With the Support Division taking over, the large conference room dissolved into a chaotic din of interrogations. The voices of Corpse Butcher, her officers, Zhugao High’s faculty and students, and furious parents all clashed together like a bubbling, messy stew.
Over in the corner, however, the atmosphere was a stark contrast…eerie, heavy, and completely still.
Beside a giant, crystal-clear window, a slender, graceful silhouette leaned casually.
Gu Lingyi was dressed in her usual trousers and shirt today. Her deep burgundy silk shirt draped flawlessly over her frame, setting off her porcelain-white skin.
She didn’t pay the slightest attention to the chaotic law enforcement scene taking place. Instead, her gaze drifted with subtle intent toward the person trapped against the wall right beside her: Jiang Yanqing.
Gu Lingyi’s long, fox-like eyes slowly scanned every inch of the woman’s intensely cold, abstinent face.
Hmm. Not a single trace of emotion.
Whether at home or at school, this beauty’s face always wore that same remote, serene expression…detached, as if nothing in the world concerned her.
She was in no rush to break free from this tight spot, nor did she grant Gu Lingyi even a fraction of a glance. It was as if the person in front of her were nothing more than a minor, insignificant obstacle. Board Chair Jiang simply looked past her, resting her gaze on her students.
The only thing visible in the depths of her eyes was a faint, almost imperceptible trace of concern for them.
Feeling a sudden spark of playfulness, Gu Lingyi straightened up from her casual lean. Retaining her lazy, reckless, and thoroughly flirtatious aura, she slowly drawled out every single word:
“Board… Chair… Jiang.”
“You’ve got quite the nerve.”
With a soft chuckle, she extended her long arm and pressed it firmly against the glass behind Jiang Yanqing…a flirtatious, teasing wall-slam that essentially trapped the woman within her embrace.
Exhaling a warm breath laced with the subtle, intoxicating fragrance of peach-blossom sake, she let her heat brush against Jiang Yanqing’s ear.
Right there, inside a noisy, chaotic conference room filled with dense, rushing footsteps, the two of them shared one secret after another, speaking in coded riddles no one else could decode.
To any outsider looking on, it probably seemed like Gu Lingyi was intentionally playing cruel pranks just to annoy Board Chair Jiang for cutting off the emergency call earlier.
Noticing Gu Lingyi’s brazenly flirtatious behavior, the onlookers merely scoffed under their breath. If Gu Lingyi thinks she can mess with Board Chair Jiang, she’s picked the wrong target.
Board Chair Jiang rules with an iron fist. How could she possibly let someone like that taint her?
Yet, completely hidden behind Gu Lingyi’s tall, elegant frame, no one noticed that Board Chair Jiang…the cold, untouchable goddess of Zhugao High who kept everyone thousands of miles away…had a delicate, translucent shade of pink quietly spreading across her small, porcelain earlobes.
Under the bright sunlight, they gleamed like clear, alluring pink gems.
With Corpse Butcher personally handling the scene, the truth was quickly brought to light.
Jian Yan’s actual romantic partner was someone else…a female student, not the male student, Bu Sheng.
The double-ended dildo had been purchased on the black market by Jian Yan, who swapped the outer packaging with another product just as a precaution. She hadn’t expected it to actually come in handy.
Jian Yan and her girlfriend had been tasting forbidden fruit behind the school hill when Bu Sheng stumbled upon them. Bu Sheng threatened that unless they performed in front of him… he would report them to the teachers.
Before Bu Sheng could even follow through, a roommate exposed Jian Yan instead.
The teachers at Zhugao High naturally wouldn’t open the box to check its contents. The mere presence of the package, paired with Jian Yan’s “confession,” was enough for the school to expel her.
Not wanting to drag her girlfriend into the mess, Jian Yan claimed Bu Sheng was her boyfriend, banking on the fact that he would rather bear the reputation of high school romance than let his parents and teachers learn the dark truth.
She just hadn’t expected a high-profile taxpayer to drop straight from the sky.
According to Zhugao High’s strict regulations, Bu Sheng wouldn’t have faced expulsion originally…just a formal demerit.
So long as he kept a low profile and behaved for a while, he could still graduate smoothly and go on to shine bright as a rising star in his chosen field.
But now, Gu Lingyi had completely destroyed his future.
