Rebirth as the Richest Woman in the World
Chapter 600 - 601, I am willing to be deceived.

Chapter 600: 601, I am willing to be deceived.

Zuo Lingxiang wasn’t particularly beautiful, in fact, she could at best be described as decent-looking. However, under the guise of makeup, her features appeared extremely exquisite.

In the secluded village, such a person could indeed be considered a fashion trendsetter.

But she had forgotten this was Capital City.

The bustling Capital City, where beauties abounded, especially those like her who feigned their beauty.

"I’ve changed." Zuo Lingxiang replied obediently, with a humble demeanor, yet she was seething inside. This Chu Jin was really something, pretending to ask when she could clearly see that Zuo Lingxiang had already changed into her maid’s attire. Did she really think she was the lady of the house?

Some people really have no self-awareness!

"Since you’ve changed, then don’t just stand there," Chu Jin spoke again, her tone indifferent, "Do you know what Aunt Zhang does every day?"

"I don’t know." Zuo Lingxiang answered softly.

Chu Jin lowered her gaze to take a sip of her porridge, casually pulling out a napkin to wipe her mouth, and retorted, "You’re here to replace Aunt Zhang and you don’t know what she does every day?"

Heh.

Zuo Lingxiang sneered inwardly, Chu Jin really put on airs! She wasn’t a maid, so why should she know what a maid did every day? She was going to be a wealthy man’s wife in the future!

"Miss Chu, just tell me directly what you need me to do." Zuo Lingxiang straightened her back, meeting Chu Jin’s gaze, neither servile nor overbearing. She might be poor and the daughter of a maid, but she had her own backbone!

She would absolutely not bow to evil forces.

She believed the master would surely notice her distinctiveness.

Chu Jin looked at Zuo Lingxiang, her eyebrows slightly raised, "Then start with the carpet on the first floor. Take it up to wash and disinfect first. Be careful when washing; these are expensive wool carpets and cannot be machine-washed, only hand-washed."

"But..." Zuo Lingxiang looked down at her feet, "Miss Chu, these carpets are clean."

Chu Jin must be deliberately making things difficult for her.

Why wash a perfectly good carpet?

These carpets covered dozens of square meters, thick and heavy, and needed to be washed by hand. Was this some kind of joke? She had just gotten her nails done last week! Moreover, she had never washed clothes at home, and here Chu Jin was making her wash carpets!

"Clean?" Chu Jin’s lips curled up slightly, as she casually spilled a cup of juice on the floor, "Now, see, it’s dirty, isn’t it?"

That attitude was both flamboyant and proud.

Arrogant and domineering, yet so beautiful it was startling, and one could not look away, as if she was born to be so.

Such a person was born to shine, to be watched by everyone, no matter what they did, they were never tiresome.

"You!?" Zuo Lingxiang looked at Chu Jin in disbelief, "Miss Chu, you are deliberately making this difficult for me!"

"You’re right," Chu Jin smiled lightly, "I am deliberately making it difficult for you. If you don’t want to do it, you’re free to leave." The smile on her lips was so bright.

"You..." Zuo Lingxiang’s face turned red and white with anger, speechless with frustration.

Leave?!

How could she possibly leave so easily?

She wouldn’t leave until she achieved her goal!

Moreover, her mother was now earning a high monthly salary, which could support her daily spending. If her mother lost this job, who would give her money? How would she lead such a comfortable life? She could even stay here during holidays; this is a high-class villa area, not just anyone could come in!

Her roommates envied her smooth entry and exit to this villa.

Even if she couldn’t gain anything from the master, she would not leave!

Anyone living here was no ordinary person. Who knew, perhaps one day she might meet someone even richer than the master?

Scheming thoughts floated through Zuo Lingxiang’s lowered gaze.

Actually, Chu Jin’s words were exactly what Zuo Lingxiang wanted to hear.

The more difficult Chu Jin acted, the more it highlighted Zuo Lingxiang’s gentle and generous demeanor.

Furthermore, she had a trump card up her sleeve.

Thinking of this, Zuo Lingxiang felt much better.

