Jiang Zhuo walked into the secret chamber with an expressionless face.
After he entered, the door of the secret chamber slowly closed automatically until it returned to its original state.
A single snake had already frightened Cheng Sisi to such an extent. If she were to enter this secret chamber and see the scene inside, she would probably faint on the spot.
Because inside, there were hundreds of bottles of various sizes, all containing animal corpses preserved in formalin.
There were eyes, ears, tails, and various internal organs.
Among them, snakes, scorpions, and spiders accounted for the majority, clearly indicating his greatest interest in highly toxic creatures.
Or perhaps these venomous creatures represented him, signifying that he himself was a thoroughly poisonous being!
Besides the dead animals, there were also living ones inside the secret chamber.
The hissing of snakes rose and fell continuously!
Jiang Zhuo passed by these bottles and jars one by one, his gaze filled with appreciation. But only he himself knew that his desire to appreciate these things had diminished significantly today.
Because he already had something else he wanted to possess and admire even more.
That was Cheng Sisi!
With waning interest, he turned and walked toward a transparent glass box. Inside lay a snake identical to the one that had appeared in Cheng Sisi’s room earlier, except one was large and the other small.
He placed his hand on the lid of the box, gently stroking it.
Imagining he was caressing Cheng Sisi’s body!
Her tears, her trembling—they could catalyze the deepest desires hidden within his heart.
Perhaps even he hadn’t expected that he would fall in love with Cheng Sisi at first sight. It was just that when he looked into her eyes, he unknowingly became intrigued.
But what also irritated him was Cheng Sisi’s feelings for Jiang Si.
Thinking of this, his face darkened!
He reached out, took a bottle of sulfuric acid from the table, opened the snake box, and poured the entire bottle of sulfuric acid inside.
Watching the black snake writhe in agony, his eyes gleamed with the pleasure of venting his anger.
Only when the snake no longer moved did he take a long pair of tweezers, pick up the black snake, and toss it into an empty bottle nearby.
The next day.
Cheng Sisi woke up early. When she opened her bedroom door, she was nearly scared out of her wits by the person standing stiffly outside.
“Jiang Xin, are you standing here just to scare me?”
“No!” Jiang Xin shook her head. “I’m standing here specifically to wait for you to wake up and apologize to you!”
Before Cheng Sisi could speak, Jiang Xin grabbed her arm and said with a pained expression, “I’m sorry, Sisi. Last night, I was taking a shower and didn’t hear anything. This morning, when I saw my brother had called someone to clean the flower beds and lawn downstairs and they caught a snake, I finally found out what happened.”
Cheng Sisi took a step back and pulled her hand away.
She pouted slightly, showing her inner grievance. “I’ll assume you really were in the shower and didn’t hear anything, but why did you lock the door?”
“Locking the door…” Jiang Xin took a deep breath and explained, “It’s because my eldest brother scolded me. He blamed me for only caring about my own phone call and not looking after you. I didn’t want to listen to his nagging, so in a fit of anger, I locked the door.”
“But he said he had already arranged another room for you and that you had gone to rest. Knowing I was in the wrong, I didn’t dare disturb you again, so I went to sleep after my shower.”
As she spoke, she clung to Cheng Sisi again, hugging her. “I was wrong, okay? I didn’t mean to.”
“You said the same thing last night!”
“I’m sorry, okay? There won’t be a next time. Don’t be angry anymore. If you wake up angry, you won’t look pretty all day today, and today is our first day of internship.”
“…”
Jiang Xin’s skill at coaxing and pleading was truly formidable. Cheng Sisi could never find a way to deal with her.
When they went downstairs, Jiang Zhuo was already having breakfast.
Cheng Sisi wore a white maxi dress today, with a round neckline that reached just above her chest, adorned with a bit of lace trim. The slightly puffed bubble sleeves added a touch of cuteness, making her look fresh and vibrant.
She pulled out a chair and sat across from Jiang Zhuo, smiling at him. “Good morning, Brother Jiang Zhuo!”
“Good morning!” Jiang Zhuo replied with a gentle smile. “Did you sleep well last night?”
“I slept very well, thank you, Brother Jiang Zhuo.”
“That’s good. Let’s eat!”
The housekeeper quickly brought breakfast for Cheng Sisi and Jiang Xin. However, Jiang Xin sat to the side, pouting and looking unhappy. Especially after Jiang Zhuo glanced at her and then nonchalantly looked away, she grew even more displeased.
“Brother, why didn’t you say good morning to me? You only said it to Sisi?”
Although it sounded like jealous reproach, everyone could tell she was joking.
Jiang Zhuo looked at her again, frowning. “Do you even have the face to ask?”
Hearing this, Jiang Xin pinched her own cheek and retorted, “Isn’t my face right here? Sisi has already forgiven me, and you’re still angry with me!”
“You…”
A phone ringtone interrupted Jiang Zhuo’s words.
Both of them turned to look at Cheng Sisi, who was very embarrassed as she reached for the canvas bag behind her chair, pulled out her phone, and saw an unfamiliar number. Still, she answered it.
The voice on the phone was gentle, but the words spoken struck Cheng Sisi like a blow to the head.
After hanging up, she seemed somewhat dazed.
“What’s wrong?”
Jiang Xin grabbed her hand worriedly, and Cheng Sisi immediately teared up.
“Xinxin!” She turned to look at Jiang Xin, her voice filled with helplessness. “It was the HR department of Shengyu Advertising Company. They said… they said…”
“Don’t cry, what did they say?”
“They said I don’t need to go to work!”
Jiang Xin froze, furrowing her brows. “What do you mean? What do you mean you don’t need to go to work?”
“They said the company still needs to screen the candidates who passed the interview yesterday and unanimously decided that, comparatively, I was the weakest, so I don’t need to intern there.”
As she spoke, Cheng Sisi’s tears began to fall.
“How can they do that? Why didn’t they make it clear yesterday?!”
Jiang Xin was furious and slammed her chopsticks down forcefully.
“Yesterday, they clearly agreed that both of us would go to the company for the internship today. What does it mean to change their minds at the last minute? And didn’t they praise your design draft highly yesterday? They didn’t praise me like that at all. Even if someone had to be cut, it should have been me, not…”
Halfway through her sentence, she paused.
Then she turned to look at Jiang Zhuo, as if suddenly understanding something.
“Could it be that they found out I’m the sister of the president of Jiangshi Group, so they gave me special treatment?”
The more she thought about it, the more Jiang Xin felt this was exactly what had happened.
“I’m not going either!” she immediately threw a tantrum, leaning back in defeat. “What a lousy company, they’re way too much. Sisi, don’t worry, I won’t go either! At worst, we can look for jobs again. It’s not like they’re the only advertising company in the world!”
“No way!”
Cheng Sisi repeatedly waved her hands, rejecting the idea. “You can’t not go. This company was our first choice from the start. If you can get in, go with confidence. If this one doesn’t work out, I can still try others. I don’t want you to give up this opportunity for me.”
“But…”
Jiang Xin found it hard to explain. She knew Cheng Sisi’s temperament—if she really gave up this job opportunity for her, Cheng Sisi would feel guilty and would rather never work again.
In the end, she chose to turn to Jiang Zhuo.
“Brother, do you have any ideas?”