"I'm not dead?"
The man’s eyes widened. Bo Jinke showed no expression on his face. "Pity. Another half-hour of delay and your wish would have come true."
The man turned his head to glare at Bo Jinke, his face a mix of resentment and lingering fear. "What kind of attitude is that? I was only risking my life to carry out your orders..."
Suddenly realizing there was an outsider present, the man swallowed the rest of his words.
Xu Shiyan acted as if she hadn't heard him and offered a kind reminder, "The toxins are not yet fully cleared from your system. You had better head to the hospital, or once the poison reaches your internal organs, not even a deity could save you."
Xu Shiyan, appearing indifferent, packed up her things and stood up to leave. She was decisive and crisp, like a passerby who had done a good deed without expecting recognition.
"Wait! You haven't told me your name yet. You saved my life, and I, Qin Huaiyan, am not the type to leave a debt of gratitude unpaid." Qin Huaiyan called out to her, sounding urgent.
At these words, a curve appeared at the corners of Xu Shiyan’s red lips. She tilted her head slightly to look at Qin Huaiyan, her peripheral vision inadvertently flicking toward Bo Jinke.
She was no saint; for every bit of favor she bestowed, she expected tenfold in return. But since the two men were clearly dealing with private matters, even if she wanted to demand a reward, she had to wait for the right moment—a time when she could make them "willingly" repay her. Most importantly, Bo Jinke had yet to show his hand, clearly remaining on guard against her. In such a situation, forcing herself upon them would likely invite his disgust and suspicion.
"As the saying goes, a physician has a benevolent heart; it was just a small effort. I don’t need any reward. Besides, the social circle in Shengjing is quite small. If Mr. Qin wishes to be friends with me, there will be plenty of opportunities later. I have matters to attend to, so I won't disturb you both any further."
Xu Shiyan acted out her part without a blush or a flutter of breath, appearing gentle and kind. After speaking, she left without turning back.
Qin Huaiyan’s eyes tracked her fading silhouette. His curiosity and desire to explore were stoked into an ever-growing fire. "I’ve never seen such a kind and innocent girl! Which noble family is she from? Do you know her?"
Bo Jinke let out a soft laugh. His eyes, sharp as a hawk’s, turned dark and inscrutable. His brow furrowed slightly, and his magnetic voice had a gravelly texture. "The daughter of the King of Hell, a descendant of demons. It’s best not to be too curious about a woman like that."
Qin Huaiyan had only asked casually, never expecting Bo Jinke to offer such a self-initiated critique. As a childhood friend who had grown up alongside him, Qin Huaiyan sensed something unusual and couldn't help but tease, "So you do know her. Why does a perfectly fine young lady seem like some monstrous beast in your eyes? Is it really me who’s curious, or is it you?"
Bo Jinke’s heavy, somber gaze fell upon him, and a cold scoff escaped his nose, as if mocking his immaturity. "Only things that cannot be seen through attract curiosity. I thought you were already used to the game of playing hard to get."
Qin Huaiyan shrugged, looking bored, and dropped the subject. Even he was surprised that he had thought of Bo Jinke in that light. Bo Jinke had survived so many life-or-death struggles and schemes—how could he not see through a ruse? Would he be easily captivated by a woman? Yet, the poison used against him had been lethal and rare to ensure success. Now that this woman had easily neutralized it, could anyone truly still think she was simple and harmless?
***
Elsewhere, Xu Shiyan walked toward the mall, pulling out her phone to message Jiang Min.
"The neighbor of that house you mentioned—the one I know—was that Bo Jinke?"
Jiang Min replied, "You met already?"
Xu Shiyan: "Not a pleasant meeting. A man like that is worldly and deeply calculating; I’m afraid he won't be easy to handle."
Jiang Min sounded worried: "Bo Jinke’s methods for dealing with people are known to all. If he detects you have ulterior motives, won't you be in danger?"
Xu Shiyan couldn't have cared less. "When have I ever feared danger? When have we ever done anything that wasn't dangerous? Don't worry, I know my limits. I’ve laid the bait, but it requires him to be willing to bite. Regardless, the marriage alliance with the Bo family is just one part of the plan. Make sure the other arrangements don’t fall behind."
Jiang Min: "Understood."
After the exchange, Xu Shiyan habitually deleted the chat logs. Humming a little tune, she looked just like a cheerful, carefree young lady of a noble house.
After buying her things, she returned to the villa and handed her shopping to the servants, heading straight to the top floor. There was a small window there with a limited view of the backyard and the main gate of the villa next door. Xu Shiyan picked up her newly purchased binoculars and tried them out, her movements natural, devoid of any guilt or caution a "voyeur" might possess.
Just then, her phone rang. She answered it while testing the focus. "Who is it?"
Mother Xu’s voice came from the other end: "Yanyan, Mingxuan has already investigated the matter at the company. That Manager Li had a prior record; your brother has already fired him and is preparing to sue him and expose him publicly. Where are you now? I’ll send someone to pick you up, all right?"
Xu Shiyan couldn't help but sneer. "Calling me 'Yanyan' so affectionately, but in reality, you never intended to apologize to me, did you? Are you really trying to fool me like a child?"
"Xu Shiyan, don’t go too far!" Xu Minghua was there too, and his first words were of blame. "Mother has been worried sick about you these past few days, and your brother has put a lot of effort into cleaning up your mess. Now that he’s cleared your name, what more do you want?"
Mother Xu held Xu Minghua back. "Enough, enough. It’s natural for Yanyan to be upset after being wronged. Yanyan, it’s not safe for you to be outside alone. What if you get bullied by bad people? Just come home, please?"
Xu Nuo, standing beside them, chimed in, "Sister, it was a misunderstanding earlier. I’ll apologize to you when you get home, okay? We can’t risk the Xu family’s reputation anymore!"
Xu Minghua looked at Xu Nuo, his tone helpless and pained. "It’s not your responsibility, don’t take all the blame on yourself. It only emboldens others. Xu Shiyan, even if you won’t come back right now, give me your address. What noble daughter acts like you, wandering around outside every day?"
Oh, so she had become "others" now. In the end, they were just afraid that she was really out with other men, ruining the Xu family’s reputation.
"I said, I’m not going back," Xu Shiyan said, enunciating every word. "If you really want me to return, have Xu Nuo think of a sincere way to apologize. After all, she was the one who brought this to you in the first place. She started adding fuel to the fire and insulting my innocence before the truth was even investigated. She knows perfectly well what her intentions were."
Without waiting for Xu Minghua to rebuke her, Xu Shiyan hung up the phone first.