Chapter 18: Accomplices

“What exactly is going on here?”

Qi Ran opened her mouth to ask, only then realizing that the earlier fear had unconsciously made her voice somewhat hoarse. “You know that trenchcoat man, and what was with that giant python? You know them, but you didn’t tell me. Were you planning to wait until I was dead before explaining it to my corpse?”

She was certain these events were far from over. More and more strange, uninvited guests would come looking for her, attacking her. She wouldn’t be so lucky every time as she had been today. A wave of irritation washed over her—she absolutely could not place her hopes on anyone else. She was the only one she could trust and rely on.

“The more you know, the more strange things will find you,” Miss Ah Qiao shook her head.

“Spare me the unnecessary platitudes. Even if I know nothing, do you think they won’t come for me? You just don’t want to tell me, isn’t that right?” Perhaps fed up with the riddles, Qi Ran cut her off, her tone unconsciously carrying a hint of viciousness. “Even now, you still see yourself as the chess player plotting every move, rather than a piece of meat on the chopping block—was it this arrogance that got you killed before?”

Miss Ah Qiao furrowed her elegant brows. “Think clearly before you speak. Who was it that let you survive that car accident, Eldest Miss Qi? Don’t do something as childish as arguing with your savior.”

“Savior? When that trenchcoat man attacked Jiang Zhique earlier, you had already discovered his presence, but you didn’t tell me. That’s because you expected both me and Jiang Zhique to die at his hands, so you could then logically parasitize Jiang Zhique’s body, isn’t that right?” Qi Ran’s tone became increasingly confrontational.

“Regardless, I saved you that day. That is an ironclad fact, isn’t it?” Miss Ah Qiao pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. “This is why I’ve always disliked looking after children… Is this the first day you’ve discovered the world’s dark side, and you’re collapsing as if it’s the end of the world, little girl?”

This sentence seemed to strike a nerve. Qi Ran cursed out loud for the first time she could remember: “Don’t fucking talk to me using Tao Xiao’s face! To hell with your savior. The day before the car accident, didn’t you already know about Qi Jianguo’s situation? Wasn’t that why you deliberately chose me as your target? Was that car crash aimed at me?”

“Preposterous slander.” Miss Ah Qiao’s expression seemed to turn cold.

It was only then that Qi Ran realized this was the first time she had seen such a cold expression on Tao Xiao’s face.

She had always felt that Tao Xiao looked like the gentle older sister next door who could host a children’s program on TV—a gentle, non-aggressive beauty. But only now did she realize that wasn’t the case. If Tao Xiao’s face turned cold, her beauty was also fiercely unapproachable. The reason she’d had that illusion before was simply because when Tao Xiao interacted with her previously, she always wore a warm smile, as if she were performing in some TV show, diligently playing the role of a soft-spoken, gentle neighbor.

So it felt like falling into an ice pit.

She stared intently into those familiar chestnut eyes. A surge of inexplicable, turbulent emotion nearly swallowed her whole like a massive wave. She forced herself to lower her voice, suppressing the urge to scream, and with the force of spitting out nails one by one, slowly enunciated every word:

“What’s wrong? You endured humiliation for eleven years because of Qi Jianguo, and now you’re disappointed that his daughter, Qi Ran, is just an ordinary high school student? Miss Parasite?”

Before the words had fully landed, her figure was abruptly pulled high into the air, suspended at a great height. The construction site scenery below was fully visible, the fierce wind howling past, the hem of her school uniform fluttering like a paper kite.

Teetering on the edge, Qi Ran looked at the collar of her clothes gripped by the levitating force and said softly: “Having your schemes exposed doesn’t anger you; being called a parasite, however, makes you this furious. What’s wrong? Even as thick-skinned as you are, can’t you stand the truth being revealed?”

Almost instantly, she felt that the frost-faced Miss Ah Qiao before her had a genuine murderous intent and would let go in the next moment, letting her fall to her death.

It really was… high up.

She could hear her breathing becoming slightly rapid, her body pulled down by gravity, the shrill wind howling in her ears. Surging fear and anxious thoughts rushed out together, cold sweat covering her spine. Yet she still stared deathly into the eyes of the female ghost in front of her, refusing to yield an inch. At worst, it was one life for another. She didn’t believe this Miss Ah Qiao, who had once lived in luxury and thought highly of herself, would dare to risk mutual destruction in a fit of rage.

She had had enough of the other’s manner—saying nothing, hiding everything, only treating her as a tool to be driven. Rather than living in fear, waiting for death to arrive, she might as well just fall to her death and be done with it.

