Chapter 35 p2
Just as Xu Jinnan turned off her computer, Zhou Pei called. “Miss, Song Ronghui’s car is heading towards Rongcheng.”
“Follow her. Once she’s inside, you can go home,” Xu Jinnan instructed.
“Understood.”
It was past 9 p.m. when Song Ronghui arrived at the Rongcheng Special Ward.
The guard’s expression was grim. Song Ronghui was related to the Song family, and if she hadn’t helped him before, he wouldn’t be risking this.
“We’re under strict surveillance. You have half an hour. Understand?”
Song Ronghui, aware of her frequent visits lately, nodded, promising not to come back this month.
It wasn’t just an empty promise; she had a bad feeling.
As soon as she entered the visiting room, Yin Xue sensed something was wrong. Even as she embraced Song Ronghui, her mind seemed elsewhere.
“What’s wrong with you?” Yin Xue asked, frowning.
Song Ronghui put her arm around Yin Xue’s waist, looking down at her. “I have a bad feeling. Something happened at home… I think Xu Jinnan knows.”
“What are you talking about? What happened at home? What does it have to do with Xu Jinnan?”
Song Ronghui briefly explained the situation. “I think she’s behind it.”
Yin Xue was silent for a moment.
“Knowing her as you do, do you think she’s already figured it out?” Song Ronghui asked.
“It’s highly likely.”
While Xu Jinnan’s personality had changed, and she felt like a stranger, there was one thing Yin Xue was certain of.
“You think so too?”
“You really think Xu Jinnan is a useless idiot, don’t you?” Yin Xue said. “You’re all wrong. She’s incredibly intelligent, smarter than all of you. I’m telling you, if she wants to take someone down, she will succeed. That’s why I kept asking you if our plan was foolproof.”
“Smarter than me?” Song Ronghui bristled.
Yin Xue smiled, cupping Song Ronghui’s face in her hands. “Don’t let her carefree attitude and promiscuous lifestyle fool you. She’s not a useless idiot.”
Song Ronghui’s face darkened. She lifted Yin Xue’s chin, forcing her to meet her gaze. “If she’s so much better than me, why are you still here?”
Yin Xue pulled her hand away. “Are you taking out your frustrations on me?”
Song Ronghui watched as she turned away, then lit a cigarette, taking a drag before extinguishing it. She pulled Yin Xue into her arms and kissed her.
Yin Xue slapped her.
“Are you fucking crazy?!”
Song Ronghui touched her lip, tasting blood. “Yes, I am! I’m crazy for doing all these things for you! And who do you think about?! Only that fucking Xu Jinnan!”
The sudden clang of the metal door opening drowned out her angry words.
The guard who had let Song Ronghui in stood nervously at the doorway, a woman in a high-ranking uniform behind him.
Song Ronghui knew now this was Xu Jinnan’s doing. There were no such coincidences.
The woman looked coldly at the two of them, then said to the other guards, “Keep a close watch on her. The visitor is leaving.”
As Song Ronghui was being escorted out, Yin Xue called out to her.
“Song Ronghui!”
Song Ronghui turned back, looking at Yin Xue. “You can focus on her now.”
After all, she was no use to Yin Xue anymore.
The next day, news of the guard allowing unauthorized visits at the Rongcheng Special Ward appeared in the newspapers.
The visitor was quickly identified as Song Ronghui, heiress of the Song family.
Mr. Song was furious when she was brought home.
“She’s playing you like a fiddle! And you still won’t tell me what you’ve been doing!”
Song Ronghui knelt on the floor. “I didn’t do anything! I don’t know who’s framing me, or why they’re targeting the Song family…”
Slap!
Song Ronghui fell to the floor. “You still won’t admit it!! Get out! You’re no longer part of this family!”
Song Weiwei tried to calm their father, then called out to her sister, “Ronghui! Come back!”
“Dad, don’t be angry with her.”
“Freeze all her accounts! And tell everyone in North City, if anyone dares offer her credit, the Song family won’t pay a single cent!”
“Dad… but…”
“Look at what she’s become! Doing such shameful things for that woman! She’s disgraced the Song family!”
Song Ronghui left the Song residence, the midday sun scorching her skin, the pavement burning beneath her heels.
After a restless sleep at the hotel, she went to the bar, booked a private room, and ordered a few Omega companions, partying until dawn.
When she tried to pay, the waiter informed her that her card had been declined.
She knew this was her father’s usual tactic, but this time, it was more severe. He had even forbidden them from offering her credit.
In the end, Chen Bo paid.
