Xu Yan squatted down and nudged the drunkard who was lounging by the door. "Hey, wake up. Go downstairs, wash up, and go to bed."
Zhou Luming remained completely still, his clothes disheveled.
The corridor was dimly lit by the nightlights, adding an air of ambiguity to the quiet night. Zhou Luming's slightly wavy hair fell loose over her shoulders. She had taken off her coat, revealing a spaghetti strap dress underneath. Her collarbones were delicate, her neck slender, and her head was tilted slightly, her eyelashes thick and long…
Xu Yan took a deep breath, stood up, and pushed open the door, intending to shut this trouble out and ignore it. But the moment she stepped into her room, the person behind her followed. She wrapped her arms around Xu Yan's neck from behind, her soft body pressed against Xu Yan's back, and her slightly husky voice whispered in Xu Yan's ear, "You really left me outside?"
Xu Yan's head exploded with a bang.
If she were a man, she definitely wouldn't be able to resist such extreme beauty and allure. She nudged Zhou Luming, but couldn't move him or reach him.
Zhou Luming "kidnapped" Xu Yan and led her into her bedroom. This was the second time she had entered this place. Knowing that there were no lights and it was dark all around, she didn't close the door behind her. Instead, she turned around and pushed Xu Yan against the wall in the hallway, forcefully pinning Xu Yan against the wall and between herself.
The darkness gave Zhou Luming a thrill; she belonged to the night, amplifying her urge for excitement under the cover of darkness. Without giving herself much time to think, she pressed Xu Yan down and kissed him.
Xu Yan initially struggled a little, but later changed her posture from pushing Zhou Luming away to hugging her, responding to her clumsily.
Zhou Luming's eyes widened suddenly as he stared at Xu Yan in surprise. Though he said he was staring, he couldn't really see her expression.
Xu Yan caught up with her pause, her eyes clearing instantly. "Are you curious about what I've hidden in the room? Now that you're in, you don't need to play these flirtatious games with me anymore. Go look at that wall behind you; you might find the answer you're looking for."
Chapter 54
===================
Zhou Luming paused, his eyes flashing with light in the darkness, like a fleeting shooting star streaking across the night sky.
"Do you have to say something so unpleasant at this time?" she asked. "I don't throw myself at everyone; you're the first." Her words were blatant and openly provocative.
Xu Yan calmed down and said, "You are a very smart person. After you found out that I am Q, you didn't actually believe my story. You pretended to believe me and continued to cooperate with me, but you kept snooping on my privacy and trying to influence my judgment with your feelings. You kept provoking me and trying to make me fall in love with you. Until today, you followed me into my room while drunk. It looked like you wanted to pounce on me, but actually you just wanted to find out what I was hiding in my room."
Zhou Luming froze for a moment. Xu Yan grabbed her wrist, freeing herself from the embrace, and pressed her wrist against her wrist, staring intently into her eyes. Although it was dark around them, she had already used this level of darkness to judge Zhou Luming's current expression and movements by her breathing and pulse. Xu Yan knew that Zhou Luming had become somewhat flustered.
"You talked about some things about me in the car. To be honest, I was surprised that you were able to find out about these trivial matters, but at the same time, I was certain that you were investigating my background, which shows that you don't completely trust me. When we got home, you took advantage of your drunkenness to act crazy and collapsed in front of my door... Your acting is very good, but I'm not stupid. Your intentions are very obvious."
Zhou Luming smiled and said, "You're hurting me."
Xu Yan didn't let go, still silently gazing at her. This woman was becoming increasingly dangerous; her thoughts were forever unfathomable. If she was greedy, she was risking her life to confront her major benefactor and uncover his secrets; if she wasn't greedy, she was constantly accepting missions and risking her life for commissions.
Zhou Luming said helplessly, "I really don't trust you. Tell me how many times you've lied to me? You use fake names and hide your true purpose. How can I trust you so easily again?"
Xu Yan moved his lips, "Our relationship is just a contractual one, there's no need to build trust."
Zhou Luming said "Oh?" and raised an eyebrow, "If it's just a simple contractual relationship, why did you tell me about the help you've given me? Isn't it to build some kind of emotional connection with me outside of the contractual relationship, so that I'll be grateful and give you my all?"
