Xu Yan, holding the necklace, said, "Although it came a little earlier than expected, I am very happy to meet you in my true identity. You guessed it right, I am Q, who has been in contact with you and conspired with you to inherit the Zhou family's estate."
The emerald pendant on the necklace sparkled, elegant and exquisite.
Li Ruo reached out to grab the necklace, but Xu Yan dodged and put it back in his pocket. Li Ruo stared at Xu Yan's pocket and said, "Now that we've come out honestly, and we've even met online, can you explain to me what's going on? Where is the real Zhou Luming? Since you're the Zhou family's designated estate administrator, with the ability and right to use this wealth, why did you come to me to impersonate Zhou Luming?"
“Although we have all revealed our identities, the original plan remains unchanged. Whether I am Xu Yan or Q, and you are Zhou Luming or Li Ruo, we must cooperate with each other to successfully obtain the Zhou family’s inheritance,” Xu Yan said.
Because that's what they owe me.
"Why would you be eyeing the Zhou family's inheritance?" Li Ruo asked suspiciously.
"Because I know their heir, Zhou Luming, very well. Who wouldn't be tempted by such a large sum of money? You've already come this far, are you really going to give up the commission that's almost in your hands?"
"Is that really true?" Li Ruo was skeptical. After getting to know Xu Yan over the past few months, she felt that Xu Yan was not a greedy person. She must have been shocked to suddenly find out that she was Q. Moreover, she heard Xu Yan say that she wanted to take the Zhou family's wealth. She could hardly believe it.
Is this still the same honest and upright person who initially claimed to be an estate administrator?
It's like he's become a completely different person.
Xu Yan glanced at Li Ruo and said, "It's good that you know my identity. That way, you won't have to play two roles like a schizophrenic to play Q. After we resolve Lu Qi's matter, I will send you back to the Zhou family's old house. That's your real battlefield."
“Since Grandpa Zhou announced that the prerequisite for inheriting the property is your approval, then it’s very convenient. If you announce your approval tomorrow, I can complete the task, and we can each get what we want.” Li Ruo wondered.
Xu Yan shook his head. "It's not that simple. Old Master Zhou is just using me as a shield. What you really need to gain the trust of is the Zhou family and the board of directors of the Zhou Group. You have to win their hearts and minds."
Li Ruo rubbed her forehead in frustration, "Ugh, I still have to get through this..."
She thought there might be a shortcut, but instead of a shortcut, she encountered even bigger problems. However, when she learned that Xu Yan was not an enemy but her teammate, Li Ruo was overjoyed because Xu Yan was on the same side as her, and from then on she no longer had to bother deceiving and hiding.
It's only temporary.
Chapter 43
===================
Many people don't have many childhood memories, but Li Ruo's childhood is still exceptionally clear and vivid.
She was an orphan, adopted by an orphanage, and later, when she was about seven or eight years old, adopted by a foreign couple. She thought it would be a warm family where she could go to school, make friends, and play happily like other children. However, her adoptive father cheated on her, and her adoptive mother, a full-time housewife, became depressed and drank heavily every day.
Li Ruo originally had excellent grades. She was intelligent and understanding. Her long-term experience of living under someone else's roof taught her how to read people's minds from their faces; no subtle expression could escape her eyes.
The alcoholic adoptive mother's temper worsened, and young Li Ruo, besides washing herself and putting her clothes in the washing machine, also had to take care of her drunken adoptive mother, wiping her face and hands, cleaning up her vomit, helping her to bed, and sweeping up the broken glass bottles scattered on the floor...
Life was going well like this, because Li Ruo still had a home, could go to school, and had a place to shelter from the wind and rain. However, one morning her adoptive mother couldn't wake up. Li Ruo touched her face; it was bluish-purple and cold, she wasn't breathing, her eyes were white, and there was saliva at the corner of her mouth.
This wasn't the first time Li Ruo had seen a dead body. She called the police, and they arrived. Her long-lost adoptive father also returned three days later.
