PANT - Chapter 62
Chapter 62
Less talk, more action.
This saying was embodied in the trench coat falling to the floor, its belt loosely hanging from it before landing on the ground.
No one cared if it was stepped on.
The little outfits that Shi Ning had specially bought for Su Tianxue, the ones Su Tianxue had refused to wear, were now back on Su Tianxue’s body.
Shi Ning had never thought she would one day see Su Tianxue wear these clothes so proactively.
Perhaps because the season had changed to autumn, Su Tianxue had specifically chosen a sweater.
To be precise, one couldn’t really describe it as a sweater.
It was just that the fabric was a knitted sweater material, which looked more textured than ordinary gauze.
White yarn was woven into a unique garment.
Very little thread, a very special design.
But one extreme inevitably highlighted another.
-Su Tianxue’s beauty.
She was born an elegant person, and her daily conduct always carried an air of coldness and aloofness, like the bright, unattainable moon in the sky that people could only gaze up at but never touch.
But now, this white knitwear was like a series of divine restraints.
Making a goddess fall.
The moon, too, descended to the mortal realm.
Sweater material had always been a symbol of warmth, making people feel cozy just by looking at it.
However, the snowy white skin peeking out from under the scant material perfectly corresponded with the soft, knitted lines.
One cold, one hot-two extremes.
The air conditioning wasn’t on in the room, yet Su Tianxue couldn’t help but get goosebumps under Shi Ning’s gaze.
These small, sensitive reactions of her skin were trembling with excitement for what was about to come.
There was no fear.
For the current Su Tianxue, she was more than capable of approaching the situation with a different attitude.
Something else was trembling, too.
Small and pink.
Hidden away, tucked inside the small, white knitted panties.
Shi Ning reached out and grabbed the little thing in one go.
She didn’t dare to breathe too loudly, afraid of disturbing Su Tianxue’s mood. With a hint of disbelief, she asked, “You played by yourself?”
Su Tianxue turned her head away, her expression still cold and proud as she said matter-of-factly, “I looked it up. This method helps prepare in advance.”
Who knew where Su Tianxue had looked it up.
Or who had told her.
But, Shi Ning wanted to say one thing to the person who said that: Bodhisattva, thank you.
How many times in a lifetime could one see Su Tianxue like this?
Shi Ning felt that such moments were probably few and far between.
With a push of her fingertip, the little toy that was about to be pulled out was pushed right back to its original position.
Even deeper.
Su Tianxue let out a muffled grunt and glared at Shi Ning.
Shi Ning took a step back and even pulled up a chair for Su Tianxue. “Wife, since you’re all prepared, why don’t you sit down and play with it yourself for a bit? Let me watch.”
Su Tianxue’s voice was laced with anger. “Shi Ning.”
Shi Ning wasn’t the least bit afraid. She knew now that Su Tianxue was just a cat putting on a brave front. Even if she called her name so fiercely, she wouldn’t actually do anything.
Su Tianxue was the most reasonable person there was.
She had agreed to one hundred percent consent, so she would act according to their agreement.
This meant that no matter how much Su Tianxue wanted to refuse now, no matter how much she resisted due to shyness and instinct, she would still agree.
That was the kind of person she was.
Her promise was the most precious thing in the world.
And Shi Ning was very lucky to have Su Tianxue’s promise.
Today’s Su Tianxue was exceptionally charming and exceptionally captivating to Shi Ning.
She was like a sponge, absorbing all of Shi Ning’s related bad tempers.
And absorbing all of Shi Ning’s related wicked habits.
Maps that had never been explored were all opened today.
Shi Ning even thought it would be nice if she could install a mirror on the ceiling.
A movable, smart one.
When needed, she could press a button to release the mirror.
Then, on the bed, as soon as Su Tianxue opened her eyes, she would be able to see her own reflection in the mirror on the ceiling.
She would know how beautiful she was.
