PANT - Chapter 60
Chapter 60
A week later, Shi Ning received a message from Ye Wanlan.
Ye Wanlan: I had the recording you sent compared. I hired someone to do a voiceprint analysis, and the results don’t match.
Ye Wanlan: Although there are many uncontrollable factors, I consulted an expert. Generally speaking, a voice simulated by a voice changer can be identified. It doesn’t change a person’s fundamental way of speaking.
Ye Wanlan: It’s highly likely she and W are not the same person.
Ye Wanlan: By the way, I couldn’t find any information on Shen Qingtang.
Ye Wanlan: I suspect Fei Yue tampered with her records and deleted her past information. All I know is that she studied abroad for university, returned to the country, and then became a teacher.
Ye Wanlan: Her record is squeaky clean. Nothing seems out of place.
Shi Ning stared at the message, thinking that perhaps the biggest problem was that nothing seemed to be a problem.
Shi Ning: What about her parents? Her family history? Her relationships?
Ye Wanlan: So simple it could be summarized on a single sheet of paper.
Ye Wanlan sent over Shen Qingtang’s file.
The file stated she was an orphan who grew up in an orphanage, then earned a scholarship to study abroad through hard work.
At first glance, it was just the epitome of a diligent, hardworking, ordinary person’s life.
But Shi Ning’s intuition was buzzing, telling her things were definitely not that simple.
She contacted the police to ask if she could visit W in prison and quickly received permission.
After dropping Su Tianxue off at the university for work, Shi Ning drove to Beicheng Prison, where W was being held.
This wasn’t Shi Ning’s first time in a prison.
Following the rules, she surrendered her electronic devices at the entrance and was led by a prison guard to the visitation room, where she saw W.
Through the glass partition, W’s face appeared haggard. Her mental state didn’t look good; it was even a cause for concern.
Shi Ning sat down, gazing into W’s eyes.
She picked up the small microphone next to her. “Hello, W. I think you know why I’m here.”
W didn’t speak.
Dark, bruised circles ringed her eyes, and she looked withered.
Shi Ning remembered the day she was arrested. While not exactly high-spirited, her eyes had at least been bright, and she still had the will to live.
How strange, Shi Ning thought.
The day her empire crumbled, W hadn’t shown any despair. Her eyes were filled with fearlessness.
So why had she become like this now?
Logically, the prison shouldn’t have been mentally abusive enough to wear W down to this state, as if she’d encountered a demon that had stolen her very soul.
She had asked the guards before coming; there were no bad influences or bullying in this women’s prison.
Why had W changed so drastically?
Shi Ning was filled with doubt. When W finally spoke, her voice was hoarse, like a worn-out old bell. Every time she opened her mouth, it was met with immense resistance, as if she had to tear through some barrier just to complete a sentence.
W: “For what?”
Shi Ning: “You’re not her.”
Four words. Just four words were enough. Nothing more needed to be said.
On the other side of the glass, the woman’s pupils constricted abruptly, revealing her reaction.
She panicked, she grew terrified, but in the final moment, a smile of relief appeared on her face.
The woman raised her hand, fingers spread, the ‘W’ tattoo on the web of her thumb clearly visible.
Shi Ning could tell the tattoo wasn’t new; it had been etched into the woman’s skin for some years. The originally black ink had faded to a bluish-green, its intensity worn away by time.
Shi Ning didn’t understand, until the next second, when she saw the woman’s gesture.
W raised her hand, tilted her head down slightly, and pointed to the back of her own neck. Then, she breathed onto the glass and traced an English letter with her fingertip.
—W.
She was unwilling to say more, and she didn’t.
As she left, W’s body seemed weightless, like a cloud about to drift away with the wind.
Shi Ning pursed her lips in thought. Connecting the woman’s gestures, she suddenly had a theory.
Perhaps.
Perhaps Wang Yue meant that the real W’s tattoo, or mark, should be on the back of the neck?