Xu Yan was speechless. What she said was true, and she felt a little embarrassed by being exposed. "When did you start having this kind of thought?"
Zhou Luming pulled his hand away from Xu Yan's, rubbed his wrist, and turned to walk towards the wall covered with photos, saying, "I stopped trusting you the moment you said you wanted to conspire with me to swindle the Zhou family's inheritance."
"Why?"
“Because you’re not that kind of person at all,” Zhou Luming said seriously. “Although you haven’t been involved in many cases, you’ve earned a considerable amount of money from both Metaverse Games and airlines. In addition, with Luke’s case, although you made a fortune by shorting the Lu Group, you then set up a fund to help women. This shows that you don’t care about money at all, and you could even say you hate it.”
Zhou Luming reached out and touched the wall, and sure enough, he felt the texture of the photos, which further confirmed his idea that this wall was covered with photos.
“That could also be because I don’t care about this money; what I want is the Zhou family’s immense wealth,” Xu Yan said.
Zhou Luming retorted bluntly, "If you look down on Yuan Universe Technology, which has a market value of 16 billion, and you can earn at least 100 million yuan in commission by short selling, then why would you be interested in the Zhou Group, which could risk your reputation? You have studied economics, so you should know that high returns are accompanied by high risks. Based on your current income level and moral standards, I don't think you would do anything illegal."
"That's just your intuition. My greed will..."
“You wouldn’t have such greed,” Zhou Luming interrupted her. “You must have had ulterior motives for getting close to the Zhou family, other than money. Your pretense of being greedy is just a disguise and a cover. Although we haven’t uncovered your true purpose yet, I think it must be related to the real Zhou Luming.”
She took out a lighter, lit it, and illuminated a small area, as well as her face, which had been hidden in the darkness.
“You must know the real Zhou Luming, and you must know where she is now. You came back to China and had me impersonate her while you hid in the shadows to observe her. All of this was to pave the way for her, not to divide the Zhou family’s assets with me…” She turned around and used the flame of her lighter to illuminate several nearby photos.
This wall is covered with photos, some new, some old, some large, some small, with all sorts of content, including people and landscapes, but all of them are connected to a black and white portrait in the very center with different colored markers.
The person in the central black-and-white photograph is an elderly man in his seventies or eighties, with a serious face, white hair, but sharp eyes, exuding an aura of authority and oppression.
Zhou Luming narrowed his eyes, fixing his gaze on the solemn and dignified face. That was Old Master Zhou, the former head of the Zhou family, a figure who could almost be considered the founder of Hai City, but he had already passed away, and his influence on Hai City was gradually fading.
Even though he knew the person was gone, looking at his portrait still felt a bit eerie and frightening, especially when he suddenly saw it with a lighter in a dark and empty room, which almost made Zhou Luming's heart stop beating.
"Xu Yan, are you sick? Why do you keep a portrait of someone who has died in a funeral in your bedroom?"
Xu Yan didn't mind at all, "Only the living are worth being afraid of. What are you afraid of about a dead person?"
Zhou Luming narrowed his eyes. "You and I are plotting to seize someone else's inheritance. Aren't you guilty or afraid? Don't you have any reverence for ghosts and gods?"
"I'm an atheist, are you afraid of ghosts and gods?"
Zhou Luming was speechless and returned to the main topic, "Tell me honestly, what is your relationship with Zhou Luming? Did you return to China for Zhou Luming? Is she the real boss behind us?"
These questions left Xu Yan somewhat bewildered. She knew that the woman in front of her was very shrewd, so she had been treating her with utmost care, trying to use money to blind her and make her not to pursue the matter too deeply for the sake of money. She even took the initiative to explain her identity as Q and the favors she had received in the past to make her feel at ease. However, she did not expect that while the woman pretended to trust her, she was also investigating her background. She was very clever and very cautious.
Xu Yan, having been pushed to this point, shook his head helplessly and said, "Zhou Luming and I are good friends. She helped me out of some difficulties when I encountered some setbacks in the past, so I want to help her when she encounters difficulties."
"Just good friends?" I simply couldn't believe that someone would take such a big risk and make such a fuss just for an ordinary friend.
