Trap (First Update)

Unfortunately, Bai Kewei was destined for disappointment. In the end, Fu Liangxia showed up at the designated spot right on time.

She was just too curious.

This was a patch of woods on the edge of the villa district. To avoid being spotted, she quietly hid in a two-story restaurant nearby. Thankfully, the island's booming tourism meant the place was still open for business.

Fu Liangxia chose the seat closest to the window. From her angle, she could just make out the entrance to the woods.

Before long, someone arrived.

First, she saw two men and three women approaching. Both men were tall and burly, looking like they could knock her into the hospital with a single punch. The three women, meanwhile, were dressed to the nines—even with their faces hidden in the shadows of the trees, she could spot the flashy designer logos on their outfits.

The show was about to begin.

Fu Liangxia leaned forward in anticipation, ready to hear how they planned to deal with her.

"Are you sure this will work?" a sharp, shrill female voice asked suspiciously. "That scholarship student is pretty close to that bitch, isn't she? Why would she listen to us and bring her here obediently?"

"Who knows? Stinking scholarship students—people like them are the best at kowtowing to the powerful. A little intimidation, a little bribery, and they'll be our dogs," another voice sneered. "There are no eternal friends, only eternal interests."

She flicked at nonexistent dirt under her fingernails. "After all, it's a competition spot. No one would want to lose it like that."

"You can really do that?"

"As if. If I had that kind of power, would I still be worried about sneaking into the semifinals? I'm just stringing her along. To these scholarship students, we're practically gods." She laughed, and the others joined in.

"But isn't this going too far..."

"Too far? Are you joking? You were laughing your head off when we drove the Lin girl to jump off a building before. Don't play saint now," a rough male voice mocked.

"Yeah, we're just having a little fun with that bitch Fu Liangxia. It's not like we mean any harm. If she can't handle it, it just means she's too fragile."

Another male voice panted excitedly. "She's pretty tempting, though. No wonder she's got the F4 all dizzy. If we could—"

"Disgusting. Just don't kill her."

...

At that point, Fu Liangxia had a pretty clear picture of what they intended to do. Honestly, she was disappointed.

She'd expected something more elaborate, but it was just the usual high school bullying tactics.

How boring.

Fu Liangxia listlessly looked away and was about to stand up when an unexpected figure appeared in her sight. She narrowed her eyes slightly, and a bad feeling rose in her chest.

The next second, under the woman's malicious smile, her mouth and nose were suddenly covered from behind. The smell of chemicals flooded her nostrils.

In the final moments before consciousness faded, Fu Liangxia's muffled words came through the cloth: "Why... are you... here?"

Wang Xixi seemed to understand her confusion. Expressionless, she directed the hired thugs to tie the girl up and load her into a car.

As the unconscious girl was carried past her, Wang Xixi reached out and patted her pretty face, a vicious glint flashing in her eyes. "Why am I here, you ask?"

"Because I've already investigated you. You're just the daughter of some nouveau riche, and you dare to play everyone for fools with your cleverness."

Wang Xixi's eyes were cold as she silently mocked her naivety.

Someone of her own background would never resort to such petty tricks. All she needed was to hire a professional team, and a person could vanish into thin air. There was no more convenient or quicker plan than that.

In Wang Xixi's view, anything money could solve wasn't a problem. Those fools outside and that loyal little scholarship friend were just bait she'd left behind to buy time.

Watching the girl being moved like a rag doll, Wang Xixi said, "You think you're so clever? Let your followers search, then. By the time they find out the truth, your bones might already be resting at the bottom of the sea."

And she, backed by the Wang family, wouldn't be touched by even the F4 without evidence.

Besides, Wang Xixi wouldn't let anyone trace this back to her.

She'd have everything cleaned up.

Once Fu Liangxia was gone, everything should return to normal, just like before she appeared.

Standing on the second floor, Wang Xixi watched Fu Liangxia's irritatingly pretty face get farther and farther away, thinking that maybe Bai Xin wouldn't want to break off their engagement anymore.

Let her restore everything to how it was. Bai Xin would go back to being cold to everyone—even if he didn't love her, at least he wouldn't have anyone else in his eyes.

That would be good enough.

Wang Xixi glanced one last time at the five people still waiting foolishly in the woods, imagining the rage they'd face. But it didn't matter. She had no use for discarded pawns.

She turned and climbed into the van parked on the small path, sitting beside the unconscious girl. Arms crossed, she said, "Drive."