Yes, Wang Yue. Shi Ning had seen the police investigation file. W’s real name was Wang Yue, and she had lived a miserable life.
Her mother was a prostitute at a club, and she was treated like a commodity from birth. Before she was even grown, clients were already making advances on her. According to her own confession, that was when she resolved to become someone who would climb to the top by stepping on these Alphas.
Using others to build her power, Wang Yue gradually shed her past identity.
On the surface, she formed a family with a male Alpha, had a daughter, and lived a happy life.
But in reality, she was still the master of the night.
Using her connections and intelligence, she constantly manipulated and misled the authorities, profiting from it and seizing opportunities.
According to her, she repeatedly targeted Shi Ning and Su Tianxue because Su Tianxue had barged into the Maoyue Club, causing her to lose face and suffer losses, which bred resentment and hatred.
Everything seemed to follow a logical progression.
Further investigation revealed nothing out of place.
This was why she was convicted so quickly.
Even the powerful figures she confessed to working with all identified her from her photo.
Previously, Wang Yue had adamantly insisted on her guilt, confessing to everything.
To suddenly recant now…
Shi Ning didn’t think it was a crisis of conscience.
Her intuition told her it was related to the news report she had shown Wang Yue before.
The family that died in the accident was probably Wang Yue’s family.
Others would only think it was just deserts for Wang Yue’s crimes. With so many villains exposed after her imprisonment, any desperate criminal could have been enough to torment her family.
But… if W was so intelligent, able to climb from nothing to such a position, how could she not have taken any measures to protect her own family?
Seeing Wang Yue like this today, and seeing the clue she gave, Shi Ning guessed that perhaps Wang Yue and the real W had reached some kind of agreement. According to that agreement, Wang Yue would take the fall.
In return, W was supposed to protect her family.
If so, then everything made sense.
Shi Ning sat in her car, not driving for a long time. Her fingertips tapped on the steering wheel, again and again, like her fluctuating emotions.
Wang Yue’s abnormal state was perhaps because she had been betrayed and realized W had cast her aside as a disposable pawn.
That’s why she left her a clue at this critical moment.
W’s tattoo should be on the back of her neck.
While this was useful information, how could she just go around pulling down people’s collars to check for tattoos?
The back of the neck… In the ABO world, that could be called a private area. The location of the pheromone gland.
What method could she possibly use to see the back of Shen Qingtang’s neck?
Shi Ning’s brow furrowed as she pondered for a long time.
A shrill ringtone came from her phone.
A police officer she knew called to tell her that Wang Yue was dead.
Shi Ning froze for a moment, then hastily threw open the car door and rushed back.
The prison guards stopped her at the gate. Only when the officer she knew arrived did Shi Ning learn the details.
It turned out that after their meeting ended, Wang Yue had returned to her cell.
By the time someone found her, she had already bitten off her tongue and was lying in a pool of blood.
“We found this in her cell.”
The officer, wearing gloves, handed over a cup.
Inside the cup lay the bodies of several dead cicadas.
They were soaking in water. From a distance, it looked like a cup of tea, but in reality… it was an infusion of dead bodies.
Shi Ning’s expression grew grave.
Regardless of whether it was suicide or murder, or if Wang Yue had been coerced, it was clear from their conversation just now that Wang Yue had likely been prepared to die.
For her, perhaps there was no longer any hope in living.
To have waited until today to choose death… Could it be that Wang Yue was waiting for her?
Besides telling her that W’s tattoo was on the back of the neck, she must have left other information as well.
—Cicadas. The golden cicada shedding its shell.
It is said in Xie Tianxiang that when a winter cicada metamorphoses, it sheds its shell and is reborn.
Therefore, Wang Yue was merely W’s shed shell.
Her entire life existed only for another person’s scheme.
If that was truly the case, then W must have been planning this for many years.
It was even possible that the Wang Yue who had been active in the shadows was not the real Wang Yue.
But W herself.
The real Wang Yue had long been living an ordinary life out in the open, having escaped the darkness.