Corpse Butcher personally slapped handcuffs onto Bu Sheng, ordering her officers to haul him back to headquarters.
For someone so young to turn out so rotten…extortion, threats, and sexual harassment…a combined sentence of multiple charges was waiting for him.
Unable to hide his venomous glare, Bu Sheng stared daggers at Gu Lingyi, ignoring his parents’ desperate warnings to stop.
Sensing his snake-like gaze, Gu Lingyi drew her hand back, turned around, and looked back at him with total indifference.
“Is Board Chair Jiang really someone a person like you can lust after? Gu Lingyi, you’re dreaming if you think…mmpf!”
As he passed Gu Lingyi, Bu Sheng growled in a low, furious voice, only for an officer from the Support Division to slap a gag strip straight over his mouth, cutting him off mid-sentence.
Nobody took the angry outbursts of a teenage, sex-crazed kid seriously, let alone believed that Jiang Yanqing could ever have any real entanglement with someone like Gu Lingyi.
They belonged to two completely different worlds.
By now, Board Chair Jiang had freed herself from the awkward corner and was speaking with Secretary Jian about the expulsion process for Jian Yan and the other female student.
Her voice was icy, composed, and devoid of emotion…unwavering even when addressing a secretary from the President’s Office.
“It is an undeniable fact that Jian Yan violated school rules. Engaging in a same-sex relationship on campus is something Zhugao High cannot tolerate, and her expulsion must be finalized today.
“However, considering the harm Student Jian suffered on campus, I, on behalf of the school, am willing to offer a compromise…Student Jian may initiate a voluntary transfer instead.
“Secretary Jian, you should understand that this is a win-win outcome for both sides.”
Her calm tone left no room for argument.
Secretary Jian closed her eyes, practically gritting her teeth: “Fine.”
She whirled around, glaring at Bu Sheng’s parents. “However, Chairman Bu, as for what your son has done, I will pursue this to the absolute end.”
Chairman Bu met her gaze with a cold sneer. “Have your daughter write a letter of forgiveness. In exchange, the Bu family will keep our mouths shut about her dating girls.”
Gu Lingyi, about to leave, happened to pass by and overheard Jiang Yanqing’s cold, almost heartless words. A cold chill settled over her heart.
She let out a self-deprecating laugh.
How could someone like that ever feel shy from a simple wall-slam? Her ears were probably just flushed from sitting near the window under the hot sun.
With an unvented frustration brewing inside her, it just so happened that two shameless parents walked straight into her crosshairs. Gu Lingyi leaned down slightly, eyeing Secretary Jian and Chairman Bu with amused disdain.
“You two… did you forget I’m still standing here? Even if the Bu family keeps quiet, I certainly can’t guarantee my own lips will stay sealed.”
With a light laugh, Gu Lingyi turned and strolled away. Her leather heels clicked against the sacred, solemn floor of the conference room, yet every step she took radiated effortlessly sensual grace.
Her soft, chestnut-brown waves swayed gently with her movement, leaving the crowd with nothing but the breathtaking view of her rich, burgundy-clad back.
Getting into her loud, fire-red sports car, Gu Lingyi raised an eyebrow as Secretary Jian came rushing up to her, breathless.
“I am willing to voluntarily waive all compensation claims regarding Chiyin Group. Furthermore, if Director Gu is willing to keep this secret, I can trade an piece of information that is extremely important to you.”
Gu Lingyi unlocked the car door. A mere ten seconds later, Secretary Jian stepped back out, holding an easy, dismissive smile as she unhurriedly walked back toward the Zhuzheng Building.
Now, a different passenger sat in the sports car’s front seat, the door resting ajar.
“You’re looking well, Ah-Yi.”
“You don’t look so hot yourself, Sister-in-Law.”
Corpse Butcher: “…”
“I’m not here to banter with you. I can’t stay in your car for too long, otherwise the act we put on at the ancestral home last night will be totally wasted.”
Gu Lingyi kept her beautiful, captivating fox eyes closed. “Does Sister-in-Law want to tell me that the Gu family was reported by the Jiang family?”
Corpse Butcher was startled. “How did you know?”
The Jiang family had filed a formal report alleging that the entire Gu family had colluded with the Pharmaceutical and Health Commission over the past eight years to open backdoor channels and provide special favors for Chiyin Group.
