Chapter 23 Part 2

Liang Shi was gambling. Gambling on the Liang family’s standing in Haizhou City. And on the original host’s spending power here.

The man froze for a moment, then laughed nervously. “I certainly wouldn’t dare stop Miss Liang. It’s just that…”

“No ‘just that.'” Zhao Xuning checked her watch behind Liang Shi and spoke up impatiently. “It’s 10:03 now. You have two minutes to take us up. If we miss that window, every news outlet will have a press release by tomorrow. All those stories Huayue International has buried, I can have them explode overnight. I know you’re backed by the Shen family, but by any measure, this is only a branch of the Shen clan. I don’t believe they’d go to war with the Liang and Zhao families over a mere branch.”

Zhao Xuning’s voice was clear and cold, cutting through the sharp wind without an inch of retreat.

The man’s expression shifted. The smile frozen on his face. For a moment, he didn’t know what to do. These words were above his pay grade. He could only listen.

“Let’s go,” Zhao Xuning called to Liang Shi. “Upstairs.”

Liang Shi swept a casual glance across the man’s face. That single glance sent a chill through him.

He’d seen Miss Liang before. The one he remembered was dissolute and unrestrained, usually arriving with Miss Cheng looking bored and lazy, only perking up when a particularly fine Omega caught her eye. Most of her energy went to having fun. After her marriage, she’d come a few more times with Miss Cheng. She’d married Haizhou’s top Omega, but every visit, he’d hear Miss Liang complain impatiently that her wife was just a pretty vase, nice to look at but nothing more. Miss Liang had quite the repertoire, too. Omegas who spent a night with her always needed days to recover.

But today’s Miss Liang radiated an aura of absolute authority. That sideways glance in particular sent a chill straight down his spine. If he hadn’t had even a shred of composure, his knees would have buckled and he’d have collapsed to the ground.

The man swallowed hard and clapped a hand to his chest after they left.

A guard asked: “Boss, you’re just letting them in? If Miss Cheng blames us…”

“Miss Cheng never said not to let them in,” the man said. “Besides, wasn’t this whole setup arranged by Miss Cheng for Miss Liang? Why else go through all that trouble to lure Miss Liang’s wife here and make sure Miss Liang knew which room to find? Miss Cheng’s real target was Miss Liang all along.”

“Aren’t they supposed to be good friends? Why scheme against a friend’s wife?” The guard scratched his head.

The man shook his head. “Who knows?” The twists and turns among these elite families were endless. Today’s friend could be tomorrow’s enemy. There were never any permanent friends. Shared interests made good friends. But the moment interests diverged, alliances fractured overnight.

The guard started to say more, but the man shot him a glare. “Why so many questions? Keep your mouth shut.”

Liang Shi, Zhao Xuning, and Xu Qingya took the elevator straight to the twelfth floor. Zhao Xuning had been here before but disdained to mingle with the crowd. Even when she entered Room 7588, she’d only drink a glass of sake at most. She’d never been in 7588 on a Saturday. She had no idea what it looked like after ten. She’d only heard bits of gossip: that everyone was automatically paired off. At ten sharp, hidden compartments in 7588 would open up, extending into individual rooms, each exquisitely decorated. Zhao Xuning had always kept herself clean and had no interest in such depraved things.

The floors were gilded gold. The chandeliers in the corridor were even more lavish than those in Liang Shi’s villa. Truly a place of decadent luxury. But they had no mind to appreciate it.

The moment they stepped out of the elevator, they made a beeline for Room 7588. But just as the man had said, the door locked after ten. No attendant dared open it. The entire corridor was deserted, devoid of any sign of life.

Liang Shi asked Zhao Xuning: “Any other way in?”

Zhao Xuning was already frustrated and snapped back on reflex: “You’ve been here more than I have. If you don’t have a solution, what makes you think I do?”

Liang Shi fell silent.

Zhao Xuning caught herself right after and apologized: “Sorry, I…”

“It’s fine, I understand.” Liang Shi was the most composed of the three. Xu Qingya was already trying every possible way to open the door, but the door was iron with a specialized lock. There was no way to force it open.

Xu Qingya shouted while trying: “Xu Qingzhu! Xu Qingzhu! Can you hear me? Answer me if you can!”

Her desperate voice echoed through the corridor.

Liang Shi surveyed the surroundings. Someone must have given orders to clear all attendants from this floor. After a moment’s thought, she pulled out her phone and dialed 110. The call connected quickly. She spoke calmly: “Hello, I’d like to make an anonymous report. Huayue International is suspected of running illicit operations.”

Zhao Xuning took out her phone and called her sister. “Sis, I need a favor.”

The voice on the other end frowned. “You know Huayue International is backed by the Shen family. No matter how wealthy we are, can we compete with the Shen family?”

“Don’t you know anyone in the Shen family?” Zhao Xuning stopped mid-sentence.

Her sister sighed. “Don’t you?”

Zhao Xuning: “…We haven’t been in touch for years.”

Meanwhile, after reporting to the police, Liang Shi also actively contacted Liang Xinhe. Two approaches at once; at least one should work. But Liang Xinhe’s line was constantly busy. She sent a text: Emergency! Call back immediately! No idea if he’d see it in time.

Before Liang Xinhe could call back, another photo came through.

