After discovering the startling size of his new brother's endowment, Xiang Ri bid her farewell. Naturally, he wasn't foolish enough to buy anything himself, instead enlisting a female Black bodyguard for the task while discreetly probing for information.
"Mr. Xiang, you were looking for me?" The female bodyguard regarded the unexpected visitor with a hint of surprise.
"Indeed. You're aware of the prince who arrived yesterday, aren't you? Could you tell me where he's staying?" Xiang Ri's plan was clear—eliminate the threat—so locating the target's residence was his first step.
"Do you mean Prince Salks?" she asked, her face reflecting slight confusion.
"That's right, him." Xiang Ri had actually forgotten the clown prince's name, recalling only the "S" sound. Hearing her address confirmed it.
"Forgive my impertinence," she said, bowing slightly. "But I must caution you—getting too close to His Highness may not be wise. He is far from a good man."
"Of course! I have no intention of getting close. I simply have a matter to settle with him." Xiang Ri's smile was cold, devoid of warmth.
"A matter to settle?" she echoed, her surprise giving way to understanding. "Would you like our assistance, Mr. Xiang? You know, His Highness is not an easy person to deal with."
"That won't be necessary. When I go to settle accounts, he won't dare refuse." Xiang Ri's tone was laced with a chilling menace that sent shivers down her spine.
Recalling the power he displayed when he punched through walls, the bodyguard wisely refrained from arguing further. "Prince Salks is staying near Luxembourg Park," she informed him.
"Thank you, Miss Susan. However, I have one more favor to ask of you." Xiang Ri's demeanor turned polite and refined.
"Please, go ahead, sir."
"You see, my lover is in need of fresh lingerie. Could I trouble you to purchase some for her? Here are her measurements." He handed her a slip of paper he had prepared.
The bodyguard blinked, momentarily taken aback, but quickly regained her composure. A subtle, knowing smirk lingered on her face as she accepted the note. "Certainly, Mr. Xiang," she replied, turning to leave.
"Wait." Xiang Ri stopped her. "I haven't given you the money."
"That won't be necessary, Mr. Xiang. As Her Majesty's guest, all your needs will be covered by the estate."
"How generous of Her Majesty," Xiang Ri said, rubbing his hands together mischievously. Leaning in close, he added with a wicked grin, "Miss Susan, if possible, include a set of something special—perhaps fully transparent?"
His grin widened devilishly. *Brother, don't blame me for being unbrotherly. With such allure, one cannot resist the chance to keep the riches within the family.*
The bodyguard merely nodded, her expression one of quiet understanding.
---
At 88 True Dragon Villa, Beihai City, within a bright and spotless bedroom, Chuchu leaned against the bed, her tear-streaked face betraying her sorrow. Not far from her sat Shiqing, staring blankly into space.
"Qing-jie, do you think Xiang Kui doesn't want me anymore?" Chuchu's voice quivered as grief overtook her.
"How could that be? The teacher loves you deeply," Shiqing murmured, gently pulling her into an embrace, stroking her hair in quiet comfort.
"Then why does he call someone else his wife? Why hasn't he come to find me all this time?" Chuchu's tears fell harder, her heart wrenching at the memory of the scene she had witnessed.
Shiqing sighed deeply. *Teacher, oh teacher, why can't you remain faithful?* Yet a pang of guilt seized her heart. *But if he were faithful, what would become of me?*
"Actually, I know you like Xiang Kui too, don't you?" Chuchu's sudden words startled Shiqing.
Her body stiffened, her gaze complicated as she looked at the younger girl in her arms. "Chuchu, you…"
"You want to know how I figured it out, don't you?" Chuchu wiped her tears, her tone a mix of desolation and inexplicable bitterness. "That day, when you were showering, I knew he was inside with you. You said you slipped and fell, but…"
"Chuchu, I'm sorry," Shiqing whispered, guilt weighing heavily on her. She hadn't realized her younger companion had known all along, masking her pain behind forced smiles.
"Qing-jie, if it were a man you hated, would you cover for him?" Chuchu suddenly asked.
"I…" Shiqing was at a loss for words. In truth, she couldn't refute it, for she had indeed fallen for their beastly teacher.
"Actually, Qing-jie, I don't blame you, you know? At first, I was heartbroken for a while, but then I thought, if both you and I married Xiang Kui, we could live together forever." Chuchu spoke with a childlike innocence, her face glowing with longing.
"Thank you!" Shiqing felt a sudden urge to cry, tightening her embrace around the younger girl. Her junior was so pure, yet she had deceived her.