After giving the order, she pulled her hat down and focused on her phone, completely unaware that the supposedly unconscious girl beside her had quietly lifted an eyelid.

Now this is more interesting.

In that one glance, Fu Liangxia quickly assessed her surroundings. Her body was weak and limp from the drug, but with the System as a cheat, she hadn't lost consciousness. She murmured inwardly.

She let her head rest against the cold window, making a soft thud with every jolt of the vehicle.

She'd been looking for an opportunity to level up, and Wang Xixi had just handed it to her. This wasn't a villainess—she was a gift angel.

Fu Liangxia knew what Wang Xixi was planning, and she was well aware of how dangerous this was. If even one step went wrong, if she couldn't be rescued, she might end up dead.

But she was a gambler.

So she'd come. Using herself as bait for a chance to complete the task.

Now, everything was in place. All that was left was for the curtain to rise and the show to begin.

*

Another noisy, boring day.

After politely declining several invitations and confirming there was nothing else on his schedule, Bai Xin retreated to his room. Pen in hand, he stared at a blank canvas, sinking into his own world.

But he found he couldn't concentrate—especially with faint voices drifting in from the balcony below, the large open doors letting the sound pour into the room.

He lit a cigarette, leaned against the railing with an empty mind, and happened to witness a rather passionate scene involving his friend.

Mind your own business. Bai Xin put out the cigarette and headed downstairs to get a glass of milk before bed, only to get pulled into another conversation.

Maybe he was just fated to clash with Fu Liangxia today.

His reason told him so, but when the girl invited him to watch a movie, Bai Xin, against his better judgment, agreed.

Blame his keen hearing. He ended up overhearing a third conversation.

But this time, he couldn't stay out of it.

Fu Liangxia had said they were targeting her over the competition training.

It wasn't appropriate to say, but Bai Xin had already seen the shortlist—and it was likely related to him.

He also knew his fiancée's temperament all too well. Spoiled rotten by the Wang family, she was capable of anything when impulsive.

But Bai Xin was only guessing. He frowned and decided to contact Wang Hansheng first, to ask where Wang Xixi was and if there'd been anything unusual lately.

While waiting for a reply, his friends drifted back one by one.

"Hey, Bai Xin, want to grab a drink?"

"No, I've got something to deal with." Bai Xin put down his phone. The other party seemed busy and hadn't replied right away.

Bai Yan hopped onto his bed and poked him in the side with his elbow. "Come on, join us. Fu Er and Xingshu have been acting weird these past few days. Don't you want to see the drama?"

Bai Xin gave him a silent look, his expression clearly saying, "That's exactly why I shouldn't go."

Bai Yan raised an eyebrow. "?"

But before Bai Xin could explain, his phone lit up with a message that instantly changed his expression. His face darkened like a storm cloud.

"They won't be drinking tonight either."

Just as he murmured those words, a commotion erupted outside. The two walked out of the room to find Bai Kewei pacing anxiously.

Across from her, Fu Haoyao frowned, repeating her words: "Fu Liangxia is missing?"

"Are you sure she didn't just go to the bathroom or take a walk?" Cheng Xingzhou asked, his body tensing slightly.

"No, I'm sure she went to find those people!" Bai Kewei said emphatically.

Bai Kewei's mind raced, her anxiety mounting as she feared Fu Liangxia wouldn't be able to handle it alone.

After listening to Bai Kewei's account of the events, everyone's faces grew grim. Fu Haoyao turned and sprinted off, his speed impressive—no wonder he was an athlete.

The others had no choice but to follow him to the location Bai Kewei mentioned. But no one was there.

They searched the entire woods, still finding no trace.

Tears streamed down Bai Kewei's face instantly. The others' expressions darkened as well.

"It's all my fault. If I hadn't told her..." Bai Kewei murmured.

"What did you say the reason was?" Su Xingshu looked at Bai Kewei, trying to find some clue in her words.

So Bai Kewei recounted her conversation with Fu Liangxia again.

This time, almost everyone noticed the key point.

The competition training involved only Bai Xin and Cheng Xingzhou. And Bai Xin had that crazy fiancée...

Everyone turned to Bai Xin, who gave a barely perceptible nod. "I just asked Wang Hansheng. Wang Xixi is indeed here."

Fu Haoyao suddenly lunged forward, grabbing him by the collar. "Why didn't you say so earlier?!"