Xu Yan once revealed that Zhou Luming has a special orientation. Could it be that she and Zhou Luming have an abnormal relationship? If so, it makes sense. He might not be willing to go to great lengths for female friends, but he might not go to such lengths for his girlfriend.
"Xu Yan, is there even a light in your room? I'm going blind from looking so hard!"
There are no lights.
"Then how did you paste these photos and draw these lines?"
Xu Yan replied calmly, "There's light during the day, so it's not needed at night." The things on the wall were already etched in her mind; she could recall them with her eyes closed.
Zhou Luming sat on the floor, resting his chin on his hand and looking at the wall. "To be honest, I felt relieved."
"Why?"
“Because I don’t want to go to jail for fraud.” She laughed self-deprecatingly. “When you told me that you were Q, I was actually suspicious, because you don’t seem like the kind of person who would make a mistake for money. But if Zhou Luming herself asked me to impersonate her and take the blame for her, then I wouldn’t be considered to have conspired with you to commit fraud. This made me feel much more at ease. At least after it was done, I wouldn’t have to change my identity and run away.”
Xu Yan stood behind her, also facing the photo wall. "Where did you originally intend to escape to?"
"Of course I won't tell you that I'm going to start over somewhere where nobody knows me, to live as an ordinary girl, to find a job, to date, to get married and have children, or maybe not to get married and have children at all, as long as there's a place where I can sleep peacefully and live a stable life..."
Xu Yan knew some of her past. She had lived in a dark basement as a child and had a pair of despicable adoptive parents. Despite growing up in such a terrible environment, this girl did not turn out badly. Xu Yan saw the quality called "tenacity" in her and admired her from the bottom of his heart. He thought that he probably could not have done as well as her if he were in her shoes.
"Just as you said, enormous wealth comes with unimaginable risks. When Old Master Zhou handed over his inheritance to Zhou Luming, he also placed her in the eye of the storm. Those people would cause a car accident to kill Zhou Luming's parents for this money, and they would also eliminate Zhou Luming, who is an eyesore, if necessary. Zhou Luming herself is unable to appear in public due to certain issues, so she asked me to find you under the name Q and hire you to stand in for her in public. As you can see, this job is somewhat dangerous, but you will also receive a generous reward. Are you willing to continue impersonating Zhou Luming?"
“Of course—no problem.” The person sitting on the floor answered without thinking. “But how do I know you’re not lying to me again this time? Xu Yan, you’ve lost my credibility. You need to prove you have Zhou Luming’s authorization.”
How can you prove it?
"Take me to see her."
--------------------
Author's Note:
It took a lot of effort to prevent the protagonist from going astray.
Chapter 55
===================
Faced with the request, Xu Yan resolutely refused, "I'm sorry, I can't let you see her."
"Why?"
“She was threatened, and her location had to be kept completely secret.”
“As long as she’s alive and still communicating with the outside world, she can’t completely disappear. Xu Yan, I just want to confirm if what you just said is true. I’m afraid I’ll be fooled by you again.” Zhou Luming smiled helplessly and shrugged. “From the moment I met you, I thought you were an honest and kind person who wouldn’t lie. But now my impression of you has been completely overturned. Although you don’t talk much and your attitude is cold, you’re a master at lying and making up stories. You’re neither letting the real ‘Zhou Luming’ show up nor letting me see her. I feel like I’ll be completely fooled by you again. It feels like being a fool, being tricked and still helping you count the money. I don’t want to be that kind of fool.”
After saying all that, he still wanted to meet the real "Zhou Luming".
Xu Yan took out a letter from his pocket, opened it and showed it to the other party, "This is her handwritten letter of authorization. You can compare it with the handwriting in her file to confirm that it was written by her. Her file is in my study."
Xu Yan led the way, but the person behind him didn't follow. He stopped at the door, frowned, and looked back, only to see that the person was still staring at the wall.
"how?"
"Zhou Luming" held a flashlight thoughtfully. "I saw that you crossed out Lu Ke and Lu Yong's photos online. So they were your targets too? No wonder you were so proactive in dealing with Lu Qi's matter. I thought you were angry with me, but it turns out it was all for Miss Zhou."
