Chapter 161: A Bet’s a Bet
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation
Chao Chao was always polite, even in her more mischievous moments. Before committing her latest prank, she knocked politely at the door.
“Come in,” Lu Jing Yao’s voice called from inside.
Pushing the door open, Chao Chao saw Yuhua restraining Lu Jing Yao, who was seated at a table. The shock caused Lu Jing Yao to drop her doll, which fell with a loud thud.
Cheerfully, Chao Chao picked up the doll. It was a horrifying sight, dressed in red, with its eyes gouged out, tongue severed, and face pierced with silver needles. Turning it over, Chao Chao discovered her own birth details written on the back—she and Lu Jing Yao were born merely half an hour apart.
“You… how did you get in here?!” Lu Jing Yao’s face twisted with fear, and she attempted to scream for help, but Yuhua quickly clamped a hand over her mouth.
“Quiet down. Scream again, and I’ll twist your head off!” Yuhua threatened menacingly.
“You dared to use the young miss’s birth details for your tricks!” Despite her tender age, Lu Jing Yao’s malicious intentions were clear. She was already helping Lu Jing Huai with his plagiarism schemes.
Despite her small stature, Yao Yao harbored the soul of an adult. Initially cared for by Madam Xu in the original storyline, who breastfed her despite her own fear due to Yao Yao’s deliberate biting until she bled. Madam Xu’s favoritism led her to leave most of her wealth to Lu Jing Yao, who later used this to support the Pei family covertly and usurped all of Madam Xu’s connections. Her actions eventually led to the framing and execution of the Xu family for treason.
Now, Lu Jing Yao’s venomous gaze betrayed her intentions—neither Madam Xu nor Chao Chao were meant to survive her schemes.
“I’m here to fulfill my promise!” Chao Chao announced, gesturing to a bag on the floor.
“Mmm! Mmm!” Though her mouth was covered, the murderous intent in Lu Jing Yao’s eyes was unmistakable.
As Yuhua tied her up, Lu Jing Yao’s eyes welled with tears of fear.
“How odd, what’s wrong with her?” Yuhua muttered, disturbed by the darkness in the young child’s eyes.
“Lu Jing Yao, you can’t take what’s mine!” Chao Chao declared, standing on a stool to pour the contents of the bag—a foul mixture of dung—over Lu Jing Yao’s head.
“Ahhh!” Lu Jing Yao’s muffled scream echoed through the room, filled with a horrendous odor. She writhed, eyes burning with hatred, as she retched and gagged, vowing revenge against Chao Chao.
“Stop targeting my family!” Chao Chao demanded coldly.
Outside, a maid knocked, puzzled by the noise and the terrible smell. “Miss? Were you talking?” she asked, nearly gagging herself. “Miss, why does it smell so bad in here?”
Inside, Lu Jing Yao’s attempts to free herself caused more commotion.
Seizing the moment, Yuhua opened the window and scooped up Chao Chao. They slipped out into the garden, escaping the courtyard.
They had not gone far when a scream pierced the night. The Marquis Zhongyong household erupted into activity as guards began to patrol.
Yuhua and Chao Chao ran, barely squeezing through a dog hole in the wall where Rong Che awaited them. With Chao Chao giggling on her back, they hurried away as the dawn began to break.
“Climb over the wall, climb over the wall,” Yuhua urged as they approached the Lu family gate. Rong Che carefully climbed over, but as they landed, they found themselves face to face with Madam Xu, who had been waiting all night.
Caught in the act, Rong Che, Chao Chao, and Yuhua knelt in submission. Despite the gravity of the situation, Chao Chao innocently tried to explain, “Good mornin’! Chao Chao was sweepwalkin’… wander outside door…”
“Uncle Wung Che bwuht Chao Chao home…”
Madam Xu, skeptical, inquired, “You can sleepwalk and climb walls?” Her disbelief was evident as she addressed Rong Che.
Chao Chao, feeling the tension, knelt down beside Yuhua, while Rong Che, out of desperation, followed suit, hoping to appease Madam Xu.
“Do you know what you did wrong?” Madam Xu demanded.
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation
“I don’t know,” both replied in unison.
“Then why are you admitting fault?” Madam Xu pressed, exasperated.
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation
“You said I was wrong, so I admit it,” Rong Che responded with simple honesty.
[Mom had always said, if the wife says it’s wrong, it’s wrong. If she says it’s right, it’s right. That’s the secret to a warm home and a happy family.]
Madam Xu was at a loss for words.
“You let her bully a child?” she accused, poking Rong Che’s forehead with her finger.
[No, no, Lu Jing Yao isn’t a child!] Chao Chao protested inside.
Madam Xu was well aware that Lu Jing Yao was far from being just a child. But Rong Che was oblivious to this fact.
Rong Che straightened up, indignant. “She’s not my child, what’s it to me?”
He pointed to Chao Chao, asserting, “This is my child.”
Chao Chao beamed up at him and chirped, “Daddy!”
Madam Xu’s face flushed with embarrassment. “What daddy? Don’t talk nonsense! Stop calling him that…” she stammered, clearly flustered.
“And you, what do you mean ‘your child’? Go back, go back, hurry home!” Madam Xu shooed Rong Che with her hand.
Rong Che simply uttered an “oh.”
Seizing the moment while Madam Xu was distracted, he sneakily winked at Chao Chao.
Realizing that Madam Xu wasn’t going to scold her for sneaking out, Chao Chao’s smile widened.
She hadn’t fully grasped the advantages of having a dad before.
Now she got it!
Having a dad meant kneeling together when in trouble and sharing the blame.