CHAPTER 654: CHAPTER 571: REGRET?

Qin Xin stared at the unfamiliar number with a Beijing district code flashing on her phone, taking a few deep breaths to steady herself before cautiously answering. Her voice carried an unexpected warmth and sweetness, even she wasn’t aware of.

Could this landline number be his office phone?

"Hello!"

There was a moment of silence on the other end, followed by a voice she knew all too well: "Ling! Are you okay?"

The smile on Qin Xin’s face froze. She quickly pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at the number again before excitedly rushing to respond: "Vid? Vid! How are you? Where are you? I’ve been so worried about you!"

"Those two undercover cops were fake! I just managed to escape! Are you at home?" Nie Xiuwei’s voice was deeply grave.

Qin Xin anxiously stood up, pacing back and forth, her words stumbling over each other as she tried to explain: "I’m outside right now, don’t even ask. I came out looking for you and almost got kidnapped by some bad guys! Luckily, someone saved me! Where are you now? I’ll head back immediately!"

"What? Bad guys tried to grab you? What’s going on?"

"I have no idea what’s going on either! Just tell me where you are! I’ll come find you! Let’s talk face-to-face, okay?"

"Alright! I’ll be waiting for you at the phone booth near Forest Park. Be careful!"

"Got it! I’ll see you soon!" Qin Xin hastily hung up the call and looked around, grabbing her bag. In her flurry of emotions, she didn’t stop to think too much.

At the moment she opened the door, she turned her head to glance back at the home she had stayed in for a few days. A pang of reluctance welled up in her heart. She knew that once she left, coming back without a key would be impossible.

Her heart yearned desperately for something to happen between her and Leng Mochen, but Vid had just escaped from danger and needed her now. She had no choice but to make a decision. After squeezing her eyes shut and reopening them, she left swiftly.

Nie Xiuwei hung up the phone, his expression blank, a flicker of hesitation flashing in his gaze. Even though he had already made up his mind, hearing her worry about his safety caused his resolve to waver.

The foreign man beside him noticed his expression and spoke in broken Chinese: "Regret it?"

Nie Xiuwei shot him a cold glare: "Never! Proceed as planned!"

With that, he strode forward. He wasn’t anywhere near Forest Park; he was actually inside a sprawling estate!

The foreign man shrugged indifferently and followed his lead.

Nie Xiuwei sat on a bench in the courtyard, lighting a cigarette and taking several fierce drags, as if the strange discomfort in his chest dissipated with each puff.

When he heard her shyly murmur Leng Mochen’s name in her sleep, he had stood alone on the balcony smoking through the night. That was when he made his decision.

Love is bullshit!

Women are shameless sluts! Bitches! No matter how devoted they act, in the end, their bodies belong to him while their hearts long for someone else!

Especially someone like him, who wanted desperately to become a member of the Leng Family. Yes! It was during his return to the country that he uncovered the truth about his own lineage!

But he’d never shared this revelation with Sima Ling.

When he discovered that not only was he not Leng Qiankai’s son, but that his mother was a patient with schizophrenia, he began to harbor an immense hatred for the world!

Sima Ling was once his sole source of solace for his wounded soul!

Yet, in the end, even she proved to be untrustworthy!

So he sought out the Qin Family’s Qin He. Regarding Sima Ling’s own origins, perhaps she still hadn’t pieced it together.

But he had long ago deduced from scattered clues that she was the Qin Family’s long-lost second daughter!

He was going to make her pay, make her understand the consequences of betrayal!

And as for Leng Mochen, he wouldn’t let him off easy either! Once he dealt with Sima Ling, it would be his turn!

It’s funny how life works sometimes. When Nie Xiuwei had found out he was about to be captured, he orchestrated a scene of being taken away from his home.

Leng Mochen and his friend had coincidentally encountered Qin Xin during her abduction. After rescuing her, Leng Mochen had arranged for her to stay at his private residence!

This led Nie Xiuwei to suspect there might be some sort of affair between Leng Mochen and Sima Ling. And immediately, he devised a new plan: notifying Bai Shasha to impulsively confront Sima Ling, stirring up trouble and creating chaos.

This way, not only could he test Leng Mochen, but he could also hinder Leng Mochen’s departure abroad, thereby buying time for "that person."

Yet his carefully crafted plan had hit a snag.

He had no choice but to use caller ID spoofing software to disguise his number as a public phone and call Sima Ling.

On one hand, he meant to lull her into believing he was in dire straits and needed her help.

On the other hand, he could gauge just how much Leng Mochen and the police knew about him.

Thinking about the events that were about to unfold, he felt a faint ache in his chest, but he quickly crushed it. He extinguished the still-burning cigarette butt by stomping on it with force, grinding it into the ground.

Just like he was crushing any lingering conscience or softheartedness!

Li Si and Leng Mochen returned home to find Buding playing with toys, while Sister Ding patiently kept him company.

Xiao Guai leaped around excitedly in front of Li Si when it saw her return, making cheerful noises.

Li Si gently patted its head, coaxed Buding for a while, and eventually went upstairs completely exhausted. After a quick rinse in the bathroom, she changed into her home clothes and ignored Leng Mochen, who was trying to get her attention by stubbornly hovering near her.

"Hungry? I can have someone prepare some food for you."

"Should I sleep with you together?"

Li Si shook her head, closed her eyes, and collapsed onto the bed. "I’m tired and sleepy, I don’t want to eat anything. I just want a good, uninterrupted sleep alone! Is that okay?"

He could tell she didn’t even want to talk at this point, so he stopped trying to nag.

After some time passed, Leng Mochen noticed her breathing had evened out. He called her name a couple of times without getting any response, realizing that she had likely fallen deeply asleep.

Standing by the bedside, he watched her weary sleeping face for a long while. Unable to resist, he gently tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and caressed her cheek a few times before carefully leaving the room.

As the sound of the door closing echoed, Li Si, supposedly lost in slumber, suddenly opened her eyes.

She had really been tired earlier, but after the shower and everything else, she was now wide awake.

Her mind was a chaotic mess, perfect for sorting things out.

At that moment, her phone rang on the nightstand with a pleasant melody. She reached over, extending her arm, and glanced at the caller ID—it was Bai Shasha.

"Shasha!"

Bai Shasha’s cheerful voice came through the line: "Si! Xiao Fan said she’s staying at my place tonight! Tomorrow we’ll go watch the flag-raising ceremony together! Are you coming with us?!"

"I’ll skip it!" Li Si was simply too drained to manage an early start.

Bai Shasha didn’t make a big deal out of it when Li Si declined. Instead, she asked with concern, "Si, are you alright? You seemed out of it during dinner—like your mind was somewhere else. Did that woman cause another mess again?"

"Oh, you’re just imagining things! Nothing’s wrong! Have fun with Xiao Fan tomorrow. After all, you’ll be heading back to North City the day after!" (To be continued. If you enjoyed this story, please consider supporting by voting for it on Qidian (qidian.com) with recommendation tickets or monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)