Following this line of reasoning, it was quite possible and logical that Wang Yue would willingly sacrifice herself and take the fall for W in the end.
Shi Ning’s mind was a tangled mess. Although she had new clues that confirmed her suspicions, she had no direction.
She asked about the other arrested person, Teng She, only to learn that he had died in an accident long ago.
Such an obvious arrangement. W was acting with brazen arrogance.
Shi Ning clenched her fists, realizing that for her, perhaps the only lead she had now was Shen Qingtang.
No matter what, she had to dig this lead up completely.
After sharing the information with the police, she got back into her car.
Looking at her phone, Shi Ning pondered for a long time before asking Ye Wanlan for Fei Yue’s contact information.
She felt it would be too abrupt to contact Fei Yue out of the blue, so she told Ye Wanlan her plan: she would attend a business gathering in a week with Ye Wanlan to meet Fei Yue in person.
There were some things she wanted to clarify with Fei Yue.
After settling these matters, Shi Ning cleared her mind, went home to buy and prepare groceries, did some reading, and then went to pick up Su Tianxue from work.
She came every day now, so the people at the research institute were no longer surprised.
Su Tianxue got into the car familiarly. Along the way, she keenly sensed that something was off with Shi Ning.
Su Tianxue: “What happened?”
Shi Ning didn’t tell Su Tianxue about Wang Yue.
Her mind was a tangle of suspicions, and she didn’t want to distract or trouble Su Tianxue with it.
Shi Ning smiled. “It’s nothing, just a small issue at the company.”
Seeing her like this, Su Tianxue just hummed in acknowledgment and didn’t press further.
But doubt began to grow in her heart.
Since when did Shi Ning care about company matters?
Shi Ning didn’t elaborate, so Su Tianxue didn’t ask.
A silence fell over the car.
Shi Ning lowered the volume of the car’s music and asked, “Wife, there’s something I want to ask you.”
Su Tianxue: “Go ahead.”
Su Tianxue had been resting with her eyes closed. Hearing Shi Ning’s words, she opened them slightly to look at the woman driving.
Seeing the red light ahead, Shi Ning slowly stopped the car to let pedestrians cross. She turned her head to look at Su Tianxue. “This person, Shen Qingtang, how much do you know about her?”
Su Tianxue didn’t understand. “Why are you so concerned about her?”
Shi Ning smiled. “She was your best friend in high school. I want to know why she was able to become your friend.”
Su Tianxue: This person’s jealousy sure lasts a long time.
She hadn’t seen Shi Ning act crazy over Shen Qingtang for days, so Su Tianxue had thought Shi Ning had put the matter behind her.
But unexpectedly, here it was, waiting for her today.
Su Tianxue suddenly became cautious.
Her eyes narrowed slightly. Watching the woman press the accelerator again as the light turned green, she asked, “If I say I remember, you’re not going to get jealous again, are you?”
Su Tianxue could already predict Shi Ning’s lines.
If she said she remembered, Shi Ning would probably ask why she remembered things about Shen Qingtang so clearly.
Hmm. How should she explain this?
Should she say she was just born with a good memory, that these things in life were always etched in her mind, remembered more or less accurately?
Seeing Su Tianxue being so cautious, Shi Ning couldn’t help but laugh. “Wife, what are you thinking?”
Shi Ning: “Am I that unreasonable?”
Su Tianxue didn’t speak, but her eyes clearly answered: Aren’t you?
Shi Ning decided to feign a retreat. “Alright, it’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it.”
Hearing this, Su Tianxue felt the alarm bells in her heart ring even louder.
Over the past few days, Su Tianxue had made much progress in the matter of love.
She knew that sometimes, when the person next to you says “it’s fine,” it really means something is wrong.
Definitely wrong.
She changed her tune and said, “I remember some things, but not a lot.”
After saying this, Su Tianxue wanted to give herself a thumbs-up for her cleverness.
Very skillful. Not bad.
Shi Ning: “Uh-huh?”
