TNSFC – Chapter 60

Que Yining thanked Jiang Xiaowan, her heart burning with anxiety as she watched the elevator numbers change. If someone had taken Gu Shanxue away, it hardly needed guessing what they might do by bringing her to a hotel.

When the number reached thirty-two, Que Yining was the first to step out, only to see Fu Wenjing in front of room 3201, preparing to knock.

Her heart instantly tightened, and something seemed to be churning in her mind again, but Que Yining couldn’t be bothered with that right now.

She forcefully suppressed the chaotic memories that didn’t belong to her, enduring the pain in her chest as she walked to the door.

Fu Wenjing looked at her, seemingly a little surprised as well.

“I thought I saw Gu Shanxue being helped in earlier, but I wasn’t sure if it was her. Are you here looking for her?”

He explained why he was there, his attitude relatively mild, unlike before when he would turn and leave as soon as he saw Que Yining.

Fu Wenjing was staying at this hotel tonight. As he was walking over, he thought he saw someone being helped in.

He wasn’t usually one to meddle in other people’s business, but he and Gu Shanxue had some sort of acquaintance, and they also had business dealings. If it was her, Fu Wenjing couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

When he saw Que Yining approaching, Fu Wenjing felt his earlier guess was correct. He had heard before that Que Yining and Gu Shanxue were on good terms, and it seemed to be true.

Fu Wenjing disliked Que Yining only because she used to cling to him despite his rejections. Now that Que Yining wasn’t clinging to him anymore, nor was she making any petty moves, Fu Wenjing naturally no longer held much animosity towards her.

Que Yining nodded, not having the energy to waste words explaining anything.

The moment she saw Fu Wenjing, Que Yining felt as if she’d been struck by a heavy blow, plunging into uncontrollable agitation and depression.

It wasn’t just because of the uncontrollable emotions and churning memories in her body, but also because she understood something.

This was a book, and in a book, all sorts of things would happen to advance the relationship between the male and female leads. Thus, when Gu Shanxue was in danger, Fu Wenjing could always coincidentally encounter her.

But she couldn’t. When Gu Shanxue was in trouble, she had no way of coincidentally encountering her like that.

Even to meet Gu Shanxue, she had to rack her brains and go to great lengths to find out her whereabouts or invite her, unlike Fu Wenjing, who could meet Gu Shanxue so easily.

Que Yining was extremely frustrated. Looking at the door in front of her, her anxiety did not lessen.

Time seemed to have passed for a long while, but in reality, it was only half a minute.

After half a minute, the doors of another elevator opened. The manager trotted over and used a key card to open the door to 3201.

Que Yining rushed in first. When she saw the situation in the innermost suite, she felt like killing someone.

Gu Shanxue seemed to be unconscious, lying on the bed. Directly facing the bed was a tripod camera. A greasy, bald, pot-bellied middle-aged man was about to unbutton Gu Shanxue’s clothes.

Que Yining didn’t know where she found the strength, but she grabbed the man’s clothes, forcefully dragged him to the floor, kicked him hard several times in his lower body, and knocked over the camera beside them.

The man let out a miserable scream. Jiang Xiaowan waved her hand, had the security guards take the man out, and told all unrelated personnel to leave.

Fortunately, only a few buttons on Gu Shanxue’s clothes had been undone. Que Yining breathed a sigh of relief, her fingers trembling slightly as she buttoned Gu Shanxue’s clothes back up.

Gu Shanxue looked somewhat delirious, her face flushed red.

“Don’t worry, I’m here.”

Que Yining helped her up and tidied her somewhat messy hair.

Gu Shanxue slumped against her, having basically lost all ability to move. She had been mostly unconscious.

Gu Shanxue’s assistant picked up the overcoat that had been thrown on the floor. Que Yining took it and draped it over Gu Shanxue.

As she supported Gu Shanxue and passed by Fu Wenjing, Que Yining glanced at him.

Just that one glance made Que Yining’s head throb again as if it would split. The suppressed emotions and physical reactions rebounded, making Que Yining almost retch.

Jiang Xiaowan noticed her discomfort and supported her.

Que Yining helped Gu Shanxue into the assistant’s car and told her to drive to the hospital.

Jiang Xiaowan sat in the passenger seat. Without a second thought, the car started immediately and sped towards the hospital.

Que Yining looked at Gu Shanxue leaning against her, seeing her flushed cheeks. She didn’t feel any romantic stirrings; only anxiety filled her heart.

The other party had set up a camera; it was clearly an intentional setup to harm her. She couldn’t be sure what drug Gu Shanxue had been injected with. If it was just a hallucinogen or muscle relaxant with minor side effects, that would be one thing. But if it was a drug containing harmful substances that paralyzed the nerves, Que Yining felt she could dismember that person. Before she was sure Gu Shanxue was okay, how could Que Yining have any romantic thoughts?

Her dark hair, soaked with sweat, clung in strands to Gu Shanxue’s smooth forehead. Que Yining gently pushed it aside with her hand and placed her hand on Gu Shanxue’s cheek.

Gu Shanxue had been very restless, moving subconsciously even while unconscious. Her eyelashes fluttered. Que Yining held her hand and soothed her in a low voice. As if sensing a familiar presence, Gu Shanxue’s brow gradually relaxed.

Jiang Xiaowan in the front seat took it all in and, with a sense of regret, averted her gaze.

Qiao Yuchu had previously said that Que Yining liked someone but hadn’t successfully pursued them. Jiang Xiaowan had thought her chance had come, which was why she had Qiao Yuchu arrange a meeting. But judging by the current situation, she probably had no chance.

When Que Yining was helping Gu Shanxue earlier, Jiang Xiaowan had also taken a couple of glances at what Gu Shanxue looked like. After seeing her, she felt her own chances had decreased by another twenty percent. This was going to be tough.

