Chapter 136: Chapter 136: She Might as Well Go Herself
"Exactly," Chi Wan said with a straight face. "How could we dislike Brother Qi? Being a dimwit isn’t contagious."
"Exactly... wait, no, who are you calling a dimwit!" Qi Jiayou had been nodding along seriously to the first half of Chi Wan’s sentence, but he quickly realized something was wrong. "Junior Sister Wanwan, Huaijin has been a bad influence on you."
The three of them walked through the school gates, talking and laughing.
They failed to notice that just across the street, a gloomy-faced He Lingfeng, sporting huge dark circles under his eyes, was sitting in a car, staring fixedly at Chi Wan’s back.
’He just couldn’t understand why a perfectly ordinary little brat was such a tough nut to crack.’
He had already flown into a rage yesterday upon learning that the men he’d sent to Chi Wan’s house had been arrested. He was particularly infuriated to discover that Chi Wan had used her connection to Xiahou Yu to have them forcibly detained.
Although he wasn’t too worried about them confessing anything, they were men He Lingfeng had long relied on. They had always succeeded before, yet they had taken a fall because of Chi Wan.
In these sensitive times, He Lingfeng didn’t dare be too brazen about getting his men out, so he could only take all his anger out on Qin Shi.
Today, in a rare fit of conscience, he had gotten up early to drive Qin Shi to school after tormenting her for two days. But just as he turned to get back in the car, he saw Chi Wan, looking as bright as the sun.
He wasn’t even sure anymore if he had actually started to care for Chi Wan, but he could, without fail, pick her out of a crowd in a single glance.
But in the next instant, He Lingfeng found the smile on Chi Wan’s face to be an eyesore.
He just wanted to destroy that radiance, to utterly shatter her confidence and turn her into a caged bird, completely at his mercy.
Unfortunately, the He Family’s current situation was still uncertain. He Yunzhen had been lecturing him nonstop lately, telling him to rein it in and not do anything out of line. Even He Lingshan was being watched, her life restricted to a simple routine between school and home.
The siblings were truly miserable. Getting his hands on Chi Wan had become practically He Lingfeng’s only goal lately, yet he was constantly being thwarted.
This had also caused He Lingfeng to lose interest in other women, which only made things harder for Qin Shi. The frequency with which she was forced to see him had skyrocketed.
His temper had become especially unpredictable and violent. Sometimes, he demanded that Qin Shi docilely accept his every whim. Other times, he would inexplicably demand that she learn to resist and struggle.
Of course, Qin Shi knew the source of this contradictory behavior, and she was more convinced than ever that He Lingfeng was a psychopath.
On top of that, He Lingshan was spending more time at home. She had always known what her brother was like, so not only did she lack any sympathy for a "gold-digger" like Qin Shi, as she saw her, but she also enjoyed picking fights with Qin Shi out of boredom.
Qin Shi felt she couldn’t endure this life any longer. Her only choice was to find a way to ask Chi Wan for help.
When Chi Wan received Qin Shi’s message asking to meet, she was already prepared.
In fact, even if Qin Shi hadn’t contacted her, Chi Wan would have found a way to go to her.
They both left their classrooms a little early and arranged to meet in a bathroom stall before their classes let out.
Chi Wan passed a reagent she had specifically requested from Li Xingye and a camera disguised as a stud earring—a product from the base’s factory—through the gap under the stall partition.
The two of them didn’t speak, communicating only by texting on their phones.
"This is a truth serum. Put it in He Lingfeng’s drink. The camera has special shielding, so it won’t be detected. All you need to do is get some clues. Don’t act rashly trying to find evidence. Your safety is the most important thing.
"Don’t worry. The day we’re waiting for isn’t far off."
Qin Shi took the two items, so moved she almost burst into tears.
She composed herself before typing, "What should I ask him? This Friday, He Lingfeng seems to be holding a small party at the family estate. That might be a good opportunity."
Chi Wan thought for a moment. "I’ll ask my police contact for the specifics. They’ve been watching He Lingfeng for a long time, so there’s probably a lot they want to find out from him. But... at his party, will there be any illegal drugs?"
To be honest, Qin Shi herself didn’t know.
She hadn’t been with He Lingfeng for very long, and to him, she was nothing more than an unpresentable plaything. She always met him at his private villa and had never been to the family estate, let alone attended any of his parties.
But she had once overheard He Lingfeng say that with the heat on recently, he was temporarily stopping "that sort of thing."
Upon hearing this, an idea suddenly sparked in Chi Wan’s mind.
"You said he’s been especially volatile with you lately, right? Next time you see him, pretend you can’t take it anymore. Then, propose to him that you have a way to bring me to his party."
Qin Shi read the message and instinctively wanted to refuse.
But Chi Wan continued typing, "Don’t worry, I wouldn’t gamble with my own safety. I have more than enough protection. How else could I have contended with He Lingfeng for so long? Why do you think he tried to go after my family and friends in the first place?"
’She was still worried. If Qin Shi was taken to the party and given something... something awful, her life would be ruined.’
’It would be better for me to go myself.’
Qin Shi hesitated for a long time. Finally, persuaded by Chi Wan, she passed the two items back.
But she still wasn’t at ease. "I’ll go with you. I can act as your backup."
Chi Wan smiled. "It’s alright, my boyfriend will protect me. His... work is a little unusual, so it’s not convenient for him to show his face. But he’s always protecting me from the shadows, which is why I have the confidence and support to confront He Lingfeng."
Hearing this, Qin Shi’s first thought was, ’Chi Wan has a boyfriend?’ Her second was, ’Her boyfriend must work for some kind of special agency.’
In any case, this put her at ease. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
"Okay... I’ll pretend I can’t take He Lingfeng’s abuse anymore and suggest a plan to him to lure you to the party. But we’ll need a plausible excuse, otherwise I’m afraid he won’t believe me. After all, from your perspective, I’m supposed to be in the same boat as him." freewebnovёl.ƈom
Indeed. This was precisely why He Lingfeng had never considered using Qin Shi to lure Chi Wan, trying instead to get to her through Qi Youyou and her other friends.
Ever since that post on the school forum, there was no way Chi Wan would ever be pleasant to Qin Shi.
That was why He Lingfeng would never imagine that Qin Shi and Chi Wan would join forces.
Chi Wan replied, "Don’t worry about that for now. Your only job is to tell He Lingfeng you can think of a way. After all, people always try to save themselves when they’re desperate. If he asks what you plan to do, just act like you want to but don’t know how.
"I’ll figure out the rest."
He Lingfeng might even follow that line of thinking and come up with a plan himself. When that happened, all Chi Wan would have to do was play along.
Qin Shi nodded solemnly. "I won’t even have to pretend. I really am..."
Although autumn had arrived, the weather hadn’t cooled down much. Yet Qin Shi could only wear long-sleeved shirts every day. She had long been sick of it.