Captivating Beauty 80p2

Chapter 80 p2

At Xingcheng International, Xu Jinnan’s phone, set to Do Not Disturb after 1 a.m. due to her recent late nights, woke her at midnight.

She stirred, then realized Shen Shu’s head was resting on her arm, her breathing slightly uneven. She had also been woken by the call.

“Noisy,” she murmured, her voice laced with annoyance.

Xu Jinnan gently stroked her hair, then reached for her phone.

It was an unknown number.

Ever since Li Laijia’s call, she had been answering calls from unknown numbers, hoping it was her.

She answered, the background noise on the other end loud and chaotic.

“It’s Han Wenling.”

Xu Jinnan’s eyes fluttered open. “?”

Why would Han Wenling be calling her so late?

“Cai Ying is at a bar, drunk, and you should probably have someone pick her up,” Han Wenling said.

“?”

Shen Shu, hearing the voice, lifted her head from Xu Jinnan’s arm, and Xu Jinnan turned on the bedside lamp. She knew Tong Jia and Cai Ying had gone out together, and her initial worry subsided.

But she still put the call on speakerphone and opened WeChat, tagging Tong Jia and Cai Ying in the group chat.

“Did I hear that correctly?” she asked Han Wenling, her voice cool and calm.

Han Wenling’s voice was cold and urgent. “CEO Xu, I’m not joking. You’re friends with Cai Ying. You should know how naive she is. She’s drunk, and she’s with another woman, acting very intimately. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Just then, Tong Jia and Cai Ying replied in the group chat.

Cai Ying: [?]

Tong Jia: [?]

Cai Ying: [@Xu Jinnan What’s up?]

Xu Jinnan relaxed, sending a casual message: [Don’t drink too much.]

Cai Ying: [Okay.]

Before Xu Jinnan could speak to Han Wenling, Shen Shu’s voice, cold and sharp, cut through the air. “Miss Han, are you saying you took advantage of Cai Ying’s innocence?”

Han Wenling paused. “I admit it was my fault. I’ll try to make amends,” she said, her voice tight.

“Han Wenling, I’m warning you, stay away from Cai Ying!”

Han Wenling took a deep breath, suppressing her anger. “I’m not a good person, but the woman she’s with might not be either. If you’re so concerned about Cai Ying, Miss Shen, why don’t you come and get her?”

“Who do you think you are?” Shen Shu retorted.

Han Wenling’s voice remained calm, though there was a hint of impatience now. “Miss Shen, I’m out of options. Come and get Cai Ying. She’s really drunk.”

Xu Jinnan took Shen Shu’s hand, and Shen Shu, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, remained silent.

They weren’t worried because they knew Cai Ying was with Tong Jia. If she had been with someone else, Han Wenling’s call would have been a lifesaver.

“I’ll handle it,” Xu Jinnan said, hanging up.

She sent a message in the group chat, telling them to come home, then saw Viola’s daily report.

She was still at the office, so Xu Jinnan called her and asked her to pick up Tong Jia and Cai Ying.

After hanging up, she turned to Shen Shu, whose expression was grim. “Don’t worry, you know Cai Ying. When she makes up her mind, she’s more decisive than any of us,” she said softly, trying to reassure her.

Shen Shu leaned her head against Xu Jinnan’s shoulder. “I know, I’m just angry. Thinking about how heartbroken she was that day… I want to skin that woman alive.”

“Should I… make her life a little difficult?” Xu Jinnan asked, her voice teasing.

Shen Shu, nuzzling against Xu Jinnan’s shoulder, shook her head slightly.

“Let’s see what Cai Ying wants.”

Actually, Xu Jinnan felt the same way. Cai Ying hadn’t inherited the Cai family business yet, and she would inevitably have to interact with the Han family in the future. For now, Cai Ying simply wanted to distance herself from Han Wenling.

Xu Jinnan held Shen Shu for a while, then started to feel drowsy.

“Shu Shu.”

“Mm?”

“I feel sticky. I need a shower,” she said. She had been trying to ignore it, but with Shen Shu so close, she didn’t want to… offend her.

“Are you feeling better?” Shen Shu asked.

“Yes, the fever’s gone. I’m just tired,” Xu Jinnan replied.

“Then don’t bother with a shower. Just go to sleep,” Shen Shu said, gently tugging at Xu Jinnan’s shirt, encouraging her to lie down.

Xu Jinnan hesitated. “Don’t I… smell?”

Shen Shu leaned in close, nuzzling against Xu Jinnan’s neck, her hair brushing against Xu Jinnan’s chin as she inhaled.

“You smell good,” she murmured.

Xu Jinnan’s lips tingled. “Okay, if you don’t mind, I won’t shower then,” she said, feeling drowsy.

She turned off the light, and as they snuggled under the covers, the memory of Shen Shu’s hair brushing against her neck made her instinctively reach for Shen Shu’s lips, her fingertips tracing the curve of her ear, her cheek, her nose, then lingering on her lips.

She had intended to kiss her good night.

But as her fingertip touched Shen Shu’s lips, she felt a sharp nip, a playful bite. She pulled her hand away and gently pinched Shen Shu’s earlobe. “Why did you bite me?”

Shen Shu chuckled softly. “Just felt like it.”

Xu Jinnan also chuckled. After a moment, she whispered, “It’s late. One kiss and then we sleep?” Without waiting for a reply, she leaned in, her lips finding Shen Shu’s, a soft, lingering kiss, a gentle nibble on her lower lip.

But Shen Shu wasn’t satisfied, and the kiss deepened, their bodies moving closer, their arms entwined, as if they were trying to make up for the lost intimacy of the past two weeks.

By the time they pulled away, Xu Jinnan’s lips tingled, and she reached for a tissue, gently wiping Shen Shu’s mouth.

