PANT - Chapter 24
Chapter 24
Shi Ning…
Jiang Ningran looked up at the all-knowing expression on her face, the look of someone who could grasp and control everything, and felt a suffocating frustration. It was as if a thousand hands were clawing at her from within, threatening to burst from her chest, screaming to vent all their fury and hatred. A million demons from hell resided in her heart, craving revenge, craving possession.
She hated this woman.
Hated the woman standing before her.
She hated how she always looked so indifferent, so nonchalant about everything, able to chat and laugh with anyone, yet effortlessly possessed everything Jiang Ningran had ever wanted.
The genes of a top-tier Alpha, immense wealth, a status that made even the Su family bow their heads, and… Su Wanxing.
Shi Ning wasn’t like her, forced to hide her Alpha identity and live as an Omega because of the words of a fortune-telling charlatan. She had always felt the shame, the unwillingness. Every time she saw Su Wanxing’s heart flutter for other Alphas, a girlish crush blooming, she was filled with resentment.
Why?
She was an Alpha, too. Why didn’t Su Wanxing look at her?
And when she thought about everything that happened later, the pain of having her love stolen away, Jiang Ningran’s face twisted completely.
“You don’t know anything,” Jiang Ningran glared at Shi Ning. “You don’t know anything.”
“Really?” Certainty was written in Shi Ning’s eyes. “The way you’re looking at me, I’d think I hit a nerve and you’re flying into a rage out of humiliation.”
“Jiang Ningran,” Shi Ning said lightly. Her voice was like a spring rain, soft, but what fell with it wasn’t life-giving water, but stone after stone. With every word Shi Ning spoke, these stones hammered relentlessly into Jiang Ningran’s sordid heart.
She said, “Given how well you know Su Wanxing, you must have known she carries suppressants with her. And at the time, Su Wanxing had no guard up against you, believing you were an Omega, which is why she agreed to share a tent with you. You planned it all from the start.”
“Likewise, because you were such good friends, she probably wasn’t very wary of you using her things. You could share anything with her, go through her bag, use her water bottle.”
“In conclusion, Jiang Ningran, I have every reason to suspect and deduce…” Shi Ning’s tone shifted. “That you drugged Su Wanxing that day, didn’t you? See, you can only get what you want through such means. You’re a coward. You don’t even have the courage to ask Su Wanxing if she’s willing. You can only drug her into a stupor and do what you want.”
“Jiang Ningran, I truly look down on you.”
Seeing the contempt in Shi Ning’s eyes, Jiang Ningran screamed frantically, “I didn’t! I didn’t!”
“I won’t let you say that about me!” Jiang Ningran bared her teeth, looking like a zombie ready to take a bite out of Shi Ning, who remained unfazed.
She had seen right through her. The one thing Jiang Ningran couldn’t stand was being belittled.
As expected, her bluff worked, and Jiang Ningran confessed everything. She was now desperate to prove that what happened in the tent that day was initiated by Su Wanxing.
As Jiang Ningran spoke, the veins on her neck bulged. She shrieked, desperately trying to explain, “I didn’t drug her. I didn’t drug her! That day, that day I just hid her suppressants! It was her! She went into heat on her own! She couldn’t control herself, she was the one who begged me for it. So it’s all her fault, and I- I just went with the flow, let nature take its course. She wanted something, and I gave it to her. Was I wrong to do that?”
Jiang Ningran’s eyes were completely red as she stared fixedly at Shi Ning. “If it were you, Shi Ning, if it were you, and an Omega went into heat and asked you to take her, could you have resisted?”
Shi Ning’s lips curled slightly. “Jiang Ningran, I’m not like you.”
“Besides, in that situation, with her suppressants deliberately taken by you, what other choice did Su Wanxing have? Did you trick her, telling her that Omegas could help each other through their heats, and then use the opportunity to mark her?”
Shi Ning’s gaze was like a torch, capable of seeing through all truths.
Jiang Ningran was drenched in a cold sweat, terrified. She didn’t understand. How could Shi Ning know everything when she wasn’t even there? What was going on?