The morning dew, upon seeing her, would feel ashamed of its own lack of brilliance.
The rose, upon seeing her, would be displeased by its own lack of elegance.
Lying there, she was like a figure on the canvas of the world.
Painting with her body.
Shi Ning’s fingertips were the best paintbrushes in the world.
For a good painting to be born, it needs color.
Thus, smoky pink appeared, and a light emerged from the ambiguous haze, blurring the light and shadow, and stretching time.
Good painters also love to be accompanied by music when they work.
Thus, soft sounds appeared, layered and surrounding them.
The most moving music in the world was this very moment.
Mmm-
It was an irrepressible moan.
Clatter.
It was the sound of something being kicked to the floor by a leg.
Squish.
It was the sound of intertwining wetness.
Less talk, more action.
That was probably the meaning of it.
When Su Tianxue woke up, it was already the afternoon of the next day.
She was groggy, her whole body feeling as if it had been run over by a car.
Shi Ning was holding her, looking at something on her phone. Seeing her wake up, she put her phone down and kissed Su Tianxue’s brow.
“Are you still tired?”
Su Tianxue couldn’t even be bothered to speak.
She felt like her throat had gone hoarse from all the noise she’d made between last night and this morning.
A person who usually didn’t talk much had now used her voice for a long time.
Su Tianxue shot her a sideways glance, and Shi Ning just smiled. “Still tired?”
Su Tianxue raised a hand to push away the approaching face. She really didn’t want to look at this person right now.
Although she had been prepared for Shi Ning to have a belly full of bad ideas,
she hadn’t expected the person to be this bad.
She had nearly been tormented to death.
Shi Ning massaged Su Tianxue’s waist. “How about… you be on top next time?”
Su Tianxue lifted her eyelids and gave her a faint look.
Su Tianxue: “Really?”
Shi Ning hummed in agreement. “If you want to.”
Ever since Su Tianxue had met Shi Ning, she’d had this idea.
At first, she was just annoyed by the person’s arrogance, and annoyed that she always stirred her emotions and controlled the initiative.
There was also the instinct of an Alpha.
An instinct to want to be on top.
But-
Looking at Shi Ning’s expression, which looked like she was about to bravely face martyrdom,
Su Tianxue lowered her gaze. “We’ll see.”
In this relationship, in front of Shi Ning, she had won so many times.
What was the harm in letting her win this one time?
Su Tianxue didn’t tell Shi Ning what she was thinking.
She was afraid that if Shi Ning knew, she would push her luck even further.
This person was the type to get carried away with a little encouragement, to open a dye shop if you gave her some color.
If she knew what was on her mind-
That would be disastrous.
Shi Ning was like a spoiled dog.
Well, that wasn’t to say dogs were bad.
It was just that Su Tianxue felt that when dealing with this woman, she had to hide some thoughts and keep a few tricks up her sleeve to manage her and make her stay obediently by her side.
Shi Ning nuzzled Su Tianxue’s cheek. “Well, let me know when you’ve made up your mind, Wife.”
“I’ll go heat up the congee.”
Su Tianxue: “You made it?”
Shi Ning nodded. “Mhm, preserved egg and lean pork. Salty, you like it, right?”
Su Tianxue hummed in agreement. Seeing Shi Ning leave, she got up to take a shower.
Although Shi Ning had already bathed her, after sleeping for a while, Su Tianxue still felt sticky and uncomfortable.
While eating the congee, Su Tianxue noticed that Shi Ning wasn’t wearing her watch.
She washed the bowl and searched the house, which had become a mess after last night, finally finding the pair of matching digital watches she had bought.
Su Tianxue said to Shi Ning, “Give me your hand.”
Shi Ning obediently raised her hand. Su Tianxue placed the black watch strap on her wrist and fastened it.
Shi Ning rotated her wrist, confirming that the tightness was just right.
Shi Ning: “A gift for passing the exam?”
