After returning home from work, Que Tang realized that ever since she encountered this fat cat, her long-standing habit of jogging had all but vanished. Seeing as she had nothing to do that evening, no appetite for dinner, and—more rarely—no female lead or male lead to win over, she changed into a tracksuit from her wardrobe. She forced Little Mushroom, who was so fat he could barely walk, to head out with her for a run along the nearby riverbank.
"Heavens, this hair has grown so long I can't stand it anymore. It must add at least a kilogram of weight. I'm definitely cutting it off tomorrow," Que Tang grumbled, tugging at her long hair, which she had tied up. "But speaking of which, it really is nice to be rich. This area is so peaceful." After running near her home for nearly an hour, she couldn't help but admire the jogging route.
Little Mushroom panted heavily as he trotted by her feet. "Meow... Host's stamina is really something..."
"Of course it is. Back when we performed stage plays, we took turns handling various tasks. If you were assigned to build or move props without any physical strength, you'd never make it." She looked down at Little Mushroom, who was sticking his tongue out to dissipate heat, her lips curling into a mocking smirk. "You're a cat. How can you call yourself a cat with such low activity levels? I told you to eat fewer dried fish, but you wouldn't listen."
"Meow! Running is so boring! Our planet has all sorts of fitness activities. Catching mice, pouncing on butterflies, chasing cockroaches... How could I not eat dried fish!"
"...Chasing cockroaches." Speechless, Que Tang took the towel from around her neck to wipe her sweat and chatted idly with Little Mushroom as they walked back to her door. Her light, cheerful mood vanished instantly when she saw a figure standing at her entrance. "Didn't we just see each other this morning? Why is she here again..."
"Mrs. Song?" Que Tang recognized her with surprise. "It's so late. Is there something you need...?"
"..." Yu Luoyan stared at her expressionlessly, not saying a word.
"Right, this isn't a good place to talk. Would you like to come up and sit for a while?" Receiving no response, Que Tang continued her inquiry, unbothered by the other woman's rudeness. This time, she finally received a nod in response. Smiling, she fished out her keys, opened the door, and led her upstairs.
"Mrs. Song, please make yourself at home. I'll go make some tea." Que Tang went into the kitchen and rummaged through the upper cabinets for the tea leaves the original owner had purchased. After brewing a pot and bringing it out, she saw Yu Luoyan intently studying her home's decor.
"You... have quite a wide range of interests." Yu Luoyan scanned the apartment while Que Tang was away. She realized that this woman was not, as she had thought, someone who relied solely on her face to win affection.
The bookshelves were filled with various genres of books, unlike her own collection, which consisted only of beauty, fashion, or gossip magazines. The albums placed by the stereo included not just pop music, but also symphonies, vocal music, and operas. These were things Yu Luoyan herself had once enjoyed going to the concert hall to see alone before she got married. The walls were covered with travel photos—some solo shots, some with friends—but all of them were filled with joy. There were also postcards from various countries, each with a different closing signature, revealing Que Tang's popularity.
And how long had it been since she herself had truly looked at this world? Every time she went abroad, it was for shopping and nothing else. Even on the rare occasions she went out with friends, they only discussed the latest seasonal products.
When had she become the kind of woman she used to hate the most? The most ridiculous part was that she had thought being this way would please her husband.
"Mrs. Song?"
"Miss Yu." Yu Luoyan turned back to look at her. "Call me Miss Yu."
"Miss Yu." Que Tang, understanding and tactful, didn't ask questions and followed her lead. "The tea is ready. Why don't you rest for a bit?" Back downstairs, she had already noticed Yu Luoyan's slight trembling. Although spring had arrived, the nights were still chilly, and a thin coat was not enough to ward off the cold.
Yu Luoyan sank into the soft sofa of Que Tang's home, holding a tea cup that was warm but not scalding. Her heart, which had been freezing since the afternoon, seemed to slowly resume its beat.
"Miss Yu, have you... eaten yet?" Que Tang tried to break the silence.
Yu Luoyan ignored her but seemed to find the desire to speak, talking as if to herself. "This morning, after I left your office, I thought that 'changing myself' probably meant getting rid of my spoiled temper. So, I had the family chef prepare lunch and took it to the company, waiting for him to finish his meeting so we could eat together. I waited for over an hour before he finally came out of his office. I had just stood up happily with the lunch when he walked right past me, acting as if I didn't exist."
"In my entire life, no one has ever ignored me like that. Only he dares to treat me this way." Yu Luoyan gripped the cup, her eyes filled with resentment. "Just as I was so angry I wanted to throw the lunch at him, he suddenly stopped. I thought he had found his conscience, but instead, he told me to hurry up and sign the divorce papers so we wouldn't waste everyone's time."
"Am I really that detestable?" She suddenly sat bolt upright, causing a large amount of black tea to splash out of the cup and onto her clothes. Yu Luoyan didn't even notice her disheveled state, her eyes red as she glared at Que Tang.
