Old Qin was being supported by others as he angrily scolded, “If you refuse to marry into the Lu family today, then you should never step foot into my Qin Family’s door again!”
Qin Yunshen pushed away Lu Qinghe in front of him and rushed straight off the stage. “Grandpa, please take care of your health. My matters do not require your concern.”
He grabbed Cong Shuang’s hand and walked out of the banquet, leaving Lu Qinghe alone on stage to endure the crowd’s remarks.
A farce thus came to an end.
Bai Shusu lifted her dress and went to look for Bai Chenlan, but Cui Mu stopped her. “Miss Bai, sir has invited you to the second floor.”
What was supposed to come had still come.
Bai Shusu nodded at him and let him lead the way. She sent a message to Bai Chenlan, lying that she had left early to go find Lu Xiaoxiao to play.
Bai Chenlan, after seeing the message, did not say anything either. As long as she was not entangled with that Qin Family boy, it was fine.
【Be careful.】
Bai Shusu replied: 【Well-behaved (⊙o⊙)】
Everyone had already dispersed. In the second-floor corridor, black-clothed men stood in two rows.
Cui Mu stopped in front of a sandalwood door and knocked three times before pushing it open—
What met her eyes was dim lighting shrouded in darkness. Floor-to-ceiling curtains blocked out everything tightly. The floor was wooden. This house was the Fu Family Old Mansion, antique in style and extremely valuable.
A man stood with his back to her. His suit jacket had been taken off and was draped over the sofa. His white shirt was neatly pressed, and his tall figure made him pleasing to the eye no matter where he sat.
She walked toward him step by step, each step echoing on the floor.
She sat down in front of him. Someone poured tea for her. The person who came was a woman—very beautiful, with dignified features and a well-proportioned figure.
Feeling a burning gaze, she looked up and met his handsome face.
He reclined halfway on the sofa, his long legs occupying the space up to the tea table, only about two steps away from her.
Most of the people in the room had already left.
The fewer the people, the heavier the invisible pressure she felt.
“Mr. Qin should give me the antidote now.”
For a moment, the room fell silent. “No rush.”
The man let out a soft chuckle. The mechanical watch on his wrist ticked steadily.
“I’ve always been curious about Miss Bai’s changes. Does losing one’s memory really change a person’s temperament this much?”
His casual probing, under that cold scrutinizing gaze, made Bai Shusu instantly feel as though he had truly seen through something.
Her small face lost its color.
She steadied her voice. “Why wouldn’t it?”
Another faint laugh. “Then can Miss Bai tell me how she knew Lu Qinghe? I remember you were supposed to have lost your memory. Yet tonight, when she appeared, you didn’t seem surprised at all.”
Bai Shusu was momentarily speechless, as if a large hand had gripped her chin, leaving her unable to speak.
She finally understood why he had made her see the photo—it was to test whether she truly knew everything in advance. If she really had amnesia, she should have been shocked by Lu Qinghe’s appearance. Her expression had betrayed her. Everything had been a trap designed to force her into revealing a flaw.
……
“It’s as if you already knew everything that would happen tonight.”
At times, she even suspected Qin Jindu might not be a character in a novel at all. He was like someone who could read minds, peeling her open layer by layer.
“I’ve long had a feeling that everything, no matter what it is, seems arranged in advance. It cannot be changed. Everything will eventually be corrected back onto its original track.”
Qin Jindu raised his brows, watching her panic as though everything were already under control. “But your appearance gave me a great surprise.”
On the night at the harbor, the traitor who had been captured finally died in front of him. He had caught him countless times before, yet each time the man had escaped. Every time, it had been unexpectedly difficult.
He still remembered that night clearly—her intrusion had made everything seem as though it returned to its proper track…
Because of her appearance, he did not kill her.
“Will you be that variable?”
“Bai Shusu, will you be my variable?”
She saw something in his eyes moving toward her—
Slowly devouring her.
This time, Bai Shusu felt as if she had truly died once. She did not know whether the situation had developed into something good or bad.
She had now truly felt Qin Jindu’s terror.
She chose to return to her apartment. She could no longer pretend and face Bai Chenlan.
Accompanying her was a woman named Yu Yi, someone from Qin Jindu’s side. She had also been present at the scene earlier. Qin Jindu did not avoid her, so he likely trusted her deeply.
She had been sent by Qin Jindu to monitor her. It was said to be protection, but it was clearly blatant surveillance.
However, the antidote was now in her hands. What was originally once a week had become once a day.
For the sake of survival, she had yielded.
Forget it. Even if Qin Jindu had seen through something, as long as he did not intend to take her life now, she would just lie flat and accept it. She would struggle to survive until the female lead returned.
After arriving at the apartment, Bai Shusu assigned Yu Yi an identity, making her her personal bodyguard. Yu Yi was beautiful, and her figure was also very alluring.
It seemed she was not at a loss—though Beibei would probably be furious if she found out.
“Eldest Miss, how can you let someone of unknown origin stay by your side!”
Beibei stood with her hands on her hips, blocking Yu Yi from entering.
Bai Shusu pulled her aside and began making things up. “Beibei, Sister Yi and I just clicked. Plus, she’s skilled. When I go out, having her with me is a guarantee of safety, isn’t it?”
Beibei frowned. “Then just hire more bodyguards.”
“Uh… do you think in dramas, when rich young ladies get kidnapped, isn’t it usually in places like bathrooms or other private spaces?”
Beibei nodded.
“So even if you hire more bodyguards, it won’t help, right?”
Beibei nodded again. That made sense.
“With Sister Yi, everything is solved. No need to hire anyone else. She can take on ten people alone!”
After all, she was Qin Jindu’s trusted aide—her skills must be exceptional.
Yu Yi listened to her chatter, the corners of her lips curling slightly. This Miss Bai was quite interesting.
“Then how do you prove you won’t harm our Miss?” Beibei still remained uneasy.
Yu Yi took out a brocade box in front of Bai Shusu. “Inside this is a mother-and-child Gu worm. Miss can keep one on me and keep the other with yourself. If one day I intend to harm Miss, you can destroy it, and I will die as well.”
Bai Shusu froze. She had not expected something like this to really exist.
“No need for that,” she said. She believed Yu Yi would not harm her—and she also disliked the feeling of having her fate controlled by someone else…
She was not that Qin Jindu bastard!!!
“Who knows if what you’re saying is true…” Beibei’s tone had already weakened.
“Oh, from now on we’re all family,” Bai Shusu said, linking arms with her and pulling her inside while gesturing for Yu Yi to follow.
Beibei still felt it was improper, but Bai Shusu pushed her toward preparing a midnight snack instead.
She smoothly guided her into accepting Yu Yi’s presence.
Yu Yi followed behind her, her gaze toward Bai Shusu gentle.