Pei Zhen remained where he was.
The slight stinging sensation on his lips and her tender words still lingered in his ears.
He reached out, took out the sapphire necklace, and gently caressed it.
His laugh was wild and brilliant.
A flock of bizarrely red birds flew across the distant horizon, their calls grating and harsh, sounding particularly like they were cursing soone as contemptible. The people of the Underground City thus gave them a na: the Contemptible Birds.
A legend was also born from this: encountering a Contemptible Bird proved you were a contemptible person.
In the Underground City, this was undoubtedly a complint to the wicked.
Pei Zhen had, of course, heard this tale. He rhythmically tapped his fingertip against his cheek, his smoke-gray eyes blending into the morning mist, making his emotions unreadable.
Was he a contemptible person? Perhaps he was. Extrely contemptible, using all sorts of once-unbearable vulnerabilities to try and evoke her guilt and compassion, to make her co to him for an embrace, a good morning kiss, and to close the psychological distance between them. Once guilt arises, psychological defenses crumble, and new emotions will erge.
Pei Zhen elegantly propped up his chin, gazing at the mist-shrouded sky.
He never expected to keep her by his side forever.
What he had always wanted was her willing heart.
A servant approached quietly, presenting him with a cup of clear tea, and said respectfully, "Boss, I’ve handed the photo to Hei Ying. He’s taken it back to the club to return it to its original place. There’s no sun today. It’s good weather indeed."
Everyone knew that this "Dictator" disliked sunny days.
Pei Zhen picked up the teacup but didn’t drink, rely smiling. "Is that so? What a pity."
The servant quickly corrected himself. "Yes, truly a pity."
Pei Zhen gazed at the white horizon, murmuring to himself, "The sun will rise. I’m waiting for her to rise."
「...」
The sudden morning kiss left Xu Si disoriented. Sleepiness eventually crept up on her, and not wanting to fight her chaotic biological clock, she obediently lay down. Resting her lovely profile on the pillow, her breathing grew heavy, and her consciousness was soon swept away by dreams.
She was deeply asleep, sleeping from morning until one o’clock in the afternoon without showing any sign of waking.
She wouldn’t have opened her eyes if not for the continuous, high-pitched beeping of her mobile phone. Observing for a mont, she saw the sky was still bright. Her eyes half-open and drowsy, she fumbled for the white mobile phone, guided by the sound. She glanced at the caller ID and pressed the answer button, her voice inexplicably languid.
"Hello, Anshi."
Over the phone, Anshi’s voice was indistinct.
"Miss, there’s been an incident."
Startled by those words, Xu Si propped herself up, becoming slightly more alert.
"What happened?"
She rembered that Xu’s Real Estate had been very stable recently. Pei Zhen, surprisingly conscientious, had detained her but allowed the Sanlian Chamber of Comrce to look after her company from the outside, which had given her a sense of peaceful leisure.
Anshi’s voice was sowhat hoarse. "Miss Wen’s grandfather has passed away. Wen’s mother suddenly announced her retirent from her position of authority, and Miss Wen and her two younger brothers are vying for power. This morning, disaster struck the Wen Mansion; Miss Wen was sent to the hospital early in the morning. It’s said she was poisoned."
The one in trouble was Wen Jiaojiao.
This terrible news startled Xu Si.
A power struggle was no less perilous than fighting for an inheritance; danger was a certainty. But Wen Jiaojiao’s mother was still young. Why had this happened so soon?
Xu Si abruptly sat up in bed, her voice heavy. "How could this happen? Did you go with her? It’s afternoon now, what’s Jiaojiao’s condition?"
Anshi reassured her. "Miss, I’m already at the hospital. You don’t have to worry too much. Miss Wen is not in life-threatening danger, but things are difficult with the power struggle."
Xu Si recalled her last phone call with Wen Jiaojiao. Wen Jiaojiao had seed very busy; after only a few words, her mother had called her away. So, she was busy with the power struggle. Knowing Xu Si couldn’t return, she had deliberately kept it from her.
Xu Si pursed her lips and took a deep breath. "Alright, Anshi, I understand. For now, please watch over her for . I’ll find a way to get back."
"Yes, Miss."
After hanging up the phone, Xu Si sat in place, pondering for a long ti until an idea struck her. Only then did she move to the courtyard, letting the cold wind blow over her as she waited for an opportunity.
She had been inside the mansion for so ti now and had beco sowhat familiar with the servants. Xu Si tentatively asked them if they had ever left the Underground City. They all nodded but seed uninterested in the outside world.
Xu Si bit her lip until it turned white.
Suddenly, she clutched her stomach and collapsed to the ground.
"Miss Xu!"
A servant rushed over in a panic, helping her up and preparing to inform Pei Zhen to take her to a doctor.
But Xu Si shook her head. "Is there a dicine room here? I often feel a bit unwell. So dicine should help."
The servant nodded. "Madam, what dicine do you need? I’ll fetch it for you."
Xu Si rembered the special dicine Pei Zhen had administered before and said, "I can’t quite recall the na, but I rember what it looks like and its sll. Pei Zhen gave it to before; it’s one of your Underground City concoctions. Could you take there to have a look?"
The servant hesitated for a mont but, finding no flaw in her request, nodded and supported her as they slowly made their way to the dicine room on the third floor.
The space was vast, filled with many cabinets designed to block out light. It had no windows and was illuminated only by artificial lights.
Xu Si casually opened one of the cabinet doors and was nearly stunned by what she found. Inside were all sorts of bizarre potions, either liquid or powder. Unlike the dicines from Hong Kong Island or abroad, they had unique effects. However, there seed to be no labels indicating the type of dicine, only notes detailing their side effects.
She turned around, her voice as soft as a whisper, and asked the servant, "Why aren’t the nas of the dicines labeled?"
The servant said, "To prevent theft. Only the doctors know the dicine nas."
Xu Si bit her lip.
Leisurely, she looked over the side effects listed on the potions. Her gaze quickly found a bottle of blue dicine. It was exactly like the one Pei Zhen had injected last ti; even the side effects were the sa. The most serious consequence was inducing unconsciousness, with no other effects.
"This is the one," Xu Si said as she took the bottle of dicine.
She glanced at the notes—it could be taken orally.
Leaning against the wall for support, she returned to her room. She covered her eyes with the blanket and listened quietly to the clock’s ticking hands.
TICK-TOCK. TICK-TOCK.
Every sound struck her heartstrings. In the past, she could bide her ti, waiting for an opportunity to uncover Pei Zhen’s true feelings. But now, Wen Jiaojiao was waiting for her; she had a pressing reason to leave. She had considered discussing it with Pei Zhen, asking if she could leave for a while and then return. But she couldn’t even deceive herself with such words, let alone Pei Zhen. Pei Zhen’s eyes were truly terrifying, as if they possessed so supernatural power.
Xu Si took a deep breath. After a long while of anxious deliberation, she finally made a decision.
Her plan was to incapacitate Pei Zhen and use his authority to have an Identity Card delivered.
She poured the Berry Wine into a decanter. Upon hearing Pei Zhen had returned, she added the potion to the rich fruit wine.
She tasted a bit with a spoon. There was no peculiar taste; the alcohol’s strength and the fruit juice’s color concealed everything.
It just seed a bit too strong.
A warmth ignited in her chest.
She carried the tray upstairs, tidied her slightly disheveled hair, and knocked on the door.
The sa ethereal, fleeting tone replied, "Co in."
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