Chapter 53- Who Told You to Be a Scumbag? – Transcendental Translations

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Chapter 53

After repeated assurances, Luo Fengming finally left. Luo Yu exhaled a long breath and leaned against a wall, clutching his stomach to recover.

【This is too much! First, my wife beats me, then her ‘husband’ pesters me. What did I ever do to deserve this?】

(Because you’re the scummy male supporting character.)
【Shut up.】

Aside from the physical pain, Luo Yu felt mentally drained. As he calmed down, he reflected on how competitive all the characters in this story were. The female lead, male lead, the original body, Zhao Yuexi, and other key supporting characters—all of them tirelessly pursued their goals as if they had endless energy. Even that pig of a Ming Marquis’ heir could tirelessly sow chaos day and night—truly absurd!
Everyone was a peak achiever, while he was the lone waste in this hyper-competitive world.

(Don’t lose heart, Host. There’s always a solution.)
【What solution?】
(You’ll have to come up with it yourself—I wouldn’t know.)
【Get lost! Go die! Eat dirt!】

Luo Yu sulked. This fictional world wasn’t treating him kindly. He realized it was hard to change yourself. Admiring and yearning for excellence didn’t automatically make you excellent.

The annoying system continued its mechanical laughter as Luo Yu closed his eyes and ignored it. He still couldn’t understand: Had he said something wrong? Why had his wife been so angry right off the bat?

Why had she punched him so fiercely without warning?

He couldn’t figure it out.

Could this be another ripple effect from the original body’s untimely death?

Luo Yu fell silent, reflecting on how much time had passed. What had the original body done to enrage the female lead so much that she attacked him? And how had this led to his eventual death?

The cause of death remained a complete mystery. When Luo Yu took over the body, it had been protected by the system. While this protection didn’t prevent injuries, it did ensure survival.

As for what had angered the female lead so much—he had no clue. He hadn’t inherited the original body’s memories, so even following the plot required guesswork.

He instinctively felt that unless he unraveled this critical issue, it would be difficult to improve his relationship with his wife. But the reason…

He couldn’t find it.

It wasn’t for lack of trying. But the original body had died before the female lead’s attack, leaving him with only three possible scenarios: 1) death from physical injury, 2) sudden illness, or 3) poisoning.

Suicide, an implausible outcome for a villain, was ruled out entirely.

Physical injury and poisoning seemed unlikely. Upon taking over the body, Luo Yu hadn’t noticed any abnormalities, and the system’s diagnostics confirmed as much. Sudden illness seemed more plausible—plot deviations could introduce unforeseen elements beyond the author’s original intentions.

But Luo Yu dismissed this theory too. Sudden illness could explain the original body’s death, but not its direct link to the female lead’s attack.

It was a dead end.

However, dwelling on this wasn’t going to help. For now, he needed to focus on repairing his relationship with his wife. Other matters could wait.

By the time Luo Yu had recovered enough to prepare to leave the palace, Jiang Ruohua had already bid a reluctant farewell to Princess Shangyang. They had even made plans for the princess to visit Jiang Ruohua’s countryside estate in the near future.

“Miss, why invite Her Highness to the estate? Won’t the third madam refuse to hand it over?”

Hua Chan voiced her doubts. The late madam’s dowry was still under the third madam’s custody, making her skepticism understandable.

“What’s more valuable—an opportunity to forge a bond with the princess or an estate? Which do you think is more important?” Jiang Ruohua asked softly, smiling as they walked back.

Considering this, Hua Chan immediately understood. “I see now. But if the second miss must accompany us, I worry the princess may take offense. Her Highness seemed to dislike large crowds, and today, it was clear she was pleased with you, Miss. The princess values tranquility.”

Her concerns were valid. Hosting only the princess might seem overly calculated, giving outsiders the impression that Jiang Ruohua was clinging too tightly to Shangyang for her favor.

Fortunately, several ladies had stood by Shangyang during the boat incident, shielding her from the intruders. Among them were Xie Shuyan and her companions, with Jiang Ruoting invited along by Xie Shuyan. Including them in the outing would likely please the princess, as the group wouldn’t attract any opportunistic hangers-on.

“Don’t worry so much,” Jiang Ruohua reassured her. “Once I secure the estate, there’s more for you to handle. Solely inviting the princess would indeed seem opportunistic, so we’ll include Xie Shuyan and the others. It’s a rare chance to expand my social circle and form meaningful connections, after all.”

Hua Chan understood. The best way to counter the second miss wasn’t through direct confrontation but by making her feel excluded and powerless.

“I’ll prepare the invitations as soon as we return,” Hua Chan replied.

Jiang Ruohua smiled warmly. Sharing heartfelt moments like these brought her genuine joy, making her feel as though she were in a dream. She had never experienced the delight of true camaraderie before.

Her happiness wasn’t hers alone. Back in the palace, Princess Shangyang’s senior maid, Lianzhi, teased, “Your Highness hasn’t stopped smiling today. It seems you had quite the conversation with Miss Jiang.”

“Is that so?” Shangyang touched her lips thoughtfully. “I only felt the day passed unusually quickly.”

Jiang Ruohua was sharp and forward-thinking. She was far from the unremarkable figure rumors portrayed. If anything, losing her was a misstep for the eighth prince.

But losing her was perhaps for the best. With his petty, narrow-minded nature, the eighth prince was unworthy of someone like Jiang Ruohua. Likely, Jiang Ruohua had realized this long ago, leading to the decisive annulment of their engagement.

Shangyang had grown up alongside the other princes. Though she was destined never to wield power in court, her experiences had shaped her perspective. Few women in this vast world could discuss the heavens and earth, the changing tides of the world, or delve into the depths of history as she could. For so long, these thoughts had found resonance only in the works of sages, but now, Jiang Ruohua offered a kindred spirit with whom she could freely converse.

Such joy was rare indeed.

“Your Highness, the empress requests your presence.”

The princess’s cheerful mood hadn’t gone unnoticed by the empress, whose sharp eyes missed nothing.

“Seeing you like this eases my heart,” the empress said as Shangyang entered. “I take it your conversation with the Jiang family’s eldest daughter went well?”