Chapter 33 p1
“Who are those for then?” Cai Ying asked, pulling Shen Shu back onto the bed and giving her a suggestive grin. “Hee hee, didn’t expect things to progress so quickly between you two. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would have thought you were putting on a show for me.”
Shen Shu: “…”
She playfully slapped Cai Ying’s hand. “Go wash up and get some sleep. I have an early shoot tomorrow.”
Cai Ying, about to continue teasing, nodded, then suddenly sat up. “Oh, right, weren’t you both at the Han family banquet yesterday? What happened?”
Shen Shu paused. “Where did you hear that?”
“My dad mentioned it. Something about someone being drugged. Is that true? Who would do such a thing? Don’t tell me it’s one of Xu Jinnan’s shady friends!” Cai Ying’s words tumbled out, her mind immediately jumping to the incidents at the hospital and the Emperor Hotel.
While her opinion of Xu Jinnan had improved, she still found those “friends” repulsive.
Shen Shu sometimes thought Cai Ying had a sixth sense.
Xu Jinnan had asked the Han family to keep the banquet incident quiet. The fact that Cai Ying’s father, unaware of the details, had only heard rumors meant the news hadn’t spread.
Xu Jinnan was truly thoughtful, taking care of these things without her knowledge.
“Don’t worry about it,” Shen Shu said, bringing Cai Ying back to the topic at hand. “Your father said if you fail your oral exam, he’s cutting your allowance in half. I can’t help you then.”
Cai Ying: “…Evil.”
After Cai Ying went to take a shower, Shen Shu returned to the bedroom.
The Omega from yesterday had been drugged with an aphrodisiac on top of already being in heat. It turned out Han Hui and his Omega girlfriend had been experimenting. He had even sealed the room to prevent the pheromones from escaping.
On the surface, it seemed unrelated to the Han family.
So far, only Song Ronghui and Yin Xue had been directly involved, but she and Xu Jinnan agreed that there was more to it, and the waiter who had lured them to the room was still missing.
“It’s fine. We have an advantage,” Xu Jinnan said, smiling faintly.
If Shen Shu hadn’t overheard Song Ronghui’s phone call, they wouldn’t have uncovered the truth about the banquet incident so quickly, or the depth of her connection to Yin Xue.
Shen Shu looked at her, noticing the smile on her face. “You mentioned the Song family’s overseas funds. If you want to target their investments, you’ll need to strike swiftly and decisively. That won’t be cheap.”
“I’m not planning to wipe them out completely,” Xu Jinnan replied. “Their major holdings are the last resort. Their leveraged futures aren’t all in one basket. I’ll start small and gradually chip away at them. Don’t worry.”
This was just the beginning. She wouldn’t risk everything against the Song family. Her target wasn’t the family itself, but Song Ronghui.
However, even these small losses would be enough to hurt the Song family.
Shen Shu picked up her glass of water. “The boiling frog approach?”
Xu Jinnan leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “You’re so smart,” she said, her voice full of admiration.
Shen Shu paused, then took a sip of water, her voice calm. “It’s a gift.”
Xu Jinnan chuckled.
After seeing Song Ronghui at the restaurant, she had investigated her thoroughly. Song Ronghui maintained a clean image, appearing to be the most respectable of their circle, for a specific reason – her position within the Song family.
Her mother had passed away, and her father, the patriarch, held all the power. Her older sister was highly competent, leaving Song Ronghui with only minor projects.
Her expenses were covered by a regular allowance from the family, but she was extravagant, often using next month’s allowance to pay off this month’s debts.
The Song family had strict rules, and any misstep from Song Ronghui would result in financial sanctions from her father.
So, she didn’t dare to cross any lines.
“I want her to experience what you went through,” Xu Jinnan said, her voice hardening. “Trapped in a room, filled with uncertainty and fear, not knowing what awaits you, the anxiety and despair…”
Shen Shu looked at her, her gaze intense.
Xu Jinnan had already returned to her phone, her light brown hair pulled back neatly. Black suited her; it had accentuated her pale skin last night.
Shen Shu’s gaze lingered on her leg. “You need to change the bandage after showering.”
