Chapter 20: Am I Your White Moonlight (20)

It had been snowing lightly on and off all day yesterday, and by the time the two of them headed out today, the snow on the ground had already piled up into a thick layer that crunched underfoot. Lin Yiren, bundled up into a round little ball, shuffled slowly behind Jiang Ning, step by step, following the footprints she had left behind.

It wasn’t until she got into the car and the heater had been running for a while that Lin Yiren finally started to thaw out. She had always been terrified of the cold since childhood. When other people could stroll about outside comfortably in nothing but sweaters, Lin Yiren’s down jacket was already getting its seasonal debut.

“Is your schedule full today?” Jiang Ning glanced at the hot water bottle in Lin Yiren’s hands, guessing that the moment the car door opened, half of Lin Yiren’s health bar would be wiped out.

Lin Yiren thought over the day’s itinerary and shook her head, but then remembered she had to leave today, and her voice turned a little melancholy. “After the interview, I’ll probably only have time for one meal with you before I have to head back.”

The filming location this time was even colder than Jiangcheng, the kind of damp chill that seeped straight into your bones. On top of that, the production team hadn’t coordinated things well with the locals, and some villagers kept coming around to cause trouble. The director had even told Lin Yiren to head back early once she finished her work here.

Jiang Ning already knew about this, but Lin Yiren hadn’t wanted to say anything and worry her, so Jiang Ning had simply instructed the bodyguards and Lin Li to take good care of her.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ning realized that Lin Yiren still seemed a little guarded around her. Aside from that one outburst the night before last, she had been remarkably well-behaved, only testing the waters with her small tempers, always within some carefully controlled limit.

Jiang Ning checked the time and saw it was still early, so she found a quiet spot to park, then reached over to straighten Lin Yiren’s scarf for her.

“If anyone gives you a hard time, tell me. Don’t carry it all on your own.” A girl who was independent yet tender at heart was certainly endearing, but Jiang Ning didn’t want Lin Yiren suppressing her true nature just to seem mature and considerate.

“I’m your girlfriend, aren’t I?” With that, Jiang Ning pressed a soft kiss to Lin Yiren’s cheek.

It was as light as a feather brushing past, but it made Lin Yiren’s heart tremble. After a moment of stunned stillness, her eyes lit up with pure joy. “Yes! My girlfriend.”

Those unfamiliar words sent a thrill through Lin Yiren’s chest. When she stepped out of the car, she didn’t feel the cold at all, her cheeks slightly flushed. She walked toward the film crew, then looked back to find that Jiang Ning was still there. Her steps halted. She turned and ran back, rapping her knuckles on the car window.

“Sister Jiang, I forgot something.”

The serious look on Lin Yiren’s face made Jiang Ning’s heart lift with worry. She rolled the window down. “What is it?”

Lin Yiren didn’t answer. Her expression didn’t change, and the moment Jiang Ning leaned over, she pressed a quick kiss to her lips and darted away, standing a short distance off in the snow to make a heart shape with her hands, sunlight falling just right, her smile radiant.

“I forgot to return the favor just now.”

“So I’m paying you back, with interest.”

Jiang Ning watched Lin Yiren kiss her and bolt, her fingertip resting against her lips for a long moment. Then she smiled, sent Lin Yiren a message, and drove off by a different route toward the bidding conference.

Aside from Jiangcheng’s three major players, big companies from other cities had caught wind of this bidding event and were interested in competing. Even if they couldn’t win the bid, it would still be a chance to broker some other deal.

Every company held a paddle, and each new bid raised the price by at least five hundred thousand. The other companies, though interested, had no idea about the plan to develop North Sea Bay into a scenic area, so once the bidding surpassed their estimates, they all dropped out one by one. Toward the end, even the Xiao Family withdrew from the competition, leaving only the Lin Family and the Chen Family locked in a standoff.

Chen Siming had other matters to attend to, so Chen Qi had come to represent the Chen Family at this bidding. His orders were to make the Lin Family spend as much money as possible, so he had been closely watching the Lin Family’s movements the whole time. But Lin Zhiyuan’s expression remained calm and unreadable, leaving Chen Qi with no idea just how much capital they had prepared to seize this plot of land.

The bidding had already climbed very high, reaching the ceiling Chen Siming had set with Chen Qi. All Chen Qi had to do was drop out, and the North Sea Bay land would belong to the Lin Family. The auctioneer had already brought the gavel down once when someone suddenly hurried over and whispered a few words in Chen Qi’s ear. Just as the auctioneer was about to bring the gavel down a third time, Chen Qi raised his paddle.

“One hundred and ten million.”

Lin Zhiyuan had planned to take the land for one hundred million. No one expected the Chen Family to suddenly raise the stakes. Heads turned all around the room, everyone wondering how much more the Lin Family would offer.

At the sound of that bid, the corners of Jiang Ning’s mouth curved upward. The plan had worked, halfway at least. Lin Zhiyuan leaned back in his seat and relaxed a little. And that reaction sent a wave of foreboding through Chen Qi’s chest. When the gavel finally fell and the Chen Family was declared the winner, his face went white in an instant.

Chen Siming knew Lin Zhiyuan was extremely cautious. Moreover, the Chen Family had long been looking to expand further into real estate, and given their connections with the man at the top, there was no way they wouldn’t have heard about the North Sea Bay development. So if the Chen Family hadn’t shown eager interest, Lin Zhiyuan might have grown suspicious instead. Chen Siming had given Chen Qi a hard limit: bid no more than one hundred million, because that was all the Lin Family could realistically put on the table.

