Сhаpter 17: Наuntеd bу Nightmаres
Lu Beiхun skiрped lunсh and went strаight tо thе hоtеl. Аfter rеsting fоr hаlf аn hour, he hаd He Yi reschеdulе the оriginаllу 2 р.m. mеeting tо аn hоur earliеr.
Тhe thrеe-hour-long mеeting wаs shortened bу half. Оncе it еnded, Lu Bеixun didn’t take а brеаk аnd immediatеlу mоvеd on to hаndle оther mattеrs.
Not wanting tо stay hоme alonе, Сеn Wan аskеd Xu Zhi Tang tо takе hеr out for sоme fun.
Xu Zhi Тang brоught hеr tо a bаr, and Cеn Wan reаlizеd thаt her friend’s idea of entertainmеnt sеemed to revоlvе solely аrоund bars.
Well, that was fine too. A few drinks, then straight to bed once she got home—no need to be afraid. Maybe when she opened her eyes, Lu Beixun would already be back.
The bar music was deafening, colored lights swirled, groups of men and women gathered, the air thick with the smell of alcohol, and occasionally, lewd remarks could be heard—decadent and debauched.
Xu Zhi Tang led her to a corner table where the music was slightly quieter, less grating on the ears.
Xu Zhi Tang ordered cocktails and shook her head at her helplessly. “I mean, Miss Cen, Lu Beixun is just on a business trip. He’ll be back tomorrow. Do you really have to be so gloomy about it?”
“A sea queen like you wouldn’t understand,” Cen Wan took a sip of her drink. “But not understanding now doesn’t mean you never will.”
She gave Xu Zhi Tang a meaningful look. “I really want to know what it would be like for Miss Xu Zhi Tang to fall for someone.”
Xu Zhi Tang scoffed dismissively. “I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. The person who could make me fall for them hasn’t been born yet.”
Born into privilege, everyone treated her like a treasure, afraid she’d suffer even the slightest grievance. From birth, she stood at the top, having seen all kinds of men, yet none had ever made their way into her heart.
Of course, many approached her solely for her family’s power and status, and she was well aware of it.
The one who could make her fall would have to treat her as well as her brothers did—spoiling her to the point of lawlessness.
Before long, several men came over to flirt. Cen Wan glanced up at the man raising his glass to her and smiled. “I’m married.”
She lifted her hand, showing the diamond ring on her ring finger.
A look of regret flashed across the man’s face. Knowing she was married, he didn’t press further and left with his glass to find another target.
Meanwhile, Xu Zhi Tang had also turned away several men.
“Miss Cen?”
A familiar voice reached her ears. Cen Wan turned to see Shen Jianyv holding a glass, smiling at her.
Shen Jianyv was the type of woman who could appear both pure and seductive. In daily life, she seemed delicate and fragile, as if a gentle push would knock her over. But now, with heavy makeup and wearing a wine-red halter dress, her figure was fiery and sensual.
Even Cen Wan, with her straight orientation, couldn’t help but stare, momentarily forgetting that the person before her was her love rival.
Xu Zhi Tang nudged her, and she snapped back to reality. “Miss Shen, is there something you need?”
Shen Jianyv smiled, her gaze provocative. “Nothing much. Did Miss Cen come to the bar because Beixun is away on a business trip?”
Cen Wan understood the implication behind Shen Jianyv’s words—she was essentially telling her that she, Shen Jianyv, knew about Lu Beixun’s trip.
Suppressing her anger and resisting the urge to tear this green tea girl apart, Cen Wan racked her brain for a way to turn the tables.
She swirled her glass, then suddenly looked at Shen Jianyv and smiled. “Lu Beixun said you’re really ugly. I think his eyesight is the problem—you’re clearly quite beautiful.”
“Although, compared to me, you’re a bit lacking. But for Lu Beixun to say that is truly a bit too much.”She thought Shen Jianyv would react like the scheming women in TV dramas—either turning pale or directly confronting her. Unexpectedly, Shen Jianyv still wore a smile on her face, neither annoyed nor angry.
Shen Jianyv said, “I may not be as good as Miss Cen, but staying by Beixun’s side is more than enough.”
“Goodbye, Miss Cen.”
After Shen Jianyv left, Cen Wan couldn’t help but exclaim inwardly, “Wow, this girl’s scheming skills are way higher than I imagined.”
“This is so infuriating,” Cen Wan said, taking a gulp of wine.
Xu Zhi Tang asked, “A love rival?”
Cen Wan nodded. “You might not believe it, but I dug this hole for myself.”
She must have been out of her mind back then to do something so stupid and ridiculous.
Xu Zhi Tang seemed skeptical and asked again, “Are you sure she’s a love rival?”
“I’m absolutely sure,” Cen Wan replied. “Didn’t you hear her calling him ‘Beixun’ over and over? Who does she think she’s fooling?”
Cen Wan was already in a bad mood, and running into Shen Jianyv only made things worse. She downed several glasses of wine in a row to suppress her anger.
“I don’t think so,” Xu Zhi Tang shared her thoughts. “When she mentioned Lu Beixun, there was no possessiveness in her eyes, and she didn’t seem hostile toward you either.”
“Love rivals are supposed to be at each other’s throats, but I didn’t see that in her. I think she was just here to annoy you.”
Xu Zhi Tang’s words left Cen Wan confused. “Is she crazy? Why would she come here just to annoy me?”
“Well, you annoyed her too, so it’s even. Don’t be angry anymore.”
Cen Wan let out a resentful “hmph” and glared at her discontentedly. “Xu Zhi Tang, whose side are you on? You’re defending her.”
Xu Zhi Tang: “…”
She patted Cen Wan’s shoulder. “I’m on your side. I’ll go confront that scheming girl right now.”
With that, Xu Zhi Tang made to leave but was stopped by Cen Wan. “Alright, enough with the act. We’re just plastic sisters.”
As long as Shen Jianyv wasn’t trying to steal Lu Beixun from her, Cen Wan didn’t dislike her.
When they left the bar, Cen Wan was heavily drunk. Xu Zhi Tang helped her into the car, and the driver took her away.
By the time she returned to the Lu residence, it was already 7 p.m. She skipped dinner and went straight to her room, grabbing her pajamas before heading to the bathroom. A hot shower washed away some of the drunkenness, making her feel much more comfortable.
After stepping out of the bathroom, she lay on the bed, picked up her phone, and called Lu Beixun. She wondered if he was busy and whether he had eaten dinner yet.
She pressed the call button, but his phone was turned off. He was probably too busy, and his phone had run out of battery. Cen Wan felt an emptiness in her heart—she missed him so much, but what could she do…
Half an hour later, Cen Wan started feeling drowsy. Before falling asleep, she tried calling him again, but his phone was still off.
Feeling disheartened, she turned her phone’s ringtone to the maximum volume before going to sleep. She was afraid that if Lu Beixun saw her missed calls and tried to call back, she might sleep too deeply to hear it.
From the beginning, her sleep was restless, and soon, nightmares took over.
In her dream, Cen Wan was trapped in endless darkness, with a voice repeating over and over, “Lu Beixun is gone. He doesn’t want you anymore.”
“Lu Beixun is gone. He doesn’t want you anymore.”
“…”
It kept repeating.
She crouched down, hugging her head, and murmured repeatedly, “He hasn’t abandoned me.”
“He hasn’t abandoned me.”
“You’re lying! You’re a liar!”
“He wouldn’t abandon me!” This last sentence she screamed out.That unknown voice faded, and she emerged from the darkness, transitioning to another scene—the Lu residence.
She entered the Lu residence, where a funeral was being held inside.