TNSFC – Chapter 61

Que Yining had her back to the hospital bed, pouring water at the dispenser, and didn’t see the exchange of glances between Jiang Xiaowan and Gu Shanxue. As she watched the paper cup fill with hot water, she declined Jiang Xiaowan’s offer.

“No need, I’ll have someone drive my car to my place later.”

Que Yining knew Jiang Xiaowan was referring to the car she had parked at the bar entrance. When she went to the hotel, she had been drinking and hadn’t driven; she had taken a taxi, so the car was naturally still parked where she left it.

“Alright, I was just saying it would be convenient to help you out. Are you afraid I’ll find out your address?”

Jiang Xiaowan leaned close to Que Yining and said teasingly. Que Yining gave her a light glance, and Jiang Xiaowan smiled, shook her head, and left.

Jiang Xiaowan’s last sentence was spoken softly, so Gu Shanxue couldn’t hear what she was saying. But from behind, it undoubtedly looked like two very good friends joking around.

She unconsciously frowned, the anger welling up in her heart making her lose some control. Her heart tightened instantly, a faint, inexplicable ache spreading through it.

She raised her hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, secretly calming her breathing.

It’s normal, she thought. It’s perfectly normal for Que Yining to have close friends. I absolutely don’t need to care, nor do I need to… Gu Shanxue closed her eyes, her nails digging into her flesh.

When Que Yining turned around, she looked up, her expression as usual.

“Shanxue, have some water.”

“Okay.”

Gu Shanxue took the warm water and drank a few sips to moisten her throat.

Que Yining took the paper cup from her hand, placed it on the nearby table, and softly asked if she felt unwell anywhere else.

Gu Shanxue shook her head and pressed her temples. Seeing Jiang Xiaowan still in the hospital room, she tilted her head and asked Que Yining.

“This is?”

Que Yining: “This is Jiang Xiaowan. The hotel you were taken to belongs to her family. Luckily, she helped open the door directly. That person is being held by her.”

Gu Shanxue’s mind was racing with thoughts, but her face didn’t show it. She thanked Jiang Xiaowan.

“No need to thank me. Anyway, I did it for Ningning’s sake. I’ll go back and check on the situation first. I’ll tell you what that person says later. Once I’ve investigated thoroughly, I’ll hand him over to the police station,” Jiang Xiaowan said, smiling at Que Yining. “Don’t forget, you owe me a meal.”

She acted extremely affectionately. Gu Shanxue’s frown deepened.

“I won’t forget yours.”

Que Yining waved her off. After Jiang Xiaowan left, she locked the hospital room door from the inside.

“Shanxue, do you remember what happened?”

Que Yining sat down beside Gu Shanxue, briefly explained how she had gotten her out, and then asked if Gu Shanxue remembered anything.

As soon as she thought of the scene she had witnessed earlier, hatred began to churn within her.

Fortunately, she hadn’t arrived late. If Gu Shanxue had been taken advantage of even slightly by that person, she would have crippled him.

Gu Shanxue pondered for a moment, then looked at Que Yining and said, “There’s a mole among my people.”

“Tonight’s drink was drugged. I don’t know which glass it was or when it happened. The person I arranged also didn’t show up.”

Gu Shanxue had always been a cautious person. She not only had a tracker on her phone but also in the wristwatch she always wore. When attending crowded banquets that required constant mingling, she would arrange for plainclothes bodyguards to accompany her. Today, she not only had her male companion but also someone else in the shadows, yet she was still taken away without any hindrance.

Gu Shanxue had been working hard to take over the Gu Corporation, and the forces she had secretly cultivated were not to be underestimated. Precisely because of this, she had, openly and covertly, stood in many people’s way. It was normal for some to resort to underhanded tactics, but the person who did this seemed to want to ruin her reputation completely, not just engage in a simple business dispute.

“Do you have anyone in mind? If there’s anything I can do to help, just say the word. I hope I can assist you in some way.”

Que Yining’s expression was grim and cold as she looked at Gu Shanxue, a light hidden in her eyes.

She was very glad that Gu Shanxue had called her when she got into trouble today; otherwise, she might not have known Gu Shanxue was in danger at all.

If she hadn’t arrived in time, what would have been the outcome?

Would Fu Wenjing have successfully saved her? Gu Shanxue had been drugged; Que Yining dared not imagine what would have happened next.

Que Yining didn’t doubt Fu Wenjing’s character; she just doubted this so-called fate.

Could there really be a so-called hand of fate, pushing everything towards its original trajectory?

Gu Shanxue: “Okay.”

She gazed at the person she hadn’t seen for nearly two months, a genuine smile touching the corners of her lips.

But amidst this joy, she also felt an indescribable sense of loss.

She didn’t know if Que Yining still liked her. She hoped Que Yining had moved on from those feelings, and they could still be good friends.

Everything seemed to be as she wished, yet something in her heart felt off.

Gu Shanxue couldn’t help but let her thoughts wander, then she heard Que Yining’s voice beside her.

“Shanxue… have you been getting close to Fu Wenjing?”

Gu Shanxue’s mind worked quickly, so she immediately remembered who that person was.

He was the person Que Yining used to like. Why would she suddenly ask about him? And why ask in such a way?

Gu Shanxue: “We’ve collaborated.”

The implication was that they weren’t close.

“I see. It’s nothing, I was just asking casually.”

Que Yining would never tell Gu Shanxue that Fu Wenjing was outside preparing to knock when she arrived. That would be like earning brownie points for Fu Wenjing.

Que Yining’s vague manner, however, led Gu Shanxue to misunderstand.

She lowered her gaze, her long hair falling to cover the side of her face, making her expression unreadable.