Su Tianxue thought for a moment. “Shen Qingtang didn’t like to talk to me about her family. We rarely discussed those things.”
Shi Ning thought about how when she was in high school, she and her best friends loved to talk about their parents.
Teenage girls—who didn’t go through a rebellious and sensitive phase?
And if you had unreliable parents, complaining to your friends was probably the only outlet for kids that age.
And yet Su Tianxue and Shen Qingtang never talked about such things.
Shi Ning was curious. “Then what did you two talk about?”
Su Tianxue: “Studying?”
Shi Ning: “…”
Right, the world of top students. She was intruding.
Su Tianxue: “Shen Qingtang’s family background wasn’t bad. I never saw her short on money. Even though we all wore school uniforms in high school, everyone liked to compete over who had the best shoes. Shen Qingtang often…”
Shi Ning helped Su Tianxue find the words: “Led the fashion trends?”
Su Tianxue nodded. “That’s right.”
Su Tianxue: “She got along well with everyone, and the teachers liked her a lot too.”
Shi Ning: “Mm, and you liked her a lot too.”
Hearing that, Su Tianxue’s heart sank with a thud.
See, she knew it.
Shi Ning was always waiting for her somewhere.
Su Tianxue stressed, “At the time, I thought she was a good friend.”
To be honest, Shi Ning’s mind wasn’t on jealousy at all right now. It was completely filled with the need to figure out this strange woman, Shen Qingtang.
But seeing Su Tianxue explain so earnestly, she suddenly found this side of Su Tianxue a little cute.
She feigned displeasure. “Is that so?”
A sour note hung in the air.
Shi Ning’s voice came again. “Then I’m just a good friend too.”
Hearing Shi Ning’s words, Su Tianxue felt her head was about to explode.
Even her academic research had never been this painful.
This was the very definition of walking on eggshells.
They were almost home. Su Tianxue watched Shi Ning stop the car.
Before getting out, she tugged on Shi Ning’s sleeve.
Shi Ning was holding the car key she had just removed. The key clinked against its metal ring, making a crisp sound.
She turned back to look at Su Tianxue.
Su Tianxue’s eyes were clear and bright.
They were different from anyone else’s eyes she had ever seen.
Ye Wanlan’s eyes held resilience and ambition; Su Wanxing’s still had innocence and drive; Zhu Yu’s were gentle but sharp-edged. And Wang Yue, whom she’d seen today, was a pool of stagnant water, filled with despair.
Su Tianxue was different.
Her eyes were a clear spring, reflecting the world around her.
She always seemed to know what she wanted to do and where she was going, never lost.
Even now, tugging on Shi Ning’s clothes, though her voice carried a hint of unprecedented nervousness, her eyes remained clear.
Shi Ning: “Hm?”
Su Tianxue: “It’s different.”
Once the first word was out, the rest seemed to become much easier.
Su Tianxue said in a rush, “You and she are different.”
“You’re not just an important friend.”
Su Tianxue stopped, holding back the rest.
She had long ago decided to confess after Shi Ning’s exam was over. Saying it now didn’t fit with her plan.
So she held back.
But Shi Ning couldn’t.
The moment Su Tianxue tugged on her and looked at her like that, she had wanted to kiss her.
Shi Ning acted on her impulse.
She turned, raised a hand to press Su Tianxue’s shoulders against the seatback, then lifted her other hand to shield the space to their upper right.
The light of the setting sun was glaring, shining in from the west.
Shi Ning blocked the light with her hand, preventing the sun from peeking at their momentary kiss.
Their breaths intertwined.
After a good while, Shi Ning released her, pecking lightly at the corner of Su Tianxue’s mouth. “Alright, let’s go home.”
Shi Ning unbuckled Su Tianxue’s seatbelt and walked around to the other side.
Su Tianxue took a moment to recover, then opened the car door and walked with her into the sunset.
In the light, their two shadows stretched long.
The afterglow of the sunset gilded them with a golden edge.