Jiang Ningran: “I-”
“Enough!” Su Wanxing cried out. Her head was splitting, as if someone had cleaved it in two with a knife from the top of her skull. The pain was unbearable. The sound of Jiang Ningran’s voice made her want to vomit, her presence made her sick, and the sight of her made her want to gouge her own eyes out.
If only, if only she weren’t an Omega.
If she weren’t an Omega, Su Wanxing thought, she wouldn’t have heats. And she wouldn’t have given Jiang Ningran an opportunity to exploit.
But she was born an Omega. A weak, powerless Omega, destined to be bullied forever. Why? In this world, was it possible for an Omega to have another way of life? A life not restricted by heats, a life of greater freedom.
Su Wanxing couldn’t find an answer.
Her heart clenched painfully. Head bowed, she spoke in a hoarse voice, “Jiang Ningran, get out. I never want to see you again.”
Jiang Ningran crawled towards Su Wanxing. “Su Wanxing, Wanxing, don’t listen to her. It was consensual, you agreed to it. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Su Wanxing screamed reflexively, “Don’t come near me!”
“Don’t come near me!” Su Wanxing trembled all over. She stood up, wanting to leave this place.
Shi Ning knew that Su Wanxing was suffering from intense shock and couldn’t control her emotions, choosing temporary escape. It wasn’t a bad way to get some rest. But she was worried something might happen if Su Wanxing was left alone, so as Su Wanxing passed by, she reached out and took her arm.
At the light touch, Su Wanxing shuddered.
She reflexively flung Shi Ning’s hand away. “Don’t touch me!” She hugged herself, arms crossed over her chest, tears soaking her clothes. “Don’t touch me.”
In this state, Su Wanxing was like a small, tormented animal, desperate and without hope, able only to hold herself tightly. She could no longer trust anyone else in this world.
Seeing this, Shi Ning quickly raised her hands high to show her intentions. “Su Wanxing, I won’t touch you. I’m Shi Ning, can you still recognize my voice? How about this, you go back to your room and rest first, okay? But promise me you won’t lock the door. Give me the key to your room.”
Su Wanxing hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
After settling Su Wanxing down, Shi Ning turned to Jiang Ningran and walked towards her, step by step.
Jiang Ningran had already been beaten into submission. She shrank back fearfully, shuffling backward on the floor like a maggot.
Shi Ning picked up a pair of scissors from the coffee table. With a slight movement of her fingers, the sharp blades snapped shut with a crisp click.
Jiang Ningran kept backing away, trembling with fear. “What- what are you trying to do? Shi Ning, I’m telling you, my Jiang family won’t let you get away with this.”
“What you’re doing is il-illegal!”
Hearing her words, Shi Ning let out a choked laugh, as if she had just heard the funniest joke in the world.
“You’re talking to me about the law?” Shi Ning crouched down. The scissors brushed lightly across Jiang Ningran’s cheek, then tapped against it, again and again, in rhythm with her words. “Everything you’ve done is illegal.”
The metal was cold against her cheek. Jiang Ningran could see the sharp tip of the scissors glinting just below her eyelid, as if in the next second, a forward thrust from Shi Ning could plunge it straight into her eyeball and make it burst.
The thought alone made Jiang Ningran ache with pain.
She shrank back fearfully.
“What do you want?” Jiang Ningran said, trying to sound brave. “I’m telling you, Shi Ning, even if you sue me, you might not win. Do you have proof that I forced myself on Su Wanxing?”
“Do you?”
The scissors flashed, a glint of silver, and Jiang Ningran instinctively shut her eyes. But in the terrifying darkness, she heard Shi Ning’s soft laugh. “You’re such a coward.”
Snip.
Shi Ning cut off a lock of Jiang Ningran’s hair. “Jiang Ningran, did you not know that the café you chose, and the hotel you’re staying at, both belong to me?”
At these words, Jiang Ningran’s eyes flew open, her expression one of disbelief.
But she quickly composed herself.
“So what? Even if you have all the surveillance footage, Shi Ning, you have no direct evidence. Su Wanxing and I have known each other for so many years. What do you think people will say when they find out? Childhood sweethearts, mutual affection. Shi Ning, you’re not as certain of victory as you think, so don’t look at me like that.”