"Seeing you like this, it seems you don’t want to leave?" Chu Jin continued, "Since you don’t want to leave, then get started. After the carpet is clean, there’s other work waiting for you."

"Yes, Miss Chu. I’ll get to it," Zuo Lingxiang swallowed her pride, glancing out of the corner of her eye at Mo Zhixuan nearby. The man wore a pristine white shirt, sitting casually, a cigar held between his index and middle fingers, with faint smoke curling from his thin lips.

His attention remained focused on the girl opposite him, his eyes filled with indulgence and affection, as if he could no longer accommodate another person.

Zuo Lingxiang stared at him, her heart racing.

She thought that if she could be the one in his eyes, she would be willing to go to hell.

Zuo Lingxiang bent down to clean up the carpet.

The wool carpet wasn’t easy to handle, and in a short while, Zuo Lingxiang was drenched in sweat.

During this time, Chu Jin and Mo Zhixuan went upstairs. Before leaving, Chu Jin instructed, "Make sure to clean up the bowls and dishes too, a maid should look the part. We pay you to come here, not to act like a miss of a wealthy family."

"I understand, Miss Chu." Zuo Lingxiang appeared compliant, but inside, she had cursed Chu Jin hundreds of times over!

However, Zuo Lingxiang’s attention was quickly captured by something else on the table.

There was a black cell phone on the table.

It was master’s frequently used one.

Zuo Lingxiang’s lips gradually curled into a smile. She had been worried about not having an opportunity, and quietly, she picked up the phone.

What excited Zuo Lingxiang even more was that the master’s phone didn’t have a password set.

It seemed that even the heavens were helping her.

But Zuo Lingxiang didn’t have the guts to do anything else; she only looked at the phone number before putting the phone back in its place.

Twenty minutes later.

Zuo Lingxiang came out of the restroom with an evident smile on her face; it was clear that the day’s fortunes were about to change.

She had already sent the photos of Chu Jin on a date with another man to her husband.

And that Volkswagen – that car was just too ordinary; it was obvious that it didn’t belong to her husband.

Chu Jin sure had the guts to secretly keep a gigolo while married to her husband.

How could someone like that ever be worthy of her husband!

Now, all she had to do was sit back and enjoy the show.

From the corner of her eye, Zuo Lingxiang glanced at the table where her phone had been lying – it was gone now, presumably taken by her husband, who must have seen the messages she sent.

A few days ago, the scandal of Capital University’s campus belle being kept by a sugar daddy had caused an uproar.

Even students from the neighboring C University knew about it.

Naturally, Zuo Lingxiang was also in the loop, and though the forum post had since been taken down, she had the foresight to capture screenshots. Now, she had sent all those pictures to her husband.

This time, her husband was certain not to let Chu Jin off easily.

Sitting on the sofa, Zuo Lingxiang thought smugly, not even bothering to clean the carpet, and began reading a book.

This was a new favorite of hers.

The author was incredibly talented, with a deep literary foundation – the prose was vivid and compelling, like a beam of light illuminating the heart.

Printed on the book’s cover were four characters –

"Blooms like Brocade."

The author, "The Return of the Past."

Zuo Lingxiang really liked this author.

She was a loyal fan.

In fact, during the days when "The Return of the Past" was accused of plagiarism, she comforted the author daily on her Weibo.

Moreover, Zuo Lingxiang had tipped the author generously on the original literature website, ranking in the top 500 fans – considering the wealth of "The Return of the Past’s" fans, making it to the top 500 was no small feat.

Zuo Lingxiang desperately wanted to live the life described by "The Return of the Past" – one of quiet sophistication and composed resilience.

Fearless in love and fierce in hate.

Leading a libertine life, yet quietly free.

Regrettably...

Real life forced her to become a wealthy person.

After reading for a while, Zuo Lingxiang suddenly frowned, closed the book and looked upstairs. It had been so long – why was there still no reaction from her husband?

Could it be that he hadn’t seen it?

As she was pondering this, footsteps sounded behind her, and Zuo Lingxiang turned around in alarm to see Mo Zhixuan, her heart racing uncontrollably.

