novelraw Chapter 172 : Liu Rushuang: “I’ve Become The Stand-In?”
Chapter 172 : Liu Rushuang: “I’ve Become The Stand-In?”
Chapter 172: Liu Rushuang: “I’ve Become The Stand-In?”
“There weren’t any women’s slippers prepared at home, so just make do with these.”
In the living room, Lin Mo handed over a brand-new pair of blue slippers. Liu Rushuang casually took them, put them on, and stepped a few times. Feeling comfortable, she smiled and said,
“If you actually had women’s slippers at home, that would be the real problem. If I’d known, I would’ve brought a few pairs myself. I’m thirsty—get me something to drink, I’ll have a look around.”
For some reason, Liu Rushuang didn’t act like a guest at all after coming to his place—she had already started ordering him around.
Hearing that, Lin Mo rolled his eyes and asked, “Cold or room temperature?”
“Of course cold. Your big sister here can have cold drinks today, you get what I mean?” Liu Rushuang clasped her hands behind her back, strolling around his living room as though inspecting her own territory.
Lin Mo opened the fridge, took out a can of sparkling water, and handed it to her. “Here, drink this. Sugar-free, so you don’t have to worry about gaining weight.”
“Oh, you do understand women, don’t you, little brother?” Liu Rushuang took the can and drank several mouthfuls. The icy taste made her sigh in satisfaction.
After finishing, Liu Rushuang glanced around the room, about to speak, when she suddenly noticed Lin Mo staring straight at her.
Following his gaze, she slowly looked down—and realized he was looking at her feet. She burst into a laugh. “What are you staring at? Don’t tell me you like them? I didn’t expect you to be a foot fetishist!”
“Ahem.” Lin Mo instantly came back to his senses and hurriedly said, “Get lost. I was just… surprised.”
“Surprised? You sure it’s not because you’re a pervert?” Liu Rushuang teased, pretending to look at him in disgust.
“You’re the pervert. I was just surprised that you’re actually wearing socks today. I’ve known you for so long, and I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen socks on your feet,” Lin Mo replied.
Granted, Liu Rushuang’s feet were indeed beautiful, but he wasn’t some foot fetishist. He didn’t have those kinds of odd interests.
“Really? Maybe. I had to drive today, so I wore flat shoes—naturally had to wear socks. Normally, I only go barefoot when I’m wearing heels. What do you think? Not bad?” Liu Rushuang raised her foot and wiggled her toes toward him. The white socks wrapped tightly around her slender feet.
Hearing that, Lin Mo clicked his tongue and laughed. “All I can think about now is that someone like you, who loves walking barefoot everywhere, will have those little white socks turn yellow and crusty by tomorrow.”
“You—! Daring to tease your big sister now, huh?” Liu Rushuang’s cheeks flushed as she gave him a light punch and spat playfully.
It was obvious she was embarrassed and angry. Socks getting dirty like that was probably something she’d experienced before. No matter how pretty a woman was, socks didn’t discriminate—if they were worn, they got dirty.
After giving Lin Mo a playful smack, Liu Rushuang wandered around the living room again. “You’ve got quite a bit of stuff. When did you get a bicycle?”
“Bought it online. It just arrived yesterday. Thought I’d use it to get some exercise,” Lin Mo replied.
He had thought about selling the bike to the Rushuang Empress, but he was afraid she wouldn’t be interested in such a thing, so he kept quiet. After all, she didn’t look like someone who liked bicycles.
“Not bad. Exercise more—maybe you’ll even get abs,” Liu Rushuang said with a smile.
Lin Mo looked at her in surprise. “You like abs too? I thought only Yuan Jie liked that kind of thing.”
“Nonsense. Most women like abs, okay? But you—at best, yours are from being skinny, not from training. Probably no texture at all. Zero stars,” Liu Rushuang said, scanning him up and down critically.
“You’re not wrong,” Lin Mo muttered, unable to refute her.
