Chapter 103

At Jiang Sisi’s house, nine o’clock in the evening.

Jiang Sisi worked in front of the computer in her study, with three screens facing her alone. The study lights were off, and the glow from the computers cast an eerie light on her face.

Leng Xiang, wearing slippers, walked into the study and fumbled for the wall switch. With a “click,” she turned on the study lights.

“Not turning on the lights while staring at the computer is bad for your eyes,” Leng Xiang scolded her.

“This way feels more immersive when editing footage,” Jiang Sisi defended herself. “A director who can’t see the sunrise at five a.m. isn’t a good director.”

Leng Xiang mocked, “Yeah, right. You’ll go blind sooner or later.”

Leng Xiang placed a plate of cut fruit next to Jiang Sisi. “Have some fruit.”

Jiang Sisi picked up a washed cherry tomato and ate it, sighing as she chewed, “I’ve never enjoyed treatment like this before. Kidnapping you back to live with me was definitely the right call.”

Leng Xiang rolled her eyes.

Leng Xiang was not only a great cook but also very health-conscious about eating. She could stay up late, but she insisted on three meals a day, complete with post-meal fruit and yogurt. Her lifestyle was extremely healthy and fulfilling.

But she herself dieted strictly, taking only a small bite per meal, leaving the rest to Jiang Sisi.

No matter how powerful Jiang Sisi was in her circle—commanding the winds and rains—she was, at her core, a workaholic who pulled all-nighters editing footage, skipped meals irregularly, and rarely saw the sun. Her skin was pale and unhealthy.

Ever since Leng Xiang moved in, she was forced to eat three meals a day and go to bed before one a.m. Over this time, she felt her complexion brighten and gained several pounds.

Not to mention, someone now washed fruit and placed it right by her hand while she worked.

Life was truly wonderful.

Jiang Sisi continued editing.

Leng Xiang hadn’t planned to disturb her work. After setting down the fruit plate, she intended to leave, but her peripheral vision caught the computer screen. She froze when she saw what it was.

The screen showed surveillance footage.

From that night when she had nearly killed Liu Lingshu—the footage captured by the stairwell camera.

This short clip lasted only about two minutes, from two different cameras. One recorded the moment she pushed Liu Lingshu down the stairs, while the other captured her kicking Liu Lingshu several times and standing there calling 120.

Jiang Sisi had gone to the developer of Jinmao Residential Complex.

Jinmao Residential Complex was a real estate project developed by the Su Group. She knew its current CEO and Chairman, Su Wanrong—they had connections from their parents’ generation. Plus, Su Wanrong’s lover, Gu Qing, was the captain of a popular girl group in the entertainment industry, currently facing a minor issue.

It all circled back to her world.

So, the matter was easily resolved.

The day after the incident, she obtained this surveillance footage, and Su Wanrong assured her that no one else would know.

Jiang Sisi had originally planned to delete the two segments outright, but later decided against it. If someone with ulterior motives dug it up later to target Leng Xiang, deleting it would look suspicious and cause more trouble.

If she went further and killed Liu Lingshu outright, it would be even harder to explain if someone unearthed it later.

The charge of murder was too severe.

She needed to handle it thoroughly to eliminate future troubles.

So, Jiang Sisi copied the footage home and edited it herself.

She kept the first segment of the push down the stairs but deleted the ten-plus seconds of Leng Xiang kicking Liu Lingshu from the second. She then stretched out the part where Leng Xiang stood by Liu Lingshu preparing to call 120. After this editing, combined with the clear view in the first segment—before the push, Leng Xiang and Liu Lingshu were obviously arguing, and Liu Lingshu resisted during the struggle—when she put the altered footage back, anyone checking it later would see a scene of “unintentional injury during a dispute.”

After this edit, the incident could be whitewashed as an argument between Liu Lingshu and Leng Xiang where, in the scuffle, Leng Xiang accidentally pushed her down the stairs, immediately called 120, and later provided substantial compensation.

By rights, this was considered settled privately. As long as Liu Lingshu didn’t stir up more trouble, the matter would end there.

“See? After this edit, who can tell it was intentional?” Jiang Sisi said proudly, munching on a piece of apple.

Leng Xiang: “…”

It really was undetectable.

Leng Xiang listened as Jiang Sisi explained the whole process from start to finish, then watched the edited footage from beginning to end. She was utterly impressed.

Looking at Liu Lingshu sprawled on the ground, her body still trembled instinctively, constantly reminding her how impulsive and foolish she had been that night.

What she had seen as nearly “intentional murder” was casually turned into “unintentional injury” by Jiang Sisi.