Despite the lingering desire, their exhaustion made them content to simply hold each other, their bodies close, their breaths mingling.

—

Twenty minutes later, Han Wenling stood outside the bar, watching as the three women left, suddenly realizing how ridiculous she had been.

The driver was Xu Jinnan’s assistant, Viola, whom she recognized.

Meaning Xu Jinnan and Shen Shu knew about Cai Ying’s new girlfriend. Why had she even bothered coming here?

She felt like a fool, her actions driven by a desperate, irrational jealousy that far outweighed her usual pragmatism.

Seeing Cai Ying walk away, hand in hand with another woman, without even a glance in her direction… it reminded her of the first time she had lost an important deal.

The same panic, the same disappointment, the same sense of helplessness and regret.

But she hadn’t known what to do then, just like now. It was a new, unfamiliar feeling.

She pushed the thoughts aside, forcing herself to focus on the consequences of her actions – she had offended some powerful people.

And she would have to pay the price.

Her first thought was Xu Jinnan.

It wasn’t until later that she understood why she had instinctively chosen to appease Xu Jinnan first. It wasn’t just because Xu Jinnan was a key player in this drama, but also because she was the only one, besides Cai Ying’s father, who was close to Cai Ying.

And she was someone Han Wenling could potentially negotiate with, collaborate with.

Her thinking was simple, driven by the principles she had been taught since childhood – everything was a transaction, a balance of power, a weighing of pros and cons.

No one had ever told her that not all relationships were transactional, that not all emotions could be quantified.

By the time she learned this lesson, it was too late.

In her bedroom, her phone vibrated softly in her hand.

Xu Jinnan woke up instantly, relieved that Shen Shu hadn’t stirred. Annoyed by the interruption, she considered silencing her phone, then picked it up, seeing a message from Han Wenling.

[CEO Xu, I assume you haven’t forgotten about the Han family banquet? I know who was behind the incident, the one where you and Miss Shen were locked in that hotel room. Are you interested?]

Xu Jinnan’s eyes widened slightly, her drowsiness fading. [What kind of deal are you offering?]

She had been locked in that hotel room with Shen Shu and another Omega, Shen Shu’s heat triggered prematurely by the Omega’s pheromones, the other Omega almost dying from an overdose.

She had only been able to trace it back to Song Ronghui and Yin Xue.

Han Wenling replied quickly: [It’s not a deal. It’s a gesture of goodwill. I caught the waiter who lured Miss Shen into the room. He told me everything.]

[?]

[Your older sister, Xu Li.]

Han Wenling’s answer was immediate and without hesitation.

The name, while not entirely unexpected, still surprised her.

The pieces were starting to fall into place, but Han Wenling’s message had momentarily distracted her.

[Given your reputation for ruthlessness, CEO Xu, I assume you won’t let this go. I can also tell you that Xu Li made some bad investments recently and had to use some assets as collateral. I’ve sent you the documents. I think this information will be useful to you.]

Xu Jinnan didn’t open the attachments. [Why are you telling me this?]

Han Wenling seemed to hesitate. [CEO Xu, the incident with Cai Ying was my fault. I’ll take responsibility. But the Xu and Han families are both influential in North City. We’ll have to coexist. Wouldn’t it be better to be allies than enemies?]

If it weren’t for Cai Ying, Xu Jinnan might have accepted her offer. She was a businesswoman, after all.

But Cai Ying was different; she was a friend, almost family.

Xu Jinnan: [You have no right to negotiate with me.] Han Wenling’s only action in the past two weeks had been an initial apology.

This sudden attempt to appease her… had she realized she shouldn’t have crossed Xu Jinnan? Or was it because of the recent turmoil within the Han Corporation, and she needed to secure her external alliances before making her move?

Probably both.

But why tell her this now?

Xu Jinnan’s mind was still foggy from sleep, and seeing Han Wenling’s last message, [You’ll find out], she simply silenced her phone, not wanting to deal with it right now.

She thought about Xu Li’s involvement, but couldn’t make sense of it.

She would think about it tomorrow. She turned over, pulling Shen Shu closer, and drifted back to sleep.

—

It was 7:30 a.m.

Xu Jinnan’s alarm went off. She had business meetings scheduled for the next two days.

She carefully got out of bed, got ready, and made red date and barley porridge in the rice cooker, then returned to the bedroom to find Shen Shu awake.

“I’m going to work. The porridge is in the rice cooker. Have some before you leave,” she said, buttoning her cuffs.

She was dressed in a white button-down shirt, the top button undone, revealing a hint of her collarbone, and her usual light blue jeans. She had formal meetings today.

Shen Shu nodded, her voice slightly hoarse. “I thought you always wore dresses.” Xu Jinnan rarely wore pants.

Even with her two-piece pajamas, she sometimes skipped the pants, and she was a restless sleeper, often kicking off the covers and ending up in… compromising positions. Shen Shu had accidentally seen a few glimpses of bare skin in the mornings.

Xu Jinnan, hearing the amusement in her voice, chuckled. “I do, but these meetings are more formal. There will be government officials present.” She paused. “I actually don’t like pants,” she admitted.

Shen Shu’s eyes narrowed slightly, and Xu Jinnan, meeting her gaze, touched her nose. “I mean, they’re a hassle to put on and take off,” she clarified.

Shen Shu: “…”

Did the fever fry her brain?

That explanation was worse than no explanation.

“Forget it,” Shen Shu muttered, a smile playing on her lips as Xu Jinnan stood there, flustered, then she got out of bed and walked over to Xu Jinnan, her fingers gently tugging at her shirt, pulling her down slightly, her lips close to Xu Jinnan’s ear. “It’s okay. I’ll help you from now on, sis.”