In the residential complex, grandmothers were watching their grandchildren. They greeted the two warmly when they saw them.
Shi Ning was a social butterfly. Even the old men playing chess in the courtyard knew her. When they saw her, they called out, “Xiao Shi, Xiao Shi, come help us figure out a move.”
Su Tianxue gave her a little push. Shi Ning pulled Su Tianxue over, gave some advice on the chess game, and received a bag of freshly boiled peanuts from the old man before they finally went upstairs.
The auntie from upstairs had also gotten to know them. Seeing them return, she specially brought over a bag of walnuts.
Shi Ning didn’t understand why.
The auntie said enthusiastically, “I heard from my granddaughter that you’re taking some kind of law exam. Aiya, Xiao Shi, take these walnuts. Eat more of them, they’re good for you.”
Su Tianxue really couldn’t hold back her laughter.
Walnuts are good for the brain.
This auntie was really thoughtful.
Before Shi Ning could say anything, Su Tianxue smiled and thanked the auntie.
Shi Ning: “?”
Did she look like she needed brain food?
She didn’t want to take them; taking them would be admitting she needed them.
But Su Tianxue nudged her with her elbow, “Take them.”
The wife has given an order; it must be obeyed.
Shi Ning accepted the auntie’s kind gesture, thanking her.
Su Tianxue watched her looking defeated and felt a sense of delight.
Shi Ning obediently carried the walnuts inside. The moment the door closed, her true colors were revealed.
She tossed the walnuts onto the entryway cabinet, not caring that the bag was crooked. Some walnuts rolled out and fell to the floor with a clatter, like large and small pearls falling onto a jade plate.
Su Tianxue didn’t have time to care, because Shi Ning reached out, grabbed her waist, and started tickling her.
Su Tianxue, this Big Ice Cube, had only one weakness: she was ticklish.
Previously, when they were intimate, if Shi Ning touched a ticklish spot, Su Tianxue would twist her waist to dodge her hand.
Now Shi Ning was deliberately tickling the sensitive spots on Su Tianxue’s waist. How could Su Tianxue possibly stand it?
At first, she refused to beg for mercy, just laughing.
Her laughter went from restrained to uncontrollable, tears almost rolling from the corners of her eyes.
She held out for a long time, but ultimately couldn’t take it anymore.
Su Tianxue collapsed onto the sofa, laughing so hard she was out of breath. She pushed at Shi Ning. “Stop, I’m begging you.”
Shi Ning held the woman’s waist and said in a fierce tone, “Will you do this again next time?”
Su Tianxue shook her head. “No, no more.”
Shi Ning: “Does my brain need supplementing?”
Su Tianxue held it in for a long time before saying, “Well, why wouldn’t it?”
She laughed herself after saying it.
These days, Su Wanxing’s talent show had started broadcasting live. To keep up with her sister’s situation, Su Tianxue would watch the livestreams and browse Weibo from time to time.
As they say, if you surf the internet enough, you’re bound to pick up a few online phrases.
After saying this, Su Tianxue took advantage of Shi Ning’s distraction, pushed her away, and rolled off the sofa. Fearing Shi Ning would chase her, she immediately hid in the study and locked the door from the inside.
Shi Ning plopped down on the rug, leaning against the sofa, and shook her head with a smile.
The Su Tianxue of today was much more lively than when they first met.
She sat for a while, then got up and knocked on the study door. “The lady inside, are you still there?”
Su Tianxue’s voice had long since returned to its usual calm. “Yes.”
Shi Ning: “I’m going to start making dinner.”
Shi Ning: “You have two choices now. One, open the door and give me a kiss, and I’ll forget what just happened. Two, ignore me, and you can experience some new flavors at dinner.”
Su Tianxue raised her voice. “Shi Ning, are you threatening me?”
Shi Ning retorted in kind, “Hm? And why wouldn’t it be?”
Shi Ning stood at the door, calmly counting, “One, two, three.”
When she reached six, the door opened.
