CHAPTER 837: CHAPTER 837: MISTRESS

In a tall, shiny hotel building, inside one of the most expensive suites, a mature girl with long blue hair and sharp black eyes sat on a fancy chair. She was painting her nails red, but her mind wasn’t on them at all.

Her hand moved slowly, as if on autopilot. She kept glancing at her phone every few seconds.

Her eyes were cold. Calm. But inside, she was growing impatient.

The kidnappers should’ve called by now.

They should’ve already finished the job.

They should’ve already ruined Qiao Li.

What’s taking so long? she thought, tapping her fingers on the table.

Just then—Ring!

Her phone lit up.

She snatched it up fast and put it to her ear.

"Was the mission done?" she asked, voice sharp like a knife.

There was a short silence on the other end. Then the man spoke, a little breathless.

"Yeah. It’s done."

The girl’s eyes stayed still. Her hand paused midair.

"Good," she said slowly. "Send me the video."

But the man didn’t say anything for a second.

Then he laughed.

"Well... we changed our minds," he said. "The price just went up."

The girl’s eyes widened in surprise. She glared at the empty space in front of her like she could burn holes through the air.

"You dare ask for more?" she said coldly. "If you try to play games with me, I’ll destroy you just like I destroyed Qiao Li’s innocence."

The man chuckled on the other end.

"Lady, I’ve been doing this kind of work for a long time. I know how it goes. You want the video? Pay double. In cash."

Her jaw clenched. Her fingers tightened around the phone until her knuckles turned white.

"Fine," she hissed. "How much and where?"

The man told her the amount and the location. Then the call ended.

The girl leaned back in her seat. Slowly, she smiled.

Smart move, she thought.

If they had sent the video without asking for more, she would’ve suspected something. After all, no kidnapper just hands over something that could send them to jail without making extra money.

He’s greedy. But smart. I can respect that.

She picked up a second phone and dialed a number.

When it connected, her tone suddenly changed into a sweet, soft voice.

"Deaaarr~" she said, dragging the word like honey. "I’m sooo tired... When are you going to come visit me?"

The voice on the other end chuckled.

"Tomorrow. I’ll come straight to you."

She smiled.

"I miss you. Promise me... come see me before you go home, okay?"

"You really are the most obedient little canary I’ve ever seen," the man teased.

Her grip on the phone tightened—but her voice stayed soft.

"Of course," she replied with a small laugh. "I know my place. I’ll never forget it."

Then her voice got a little more serious.

"Did you do what I asked?"

The man chuckled again. "Qiao Li? She’s nothing. Just a school girl. I could throw ten of her out of the university with a snap of my fingers."

"Good," she whispered, then sighed in relief.

Even though Qiao Li’s friend had already said the girl was finished, something had still been bothering her.

Now, she could finally relax.

............................

The next day came quickly.

The girl dressed in a sleek black coat, tight pants, and shiny boots. Her hair was tied up neatly, and her red lips looked perfect.

She walked out of the hotel, where a black car was already waiting. Her personal bodyguard opened the door for her.

After all, she wasn’t stupid. She wasn’t going to meet some thugs alone.

Soon, they reached the abandoned warehouse. The same one where Qiao Li had been taken.

The air was thick and silent.

She waited, arms crossed, until four men stepped out from behind the shadows. One of them had a phone in his hand.

"Did you bring the money?" he asked.

The girl nodded, showing a thick envelope full of cash.

"And the video?" she asked.

The man smiled and held out the phone. On the screen, the video began to play.

In it, Qiao Li looked weak and broken. It was dark and hard to see, but the message was clear—she had been violated.

The girl’s eyes sparkled with excitement. Her lips curled into a wicked smile.

"Send it to my phone," she ordered.

The kidnapper held up his hand.

"Equal trade," he said. "You give us the money, and we give you the video—at the same time."

She sighed and nodded.

"Fine. Let’s do this."

The man stepped forward with the phone. She reached out with the cash.