Some people, no matter how often you see them, you never become immune to their presence; every encounter was breathtaking.

Mo Zhixuan was clearly one of those people.

Zuo Lingxiang felt her hands were awkwardly placed.

"Sir," Zuo Lingxiang said, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

Mo Zhixuan’s expression remained as cold as ever. In fact, apart from Chu Jin, he had never shown a warm face to anyone else.

"Is that book yours?" Mo Zhixuan’s gaze moved past Zuo Lingxiang and settled on the blue-covered book, his eyes and expression softening momentarily.

It was rare to see Mo Zhixuan show such a look, and Zuo Lingxiang nodded, somewhat flattered, "It’s mine," she said, then added, "I really like the author of this book."

Did her husband finally notice her?

"Good taste," Mo Zhixuan said with a rare hint of a smile.

The husband was praising her!

The husband finally saw her!

Suppressing her excitement, Zuo Lingxiang replied with a calm tone, "Thank you, sir."

Mo Zhixuan didn’t linger on the conversation. He walked to the kitchen, took a bottle of mineral water from the fridge, and as he passed by the living room again, seeing Zuo Lingxiang still standing there, he frowned slightly and said, "Why are you still here? Have you forgotten what Miss Chu instructed you to do?"

Although Mo Zhixuan didn’t know why Chu Jin was suddenly giving Zuo Lingxiang a hard time, he knew that she must have her reasons.

Therefore, he was willing to cooperate with Chu Jin.

After all, this was what Zuo Lingxiang was supposed to do.

Since Zuo Lingxiang was filling in for Aunt Zhang, she needed to fulfill her duties.

Hesitant, Zuo Lingxiang looked at him.

Mo Zhixuan’s frown deepened, before he added, "From now on, Miss Chu will be the lady of this house. Her words are as good as mine."

Put differently, what Mr. Mo was trying to say was that he was under his wife’s thumb, that everything in this place was up to Chu Jin, and whatever she said, went.

Therefore, Zuo Lingxiang had to obey Chu Jin.

Zuo Lingxiang also understood the meaning of his words and struggled to accept it for a moment.

How could her husband still value Chu Jin so much after knowing she kept a gigolo?

After all, it wasn’t like there were no other women on earth!

Mo Zhixuan looked at her, his phoenix eyes half closed, his facial features as if veiled with a layer of ice, "Can’t understand what I’m saying?"

Zuo Lingxiang’s complexion turned pale in an instant, her head lowered, not daring to look at him, she whispered, "I understand."

Mo Zhixuan turned and walked toward the upstairs.

Zuo Lingxiang watched his figure about to vanish into the stairwell, somewhat anxiously said, "Sir, wait a moment."

The sir is still so good to Chu Jin, he mustn’t have seen that message yet, so she could remind the sir now, to avoid him being deceived by that Chu Jin.

Mo Zhixuan stopped in his tracks, looking at Zuo Lingxiang with some impatience, his tone slightly cold, "What is it?"

That man’s presence was too overwhelming, causing Zuo Lingxiang to subconsciously shrink her neck, swallowing before saying, "... Sir, have you checked your phone?"

A few seconds of silence filled the air, and Mo Zhixuan raised his eyes to look at Zuo Lingxiang, frowning as he spoke in a deep voice, "Did you send that message?"

The sir saw that message?

Aren’t men most concerned about the color of the hat they’re wearing on their heads?

Could this be the calm before the storm?

In the palm of Zuo Lingxiang’s tightly clasped hand, a moist sweat formed; she carefully raised her eyes to Mo Zhixuan, "Sir, I was just worried you were being deceived."

A breeze came through.

It flipped the pages of the book on the table, the paper making a sharp sound, particularly pleasing, and Mo Zhixuan’s gaze shifted without a trace from the book as he slowly said, "I am willing to be deceived."

Boom!

A loud noise.

Zuo Lingxiang felt as if something in her mind had suddenly been shattered to pieces.

Her blood seemed to flow backward.

