Chapter 31

“Didn’t I tell you? If you like someone, go after them sincerely. What are you two now, FWB? Aunt Zhou’s going to beat you if she finds out.”

Just as Sheng Huaixi stepped out of the room, she heard Jiang Chao’s voice from the living room.

At that one word in the conversation, Sheng Huaixi lifted a brow and quietly walked past Jiang Chao, taking a seat behind her.

So close that, on camera, they were almost indistinguishable.

Once she sat down, her knees were right behind Jiang Chao’s hand; if Jiang Chao lifted her arm and reached a little to the right, their bodies would brush intimately.

A slight distance, yet one that faintly carried a sense of intimacy.

Seeing Sheng Huaixi come out and sit behind her, Jiang Chao instinctively reined in her expression, her features softening.

The call was on speaker. Jiang Chao had wanted to keep her temper in check in front of Sheng Huaixi, preserve her own dignity, and, incidentally, preserve Yuan Bai’s image too.

The next second, Yuan Bai’s answer only made Jiang Chao even more irritated.

“You think her personality is awful and that you two won’t last, so why aren’t you worried that if you keep fumbling around like this, she’ll kick you to the curb without hesitation just when you like her most?”

Sheng Huaixi leaned forward and picked up a book from the cabinet beside the sofa. Listening to Jiang Chao’s sharp words, her fingers paused; her gaze dropped to the rounded back of Jiang Chao’s head.

She had quite the experience.

Her fingertips tightening on the cover, Sheng Huaixi’s eyes narrowed dangerously as she silently turned the page. Her ears had unconsciously pricked up, and she lowered her gaze to the book in her hands.

The video call didn’t stop because of her appearance; Jiang Chao had no intention of avoiding her.

Besides, Jiang Chao seemed to be talking with Yuan Bai about feelings. In that case, listening in was fine.

A person’s emotional leanings always showed up without them realizing it when they talked about related topics.

Sheng Huaixi turned a page without a sound; rows and rows of black text, like little ants, marched past beneath her eyes, leaving no trace as they slipped away.

“Bad woman. Yeah, I know you like bad women. Who doesn’t?”

Listening to Yuan Bai’s self-description, Jiang Chao got a headache. It was as if someone had yanked at the nerves in her forehead; before she had even thought it through, the matching words had already slipped out.

Ever since that inexplicable whip mark last time, she had vaguely guessed that something between Yuan Bai and Fang Yunxi was off, but she hadn’t expected things to go so far off course.

FWB, a one-night stand; from that chance encounter at the bar last time, Fang Yunxi had also looked like a dangerous person.

If their relationship were genuinely going well, Jiang Chao wouldn’t interfere with Yuan Bai’s choices.

But the problem was that Yuan Bai clearly liked her, yet refused to take the initiative, while Fang Yunxi didn’t seem like someone who indulged in romance. Just from last time, she had seemed very cold-hearted.

If they kept going like this, Yuan Bai would very likely end up hurt.

Jiang Chao didn’t want to see her get hurt, so she could only keep urging her, in all earnestness, to try pursuing Fang Yunxi.

Maybe Yuan Bai would really manage to tame that wild wolf.

“But you have to figure out whether she sees you as prey, or as something interesting.”

Jiang Chao kept talking through what little she understood, and when she saw Yuan Bai’s thoughtful expression, she relaxed a little.

A lifelong singleton explaining how to pursue someone to another lifelong singleton was difficult to begin with, especially since Jiang Chao had never pursued anyone herself.

But she also didn’t want the worst-case scenario she had imagined to come true. In the end, she could only rack her brains and squeeze out methods to tell Yuan Bai, forcing them into words.

Her delicate, soft face was full of expression as Jiang Chao seriously explained her thoughts.

“Do you know how to act spoiled? Do you know how to act weak? That should be your strong suit, right? Then use it on her. I think she liked that look you gave her last time.”

“I think you’re the one who likes that more.”

Yuan Bai quietly objected from the other end.

“I do like it. Who doesn’t like a beautiful girl lowering her eyes and looking at you pitifully while acting cute?”

Jiang Chao spoke with complete self-awareness, spreading her hands, her expression loosening like a cat’s. Her brows curved; she looked happy, and fond.

Sheng Huaixi sat behind her, unhurriedly turning to the page of the book she had left unfinished before, her attention shifting as she listened to the two of them talk.

“So I said, you need to—”

Before Jiang Chao could finish, her body suddenly lurched forward. A fingertip had lightly prodded along her spine; with that movement, each vertebra seemed to contract in sequence, fluttering like breath.

