TNSFC – Chapter 75

Que Linyang had been having a particularly rough half-month. Some previously agreed-upon collaborations suddenly fell through, and he faced unusual obstacles when handling certain matters. He almost immediately understood he was being targeted. However, upon careful reflection, he couldn’t recall offending anyone recently. To be cautious, he immediately sent people to inquire and soon learned that the Qiao family was targeting him. He had previously attended a banquet at the Qiao family’s third son’s place and had even chatted amiably for a bit. How could the Qiao family suddenly turn against him? He investigated further and found out who was behind it. For this reason, he specifically called Qiao Yuchu, wanting to explain that matter.

He sat in his study, and the moment the call connected, his voice became deep and gentle.

“Miss Qiao, is there some misunderstanding between us?”

“What misunderstanding? You trashy scumbag! You even lied to me back then. You were clearly married at the time. Get lost!” The young woman on the other end of the line sounded aggressive and hung up after speaking.

Que Linyang’s expression turned cold, his eyes nearly sinister.

He didn’t think this matter would be brought up again after so long. If Qiao Yuchu had bothered to investigate back then, she would have known the outcome. Why wait all these years? Her sudden action must have other reasons. Was the Qiao family using this as an excuse to cause trouble, or was it because of someone else?

“Que Yining.”

Que Linyang slowly enunciated the name, mulling it over repeatedly, his eyes filled with deep thought.

His dear sister had changed too much, so much that it made him suspicious.

The child he had watched grow up, spoiled and pampered, how could he not know her capabilities? How could she suddenly become so formidable, single-handedly creating such an incredible and marketable game?

Que Linyang leaned back in his chair, pondered this matter, and then remembered another troublesome issue.

Things weren’t going smoothly for him, and Que Chuling was actually dragging him down too.

She had kicked all his people out of the branch company and was refusing his calls. It seemed she no longer wanted to be in the same boat as him and was planning to abandon ship?

Regarding his second sister, Que Linyang didn’t actually harbor much animosity. He just thought she was brainless, willing to die for a woman. He looked down on her immensely, but even so, he still had to contact her at this moment.

After arranging for his subordinates to make contact, Que Linyang put on his jacket and went out to meet his golf buddies.

The April spring breeze rustled the green grass. Deng Zhi brought him a glass of orange juice and placed it on the table.

She didn’t stay long and turned to go back to her private lounge.

An hour later, the hidden door of the lounge opened.

“How did it go? Smoothly?”

Deng Zhi walked over, helped Que Linyang take off his jacket, and hung it on the coat rack.

“Reasonably smooth. The Qiao family is a bit troublesome, but they’re not some behemoth. If they cause me discomfort, they can’t blame me for using a few little tricks to cause them trouble.”

Que Linyang took off his glasses and lay down on the sofa.

Deng Zhi walked over to massage his legs, looking at the handsome and refined man before her, her gaze growing increasingly gentle.

Deng Zhi suddenly thought of something and asked with some worry, “My cousin came to see me earlier. He said he might have been found out. Do I need to cut ties with him and lay low for a bit?”

“They won’t trace it back to us,” Que Linyang said relaxedly, but after speaking, he still felt a little uneasy. “Transfer him some money through another account and have him go abroad.”

“Okay,” Deng Zhi nodded. “This time it failed. Should we continue to look for opportunities to strike?”

Que Linyang opened his eyes, his expression somewhat annoyed.

“Consider her lucky. She actually survived such severe injuries.”

He had already arranged her ending long ago, but she turned out to be exceptionally lucky.

“We’ll see. It’s not easy to make a move on her now. Let’s deal with the immediate troubles first.”

Que Linyang said in a deep voice, then pulled Deng Zhi into an embrace.

“Let’s not talk about this. I haven’t seen you in days.”

“I missed you too. Your wife came yesterday, but I didn’t show myself.”

Thinking of the woman she had seen, Deng Zhi felt a surge of resentment. A woman like that, who had long lost her family backing and couldn’t help Linyang anymore, what right did she have to occupy the position of the legitimate wife, and she even gave birth to a daughter.

“Don’t bother with her. When I get control of the Que family, there will naturally be no need for such pretenses.”

“Mm, our son and I will be your strong support, Linyang. Let me have another child. Our son said he wants a little sister to keep him company.”

Deng Zhi chuckled lightly, the sound of her voice trailing off in the air.

The sun outside the window was dazzling, obscuring the inconspicuous light in the shadows.

Que Yining held her phone, watching this broadcast, and saved the evidence.

A few days ago, she had Xie Yanhuai hack into Deng Zhi’s surveillance system. Lin Zhen took the opportunity to go in and install a pinhole camera and a miniature microphone. Watching Deng Zhi and Que Linyang on the screen, completely unaware, Que Yining smiled, put down her phone, and called Qiao Yuchu to remind her to warn her family elders that Que Linyang might cause them some minor trouble.

With this evidence, exposing Que Linyang’s true colors wasn’t difficult. The challenge was how to separate his image from the Que family and how to hit him where it hurt most.

Although Que Linyang hadn’t completely taken over Que Corporation from Papa Que, before she was born, or rather, after she was born, Que Linyang had always been groomed as the heir. After joining Que Corporation, he represented the company when negotiating business deals. If they attacked him without separating him from the Que family, the Que family would undoubtedly suffer greatly, taking a major hit.