“Ronghui, I heard some rumors. Did you really provoke Xu Jinnan?” he asked.
Song Ronghui sneered. “What do you think?”
Chen Bo shrugged. He had also been on the receiving end of Xu Jinnan’s wrath. “The Xu family is powerful. We can’t win against them. Why bother?”
Song Ronghui ignored him, spending the next two days sleeping at the hotel, which was owned by the Han family, so she didn’t have to pay.
But things were different now. She had become a laughingstock in North City. Even Chen Bo had heard the news, so everyone in their circle must know – she had offended Xu Jinnan, and by extension, the Xu family.
Han Fu told her, “I can’t help you after today. My mother forbade me from getting involved. She said we can’t risk antagonizing the Xu family for your sake.”
Song Ronghui didn’t ask her to do anything more.
She hesitated, then asked, “Any news about Yin Xue?”
Han Fu, sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed, sighed. “You’re still thinking about Xuexue? You truly love her, ruining yourself for her. But why did you target Xu Jinnan? You know what kind of person she is, don’t you?” Someone as ruthless and heartless as Xu Jinnan would destroy anyone who crossed her.
What was the point of discussing this now? Song Ronghui asked dejectedly, “Don’t you think she’s changed?”
Han Fu shrugged. “So what? People change. It’s not like she’s been possessed. Even if she has, what does it have to do with you? Mind your own business. You’re driving yourself crazy over this. Is it worth it?”
“Remember Chen Bo’s slap at the hospital? And Yin Xue’s imprisonment? You still dared to target Shen Shu? And then you even schemed against Xu Jinnan. Song Ronghui, you’re an idiot.”
Song Ronghui didn’t reply.
Her phone was filled with messages from people cutting ties with her, and news alerts about the plummeting Song family stock.
She closed her eyes. It had come to this.
She finally understood why Xu Jinnan had waited so long before making her move. She had been slowly pushing her into a corner.
In Xu Jinnan’s office, Zhou Pei entered with a stack of documents. After Xu Jinnan signed them, she said, “Miss, you have a meeting with Mr. Qin from Meilai Jewelry in an hour.”
“Okay.”
“Song Ronghui is still waiting.”
Xu Jinnan raised an eyebrow. “Oh? How long has she been waiting?”
“An hour.”
Xu Jinnan didn’t reply, continuing to read the documents. Zhou Pei understood.
An hour later, Xu Jinnan walked past Song Ronghui on her way to the meeting room. Song Ronghui tried to call out to her, but Zhou Pei stopped her. “Excuse me, Miss Song, Ms. Xu said to wait.”
Zhou Pei’s expression was always cold and serious, and many people in the office were intimidated by her, especially since she knew martial arts.
Song Ronghui, despite being an Alpha, didn’t want to cause a scene and was easily stopped.
Another hour passed, and Zhou Pei returned. “Miss Song, Ms. Xu and Mr. Qin are having lunch. Would you like to continue waiting, or should I reschedule?”
Song Ronghui gritted her teeth. “She just wants revenge, right? I’m not afraid. I’ll wait.”
“Certainly. Please let the receptionist know if you need anything.”
It was past 2 p.m. when Xu Jinnan finally met with Song Ronghui.
“How did you do it? How did you know about the Song family’s major holdings…?” Song Ronghui asked.
“Are you here to ask me questions?” Xu Jinnan asked, leaning back in her chair, her voice calm.
Song Ronghui bit her lip, then said, her voice strained, “I was behind the incident at the banquet. I apologize. Can you please let us go?”
“Wait,” Xu Jinnan said, calling Shen Shu.
After Shen Shu answered, she said to Song Ronghui, “Explain everything. In detail.”
Song Ronghui gave a concise account of the events, admitting her sole responsibility and her motivation – to protect Yin Xue.
“I love her, but she only has eyes for you, so I targeted you,” she said.
Xu Jinnan knew she was mixing truth with lies, but it didn’t matter.
“You should apologize to more than just me,” she said.
“I already apologized to Miss Shen.”
“No, there’s one more person,” Xu Jinnan said, standing up and walking towards Song Ronghui, her Alpha presence filling the room. “That Omega on the bed that night. Do you know what happened to her? She almost died! You almost took someone’s life, just to get back at me. If she had died, you would have to live with that, and so would Shen Shu and I.”
She wasn’t just speaking for Shen Shu and herself; she was genuinely appalled by the recklessness of it all.
Sometimes, she felt like everyone in this world was crazy.
After a long silence, Song Ronghui said, “I’ll apologize to her.”