Su Tianxue hummed in affirmation and picked up her own, which was white.
She handed it to Shi Ning. “Help me put it on.”
Shi Ning put it on for Su Tianxue without a second thought, then grabbed Su Tianxue’s wrist and wouldn’t let her pull it away. Like a primary school student, she took out her phone, snapped a picture, and grinned with delight.
Su Tianxue saw her sitting on the sofa with a strange smile after taking the picture, and it gave her the creeps. She walked over and kicked her. “What are you doing?”
Shi Ning didn’t say anything, finally sending the message she had been editing for a while.
Su Tianxue leaned over to look and saw that Shi Ning had been fiddling around just to post on her social media feed.
Shi Ning: What a wonderful day! Not only did I pass the bar exam, but I also got a watch from my dear wife. Wow, one black and one white, they look like a couple’s set! [Image]
Su Tianxue felt like punching her just reading that tone, let alone anyone else.
Sure enough, Su Tianxue slid her finger down Shi Ning’s phone screen, refreshing the page, and a pile of comments popped up.
Zhu Yu: Are you too poor to buy a watch? Showing off over two watches.
Shi Ning replied: My wife bought it for me. Do you have a wife?
Xin Ya: Damn you! Why is listening to you so infuriating!!
Shi Ning replied: Is this the rage of a single dog?
Su Wanxing: What’s the big deal? I’ll go ask my sister to get me a matching sister-style phone.
Shi Ning replied: It’s okay, your sister-in-law will buy it for you. Whatever watch you want, I’ll buy it for you even if it costs millions.
Su Wanxing replied: Screw you!
Su Tianxue was a little surprised to see Su Wanxing replying to the post.
Su Tianxue: “Didn’t she have to hand over her phone for the show? How is she still scrolling through her feed?”
Shi Ning: “Oops.”
Su Tianxue: “She doesn’t reply when I message her. I thought her phone was confiscated.”
Shi Ning: “Wow.”
Su Tianxue said seriously, “Give me the phone.”
Shi Ning presented the phone with both hands. Watching Su Tianxue message Su Wanxing, she thought, Well, that’s it. Su Wanxing’s little scheme is about to be exposed.
However, she didn’t know why Su Wanxing hadn’t told Su Tianxue about this.
Well, maybe it was just a case of a child growing up, her wings getting strong, and wanting to fly.
It was better for her not to get involved in sisterly matters.
With the bar exam over, Shi Ning still had a way to go before officially becoming a lawyer.
She had to start a one-year internship. After completing the internship, undergoing a review and a defense, she could then become a practicing lawyer.
And receive a lawyer’s practicing certificate from the Bureau of Justice.
Given her situation, it wasn’t difficult to find a law firm for an internship.
However, based on her previous discussion with Ye Wanlan, Ye Wanlan wanted her to join a law firm that had connections with the Shi family.
For Shi Ning, this situation was probably more suitable for her.
Although she had no intention of escaping the tedious work of an intern lawyer and paralegal, working under someone she knew was better than working under a stranger. No matter where she worked, her family background would be there, and it would attract attention.
If she went to another firm and achieved some success, people would easily say, “Wow, is this the power of connections?”
Rather than that, she might as well just find a firm where the front door was practically owned by her family.
We’re not using the back door.
We’re walking right through the front door.
Once the firm was decided and the internship began, Shi Ning’s first task was to fulfill her promise to Su Tianxue.
She had said that she would help Su Tianxue resolve this case.
In fact, before this, Shi Ning had rarely handled intellectual property cases.
The legal community had a common understanding of such cases: difficult to prove, high cost, low compensation, and a long cycle.
A single case often consumed several times the energy of other cases.
But this was her wife’s case.
Shi Ning would use any means necessary to win it.
And only in a law firm with which she had connections could she act so brazenly, focus entirely on what she wanted to do, and then attribute it all to the firm’s partners.