Shi Ning smiled. “Jiang Ningran, do you think your plan was flawless?”
“That you avoided all the cameras.”
“Let me tell you, as long as I, Shi Ning, am around, this isn’t over.” Shi Ning leaned closer. The scissors flashed, and with a snip, the leather belt binding Jiang Ningran’s wrists was cut. It was a limited-edition belt, ridiculously expensive, but she cut it without batting an eye.
Shi Ning tossed the belt into the trash.
“Su Wanxing said she doesn’t want to see you, so please leave the Su residence. Also, I suggest you don’t go anywhere for a while. Otherwise, Jiang Ningran, I’m afraid a court summons will be delivered directly to your parents.”
At the mention of her parents, a flicker of fear crossed Jiang Ningran’s eyes.
Shi Ning mocked her, “Such a grown-up, still afraid of mommy and daddy.”
Though she said it like that, Shi Ning knew Jiang Ningran’s parents were no saints. One was abusive, the other a cheater. And they had extremely high expectations for Jiang Ningran. She said it deliberately to provoke her.
Jiang Ningran pressed her lips together, silent. She stood up and tried to throw a punch at Shi Ning, but her fist was caught in Shi Ning’s large hand. With a twist, Shi Ning snapped Jiang Ningran’s right wrist with a sickening crack.
“I told you, don’t mess with me.”
Jiang Ningran was thoroughly terrified now.
The woman before her was like a cheetah. Usually, she seemed relaxed and lazy, wandering the grasslands all day. But when prey appeared, the cheetah would strike in an instant, aiming for the neck, one bite, a fatal blow.
Unwilling, Jiang Ningran could only turn to leave. But just as she reached the door, Shi Ning picked up a still-damp piece of clothing and threw it at her.
It landed squarely on Jiang Ningran’s head.
“Take off the clothes you’re wearing,” Shi Ning said irritably.
She hadn’t even worn Su Tianxue’s clothes before, so what right did this person have?
“You have three seconds. Take it off.”
Jiang Ningran gritted her teeth and humiliatingly stripped off the shirt.
Su Tianxue had given her the shirt that morning. Jiang Ningran’s own top had gotten dirty during breakfast, and Su Tianxue had thrown it in the washing machine. Seeing she had nothing to wear and Su Wanxing was still asleep, she had given her one of her own shirts.
Shi Ning recognized it at a glance because it was the same one Su Tianxue had been wearing when they first met.
She had been annoyed seeing Jiang Ningran in it for a long time.
Jiang Ningran had no choice but to take off the shirt in front of Shi Ning and change back into her own dirty, damp clothes. After changing, she still hadn’t given up, her eyes secretly glancing towards Su Wanxing’s door.
Shi Ning blocked her path.
“You can get lost now.”
Jiang Ningran clenched her fists and started to walk out. Shi Ning called out to her again, “Wait.”
Suppressing her irritation, Jiang Ningran had no choice but to submit. “What is it?”
“Jiang Ningran, Su Wanxing told you to roll out, not walk out.” Shi Ning tilted her head slightly, her beautiful, fiery red hair cascading down. She smiled, but to Jiang Ningran, that smile was like a soul-reaper from hell, terrifying her. “Now.” Shi Ning raised a hand and pointed at the open door. “Roll. Out.”
“Or I think your parents would be very happy to receive a call from me, listen to my deductions, and discuss a lawsuit with me.”
This was going too far!
Jiang Ningran felt that Shi Ning was a lunatic. She wanted to curse, but she didn’t dare. The places where Shi Ning had hit her still ached, and her broken wrist throbbed with excruciating pain.
Finally, she lowered her head. Her eyes were filled with unwillingness and hatred, but she curled up into a ball, like a burrito, and threw herself outside.
Thud.
She rolled out.
Shi Ning took out her phone and snapped a picture. Then she waved at Jiang Ningran and, right in front of her, slammed the door shut without a shred of courtesy.
Bang-
Outside the door, Jiang Ningran clenched her fists and let out a silent scream. She looked back at the door, the hatred in her eyes thick and viscous, flowing like squid ink.