Except for Gu Lingyi, every single member of the Gu family…without exception…was a political figure. Including their in-laws, everyone was currently under official investigation.
“Secretary Jian,” Gu Lingyi explained simply, cutting straight to the point.
“The President’s Office and the Inspectorate Office have already launched an investigation. It will take a month at most to wrap up. If it weren’t for going public, none of you would have even known I founded Chiyin, so these allegations of opening backdoors are pure nonsense.
“Don’t worry, I left a paper trail for all my work. I won’t give them a single chance to successfully frame me.”
This news was even more precise than what the Gu family had managed to gather, causing Corpse Butcher to look slightly surprised before her shoulders visibly relaxed.
Once the people inside the Zhuzheng Building finished their negotiations, they would be coming out soon. Corpse Butcher didn’t have much time left.
Out of a thousand words of concern, she picked the most critical piece to say.
“Ah-Yi… it’s best if you stay away from the Jiang family… avoid getting dragged into their mess.”
Hearing this, Gu Lingyi merely uttered a soft, lazy hum, not even bothering to flutter her eyelids open.
Corpse Butcher let out a quiet sigh in her heart and decided to lay all her cards on the table.
“You’ve never cared about anyone like this before. Outsiders can’t tell…they think you’re just teasing her. But do you really think your sister and I don’t know you?
“Ah-Yi, the way you act toward Board Chair Jiang is completely different.
“Take my advice: someone from that kind of family background really isn’t right for you. You two could never last a lifetime. If you like that cold, abstinent type, I can introduce you to—”
Corpse Butcher was an only child and treated her wife’s younger sister as her own. She couldn’t bear to watch her little sister sink into the disaster that was the Jiang family.
Setting aside the fact that the Jiang family backed the President…a faction that was traditionally conservative at best, and utterly rigid and corrupt at worst, holding a political stance completely opposed to the Gu family…the biggest issue was Jiang Yanqing herself.
She had grown up in that exact environment.
How could a woman raised from the womb to be dutiful, submissive, and gentle toward a future husband ever be worthy of their free-spirited, wildly independent Gu Lingyi?
Yet, even as Corpse Butcher spoke those words, Gu Lingyi’s fingers tapped rhythmically against the steering wheel.
Having been married to Gu Lingyi’s eldest sister for years, Corpse Butcher knew exactly what that gesture meant. Gu Lingyi was impatient and didn’t want to listen.
She cut herself off before she even finished the sentence.
“Ah-Yi, the mothers and your sisters have never stopped you from doing anything. If you really want her, just let us make some preparations first, okay? Let’s not make it too sudden.
“Tell me truthfully… do you like Jiang Yanqing or not?
“If you do, we’ll find a way to work together and snatch her over to the Gu family. At most, it’ll just cost us some time and energy.”
Gu Lingyi was the cherished favorite of the entire Gu family, spoiled and doted on like a princess since childhood.
If she said the word, the Gu family would mobilize every resource at their disposal…white, black, or grey…to ensure Jiang Yanqing couldn’t marry anyone other than Gu Lingyi.
The Gu family genuinely possessed that kind of power.
The fingers tapping against the steering wheel maintained their steady rhythm. The woman’s eyes remained closed. Sunlight could barely penetrate the dark tint of the anti-spy windows. Long after Corpse Butcher finished speaking, the inside of the car remained shrouded in complete silence.
It felt as though a long, agonizing stretches of time had drifted past.
Outside the car, from a angle hidden from both members of the Gu family, the very beauty they were discussing stood quietly in the distance.
Her silhouette was nothing short of perfection, yet her slender, swan-like neck was tightly wrapped in a dark green qipao, concealed beneath a high collar.
Amidst the prolonged silence inside the vehicle, Jiang Yanqing heard her own slowly reviving heartbeat.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
One after another, beating with deliberate force.
Sunlight fell softly across her face, her long, delicate eyelashes casting faint shadows that obscured all the emotions hiding in her eyes.
No one knew how much time had passed when a faint rustle came from the top of the sixty-eight stone steps, coinciding with the warm, sultry, and breathtaking voice echoing from inside the car…
“I don’t.”
She said.
“Sister-in-Law, what kind of ghost story are you telling in broad daylight? How could I ever end up with her?”
That newly fluttering heart plunged straight into an abyss, sinking right back into the dark, lightless depths of the endless ravine.