Gu Shanxue was taken to the hospital for blood tests and an injection.

Until the flush on Gu Shanxue’s face gradually faded, Que Yining watched the IV drip in the back of her hand, and only then did her mood slowly calm down.

“Have some hot water. You look terrible.”

Jiang Xiaowan poured Que Yining a cup of hot water and handed it to her.

If she hadn’t been following along, she might have thought Que Yining was the one in trouble.

“Thanks.”

Que Yining took the hot water and sipped it, pressing her throbbing temples as she recalled the content that had appeared in the original owner’s mind.

Dark, murky seawater, the sudden sensation of being struck from behind… Every time she saw Fu Wenjing, the memories in her mind would rewind further along the timeline from the previous point.

This time, Que Yining saw Fu Wenjing.

She saw Fu Wenjing in her mind; he was saying something, and it seemed they were having an argument.

She didn’t know if only this much had been triggered, or if she had missed something when she suppressed her emotions earlier. No matter how hard Que Yining tried to recall now, the scene only stopped here.

So, according to the timeline of the memories, after the original owner argued with Fu Wenjing, she was hit on the head by someone and then thrown into the river?

Judging by the original owner’s intense reaction, did she think Fu Wenjing had killed her?

Que Yining didn’t know the full story. She couldn’t make out the details of their argument in that memory. Her head was splitting with pain, and she could barely hold the hot water in her hand.

Jiang Xiaowan’s soft call pulled Que Yining out of that state. Que Yining looked at the white lights in the hospital room, her gaze somewhat dazed.

“Are you not feeling well too? Do you want to get it checked?”

Jiang Xiaowan took a tissue from her pocket and placed it in front of Que Yining.

Que Yining shook her head, looked at Jiang Xiaowan, and asked, “Did you manage to get anything out of him?”

Back in the elevator, Que Yining had asked Jiang Xiaowan to detain the man first to see if they could get anything out of him.

Que Yining knew this matter couldn’t be so simple. Whether it was Gu Shanxue being taken from that banquet, or her being sent to the hotel so quickly, including that premeditated camera—Que Yining wouldn’t believe it if at least two or three people weren’t involved.

“He hasn’t talked yet. He’s over there yelling about suing for illegal detention, saying we have no right to restrict his personal freedom. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely get it out of him for you.”

A cold sneer played on Jiang Xiaowan’s lips. She was still dressed as she was at the bar. When she lifted her hand to brush her hair back, her tattoo was revealed, making her look somewhat fierce.

“Alright, thanks. I owe you one for this.”

Que Yining gave her a deep look. She actually didn’t like owing people favors, especially from someone who might be interested in her.

“Why mention that between friends? Just treat me to a meal some other day.”

Jiang Xiaowan raised her hand and put her arm around Que Yining’s neck, pressing down slightly and leaning towards her.

The distance between them instantly shortened, the other’s face inches away.

Jiang Xiaowan was smiling, her eyes seeming to hold some unspoken deeper meaning, yet it also felt like just a casual joke, full of a flirtatiousness that couldn’t be taken seriously.

“Okay. When my friend wakes up, we can treat you to a meal together to express our gratitude.”

Que Yining gently but firmly pushed Jiang Xiaowan’s hand away, her words impeccable.

Jiang Xiaowan clicked her tongue softly and straightened up, looking rather regretful.

Jiang Xiaowan stared at Gu Shanxue on the hospital bed for a moment, then didn’t stay in the room any longer. She went outside the room to make a call.

After completing a series of procedures and payments, Gu Shanxue’s assistant, Anda, returned to the hospital room.

When Que Yining saw her return, she began to ask about the situation, such as where Gu Shanxue had attended the banquet today and if anything unusual had happened before.

Gu Shanxue’s assistant was named Anda, a member of Gu Shanxue’s team. She knew Que Yining was a friend Gu Shanxue trusted, so she truthfully recounted the events of the evening.

Que Yining asked, “Has anyone been targeting her recently?”

Anda hesitated for a moment, then selectively told her what she could.

“Quite a few. Previously, when the boss went abroad, it was also to deal with matters.”

From Anda’s account, Que Yining learned just how busy Gu Shanxue was. The matters she was planning had encountered some minor setbacks, but fortunately, Gu Shanxue had managed to resolve them all.

Que Yining thought about Gu Shanxue’s family situation—that “white lotus” stepsister, the troublesome mistress mother—and nervously fiddled with her fingers in frustration.

Anda’s phone suddenly rang. It seemed to be work-related.

Que Yining thought for a moment and said, “You should go back first. I’ll look after her here. I’ll let you know when she wakes up.”

Anda nodded and left the hospital room.

Que Yining sat by the hospital bed, thinking about many things.

When she came back to her senses, she realized Gu Shanxue had woken up at some point.

“Shanxue, you’re awake? Are you feeling any better? Are you uncomfortable anywhere?”

Que Yining immediately asked. Gu Shanxue shook her head.

“That’s good. Luckily you had your location on, so we rescued you in time. Take a moment to recover. I’ll get you a glass of water.”

Que Yining got up and walked towards the water dispenser.

Gu Shanxue watched Que Yining’s back, the corners of her lips unconsciously curving up.

There was a sound at the door. Gu Shanxue saw a woman with a ponytail walk in, approach Que Yining, and put her hand on Que Yining.

“Ningning, hey, give me your car keys. I’ll have someone drive your car back.”

The person addressed her intimately. Noticing Gu Shanxue’s gaze, she even smiled at her.

The smile on Gu Shanxue’s face vanished. Her hand that didn’t have the IV in it unconsciously tightened its grip on the corner of the blanket.

---

If you’d like to read ahead and support me, you can request extra chapters or get the full novel as an EPUB.