The first thing Shi Ning did was to draft a lawyer’s letter in a partner’s name and send it to the teacher who had plagiarized Su Tianxue’s thesis.
The teacher’s surname was Zhang, and his name was Zhang Renyi.
He sounded like an upright character, but the things he did made people feel that such people were nothing but hypocrites spouting righteousness and morality.
Shi Ning personally delivered the lawyer’s letter to Zhang Renyi at his university.
Seeing her, Zhang Renyi could still manage a smile. “Isn’t this Su Tianxue’s wife?”
Shi Ning also smiled. “Teacher, you know me.”
Zhang Renyi laughed. “Although I’m old, I’m not some old fossil. I read the news online these days, too.”
Shi Ning: “Then do you know that a thesis also falls under the scope of intellectual property, and that the creator of the thesis has the copyright?”
Zhang Renyi’s expression didn’t change. “Of course. We academics are certainly aware of such things.”
Shi Ning: “Is that so?”
Shi Ning read out the name of the award-winning paper that Zhang Renyi had written by stealing the framework and ideas of Su Tianxue’s thesis. “Then do you know that your actions are illegal?”
Zhang Renyi widened his eyes innocently. “What do you mean by that?”
Shi Ning: “The framework, topic selection, and research data of your thesis all use Su Tianxue’s university thesis.”
Zhang Renyi: “Hah, is that all?”
Zhang Renyi said nonchalantly, “She was my student. Influenced by me, she wrote her thesis under my guidance. It’s normal for it to have similarities with my own writing, right? Besides, the research data was obtained under the leadership of my group. The results of this data also belong to me.”
“Look, is there a single word in this thesis that is repeated?”
“I’m a good teacher, you know.”
Zhang Renyi said unhappily, “You can’t wrong me like this.”
Seeing this, Shi Ning knew that Zhang Renyi was extremely thick-skinned. A simple legal threat would have no effect on him. It seemed they would inevitably have to meet in court.
Shi Ning smiled. “I hope the lawyer Teacher Zhang hires is competent.”
Zhang Renyi: “What do you mean?”
Shi Ning: “Defeating an opponent who is too weak is a bit boring for me.”
From the conversation with Zhang Renyi, it was clear that this person, relying on his status as a teacher, felt no shame in plagiarizing his student’s work and saw no problem with it.
However, a student’s academic achievements and intellectual property belong only to the student.
Zhang Renyi’s claims were also baseless.
Although Zhang Renyi had deleted Su Tianxue, thanks to the fact that WeChat wasn’t as annoying as QQ and allowed you to see past chat records even without a premium VIP subscription, and the fact that Su Tianxue hadn’t deleted the chat history on her phone even after getting a new one…
Looking at the timeline of Su Tianxue’s thesis creation, Zhang Renyi had not provided the guidance he had just claimed during that period.
If Zhang Renyi wanted to argue from that angle, then Shi Ning’s side could gather corresponding evidence to refute his point.
Furthermore, Shi Ning believed that since Zhang Renyi could so skillfully spout these lines, it probably wasn’t the first time he had stolen from a student.
She had time, and she had money.
However long Zhang Renyi wanted to drag this out, she could match him.
As far as she knew, Zhang Renyi’s son was about to enter his third year of high school.
She didn’t have a son, nor did she need to worry about a third-year high school student.
Zhang Renyi was different.
Once this lawsuit started, she had ways to make his life a living hell.
This guy shouldn’t think he could steal someone else’s work and enjoy the benefits without a care in the world.
How many people’s futures had he ruined in his life?
This lawsuit, with its endless arguments and hassles, would be a third-year high school graduation gift for his son.
Shi Ning tossed down the lawyer’s letter, her eyes cold, and turned to leave.
She had never been one to play by the rules.
To win, as long as it was within the bounds of the law, she didn’t care.
What’s more, this was a battle she was fighting for Su Tianxue.
Even if Su Tianxue didn’t care, even if she was magnanimous and could swallow this insult, not caring about the awards and honors in the academic world,
Shi Ning cared.
