Chapter 161: A Gamble’s Debt Must Be Paid
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
Lu Chao Chao was a polite child.
Even when preparing to feed someone filth, she remained courteous, gently knocking on the door.
Only when Lu Jing Yao’s voice granted permission did she push the door open.
The moment the door opened, Yu Shu swiftly restrained Lu Jing Yao, who sat by the desk.
Plop.
The rag doll in Lu Jing Yao’s hands fell to the floor.
With a bright smile, Lu Chao Chao entered the room and picked up the doll. Dressed in red, its eyes were gouged out, tongue severed, and its face bristled with silver needles—an unsettling sight to anyone.
Turning the doll over, Lu Chao Chao found her own birth date inscribed on its back.
They were born just half an hour apart.
“You—how did you even get in here?!” Lu Jing Yao’s face turned pale with fright.
As she opened her mouth to call for help, Yu Shu silenced her with an unrelenting hand over her mouth.
“Keep it down. Scream again, and I’ll snap your neck!” Yu Shu’s expression was merciless.
“You dare curse my young miss using her birth date! Such venom for someone so young. No wonder…”
No wonder Lu Jing Huai had used her to plagiarize.
Lu Jing Yao’s eyes brimmed with malice, wholly unlike those of a two-year-old child.
Lu Chao Chao never regarded her as a child.
Her small frame hid a soul steeped in malevolence, far beyond her years.
In the original tale, she had been brought into the Xu family by marriage ties. Madam Xu had pitied her frailty and even personally nursed her. Each feeding left Madam Xu bleeding, as the girl bit down intentionally. The horror of nursing her had left Madam Xu scarred.
Yet, Madam Xu’s love surpassed what she gave her three sons. Most of her wealth and resources were entrusted to Lu Jing Yao.
But Lu Jing Yao used these gifts to secretly fund the Pei family, taking over Madam Xu’s network and exploiting the trust of the Xu family to frame them for treason. She planted incriminating evidence herself, orchestrating the fall of the entire Xu household.
By stepping on their corpses, she rose to fame.
Though young in appearance, her soul’s darkness knew no bounds.
The malice in her eyes at this moment made everything clear—she had never intended to let Madam Xu or Lu Chao Chao survive.
“I’ve come to fulfill my promise!” Lu Chao Chao raised her chin and gestured toward the bucket on the floor.
Lu Jing Yao stared at her in disbelief.
“Mmph! Mmph!” Though her mouth was covered, the murderous intent in her eyes was undeniable. Anyone who saw her would forget she was a child.
Yu Shu tied her up.
Suddenly, Lu Jing Yao’s tears spilled, and she started begging for mercy, her panic palpable.
“There’s something off about her,” Yu Shu said, frowning. “What exactly is it? Those eyes—they’re unnerving.”
A two-year-old child with such a dark and cunning gaze? It didn’t sit right.
“Lu Jing Yao is mine. You can’t take her away!” Lu Chao Chao stood on a stool and tipped the entire bucket of manure over Lu Jing Yao’s head.
“AHHH!!!” Even with her mouth muffled, Lu Jing Yao let out a muffled scream. Her body convulsed, her bloodshot eyes staring daggers at Lu Chao Chao as if to devour her.
The room reeked, the stench unbearable.
Lu Jing Yao shrieked like a madwoman, her body trembling as she dry-heaved uncontrollably.
“Stay away from my family!” Lu Chao Chao declared coldly.
Outside, faint noises could be heard. A maid knocked on the door. “Young miss? Are you speaking? Why does it smell so bad in there?”
Inside, Lu Jing Yao thrashed against the stool, the room echoing with thuds.
Yu Shu opened a window, scooped up Lu Chao Chao, and leaped into the garden to escape.
Not far from the courtyard, they heard an agonized wail: “AHHH!!!”
Then came the unmistakable sounds of gagging.
The lights in Marquis Zhongyong’s Manor flickered to life, voices rising as guards began their patrol.
Yu Shu’s expression darkened as she carried Lu Chao Chao, sprinting away.
They slipped through a doghole in the wall.
Outside, Rong Che waited, catching Lu Chao Chao in his arms as they fled.
Clinging to Rong Che’s back, Lu Chao Chao giggled uncontrollably.
The sky lightened faintly with dawn.
“Hurry! Get home before Madam Xu wakes up!” Yu Shu urged anxiously.
“Over the wall, into the Lu Manor.” Yu Shu pointed toward the Lu family’s gate.
Rong Che carefully scaled the wall.
The instant they landed inside—
The Lu Manor’s lights blazed.
Looking up, they saw Madam Xu seated silently in a chair, her hair tinged with frost from waiting all night.
Caught red-handed!
Rong Che froze, his plan for leaving a good impression completely shattered.
Madam Xu’s stern gaze turned to them.
Rong Che wanted to cry but had no tears.
Deng Zhi shot Lu Chao Chao a glance. She immediately piped up, “Mommy! Chao Chao was sleepwalking! I wandered all the way outside!”
“Uncle Rong Che brought Chao Chao home!” she added innocently.
Deng Zhi facepalmed.
“Really? But I’ve been waiting here all night,” Madam Xu replied coolly.
“Uh…”
“You sleepwalked over the wall?” Madam Xu’s glare turned to Rong Che.
Lu Chao Chao’s knees buckled, and she knelt down with a thud.
Yu Shu followed suit.
Rong Che scratched his head, then also knelt down. [Kneeling for the heavens, the earth, the parents, and one’s future wife—isn’t that fair?]
Madam Xu’s shock made her leap aside.
“Rong Che, as the Stabilizing General, the only person you owe such reverence to is the Emperor!”
“You, get up!” she stammered, flustered.
Rong Che shook his head. “It’s my fault…”
He hung his head, mirroring Lu Chao Chao. The pair knelt in eerie unison.
“Do you know what you did wrong?” Madam Xu asked.
“No.”
“No.”
The two answered in perfect sync.
“Then why are you apologizing?” Madam Xu sighed, exasperated.
“If you say I’m wrong, I’ll admit it,” Rong Che replied sincerely. [Mother always said: when the wife is right, agree. When the wife is wrong, agree even faster. That’s how you get a warm family and happy life.]
Madam Xu was left speechless.
“You allowed her to bully a child?” she scolded, poking his forehead.
[Lu Jing Yao isn’t a child!] she thought but kept it to herself, knowing Rong Che was unaware.
Rong Che raised his chin. “She’s not my family. What’s it to me?” He pointed at Lu Chao Chao. “This one is my family.”
Grinning, Lu Chao Chao cried out, “Daddy!”
Madam Xu’s face flushed. “What daddy? Stop spouting nonsense!” Flustered, she waved her hand to dismiss the comment.
“And you! What do you mean by ‘your family’? Get out, go home!” Madam Xu scolded Rong Che, though her tone softened slightly.
Rong Che obediently responded, but as he turned, he winked at Lu Chao Chao.
Seeing that Madam Xu wasn’t planning to punish her for sneaking out, Lu Chao Chao’s grin widened.
She finally understood the benefits of having a dad.
Having a dad meant sharing the blame for mistakes and kneeling together!
Hahahahahaha Chao Chao is just hilarious