Her carefully prepared drama, in the end, had only earned her these five words.

She felt both suffocated and powerless.

Like a dancing clown.

Sir... how could he do this?

"Sir, I’m sorry," said Zuo Lingxiang, her head down, a cold sweat forming on her forehead, "I overstepped."

Mo Zhixuan didn’t look at her, continuing upstairs with large strides.

Zuo Lingxiang collapsed to the ground like a deflated ball, her face a shade of ashen gray.

Her dream of a luxurious life,

Shattered.

In the eyes of the sir, she must be very ridiculous, right?

She shamelessly threw herself at him and tried every means to destroy the relationship between him and Chu Jin; how could he fail to see through her?

He simply didn’t point it out.

Perhaps the sir wanted to preserve her dignity, considering the hard work her mother put in over the years.

In fact, what kept Mo Zhixuan so calm was entirely for the sake of that book.

When Chu Jin was subject to public criticism and accused of plagiarism, it was those readers who supported her tirelessly, encouraging her.

The readers of "The Return of the Past" are all kind people.

Therefore, Mo Zhixuan was, in a way, showing affection for the things she loved.

Channeling her sadness into strength, Zuo Lingxiang moved all the carpets in the living room to the bathroom to wash, dry in the sun, and disinfect.

After a whole day, she was exhausted, her back ached, and she was gasping for breath; merely one day had passed, and she was already too tired to continue, wondering how her mother had managed day after day.

As Zuo Lingxiang disinfected the carpets, she reflected on many things.

And the true purpose of Chu Jin was to let Zuo Lingxiang understand Aunt Zhang’s daily hardships that in this world, only by giving can one receive in return. Zuo Lingxiang did not know how to give, to be grateful; she only knew how to take, to complain, to dream of shortcuts, which one day would lead her down a road of no return.

Zuo Lingxiang had potential.

Born into poverty but diligent in her studies, she got into a first-class university; she simply lacked proper guidance.

As long as someone enlightened her slightly, Zuo Lingxiang would indeed make something of herself in the future.

After handling the carpets, Zuo Lingxiang busied herself wiping down the sofa, the wall paintings, and the crystal chandelier.

The villa was large and there was plenty to do.

Zuo Lingxiang was very tired, yet very clear-headed.

Clearer than she had ever been.

"Hmm, the carpet is well cleaned, very clean; you’ve worked hard." Right on cue, a clear voice sounded behind her.

Zuo Lingxiang put down the cloth in her hand and turned to look at Chu Jin, "Thank you for the compliment, Miss Chu, it’s all part of my duties."

After a day’s reflection, Zuo Lingxiang had come to understand a lot.

The sir wasn’t a fool; there must be reasons why he valued Chu Jin so much.

What was she doing, trying to insert herself into the sweet life of a couple?

With so many wealthy men in this world, there was no need for her to cling to one who already had a fiancée.

How was that any different from being a homewrecker?

Zuo Lingxiang didn’t like Chu Jin, not one bit, and for this very reason, she was determined to live a life more outstanding and more thrilling than Chu Jin ever could.

The common saying goes, "Thirty years on the east bank of the river and thirty years on the west."

Although at this moment she bows her head before others.

You never know, when we meet again, the one bowing might be Chu Jin.

Chu Jin didn’t care at all about Zuo Lingxiang’s attitude; she looked around and asked, "Tired?"

"Tired," Zuo Lingxiang frankly dropped all pretense.

After all, she no longer had any other thoughts about Mo Zhixuan, and Chu Jin had no reason to send her away without cause.

"Tired," Chu Jin chuckled, "that’s right, comfort is for the dead. In this world, who isn’t tired? No pain, no gain; everyone is shouldering a burden and moving forward."

"Bearing a burden and moving forward?" Zuo Lingxiang also laughed, "Does that include Miss Chu as well?"

In Zuo Lingxiang’s eyes, Chu Jin was the type of lady who never had to lift a finger, a sheltered rich young mistress.

What face did such a useless young mistress have to shamelessly speak of bearing burdens and moving forward?

