Chapter 2: Old Profession

Tang Qiaoqiao used one hand to support Shen Yue's neck, and the other hand passed under his knees, lifting him in a ‘princess carry’ and shifting him to the bed.

"I didn’t mean for it to be like this either."

Sweet and fragile girls shouldn’t carry men like this.

"You! LET GO OF ME, DAMN WOMAN!"

Shen Yue's body suddenly stiffened, feeling an immense humiliation. He struggled and tried to resist, but Tang Qiaoqiao's hands were like iron clamps, leaving him motionless. Already feeling dizzy, the sudden surge of excitement instantly caused him to lose consciousness.

Tang Qiaoqiao placed him on the bed and murmured, "You’re so light."

The man was wearing only black silk pajamas, his body so thin it seemed to be made entirely of bones, with hardly any flesh. After clasping his hand, she realized she could feel the bones even through the fabric.

She turned on the bedside lamp, and only then did she see the man's appearance.

His face was unshaven and disheveled, his lips were chapped, his pale skin was abnormally flushed, and his forehead was covered in beads of sweat.

Tang Qiaoqiao looked around the room, then hurried to the bathroom to get a warm towel to wipe his face.

In his dazed state, Shen Yue felt a soft pair of hands gently touch his forehead. Warmth enveloped his face, and there was a sudden sense of comfort amidst all his discomfort.

Tang Qiaoqiao muttered while diligently wiping his face, "Turns out you’re quite the handsome guy when you’re quiet."

Shen Yue's face was slightly thin, with deep eye sockets, a high nose bridge, and thin lips with little to no curvature.

His eyes were also black and shiny. When they stared at you intensely, it seemed like they could draw you right in.

'Wait, his eyes?'

"You, awake?" Tang Qiaoqiao met Shen Yue's open eyes and sighed in relief, "I thought you had fainted..."

"Get out!" Shen Yue’s sudden awakening released a palpable air of suppressed anger.

Tang Qiaoqiao gripped the towel tightly in her hand. "You are really a dog biting Lu Dongbin, can’t comprehend good intentions."

[T/N: The Chinese proverb "dog bites Lu Dongbin" means an inability to recognize goodness and repay kindness with vice. In the legend, Lu Dongbin tried to help a trapped dog, but he got bitten instead.]

"Lu Dongbin?" Shen Yue's thin lips raised a sneer, "We all know your purpose in marrying me. There is no need to pretend."

He pointed his finger at the bedroom door. "Now you can. Get. Out!"

"Why? Are you trying to die, you don't want to eat or seek medical attention?" Tang Qiaoqiao looked at him condescendingly, "I won't let you do what you want. Because if you're dead, it's me who’ll be unlucky."

When the original host married Shen Yue, it could be said that she was climbing into a wealthy family. Her husband was a paralyzed invalid—perhaps he would return to the West soon, and then she could inherit a huge fortune.

[T/N: Just in case it's not clear, "the West" here means the afterlife, not Europe/North America.]

However, the Shen family was not ignorant of such a simple concept. The condition for her marriage to Shen Yue was that if he passed away within two years, she would not receive a single penny and would instead face endless troubles.

The most important thing was that in the novel, Shen Yue didn't die at all, rather he had driven himself to insanity; Shen Yue even went as far as to compete with the male lead for the family property. It was primarily due to Shen Yue's actions that the original host of the body had met her tragic end.

In short, his self-imposed regimen of abstaining from food, drink, and medical attention seemed like a form of self-inflicted torment. However, the repercussions of his unyielding resolve would ultimately be borne by her in the days to come.

Shen Yue snorted, "So you are not actually an idiot after all."

Although she knew that he was scolding the original owner for being stupid, she felt that she was struck by a blow.

Tang Qiaoqiao sat back on the edge of the bed, "Then please be cooperative, let me help you change your clothes, they are soaking wet."

Before her hand could touch his collar, he slapped the back of her hand.

SMACK

"Don't touch me." Shen Yue pursed his lips, his face was as cold as an ice cellar.

Tang Qiaoqiao touched the reddish back of her hand and tentatively asked, "You’re so resistant to me. Is it because of gender boundaries? Are you shy?" She had just become human and had not yet fully adapted to human conventions.

Shen Yue glared at her.

"Then I will call Aunt Wang."

"I don't need anyone."

Tang Qiaoqiao rolled up her sleeves, "It will either be me or Aunt Wang, your choice. Otherwise, I could just carry you for a hot bath?"

Shen Yue stared at the woman in front of him fiercely. She must be here to torment him. She must be.

The woman looked back at him candidly and after a moment of silence, he dully muttered, "Aunt Wang."

"It would have been better if you had been this cooperative earlier." Tang Qiaoqiao grinned and swiftly ran outside the door and asked Aunt Wang to come up.

Aunt Wang who had been left downstairs had been attentively listening for any signs of their quarrel going beyond control. But when she entered and took a glance, her master was peacefully lying down on the bed without cursing or smashing things. His face was just grave without betraying any emotions and her lady smiling widely, she hesitated.

As she looked at her Master, he surprisingly had no objections to Tang Qiaoqiao’s presence. It was strange. What had just happened here? Since she had been assigned to take care of him, she hadn't been able to clean the room properly even once.

And her madam smiled with her arms akimbo. "Aunt Wang, please call the doctor first. Do we have a family doctor?"