Why should her wife suffer a loss for nothing?
Shi Ning turned and left. Several students who had gathered at the door watched her with wide, surprised eyes.
Zhang Renyi didn’t understand where Shi Ning’s intimidating presence came from.
Being looked at by her with such eyes made his back run cold, and his whole body broke out in a cold sweat.
The lawyer’s letter lay on the desk, and Zhang Renyi didn’t dare to look at it again.
He quickly grabbed a book to cover it, then walked to the office door and waved his hand to shoo away the students like scattering birds waiting for crumbs. “What are you looking at! Scram, all of you!”
The students looked at each other, saying helplessly, “Um, Teacher Zhang, didn’t you tell us to come find you after class to discuss the project?”
Zhang Renyi’s expression froze, but he was in no mood to talk to students right now!
“Next time, next time. I have something urgent.”
The door slammed shut, leaving the students dumbfounded.
Zhang Renyi paced back and forth in his office several times, thinking that what he had just felt must have been his imagination.
He had followed the news about Shi Ning.
Shi Ning had just barely passed the bar exam, and the lawyer’s letter sent to him wasn’t even signed by her.
What was there to be afraid of?
Just an intern lawyer.
Even without hiring a lawyer, Zhang Renyi felt that this matter wouldn’t blow up.
He believed he had handled this matter flawlessly, testing the boundaries of plagiarism back and forth.
He hadn’t reused Su Tianxue’s work word for word.
He hadn’t plagiarized!
Shi Ning didn’t care what Zhang Renyi thought.
To her, Zhang Renyi’s thoughts were unimportant.
No matter what he thought, winning was the most important thing.
After that trip, Shi Ning received a message from Ye Wanlan, saying there was a lead on the Jiang family.
Shi Ning drove to meet Ye Wanlan again.
Jiang Ningran’s mother was abroad. After finding her and tempting her with money, she agreed to a video call with Shi Ning and Ye Wanlan.
When the screen lit up, the background on the mother’s side was an apartment.
Her living situation didn’t seem as good as before, but she looked quite relaxed and at ease.
Relief was written all over her face.
Jiang Ningran’s mother sat in a chair and looked at the camera. “Go on, what do you want to talk about?”
Ye Wanlan glanced at Shi Ning and then spoke to the mother. “Shen Qingtang, do you know her?”
The mother shook her head.
Shi Ning held up a photo, and the mother’s expression changed.
“When did that girl change her name?”
“That wasn’t her name before. As for what it was, I never cared. She’s the daughter of a slut, not worth me remembering her name.”
Shi Ning and Ye Wanlan exchanged a look, guiding the mother to continue her story.
“It’s nothing, really. Just that damn old man went whoring when he was young, and one day, he brought back a child, saying it was his. How could I agree to raise someone else’s bastard? But the old man was infatuated at the time and insisted on raising the child. She stayed with Ningran for a while, and then I don’t know how the old man came to his senses, but he sent her away.”
“Why are you asking about her?”
Ye Wanlan: “It has nothing to do with you.”
The mother’s words confirmed Shi Ning’s suspicions.
Shen Qingtang was Jiang Ningran’s sister.
Jiang Ningran had a good relationship with W, the owner of the Maoyue Club.
After Jiang Ningran’s death, W began to act maliciously towards Shi Ning.
When everything was pieced together, there seemed to be only one answer.
Shen Qingtang was W.
However, there were still many things that weren’t clear.
For example, whether she had the tattoo on her neck.
For example, how she managed to live with Wang Yue’s face.
Shi Ning thought of something, but then felt it was unreliable.
This wasn’t a wuxia world, after all.
But besides that, nothing else made sense.
If Shen Qingtang was W, then there was only one possibility: she had some means of disguising herself as someone else.
Shi Ning and Ye Wanlan decided to split up.
