Chapter 39: The Ex Rises from the Dead

Li Nanyue gripped the doorknob and pushed down, only to find it was locked.

He let out a dark laugh, turned around, and went into the study to get the keys.

Watching him take out the keys through the surveillance footage, Zhou Shuyu felt her legs go weak with terror.

Li Nanyue inserted the key into the lock. In the next second, the smoke alarms throughout the entire villa began to blare.

He snapped his head up, a flash of panic crossing his expression.

Damn it!

Li Nanyue was livid, regretting that he hadn't acted sooner!

Unwilling to give up, he turned to leave.

Arriving at the villa entrance, Li Nanyue saw two police cars driving toward him.

His expression shifted slightly, and a sense of unease rose in his heart.

Did Zhou Shuyu call the police?

Li Nanyue quickly got into his car. Just as he started the engine, a gunshot rang out abruptly.

After firing a shot into the air, Zhang Dongye aimed his gun at him and warned, "Li Nanyue, get out of the car!"

Li Nanyue glanced through the rearview mirror and drove recklessly, disregarding everything.

*Bang—*

Zhang Dongye shot out his car's front tire and roared, "Get out of the car!"

Li Nanyue slammed his hands against the steering wheel violently, his face twisted in a hideous grimace.

Zhou Shuyu switched the surveillance feed to the villa entrance. Seeing Li Nanyue being apprehended, her stiff body suddenly went limp, and she collapsed helplessly onto the floor.

She felt as though she had survived a brush with death.

Her trembling voice was thick with tears: "Miss Jiang, I'm safe. Thank you..."

Hearing through the phone that Zhou Shuyu was safe, Jiang Yuan's tense nerves instantly relaxed. "It's good that you're okay. I'll hang up now."

The birds grew tense along with her, only lowering their heads to continue their midnight snack once she hung up.

Having saved a life, Jiang Yuan felt an inexplicable sense of accomplishment.

【System 009: Congratulations on completing the hidden mission. Rewards obtained: Insect Dictionary, 200 points!】

Jiang Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly, stuffed her phone into her pocket, scattered a handful of grain, and chuckled softly, "You guys were great, and so was I."

She reached out to pat the little sparrow's head.

Not far away, a pair of resentful eyes watched her from the shadows.

His rough fingers rubbed the dagger in his pocket as he approached step by step.

"Watch out, watch out!"

"Yuan Yuan, watch out!"

The squeaks of mice suddenly drifted in.

Jiang Yuan turned her head and saw that strange figure walking toward her; her heart suddenly sank.

Seeing this, the intruder paused his footsteps.

Jiang Yuan stood up, her gaze falling on the hand hidden in his pocket.

Her intuition told her the person was holding a weapon.

With that thought, Jiang Yuan turned and ran.

The birds abandoned their snacks and flew behind her in a flurry—perhaps they could help!

"Yuan Yuan! The bad guy is catching up!" the birds cried out in alarm.

Jiang Yuan frowned, struggling to increase her running speed.

"Yuan Yuan, the bad guy is gone!" the birds reported in real-time.

"Gone?" Jiang Yuan didn't stop, asking as she ran, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, we can't see him anymore."

Jiang Yuan ran a bit further and stayed in a nearby convenience store for a while before leaving.

Who exactly was that person?

Why wouldn't they stop staring at her?

As she reached the bottom of her apartment building, Jiang Yuan was hesitating over whether to call the police when a voice suddenly called out to her, "Jiang Yuan."

She looked over suspiciously.

Under the dim yellow streetlights, a man in a black overcoat stood quietly by a car. He was tall with deep, chiseled features.

Fu Jinxing.

What was he doing here?

Jiang Yuan frowned and walked up to the man, saying unhurriedly, "Mr. Fu, a qualified ex should act as if they are dead. It's not right for you to rise from the grave like this."

Fu Jinxing: "..."

The man's dark brows slowly furrowed as he said in a deep voice, "I have something to ask you."

"What?" A sense of vigilance rose within Jiang Yuan.