Once Jiang Ningran was gone, Shi Ning first checked the recording on her phone, then reconfirmed all the evidence she had gathered that day.
Then, she got up, picked up the shirt belonging to Su Tianxue that Jiang Ningran had taken off, and flipped open the collar to find the tag and size.
Shi Ning found the same model online and immediately ordered two. One to return to Su Tianxue, untouched, and another, a light blue one of the same style. For herself to wear, hmph!
Su Tianxue’s clothes weren’t expensive. She was a very simple person; this shirt was just a common 99-yuan item from Taobao.
After doing all this, Shi Ning sighed and lay down on the sofa.
Something suddenly poked her from underneath. Shi Ning reached down and pulled it out, only to find it was Su Wanxing’s phone. The kid must have been too agitated, her emotions too intense, and completely forgot about her phone.
Shi Ning got up, rinsed the milk glass Su Wanxing had finished, and put it back in its place. She hadn’t forgotten the cohabitation rules Su Tianxue had set. That woman was like an obsessive-compulsive, insisting that everything be placed neatly in order.
Next, Shi Ning walked to Su Wanxing’s door. Seeing the key hanging from the lock, she raised her hand and hesitated for a long time, wondering whether to knock and tell her the phone was outside. Or whether to have a heart-to-heart with her…
But Shi Ning was terrible at comforting people.
Besides, Su Wanxing already disliked her.
Right now, Su Wanxing probably didn’t want to see her either.
With that thought, Shi Ning lowered her hand.
She figured it was best to let Su Wanxing be alone for a while.
Shi Ning sat back down on the sofa, staring at the ceiling, thinking about the Jiang Ningran situation. She used her phone to look up relevant legal clauses and documents, mentally simulating all possible scenarios if Su Wanxing ultimately chose to press charges. In that case… she didn’t have a law license in this world, so she couldn’t represent Su Wanxing. But, she had money and could find the best lawyers in this world. Her own company also had a team of elites in its legal department.
Helping Su Wanxing with the lawsuit wouldn’t be difficult.
It just depended on Su Wanxing’s own attitude.
Sigh-
Troublesome.
From the looks of it, Su Wanxing wanted to hide this from Su Tianxue. But how was that possible? And whose side should she be on? She wanted to respect Su Wanxing’s wishes as the victim, but… if Su Tianxue found out she and Su Wanxing had hidden it from her, she would probably be angry, right?
Shi Ning felt she had never faced such a difficult choice, not even in court.
She decided to close her eyes and take a short nap on the sofa.
In Su Wanxing’s room, she stood under the showerhead, letting the scalding water wash over her body again and again. Even when it burned, she gritted her teeth and stood there.
She scrubbed her body frantically.
Memories of that time in the tent with Jiang Ningran, when her heat suddenly arrived without suppressants, leading to what happened, all came rushing back to her.
Gag.
Su Wanxing bent over, sticking her fingers down her throat. She wanted to vomit, but nothing came out. She felt as if a monster had once burrowed into her body, and now, though she wanted to drive it out, the monster clung stubbornly to every part of her.
It was all her fault.
It was her fault for trusting Jiang Ningran, her fault for not seeing through Jiang Ningran’s disguise sooner. Her fault for being too naive, her fault for being too sheltered in the past.
Su Wanxing collapsed to the floor, the powerful spray of the shower drowning out her desperate sobs.
On this day, Su Wanxing’s youth came to an abrupt end.
In the living room, Shi Ning woke up with a yawn and rubbed her eyes. Suddenly, a vibration came from nearby.
She had only intended to pick up the phone to give it to Su Wanxing, but the moment she lifted it, the screen lit up, and the message notification on it starkly entered her vision.
The sender was Jiang Ningran.
【Su Wanxing, I’m giving you three hours. Get over here immediately. As for where I am, I’ll tell you I’m at a place with many of our special memories. A place you used to love. So you should know where I mean. Su Wanxing, don’t tell anyone, especially not Shi Ning. Don’t even think about having her come save you. Otherwise, the special photos and videos I took of you at the hotel that day will be all over the internet. I don’t think you want that to happen, do you? Wanxing, I don’t want that either. Your body is mine, and only I should see it. You have to believe me, I love you. As long as you come see me, I can forgive you for everything that happened today.】
“Fuck!”