Ye Wanlan would sync up with the police and discuss the next steps.
There was absolutely no reason to let the real culprit get away with it.
The problem with W wasn’t just her slanderous actions against Shi Ning and her incitement of others, but also the fact that the Maoyue Club she ran was completely illegal, a black market industry with a host of other problems behind it. Using someone as a scapegoat before was also a manifestation of her contempt for the law and deception of the judicial system.
If they were to really settle accounts with her, there would be a long list.
Shi Ning planned to talk to Fei Yue again, but she couldn’t get an appointment today, so she headed home instead.
When they were on the show, she and Su Tianxue had designed wedding dresses for each other on the island.
Not long ago, the shop owner said the dresses were ready and would be mailed to them, even sending Shi Ning the SF Express tracking number.
Shi Ning received a notification today and planned to go home to pick up the dresses.
The address she had filled in was a house she owned, not Su Tianxue’s old house.
She did this just to keep it from Su Tianxue for a little longer, so it could be a surprise.
Shi Ning had been secretly planning to propose to Su Tianxue for a while, but recently, things had piled up, too many and too messy, and she hadn’t been able to get her thoughts in order.
Now that the wedding dresses had arrived, Shi Ning felt she could start planning properly.
She had never proposed to anyone before and had no experience.
None of her friends had any experience either.
After thinking it over, the only married person she knew was Mo Lingyuan’s sister, Mo Qi.
But she couldn’t possibly ask Mo Lingyuan how her sister proposed to her wife, could she?
That would be like stabbing Mo Lingyuan in the heart.
Moreover, the issue of Mo Lingyuan suspecting she wasn’t the old Shi Ning hadn’t been resolved yet.
Shi Ning planned to put it off for a while longer. She herself hadn’t figured out how to tell Mo Lingyuan.
Such a bizarre thing, would Mo Lingyuan believe her?
And if she told her, then what?
There were no answers to many things.
Shi Ning didn’t want to just hand Mo Lingyuan a question mark.
She planned to wait until everything was resolved, then go back to the mountain road where “Shi Ning” had her accident and retrace her steps.
If she could find any clues, it would at least be some form of closure for Mo Lingyuan.
After all, it was the person another version of her had cherished and thought about for so many years.
For so many years.
Shi Ning collected her thoughts, picked up the dresses from the delivery locker, and carried the two large boxes upstairs to her apartment.
She finally managed to open the door and carefully placed the wedding dresses on the floor. Before she could even turn on the lights, she sensed something was wrong.
There was someone else in the house.
Shi Ning raised her hand, focused, and pressed her finger down. With a click, the switch flipped, and the lights came on.
In the brightly lit room, there was someone behind her.
Shi Ning grabbed the scissors from the entryway table and turned around coldly.
Shen Qingtang was sitting on her sofa, like the owner of the house, using her mug to make a cup of tea.
Shen Qingtang said, “You’re back.”
Seeing her, a flash of insight went through Shi Ning’s mind.
She realized that Shen Qingtang was now throwing caution to the wind.
Shi Ning: “Done with the act?”
Shen Qingtang swirled the teacup and chuckled lightly. “You’ve already investigated the Jiang family and Ningran. What else do I need to hide?”
Shi Ning: “You know everything.”
Shen Qingtang crossed her legs, her bare feet on the floor. “The Fei family is no worse than the Shi family, and Fei Yue’s methods are no less ruthless than yours.”
As expected.
Shen Qingtang had gotten close to Fei Yue to use her.
Shi Ning: “So, what are you doing illegally breaking into my home?”
Shen Qingtang: “There are some things I want to talk to you about.”
Shi Ning: “Talk about what? Jiang Ningran, or my wife?”
Hearing those words, Shen Qingtang’s expression changed. “You’d better not call her that.”
Shen Qingtang: “You killed Ningran, Shi Ning. I’ve thought about it, and I can’t entirely blame you.”