The touch was light, gentle, and considerate, as if calling her.

Hurriedly telling Yuan Bai to wait, Jiang Chao pushed her phone forward and turned around, pressing hard at her arm with her palm in an attempt to suppress the shiver running through her muscles.

“What is it?”

“Zhou Xu came looking for me again; she wants to meet me.”

Sheng Huaixi softened her voice. Her cool, sharp brows and eyes seemed to droop, and when she looked at Jiang Chao, there was a faint glimmer of moisture in her gaze; it was soft and tender.

“How does she still have the nerve to come see you?”

Jiang Chao rarely frowned so deeply; her disgust was plain on her face.

Then she turned, put away the expression on her face, looked at Sheng Huaixi, and lifted her chin slightly with mild irritation. “Give me the phone. I’ll talk.”

Sheng Huaixi hesitated as she held the phone, her gaze flickering. She looked at Jiang Chao for a long time without answering; those glossy black pupils waited stubbornly in front of her.

“Aren’t you talking with Yuan Bai? I’ll think about it myself. She’s been pestering me all this time, and I’ve already dragged it out for a few days.”

The woman sighed lightly, unlocked the phone, and tapped at the screen again and again, her brows faintly furrowing. Light reflected in her bright eyes, and even her long lashes fluttered with impatience.

She was obviously so unwilling to talk to her; why force herself?

The phone screen lit up. Jiang Chao didn’t say much more. She propped herself up and leaned directly onto Sheng Huaixi’s thigh, then pressed the voice button while looking at the worried message.

“Isn’t harassing someone else’s girlfriend annoying? Get lost.”

After sending it, Jiang Chao, worried that Sheng Huaixi might again be concerned this would cause trouble for her, simply turned off the phone screen and placed it on the table beside her.

That way, Sheng Huaixi couldn’t secretly delete it.

“Done. That’s it. If she sends you another message, tell me. Don’t overthink it yourself. I said I’d help you deal with them.”

Yuan Bai listened, stunned, to the conversation coming from the other end of the phone.

No, Jiang Chao, do you seriously not think anything is off here?!

She’s acting! She’s so obviously acting, and you still can’t tell?!

We just finished talking about you acting cute and being weak, and the very next second she speaks to you so softly. The timing is that perfect, and you don’t notice anything at all?

Besides, haven’t we already talked about the rumors that Sheng Huaixi personally kicked away suitors from the company entrance several times?

When did this start? Why are you now helping her deal with those pursuers too?

And more than that, what exactly is your relationship now? Does a normal cohabiting friend really need to fake being a couple every day?

After Jiang Chao finished speaking to Sheng Huaixi, she was just about to turn back to the blanket and keep sitting when her gaze brushed over the book in Sheng Huaixi’s hand; she paused and bent forward to rummage through the box on the table.

The soft pink fleece pajama top curled upward, revealing a faint strip of pale white waist; as she moved, it caught the eye.

Sheng Huaixi narrowed her eyes slightly, her fingers on the page pausing.

Jiang Chao noticed nothing, kneeling on one knee and leaning forward as she searched, still puzzled over where the earphone cable she had put in last time had gone.

The phone resting against her chest limited Jiang Chao’s movements. She tilted the phone stand to the right and searched even harder.

As the camera shifted, half of Sheng Huaixi’s shoulder appeared in frame.

Yuan Bai looked at that clearly not-Jiang-Chao figure and froze.

The corners of Sheng Huaixi’s mouth lifted slightly as she glanced at the screen, then leisurely drew back her raised legs and shifted a little to the left.

With that slight movement, perfectly placed, what Yuan Bai could see on her side was Sheng Huaixi’s thigh pressed against Jiang Chao’s back.

If Jiang Chao relaxed and leaned back, she would fall against Sheng Huaixi’s leg; intimate, close, and unmistakably familiar.

On a woman like Sheng Huaixi, who had a terrible temper and a rotten heart, the gesture faintly carried a sense of indulgence.

Was she doing it on purpose? Or was it accidental?

Only Sheng Huaixi’s fair chin was visible in the frame; Yuan Bai couldn’t tell.

“Hey, Yuan Bai, come back. What are you thinking about?”

After searching for a long time, Jiang Chao finally found the missing earphone cable in the box. She took back her phone and plugged it in, trying to say a few words, but Yuan Bai on the other end looked blank and ignored her completely.

The urgent calls by her ear finally brought Yuan Bai back to herself; the image on the phone had already returned to Jiang Chao’s face.

Her expression was gentle, with a hint of helplessness as she looked at her.

Yuan Bai composed herself and nodded to show she could hear.

