this was her Retirement World. The System hadn’t followed.

While she was frozen in place, Xie Moluo walked up to her and met her gaze straight on. “Lian Mei, come home with me.”

After saying this, she cast an icy glance at the guy whose hand was still resting on Lian Mei’s shoulder.

Under Xie Moluo’s stare, Shu Feng removed his hand and shoved it into his pocket.

Lian Mei was married. He knew that. He also knew Lian Mei’s partner was Xie Moluo. After all, their marriage had even trended on Weibo back then, though only around the mid-teens on the entertainment charts.

Snapping out of it, Lian Mei immediately nodded. “Okay.”

Xie Moluo tightened her grip on her handbag, turned on her heel, and strode away. Lian Mei threw the jacket back at Shu Feng and hurried after her.

Shu Feng slung his leather jacket over one shoulder and shrugged, lamenting inwardly that another rich woman who sponsored him was gone.

Quite a few onlookers had already pulled out their phones, snapping dozens of photos, spreading them around.

Although the lighting was dim, Xie Moluo’s pure, sweet face was recognizable to many. After all, plenty of girls enjoyed the online sweet romance dramas Xie Moluo starred in.

But while the crowds gossiped, they also felt indignation on Xie Moluo’s behalf.

This Lian Mei was utterly despicable! Already married, yet still carrying on ambiguously with some guy outside!

Why doesn’t Xie Moluo just divorce a woman like Lian Mei? Keeping her around for the New Year?!

Lian Mei was tall with long legs. She caught up to Xie Moluo in just a few strides and quietly followed behind.

Once they were out of the Bar, Xie Moluo stopped walking and turned around, her face taut. She asked Lian Mei, “Where’s the car?”

They had only bought one sports car. Xie Moluo usually took the company car or hailed a taxi. The sports car was almost always driven by Lian Mei.

Lian Mei searched her memory. “In the parking lot up ahead.”

The two walked toward the parking lot together. The entire time, neither said a word.

Lian Mei felt supremely awkward. The moment she transmigrated, she was thrust into this scene of the Original Owner’s unfaithfulness, and caught red-handed by her Wife. It was mortifying enough to want to vanish into a hole.

Damn System, damn Group Leader, making her transmigrate at a time like this!

“Want to drive?” Arriving at the sports car, Lian Mei handed the car keys to Xie Moluo. Though the Original Owner knew how to drive, she didn’t. What if she accidentally stomped the wrong pedal? That would be a disaster.

Xie Moluo looked deeply at Lian Mei. Her nose twitched slightly. She frowned. “You’ve been drinking?”

Lian Mei lifted a hand to her mouth and exhaled, almost getting knocked out by her own breath.

She wrinkled her brow. Just how much had the Original Owner drunk? That earlier state wasn’t ‘sleeping’—she’d passed out drunk, hadn’t she?

But Lian Mei’s frown conveyed a different meaning to Xie Moluo, making her think Lian Mei was annoyed at being questioned.

Xie Moluo gritted her back teeth, snatched the keys forcefully from Lian Mei’s hand, unlocked the car, got into the driver’s seat, and sat down. Lian Mei automatically sat in the passenger seat.

Xie Moluo’s originally pure, pretty face was now completely stormy. She drove in complete silence.

Lian Mei beside her simply leaned back in her seat, feeling drowsy.

After being an animal for so long, she got sleepy the moment the sky darkened. And it was almost eleven now. She’d been sleepy long ago.

The drive from the Bar to the apartment’s Underground Garage took less than half an hour. Xie Moluo stewed in her pent-up anger the whole way. Lian Mei, on the other hand, slept soundly throughout.

Even the most gentle temper would explode at catching their lover cheating.

Xie Moluo initially wanted to just leave the car and storm off. But afraid that Lian Mei sleeping alone in the car wasn’t safe, she pressed her lips tight and still woke her up.

“Mmph… home already?” Lian Mei asked groggily.

Xie Moluo nodded, her face still taut. “Mm… Lian Mei.”

Hearing her name, Lian Mei subconsciously responded, then heard Xie Moluo’s voice, devoid of emotion: “Find a time. Let’s get divorced. It’ll be a release for both of us.”

Lian Mei: “…”

Miss, the original owner is trash, but I’m a good person. I fell for you at first sight. Can we not divorce?

Xie Moluo said, “Get out.”

Lian Mei quietly nodded, got out, and stood in front of the car, intending to wait and take the elevator upstairs with Xie Moluo. But then she saw Xie Moluo break into a sprint past her, dash into the elevator, slam the door shut, and head up alone.

Standing in front of the sports car, Lian Mei was completely bewildered. Recovering, she looked down and rubbed her nose.

Was that… the extent of her anger?

Lian Mei imagined herself in Xie Moluo’s shoes: seeing her own wife cheating, she’d probably grab a bottle and crack their skulls open on the spot.

Tsk tsk, Xie Moluo wasn’t fierce enough. Too kind.

Kindness was always easily taken advantage of.

Wait, no—she was Lian Mei now. She had to salvage this marriage.

Lian Mei indicated: she’d experienced love at first sight for the very first time. She didn’t want to lose it like this.