Shi Ning rolled her eyes. “Lady, are you out of your mind?”
She really couldn’t stand Shen Qingtang anymore.
“Jiang Ningran broke the law and was arrested. You were the one who insisted on hijacking her, causing the car accident that killed her. Get your facts straight, will you? If you hadn’t hijacked her, would anything have happened to her? She’d probably still be lying comfortably in prison right now.”
“Shut up!!”
Shen Qingtang flicked her hand, sending a throwing knife flying. The blade grazed Shi Ning’s cheek, leaving a bloody scratch.
Shi Ning raised her hand and caught the knife.
She had to thank Shen Qingtang for providing her with a weapon.
Otherwise, she was about to consider whether she should pull out her high heels to fight Shen Qingtang.
Shen Qingtang was clearly mentally unstable.
“If you hadn’t appeared, Jiang Ningran wouldn’t have been discovered. If Su Wanxing hadn’t seduced her, Jiang Ningran wouldn’t have gone after her.”
Shi Ning retorted, “I knew you were narcissistic before, but I didn’t know you were this… sick.”
Shen Qingtang was completely living in her own world.
Everything she did had its own logic, or rather, she only chose to believe the logic she was willing to accept.
There was no way to communicate with this person.
Shi Ning: “Did you break into my home today just to tell me this?”
To go crazy at her place?
Shen Qingtang snorted. “With Fei Yue protecting me, do you think I’d be afraid?”
Shen Qingtang advanced on Shi Ning step by step. “Shi Ning, I can let you live. Call Su Tianxue right now and tell her you’re breaking up with her. Then I’ll let you go.”
Shi Ning: “Are you insane?”
The knife in Shi Ning’s hand flashed and was pressed directly against Shen Qingtang’s neck.
Shen Qingtang didn’t even flinch.
She burst out laughing.
The blade in Shi Ning’s hand pressed an inch deeper. Shen Qingtang licked the corner of her mouth. “You can kill me with one stab. I have nothing left to live for in this world anyway. Ningran was killed by you, and to escape, the club is gone. Now I have to rely on someone else for help-”
Shi Ning: “How many damn times do I have to tell you that you killed Jiang Ningran?”
If you’re not going to use your ears, you can really donate them.
Shen Qingtang even actively leaned her neck into Shi Ning’s blade. “Kill me. It’ll be perfect for Su Tianxue and me to go to hell together.”
Shi Ning’s expression changed. “What do you mean?”
Shen Qingtang smiled sweetly. “You’re scared.”
She seemed to have discovered something new and exciting, and she grew happy. “I knew you’d be scared.”
“Shi Ning, help me. You break up with Su Tianxue, you destroy her, and then I’ll appear at just the right moment, take advantage of the situation, and then, when she’s at her most painful, I can go back to her side and be friends with her again.”
Shen Qingtang was speaking erratically, nothing like she had been when they met before.
Shi Ning suspected the woman was on something.
It made sense. Running a club like Maoyue, dealing with people who walked the abyss of crime every day… if you walk by the river often enough, you’re bound to get your shoes wet.
Shi Ning had no time to deal with whatever madness Shen Qingtang was spouting.
The tip of her knife was pressed against Shen Qingtang’s wound. “What did you do?”
Shen Qingtang laughed wildly. When she was tired of laughing, she fell backward onto the chair.
“Su Tianxue has class at the university today. After class, the school leaders will invite her to dinner. At the dinner table, there will be people from Fei Yue. I think you know what the Fei family does. In ten minutes, if you still haven’t broken up with her, Shi Ning, it would be fine for her and me to be a pair of tragic lovers in the underworld.”
Just as Shen Qingtang finished speaking, Su Tianxue called.
Shi Ning took a step back and picked up the phone.
Whether what Shen Qingtang said was true or false, she couldn’t afford to gamble.
“Where are you?”
“What is it?”
Su Tianxue: “I sent you a message saying I won’t be home for dinner tonight. Did you see it?”