Her tone carried a slight hint of reproach, but Xu Yan pretended not to understand the deeper meaning and simply said, "When Zhou Luming's parents had their accident, Lu Yong happened to be nearby. All indications suggest that his presence at that time was not a coincidence; it should be related to the car accident. I originally wanted to use Lu Ke to get Lu Yong to confess, but even though the Lu Group and Lu Ke were both facing crises, Lu Yong still stubbornly refused to reveal what happened back then, so—"
Xu Yan paused, then said in a deep voice, "That force must be very strong; even someone like Lu Yong wouldn't dare to resist it easily."
Her gaze remained fixed on the girl standing in the bedroom, and she hesitated before saying, "It's not too late for you to back out now; I can find someone else to replace you—"
"No need." She smiled confidently. "You carefully selected me to replace Zhou Luming, how could I easily give up such a chance to get rich? Besides, you helped me when I was most desperate. So, out of courtesy and reason, and of course, for the sake of the generous reward, I will continue to cooperate with you to protect Miss Zhou Luming from danger, find the threat lurking in the shadows, and help her inherit the estate and become a rich and beautiful woman."
"Don't we need to check the notes?" Xu Yan asked.
"No need. I've already said all this. If you lie to me again, I'll have no choice but to break off all ties with you." She smiled and said easily, "Actually, you can probably guess that I really can't bear to give up this legitimate income. We've already come halfway through this journey, and it would be such a waste to go back empty-handed. I'm a greedy person, and I won't give up this opportunity."
She glanced at the photos on the wall again. "Are Xu Lang and Xu Yi, this father and son, also the targets you're investigating?"
Xu Yan nodded, "Xu Lang is Old Master Zhou's right-hand man and capable assistant. He followed Old Master Zhou in building the Zhou Group's empire back then. Now he is the largest shareholder besides the Zhou family and also the most influential figure on the board of directors. In addition to being a director and shareholder of the Zhou Group, he also runs some real estate development projects and has made a lot of money. Although his net worth is not as high as the Zhou family's, he is still the second richest man in Shanghai."
"If Zhou Luming is eliminated, he should be the biggest beneficiary, so you suspect he is Zhou Luming's biggest threat?"
"Yes, he has the financial resources and the motive, and he also knows more about the Zhou family. If he gets rid of Zhou Luming, he can take control of the Zhou Group," Xu Yan analyzed.
"But I've been back in China for three months now, and he hasn't come looking for me. Could it be that this old fox is secretly plotting something big?"
"Since he's an old fox, he certainly won't make a move on his own easily. He doesn't know your background yet, so choosing to observe you for a while before sending someone to test your strength is more in line with his cunning style."
"That makes sense. Judging from how he was talking and chatting with my aunt at the Zhou residence that day, she seemed to trust him a lot. If he just whispered something in her ear, she would probably fall for it easily. My aunt is naively wicked. She hired someone to cause an escalator accident at the mall, which injured me a little. Afterwards, she acted like nothing had happened and invited me to the Zhou residence for a 'blind date.' I suddenly realized that this aunt is both wicked and adorable. She was being used as a pawn without even realizing it, and she was happily chatting and drinking with the other person... I'm really impressed by her."
Zhou Luming called her "Auntie" affectionately. When she thought of Sun Ren and Auntie Zhou Jiayi, this lively mother and son, she was not angry at all, but found it funny.
Thinking of Sun Ren, she felt a pang of sadness. "Xu Yan, I think Sun Ren likes you."
However, a cold beauty and workaholic like Xu Yan should have no interest in romantic relationships, let alone a greasy playboy like Sun Ren, who is simply not her type.
What kind of person would Xu Yan like? Someone refined and knowledgeable, or someone lively and humorous?
Xu Yan glanced at her coldly, walked over and pulled her out of his bedroom, then slammed the door shut.
Zhou Luming was blocked at the door by Xu Yan. After her surprise, she asked with a smile, "What's wrong? Are you going to get back at me by 'wall-slamming' me?" She had wall-slammed Xu Yan inside and was hoping that Xu Yan would get back at her, but it was clear that Xu Yan was not that kind of person and had no interest in flirting.
As expected, Xu Yan rolled his eyes at her and said, "My bedroom is not a place for visitors; unauthorized personnel are not allowed in. If you need to work, go to the study or the living room; these places are open to the public."
She paused, then corrected herself, saying, "Open to you."