“By the way, I told Anda you’d call her when you woke up. Here.”

Que Yining took Gu Shanxue’s phone, which she had put in her pocket, and handed it to Gu Shanxue.

She sensed that Gu Shanxue wasn’t in a good mood, but then again, anyone who went through such an ordeal wouldn’t be in high spirits.

Watching Gu Shanxue make the call, Que Yining felt a wave of frustration.

She, too, found herself in a situation where she didn’t know what to say or do. If she could, she would have loved to hold Gu Shanxue and comfort her, to soothe her with every method she knew. But her current identity was merely that of a good friend whose romantic advances had been rejected; anything she did would be inappropriate.

The phone in her pocket vibrated. Que Yining glanced at Gu Shanxue, who was still on the phone, then got up and went outside to answer her call.

The call was from Jiang Xiaowan, regarding that man.

“Tried to commit suicide?”

Que Yining frowned; this matter was more complicated than she had imagined.

Generally, even if such a person was hired to do this kind of thing, it was unlikely they would rather lose their life than say anything.

“Is he still at the hotel? I’ll head over right away.”

Que Yining hung up the phone and returned to the hospital room.

Gu Shanxue was still on her call. The IV drip was more than half empty.

When Gu Shanxue saw the look in Que Yining’s eyes, she quickly wrapped up her conversation and hung up.

Que Yining: “Shanxue, I need to go to Jiang Xiaowan’s place. She just said that man tried to kill himself. I’m going to ask about the situation.”

“I’ll go too.”

Gu Shanxue replied immediately. Upon hearing Que Yining say she was going to see that woman from earlier, alarm bells rang in her mind, and her first reaction was ‘No.’

She took a cotton swab from the small cabinet nearby, pressed it against the back of her hand, pulled out her IV needle, got out of bed, and put on her shoes.

Que Yining was taken aback by her swift actions, assuming Gu Shanxue was anxious to find out the truth, so she didn’t try to dissuade her.

At the hotel entrance, Jiang Xiaowan was not at all surprised to see the ice beauty accompanying Que Yining. She waved at Que Yining and led them into one of the hotel rooms.

In the room, the man was tied to a chair, his mouth taped shut, his forehead bruised and swollen. He had his eyes closed, feigning death.

“I didn’t mean to get him like this, but this is the fifteenth floor. He was about to jump out just now, so I had no choice but to have him tied up.”

Jiang Xiaowan explained the situation, standing to the side with her arms crossed.

The man opened his eyes. When he saw Gu Shanxue, he guiltily averted his gaze.

Que Yining: “He’s unwilling to say who instigated it?”

Jiang Xiaowan shrugged and said, “Yeah, I even threatened to castrate him, but he still wouldn’t confess. He doesn’t look that resolute.”

The tied-up man had a greasy face, his eyes darting around. He looked like a timid coward, not at all like someone who would attempt suicide by jumping off a building.

Jiang Xiaowan: “I’ll have someone check his identity, but it might take a while to get results.”

“No need. I can handle this myself. I won’t trouble you further. Thank you for your help earlier.”

Gu Shanxue spoke, politely declining Jiang Xiaowan’s offer. After all, Jiang Xiaowan wasn’t a close friend, and she didn’t want to owe another favor.

“Alright then.”

Jiang Xiaowan looked at Que Yining and understood what they meant.

Gu Shanxue took a few photos of the man, then tapped on her phone. Soon, she received a call. Gu Shanxue gestured to Que Yining and stepped outside to answer it.

As soon as the door closed, Jiang Xiaowan noticed a change in Que Yining’s aura. She watched with keen interest, finding Que Yining increasingly to her liking.

Que Yining stepped forward, looking at the man who was trying to feign death.

“Unwilling to talk, are you?”

She kicked the man, sending him and the chair toppling to the ground. She wasn’t good-tempered to begin with, and when it came to matters involving Gu Shanxue, she wished she could cut the person into a thousand pieces.

The man’s mouth was bound, and he made muffled “mmph mmph” sounds.

“If you don’t talk and still want to die, do you think it’ll be that easy?”

Que Yining squatted down, looking at the man’s face with a cold smile.

“Since you like filming so much, how about I film something nice of you and put it online for people to appreciate?”

The man closed his eyes, feigning death, as if he hadn’t heard.

“That trick won’t work. I just tried it. I had him stripped naked, the camera was on, and props were even shoved up his ass. He was so scared he pissed himself, but he still wouldn’t talk.”

Jiang Xiaowan was afraid of offending Que Yining’s eyes, so before Que Yining arrived, she had someone dress the man again.

“That means it wasn’t enough,” Que Yining said, looking at the man’s now open eyes, a faint smile on her lips as she continued, “Since you think that thing between your legs is useless, how about I send you for gender reassignment surgery?”

“After it’s done, all I need is that area of yours. I’ll gouge out your eyes, cut out your tongue, and then send you to a place where unlicensed prostitutes operate. How about making you a free glory hole? I think you know what that is, right?”

Que Yining’s eyes were filled with intense malice. Her words, seemingly a question but actually a statement of intent, made the man’s face turn pale, and he shook his head frantically.

He looked at the beautiful woman before him, venomous as a viper, and trembled uncontrollably, almost scared witless. He completely believed she was capable of doing what she said!

“Speak, or not?”

Que Yining stood up, calmly and condescendingly looking down at the man.

The man nodded repeatedly, making muffled “mmph mmph” sounds from his mouth.

Que Yining smiled and righted the chair. When she heard a soft sound from the door, the fierce aura around her vanished completely.

When Gu Shanxue walked in, Que Yining smiled at her, gentle and pure.

Jiang Xiaowan watched, suddenly feeling that even her last twenty percent chance was gone.

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