A knock sounded at the door. Wen Ling quickly hung up the phone and opened it.
“Miss, we need to leave quickly.”
Wen Ling looked at the bruises on the bodyguard’s face and asked with a frown, “What happened to your face?”
“The bodyguards by Fifth Master Zhou’s side caught up to us just now. We barely managed to hold them off.”
Back when she was in Country M, Wen Ling had already had people investigate—Zhou Yinhe only kept two bodyguards by his side now. That was why she had specifically brought six this time!
Yet six of them still hadn’t been enough to win.
Wen Ling frowned and had no choice but to leave with them.
Wen Ling went into the study and searched for a name on the computer.
【Rising starlet Ruan Miaomiao reveals she had a sweetheart since university—a senior who stood up for her when she suffered campus violence. According to her, her beloved comes from a noble background with a net worth exceeding hundreds of billions.】
【Guessing game with prizes: Who exactly is rising starlet Ruan Miaomiao’s sweetheart? Guess correctly and win the latest full set from Fruit!】
Putting on that same innocent act and throwing herself at him as always. Wen Ling hooked her lips in a sarcastic smile.
If she hadn’t awakened and been reborn, Ruan Miaomiao probably really would have become the most envied person in all of Sijiucheng, just like in the book.
Unfortunately, she was reborn. Those full-of-holes lies of Ruan Miaomiao’s, which people blindly believed because of her protagonist halo, would sooner or later be exposed before everyone.
She turned off the computer, went back to her room to shower, and stood before the mirror. Wen Ling lightly traced the faint red marks on her collarbone with her fingers, pressed her lips together, and softly exhaled, “Zhou Yinhe.”
Half a year after they got together was Zhou Yinhe’s twenty-second birthday. Besides preparing a gift for him, Wen Ling had also separately prepared a grand gift for him—herself.
After the birthday banquet ended came the birthday party. That was undoubtedly the liveliest part. Zhou Yinhe’s childhood friends were each wilder than the last, making noise until dawn.
She told him to come to her room, saying that besides the gift given at the party, there was another grand gift.
Back then, he wasn’t as shameless as he later became. After seeing what she was wearing in the room, his face turned crimson, his eyes darting about, simply not daring to look at her.
“Why don’t you dare look at me?”
Zhou Yinhe pressed his lips together without speaking, only hiding his trembling hands behind his back.
Wen Ling walked gracefully up to him, raised her slender, fair arms, and hugged him, whispering in his ear, “Haven’t you watched those kinds of videos before?”
How could he not have watched? He wasn’t some truly innocent little brat.
“I have.”
Wen Ling leaned in close before his eyes with curved brows, blinked, and said softly, “I don’t believe you haven’t had any other thoughts during the time we’ve been together.”
Although she was ethnically Chinese, because she was born and raised in Country M, her style of dress was more unrestrained. Every time they dated, whenever her skirt was too short or her top too revealing, he would wear an expression of wanting to look yet not wanting others to look.
There was a difference between having thoughts and actually carrying them out. Zhou Yinhe’s ear tips were so red they seemed about to emit steam, yet Wen Ling had to add fuel to the fire, directly jumping up and wrapping her legs around his waist.
Provoked by her like this, his shyness vanished, and he threw all face and dignity away. He pulled out a box of condoms from his pocket that he’d brought with him. As Wen Ling’s eyes widened, his dark eyes tinged with red, he pressed her wrists and tormented her incessantly.
Crying and begging for mercy was useless.
Wen Ling walked to the balcony and stared blankly at the boundless night.
In Country M, needless to say, she played wildly and freely, surrounded by fair-weather friends. Whatever she wanted to do, there were people behind her to clean up the mess. But she was willing to give all that up for Zhou Yinhe, restraining the hostility and rebellion suppressed in her heart, and staying obediently by his side.
If Zhou Yinhe hadn’t treated her so well, if she didn’t know that the love between them was no less than the other’s, she definitely wouldn’t have come here to suffer grievances.