“I’ve been calling you forever and you didn’t react. All right, let’s keep talking about what we were just discussing.”

Yuan Bai raised a hand to cut Jiang Chao off before she could continue, her expression grave. “No, I think you need to tell me what’s going on between you and Sheng Huaixi.”

“Huh? What’s there to say between me and Sh— no, between her and me?”

Caught off guard by Yuan Bai bringing up Sheng Huaixi, Jiang Chao’s heart skipped a beat. She was glad she’d had those considerate thoughts earlier.

Otherwise, how would she face Sheng Huaixi’s gaze now?

“Last time, what Li Sensen mentioned; that Sheng Huaixi has feelings for you. You still haven’t made that clear to me. And what was all that just now when you were talking to her?”

Li Sensen. Jiang Chao helplessly pressed a hand to her forehead. Sure enough, she shouldn’t have let Li Sensen off so easily last time.

Now look; after hearing that, Yuan Bai was even more certain that Sheng Huaixi had feelings for her.

Just as she was about to speak, Jiang Chao’s expression tightened. She suddenly remembered something important.

Quietly taking off one earbud, Jiang Chao turned around under the pretense of looking for her cup, to see what Sheng Huaixi was doing.

Sheng Huaixi had lowered her eyes, fingertips pinching the book page with earnest focus. When she showed no expression, she looked plain and coolly detached.

Just looking at her, she seemed fully absorbed in the book in her hands; even if her hearing was good, she was wearing earphones and wouldn’t hear Jiang Chao’s chat with Yuan Bai.

With her tension easing, Jiang Chao let out a soft breath and turned back to explain.

In order to keep Sheng Huaixi from realizing she was currently talking to Yuan Bai about the two of them, Jiang Chao, with a headache, picked out reasons Yuan Bai could understand while Sheng Huaixi wouldn’t.

After listening for a while, Yuan Bai sharply pointed out, “That sounds exactly like the classic plot of a flash marriage turning into love. Your relationship has already gone past polite distance and entered the early stage of feelings.”

“Read a little less dogblood drama, my dear sister.” Jiang Chao’s mouth twitched. Because Sheng Huaixi was behind her, she couldn’t keep talking.

Seeing Yuan Bai’s dissatisfied expression as she was about to continue, Jiang Chao decisively cut off her questions and steered the topic away from Sheng Huaixi.

“Let’s not talk about me. If you want, I can slowly tell you more the next time I go home. For now, let’s keep talking about how you should pursue her.”

The two of them talked for a long while. In the end, whether willingly or not, Yuan Bai had made plenty of notes on the iPad beside her.

After putting down her pen, Yuan Bai raised a brow at Jiang Chao.

“Sis, after all that, is this from experience?”

Jiang Chao shifted her gaze; out of the corner of her eye, she glanced toward Sheng Huaixi and felt a little guilty. That really was the case.

If she were talking about experience, the only one in her orbit who truly counted as a bad woman was the one sitting behind her, Sheng Huaixi.

The methods she had just described seemed to apply surprisingly well to how she got along with Sheng Huaixi too; rather than that, Sheng Huaixi had indeed given her a lot of experience for the advice she was now offering Yuan Bai.

After all, Sheng Huaixi gave her the same feeling as Fang Yunxi.

Equally dangerous, equally bad, equally fierce and vicious.

Pulling a feather from a chicken and trying it out; maybe Yuan Bai would hear it and it would work.

“Mm... just take it as my experience.” Jiang Chao said vaguely, her gaze drifting around uncertainly.

“Experience? Do you mean Olivia or Lucy? Don’t tell me you’re talking about how you dealt with them back then?”

Jiang Chao hadn’t expected Yuan Bai to think of something so far back. Irritated, she shot her a blank look.

“What does this have to do with Olivia and the others? When they chased me, didn’t I just reject them outright?”

Her ears twitching faintly, Jiang Chao heard the soft rustle of Sheng Huaixi’s movements from time to time. Curious, she kept glancing over in the corner of her eye.

Seeing Yuan Bai on the other end preparing to continue down this line of discussion, Jiang Chao licked her lips and cut her off.

“In short, when pursuing someone, you can use a hundred different methods; as long as one works, that one-percent road is the red carpet announcing you’ve won her over.”

After saying her final words, Jiang Chao gave Yuan Bai a blessing and hung up, exhaling in relief.

“Olivia?”

A low, questioning voice suddenly came from beside her. Jiang Chao took off her earphones and turned around.

The book in Sheng Huaixi’s hands closed softly in front of her; her brows lifted slightly as she looked at Jiang Chao, seemingly curious about the person they had just mentioned.

