Chapter 36 Part 2

The System replied: 【The original work doesn’t record any events involving Qin Yun, but based on inference, today is likely the anniversary of her mother’s death.】

Zhu Lexing thought, what a pitiful convergence of tragedies.

Zhu Lexing knew that Yan Mian’s family had once been neighbors with Qin Yun, but Yan Mian had moved away first, so it was perfectly normal for her not to know what had happened to Qin Yun afterward. Even so, that didn’t rule out the possibility that the man inside still remembered Yan Mian.

Being remembered by someone loaded down with every malicious debuff in the book was clearly bad news.

“I’ll handle this,” Zhu Lexing said.

“Stay behind me,” she told Yan Mian.

Yan Mian hesitated for a moment, but Zhu Lexing had already rapped sharply on the door.

A voice growled from inside once more.

“I’ve told you to scram! Stop bothering me—”

Zhu Lexing raised her voice. “I live in the next building over. Your noise is carrying too far. Could you keep it down?”

The man’s tone was still laced with irritation, but the aggression had ebbed. “Some crazy woman’s banging on my door. What am I supposed to do about it? If it bugs you, go yell at her!”

Zhu Lexing put on her most innocent tone. “Huh? A woman? I did see one when I got here—she dropped off an envelope and left. You don’t want it?”

The voice inside turned eager in an instant. “She left another one? I knew she had more cash. Don’t touch it—I’m coming!”

The door swung open. The middle-aged man caught sight of Qin Yun standing behind Zhu Lexing and realized he’d been had. Qin Yun, however, shoved right past him into the room. With the door flung wide, the space inside was bathed in harsh light.

The interior was a disaster: clutter and grime everywhere. Yet an altar had been set up in the center, complete with a crookedly framed portrait lit by sputtering incense sticks.

The man stared at Zhu Lexing in shock.

She crossed her arms and flashed him a smile. He scowled and jabbed a finger at Qin Yun. “I told you to get lost—over and over! Now you’ve dragged someone else in to scam me? You—”

“I’m Qin Yun’s employer,” Zhu Lexing cut in.

“…Employer?” Disdain filled the man’s eyes. “That kind of work, right? At your age—”

Zhu Lexing hadn’t expected him to dive straight into the filth. Yan Mian spoke up coldly. “Watch your language.”

He glanced at her designer clothes and decided not to push his luck, though he still muttered under his breath. “If you’re her employer, why’s she only getting pocket change every month?”

Zhu Lexing got the message loud and clear. He wanted money.

“Name your price.”

He hadn’t anticipated her jumping straight to it. After a pause, he said, “She didn’t bother showing up to light incense when she died. Now, months later, you come calling her spirit? Fine, want to light some? Fifty thousand per stick.”

Zhu Lexing: “…”

She’d asked for a number, and he’d gone straight for the stars.

But she couldn’t just walk away from this. She was on the verge of agreeing out of sheer frustration when Yan Mian spoke up. “Do you even know what her family does?”

Yan Mian pointed right at her, leaving Zhu Lexing baffled, though she straightened her posture on instinct.

“…What do they do?” The man had no clue, of course. He prided himself on reading people, though. Zhu Lexing screamed money, so why not bleed her a little? Unless she was trouble—then he’d have to think twice.

“Her family’s a publicly listed company,” Yan Mian said. “They’ve got a full team of lawyers on retainer.”

To drive the point home, she added bluntly, “Demanding fifty grand like that? Their lawyers will have you locked up for three years.”

Zhu Lexing: “…”

The way Yan Mian said it made it sound utterly plausible. Zhu Lexing cringed inwardly with secondhand embarrassment but kept her face icy. “What, you don’t believe me? Want me to call the police and find out?”

The man was still mulling it over when a loud clatter echoed from inside. Zhu Lexing glanced that way—Qin Yun was rummaging for incense.

Zhu Lexing turned back to the man. Afraid he might snap and call the cops himself, she said, “I can pay you, but you know damn well if you’re asking for the moon.”

The two of them struck a deal right there in the doorway.

By then, Qiao Qiao had already escorted Shi Ruofeng home and circled back.

Zhu Lexing didn’t mind her presence one bit, but Shi Ruofeng still lived here, so starting a fight wouldn’t do.

Qiao Qiao had just approached when she overheard, “Ten thousand per stick.”

Her mouth twitched. She opened her mouth to let loose a tirade, but Zhu Lexing had already scanned the payment code.

That was when Qiao Qiao noticed the omega kneeling before the portrait inside. She pinched the bridge of her nose and, turning away, made sure to start recording on her phone.

Qin Yun finished lighting the incense and fell quiet. After a moment, she scribbled a line on a notepad.

【Qin Zheng. Where is Mom’s grave.】

That was when Zhu Lexing learned the man’s name.

Qin Zheng. Same surname as Qin Yun. Her biological father, without a doubt.

…A biological father who wouldn’t even tell his own daughter where her mother’s grave was?

What the hell kind of man was he?

Qin Zheng looked ready to start cursing again, but Zhu Lexing just waggled her phone.

When it came to the grave’s location, though, Qin Zheng dug in his heels like never before. Maybe it was because Zhu Lexing had forked over ten thousand per stick without batting an eye. He figured she was an easy mark—rich and stupid. Even Yan Mian’s threats bounced right off him.

Tough talk or not, she was just some rich kid. Soft-hearted types like that were a cinch to manipulate. What was there to fear?

Qin Zheng wouldn’t budge from two hundred thousand.

Yan Mian frowned. “Even if Auntie sent you two thousand a month, that’s over a hundred thousand across the years.”