However, before Que Tang could answer, her momentum vanished completely, and she looked away. "I thought I didn't lose to you in any way. In terms of family background, wealth... I'm even a step above you. But I just realized..." She was unwilling yet forced to admit it. "Aside from my family background, I am simply not worth mentioning in front of you."
"It's only now that I understand what it means to need to change." Yu Luoyan placed the cup on the table and stood up, looking down at her with a haughty expression. "Que Tang, I will not lose to you." She turned and walked toward the door. "Thank you for the hospitality."
"Wait, Miss Yu," Que Tang called out. Walking to her side, she picked a suitable cardigan from the rack by the door and draped it over her. Under Yu Luoyan's puzzled and defensive gaze, Que Tang gave her usual gentle smile. "If you don't want to lose to me, you should at least take care of your health first. This cardigan isn't an expensive brand; I imagine you might not think much of it, but at least it's useful right now." She stepped past Yu Luoyan to open the door. "Miss Yu, let me walk you down."
Yu Luoyan hadn't expected Que Tang to say that. For a moment, she didn't know how to respond and could only silently follow her downstairs. It wasn't until the driver arrived with the car that Que Tang, having ensured her safety, turned to go back.
Through the tinted car window, Yu Luoyan unconsciously watched Que Tang's retreating figure until she completely vanished from sight.
"Good morning." The next morning, Que Tang walked into the office in a bright mood, greeting the employees as usual.
"Morning, General Manager," an older employee replied.
"General Manager, you actually cut your hair?" a male colleague with a long-hair fetish wailed.
"General Manager, you look so young now that those of us who just joined the company will have to call you 'Big Sister'." A newly hired assistant looked at her in surprise.
She chatted and joked with the staff without any air of superiority. When she reached her office door, her secretary's eyes lit up with amazement. "General Manager, you cut your hair?"
"What do you think? Not bad, right?" Que Tang happily touched the ends of her hair, which now fell just past her shoulders. "I finally feel a kilogram lighter."
"You really love to joke, General Manager," the secretary replied with a smile, suddenly remembering a guest who had arrived just before her. "General Manager, that... Mrs. Song from yesterday is here again. She's inside waiting for you."
Que Tang raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Mrs. Song?"
The secretary nodded repeatedly.
"Alright, I understand. Have you made tea?" She offered a slightly troubled but understanding smile.
"Yes, I used the tea bags you left with me yesterday. I brewed a pot and sent it in."
"Thank you, Michelle. It's great having you here." Que Tang thanked her sincerely and walked into the office, leaving the starstruck secretary behind.
"Miss Yu, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." Even though the other party had come without an appointment, Que Tang took the blame upon herself as soon as she entered.
Yu Luoyan turned around. Her originally critical gaze shifted to shock upon seeing that Que Tang had cut off most of her hair. "You..."
"Ah, my hair?" Seeing her staring at the ends of her hair, Que Tang said with a pleasant smile, "It's much more relaxing with it cut like this."
"Is it because I asked you to leave Aotian?" Yu Luoyan didn't believe her explanation. She assumed the other woman had cut her hair due to a broken heart. "You... why are you so foolish? Your original hair was so..." *Beautiful it made one want to hold you.* Realizing the unspoken words were too ambiguous, she abruptly stopped.
"Whatever the reason, as long as I'm happy, it's fine. Hair can always grow back; if I want it long, I'll just grow it out again." Que Tang explained nonchalantly. She walked to her seat, sat down, and looked at her professionally. "Miss Yu, is there something you're here for today?"
She observed the Yu Luoyan before her. Although her features were the same, her entire demeanor seemed refreshed. She no longer looked like the pathetic, hysterical wife of a cheating husband from their previous two meetings. She was now a woman of confidence.
Turning to the main topic, though she still felt a lingering sense of pity for the cut hair, Yu Luoyan composed her expression and said seriously, "I am here today as the representative of Yu Xia to discuss the cooperation project with you. From now on, I will be the one in charge of liaising with you for all our joint projects."
"You..." Que Tang's eyes widened in disbelief, and this rare moment of losing her composure greatly pleased Yu Luoyan.
For the first time, she showed a smile in front of Que Tang. "I hold double Master's degrees in Business Administration and Marketing. Before I married Song Aotian, my title at our company was Sales Manager."
Que Tang hadn't expected that "not losing to her" meant this. She shook her head with a helpless smile. "I see. But I'm sorry, Miss Yu, since I'm leaving soon, I have already authorized the Sales Coordinator to handle the coordination with your company."
"I have already requested your head office that you be fully responsible for this project. Furthermore, I will offer even more generous concessions in the cooperation agreement than originally planned." Yu Luoyan looked at her like a predator eyeing its prey. "Que Tang, don't even think about running away. I am going to defeat you."
*The one who wanted me to leave before was her, and the one who wants me to stay now is also her. You really can't guess the mind of a female supporting character...* Que Tang struggled to maintain her smile while facing the formidable aura emanating from Yu Luoyan. *And for her favorability to jump so much all at once... I have a faint, ominous feeling about this.*
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Transmigrated as the Mary Sue: The Villainess's Revenge System | Chapter 57 | A New Resolve | Novela.app | Novela.app