"Yes, yes, it's just..." Aunt Wang glanced at Shen Yue and hesitated.

Tang Qiaoqiao: "What's wrong?"

Shen Yue: "You don't need to call a doctor."

"Why? you have a fever."

"I said no, Tang Qiaoqiao. You don’t want to mess with me." Shen Yue's suppressed anger was about to burst like a volcano.

Tang Qiaoqiao recalled that Shen Yue had suffered a car accident about half a year ago. Initially, he still had some sensation in his legs. At that time, he was treated by top doctors all over the world. But after trying various methods, they didn't work. On the contrary, the treatments tortured him immensely. Resulting in both mental and physical degradation.

After that, his legs gradually lost sensation until he could no longer feel them at all.

From then on, Shen Yue developed a staunch aversion to seeing doctors. He no longer trusted any of them, and at one point, he nearly let himself die from illness. He was ruthless even to himself.

Tang Qiaoqiao thought of this and took a step back. "Well, Aunt Wang, you help him put on new pajamas. Then replace all bedsheets and blankets. Clean the entire room. It is better to let him bask out in the sun."

The room hadn’t seen sunlight the entire year and had developed a strange smell.

"Aunt Wang agreed and glanced at Shen Yue. Surprisingly, he had no objections. 'This is so strange. What just happened here?'

Since she had been assigned to take care of him, she hadn’t been able to clean the room even once."

Shen Yue closed his eyes and let out a slight sigh. He just wanted this woman to leave the room quickly. Her presence was a nuisance, and left him having a headache from anger.

Aunt Wang stepped forward to start her work but paused to look at Tang Qiaoqiao.

Tang Qiaoqiao met her gaze, blinked, and said, "You can start."

'Are you planning on staying here?' Aunt Wang thought to herself.

Shen Yue said coldly, "Now, you can go out."

Aunt Wang said, "Madam, it's enough just to have me here. You can go and clean yourself."

Tang Qiaoqiao: "I don't need to clean up. I’m good."

"Filthy like a ghost." Shen Yue uttered, his eyes still closed.

"How is that possible?" Tang Qiaoqiao touched her face and noticed a smeared white and black mark on her hand. She raised her arm and smelled a strange scent mixed with the smell of alcohol and sweat.

"It's so foul." The man continued with his sharp-as-arrow remarks.

"Ah!" Tang Qiaoqiao exclaimed in horror. She immediately rushed downstairs and into her room.

Standing in front of the mirror, she saw herself reflected in it. The makeup on the woman’s face was all smudged. The eyeliner and mascara were all clumped together. Black streaks reminiscent of tears ran down her cheeks, her foundation had been wiped off. Her face was a mess.

Yes, the original owner had tried to awkwardly confess to Sheng Liang at the hotel last night. After returning home, she drowned herself in alcohol, didn’t remove her makeup, didn’t take a shower, and passed out a drunken mess. When she woke up, she had become Tang Qiaoqiao.

Tang Qiaoqiao wrinkled her nose in disgust in response to the sour smell wafting off her body. She quickly prepared the water to take a bath, turned on the jacuzzi, and relaxed in the warm water. She soaked herself for half an hour, thoroughly cleansing herself from head to toe. Then she picked a peach-patterned pajama. By this point, her image in the mirror transformed dramatically.

The original Tang Qiaoqiao had very poor aesthetics. She often dressed in gaudy red and purple colored dresses, along with heavy makeup that often led to her being criticized as overly flashy and vulgar by internet users.

In reality, she had features suitable for the entertainment industry—jet-black hair, round apricot eyes with a slight upward tilt at the corners, and a proud oval face. Her smiles caused her brows and eyes to curve, and even when not smiling, she exuded a unique charm.

Unfortunately, it had been obscured by her own tasteless aesthetics.

Tang Qiaoqiao meticulously applied body lotion to her smooth, fair skin and took in a deep breath. The air was now filled with a subtle scent of peaches.

After freshening up she headed straight towards the direction of the kitchen.

Aunt Wang who was busy in the kitchen was taken aback upon seeing her walk in.

Tang Qiaoqiao became anxious. "What's wrong? Is there still something on my face?"

“No, it's just the first time I’ve seen Madam dressed like this. You look much better. Oh, that’s not to say you weren’t before, Madam,’’ Aunt Wang hurriedly explained.

"It's okay. I dressed really poorly before." Tang Qiaoqiao waved her hand to show that she wasn’t in any way offended.

Aunt Wang let out a relieved sigh. She felt that today, her Madam had undergone a significant change, and she was quite fond of her current version.

"Madam, I've changed everything starting from Master's clothes to his bedsheets. I'm about to prepare some food for him. What would you like to eat?"

Tang Qiaoqiao carefully surveyed the kitchen, "You can go rest now. I’ll prepare something for him.’’

Aunt Wang asked in surprise, "You know how to cook?"

Tang Qiaoqiao smirked proudly in response, "It’s an old skill of mine." What else could you do with a kitchen ladle? Cooking, of course!

Aunt Wang: "Well, if you need anything, Madam, feel free to call me anytime."

Once Aunt Wang left, Tang Qiaoqiao inspected the refrigerator, finding it stocked with fresh ingredients. Since Shen Yue was unwell, it would be better to prepare something light.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***