Xu Jinnan heard the subtle command in her voice and looked up. Shen Shu had already turned away and returned moments later with the first-aid kit.
Shen Shu placed the kit on the floor beside her. “I’ll do it myself,” Xu Jinnan said.
Shen Shu looked at her. “Of course you will.”
Xu Jinnan: “…Right.”
Cai Ying, freshly showered, knocked on the door and called out, “Good night!”
Xu Jinnan and Shen Shu exchanged a look.
“She’s quite a character,” Xu Jinnan commented.
“Don’t forget your promise,” Shen Shu said.
“What promise?”
Xu Jinnan remembered her promise not to get involved with anyone close to Shen Shu.
“I’m not interested in children,” she said, exasperated.
She had used the term “jiejie” (older sister) to express her exasperation, but Shen Shu simply looked at her silently.
Perhaps Shen Shu didn’t like being called “jiejie”? It didn’t seem like her. Although she was a year older than Xu Jinnan, she wasn’t the type to be petty about such things.
“Good girl,” Shen Shu said softly.
“?”
Did she just call me a “good girl”?
Xu Jinnan’s expression turned complex. She wanted to explain that she hadn’t meant it literally, hadn’t intended to address Shen Shu as her older sister.
But Shen Shu had already turned away, taking her pajamas and leaving the room.
Xu Jinnan clicked her tongue, her phone vibrating several times. She checked the screen.
A message from the “Fishing Nightclub” group chat.
Chen Bo: [@Xu Jinnan Nan-jie, what happened last night? I asked Han Hui, and he told me to ask you.]
Chen Bo: [He said you almost slept with his woman. Is that true?]
Han Fu: [@Xu Jinnan Holy shit! Really? Then I missed out! I should have gone too!]
Chen Bo: [@Xu Jinnan Nan-jie, can you sense my burning curiosity?]
Han Fu: [@Chen Bo Get lost. You’re only horny.]
Chen Bo: [Slap.jpg]
Song Ronghui: [@Xu Jinnan Are you okay, Nan?]
Song Ronghui retracted a message.
Xu Jinnan smiled faintly, watching as Song Ronghui sent another message. [I was there too last night. I didn’t see anything. Tell us what happened! @Xu Jinnan]
The retracted message had already given her away.
Song Ronghui’s feigned concern was suspicious, just like Chen Bo and Han Fu’s reactions. Perhaps she had realized her mistake and retracted the message.
Xu Jinnan closed the group chat, ignoring the messages.
Song Ronghui, lost in thought, felt someone take the cigarette from her hand. She looked up, her vision slightly blurry from the smoke.
Yin Xue sat on her lap, the striped prison uniform slipping off her shoulder, revealing a glimpse of her skin. She leaned back against Song Ronghui, glancing at her phone. “What did you retract?”
“I said the wrong thing. I asked her if she was okay,” Song Ronghui replied.
Yin Xue shrugged. “Why are you so nervous? Xu Jinnan isn’t the type to be glued to her phone.”
Song Ronghui chuckled. “I know. A guilty conscience, I guess.”
She hadn’t been involved in the incident at all. Xu Li had arranged everything, including the waiter. Unless Xu Jinnan confronted Xu Li, there was no way she would be exposed. And Xu Li hated Xu Jinnan too much to show any weakness.
Besides, Song Ronghui had leverage against Xu Li.
Something that would guarantee her silence.
Meaning Xu Jinnan would never find out about her involvement.
“It’s true, though,” Song Ronghui said, a smug smile playing on her lips. “Xu Jinnan is too stupid to figure it out.”
“Don’t call her stupid.”
Song Ronghui’s smile faltered. Yin Xue’s words, almost reflexive, were laced with protectiveness towards Xu Jinnan.
Song Ronghui’s expression turned cold. She loosened her grip on Yin Xue. “Sorry, I insulted your beloved.”
Yin Xue, sensing the shift in her tone, looked up at Song Ronghui’s clenched jaw.
“What? I wasn’t finished,” she said with a smile.
Song Ronghui looked down at her. “What were you going to say?”
Yin Xue tapped her finger against her temple. “She’s not stupid. She’s… mentally unstable.”
Song Ronghui knew she was just saying that to appease her.