Shi Ning cursed.
She knew that bastard Jiang Ningran would have something up her sleeve. She had suspected something like this might happen; after all, in the original novel’s plot, taking indecent photos and videos to use as threats was something Jiang Ningran had done.
She hadn’t brought it up in front of Su Wanxing earlier because she was afraid that saying it out loud would cause Su Wanxing even greater psychological stress.
And Jiang Ningran hadn’t threatened Su Wanxing in front of her just now, likely because she was afraid of her, too.
Jiang Ningran was afraid of Shi Ning.
Now, Jiang Ningran probably thought the phone was in the bedroom with Su Wanxing, never expecting it to be left on the sofa for Shi Ning to see.
“Dammit, what an idiot.”
Shi Ning looked up at Su Wanxing’s room, thinking that she absolutely could not let Su Wanxing know about this now. Su Wanxing’s mental state was already very poor, and in Shi Ning’s view, Su Wanxing held herself to a high moral standard. After something like this, she was probably already deep in self-loathing. This was a common reaction among most victims in the sexual assault cases Shi Ning had handled.
If Su Wanxing found out now that Jiang Ningran had also taken photos and videos…
Shi Ning was afraid Su Wanxing might do something drastic, that an accident might happen.
The priority now was to find Jiang Ningran, send her to the police, get the photos, and prevent them from being leaked and ruining Su Wanxing’s life.
Shi Ning quickly called the head of her company’s IT department. Afraid Su Wanxing might hear, she deliberately went out to the balcony and closed the sliding door.
“Hello,” Shi Ning got straight to the point. “Do you know any hackers? Or someone with excellent computer skills. I need someone to help me with something right now.”
The department head quickly replied, “CEO Shi, whatever you need, just say the word. We’ll handle it.”
“Help me track someone’s online information. Try to see if there are any photos or videos on her cloud storage. Of course, it would be best if you could access the photos and videos on her phone itself.”
“No problem,” the department head agreed. “It will just take a little time. Almost everyone uses our company’s communication software. As long as we have some basic information about this person, we can search for her account, find a vulnerability, hack into her phone’s system, and check her network status.”
“It’s just…”
Shi Ning’s voice was cold. “What?”
“It will probably take an hour.”
“Fine,” Shi Ning ordered. “Finish it as soon as possible. Once you find the files, don’t open them. I’ll have my Secretary Ye retrieve them.”
After arranging that, Shi Ning immediately called her secretary.
Ye Wanlan, her secretary in this world, her nominal sworn sister, and the current executive of the Shi family. The only reason Shi Ning could be an armchair CEO was entirely because of Ye Wanlan.
Calling someone she knew from this world for the first time, Shi Ning felt a little nervous. But as soon as the call connected and she heard the other person’s gentle voice say, “Xiao Ning, what’s wrong?”
Shi Ning instantly recalled all the moments “she” had spent with Ye Wanlan. Thankfully, the author of Pampered Crybaby Omega had written this character based entirely on her. Shi Ning didn’t have to act now; she could interact with her friends and family here without giving herself away.
“Wan'er Jiejie, do me a favor.”
Hearing this, Ye Wanlan raised her hand slightly, and the manager who was reporting in the conference room immediately fell silent. Ye Wanlan replied, “Xiao Ning, go ahead.”
“I’ll give you a location. Can you find a way to block all network signals in the surrounding area? Hmm…” Shi Ning checked how long it would take to get from the Su residence to Jiang Ningran’s secret base. “Yes, start in an hour.”
This was Shi Ning’s two-pronged approach.
If the hacking attempt failed, or if Jiang Ningran really went crazy, then at least cutting off the signal could prevent the photos from being successfully leaked.
“It’s a bit difficult. But, I will fulfill your request,” Ye Wanlan said gently but firmly. “However, Xiao Ning, I have a request too. When this is over, bring your wife home for a meal. Godmother misses you.”
Hearing Ye Wanlan’s promise, Shi Ning felt a sense of relief. She smiled and said, “Wan'er Jiejie, with you around, Mom won’t miss me. I promise. I have to go now.”