But Chen Qi had his own ambitions, wanting to climb to a higher position. The intelligence he had just received said that Jiang Ning and Lin Zhiyuan were working together on this land deal, and that if the Lin Family’s funds fell short, Jiangtian Entertainment was willing to contribute fifteen percent of its shares to join the bid. Chen Qi knew perfectly well how long Chen Siming had coveted Jiangtian Entertainment.

Although a company contributing shares to a national bid would face regulatory interference afterward, Chen Siming had already acquired another six percent of shares through other channels, bringing his total to thirty-one percent. If Jiang Ning put that fifteen percent into the bid, then Chen Siming would effectively be able to swallow Jiangtian Entertainment whole.

So after hesitating, Chen Qi raised the paddle. He never imagined that Lin Zhiyuan would simply give up!

“Impossible. This can’t be happening…”

Ten percent of Jiangtian Entertainment’s shares would be worth thirty million at market valuation, and he had only raised the bid by ten million!

The moment Chen Qi thought about how he had botched such a critical matter, he lost all ability to stay calm, and his reaction only confirmed Jiang Ning’s suspicions. There really was something rotten about that plot of land. The Points spent on the Disruptor had not gone to waste.

Chen Siming and his people had poured resources into building up the entertainment industry and signed a huge roster of artists. According to Jiang Ning’s investigation, Chengxing Entertainment treated its artists notoriously harshly behind closed doors. Its resources were good and its exposure was high, but anyone with real talent and options would never choose Chengxing Entertainment under those conditions. The reason none of its artists had ever terminated their contracts was that Chengxing Entertainment had lured them in with generous terms at the start, then used “Medicine” to keep them under control. Those who proved impossible to control were simply buried, frozen out of the industry.

Only Chen Siming and a few trusted confidants knew that Bai Keke was the daughter of the man at the top. Her manager, though warned to look after her carefully, hadn’t taken it seriously and had even brought Bai Keke along to some of the “banquets.” Chen Siming had put a stop to it afterward, but the truth was Bai Keke had already touched that stuff long before. Once she admitted it, she insisted on attending every “banquet” from then on.

Jiang Ning had long since made private contact with another heavyweight, tying up the Chen Family’s backer. The man above them was already under surveillance, with no spare attention left for Chen Siming and his crowd, and was constantly pressuring the Chen Family to launder money through other channels. That was exactly why Chen Siming had gambled recklessly once again, trying to drag Jiangtian Entertainment and Lin Corporation down with him.

Jiang Ning had previously had the System keep Bai Keke under constant surveillance and had tracked down the location of those “banquets” hosted by the people at Chengxing Entertainment. They could have caught everyone red-handed on the spot, but word had somehow leaked, making Chen Siming far more cautious.

Then came the sudden order to halt the “banquets.” That batch of “Medicine” could neither be sold off nor shipped out, and they had no choice but to find some way to dispose of it. Right then, news of the North Sea Bay bid broke. After some deliberation, they decided to sacrifice a small gain for a much bigger one. If Lin Corporation spent a fortune winning that land, it wouldn’t just strain their cash flow. The “gift” waiting for them would be absolutely devastating.

The Chen Family had long ago built those “Medicine” bricks right into their stockpile. Once the Lin Family won the bid, they could quietly swap them into the Lin Family’s construction materials. The development of a scenic area was bound to draw enormous public attention, and the moment a worker “accidentally” discovered something wrong with the bricks, the Lin Family would be finished. The project would be re-bid, and the Chen Family could move in and take it. Two birds with one stone.

Jiang Ning drove back to the company, mulling over her next move. At this point, everything had become quite clear. A Redemption Mission didn’t require her to stay for an entire lifetime. She only needed to remove the most unstable element. In this world, the most unstable element was the Chen Family. Left alone, sooner or later the World Consciousness would drive them to harm the Lin Family again.

The other matter was the Original Host. Whether the Original Host lived or died would shape the Female Lead’s future attitude and experiences. If Jiang Ning wanted to leave, she would have to spend Points to copy the memories and generate a new soul to live out her life in her place.

Whether for the sake of the Points, or for the sake of Lin Yiren, Jiang Ning would make that same choice either way.

【Host, why don’t you choose to stay?】The Spacetime Bureau never forced its agents to leave a world, so Jiang Ning still had other options.

【Isn’t the Female Lead good enough?】The System considered for a moment before pressing on. From the System’s perspective, Lin Yiren was an extremely qualified partner.

Good personality, sincere about love, wealthy, supportive parents. The System genuinely couldn’t understand why Jiang Ning’s heart hadn’t stirred.

“She’s wonderful. That’s exactly why I can’t stay.” Jiang Ning watched the green light ahead and flicked on her turn signal, preparing to turn left.

The roads were slick from the snow, so she wasn’t driving fast, but as she made the turn, a car suddenly skidded toward the guardrail. The panicked driver yanked the wheel hard and swerved straight at Jiang Ning instead.

Jiang Ning’s car was sent spinning sideways, a black streak of scorched rubber and sparks seared across the pavement as her vehicle hurtled toward the barrier. In that flash of an instant, Jiang Ning summoned the System panel.

Bystanders called for an ambulance the moment they saw the crash. A reporter who happened to be conducting an interview nearby recognized the unconscious figure in the car as Jiang Ning, snapped photos in rapid succession, and sent the images straight back to the editorial desk.

But faster than any of them, a trending topic rocketed up Weibo.

#TheMastermindStrikesAgain: Another Conspiracy Following The Car Crash That Killed Jiang Tianci And His Wife#