“Oh?” Qin Zheng fixed Yan Mian with a stare. “I know who you are now. Daughter of that sickly upstairs neighbor from back then. After all this time, you—”

“Don’t get cocky,” Zhu Lexing said flatly.

Qin Zheng sneered. “Pay up, or get out. Don’t try scaring me with the cops. Go ahead and sue if you want. Extortion? The house has cameras—you handed over the money willingly.”

As the standoff dragged on, Qin Yun suddenly rose to her feet.

Zhu Lexing blinked in surprise. “You—”

Yan Mian caught on and turned to Zhu Lexing. “Forget it. Let’s go.”

Zhu Lexing stared at the two of them in bewilderment.

She hadn’t thrown in the towel, so why were they ready to bail?

Qin Zheng scoffed. “Yeah, go on then. Like I care.”

He yanked out the incense stick he’d just inserted, flung it onto the ground, and stomped on it twice.

Qiao Qiao had overheard their entire conversation and pieced together the whole story. Before leaving, she said bluntly, “You’d better watch your back when you go out from now on.”

“What do you mean by that?” Qin Zheng shot back immediately. “Is that a threat? Everyone, take a look! These spoiled rich kids think they can threaten people just because they’ve got money—”

He suddenly raised his voice, but Zhu Lexing gave him a mocking half-smile. “Go ahead and yell all you want. Shameless scum like you can only make noise right before the end.”

Qin Zheng choked on his words, his face twisting in fury as if he might lash out at any moment. But Yan Mian spoke calmly. “Didn’t you say it yourself? The house has surveillance cameras.”

Qin Zheng glared at the two of them as the door slammed shut with a heavy thud.

They had barely turned around when Zhu Lexing said to Qiao Qiao, “Cool it. Don’t do anything that could get you in legal trouble.”

Qiao Qiao replied, “…What are you imagining? It was just a little threat, nothing serious. But if he ends up getting jumped and beaten in a sack later—who knows who might do it? He’s a gambling addict, isn’t he? Debt collectors going after him would be pretty normal.”

Qiao Qiao looked like she wanted to say more, but after glancing at Yan Mian, she just patted Zhu Lexing’s shoulder. “I’m off. Call me if you need anything.”

To a friend, the promise of “reach out anytime you need me” was as heartfelt as it got.

Once Qiao Qiao had gone, Yan Mian stayed by Qin Yun’s side and murmured softly, “I could lend you some money. Zhu Lexing could too. You…”

【Your money comes from Miss Jiang. No need to lend it to me. Giving it to him would just be a waste—he’d only gamble it away. I don’t need it.】

She turned to glance at Zhu Lexing.

Alpha kept her distance from the two women, hands shoved in her pockets with a picture of lazy indifference. In truth, her eyes never left them for a second.

Qin Yun’s glance caught her, and Zhu Lexing blinked in surprise before breaking into an instinctive smile.

【Thank you both.】

Yan Mian studied her for a few seconds before saying, “Then let’s head to the hospital.”

【I can manage on my own. You two go home first. It’s late.】

After all the commotion, it was already nine o’clock, the moon hanging high in the night sky.

Qin Yun turned down their offer to escort her home. Yan Mian watched her retreating figure and murmured, “I don’t know why things had to turn out like this.”

Zhu Lexing thought to herself that it was just biological diversity at work—there were far too many bizarre people and situations in the world.

Easier said than done, though. Hearing about something in a story was one thing; watching it unfold right in front of you was another entirely.

Zhu Lexing wanted to offer some comfort, but the right words escaped her. In the end, all she could manage was a generic, “It’ll get better.”

Yan Mian nodded. “Yeah. It can’t possibly get any worse than this.”

Their exchange sounded perfectly normal on the surface, even carrying a faint note of optimism. But to Zhu Lexing, it rang with a bitter edge of self-mockery.

After a few seconds of silence, Zhu Lexing said, “You won’t end up like this. Yan Mian, your future is bright.”

“You’re an outstanding person,” Zhu Lexing continued. “I’ll take care of Auntie Qin’s situation too. You just…”

Don’t be too heartbroken.

Don’t be too devastated.

Don’t…

She wanted to say all those things, but they stuck in her throat, leaving her mute.

“Why not?” Yan Mian asked. “Why won’t I end up like this?”

Zhu Lexing met her eyes. “Because you’re—”

Her go-to line had always been “because you’re part of the Zhu Family,” but as the words rose to her lips, she realized how wrong that was.

She’d thrown it out before to dodge the issue—back when Jiang Yue had bent to the Zhu Family’s will, dragging Yan Mian along with her. It had been deeply irresponsible.

Zhu Lexing stammered, “Because you’re… Zhu Lexing’s…”

“…friend?” Yan Mian supplied suddenly, the word rooting Zhu Lexing to the spot.

The young woman’s slender figure stood before her like a flower bud on the verge of blooming.

She tilted her face up, and for the first time, Zhu Lexing glimpsed something inexplicably vulnerable in her eyes.

Yan Mian asked, “Zhu Lexing, do you see me as a friend?”

She fell quiet afterward, then added after a few seconds, “It’s nothing. You don’t have to answer.”

Gazing at her profile, Zhu Lexing paused before countering softly, “Why wouldn’t I?”

Yan Mian turned to her in stunned surprise.

Zhu Lexing called her name again. “Yan Mian.”

“Do you remember what Qiao Qiao said earlier?” Zhu Lexing went on. “If you ever need me…”

As long as I’m around, I’ll be right there by your side.

What actually came out, though, was an awkward jumble: “If you need me, I suppose I could do you the favor and stick around with you.”