“Mm.”
Ye Wanlan looked at her phone after the call ended, then calmly lifted her gaze. Her gentle, water-like face was now suffused with an imposing aura. “The meeting is paused. Xiao He, come here, help me look something up. Manager Liu, contact the three major telecom providers, and also get in touch with our company’s signal jammer R&D department.”
Although she looked as delicate as a willow leaf and was an Omega, appearing soft and weak, everyone in the company knew she was ruthless. Ye Wanlan had no scent gland. Some said she had dug it out herself, so that her Omega instincts wouldn’t affect her work.
Now, responding urgently to Shi Ning’s request, Ye Wanlan was perfectly composed.
After setting both plans in motion, Shi Ning immediately headed out. She had already contacted her driver to bring the car around, preparing to head to Jiang Ningran’s location.
Jiang Ningran thought that only she and Su Wanxing knew the plot, so only they knew where she had imprisoned Su Wanxing in the story.
But unfortunately for them, Shi Ning, whom they considered a native of this world, was also a transmigrator. So the moment Shi Ning saw that message, she knew exactly where the location was.
Shi Ning was meticulous. She suppressed her emotions and, before leaving, spoke to Su Wanxing through the door as usual. “Wanxing, I’m going out to buy groceries. Wait for me at home, okay?”
There was no answer.
Shi Ning frowned and knocked on the door.
Su Wanxing’s weak voice came through. “Okay.”
Seeing this, Shi Ning still felt uneasy. She scanned the house, took all the knives and sharp objects, and hid them high up in the kitchen. Still feeling that something was wrong, she remembered Su Wanxing’s earlier request and her fondness for Zhu Yu. As she headed out, she quickly called Zhu Yu.
“Well, this is a rare call. I never thought CEO Shi would call me on her own initiative.” Zhu Yu answered quickly. “What’s up?”
Shi Ning: “Where are you now?”
Zhu Yu: “Just finished filming a variety show in City A. About to take a break, take my assistant and staff out for a meal. Go on, what happened?”
Shi Ning walked quickly. “Do me a favor, take care of a kid. I’ll send you the address in a bit. It won’t be for free. You can pick any of the company’s projects next quarter.”
Zhu Yu laughed. “We’re friends, no need for that. But I’ll remember it. What kid? Do you have an illegitimate child?”
Shi Ning had no time for banter with Zhu Yu. She just said, “She’s pretty well-behaved, a bit naive. You’ll know when you get there. Oh, her situation is a bit special, so be careful. I left the key under the doormat outside. Gotta go.”
“Am I not gentle enough? Hello-?”
Shi Ning hung up. While sending the address to Zhu Yu, she looked for the car and spotted it at a glance. A Koenigsegg One:1, a nine-figure supercar, one of only six in the world. When she was a lawyer, Shi Ning hadn’t dared to buy one—it was too flashy. Now that she had transmigrated, it seemed “her” taste was the same as her own.
The driver was waiting by the car.
Shi Ning was about to get into the back seat when Su Wanxing’s phone vibrated again.
That lunatic Jiang Ningran had sent another message. At the same time, the phone issued a low battery warning. Su Wanxing’s phone was about to die.
【Fine, Su Wanxing. I knew you were a bitch. Since you don’t care about that, let’s talk about something else. Your sister, Su Tianxue, is in my hands right now. Would you like to see photos of you two sisters posted online together? Su Wanxing, my patience is limited. Come here now, be my dog, and I might let your sister go. Otherwise, I’ll have Su Tianxue take your place.】
Boom-
A volcano erupted in Shi Ning’s heart, fury spreading through her. She gripped Su Wanxing’s phone tightly, her face dark, and calmly called Su Tianxue.
No one answered.
The blood in Shi Ning’s veins felt like it was flowing backward. The anger made her head throb. Her gaze was sharper than an eagle’s.
The driver asked worriedly, “CEO Shi, are you alright?”
Shi Ning held out her hand. “Give me the keys.”
The driver, confused, handed them over. The next second, Shi Ning was in the driver’s seat. She stomped on the accelerator, and the supercar’s engine roared to life, shooting off like a rocket.
