Chapter Twenty-One: Seeking Gain and Avoiding Harm

"Zhiye?" Yan Xiufang took a step inside, but suddenly thought of something and retreated. She gazed at Du Zhiye, who lay motionless on the bed, blood still dripping from her wrist, and her heart began to race, her body trembling ever so slightly with excitement. She called out, her voice trembling with emotion, "Zhiye? Du Zhiye?"

The person on the bed didn’t move at all.

Yan Xiufang stared intently into Du Zhiye’s eyes and called her name twice more. But she might as well have been dead—even her eyelashes were still.

Recalling what Du Zhiye had said to her at lunch, Yan Xiufang stood frozen in the doorway, not daring to take a single step closer. She was truly afraid that Du Zhiye had lost her mind and was using suicide to frame her.

Yet the idea that Du Zhiye might truly die right here sent a secret thrill through Yan Xiufang’s heart.

Excitement made her heart pound wildly. She narrowed her eyes, calculating rapidly. After a few seconds, she turned and shouted to the servants behind her, "Someone, quickly! Du Zhiye has tried to kill herself! Hurry, go inform Old Du!"

Her shouts instantly threw the household into chaos. Some servants called Du Qi, others dialed for an ambulance, but not a single one went upstairs to check on Du Zhiye.

People, after all, were clever.

They knew exactly what would best protect themselves.

Everyone in the house was well aware of Yan Xiufang’s poor relationship with Du Zhiye—perhaps even more so than those directly involved. Saving Du Zhiye might earn a few words of praise on the surface, but behind closed doors, who knew what petty vengeance Yan Xiufang might exact? One wrong step and their job could be lost just like that.

Du Zhiye had been listening intently for any sign outside. Seizing the perfect moment, she suddenly sat upright in bed and dashed for the door.

Yan Xiufang, who had been watching her every move, realized at once she had been tricked. She blocked the doorway, ready to put on the act of a caring mother and reason with her gently. "Zhiye..."

But before she could finish, Du Zhiye barreled into her, shoving her aside.

Ignoring everything else, Du Zhiye ran out. The servants, coming to their senses, dropped what they were doing and rushed to block her way.

Du Zhiye’s goal was clear—she was going to escape.

She shook off the servants and had only just made it out the front door when she spotted Jiang Yingnan, who was just returning from taking Du Xin home.

The two had just exchanged polite greetings, and Jiang Yingnan was about to start his car when he saw Du Zhiye running out of the house like a madwoman.

In the instant she saw Jiang Yingnan, Du Zhiye was overwhelmed with an indescribable sense of relief.

Du Xin was startled and confused by the scene. "Sister...?"

Yan Xiufang rushed out and called to Du Xin, "Grab your sister!"

In a panic, Du Zhiye shoved Du Xin aside and climbed into the passenger seat of Jiang Yingnan’s car. She turned to the man beside her, eyes brimming with tears and a look of helpless vulnerability. "Second Young Master, take me away," she pleaded.

Her clothes were disheveled, her hair a mess, blood still dripping steadily from her wrist—a sight that would soften the hardest of hearts.

Jiang Yingnan didn’t move. He looked at her coldly, taking in her miserable state without the slightest flicker of emotion.

This man, it seemed, had no heart.

For at that moment, Du Zhiye heard his impatient and faintly warning voice: "Get out."

Du Zhiye froze, blinking. Should she continue playing the pitiful victim, or...?

Before she could decide, the car door was wrenched open from the outside by Du Xin, who gave Jiang Yingnan an apologetic smile before turning to Du Zhiye. "Sister, get out."

Du Zhiye glanced at her still-bleeding wrist, lifting it up. "I need to go to the hospital."

Du Xin inhaled sharply. "I’ll call the family doctor. Please get out. Don’t dirty Yingnan’s car."

Really, could anyone call that a human response?

Du Zhiye ignored her, turning to Jiang Yingnan and resuming her pitiful act. "Second Young Master, saving a life is a merit beyond measure."

"You know, Yan Xiufang is my stepmother," she said, casting a glance at Du Xin, who stood by the door wide-eyed as if Du Zhiye had lost her mind. Her voice trembled with sorrow. "My sister and I aren’t close either. If I get out now..."

She let the sentence hang, but everyone could hear the meaning between the lines.

If she got out of the car now, there was little hope for her fate.

Du Zhiye squeezed out a few more tears. She simply didn’t believe that Jiang Yingnan could remain unmoved.