Her eyes flickering, Jiang Chao answered openly; there was nothing to hide.

“She’s my senior. I met her through club activities. We got familiar after seeing each other a few times, but something happened later, so we stopped contacting each other.”

“Because she confessed to you?”

Hearing Jiang Chao’s words, Sheng Huaixi only needed a moment to guess the real reason their connection had ended.

“Yes.” Jiang Chao nodded helplessly.

“Trouble magnet.”

Sheng Huaixi lowered her eyes and lightly pinched Jiang Chao’s soft cheek with her knuckles. The irritation in her chest surged like fire, and her gaze sank into gloom.

A rainy season fell between her brows and eyes. Raindrops drifted down one by one, splashing into her heart and making it ache with a dull, sour sting.

Every single day, in Sheng Huaixi’s heart, there would be a rain of plums because of Jiang Chao; damp, sticky, seeping along her spine and inward, itchy and sour.

Even today, even now, it still hadn’t stopped.

“N-no I’m not. You are, obviously.” Jiang Chao covered her face. Her eyes had misted slightly; it didn’t hurt, but Sheng Huaixi had definitely pinched her red. “Look at Zhou Xu now; she’s still obsessively chasing after you.”

Sheng Huaixi loosened her hand and looked down at Jiang Chao’s expression, her thick lashes trembling as they concealed the real emotion in her eyes. Her voice turned faintly cold.

“You care about her a lot?”

Jiang Chao rubbed her cheek and shot her an irritated look. “Of course. She’s been pestering you like this; naturally I’m thinking about her all day.”

One, two, three; although Zhou Xu hadn’t appeared again after last time, it was still good to get rid of one of the people circling Sheng Huaixi.

Last time in the hotel, Zhou Xu had been terrified by Sheng Huaixi. This was the perfect chance to ride that momentum and put an end to her intentions once and for all.

Sheng Huaixi said nothing more. She only gathered a few strands of Jiang Chao’s hair and kneaded them between her fingers, lowering her head to inhale the faint fragrance on Jiang Chao’s body.

Thinking about her all day, huh...

If that was the case, Sheng Huaixi rubbed her fingertips together and lowered her eyes to hide the dark expression at the bottom of them. The surging restlessness spread through her chest.

Sheng Huaixi’s possessiveness flared like a raging blaze, burning across the plains.

Zhou Xu; there was no need to keep her.

*

“Smack!”

The crisp sound of a slap echoed through the room. Bright sunlight poured in, and several panes of clear glass flashed with brilliant color.

“Sheng Huaixi! What the hell are you doing?!” The stinging pain on her face burned hot. Zhou Xu’s eyes widened, fury erupting from them.

This woman had come uninvited. The moment she entered, she hadn’t even greeted her; she had just slapped her in the face without another word.

Faced with Zhou Xu’s surging anger, Sheng Huaixi said nothing. She flicked her hand and spoke lightly.

“Just the fee for this meeting. Don’t mind it.”

“You!” Zhou Xu’s pupils widened, her body shooting upright; she had only just forced out a single word.

A stack of photos Sheng Huaixi had tossed onto the smooth marble tabletop now covered it completely. Zhou Xu looked down instinctively, her eyes shaking; her back, which had been pressed against the chair, straightened at once.

Impossible!!

Her hand turned over as Zhou Xu hurriedly flipped through the scattered photos on the table. Her expression gradually drained white, leaving no color behind.

The room’s tense breathing grew heavier and heavier. Sheng Huaixi wandered leisurely around the room, her gaze sweeping over the display cabinets lining one wall.

Knives, ceramics, celadon...

Bored after a glance through them, Sheng Huaixi turned back. Seeing Zhou Xu frantically rummaging through the photos in confusion, she kindly explained what was on the table.

“In here, there are photos of you dating a female celebrity, and photos of you secretly kissing your sister-in-law.”

“Oh, right, and there’s this little surprise you definitely shouldn’t miss.” Sheng Huaixi gently drew one photo out from beneath the pile and waved it in front of Zhou Xu, her brows curving. “Photos of you using drugs at the Imperial Hall.”

Hearing this, sweat poured down Zhou Xu’s face. Her body trembled violently, and her wrist shook as she reached for the photos on the table, looking up at Sheng Huaixi in disbelief.

“Who? Who gave these to you?!”

Not only did these include her affairs at the private club, there were even photos of her doing drugs in her own venue!

If Sheng Huaixi exposed these, she would not only be unable to escape police scrutiny; the Zhou family would also suffer a devastating blow!

Without the Zhou family, she was finished too.