Que Yining closed her eyes, thinking, and unknowingly fell asleep in the warm sunlight.

In her dream, there was a dark river, and the light cast by the solitary moon was full of desolation.

A sound came from far away, yet it also seemed very close.

The sound mingled with the lapping of water, indistinct, but when it reached her mind, it seemed to become clear.

‘Sitting alone beneath the yellow glow of the rapeseed oil lamp, I contemplate Xianglin Sao—this utterly desolate soul, a discarded relic once left to rot in the refuse heap, her remnants lingering in the dust as a tiresome spectacle to those who lead vibrant lives, who surely questioned why she persisted at all—now finally swept clean by the hand of impermanence.’

A sighing, sarcastic voice, distorted by the water waves, sounded unfamiliar.

Que Yining opened her eyes and stared at the white ceiling.

Her eyes moved, recalling the voice from her dream.

Was that the voice the original owner heard after she died? Perhaps it was; Que Yining didn’t know.

The voice was separated by a thick barrier, and Que Yining couldn’t identify who it was. But she felt that if the original owner had been killed by Que Linyang, it wouldn’t be surprising at all for Que Linyang to say those words.

She blinked and realized something was amiss with her situation.

She remembered being in her wheelchair before she fell asleep. How did she end up in bed?

The room was quiet and empty. Que Yining didn’t press the call bell to summon the person waiting outside the door. Instead, she took out her phone to check the surveillance footage.

Not long after she fell asleep, Gu Shanxue came in.

She stood there looking at her for a moment, then bent down, picked her up, and carefully placed her on the bed.

Que Yining gripped her phone tightly, her eyes wide, a smile appearing on her face. But soon, her smile turned into annoyance.

Why! Why didn’t she wake up at that moment!

She had missed the chance to consciously experience Gu Shanxue carrying her princess-style!

Such a good opportunity! Why!

However, she was usually a light sleeper. Even if her alertness had decreased due to her injuries, it was unlikely she would be completely unaware of being picked up.

Que Yining’s eyes darted, and a smile spread across her face as she sent Gu Shanxue a message.

【Que Yining】: Shanxue, did you just come to see me?

【Cutie Gu】: Mm, you happened to be asleep.

“Was it you who carried me to bed?” Que Yining sent a voice message, her voice sweet and soft, the drawn-out tone tinged with delight.

Gu Shanxue, who was sitting in the lounge, glanced at her curious friend looking over. She had intended to convert the voice message to text but accidentally played it instead.

Kunna teased, “Not bad, Gu. Have you already found such a close friend in the country so quickly?”

“I’ve been back for half a year already.”

Gu Shanxue replied without looking up, typing on her phone.

【Gu Shanxue】: Mm, you would have been uncomfortable sleeping like that.

【Ningning】: You look so slim, I didn’t expect you to be so strong.

【Gu Shanxue】: It’s because you’re too light.

Que Yining had lost a lot of weight after the car accident. Gu Shanxue remembered how light Que Yining felt when she carried her and couldn’t help but frown.

Que Yining sent another voice message. Under Kunna’s gaze, Gu Shanxue took out her Bluetooth earbuds, put them on, and played the voice message.

“I’m not that light, really. But what’s amazing is that I actually didn’t wake up, even though I’m usually someone who wakes easily at the slightest touch.”

“It must be that my body, guided by my subconscious, has 100% trust and reassurance in you.”

The voice, coated in honey and carrying Que Yining’s unique essence, sent a thread of joy instantly through her ear canal, striking her brain as if fireworks were exploding in her mind.

Her words are becoming more direct and undisguised, Gu Shanxue thought, her ears turning slightly red.

She was a little vexed about how to respond, and her conflicted little expression was fully observed by Kunna beside her.

“Gu, you’re not in love, are you?”

Kunna inquired curiously, finding it somewhat unbelievable.

Kunna was Gu Shanxue’s neighbor, and they had gone from neighbors to classmates. Although their friendship was not shallow, Kunna always felt there was a distance between herself and Gu Shanxue. Gu Shanxue was a difficult person to get close to. Even after knowing her for many years, Kunna wouldn’t dare say she understood her 100%, but understanding 80% was still possible.

It was precisely because she was familiar with her that she found it unbelievable.

The smile on Gu Shanxue’s face faded. She shook her head at Kunna. Not knowing how to reply to Que Yining, she ended up sending the two words: ‘Rest well.’

“You seem troubled. Why don’t you tell me about it? Didn’t I come all this way to help you?”

Kunna adopted a listening posture, intending to help her friend resolve her worries.

“I appreciate your kind intentions, but it’s really nothing. I’ve arranged accommodation for you. Anda and the others are there; I believe you’ll get familiar with things quickly.”

Gu Shanxue shook her head at her and got up, preparing to leave.

“You’re always like this, keeping everything bottled up inside. It doesn’t matter if you don’t tell me, but it’s mainly about you, Gu. If you really like someone, just go for it.”

Kunna wasn’t actually sure what the situation was, but she sensed from Gu Shanxue’s expression that she probably liked the woman on the other end of the phone.

“But I can’t.”

Gu Shanxue’s voice was low. She had her back to Kunna, so Kunna couldn’t see her expression.

Kunna asked, puzzled, “Why can’t you?”

Gu Shanxue remained silent, unable to voice the reason.

I’m afraid that agreeing to be with her would be the beginning of losing her.

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