The photo showed Xu Qingzhu lying on a large white bed, her black fitted sweater tossed to one side, the sheets rumpled. Her thick, dark hair spread across the white sheets like seaweed, her cheeks flushed an unnatural red. Those gorgeous eyes were half-closed, casting heavy, fragmented shadows beneath the lower lids. Her lips were a vivid crimson, glistening like freshly polished jade kissed by frost.

She lay in an extraordinarily alluring pose, her socks removed, revealing slender, pale ankles. Her ivory toes flushed a suggestively rosy hue. On top she wore a white camisole; below, black fitted trousers hugging her long, slender legs. Her flat stomach was faintly visible.

In this single image, Xu Qingzhu perfectly fused glamour and cool detachment. No one in the world could resist a Xu Qingzhu like this. Just looking at her was enough to make anyone’s nose bleed.

Liang Shi hissed through her teeth: “Beast.”

She immediately called back, but no one answered. Another text arrived: Like I said, if you’re any later, it won’t be drinks on the roulette. It might be your wife.

Liang Shi typed furiously: Who are you? Let my wife go.

She’d fallen into calling her “wife” too.

The reply: The drugs in 7588 are no joke. Look what her hand is doing.

Another photo followed. Xu Qingzhu’s hand had drifted toward her chest. Where a softness lay, hidden from the world. Her expression grew more and more hazy.

Fuck.

The sender: What do you think? Must be sad not to see such a beautiful sight in person.

Liang Shi called back in a fury. Still no answer.

Liang Shi felt like she was being led by a hunter, step by step into a carefully laid trap. But she had no choice. The bargaining chip in that trap was Xu Qingzhu. For the first time, Liang Shi felt an anger she couldn’t contain.

Another text. If you still can’t get in, she’s going to become someone else’s.

Liang Shi replied instantly: Whatever you want. Just don’t touch her.

The sender: Really? But I don’t want anything.

Liang Shi: …

You’re really asking for it.

Liang Shi desperately wanted to hit something. She’d thought Xu Qingya was hot-tempered earlier. Now she felt like she was turning into the second Xu Qingya. If she found out who this was, she’d tear them apart too.

Yet another photo arrived. This time, Xu Qingzhu wasn’t alone. A short, squat woman had climbed onto the bed, creating a jarring visual contrast. The woman was pinning down Xu Qingzhu’s arm. Xu Qingzhu’s expression had changed, no longer hazy as before. The stranger’s approach must have triggered her alertness, and she started struggling.

Another series of texts came through.

I heard she has PTSD. I’ve never seen it.

What’s a PTSD episode like? Is it scary? Does she get violent?

Our lady friend has never tasted such a delicious Omega in her life. Tonight will be a feast.

Even though these were just words on a screen, they still reeked of disgust. To these people, Xu Qingzhu wasn’t a person. She was a dish, a meal anyone could help themselves to. And the tone was infuriating.

Liang Shi fired back: You want to trigger Xu Qingzhu’s PTSD? Give it a try!

PTSD doesn’t make her kill. But I will.

She was absolutely livid. Liang Shi, who normally prided herself on clean language, was so enraged that she couldn’t speak without profanity. When you’re that furious and speechless, you literally can’t express yourself without swearing. Only those choice words could capture the feeling.

The sender: Oh? I’m looking forward to it.

But you’d better hurry. Otherwise, someone else is going to sleep with your wife.

Do you have a mirror nearby? Take a look at the top of your head. Nice and green, isn’t it?

Tsk tsk, you must be fuming. Dying to know who I am, right?

Liang Shi: …

What a piece of trash.

She knew the sender was deliberately provoking her. Such crude tactics were easy to see through. But the words were so vile that they stirred her emotions despite everything.

Liang Shi decided to block the messages, but before she could, one more text came through. Her finger froze.

Five minutes left. Xu Qingzhu’s drugs are about to reach peak effect.

Liang Shi: …

Oh, my ass.

Another text quickly followed. If you time it just right, you might even catch your wife under someone else. What a sight that would be.

Two seconds later, one more. Your turn at last.

Liang Shi: “?”

Liang Shi had no idea how many people the original host had wronged. With her old personality, if she’d been born into an ordinary family, she’d have been beaten a hundred times over. And now, this was clearly aimed at the original host. To get revenge on her, they were using Xu Qingzhu as leverage. And that last message’s tone suggested the original host had done something like this before, and the sender was returning the favor.

Liang Shi was speechless. How many sins have you committed, you damn fool!

She blocked the messages and was about to call Liang Xinhe again when another unknown number called. She answered without hesitation. “Hello.”

“I’m not well,” Zhou Yi’an’s teasing voice came through, tinged with a dark edge. “How could I be, watching my baby run herself ragged over another woman?”

Liang Shi: “…Was it you who took Xu Qingzhu and booked tonight’s Room 7588?”

“Hardly,” Zhou Yi’an laughed lightly. “I have no interest in your Omega. But baby, you really are useless.”

Liang Shi took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to curse. “If that’s all you called to say, I’m hanging up.”

“Don’t.” Zhou Yi’an clicked her tongue. “My baby is as impulsive as ever.”

Liang Shi: …

Since when am I your damn baby? Is she addicted to being disgusting?

If she didn’t think she could extract some information, Liang Shi would have hung up long ago.

“If you can’t help, stop wasting my time,” Liang Shi said coldly.