Leng Xiang was speechless for a moment before dryly saying, “High tech changes fate.”

A few days later, Liu Lingshu was discharged.

When the ambulance brought her in, she had only an old broken feature phone, which the young nurse had smashed. Before leaving, the nurse suddenly produced a new smartphone and handed it to her.

It was one of those cheap models on the market for a few hundred yuan—still much better than her old feature phone.

The young nurse said, “Sorry about that, ma’am. I was so busy, I forgot to return your phone.”

Liu Lingshu was delighted to get a new phone and said respectfully, “No worries at all. You’ve gone to too much trouble.”

When discharged, the hospital settled her medical fees, leaving her with a few dozen yuan, which she took. Still wearing her washed but tattered and faded clothes, she carried her new phone and headed back.

The urban village where she lived wasn’t far from the hospital—just a few stops away—so she walked.

Near home, the nearby small gambling den seemed sealed off, with a lock on the door and a seal stamped by the police at the bottom.

Liu Lingshu shuddered and glanced around. Since the gambling den was shut down, the area felt much quieter.

She hurried toward home.

After days in the hospital with her phone broken, she hadn’t contacted home. She wondered if Leng Guogen would be angry, and if angry, whether he’d beat her.

But what if he did? They were family. She and Leng Guogen were married; she was his in life and in death. He was her only relative in the city.

Even if he beat her, it was because he loved her.

Wasn’t she alive for him?

She couldn’t leave him.

Liu Lingshu opened the door to their home. The room was quiet and messy.

She was used to it—Leng Guogen never cleaned.

She skillfully started tidying up, cleaning the whole place. The house wasn’t big, just twenty or thirty square meters, so it was done quickly. By the time she finished, it was already four in the afternoon.

With the nearby gambling den sealed, he must have gone elsewhere to gamble. After all, he had money now.

He’d probably come back for dinner.

Liu Lingshu started cooking. She used the few dozen yuan from her medical refund to buy some meat and stir-fried vegetables. The room had no windows, and the chimney to the roof was long broken, so smoke filled the tiny kitchen. She coughed from time to time.

After finishing, she brought the food out, turned on the outer light, sat on the sofa, and waited.

Six o’clock, Leng Guogen hadn’t returned.

Seven, eight, nine.

He still didn’t come back.

Liu Lingshu thought, Maybe he won’t come back tonight? That’s fine.

She ate alone and put the leftovers in the secondhand fridge she’d scavenged from the old market.

Suddenly, a loud “bang” came from the door—it was kicked open.

The Knife-Scar Man strode in with a knife on his shoulder and kicked over a stool by the door.

“Where’s the money? Didn’t you say there were still five hundred thousand? Where is it!”

The debt collectors were back.

Liu Lingshu approached ingratiatingly. “Wait a sec, let me check. There should be five hundred thousand this month; it must’ve been transferred.”

She pulled out the smartphone she wasn’t used to and opened the messages. The nurse had transferred the SIM from her broken phone to this one. Stumbling through, she checked the bank balance.

Zero. Not a single cent.

Liu Lingshu froze, meeting the Knife-Scar Man’s eyes. She trembled. “Maybe my husband spent it. Could you all wait another month? Just one month—there’s a million coming next month!”

The Knife-Scar Man spat in her face.

“Your husband spent it? Your husband’s been in jail for days! Spent it from jail? Bullshit! Hand over the money, or I’ll trash your place!”

Liu Lingshu’s hand shook violently holding the phone. In disbelief, she dropped the new smartphone, shattering it. “My husband… in jail? What happened? What did he do? Why jail?”

As she spoke, she grabbed at the Knife-Scar Man’s clothes. He shoved her to the ground, seeing her deranged state. “How should I know what he did? A few days ago, the gambling den got raided. Your husband was nearby doing some shady shit and got nabbed with them. Something like attempted rape.”

The Knife-Scar Man grinned. “Your husband’s a rapist.”

Liu Lingshu couldn’t believe it and backed away. “Impossible… impossible…”

“How could he get arrested… no way…”

“…What about me then?”

Seeing her unhinged and mentally unstable, the Knife-Scar Man spat again, figuring he wouldn’t get paid.

“What bad luck!”

Liu Lingshu sat dazed on the sofa from nine p.m. through the night until morning, when the sun rose.

She sat through the night, pale-faced and trembling, until the first rays hit her face. She snapped out of her trance, head lolling, eyes fixed on the shattered new phone on the floor.

She picked it up and pressed it a few times. The fragile smartphone was even less durable than her feature phone—the screen was completely cracked.

No response. She suddenly jumped up from the sofa.

She had to find him!