"Qing-jie, since yesterday afternoon, I've noticed you often seem lost in thought. Are you hiding something from me?" Chuchu tilted her head and asked.
"I..." Shiqing hesitated for a long moment before gritting her teeth and confessing, "The teacher has gone abroad."
"Abroad?" Chuchu's face turned ashen, her gaze hollowing out as she murmured, "He's abandoned me... he doesn't want me anymore..."
"Chuchu, what's wrong?" Shiqing noticed her junior's strange behavior and shook her urgently.
"He doesn't want me anymore..." Chuchu's body went limp, like a rag doll, yielding to Shiqing's frantic movements.
"Chuchu, don't scare me! Chuchu!" Tears streamed down Shiqing's face, blurring her vision. "Listen to me, the teacher will come back. He will return..."
"Return?" Perhaps it was these words that revived her, for Chuchu suddenly clutched Shiqing's arm tightly. "Qing-jie, you're not lying to me, are you? He will definitely come back, won't he?"
"Yes, the teacher said he'd be back in a few days. Maybe on Monday, we'll see him at school."
"Monday? Is it Monday? What day is it today? Is today Monday?" Chuchu asked in a frenzy. "Ah, yes, I need to go to school! I need to see him!" She struggled free from Shiqing's arms, trying to get out of bed, but Shiqing held her tightly and rasped, "Chuchu, Chuchu, wake up. Today is Saturday..."
"Saturday?" Chuchu's body froze. "Then he really doesn't want me... doesn't want me anymore..." With that, she collapsed into Shiqing's arms once more.
"No, Chuchu, the teacher would never abandon you. If you don't believe me, call him. You'll see."
"Call him? Yes, I need to call him." Chuchu struggled to get up and search for her phone, but her mind was blank, incapable of finding it. Holding back her own tears, Shiqing handed her the phone and dialed the number saved as "Hate You Forever."
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city, someone else was deeply "concerned" about another.
"Damn it!" Ren Yun viciously sank her teeth into the drumstick in her hand.
"That's a chicken leg, not Xiao Xiang. Don't mistake one for the other," her mother reminded her.
"Mom, stop bringing up that ungrateful bastard!" Ren Yun took another savage bite, as if tearing into not the chicken but the flesh of the very man she cursed.
Ren Yun was seething—not only because she had confidently promised her mother yesterday that she'd bring someone home, only to be stood up today, but also because she had made plans with him beforehand, yet he still had the audacity to flake on her.
"Come now," her mother consoled, "Xiao Xiang probably had something important to take care of. Don't take it to heart. He seems like an honest young man. If it weren't something pressing, he wouldn't have broken his word."
"What could possibly be more important than my invitation? He'd better hope I don't run into him at school. If I do, I'll beat him every time I see him..."
"Enough!" Ren's mother erupted in anger at her daughter's words. "Look at yourself—what kind of behavior is this? A young lady talking about fighting and violence? Let me tell you, Xiao Xiang is the son-in-law I've chosen. If you scare him away, I won't forgive you!"
"Mom, how can you say that? Do you care more about someone else than your own daughter?" Ren Yun's face was filled with grievance, yet the misunderstanding had already taken root.
If she tried to explain herself now, her mother would undoubtedly accuse her of harboring resentment toward someone and wanting to "shift her affections," possibly even threatening to sever their mother-daughter relationship. After all, for reasons beyond her understanding, that infuriating man had somehow won her mother's favor so thoroughly.
"In my eyes, a son-in-law is the closest family!" Ren's mother declared resolutely, ignoring the increasing look of hurt on her daughter's face. However, a flicker of impatience crossed her mind. By all rights, Xiao Xiang wouldn't fail to show up after agreeing to come. Even if something important came up, he should've at least sent word. But now, there wasn't a single response. Could it be...?
She turned to her daughter suddenly. "Yun-yun, what exactly did you say to Xiao Xiang yesterday?"
Ren Yun, in the midst of silently cursing a certain someone, reflexively answered, "I just said that if he didn't come tomorrow, I would let him..." Her voice faltered abruptly as she realized what she was about to reveal. Fully aware of the consequences of her mother's impending fury, she quickly muttered, "I've had enough to eat. I'm going to my room to study," and attempted to slip away.
"Stop right there!" Sure enough, Ren's mother's anger flared. Although she didn't know exactly what her daughter had left unsaid, the threatening tone earlier was enough to deduce it couldn't have been anything good.
No wonder Xiao Xiang hadn't shown up yet—it must be because her daughter had provoked him. Even the most patient and magnanimous man wouldn't tolerate being repeatedly antagonized by a young woman.
"Are you trying to drive me to my grave?"