A drowsy Xie Muchen glanced again at the caller ID and time on his phone, letting out a frustrated laugh.
“Miss Tao, if you want to talk to someone, you should call their personal phone. That’s common sense.”
There was a brief silence on the other end. “He isn’t answering.”
Then she added, “I heard you two are together. Sorry, but I have something urgent to discuss with him.”
Xie Muchen: “…There’s a big difference between ‘together’ and ‘sleeping together.’ Never mind, just tell me. I’ll pass it on to him later.”
The line went quiet again.
After a long pause, the woman’s voice sounded dejected. “I want to tell him myself.”
This was followed by a fit of heart-wrenching coughs.
Xie Muchen felt a headache coming on.
Tao Wangxi had grown up with them. Though they weren’t exactly close childhood friends, there was still a certain level of familiarity and courtesy between them.
She had always been frail, and as children, the adults had often reminded them to take care of their little sister. They had grown accustomed to looking out for her.
Now, with her pitiful tone and those violent coughs…
Xie Muchen threw off the covers, irritably grabbing his glasses from the nightstand. “Alright, alright, I’ll go check on him for you.”
“Thank you.”
…
The two houses were next to each other, and they all knew each other’s passcodes. Xie Muchen easily made his way to the second-floor master bedroom and knocked.
He had assumed that at this hour, the person inside would still be asleep.
But when the door opened from within, he was met with Ling Jue, whose robe was wide open, revealing red scratch and bite marks. His face was dark and stormy, clearly having been up to no good just moments before.
Xie Muchen instinctively checked the time again—it was indeed 7 a.m.
“Damn! You animal!” he blurted out.
Ling Jue’s eyes narrowed, his tone icy. “You’d better have an urgent reason for this.”
Xie Muchen waved his phone. “Relax, I’m just the messenger.”
…
Five minutes later.
Ling Jue returned from taking the call and tossed the phone back to Xie Muchen.
“Let Zhong Mingzhou go.”
Zhong Mingzhou had already been sent to the police station the previous night.
Xie Muchen raised an eyebrow. Had Tao Wangxi really managed to persuade Ling Jue?
He gestured toward the closed bedroom door with his chin. “Aren’t you afraid the one inside will be angry?”
Ling Jue replied, “Letting him go doesn’t mean letting him off.”
Xie Muchen: “…”
You really know how to play with words.
As Ling Jue immediately turned to head back into the room, Xie Muchen clicked his tongue. “Take it easy, or you’ll exhaust yourself.”
Ling Jue glanced back at him. “There’s nothing to discuss with a man who’s unsatisfied.”
Xie Muchen, who had spent the night alone: “…”
He had lost count of how many times he’d been left speechless since this morning.
Damn it, he really owed these people!
…
Xie Muchen left with a scowl.
Back in the room, Qin Shuyi, who had been woken first by the phone call and then by Ling Jue’s antics, sensed his return in her drowsy state. She mumbled with her eyes closed, “Who was it?”
Ling Jue tucked her bare legs back under the covers and kissed her cheek. “Xie Muchen. He had nothing better to do, so he played messenger.”
Qin Shuyi nuzzled into the pillow. “What did he say?”
“Tao Wangxi doesn’t want Zhong Mingzhou to go to jail.”
Qin Shuyi opened her eyes.
Ling Jue smoothed the hair that had fallen across her cheek during sleep. “I agreed.”
She remained silent.
Ling Jue continued, “I promised Tao Wangxi before that I’d help her with one thing. The Zhong Family will double their compensation to Tang Wei and will also give her a major film production. Zhong Mingzhou will be sent abroad.”
Aside from avoiding jail time, this punishment was far from light for Zhong Mingzhou.
Of course, the reason Ling Jue agreed so readily, aside from offsetting a favor owed to Tao Wangxi, was because Zhong Mingzhou had injured Tang Wei, while Qin Shuyi was the one who had courageously intervened and beaten him up instead.
Zhong Mingzhou should be grateful that last night's alcohol hadn't completely washed away his subconscious fear of Ling Jue.