Fu Jinxing stared at her plain face, his deep eyes filled with scrutiny. "Are you certain that the woman from five years ago was you?"

Jiang Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and a wave of guilt surged within her.

She lowered her eyelashes, her tone no longer as assertive as before. "It's also possible it wasn't me. After all, Heaven loves to play tricks on people..."

"Jiang Yuan." The man's voice carried a hint of anger. "Did you know all along?"

Jiang Yuan: "..."

She braced herself and asked, "Why would you say that?"

Fu Jinxing looked at her with an unreadable expression. "You only need to answer yes or no."

Jiang Yuan took a deep breath and decided to come clean. "No. I knew from the very beginning that I wasn't the person you were looking for."

"Why?"

"Because you have money, and I like money."

Fu Jinxing fell silent.

Having spoken the truth, Jiang Yuan felt a sense of relief.

"I know I'm being unreasonable. If you want to get revenge, take it out on me alone. Don't hurt my family or friends."

She pursed her lips and added, "As for the money I took from you, I will find a way to pay it back."

Fu Jinxing remained silent, carefully recalling his time spent with Jiang Yuan.

She had always found various ways to get him to transfer money to her.

And because he felt nothing for her, he had always chosen the latter—the transfer—over meeting her.

Now that he knew the woman in his memory wasn't Jiang Yuan, Fu Jinxing actually felt a sense of relief.

He even felt a sense of fortune.

Fu Jinxing stared at Jiang Yuan, his voice cold and heavy. "Do you know who the woman from five years ago was?"

"I don't know." Jiang Yuan shook her head. "I only overheard you asking Assistant Qiao to find someone."

Fu Jinxing knit his brows, his handsome face filled with suspicion and scrutiny.

Jiang Yuan blinked, wearing an expression that said, "I'm an honest person, I wouldn't lie to you."

Fu Jinxing withdrew his gaze, a hint of contemplation appearing between his brows.

Before leaving, Jiang Yuan asked one more thing: "By the way, how did you realize I wasn't the person you were looking for?"

Fu Jinxing looked at her again, a trace of mockery flashing in his eyes. "That guy named Xie sent me a message. He said your taste is terrible—that you took so much of my money just to support a pretty boy who would eventually stab you in the back."

Jiang Yuan: "..."

That guy named Xie?

That damn Xie Yucheng!

Fu Jinxing had already driven away, leaving Jiang Yuan standing there, gnashing her teeth.

***

As the Spring Festival approached, Jiang Yuan went out with Deng Rui to buy New Year goods.

The shopping mall was decorated with lanterns and festive colors, filled with a strong New Year atmosphere.

The mother and daughter headed home carrying large bags of groceries. Just as Jiang Yuan entered her room, her phone rang.

It was Fu Xiaoxiao.

"Baby, want to come out and play? I'll introduce your future sister-in-law to you!"

"Future sister-in-law?" Jiang Yuan held the phone, raising an eyebrow. "Xiao Hang is off the market?"

"Yup~" Fu Xiaoxiao laughed happily. "The future sister-in-law is very beautiful."

"Then I have to go see her." Jiang Yuan made an appointment with her. "See you tonight."

At nine in the evening, a singer was performing soothing, pleasant songs on stage, while the guests below sipped cocktails and chatted freely.

When Jiang Yuan arrived, she saw Fu Xiaoxiao drinking a cocktail, sitting next to a blonde girl who was holding a Ragdoll cat in her arms.

"Yuan Yuan!" Fu Xiaoxiao stood up and took her arm, introducing her to the blonde girl. "Lillian, this is Yuan Yuan, my bestie!"

After saying that, she turned to Jiang Yuan. "This is Lillian, Xiao Hang's girlfriend."

Jiang Yuan and Lillian exchanged greetings.

After sitting down, Jiang Yuan suddenly heard a soft, cute voice.

"What do you mean 'girlfriend'? It's more like 'boyfriend'." The voice came from the Ragdoll cat in Lillian's arms.

(End of Chapter)