Chapter 36: Possession Part 2

Then clamped her mouth.

That terrified look, as if afraid of being heard.

Taking advantage of Jiang Ruoning’s restraint—no big moves, no loud noises—she closed in.

Entered her.

With fingers.

With lips.

With tongue tip.

Jiang Ruoning’s face flushed red.

Just like now.

Jiang Ruoning at the door met eyes with Shi Sui at the desk. Heat climbed her cheeks section by section. Shi Sui explained warmly, “Just one more email. Wait a sec.”

Fine, okay.

Jiang Ruoning nodded reluctantly and left the doorway, catching a glimpse of Shi Sui’s screensaver as she exited the email.

It was her artistic photo.

Stunned, Jiang Ruoning rubbed her eyes, wanting another look, but Shi Sui had opened another program. No help for it; she walked out.

Besides replying to Jiang Nuan, Shi Sui’s phone had several missed calls once plugged in. She responded to two, phone wedged between shoulder and ear while typing. The laptop keyboard wasn’t crisp—muffled. Jiang Ruoning heard it from the living room and kept peeking toward the door.

Still not out.

Still not out.

She grew a bit bored. Jiang Ruoning slid off the sofa onto the blanket below, turned on the TV, and found a dating variety show playing. The male guest confidently introduced himself: he owned a house and a car, had savings of two hundred thousand, worked at a big company with a monthly income over ten thousand, and was eyeing a girl who ran her own self-media team as the boss.

The man hoped his wife would focus on homemaking after marriage, with a hot bowl of soup waiting when he got home every day.

Jiang Ruoning tugged at the corner of her mouth as she watched the self-introduction and demands. If she were that female guest, that hot soup would end up splashed in the guy’s face every night.

Did he have any self-awareness?

She didn’t even have that much self-awareness herself.

Oh, wait, she didn’t either.

Climbing such a tall branch.

Jiang Ruoning gave a self-deprecating laugh, feeling a bit stifled. Her gaze drifted to the half glass of red wine left on the coffee table.

In novels, people always got wild after drinking.

Should she give it a try?

She could just sleep with her and bolt afterward.

That’s how it went in novels.

Jiang Ruoning’s finger touched the glass. The cool rim snapped her back to reason, and she shoved the glass away.

She really couldn’t come to Shi Sui’s place anymore.

Shi Sui would put a spell on her.

Everything in this house would put a spell on her.

It was too scary.

Just as Jiang Ruoning started to get up, her phone screen lit up with a push notification. She tapped it open—familiar ID, familiar avatar, familiar person.

She had blocked Ai Wen on her main account but forgot on her alt.

Now Ai Wen’s latest Weibo post was topping the hot searches.

On the surface, it was a complaint, but really, it was an accusation.

Ai Wen posted that certain brands lacked integrity. They’d agreed on a signing contract, her team had scheduled makeup and styling, cleared her calendar, and then suddenly, no collaboration, no explanation, and the brand side was unreachable.

Every word steered netizens to dig deeper.

These netizens weren’t fans of Ai Wen or Du Youran—just bored melon-eaters.

And those people had the most time, energy, and “detective skills.”

If it were just Ai Wen tearing into some company or model, no one would care.

But calling out unethical contract-breaking? Netizens got fired up. Who hasn’t been a worker bee?

Worker bees shouldn’t make things hard for each other.

So the netizens quickly scoured Ai Wen and Du Youran’s old posts and pinpointed the brand.

A new brand, flush with cash, growing fast, with some influence.

Key clue: recent shoots.

It screamed “less.”

Instantly, speculations flooded in.

[I got it, it must be less. I saw Ai Wen repost their event preview not long ago.]

[Yeah, yeah, I just checked—it’s been deleted by Ai Wen.]

[Sisters, so satisfying! Finally, someone can handle this idiot. She’s always the one bullying models before. less did great!]

[One thing at a time. If less really backed out, that’s shady. Jiang Ruoning’s fans, stop stirring the pot and deflecting.]

[Didn’t you notice? Jiang Ruoning’s in less’s latest shoot preview. Heard she parachuted in.]

[So Jiang Ruoning stole Du Youran’s gig? Cut in line?]

[Steal what? If Jiang Ruoning had that pull, she wouldn’t have slunk away when her company fired her.]

[Wasn’t it a mutual termination? Spill the tea?!]

Jiang Ruoning was used to it.

Whenever Ai Wen or Du Youran made waves, they dragged her out for mockery. Du Youran’s fans accused her of clout-chasing, but Jiang Ruoning ignored them.

This time, though, she couldn’t ignore it.

Because she really was in less’s latest preview.

Jiang Ruoning sent the link to Wu Jie.

Wu Jie replied quickly: [I’m contacting PR. Don’t worry.]

Jiang Ruoning poked at her phone screen. Her beef with Ai Wen wasn’t new; it never blew up fully before Del stepped in to smooth things over, and it fizzled.

She could snub Ai Wen.

But Del? She had to give them face.

Or rather, the company behind her had to.

Del was huge, deep-rooted, with tons of models and ties to domestic brands. So back then, her company only sued Ai Wen—they couldn’t touch Del.

That’s how Del got to play peacemaker.

Jiang Ruoning disliked the approach, but she understood the company’s bind.

She knew.

Wu Jie knew too.

And that’s why she was pissed.

This Ai Wen was shameless. Her failed collab with less—what did that have to do with Ruoning? Clout-chasing addict, accusing her of stealing?

As if she could say that with a straight face. Who stole from whom?

They’d reached out to less first, okay?

Wu Jie immediately looped in PR, dialing back heat on Jiang Ruoning while prepping a meeting.