She was right. His abs were indeed faintly visible—but only because he was thin, not because of exercise. He had always been lean, with no belly. Even though he’d started jogging and doing standing exercises daily, he hadn’t trained his abs, so naturally, there wasn’t much to show.
Seeing him concede, Liu Rushuang smiled triumphantly, then continued to look around—glancing through his display cabinet at certificates and banners of honor.
“Oh? You drink liquor? Didn’t your cousin say you can’t handle alcohol?” she asked, pointing at a bottle of Moutai.
That bottle was one he’d bought online—planning to take it home for his father on National Day. It wasn’t a rare vintage, just a standard Flying Fairy Moutai worth around two thousand yuan.
“I don’t drink it. Just for display. I’ll take it home for the holidays,” Lin Mo explained.
Liu Rushuang nodded. “I see. Well, don’t display something like that. I’ll bring you a few nicer bottles next time—something understated but classy. This one’s too basic. Anyone who sees it will think you’re just average.”
Lin Mo: …
Sure enough, human joy and sorrow never aligned. What he thought was a prized item, others dismissed as low-tier.
“Oh? What’s this?”
At that moment, Liu Rushuang noticed the Gong Fan in his display cabinet. She took it out, studied the patterns, and held it to the light before asking uncertainly, “Is this… a Gong Fan?”
“Oh? You know about it?” Lin Mo was a bit surprised. That fan should’ve been even more obscure than the bicycle. Liu Rushuang had barely glanced at the bike but immediately recognized the fan.
“I wasn’t sure at first. My mom loves these little trinkets—she has a Gong Fan too, supposedly from a famous maker, worth over a hundred thousand yuan. Yours looks pretty nice as well. Where’d you get it?” she asked, gently fanning herself.
“Bought it. Couldn’t have made it myself,” Lin Mo chuckled.
Liu Rushuang rolled her eyes. “Of course you bought it. The Gong Fan is one of Zigong’s ‘Three Marvels.’ Some of the crafting steps are still kept secret to this day. The cheap ones on the market are all defective—usually made by apprentices. The good ones start from tens of thousands. A real master’s work costs much more. Yours looks decent, about as good as my mom’s. I thought it might be from a well-known artisan.”
“Honestly, I bought it secondhand. Not sure of its background. How about you find someone to take a look for me?” Lin Mo suggested.
He couldn’t sell the bike, but he still had the fan. Since Liu Rushuang seemed interested, why not let her have it?
“Tsk, I was just saying, and you took it seriously? You really think yours is a masterwork? Forget it. I like it—it’s confiscated. You’ve never given me a gift anyway.” Liu Rushuang made the decision herself.
To her, if it wasn’t a master’s work, it was probably just an ordinary piece worth a few thousand yuan—nothing worth fussing over.
Lin Mo hesitated but then nodded. He knew perfectly well that this fan was authentic, but since she liked it, so be it. If it wasn’t from a famous maker, it wasn’t worth much anyway.
Besides, selling it himself would be a hassle. Giving it to Liu Rushuang as a gift was fine too.
“What? You can’t bear to part with it?” Liu Rushuang teased when she saw his expression.
Lin Mo waved a hand. “Don’t talk nonsense. If you like it, take it. It’s not worth much anyway.”
After all, the Rushuang Empress had lent him two million yuan—that was no small favor. Even brothers might not lend that kind of money, let alone someone with no family ties to him.
And she hadn’t even known for sure he’d make a profit—if he’d lost it, she’d have lost everything. Since she was willing to take that risk, the least he could do was be generous.
“Hmph, that’s more like it.” Liu Rushuang gave him a playful glare, the corners of her lips lifting. Even her steps grew lighter.
Then, picking up her bag, she asked, “So, which one’s your bedroom?”
“The one on the left. Why?” Lin Mo asked.
“Why do you think? Of course I want to see it. You mind?” Liu Rushuang rolled her eyes.
He chuckled. “Go ahead. Why would I mind?”
