Chapter 39: Burning the Bridge to Get the Fuel

"If you haven't seen the person, how can you say she's dead? If you haven't seen her, why aren't you out looking for her instead of coming here to cause a scene until midnight?" The housekeeper's eyes widened abruptly, her temper flaring up. She pointed a finger at Shi Yucheng and pressed him step by step: "Who told you the Eldest Young Mistress is dead, hmm?"

Shi Yucheng stammered and said nothing, having completely lost the momentum he had just moments ago.

He couldn't say it; he couldn't exactly say: My eldest daughter told me Xuanxuan was killed by the Eldest Young Master, so I drank half a bottle of liquor and came here to make trouble! Even though it was all the truth, he couldn't say it!

The housekeeper raised her voice: "Even if you don't say it, I know—it must be Sheng Yukai."

She was so furious that she didn't even use honorifics, calling him by his full name.

"Sheng Yukai and your eldest daughter are tangled up in something shady. They load the gun in the back, and you fire the cannon in the front. How many times have you come to make trouble these past few days? Which time wasn't you being used by them to stir up trouble? The Eldest Young Master hasn't held it against you out of respect for your genuine care for the Eldest Young Mistress; don't be ungrateful and throw away this last bit of goodwill..."

For days, the housekeeper had been suppressing her anger, and today she finally found an outlet to vent it all out.

"I will see you out."

Shi Youxuan picked up the suitcase with one hand and pushed Shi Yucheng toward the exit with the other.

"Stop." Sheng Hanyu, who hadn't spoken for a long time, spoke up.

And so, both of them stopped.

He said to Shi Youxuan: "You are not allowed to leave this Villa by even a single step; don't even think about going anywhere. You almost had me wrapped around your finger." After saying this, he left with the housekeeper and Shi Yucheng.

The bodyguards were still patrolling the entrance, so sneaking away was impossible.

Shi Youxuan stood in the living room for a long time, and since they hadn't returned—and likely wouldn't—her tension eased, and she realized she was drenched in sweat.

The sweat had soaked her clothes, and it felt very uncomfortable sticking to her skin.

Shi Youxuan bolted the front door and went to the bathroom to take a hot shower. The acne on her face washed off under the hot water, but the black pigment did not.

It had been applied using a special oil-based paint; hot water could only make it fade a little, and it would require a special solvent to wash it off completely.

After her shower, Shi Youxuan lay on the bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

Her foster father coming over today had touched her deeply. She kept thinking about freedom, wondering if she was being too selfish by wanting to live a carefree life outside.

Shi Youxuan had originally thought that by acting as a substitute bride and returning that one time, she had repaid the debt of her foster father's upbringing.

She never imagined that after she went missing, her foster father would stand up for her like this!

Shi Yucheng was the most timid and fearful of trouble; he had never been willing to cause a scene, so his behavior now—repeatedly coming to make trouble with Sheng Hanyu without regard for the consequences—made a huge impact on Shi Youxuan.

On one hand, she was moved, but on the other, she felt she was too selfish, selfishly thinking only of herself without considering her foster father's feelings.

But she couldn't leave now; things seemed to be getting more and more complicated. Her current identity was Shi Youxuan, Yingzi, and Achou, and she was also being mistaken for Jian Yixin by Sheng Hanyu.

Who should she admit to being?

"What? Sheng Hanyu is married?" Jian Yining's eyes went round, shocked and angry: "When did he get married? His new wife is missing and he isn't looking for her, so why is he picking a fight with my sister!"

He was so angry that he kicked the foot of the bed.

Lady Jian was surprised: "No one told you? We thought you already knew."

"How could I possibly know? How could I possibly know? If I had known earlier, would I have been hiding from Sheng Hanyu like a mouse from a cat? I would have already poked him into a mouse."

Lady Jian believed her son had that ability.

The next day, at dawn.

Shi Youxuan sat on the bed. Without makeup and without the bowl on her back, she got up and made herself a bowl of instant noodles. After eating, she opened her computer and began to work.

She couldn't contact Jian Yining; she guessed he was likely locked up by his parents.

Shi Youxuan prepared to use her own strength to throw the entire Jiangzhou into chaos!

It was 4:30 AM, and the sky outside was still pitch black. The domestic futures market was resting, and the international futures market was at its least active time.

She began to hedge, first dumping a large amount of nickel she held.

Normally, during inactive trading hours, the price of shorting nickel would immediately take a nosedive, with the K-line showing several bearish drops, and the ten-minute chart showing three black crows!

The futures market had a very keen sense of smell; within a few minutes, everyone reacted and began to follow the trend by shorting.

Shi Youxuan's ten fingers flew across the keyboard, constantly snapping up the orders others were releasing. She was about to make a big move—big enough to make Sheng Hanyu abandon the idea of opening the coffin.

The sky outside turned from pitch black to deep blue, and then a pale light appeared on the horizon. Shi Youxuan finally stopped and closed the page.

Done. Forty percent of the nickel due for delivery in a month was now in her hands. With this, she had enough leverage to negotiate with Sheng Hanyu.

Sheng Hanyu stood by the window holding a wine glass, his gaze fixed on the Villa not far away.

It had been five years, and he had never dared to walk in there, fearing it would stir up memories and cause him to lose control of his emotions.

But when he walked in, he found it wasn't as painful as he thought. Could time really dilute everything? Even the once bone-deep, heart-piercing love?

He hadn't slept all night either.

After leaving Jian Yining Villa, Shi Yucheng didn't make any more trouble. He regretted being used once again, and before leaving, he promised that he wouldn't come back without getting the facts straight.

He had said the same thing last time, but there was no guarantee that the next time Sheng Yukai and Shi Yuke stirred him up, he wouldn't come back to make trouble!

Sheng Hanyu didn't make things difficult for him and let Shi Yucheng go.

"Ring, ring..."

The phone on the table rang. Who would be calling at this hour?

Sheng Hanyu picked up the phone—a string of unfamiliar numbers appeared on the screen.

After connecting, a woman spoke: "Hello, Boss Sheng. I am Jian Yining's business partner, the Chairman of Tianma Group."

The cold tone carried not a hint of warmth, yet it made Sheng Hanyu's blood boil.

"Yixin, is that you?" His voice trembled slightly.

The person on the other end denied it: "No. I am calling you just to tell you that I am not Jian Yixin."

"Where are you? I want to see you." Sheng Hanyu didn't want to waste words on the phone; he had to see the person face-to-face to believe it.

The other party refused: "It is not convenient."

"Inconvenient?"

"Hahahaha..."

Sheng Hanyu suddenly laughed out loud, laughing until tears even came out: "Yixin, you are finally willing to call me, why won't you admit it?"

Shi Youxuan almost cursed out loud.

"Mr. Sheng, I think you know in your heart how Tianma built its fortune; do you think Jian Yixin has this ability?"

Tianma is a venture capital firm; besides a ruthless eye, one must also have the ability to manipulate the market. Jian Yixin studied fine arts in university and knows nothing about doing business!

Although Jian Yining studied Business Administration in university, he is not particularly proficient in this area either.

He was stumped by the question, and there was a silence of over ten seconds.

After quite a while, Sheng Hanyu finally asked: "Who are you?"

"You can call me Yingzi."

Sheng Hanyu sneered: "Yingzi, are you a person or a ghost?"

"To friends, I am a person; to enemies, I am a ghost. If you don't believe it, you can try." After speaking, she hung up the phone.

Just as Sheng Hanyu wanted to call back, Yun Zhehao's call came in, very urgently: "Hanyu, it's bad, the meat in our mouths has been snatched away by someone."

"What happened?"