The driver was so scared he thought he was about to lose his job.
Inside the car, Shi Ning gripped the steering wheel tightly, her eyes fixed on the road ahead, her dark pupils filled with burning embers. The face that could always find a reason to smile was now frozen over, exuding a terrifying chill.
“Jiang Ningran.” Shi Ning whispered the three words. Her tone was light, but it concealed boundless ruthlessness. After saying the name, she even let out a soft laugh, though there was no mirth in her eyes. The moment the light turned green, Shi Ning’s car shot forward without hesitation. On the road, her car was like a silver bolt of lightning—swift, fast, and with an unstoppable momentum.
A journey that should have taken fifty minutes was completed by Shi Ning in less than half an hour.
Shi Ning stopped the car and opened the glove compartment. As expected, she found a Schweizer Messer. A multi-tool, also known as a Swiss Army knife.
Back when she was a lawyer, Shi Ning had a habit of keeping things for self-defense within reach. She was a bit arrogant and had made many enemies; there were probably dozens, if not a hundred, people who wanted her dead.
Online, they called her a lapdog lawyer.
She never expected that even as a CEO, she would still have this habit of hiding knives.
Knife in hand, she stepped out onto the ground in her long boots, closing the door behind her, and walked towards the seaside container warehouse where Jiang Ningran was.
That’s right, this was Jiang Ningran’s secret base.
The Jiang family’s abandoned pier.
The warehouse door was a metal roll-up door. Shi Ning kicked it.
The door clanged, making a sound like thunder.
From inside, Jiang Ningran’s unrestrained laughter echoed. “Su Wanxing, you’re finally here.” She walked over and pressed the electric control valve by the door. The roll-up door began to rise, inch by inch, with a clattering sound.
Jiang Ningran’s eyes gleamed with triumph. She was filled with joy, waiting to see Su Wanxing’s panicked, rabbit-like face, full of hatred yet pleading for mercy.
But to her surprise, before the door was even halfway open, Shi Ning swept low to the ground. Her long leg shot through the gap, tripping the gleefully waiting Jiang Ningran. Jiang Ningran was stunned. The next second, Shi Ning ducked through the low opening, kicked Jiang Ningran in the chest, and the cold silver knife in her hand spun between her fingers like a flower. A sharp, carnivorous flower.
“Jiang Ningran.” Shi Ning advanced, stepping on the woman who was trying to scramble up and escape. She pressed down hard on her back, and after hearing a pained scream, she bent slightly, lowered her head, and lightly scraped the back of the knife against Jiang Ningran’s carotid artery. “Where are the photos?”
Jiang Ningran yelled, “Shi Ning, is it really necessary! Do you like Su Wanxing that much?!”
Shi Ning snorted. Her peripheral vision caught Jiang Ningran’s phone on a nearby chair. The area around the chair was filled with props for that kind of activity—a steel frame, hanging rings, whips, and a spiked dildo. Shi Ning felt disgusted. She picked up the phone, walked over to the now-immobile Jiang Ningran, grabbed her face, and squeezed hard, so hard that Jiang Ningran felt her jaw was about to separate from her face.
Ding ding.
Facial recognition passed.
Shi Ning glanced at the photo album. The thumbnails were all too filthy to look at. She turned the screen off, put the phone in her pocket, and crouched down again. “Now, tell me, where is Su Tianxue?”
Hearing this, and looking at the woman’s eyes, which were as dark as the night, Jiang Ningran was stunned for a moment. Then, she started laughing wildly again.
“Interesting, interesting.”
Unable to stand it, Shi Ning punched her. Jiang Ningran spat out blood and a dislodged tooth, still smiling. “Shi Ning, so you’re a lesbian.”
“You like Su Tianxue?”
“Then I have some good news for you. I sent Su Tianxue to a club. That club is very special. To take care of her, I found her three Omegas, three Alphas, and a Beta. Tell me, aren’t I so kind? I’m letting her experience everything this time- ahhhhhh!”
Before she could finish, the knife in Shi Ning’s hand plunged into Jiang Ningran’s shoulder blade. The pain was so intense she felt like she was dying, and she screamed like a wild dog.
