Chapter Twenty-Seven: A New Bait

Du Zhiye was not surprised; she had already suspected Yan Xiufang. Especially yesterday, when she pretended to attempt suicide and Yan Xiufang did nothing to save her—she realized then that her stepmother truly wished for her death.

There was only one thing she couldn't understand: how had Yan Xiufang known she would go to Tao Ranming's apartment the next day? She remembered receiving a message from Tao Ranming, saying he had something to discuss and asking her to come to his place. If all of this wasn’t just a coincidence, it meant that whoever was behind it had planned everything in advance.

What role did Tao Ranming play in this scheme? And who was the woman Tao Ranming was having an affair with?

Her fingers trembled ever so slightly as she held her coffee cup and took a sip. The private detective, watching the young woman before him, couldn't help but ask, “Miss Du, are you all right?”

Du Zhiye forced a smile and shook her head. “I'm fine.” After a moment of silence, she added, “Keep an eye on Chen Dong for a while longer, and also check into Tao Ranming for me.”

The detective was already familiar with her situation; hearing her request, he quickly agreed, “Of course.”

After he left, Du Zhiye sat alone in the café for a long time.

She remembered that day, going to Tao Ranming’s apartment and seeing him walk out of the bedroom bearing unmistakable traces of intimacy. In that moment, she understood exactly what had happened.

She wanted to see who the woman was, but Tao Ranming stopped her.

She was devastated, feeling as though her world had collapsed.

She had always been confident in her relationship with Tao Ranming—never imagined he would betray her.

And he was so protective of that woman.

She slapped Tao Ranming across the face, then spat out her bitterness: “Tao Ranming, this is the end for us.”

With those words, she turned and left, holding herself stiffly, head held high with pride and strength.

But only she knew how deeply she was hurt, how broken she felt.

She left the apartment and drove aimlessly.

At a fork in the road, a truck appeared suddenly. She stepped on the brakes and turned the wheel, but the car still crashed headlong into the truck.

She died in that accident.

She witnessed her own burial.

“Du Zhiye.”

At that moment, a voice called from behind her.

She turned and saw a shadow.

...

Jiang Yingnan left Du Zhiye’s apartment, feeling utterly disgruntled.

It had been Du Zhiye who first flirted with him; after they slept together twice, she was the one who said they shouldn’t contact each other again.

Especially after she made that disdainful innuendo about his performance.

That left Jiang Yingnan feeling very dissatisfied.

Could it be that she had slept with someone else and now had something to compare?

The more Jiang Yingnan thought about it, the more agitated he became. It was broad daylight, yet he had no desire to work.

He sat alone in his car for a while, but the irritation only grew stronger.

He licked his molars and pulled out his phone to call Xu Hao.

Xu Hao was well-connected and quick to pick up on the undertone in Jiang Yingnan’s words, promptly arranging a gathering.

As luck would have it, Wen Xiyao was among the group—the very man Du Zhiye had ended up in the arms of after drinking.

After Xu Hao introduced everyone, he called over a few women.

Jiang Yingnan sat in the corner, quietly observing Wen Xiyao. He noticed that Wen Xiyao was indeed very popular with the ladies.

None of the women Xu Hao invited failed to strike up a conversation with Wen Xiyao.

One of the women, who was close to Xu Hao, deliberately asked him about Wen Xiyao, wanting to know if he had a girlfriend.

Xu Hao grinned mischievously and teased, “Got your eye on him?”

The woman blushed, but nodded boldly. “He’s my heart-throb.”

“What do you like about him?”