Not long after Xi Mingzhou left, Shen Zhixing ended his conversation and walked toward Yulan.
As he drew closer, the oppressive aura emanating from Shen Zhixing became even more palpable. Yulan, who hadn’t read much in her life, couldn’t find the right adjective to describe it; if she had to, she would say it was like a mouse meeting a cat—she was terrified.
"Where is Xi Mingzhou?" Shen Zhixing asked.
Yulan took a half-step back, trying not to make it too obvious. "He went to take a call from his aunt. He should be back soon."
Shen Zhixing’s narrow eyes squinted, but he said nothing more.
A moment later, Xi Mingzhou hurried in, his face etched with anxiety.
"Uncle, I have an urgent matter to attend to. Could you please take Yulan home for me?" His expression was a mix of urgency and pleading.
Xi Mingzhou barely had the heart to look Yulan in the eye; his gaze dropped to the tip of her nose. "Little Yulan, this is truly an emergency. I’ll make it up to you properly when I get back."
Shen Zhixing didn't even give him a second look, merely saying, "I don't have time."
"Uncle!" Xi Mingzhou’s face flushed with anger, his voice rising.
Yulan had her own selfish reasons; she had been looking forward to this rare vacation to spend some quality time with Xi Mingzhou, which was why she had stayed silent until now. But seeing her boyfriend clash with his uncle, she couldn't help but speak up. "If you have things to do, go ahead."
Hearing this from Yulan, Xi Mingzhou’s eyes lit up. Just as he always did, he kissed her forehead directly. "Little Yulan, it’s my good fortune to have such a thoughtful girlfriend."
With that, he dashed off in a rush.
The private room fell into a heavy silence. It was a long while before Shen Zhixing finally spoke.
"Only the crying child gets the candy."
It was a strange thing to say, yet Yulan understood him perfectly.
She smiled and replied with something even more cryptic: "I have a fondness for beautiful things."
Shen Zhixing raised an eyebrow but remained silent. In the rules of his world, countless pleasantries were required to keep up the appearance of peace. Everyone pretended to be ignorant while knowing the truth, using one lie after another—great or small—to maintain a veneer of decency. This was why he hadn't exposed Yulan’s lie about being a student at the Peking University Health Science Center, nor had he called out the fact that Xi Mingzhou was actually in contact with Zhou Qilan.
However, Yulan had suddenly cut through the web of lies with a statement that couldn't have been more genuine, which caught Shen Zhixing off guard.
He checked his watch. "I'll take you back."
"No need for the trouble. I'm staying at the hotel next door; it's very close."
Shen Zhixing rubbed his temples, raised a hand, and said, "Wait a moment," before walking out to make a call.
As soon as the call connected, Shen Zhixing spoke with biting sarcasm: "Xi Mingzhou, you're really something. You trick a girl into coming all the way to Beijing, only to have her stay in a hotel? Prince Gong's Mansion is open to the public; can’t your house accommodate a person?"
Xi Mingzhou, knowing he was in the wrong, lowered his voice. "Uncle, Lanlan’s things are all still there, I..." He sighed before continuing, "I'm already on my way to the airport. Please look after Yulan for these few days."
Shen Zhixing let out a dismissive "tsk" and hung up the phone.
The ride back was silent.
After Shen Zhixing dropped Yulan off at the underground garage, he left. Neither of them had spoken a word throughout the journey. Yulan let out a sigh of relief. The impression Shen Zhixing left on her was strange; he could be gentle and refined one moment, righteous the next, and then cold as a blade the next. She wasn't used to dealing with people she couldn't decipher.
"Miss Yu."
A strange voice came from behind her. As Yulan was pressing the elevator button, she turned around in confusion to see a driver running toward her, holding out a business card with both hands. "Mr. Shen said that if you need anything, Miss Yu, you can contact him."
Yulan was stunned. If she needed help, she would obviously go to her boyfriend first. Only a lunatic would contact their boyfriend's uncle.
Despite this, her hand acted on its own accord. She entered the number, dialed, and hung up before the call could even ring. She saved the contact under a note: "Mingzhou's Uncle."
Looking at the humorous four-character note, Yulan felt quite pleased. After returning to her room, she took a long, comfortable bath and enthusiastically put on her new clothes. She stood before the floor-to-ceiling mirror, turning slightly to look at her reflection.
The cropped set fit her figure perfectly. The nude-pink top was short and exquisite, revealing her slender waist just right, her skin smooth and delicate under the lights.
Yulan’s waistline was fluid, without a hint of excess fat. The curve from her waist to her hips was perfect—both soft and powerful. The tight skirt emphasized the length of her legs, making it impossible to look away.
Yulan stroked the fabric, looking at the neon lights of the high-rise buildings outside the window. Her ambition to make money burned all the more intensely.
Just then, a clamor erupted outside the door.
Before Yulan could even react, there was a violent "Bang! Bang! Bang!" at the door.
"Chu Shi, open the damn door! Don't think for a second this door can protect that little slut!"
It was obviously a scene of someone catching a lover in the act. Yulan felt a jolt of alarm, but she remained detached. "Miss, you've got the wrong room," she said.
That delicate, pretty voice sounded like a blatant provocation to Li Chuchu. According to the tracker she had installed on Chu Shi’s phone, the signal strength for this room was at its peak. That this bitch dared to provoke her made Li Chuchu furious.
She signaled her people to bash the door in.
Once the door gave way, seeing Yulan in her outfit only confirmed to Li Chuchu that this was Chu Shi’s new girlfriend. Everyone in their circle knew Chu Shi had a thing for innocent-looking girls with small waists and curvy hips. This little slut was clearly tailored to his tastes.
Beside herself with rage, Li Chuchu threw her phone at Yulan’s face like a brick.
Yulan was not someone with a soft temper. She had been biting her tongue for the past two days, and now, faced with an idiot who had stormed in to catch a lover without checking the facts, she dodged the phone, dialed the police, gave the address, dropped the phone, and grabbed a wine bottle from the table.
"You are breaking the law. If anyone else comes closer and gets hurt, I’m calling it self-defense," Yulan said, brandishing the bottle.
Seeing her fight back, Li Chuchu’s eyes reddened with fury. "You little slut, you seduce someone else’s boyfriend and you still want to fight? You think you’re something special?" She screamed at her group, "Strip her! Let’s see if this little mistress likes playing the homewrecker!"
At her command, the five or six people behind her swarmed forward like mad dogs.
Yulan felt a sliver of relief that the room was spacious. She dodged the frenzied women and tried to explain, "I don't know the person you're talking about! You really have the wrong person!"
She was so focused on defending herself that she didn't notice her phone, which had slipped into the crack of the sofa, was still connected to the call.