“Good. I’m going in then.” Saying that, Liu Rushuang opened the door and stepped inside.
The room was tidy. The bed was neatly made; everything looked clean.
“Mm~ neat room, no weird smells—our little brother lives a healthy life!” Liu Rushuang smiled at him.
Lin Mo: …
He didn’t understand everything she said, but he did understand that part.
“Hey, don’t slander me, okay? I’m not as dirty-minded as you think. I’ve been living quite cleanly lately.”
“Oh right, I almost forgot—you’ve been taking Chinese medicine recently. Of course your routine’s been clean,” Liu Rushuang said, covering her mouth as she laughed smugly.
That one line utterly disarmed him. A perfect knockout.
“Alright, alright, I’ll stop teasing. I just came to put a few things.”
She waved her hand, opened her bag, and took out a black nightdress, hanging it in his wardrobe.
Then she placed a photo frame on his nightstand—a picture of two hands holding milk tea—and set down some skincare products and face masks she often used.
Finally, she went to the bathroom, arranged a set of clearly feminine toiletries, and even plucked two strands of her hair to wrap around the comb.
“Done. If Yuanyuan comes again, she’ll know I’ve been here,” Liu Rushuang said, admiring her handiwork.
Lin Mo, watching, felt a headache coming on. “You hid them so well—are you sure she’ll even notice?”
“You don’t understand. This is called being cautious. I won’t be coming often, so if time passes and your place doesn’t show any trace of me, she’ll notice something.
If she comes later, you can just casually let her see these things. Oh, and remember to buy a few pairs of women’s slippers downstairs,” Liu Rushuang reminded him.
To disentangle herself from Zhao’s emotional mess, Liu Rushuang truly went to great lengths.
“By the way, what about Yuan Jie? Even though you’re her boss, you can’t expect her to keep slaving away forever, right? Once she’s back, she might drop by someday—and if she finds out, all of this will be useless,” Lin Mo pointed out.
That was the real issue. If Yuan Meng wasn’t handled properly, their relationship could be exposed any time.
Hearing that, Liu Rushuang sat down on the sofa, thinking deeply before replying,
“I’ve thought about it. If it does get exposed, knowing Yuanyuan’s personality, it shouldn’t be too bad. She’ll probably restrain herself a little once she knows my stance. The worst case? Things go back to how they were before.
If it doesn’t get exposed, then I have two plans. First, I’ll find you a new apartment. You move out, stay farther away from her. That way she won’t know your connection to Yuanyuan. The downside is—it might look too sudden.
Second, a more permanent solution.”
Lin Mo raised a brow. “And what’s the second?”
“Well, we’ve already fooled one person. What’s one more? It’s not my fault they’re cousins,” Liu Rushuang said matter-of-factly.
Lin Mo: …
“Come on, do you really think Yuan Jie would believe that? She’s not stupid. We can’t just say whatever and have her buy it.”
“True… what are we supposed to do then? Prove it by kissing in front of her? Ugh, this is tough,” Liu Rushuang sighed, rubbing her forehead.
Just then, at the front door, they heard the sound of a password being entered. With a click, the door opened—and Wang Chu’s voice rang out:
“The heavens did not give birth to me, Liu Rushuang—thus the world remains forever steeped in darkness! The Smoke arrives!”
“Old Mo, quick—hey, demoness?”
Wang Chu rushed in and froze upon seeing Liu Rushuang in the living room. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, then glanced behind him.
“What the hell? Let me see what’s going on here!”
The next moment, someone behind him pushed him forward—and another woman entered. She was also wearing a black mamianqun, her hair pinned with a hair stick.
At first glance, she looked as if she had studied under the same teacher as the one in the room.
The Sichuan Girl had just stepped in, ready to speak, when she froze. The woman before her looked even more like Liu Rushuang than she did herself.
Even the real Liu Rushuang was dumbfounded, murmuring softly, “I’ve become the stand-in?”
The three of them: …