Jiang Ningran suddenly felt regret, but then she thought, things have already come to this. She looked up at Shi Ning with a vile expression. “Shi Ning, I’m going to let you taste it too—the feeling of watching your own woman, the person you love, sleep with someone else.”
“I’m going to make you taste my pain.”
Shi Ning raised her hand, about to strike again, but a sharp shout stopped her.
“Xiao Ning!”
Shi Ning’s out-of-control mind, her body filled with madness, was finally brought to a halt. She turned towards the voice and saw Ye Wanlan in a white suit and high heels, calling out to her anxiously.
“Xiao Ning, don’t do something you’ll regret.” Ye Wanlan walked towards Shi Ning. With a raise of her hand, the Shi family’s security team and heavily paid bodyguards surrounded them. “Xiao Ning, calm down. What Jiang Ningran has done is enough to make her face legal punishment. And with me here, Xiao Ning, I promise you, I will make her life in prison a living hell.”
“So, don’t do something wrong.” Seeing her silence, Ye Wanlan stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Right now, you should go save the person who is more important.”
Hearing their words, Jiang Ningran laughed wildly. “Shi Ning, if you kneel down and beg me right now, I’ll tell you where Su Tianxue is. That club, even your Shi family won’t be able to find it.”
She had discovered it in her past life.
Even if Shi Ning racked her brains now, she would never know the place.
“Kneel, and I’ll tell you.”
Shi Ning looked at the triumph in Jiang Ningran’s eyes and silently stood up. “Wan'er Jiejie, I’ll leave Jiang Ningran to you.”
Ye Wanlan nodded and looked at Shi Ning with concern. “Xiao Ning, are you okay?”
When Ye Wanlan received her call, she had felt something was wrong. As the sister who had grown up with Shi Ning, she knew what kind of person she was. On the phone, hearing her desperately suppressed but undeniable anger and fear, Ye Wanlan knew something serious was happening. She was afraid Shi Ning’s temper would get the better of her, so while handling her request, she had rushed over.
As expected, a huge mistake was nearly made.
Now, she was worried about Shi Ning…
“I’m fine,” Shi Ning said calmly. “I’m leaving first.”
Seeing her about to leave, Jiang Ningran was incredulous. Could Shi Ning know where the club was? No, impossible. Shi Ning couldn’t possibly know. Even if… even if she really did.
“Shi Ning, even if you manage to find the club and rush over now, it’s already too late.”
“Su Tianxue has been drugged with ‘Baby Sleeps for Three Days.’ She’s probably having a great time right now.”
“You might as well kneel and beg me for mercy. If I’m in a good mood, I might tell you the location, call them to stop, and return a pure and clean Su Tianxue to you. How about it?”
With a look from Ye Wanlan, a bodyguard stuffed a cloth into Jiang Ningran’s mouth.
Hearing Jiang Ningran’s words, Shi Ning turned back and looked down at her. “You’re wrong.”
“You underestimate me, and you underestimate Su Tianxue.”
She was an Alpha, and so was Su Tianxue.
Shi Ning turned and walked away.
“I trust her.”
Those four words, carried on the salty sea breeze, were for Jiang Ningran, and also for herself.
In the warehouse, the completely subdued Jiang Ningran knew she had no way out. The moment Ye Wanlan appeared, she had foreseen her end. This gentle-looking Omega, Shi Ning’s secretary, her sworn sister, known to outsiders as the Shi family’s watchdog, a mad dog in the dark night.
Even in this despair, Jiang Ningran held onto a sliver of hope.
She thought, it’s not bad to take two down with me before I die.
Shi Ning would never find the club, and Su Tianxue… was probably being raped countless times by now.
The roar of a car engine suddenly came from outside the warehouse. It was the sound of Shi Ning’s Koenigsegg One:1.
Shi Ning held the steering wheel steadily, telling herself that nothing would happen.
She had seen how Su Tianxue faced danger.
So… Shi Ning’s grip tightened. The window was open, and the sea breeze rushed in, sending an endless chill down her sweat-soaked back.
If she rushed over now, there was still hope.
Su Tianxue.
Nothing would happen to Su Tianxue.
…
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