“…”

In the end, nothing happened. Qi Ran returned to the ground. When she landed, her legs were so weak she failed to stand steady and slumped down onto the pavement.

From the final result, Miss Ah Qiao seemed to have compromised with her. Qi Ran thought, her mind somewhat blank, thinking almost purely on instinct.

“Rebellious kids are really hard to handle.”

“And what are you, going through menopause?” Qi Ran smiled weakly. “Do you want me to compliment you on how well you’ve aged?”

If the Miss Ah Qiao before her was truly connected to the so-called Tao Family Ancient Mansion, then she might actually be a person from the 1980s. Thinking about it that way, calling it menopause wasn’t really a big problem, Qi Ran thought.

“The car accident was not my decision,” Miss Ah Qiao broke precedent by not continuing to argue with her, only stating coldly, “Believe it or not.”

“Whatever you say.”

The car accident had nothing to do with Miss Ah Qiao? Her tone didn’t sound like a lie, but Qi Ran didn’t want to argue anymore. She felt utterly exhausted. She just sat on the side of the asphalt road, her calves completely unable to muster strength. The feeling of having walked through the gates of hell truly wasn’t pleasant.

“So what exactly happened in your past? What’s the deal with that trenchcoat man and the giant python? What’s the story with Qi Jianguo? And who else will come looking for me next?”

Her questions poured out in a torrent. She truly had far too many doubts, many of which she didn’t dare ask the others around her. She sympathized with Jiang Zhique, but didn’t trust her, and Li Siwen was even less worth mentioning. The female ghost before her, who didn’t value her life at all and looked down on her from aloft, was actually the only person she trusted at this moment.

Thinking about it, a sentence she had read in a book before was also correct—the most intimate relationship between people is that of accomplices. Because only when you hold leverage over the other person can one person safely trust another. Just like in those gangster movies, the undercover protagonist’s top boss always gives him a gun and makes him kill someone. Only when his hands are stained with blood, only when there’s leverage, can he earn trust.

As for Tao Xiao…

Perhaps deep down, she just didn’t want Tao Xiao to have any connection with these people at all, Qi Ran thought.

She suddenly found herself somewhat unable to accept this conjecture. What if the reason Tao Xiao became her adoptive mother was only for that so-called Tao Family Ancient Mansion? But the more she didn’t want to speculate, the colder her heart felt, because her rationality told her that only that explanation made sense. The greatest value she carried was that scheme planted by Qi Jianguo.

Wait, Qi Jianguo’s scheme?

She suddenly paused abruptly, as if realizing something: “Qi Xin.”

“What?” Miss Ah Qiao was taken aback.

Qi Ran stood up from the ground: “Qi Xin, my biological sister. She is also Qi Jianguo’s child. Since I am the decoy meant to mislead everyone, then she must be the key—”

She paused again, as if another thought struck her, her expression turning grim. “It’s been so many days already. Someone must have gone looking for her by now.”

“No, I don’t think it would be too late,” Miss Ah Qiao said calmly. “If I were Qi Jianguo, I would have prepared for the possibility of the secret being leaked. I wouldn’t directly tell the secret to someone I trust. I would hide it, in a place only someone I trust could guess. Do you know your sister well?”

Qi Ran shook her head: “I know very little. She has always been very polite and courteous to me.”

“Then tell everything to Li Siwen and let him go find Qi Xin,” Miss Ah Qiao said. “When we were attacked earlier, Jiang Zhique’s bug was already damaged. If you take the initiative to tell him what happened, it will actually win his trust. If I’m not mistaken, that girl named Jiang Zhique should be awake by now. She’s probably recording with her phone as we speak.”

Hearing this, Qi Ran paused, not turning her head, only using the corner of her eye to glance at Jiang Zhique, who was lying beside the tree shade.

That right hand was placed inside her jacket pocket.

When did she wake up? Qi Ran mouthed silently, her back to Jiang Zhique.

“Probably when you were asking that whole slew of questions. Don’t worry, she won’t record those questions. It would be more accurate to say she will definitely delete that part of the questions—because you revealed the secret of her tattoo, the Jiang Family’s Ink Shadow Snake Tattoo. She will only hand over the part about Qi Xin to Li Siwen. And if you make the first move, telling her you remembered important information and need to see Li Siwen, he might lower his guard against you, don’t you think? This is crucial for you.”

So spoke Miss Ah Qiao.