Unhurried, Lian Mei stood at the elevator, waiting for it to come back down.

No rush. She knew where their home was. She still had the keys.

Upstairs, she unlocked the door and opened it to find the apartment pitch black, not even a light on. She flipped the living room switch at the entrance, flooding the apartment with light.

Walking in, she spotted a cake box on the coffee table. It was the original owner’s favorite cake. Expensive, and most importantly, difficult to order.

Lian Mei knew Xie Moluo had bought this for her. But right now, Xie Moluo probably didn’t want to see her.

She cut the cake, placed a slice on a plate, and walked to the second bedroom, knocking on the door. “The cake is delicious. Want a piece?”

When Xie Moluo bought the apartment, learning Lian Mei preferred to sleep alone, she yielded the master bedroom and moved into the second one.

“Don’t want any.” Xie Moluo’s cold voice came from inside.

Lian Mei scratched her temple and called through the door, “I’ll put the cake in the fridge. You can eat it whenever you feel like it.”

No further sound came from the room.

Lian Mei tidied up, went to the master bathroom for a quick battle shower, then sank onto the large, soft bed, dead asleep.

No, she was about to die of exhaustion! When the sky was dark, one should sleep.

While Lian Mei slept blissfully, Xie Moluo next door couldn’t sleep at all.

She hated Lian Mei’s infidelity!

She had fallen out with her family for Lian Mei, working tirelessly from dawn till dusk every day. And Lian Mei went behind her back to find a man!

This made Xie Moluo unable to help but wonder: was Lian Mei a lesbian? Bisexual? Or… had she been straight all along, always deceiving her?

Xie Moluo agonized over this for half the night before slowly drifting off.

Her mind completely consumed by “Lian Mei cheating,” she had utterly forgotten about the Production Team coming tomorrow morning to film.

The next morning at eight AM, Xie Moluo’s phone rang. She answered groggily. “Hello…”

“Good morning. Are you Miss Xie Moluo? We are staff from the Sweet Travel production team. We are already at your doorstep. Could you please open the door for us?”

Xie Moluo, who had been lying in bed, instantly snapped her eyes wide open.

“Okay, please wait a moment. I’ll be right there.”

Crap. She’d just told Lian Mei yesterday that she wanted a divorce, and today they had to film a lovey-dovey couple’s variety show. Would Lian Mei purposely sabotage her?

Xie Moluo quickly changed into loungewear, rapidly tidied her hair, and made sure nothing was amiss. She strode to the master bedroom and knocked, but got no response.

The doorbell rang again. She knew making the production crew wait too long would give them a bad impression of their couple, which could lead to biased editing later.

The master bedroom door stayed stubbornly shut. Xie Moluo had to go open the main door first and let the team in.

“Sorry for the wait.” Xie Moluo offered a sweet smile.

Seeing Xie Moluo’s sunny smile, the crew’s slight irritation vanished instantly. They replied with a smile, “Not at all, we just arrived.”

“Please, come in. I’ll get you some water.” She led them to the sofa, then brought out several cups of hot water. “I’m sorry, we generally don’t drink tea, so there’s none prepared. Just hot water.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. We don’t drink tea either, actually prefer hot water.” The Technical Director smiled. Then he asked, “Are you the only one awake? Is Miss Lian still asleep?”

Xie Moluo and Lian Mei were trending just last night. And today they’re filming a couple’s variety show. Lian Mei dared to go looking for a man last night too. Truly disgusting!

“She wasn’t feeling well last night. I’ll go wake her now,” Xie Moluo said, rising.

“May we come with you? Not sure if it’s convenient to film your bedroom?” The Technical Director asked with a warm, professional smile.

Xie Moluo shook her head. “I’m afraid—”

“Sorry, I overslept.”

A low, languid female voice echoed from the bedroom hallway. They all looked toward the sound and saw a woman appear before them. Her eyes were deep, her features sculpted, and she was stunningly beautiful even without a trace of makeup. She was breathtaking.

Back then, it was exactly this that had captivated Xie Moluo so intensely, sparking her pursuit.

The Production Team members, used to seeing beauties, quickly recovered. Once the Cameraman adjusted his shot, the Technical Director asked with a genial smile, “We heard that Miss Xie and Miss Lian sleep in separate rooms. Is that true? And why separate?”

Xie Moluo’s sweet smile stiffened slightly. She couldn’t exactly say they’d never shared a room at all, could she?

“It was my request.” Lian Mei took a seat beside Xie Moluo. Xie Moluo turned to glare at her.

But the next second, Lian Mei pulled Xie Moluo into her embrace, smiling gently. “I’m a restless sleeper, tend to kick. So I suggested separate rooms.”

“Right, Wife?” Lian Mei looked down at Xie Moluo with a tender smile.

Xie Moluo blinked, then turned toward the camera, her smile radiating sweet sincerity. “That’s right. And every night, she carries me back to my room and tucks me in before she leaves.”

As she spoke the last part, her expression was wonderfully sweet.

Worthy of an actor; impressive acting skills.

Lian Mei was momentarily stunned, then smiled and nodded, her voice incredibly gentle. “Because I love you.”