Chapter 31: What a pure white lotus

I can't afford it.

Zhou Yinhe tossed off a casual remark and turned to leave; Wen Ling leaned against the entryway wall, lowering her eyes as she settled her emotions after a long while.

She wasn't fazed by those few words, after all she had prepared herself before coming to Sijiucheng.

But she didn't intend to keep circling Zhou Yinhe; she lightly spat out two words and returned to the living room.

Sick.

Isn't that just being sick? Zhou Yinhe thought the same, rubbing his faintly aching forehead and letting out a deep sigh.

He had agreed, then regretted it, his mood swinging wildly; from the moment Wen Ling returned and appeared before him, he was hardly different from a madman—but this was of his own making, one willing to strike and the other willing to endure, so he couldn't blame anyone else.

He lowered his gaze, stayed calm for a long while, then started the car and drove home.

Wen Ling stood on the balcony, arms crossed, lazily watching his car speed away, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

The phone she had tossed onto the round table on the balcony buzzed; she picked it up and glanced at the screen—it was Zhao Xingtang, whom she hadn't seen all evening.

【Your people handled it cleanly, but they don't seem to be buying your account.】

Wen Ling sat on the lounge chair, sipping red wine as she lightly tapped a few replies on the screen: 【Just a little squabble; we're only here for the show.】

Zhao Xingtang probably sensed her low mood, recalling that Wen Ling and Zhou Yinhe had left together, and asked: 【How so? Not going well?】

Though she understood the puzzling remark, Wen Ling didn't reply; she tossed the phone onto the table, gently rocked on the lounge chair, gazed at the clear night sky, and began to ponder how to make Ruan MiaoMiao embarrass herself next.

Zhou Yinhe had long been cast aside by her, for being too eager would invite arrogance; she hadn't tonight entertained the thought of rekindling things with Zhou Yinhe, originally she merely wanted something to happen between them to quell the desire stirred by Zhou Yinhe's red‑haired look.

Wen Ling fumbled the cigarette pack on the round table, drew a stick, lit it; a scarlet wisp of smoke curled out, spreading as she narrowed her eyes and sighed.

She had never smoked before; after her rebirth she picked up the habit, and when her grandfather found out he scolded Lu Zhaoye, assuming he had taught her.

In the following half month, Wen Ling never appeared before Zhou Yinhe, spending each day in unrestrained ease.

Not knowing what trick Ruan MiaoMiao had used, Chu Yao and Ruan MiaoMiao were hanging out again; Wen Ling rested her chin on her hand, sat at the newly opened clear bar, perched on a high stool swinging her legs as she watched the two walk in together.

Chu Yao looked around; the decor was indeed understated yet luxurious, a male singer with a guitar on stage, a few people scattered in the booths, seeming uninteresting, she frowned and said, "Why come here to play? It's so boring."

Ruan MiaoMiao smiled and explained, "This is the newly opened clear bar in Sijiucheng; I came here a couple days ago, the bartender's skills are excellent, it suits your taste, so I wanted to come try it with you."

Chu Yao then nodded, lifting her delicate chin proudly like a little peacock, and said in a coquettish voice, "Let's try it first; if it's not good, we'll leave right away."

Ruan MiaoMiao lowered her eyes to hide her feelings, leading Chu Yao to the booth by the viewing window.

"Why not go to a private room? There's no privacy here at all." Chu Yao furrowed her brows tighter, her tone tinged with disdain.

"The view here beats any private room's." Ruan MiaoMiao pointed to the night scenery outside; Chu Yao turned her head, saw it was indeed nice, and accepted.

Wen Ling propped her forehead, her slender white fingers tracing the rim of her glass, taking in the pair's interaction.

Chu Yao took a sip, praised, "Indeed delicious, I'll recommend it to my brother."

Ruan MiaoMiao's eyes flickered; she had no chance with Zhou Yinhe anymore, but perhaps she could try with Chu Lin.

She probed, "Has your brother been busy lately? I saw his interview in a financial magazine just yesterday."

Chu Yao, unsuspecting of Ruan MiaoMiao, pursed her lips and said, "Yeah, lately he hasn't been coming home much, always at the company, as if there's a big project he needs to oversee personally." Chu Yao thought a moment but still couldn't recall, shrugged and said, "I don't know either, but he certainly values it."

Ruan MiaoMiao had already learned what she wanted to know, so she stopped probing and changed the subject.

Wen Ling let out a soft scoff; truly, she wouldn't rest until she achieved her goal—if Zhou Yinhe wouldn't do, she'd switch to Chu Lin.

The bartender pushed the freshly mixed drink toward Wen Ling, happened to hear her voice, and smiled lightly: "Judging by the situation, Ruan MiaoMiao is mostly trying to ingratiate herself with Chu Yao."

Wen Ling gave a faint hum; in Sijiucheng, aside from the Zhou Family, which sits atop the pyramid as a prestigious clan, the Chu Family is also one of the powerful.

The original novel never described Ruan MiaoMiao and Chu Yao's interactions; it only mentioned that they were close because Ruan MiaoMiao had once rescued Chu Yao when she was schemed against, thereby also earning a few favorable glances from the Chu Family's stern patriarch, Chu Lin.

The bartender continued, "Ruan MiaoMiao came by a few days ago with Ji Wanruo and Li WanZhen." He glanced toward their booth, lowered his voice, and said, "I placed a listening device under their table and heard Ruan MiaoMiao say she wanted to scheme against Chu Yao."

Wen Ling chuckled lightly; it turned out the plot that the original novel merely brushed over in a single sentence hasn't happened yet.

"Anything else she said?"

The bartender shook his head, helpless: "Probably out of self‑consciousness in public, she just tossed off a remark, didn't elaborate."

Wen Ling nodded, picked up her phone and sent a message, asking someone to check what Ruan MiaoMiao had been up to lately, and meanwhile dispatched a few people to keep close watch on her every move.

After sending the message, she stretched and ordered, "Watch the two; Ruan MiaoMiao wouldn't bring Chu Yao here for no reason."

The bartender acknowledged, Wen Ling swept her gaze over the two, and left in good spirits.

The investigators dispatched were quick; soon they sent back what they'd found.

Wen Ling leaned against the car door, lit a cigarette for herself; in the dim light a scarlet wisp of smoke curled around her, a purple lace‑trimmed tight dress, her slightly curled hair spilling over her back, her pose utterly carefree—like a female boss.

She puffed away, not noticing the person who had just gotten out of a car not far off.

Wen Ling curled her lips in a smile as she read the message: Ruan MiaoMiao had actually bribed a few societal thugs, instructing them to strike when Chu Yao was alone.

How disgusting—using a girl's purity to achieve one's ends; Wen Ling felt like applauding Ruan MiaoMiao, truly a textbook white‑lotus heroine.

A figure gradually approached; Wen Ling then sensed something off, looked up to see who it was, and froze in place.

Yet she didn't panic; she rose straight, calmly exhaled smoke, and indeed saw the man's brows tightly knit, lips pressed, his face growing ever darker.