In the following days, Wen Ling instructed the bodyguards to stake out Zhou Yinhe’s residence and company. As soon as he went out, no matter where he went, they had to tell Wen Ling so she could conveniently manufacture chance encounters.
But Zhou Yinhe didn’t go out for three consecutive days. Wen Ling even suspected that Zhou Yinhe knew she had people staking him out and had sneaked out through his back door.
The bodyguard said, “There is no back door. The Fifth Young Master of the Zhou family truly did not go out.”
Wen Ling frowned deeply upon hearing this.
The bodyguard finally sent Wen Ling a location on the fourth night. When Wen Ling looked, it turned out to be Nyx, the most famous bar in Sijiucheng.
With seduction in mind, she changed into a dark, tight-fitting short dress. The exquisite tailoring perfectly outlined her silhouette. A head of brown, fluffy curls scattered behind her back, making her look even more like a fox spirit.
Wen Ling’s slender, fair fingers twirled a strand of curly hair as she looked at herself in the mirror with satisfaction.
The night grew darker. Boundless darkness encircled Sijiucheng. The driver dropped her off at the entrance and then drove to the parking lot to wait for her.
Wen Ling stood at the entrance of Nyx, curiously sizing up the surroundings. It certainly lived up to its reputation in Sijiucheng.
Inside the bar, the lights were dim and hazy, heavy metal music blasted the ears, people on the dance floor pressed close to one another, and alcohol permeated the air.
Such a bright and flamboyant beauty approaching quickly attracted countless gazes. Some bolder ones even came up to flirt, but were blocked and threatened by several black-clad men who suddenly appeared.
The bodyguards had already told her which private room Zhou Yinhe was in. She searched down the corridor with a clear goal and finally found that room at the end of the hallway.
Zhou Yinhe was a bit off tonight. Jiang Jibai had glanced at him several times, shot a look at Qi Zhan—who was drinking while holding a charming girl—then directly turned off the devices in the private room, and the two walked over to Zhou Yinhe’s side.
Qi Zhan teased, “What’s wrong? A few days ago Ruan Miaomiao said she had someone she liked, and you’re unhappy?”
Zhou Yinhe frowned at him, somewhat uncomprehending. “What does Ruan Miaomiao having someone she likes have to do with me?”
Jiang Jibai raised an eyebrow. “Weren’t you quite good to her? You even gave her resources.”
“Just payment for her.” Zhou Yinhe explained casually.
Jiang Jibai and Qi Zhan exchanged a look. Qi Zhan asked Zhou Yinhe again, “Then what’s wrong with you? You’re acting like you’ve lost your soul.”
Zhou Yinhe pressed his lips together, not wanting to speak. Just as he was about to get away from the two, they grabbed his arm and pulled him back.
“If you don’t talk, you’re not allowed to leave.”
Zhou Yinhe had no choice but to relax and lean back on the sofa. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke. “I saw Wen Ling.”
“…”
Qi Zhan’s eyes widened, shocked. “Who did you say?”
Zhou Yinhe rolled his eyes at him. It was already hard enough for him to say it out loud, and they wanted him to repeat it? How could that be possible? He retorted, “If you’re deaf, go get treated. If you don’t have money, I’ll lend you some.”
“Didn’t she go back to Country M to fight for family assets? Why did she suddenly come back? When did you see her?” Jiang Jibai’s expression changed as he asked with a frown.
“You’re not falling for her again, ready to rekindle the old flame?” Qi Zhan put his arm on Zhou Yinhe’s shoulder and said earnestly, “Little Five, we can’t be love-brained. Be careful she plays you again…”
Zhou Yinhe waved away his hand, his brows full of annoyance.
“I don’t know. I don’t understand.”
The two saw his expression, exchanged a few glances, and prepared to continue asking.
The private room door was suddenly pushed open. The people inside all looked over simultaneously and were stunned.
“Wen Ling?”