Chapter 10: Greed

Lin Wanbai’s hands were useless; she couldn’t hold or touch anything, so she could only sit idly. However, the young attendant here was exceedingly attentive, feeding her wine and fruit, massaging her shoulders, pounding her back. Upon seeing her injured hand, he nearly burst into tears right in front of her, his eyes brimming with sympathy. His performance was thorough, but blatantly false—and somewhat effeminate, with an endless stream of words.

After taking a sip of wine, she interrupted him, “Let your mouth rest for a bit.”

She had expected someone with his looks to be aloof and cool, but was surprised by his affected manner.

Liang Zhixia noticed her frowning, came over, promptly dismissed the two attendants, hooked an arm around Wanbai’s shoulders, and sat beside her. “Look at what you’re wearing. You’re here to have fun, not to recite scriptures.”

“What’s wrong with it? I can attract people just as I am. You, on the other hand, rely on your clothes, while I do the opposite.”

Liang Zhixia clicked her tongue and pouted. “Go ahead, try it. Don’t give your name—let’s see how many you can actually attract.”

Lin Wanbai refused to play along, staying slouched on the sofa, lazy and utterly uninterested.

“You were quite lively just now; what’s gotten into you?”

“My hand hurts.”

“More like your heart hurts.”

Lin Wanbai turned her head toward her. “You lied to me. You call that a handsome guy? The surgical traces were so obvious, and he was so fake. I nearly threw up.”

“So, what type do you want?”

She pondered, but Liang Zhixia answered for her, “Someone like Fu Juxing—ideally, exactly like him, am I right?”

Lin Wanbai raised her brows, staring at her impassively.

Liang Zhixia said, “You’re greedy. At first, you said having him was enough, now you want his heart too?”

“Isn’t it allowed?” she retorted. First you get the man, then the heart—isn’t that the usual order? “I’ve been simmering this frog for long enough. It’s time to see how well-done he is. Also, the private detective you introduced—can he be trusted? He claimed he found nothing, then spent ages praising me on the phone. If he weren’t your dog, I wouldn’t believe him.”

“Huh? I think he’s just flattering you,” Liang Zhixia assessed.

Lin Wanbai scratched the back of her hand, conceding it might be true. “I’ll hire someone else to check.”

“What do you actually want? If the top investigator can’t find anything, and others say there’s no issue, you still won’t believe it. I say you’ve got problems—maybe he’s done nothing at all.”

“I saw the text message,” Lin Wanbai replied. Seeing is believing, and the message was very suggestive.

“But have you considered why you saw that message? If Fu Juxing was really hiding something, would you have found it so easily?”

Her words made sense; after all, rumors don’t arise from nothing. Perhaps it was just chance that Wanbai saw it.

“Keep checking. I can afford it. The best outcome is nothing.”

“And if there is something? Will you divorce him?”

Lin Wanbai thought for a moment. “I’ll drag that woman out and beat her first, then divorce him.”

Liang Zhixia scoffed. With Wanbai’s obsession with Fu Juxing, even if she ruined him, she wouldn’t actually leave.

“You’re seriously ill. You’re a cultured, well-educated young lady, but your methods are hardly refined.”

“Discussing education and refinement with a mistress? That would be insane.” She pointed at the cocktail on the table, signaling a change of subject. “I want that.”

Liang Zhixia was about to fetch it when a fashion show began on the stage. Her eyes lit up as she grabbed Wanbai’s hand. “Don’t just sit there—the real show’s starting!”

Their seats were VIP, directly in front of the stage, offering a clear view.

The surrounding lights dimmed, and all spotlights focused on the runway. As music began, handsome male models strode out one after another.

...

Outside Hui’an.

Fu Juxing walked alone down a street, entering a twenty-four-hour convenience store—the only one in the area.

He grabbed a bottle of water, and while paying, received a message.

He opened it—a photo of Lin Wanbai being pulled onto the stage by four tall, muscular men.