In the afternoon, An Ruo temporarily handed over her current tasks to Manager Yao, asked Gu Chao for leave, and rushed out of the company to hail a taxi.
High into the clouds rose a building, on a floor near the top, over twenty stories up. A man stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the tiny black specks moving like ants below, a chill spreading in his deep eyes.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Love is such a headache." Gu Chao walked over and followed his gaze downward. "What can you see from this height?"
He curled his lip. "Even if you strain your eyes, you still can't see her."
The man pressed his thin lips tightly together, lifting his gaze to shoot him a sinister glare. "Which eye of yours saw love between her and me?"
Gu Chao snorted. "If you really have no feelings for her, why bother doing so much for her in secret?" He cut in before the man could speak. "Don't just say it's to follow the old man's orders and let the second branch let their guard down. You didn't have to go this far."
"..."
"Ah Xing, do you actually like her, or do you like her but dare not face it?"
In the past, Shen Tingfeng had also shoved women at him. Back then, his abilities were far from what they were now. He pretended to accept on the surface, but behind the scenes, he tormented those women until they scattered and fled.
They all thought An Ruo would be the same. Who would have guessed that as they watched Shen Xiaoxing sink deeper day by day, they suddenly realized she was the exception.
To bide his time and hide his true capabilities, he had to act moody and unpredictable in front of the Shen family. But everyone knew that wasn't the real him. Now, though, An Ruo's appearance made him lose control of his emotions. He'd made frequent mistakes in his plans, and he was about to be mired in it without even realizing it!
...
At the Orton Hotel.
When An Ruo arrived at the hotel entrance, Qi Ming, sent by Shen Tingfeng, was already waiting there.
His scrutinizing gaze roamed over the girl. Even though, as Shen Er Shao's follower, he had seen countless beauties, he couldn't help but be stunned by An Ruo.
An Ruo disliked his malicious stare. She shot him a glance and said in a cold, sinister tone, "Look one more second, and your Shen Er Shao might just lose his temper."
Qi Ming withdrew his gaze and walked ahead with a smirk, leading the way.
The door opened, and Qi Ming stepped aside. "Miss An, please."
An Ruo took a deep breath, clutched the bag under her arm, and walked in.
Inside the room, two women were taking turns serving the man lying on the bed. A scene of debauchery unfolded, the air filled with sounds that made one's face flush...
An Ruo closed her eyes, turned her face away, her heart pounding like a drum. She had no idea what Shen Tingfeng wanted by inviting her to watch this eye-stinging spectacle.
Neither of the Shen brothers was easy to deal with. Though Shen Xiaoxing was moody and unpredictable, at least as his wife, no matter how much she hated him, with his blindness and crippled legs, he couldn't do much to her. But this Shen Tingfeng could crush her like an ant. He was Shen Xiaoxing's sworn enemy, indulgent in pleasure... She was terrified he might, driven by lust, pounce on her.
Shen Tingfeng frowned slightly, his gaze fixed on the calm-faced girl. His vision narrowed, focusing only on her slender, tall figure...
He let out a long, turbid breath, pushed away the woman working on him, casually draped a bathrobe over his shoulder, and strode boldly toward the girl.
Danger approached. An Ruo turned her face warily, her delicate features cold as frost, her amber eyes carrying a chill.
Shen Tingfeng was delighted to see her. With their height difference, he bent down slightly to meet her eyes.
"Still saying you have no time? I don't see you being all that busy."
An Ruo spoke bluntly. "You threatened me with my brother. How could I not come?"
Shen Tingfeng's lips curled into a sinister smile. "If you're obedient, I'll summon you anytime, and you'll come. I don't want to keep threatening you and making you unhappy."
An Ruo didn't want to argue with him. She pressed her lips together and said flatly, "Just say it. What task do you have for me?"
Shen Tingfeng grabbed her cold hand. An Ruo recoiled as if touching something filthy, instinctively trying to shake him off. But this time, instead of letting go, he tightened his grip.
"Don't be so cold. I missed you, that's why I called you over." He raised his hand to touch her face, but An Ruo turned away in advance.
"We have only a partnership, no personal ties. Please show some restraint, Er Shao."
Shen Tingfeng chuckled silently. He gestured, and someone immediately handed him a bottle of medicine. "This is a slow-acting poison I had made specifically for Shen Xiaoxing. Put it in his food and drink, and within half a month, he'll be dead for sure."
An Ruo froze, staring at the bottle of poison in his hand, hesitating to take it.
"What, are you scared?"
She gritted her teeth and took the bottle with resolve.
She had no choice. To protect An Che, she had to harden her heart and harm Shen Xiaoxing.
"That hesitation just now—can I take it as you've developed feelings for him?"
An Ruo's heart trembled violently. She lifted her cold gaze to fix on the man before her. "Feelings for him?"
"After all, you've been married for a while. I can see he has some interest in you. Haven't you been tempted?"
An Ruo said coldly, "I just need to help you kill him. What does it matter to you whether I have feelings for him?"
Shen Tingfeng wasn't angered. He just smiled slightly.
Suddenly, he picked her up and tossed her onto the bed, startling the two scantily clad women into hurriedly stepping aside. An Ruo lay on that bed, feeling a wave of nausea rise in her stomach.