Shi Ning: “Mhm.”
She actually hadn’t seen it, but what Su Tianxue said corresponded with Shen Qingtang’s claims.
Shi Ning’s brows furrowed tightly. She couldn’t help but think that maybe what Shen Qingtang said was true. Perhaps Su Tianxue was in danger right now.
Perhaps sensing the distraction in Shi Ning’s tone, Su Tianxue frowned. “What’s wrong?”
Shi Ning rarely responded to her so coldly.
Shi Ning looked at Shen Qingtang. Shen Qingtang wore a provocative expression, as if waiting for Shi Ning to say the words she was anticipating.
She mouthed the words “break up.”
Then she raised her hand to her neck and made a slitting gesture.
Shi Ning’s grip on the knife tightened.
The black watch on her wrist contrasted with the silvery-white blade.
It took all of Shi Ning’s strength to force out a few words. “Maybe we should just call it quits.”
After being a lawyer for so long, she had never encountered words so difficult to say.
After these words came out, Shi Ning realized that she truly couldn’t be without Su Tianxue.
It was clearly just something done in a moment of desperation to deal with Shen Qingtang, not her true feelings.
But saying it out loud still made her feel terrible.
Her heart ached.
As if it were being wrung out.
She didn’t know how Su Tianxue felt.
Would she care?
Su Tianxue sounded very calm. “Are you saying we should break up?”
Although she had expected Su Tianxue to remain calm, actually hearing it at this moment still made Shi Ning’s heart ache.
She said in a hoarse voice, “It’s not really a breakup. We were never really dating.”
That part was true.
She had planned to get the wedding dresses today and properly plan how to make their relationship a reality. Who knew Shen Qingtang would show up and go crazy.
Shi Ning sighed internally, wondering how she would explain this to Su Tianxue if she could resolve the Shen Qingtang situation.
Stabbing the person you love most with your own hands.
She never thought she would do something so foolish one day.
Shi Ning decided to get it all out at once. “Anyway, I’m the type of person who loses interest in three minutes. I’m just flighty. I did everything I wanted to do yesterday, and now I feel like it’s not interesting anymore.”
Su Tianxue seemed to be walking; the sound of wind rushed through the phone.
When she spoke, the sound of the wind came with her words.
“Shi Ning, do you know a person’s heart rate increases when they lie?”
Shi Ning didn’t understand. She looked down and saw her watch face light up. There was a new message from Su Tianxue.
It was a screenshot of Shi Ning’s heart rate, visible from her end.
Shi Ning froze.
Su Tianxue didn’t hang up. The sound of the wind stopped.
She said two words: “Open the door.”
Shi Ning was utterly confused.
“Huh?”
Su Tianxue hung up the phone, but the voice didn’t disappear.
The voice was coming from outside the door.
Su Tianxue’s voice.
“Open the door. I know you and Shen Qingtang are in there.”
Shi Ning: ?
What kind of development was this?
Shi Ning had to turn back to look at Shen Qingtang.
Shen Qingtang was also stunned.
Shi Ning put down her phone, took two steps back, staring at Shen Qingtang, afraid she would cause trouble, then opened the door with her backhand.
Su Tianxue was standing at the door.
She had probably walked in a hurry. She looked travel-worn, her hair slightly messy.
She was holding her phone, her face covered in frost.
Before Shi Ning could say anything, Su Tianxue reached out, grabbed her by the collar, and bit her on the lips.
“I’ll deal with you later.”
Shi Ning’s mind was full of question marks, until she saw another person arrive from the other elevator.
Su Tianxue had walked too fast; Fei Yue hadn’t been able to keep up.
They had ended up arriving one after the other.
Shi Ning looked at Fei Yue, then at Su Tianxue.
...
What the hell is going on!
When Fei Yue saw her, the first thing she said was, “I’m sorry.”
...
??
What on earth happened?
Comments
Post a Comment