Su Tianxue grabbed her, gave her a hard kiss, then pushed her away, wary that Shi Ning would start getting handsy again.
Shi Ning watched Su Tianxue, who had left the door open just a crack and was peeking at her through the gap.
At that moment, she suddenly felt that Su Tianxue was like a cat.
Her current state was probably like a kitty that had been frantically cuddled by its owner for too long and finally escaped because it couldn’t take it anymore.
She didn’t hide her smile at all. “Alright, you get back to work. I’ll call you when dinner’s ready.”
Shi Ning was true to her word. After she finished cooking, she went to knock on the study door, but there was no response from Su Tianxue.
She tiptoed in and found the woman had fallen asleep at her desk.
She took out her phone, snapped a picture, and sent it to Su Wanxing.
This was the first time she had messaged Su Wanxing since the latter started her training camp.
Shi Ning: Look at your sister.
Shi Ning: She spent half the night researching how to vote on Super Topics. Probably stayed up late.
Su Wanxing: Shocked!
Shi Ning: …Aren’t you in a training camp?
If she remembered correctly, don’t they confiscate phones for these kinds of talent shows?
Su Wanxing: Did they not confiscate phones when you were in high school?
Su Wanxing: I handed in a backup phone :)
…Kids these days.
Shi Ning: Keep it up.
Su Wanxing: Yes!
Su Wanxing: Thanks for taking care of my sister.
Shi Ning glanced at the message, put her phone on the desk, then lifted the sleeping woman into her arms and carried her to bed.
After doing that, she covered the cooked dishes with plastic wrap and left them on the table.
Since Su Tianxue wasn’t eating, she didn’t have much of an appetite to eat alone.
Shi Ning sat on the sofa, read for a while, and then worked through a set of practice questions.
When Su Tianxue woke up, she was yawning, still looking sleepy.
Shi Ning put down her pen and walked over, stopping in front of Su Tianxue.
Su Tianxue was still groggy from sleep. She reached out, hugged Shi Ning directly, and rested her chin on her shoulder. She let out another long yawn, as if countless sleep-bugs were flying out with it.
It made Shi Ning sleepy just listening to her.
She patted Su Tianxue’s back. “Want to eat something before you go back to sleep?”
She thought, I didn’t even wear my wife out last night, yet she’s still this tired.
She wondered what time Su Tianxue had stayed up on her phone after she herself had fallen asleep.
A just-awakened Su Tianxue was less like an older sister and more like a child.
Shi Ning coaxed her into eating, brushing her teeth, and then lying back down on the bed.
Watching Su Tianxue sleep peacefully in her arms, Shi Ning brushed away the stray hairs from her face and placed a gentle kiss on her temple.
No matter who W was, she would not let that person harm Su Tianxue.
Nor would she let her destroy this moment of happiness.
On the day she was to meet Fei Yue, Shi Ning wore a formal outfit for a change.
Lately, she had been going back and forth between Su Tianxue’s apartment and her own, wearing slippers every day and dressing for comfort, living almost like an old man.
When she left, even the security guard at the complex was stunned.
Shi Ning sent a message to Su Tianxue saying she couldn’t come home to cook dinner. She felt much more at ease after receiving a reply.
A driver came to pick her up today. When she opened the car door, Ye Wanlan was already sitting in the back seat.
Ye Wanlan looked Shi Ning up and down.
Shi Ning adjusted her jacket. “What? Do I look sharp?”
Ye Wanlan laughed. “Who talks about themselves like that?”
Shi Ning: “Do you have the file on Fei Yue?”
Ye Wanlan handed her the iPad she was holding. “Some, but not much.”
Shi Ning scanned it, ten lines at a glance.
All of Fei Yue’s information matched the plot in her head.
She had a mother who was a famous actress well-established in the foreign film industry, and another mother who was a powerful figure with influence in both legal and illegal circles in her early years.
And a younger sister, Fei Xuzhi.
The name sounded strangely familiar.
Shi Ning took out her phone and looked it up, discovering that Fei Xuzhi was on the same variety show as Su Wanxing.