As Xu Jinnan dismissed her, Song Ronghui said, “Xu Jinnan, for the sake of your relationship with Yin Xue, can you please let her go?”
“She’s in prison. I won’t do anything,” Xu Jinnan replied.
Yin Xue had been transferred to a higher-security facility and would face stricter regulations. She deserved to learn her lesson.
After Song Ronghui left, Xu Jinnan sat back down in her chair.
“Shen Shu?”
“Yes, I heard everything,” Shen Shu replied. “So, you weren’t actually planning to destroy the Song family.”
Xu Jinnan had said she knew all their secrets, and while the Song family had suffered losses these past few days, she hadn’t gone after their major holdings.
She had shown mercy.
Xu Jinnan smiled faintly, picking up her glass of water. “I’m not going to ruin the entire Song family for Song Ronghui’s mistakes. She’s not worth it.”
“You did the right thing,” Shen Shu said.
Xu Jinnan paused, a smile playing on her lips. “That’s rare. Miss Shen actually complimenting me.”
“Haven’t I complimented you before?”
“Not unprompted.”
“…”
A brief silence followed. Xu Jinnan was about to speak when Shen Shu said, “Should I hang up then?”
“Sure.”
Xu Jinnan stared at the call log for a moment, then turned off her phone and returned to her work.
The money she had used against the Song family had been from previous investments, and it would take time to recoup her losses. She needed to find new opportunities.
After work, she dismissed Zhou Pei and drove home in her white Bentley.
She sat in the parking garage for a while, deciding whether to eat at the hotel or find a restaurant.
Just then, her phone buzzed with a WeChat notification.
A new group chat.
Created by Cai Ying. Shen Shu was in it too.
Xu Jinnan: [?]
Cai Ying: [@Shen Shu Shu Shu, my aunt brought back some chocolates from Belgium. I have some for you and Xu Jinnan.]
Cai Ying: [When will you be home?]
Cai Ying: [If it’s too late, I’ll come tomorrow.]
Xu Jinnan sent Shen Shu a private message.
Xu Jinnan: [Should I go over now? Or what?]
A few seconds later:
Shen Shu: [Come over.]
Xu Jinnan: [Okay.]
As she started the car, she saw Shen Shu’s reply in the group chat.
Shen Shu: [@Cai Ying Come over.]
Without hesitation, Xu Jinnan drove out of the garage and headed towards Shen Shu’s apartment.
When she arrived, Cai Ying sent a message saying she had a last-minute dinner and would be late.
Shen Shu: [What time? Don’t come if it’s too late.]
Cai Ying: [Why?]
Cai Ying: [Oh, you’re afraid I’ll interrupt your… activities. I get it.]
Cai Ying: [Fine, I won’t come after 9 p.m.]
Shen Shu: […]
Shen Shu: [Just let me know when you’re coming. Be careful.]
Xu Jinnan chuckled, looking at the messages. “See? I didn’t teach her that. She’s even more knowledgeable than I am.”
Shen Shu, retrieving tomatoes, potatoes, and beef from the refrigerator, said, “No one is more knowledgeable than you.”
Xu Jinnan took the tomatoes and went to wash them.
“What do you mean?”
Shen Shu glanced at her, but didn’t answer.
After a simple dinner of two dishes and a soup, Shen Shu washed the dishes, and just then, the doorbell rang.
Cai Ying arrived with two boxes of chocolates.
“I tried them. They’re delicious,” she said, popping one into Shen Shu’s mouth. The bittersweet chocolate melted on her tongue.
Xu Jinnan looked at them. “None for me?” she asked playfully.
Cai Ying laughed. “You don’t have a best friend, but you have a wife. If she won’t feed you, I can’t help you.”
Shen Shu and Xu Jinnan exchanged a look.
Xu Jinnan smiled. “I’m going to take a shower,” she said, getting up.
When she emerged from the bathroom, Cai Ying was in the guest room, attending her online class, her voice occasionally audible as she answered the tutor’s questions.
While her grammar wasn’t perfect, her spoken English, thanks to her time abroad, was quite fluent.
The bedroom door was slightly ajar, and Shen Shu was sitting on the bed, folding clothes.
Xu Jinnan placed Tipping the Velvet beside her. “You can read now,” she said.
“Did you finish it?”
“No, you go first. I don’t want to forget the plot.”
“No, you read it,” Shen Shu insisted.
“…” Xu Jinnan smiled faintly. “Or we could read it together?” she suggested playfully.
Shen Shu hesitated. “Okay.”
Xu Jinnan: “…?”
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