Shi Sui sat in her room, watching messages pop up on her screen. Jiang Nuan messaged: [Seen the hot search?]

She replied: [Yes.]

Jiang Nuan: [It’s weird.]

Shi Sui: [Weird how?]

Jiang Nuan: [Water army pushing Jiang Ruoning.]

Jiang Ruoning, Ai Wen, Du Youran.

Among them, Jiang Ruoning had the highest buzz—sometimes just name-dropping her shot up the charts. So Ai Wen always roped her into new promos, even if it meant backlash; they’d take the heat for the exposure.

But not tonight.

Ai Wen’s main target was less.

Yet marketing accounts and water army zeroed in on Jiang Ruoning, even buying her three or four hot searches.

Ai Wen found it bizarre. She called her one confidante, Du Youran, who was boozing at a bar with friends and frowned at the call: “What hot search?”

Ai Wen knew it wasn’t her and hung up.

But besides Du Youran, who hated Jiang Ruoning that much?

Ai Wen gritted her teeth, tempted to delete the post but loath to lose the buzz.

Shi Sui was on Ai Wen’s page. She refreshed, logged out, and replied to Jiang Nuan: [Yeah, someone’s steering it.]

She knew who.

Jiang Nuan: [Should we interfere?]

Shi Sui: [Tomorrow.]

Jiang Nuan couldn’t read her play but agreed: [Okay.]

Shi Sui went to close her laptop.

Jiang Nuan: [Gonna sleep then?]

Shi Sui: [Want a lullaby?]

Jiang Nuan: [Hehe, sing one to Jiang Ruoning instead.]

Shi Sui snapped the laptop shut.

Her head throbbed.

Intensely!

The alcohol’s aftereffects hit. Shi Sui gripped the desk to stand. Staring at the screen earlier had made it blur into light spots; she had to strain to read. Closing it darkened the room further.

Shi Sui remembered Jiang Ruoning outside. She turned, didn’t watch her step, and bumped the chair edge. The chair toppled with a dull thud. Jiang Ruoning looked up from her phone toward the room: “Shi Sui?”

No response.

Jiang Ruoning glanced at the empty red wine bottle on the table and called again: “Shi Sui?”

Shi Sui answered this time, voice low: “Mm.”

As if hiding pain.

Jiang Ruoning scrambled up from the sofa and entered the room. Shi Sui sat on the bed’s edge, chair overturned by her feet—maybe she’d bashed her foot. She hadn’t moved. Jiang Ruoning righted the chair and asked, “You okay?”

Shi Sui tilted her head up, steadying herself as she looked at her. Her mind seemed clear, but her eyes glistened, hazy.

Was she drunk or not?

Jiang Ruoning wasn’t sure.

Shi Sui took a moment before saying, “I’m fine.”

Her words were clear.

Probably not drunk.

Jiang Ruoning concluded and asked, “Can you stand?”

Shi Sui rose.

Jiang Ruoning watched her just stand there, silent and still. Awkward, she said, “Seems fine. You should rest early. I’ll…”

“Ruoning.” Shi Sui looked at her. “Seen the online stuff?”

Jiang Ruoning hesitated: “You mean Ai Wen’s hot search?”

Shi Sui: “Mm. Water army’s been slinging mud at you nonstop.”

Jiang Ruoning brushed it off: “I know. Ai Wen’s doing.”

It was her usual MO.

But Shi Sui said, “Not Ai Wen.”

Jiang Ruoning blinked: “Not her?”

Shi Sui: “My mom.”

Jiang Ruoning’s eyes widened: “Y-your mom?”

Shi Sui: “She doesn’t want us working together.”

Right.

Jiang Ruoning nearly forgot their past. If Shi Sui’s mom knew, she’d be furious. No way she’d approve a collab. Perfect opening. Jiang Ruoning started, “Then we…”

“Let’s keep collaborating.” Shi Sui cut her off, turning to face her. The room’s dim light felt darker, but Jiang Ruoning still made out Shi Sui’s distinct, long lashes.

They were too close.

When had they gotten this close?

Jiang Ruoning subtly stepped back and shook her head: “I don’t want to.”

Shi Sui: “Don’t you want to get back at your mom?”

Jiang Ruoning paused: “Get back at her?”

Shi Sui: “She said awful things back then, did awful stuff, hurt Auntie. You know?”

Jiang Ruoning didn’t know details—no one told her. Jiang Qin wouldn’t, and Qin Zheng and Ye Yu never mentioned it. She shook her head, then nodded: “Guessed some.”

Shi Sui: “She used her status to belittle Auntie, provoke her.”

Jiang Ruoning clenched her fists.

Was that why Jiang Qin got sick?

Shi Sui piled on: “She even badmouthed you in front of Auntie.”

Jiang Ruoning whipped around, glaring at Shi Sui, fury sparking in her eyes.

She was livid!

She wasn’t the most obedient kid growing up, but she was Jiang Qin’s pride.

Badmouthing her in front of Jiang Qin.

Her mom must’ve been heartbroken!

Jiang Ruoning balled her fists like an enraged calf, brows furrowed.

Shi Sui: “So, still not want revenge for Auntie?”

Jiang Ruoning: “How?”

Shi Sui: “Work with me.”

Jiang Ruoning: “Collaborating with you would piss her off that much?”

Shi Sui: “Not enough.”

Jiang Ruoning: “What else?”

Shi Sui stepped closer. Jiang Ruoning tried to retreat but hit the chair back with her heels, trapped. Shi Sui calmly reached out, tugged the sash of her nightgown. It loosened and slid off her pale skin.

Like moonlight slipping from Shi Sui’s body to the floor.

Jiang Ruoning’s gaze followed the gown, stunned.

Shi Sui stood bare before her. “Possess me.”