What a coincidence.
Looking at it this way, Fei Yue’s life was still following the plot.
Except… she hadn’t met Su Wanxing.
And except… for the fact that her fiancée was Shen Qingtang.
How could it be such a coincidence?
The opportunity that originally belonged to Su Wanxing had fallen to Shen Qingtang.
Shi Ning had a theory, but it wasn’t confirmed. She had to meet Fei Yue and get more information from her to be sure.
This was also why she had come to the banquet with Ye Wanlan today.
Shi Ning had never liked these kinds of banquets.
Everyone wore a smile, looking especially friendly, but those faces seemed fake, as if someone had applied glue and stuck something on them.
Their smiles were stiff and hypocritical.
Ye Wanlan was already used to such occasions. She blended in quickly, her smile polite yet not distant, allowing her to close the distance with people easily.
Compared to her, Shi Ning’s cold expression was rather conspicuous.
Fei Yue hadn’t appeared yet. Ye Wanlan went to socialize first, while Shi Ning stood alone at the dessert table, forking a small piece of freshly baked cheese lava toast.
A familiar voice came from behind her.
“Well, look who it is.”
Shi Ning turned around to see Mo Lingyuan in a sapphire blue dress.
Shi Ning swirled her wine glass. “What are you doing here?”
Mo Lingyuan: “I’m a member of the Mo family, after all. I was bored, so I came to have a look.”
Mo Lingyuan looked at Shi Ning curiously. “But you, with a beautiful wife at home, instead of staying put and studying for your exam, you came here to join the fun? Don’t you hate these kinds of events the most?”
Shi Ning: “I have some business.”
Mo Lingyuan said, “Oh,” and offered Shi Ning a piece of matcha cake. “Want a bite? It’s pretty good.”
Shi Ning was indeed hungry. The bite of cheese lava toast hadn’t been enough. Hearing Mo Lingyuan, she subconsciously took a piece. Just as she bit into it, with the fork still in her mouth, she suddenly realized.
Shi Ning’s head snapped up.
Sure enough, Mo Lingyuan, who had been nonchalant just a moment ago, now had a much more somber expression.
“I like matcha flavor, but Shi Ning never eats matcha. She’s allergic.”
Mo Lingyuan lowered her voice. “Who are you?”
Shi Ning didn’t say anything. She took a sip of wine, thinking, Did I just mess up on something simple?
But still—Mo Lingyuan even remembered something like this.
She wasn’t that indifferent and uncaring towards the original owner, was she?
Shi Ning said lazily, “Don’t you know that as a person grows and their immune system strengthens, some allergens that used to cause reactions might not have an effect later on?”
After saying this with an air of nonchalance, Shi Ning secretly thanked Su Tianxue for her occasional pedantic explanations, which had now become her supporting argument.
If she had the chance, Shi Ning would tell Mo Lingyuan the truth.
But not now.
She still had things to do!
Fei Yue had already appeared in the hall.
Ye Wanlan shot Shi Ning a look from across the room. Shi Ning quickly said goodbye to Mo Lingyuan and walked towards Ye Wanlan.
Mo Lingyuan watched her back, an indescribable feeling in her heart.
What was she hoping for?
Was she hoping that Shi Ning had become a different person, rather than truly letting everything go?
Mo Lingyuan watched Shi Ning’s retreating figure, picked up a glass of wine from a passing waiter’s tray, and, to the waiter’s astonishment, downed it in one gulp.
On the other side, Shi Ning, introduced by Ye Wanlan, met Fei Yue.
Fei Yue wasn’t much different from how she had imagined.
A woman with a calm expression, exuding the aura of someone in power.
If Su Tianxue was cool and detached, then Fei Yue was probably a ten-thousand-year-old iceberg, the type that would never melt.
From the first moment she saw her, Shi Ning didn’t much like her.
As she’d said before, she really disliked this air-conditioner type of person.
Well, except for Su Tianxue.