Both hands stretched forward, just inches away from the exchange.

Suddenly—

A hand shot up and grabbed her wrist. She gasped and turned around—

And froze. Standing right behind her... Was Qiao Li.

"Hi, Shi Qin." Qiao Li greeted.

Shi Qin’s eyes went wide in shock when she saw Qiao Li standing there, holding her wrist tightly.

"W-What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice shaking. "You... you should be crying right now. Crying like a broken doll."

Qiao Li tilted her head and chuckled softly. "Why should I cry?" she said. "After all, I wasn’t the one who was violated."

Shi Qin blinked in confusion. Then, suddenly, she laughed. "Maybe you’ve gone crazy," she said, smirking. "I have proof, Qiao Li. If you dare touch me, I’ll post your video all over the internet! You’ll be finished!"

Qiao Li looked calm. She raised one eyebrow and said, "Video? You mean that fake video?"

Shi Qin stopped laughing.

Her face froze.

"W-What... what do you mean fake?" she asked slowly, her voice dropping to a whisper.

Qiao Li looked at the kidnapper beside them and said, "Aren’t you going to say something?"

The kidnapper’s face turned pale. He quickly dropped to his knees and bowed his head to the ground.

"I swear! I wasn’t the one who planned this! It was all her idea!" he cried, pointing straight at Shi Qin. "She paid us! She told us to ruin your innocence! I just followed orders!"

Shi Qin stared at him like he had stabbed her in the back. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. She realized something was wrong. Very wrong.

I have to run.

Without thinking, she pushed Qiao Li aside and turned to escape.

But Qiao Li had already guessed she would try this.

Before Shi Qin could take a single step, Qiao Li grabbed her arm, twisted it behind her back, and locked her in place.

"Let go of me!" Shi Qin screamed. "Bodyguards! What are you doing?! Attack her! Help me!"

But her bodyguards didn’t move. They just stood there, silent like statues.

Qiao Li leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "They work for me now. I bought their loyalty long ago."

Shi Qin’s eyes widened with horror. She clenched her jaw and growled,

"Wasn’t it enough for you to destroy me? Wasn’t it enough after you killed my mother?! Now you want to kill me too?!"

Qiao Li didn’t flinch. She just smiled coldly and said,

"Your mother and you brought this on yourselves. I didn’t kill anyone. But your mother, Shi Qin, she was the one who started all this."

Shi Qin’s body tensed. Qiao Li continued, her voice calm and steady.

"Your mother tricked everyone. She made it look like she was my father’s first love, when it was actually my mother all along.

She used lies, fake letters, and fake memories. She was greedy. She wanted power. And you... You followed her footsteps."

Shi Qin shook her head slowly, tears starting to form in her eyes. "Even if all that’s true... it doesn’t give you the right to walk all over me!"

Qiao Li’s eyes narrowed.

"You forgot what you did to me? You made everyone think I was a bad person. You turned my own family against me.

Do you remember how you stole my mother’s breakfast and claimed she made it for you? I never touched it after that. I thought she stopped loving me..."

Shi Qin looked away. Her lips trembled.

"That... that was nothing."

"No," Qiao Li snapped. "It hurt me. It hurt her. And that was just the beginning. You stole my friends. You lied to boys who liked me. You made sure no one liked me."

Her voice dropped low.

"You even planned to kill me."

Shi Qin’s whole body froze. Her skin turned pale.

"I... I haven’t killed you yet," she said, her voice shaking.

"Should I wait for you to try?" Qiao Li replied with a cold smile.

Shi Qin didn’t say anything. She stared at the ground.

Then she whispered,

"You were supposed to be my stepping stone. You were supposed to be beneath me... not above me! Why are you shining like some diamond now?! Why is everything going wrong?!"

Her voice cracked. Her eyes turned red.

"I gave up everything... just to get back at you. I even became someone’s mistress... I sleep with that greasy old man every night just to get power! All because of you!"