But the fact that Yin Xue was making an effort eased her annoyance. Yin Xue knew exactly how to manipulate her. She wrapped her arms around Song Ronghui’s neck, and Song Ronghui’s breath hitched. She sighed. “I can’t visit you so often anymore. While I have connections here, frequent visits, especially long ones, will arouse suspicion.” She took a drag from Yin Xue’s cigarette.
Yin Xue, looking annoyed, gave her the cigarette, then wrapped both arms around her neck. “What am I supposed to do without you? Everything was fine before. Do you have another woman?”
Song Ronghui, unable to resist her, said wryly, “If I had another woman, would I be risking so much to come here?”
“That’s more like it…” Yin Xue murmured.
Only the sound of their breathing filled the small room.
Back at Shen Shu’s apartment, as soon as the bedroom door was closed, Xu Jinnan laid out her blanket on the floor.
Shen Shu handed her a pillow, looking at the cold, hard tiles and the thin blanket. “Are you sure you don’t want to sleep on the bed?”
“No, no, it’s fine,” Xu Jinnan replied.
Shen Shu: “…”
She suspected last night’s events were worse than she remembered.
“Give me the blanket,” she said, rolling up the duvet from the bed and placing it on the floor. “Use this as a mattress.”
Xu Jinnan was about to refuse, but Shen Shu had already taken the blanket.
“…What’s going on? She’s being unusually kind,” Xu Jinnan thought.
She didn’t say anything more, retrieving the locked box from the wardrobe. She hadn’t touched it since their relationship had become strained.
Sitting cross-legged on the floor, she opened her phone, which displayed a list of possible passwords.
The box wasn’t made of any special material, but after examining it closely, she found the manufacturer and discovered it was a custom-made, tamper-proof box.
There was no limit to the number of password attempts, but any attempt to force it open would trigger an alarm.
For Xu Jinnan, opening this box wasn’t just about satisfying her curiosity; it was about understanding the original Xu Jinnan.
She had shaken it before; the contents seemed small and light.
Perhaps a USB drive, or a diary.
She tried each password on her list, then, after the last attempt failed, muttered, “Stupid thing.”
Shen Shu paused her reading. “Did you try your parents’ birthdays, both Gregorian and lunar?”
“Yes,” Xu Jinnan replied. “Even yours. 1121. Nothing.”
Shen Shu: “…”
Xu Jinnan stared at the box. Mentioning her parents had brought Xu Tao’s face to mind, and she felt a surge of that familiar unease. She had felt it before, when she had tried his birthday as a password.
It was similar to the feeling she had experienced in the hidden room, looking at those photos.
As if any connection between the box and Xu Tao triggered a deep-seated aversion within her, a remnant of the original Xu Jinnan’s emotions.
At 9:30 p.m., Xu Jinnan rubbed her neck, preparing to lie down.
“Do you have any plans for tomorrow evening?” Shen Shu suddenly asked from the bed.
Xu Jinnan paused, turning to her. “Why? What’s up?”
“Nothing much. Cai Ying isn’t going home tomorrow either. If it’s inconvenient, I’ll find an excuse,” Shen Shu said.
“It’s not inconvenient,” Xu Jinnan replied quickly. “I’ll be alone at the hotel anyway. Why isn’t she going home?”
Shen Shu hesitated. “She saw her ex-girlfriend at her family’s hotel the other day.”
“No wonder…” Xu Jinnan said.
Shen Shu had mentioned Cai Ying’s difficult breakup. Seeing her ex again would understandably upset anyone.
“I’m free tomorrow. I can stay and keep her company if she’s here,” Xu Jinnan offered, then paused, remembering Shen Shu’s earlier words. “But if you’re not comfortable with it, it’s fine.”
Cai Ying was beautiful, but not her type, and her energetic personality wasn’t a good match for Xu Jinnan.
Shen Shu, strangely, detected a hint of disappointment in her voice.
She cleared her throat. “Then I’ll leave it to you.”
She hadn’t been entirely sincere. If Xu Jinnan had truly intended to do something, she wouldn’t have saved Cai Ying at the Emperor Hotel.
“It’s no trouble,” Xu Jinnan replied.
..
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