Shi Ning smiled at Fei Yue and extended her hand in greeting. “Hello, Shi Ning.”
Fei Yue’s arrogant gaze fell on her hand, with no intention of shaking it.
Shi Ning wasn’t the least bit intimidated. Her hand remained extended as she said to Fei Yue, “Does CEO Fei feel I’m not worthy of shaking your hand?”
Fei Yue stared at Shi Ning’s hand for a good while, then shook her head and reluctantly shook it, as if with some disdain.
After the handshake, Fei Yue took out a handkerchief and wiped her hand.
Shi Ning watched and understood.
Fei Yue was a germaphobe.
What the plot said was true.
Fei Yue looked at Shi Ning and, for once, spoke first. “Secretary Ye said you had something to discuss with me.”
Every word from this person was cold enough to form ice shards.
Shi Ning: “I do. I’ve come uninvited for just one thing.”
Fei Yue: “Speak.”
Shi Ning: “I wonder if Miss Fei has a scar on her back.”
As soon as Shi Ning said this, Fei Yue’s expression changed slightly.
Shi Ning secretly guessed she might be on the right track and continued to bluff Fei Yue. “At seventeen, Miss Fei must have suffered a rather serious injury, correct?”
A flash of steel appeared in Fei Yue’s hand. The dinner knife that had been on the table was now pressed against the side of Shi Ning’s neck.
Shi Ning remained unfazed, a smile on her face. She reached out a fingertip and gently pushed the knife’s handle away.
Shi Ning: “No need to get so agitated just because I hit the mark, is there?”
Fei Yue’s tone was chilling. “How do you know?”
That past should have been known by no one.
Except for her, and…
Fei Yue’s gaze hardened. “Did Shen Qingtang tell you?”
Now Shi Ning didn’t need to guess anymore.
She already knew why Shen Qingtang was able to become Fei Yue’s fiancée.
She smiled and shook her head. “I’m not familiar with your fiancée.”
“Miss Fei, let me offer you a piece of advice.”
Shi Ning picked up the dinner knife in front of her, raised her hand, and plunged it into the table in front of her, viciously tearing a napkin in two.
“Beware of deceitful snakes.”
“Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, Miss Fei. Until next time, then.”
Shi Ning turned and left, ignoring Fei Yue’s reaction.
She had already gotten the information she wanted.
Shi Ning quickly found Ye Wanlan. Ye Wanlan made a gesture to the person she was socializing with, excusing herself for a moment, and followed Shi Ning to another area.
Ye Wanlan: “How did it go?”
Shi Ning: “I have a lead.”
Ye Wanlan: “From the look of you, you have something new you want me to investigate?”
Shi Ning hummed softly. “Yes.”
“Jiang Ningran, do you still remember her?”
Ye Wanlan: “I could never forget.”
At the mention of Jiang Ningran, a fierce look entered Ye Wanlan’s eyes, like a wolf whose territory had been invaded.
Ye Wanlan: “Didn’t she die?”
Shi Ning: “I want you to help me look into Jiang Ningran’s parents. For example, is it possible that Father and Mother Jiang had another daughter, or if they had any disputes or conflicts in their early years. As for the orphanage listed in Shen Qingtang’s file, maybe you can ask the director if any records from back then still exist. Most importantly, investigate any connection between Shen Qingtang and Jiang Ningran.”
Shi Ning: “If Fei Yue has erased a lot of things, then investigating Shen Qingtang directly might be difficult. The Jiangs’ parents could be a breakthrough.”
Ye Wanlan frowned. “You suspect Shen Qingtang is connected to the Jiang family, and to Jiang Ningran?”
Shi Ning looked at the trees swaying in the dark garden, her voice low and husky, filled with absolute certainty. “It’s not a suspicion. They are definitely connected.”
Shen Qingtang… she either knows the plot herself.
Or, she learned the plot from someone else.
Judging from the timing of Shen Qingtang’s and W’s appearances, Shi Ning felt the latter was more likely.
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