Ridiculous.

Chu Jin merely smiled without directly answering Zuo Lingxiang’s question and instead handed her a piece of paper, speaking slowly, "In fact, today you haven’t even done half of what Aunt Zhang does on a daily basis."

It was much later that Zuo Lingxiang truly understood the real meaning behind Chu Jin’s "bearing a burden and moving forward."

At that moment, Zuo Lingxiang somewhat puzzledly took the paper.

It was not an ordinary chart.

To say it was not ordinary, yet ordinary it was; it was a work schedule.

It was filled with tasks that Aunt Zhang had to do every day.

Ten hours a day.

There was practically no downtime.

The villa was large and had to be kept clean and tidy at all times.

A faint redness tinged Zuo Lingxiang’s eyes; only now that she had personally experienced it did she realize how hard her mother’s work was. She had thought her mother’s work was simple and easy, and the money came quickly.

It turned out everything was just as she assumed.

Recalling how she used her mother’s hard-earned money to buy expensive skincare products, clothes, get her nails done, spa treatments, Zuo Lingxiang’s face blushed crimson.

Her heart was filled with immense regret.

Why had her mother never complained about these things to her?

It seemed she never even once told her mother how hard she worked.

Every time she called her mother, the first words out of her mouth were always asking for money.

This was how she treated her mother.

Yet her mother never blamed her for it.

Zuo Lingxiang was filled with regret and self-reproach.

Chu Jin, as always, maintained her composure and patted Zuo Lingxiang’s shoulder, "Since God has given us hands, we must make full use of their value, use them to create myths, to create the impossible. There are no shortcuts in life, and even if you do find one, it will be like the Dodder flower—once it separates from its host, it withers, fades, and in the end... dies."

The Dodder flower is a delicate plant that needs to rely on another plant to survive.

Zuo Lingxiang stared at Chu Jin, unable to utter a word.

She didn’t expect that a woman with such an empty head as Chu Jin could say such a thing.

Chu Jin’s lips curled slightly. Under Zuo Lingxiang’s shocked gaze, she continued, "Actually, the biggest shortcut in life are these hands of ours. They can work countless miracles; it’s just that many people have not yet realized it."

Zuo Lingxiang was truly taken aback by Chu Jin, standing there at a loss for words.

Although she was loath to admit it, what Chu Jin said was really true and made sense.

This speech by Chu Jin also awakened her.

Yes, she had been fixated on clinging to the powerful, finding a wealthy patron, being kept, and living the life of a wealthy wife.

But she had never considered, what if one day, the wealthy patron got tired of her and kicked her away?

What would she do then?

How was such a life different from that of the Dodder flower?

Only what she earned through her own efforts was truly hers.

Zuo Lingxiang’s change did not escape Chu Jin’s notice. She continued with a clear and melodious tone, "I hope you are not that Dodder flower."

"I hope I’m not that Dodder flower either," Zuo Lingxiang outspokenly replied.

Chu Jin might be good at teaching herself, but wasn’t her current life just like that of a Dodder flower?

If her husband one day grew tired of her, what would she amount to?

Chu Jin wasn’t angered and just lightly smiled, speaking in an indifferent tone, "I am not an ordinary Dodder flower, now, you’ve been tired the whole day, go and rest." With that, she turned and walked away.

Not an ordinary Dodder flower?

What did she mean by that?

Zuo Lingxiang frowned wordlessly. Did she mean she was a second-rate Dodder flower?

Watching Chu Jin’s retreating figure, Zuo Lingxiang suddenly realized she didn’t dislike her as much as before.

This Chu Jin, she didn’t seem as arrogant and haughty as Zuo Lingxiang had imagined.

Halfway through her steps, Chu Jin paused, looked at Zuo Lingxiang as if remembering something, lifted her chin slightly and spoke slowly, "By the way, here’s another saying for you: ’The tree desires tranquility, but the wind does not cease; the child wishes to support the parents, but they are not there.’ Life is just this long, don’t do anything that you will regret. If you have time tomorrow, take Aunt Zhang to the hospital for a check-up."

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