Breathing raggedly, Zhou Xu leaned forward. In just a few breaths, all trace of her earlier composure vanished. She slapped a palm onto the photos and demanded an answer with bloodshot eyes.

“Does that matter?” Sheng Huaixi pinched her knuckles. Her long lashes drooped mercilessly; hearing the harsh, ugly gasps beside her, she lazily swept a glance over them, impatient and bored.

“Shut up.”

Her red lips parted; Sheng Huaixi’s words were light, but the darkness in her eyes had grown thick. The pressure around her was low and heavy, making her face seem even colder and more sinister.

Zhou Xu did not dare retort. Her red eyes brimmed with overwhelming fury, and she shut them, emotions surging violently in her chest.

“Speak. What’s your goal?” Zhou Xu asked hoarsely.

Since Sheng Huaixi had laid all this out in front of her, it couldn’t be just for show.

“Very good. There’s a small matter that needs your cooperation.” With a snap of her fingers, Sheng Huaixi finally stopped toying with her fingers, and a smile slowly spread at the corners of her lips.

Zhou Xu took a deep breath and prepared herself for Sheng Huaixi to make an outrageous demand. “Say it.”

Sweeping her gaze over the restrained emotion on Zhou Xu’s face, Sheng Huaixi nodded in satisfaction and coldly stated her request.

“Now. Take out your phone, find my chat window, and send me a message. The content is: Sheng Huaixi, I won’t keep pestering you anymore.”

“Just that?” Zhou Xu asked in surprise.

Sheng Huaixi raised a brow. “What, not satisfied?”

Zhou Xu didn’t hesitate; or rather, faced with the stack of photos on the table that could clearly send her to her death, Sheng Huaixi’s request now seemed especially merciful.

A woman she was interested in, even willing to pursue relentlessly for her sake, was indeed important; but herself, above all, always came first.

Quite calmly, she said the words exactly as Sheng Huaixi had requested, and even took the initiative to delete Sheng Huaixi afterward.

“It’s done.”

“Good. Thank you for your cooperation.”

Lowering her head to confirm the incoming message, Sheng Huaixi got what she wanted and didn’t waste another second; she lifted her foot and stood.

Just as she was about to leave, Sheng Huaixi’s peripheral vision caught the faint, bright red mark on Zhou Xu’s cheek. A flicker of interest crossed her eyes, and she raised her snow-white wrist to inspect it.

Mm... should she take a little surprise home for her little darling, then embellish on my contribution and hardship a bit? Would she feel even more sorry for me?

Excitement rippled through her chest, waves of exhilaration surging within her. Sheng Huaixi licked past the tip of her teeth, the sharp pain making her emotions burn hotter.

In the depths of her obscured eyes, a pathological restlessness churned, hot and fierce like lava, terrifying to behold.

“Forget it. Too dirty. I can’t let her touch it.”

Sheng Huaixi murmured to herself, abandoning the thought. She lifted a foot and walked straight toward the door, waving behind her; her long wrist swayed in the air as she coolly delivered her verdict.

“Thirty minutes from now, these things will be in the police’s hands. Good luck.”

“Sheng Huaixi, sooner or later you’ll—”

Zhou Xu’s face went ash-gray. She sprang up in fury, and the curses behind her were cut off with a sharp slam as Sheng Huaixi shut the door.

The moment the door closed, all the annoying noise on the other side was blocked out completely.

Her footsteps soundless, Sheng Huaixi lowered her head and idly played with the silver knife she had just taken. The blade was cold and sharp, flashing with a light that could cut through a person.

Its edge was fully exposed; with only the lightest slash, it would leave a streak of blood on smooth skin.

A good knife.

It was a pity Zhou Xu was too cowardly. Even if she took it, it would be useless. Boring.

Sheng Huaixi narrowed her eyes slightly and spun the silver knife deftly around her wrist; the blade reflected her indifferent face several times.

Her hand moved smoothly and easily, as if performing a trick.

Sheng Huaixi took out her phone, her fingertips tapping again and again before finally stopping on a complicated map page, where a red dot flashed faintly.

“At home, huh...”

Murmuring softly as she put the phone away, Sheng Huaixi stopped toying with the silver knife.

At the thought of Jiang Chao at home, the gloom in Sheng Huaixi’s brows and eyes melted away in an instant; a breath of spring slipped through, and the figure turning to leave was full of anticipation.

Her business was done. It was time to go find Jiang Chao and ask for some comfort.

Jiang Chao only needed to look at her.

Jiang Chao’s eyes could only have her.

Little darling, pity me more; no matter where it is...