If it had been Qin Shuyi who was injured, today's matter would never have ended so peacefully.
However, Ling Jue didn't offer any further explanation.
Qin Shuyi then yawned and closed her eyes again. "Since you've already made up your mind, let it be. Tang Wei will be very happy."
With Ling Jue stepping in, her safety would be guaranteed, and she would also receive more money and resources—a much better deal for her.
If Tang Wei were here, she would certainly agree.
Venting anger couldn't compare to tangible benefits.
Ling Jue smiled and gently tapped her nose. "Why are you being so obedient?"
He had always said that Qin Shuyi was smart and wouldn't throw a tantrum over trivial matters, as Xie Muchen had suggested.
Qin Shuyi buried her face in his chest, offering no response, and continued to sleep.
She didn't make a fuss because she knew this was Ling Jue's calculated choice, and whether she objected or not would make no difference.
Ling Jue had already reached an agreement with Tao Wangxi. At this point, he was informing her, not consulting her.
Why trouble herself with matters she had no say in?
Besides, the outcome wasn't too bad, was it?
…
After the incident with Zhong Mingzhou, the way everyone looked at Qin Shuyi the next day had changed.
Everyone knew that Jue Ye's anger wasn't because of Tang Wei, the "old flame," but because Qin Shuyi, the "new favorite," was involved.
After all, they had witnessed the terrifying aura that emanated from Jue Ye after he received that distress call yesterday.
Some whispered enviously, "Even if he dotes on her like this, she still hasn't entered the Ling Family's doors."
Others chimed in, "Exactly. Zhong Mingzhou was released too. I heard the Tao Family intervened. It seems the so-called 'true love' isn't as valuable as Miss Tao, the childhood sweetheart who's far away abroad."
People were like this: if Ling Jue were to marry Tao Wangxi or some other wealthy heiress, they wouldn't feel as resentful, knowing it was a circle they could never reach.
But Qin Shuyi, who came from an ordinary background—even less privileged than some favored children of wealthy families—climbing up to the Crown Prince made them feel indignant.
Ji Xiuheng didn't look for Xia Zhiyue in the morning, so she sat bored in the beach lounge area playing on her phone, overhearing all the complaints.
She looked at the speakers with a half-smile. "If you dislike Miss Qin so much, why don't you say it in front of Jue Ye?"
Those people glanced at her warily. "Xia Zhiyue, what nonsense are you talking? How could we dislike her? We're just stating facts."
Another person added sarcastically, "You're the one who isn't opportunistic. You defend her so fiercely, but isn't it also because of her status as Jue Ye's girlfriend?"
Xia Zhiyue snorted coldly. "At least I'm better than those who flatter her to her face but gossip behind her back."
"What are you all talking about?"
Ji Xiuheng walked over from a distance and immediately sensed the tense atmosphere.
The group hesitated, not daring to speak.
Ji Xiuheng wasn't known for his good temper either. If he found out they were gossiping about Ling Jue's girlfriend behind his back, they wouldn't fare well either.
Ji Xiuheng glanced at these evasive individuals.
If it weren't for this vacation, most of these people wouldn't even be qualified to speak to him.
He had no intention of playing the righteous mediator or getting involved in their petty squabbles.
He just looked at Xia Zhiyue, "Jue Ye has something to do tomorrow afternoon, so he needs to head back early today to handle work. Xie Muchen and I will return with him. Do you want to go back or stay here and have fun?"
Xia Zhiyue immediately declared, "I'll go with you."
With the sponsor gone, why would she stay here and continue bickering with them?
Watching Xia Zhiyue leave triumphantly with Young Master Ji, someone in the crowd curled their lips downward.
Among the crowd, someone who had Tao Wangxi as a WeChat friend suddenly remembered.
"Tomorrow afternoon? Isn't Tao Wangxi returning to the country tomorrow afternoon?"
She had seen the flight time Tao Wangxi posted on her Moments.
So Jue Ye was rushing back to prepare for picking her up at the airport?
A few people exchanged glances and laughed with schadenfreude.
Xia Zhiyue would soon realize she had backed the wrong horse.