A young woman was with her adoptive father. The way the woman looked at Li Ruo made Li Ruo very uncomfortable, as if she wanted to devour her.
Subsequent events proved Li Ruo's intuition correct; the woman was indeed no ordinary person. She sensed Li Ruo's good background and saw her as a valuable asset. She tried to get close to Li Ruo, often showering her with small favors, hoping to gain her obedience.
However, Li Ruo remained wary of her and her nominal adoptive father. She felt that the way her adoptive father looked at her was gradually becoming strange. It was not the look of a father towards his daughter, but the look of a man towards a woman.
Li Ruo knew she had grown up a bit, but she was still a minor. Her adoptive father was her guardian, and without him, she couldn't do anything. She had studies, friends, and a place to live; if she wanted to escape this home, she would have nothing left.
Thinking she would endure until she came of age, fortunately, there was a woman in her family. For some reason, the woman prevented her adoptive father from harming her. In short, Li Ruo lived in fear, but she was not hurt.
Later, while eavesdropping on the woman's phone call, Li Ruo learned of her purpose. It turned out that the woman only wanted to cultivate her into a high-class "vase" and wanted to exchange her virginity for a high reward, which was why she hadn't let her adoptive father touch her.
Li Ruo knew that if she didn't escape soon, it would be too late. So she secretly plotted her escape. On the surface, she was obedient and submissive to women, pretending to be a good child, going to school and coming home normally every day. But she had already planned her escape route, taken her daily necessities, and finally carried out her escape plan on a typhoon night.
Just when she thought she had finally escaped, she broke her leg in an accident and was sent back by the police to that treacherous home.
The woman at home finally realized she wanted to escape, tore off her mask of kindness, and imprisoned Li Ruo in the basement.
Once Li Ruo has recovered from her injuries, she plans to give her to a business tycoon she knows in exchange for a generous reward.
In the dark, damp basement, Li Ruo pressed her hand against her wound, trying to slow its healing. She was stalling for time, waiting to execute another escape plan. She had gradually figured out her adoptive father and the woman's routine, and at dawn, she prepared to escape once more.
However, hunger left her weak and exhausted; she needed clean water and food to replenish her strength. The basement had only one ventilation window, which faced the street, allowing her to see only the occasional passerby, their feet and shoes.
Li Ruo wasn't foolish enough to ask passersby for help; besides arousing the woman's suspicion, she felt that doing so would bring absolutely no benefit.
She had long since grown indifferent to the diverse people who had passed by. But one day, with a clang, she heard a crisp metallic sound and saw a can of fruit roll in through the ventilation window, landing perfectly in front of her. Picking it up, she discovered that the can had been opened, and liquid had spilled out, but two-thirds of it remained.
Li Ruo was stunned. She immediately looked out the ventilation window, wanting to know who had thrown it in, but all she saw was a pair of fluffy slippers and the wheels of a wheelchair.
The person outside appears to be disabled.
If Li Ruo hadn't eaten the canned food that person gave her, who knows if it might have been poisoned?
But the man came again the next day, this time throwing in a piece of black bread that looked soft and delicious. Li Ruo licked her lips, feeling a bit hungry and thirsty.
On the third day, they threw in a bottle of vitamin water and a red bean paste cake with a small tooth mark on it.
Li Ruo smiled; the people outside were proving the food wasn't poisonous. She tore off a small piece and ate it slowly. If she didn't replenish her strength soon, she wouldn't have time.
On the fourth day, in addition to food, there was also a bear keychain.
The fifth day was an ID.
On the sixth day, Li Ruo escaped.
From then on, she had no identity, no money, no skills; she had to start all over again and support herself. She knew that to leave that home, she needed a skill to survive. After using that ID, she finally found a job at a restaurant, starting as a waitress.
How did she meet Q?
It was because she later came into contact with an organization, whose leader, through some circumstance, met her and brought her in. There, she received training, completed a series of tasks excellently, and then one day, she was told that a client wanted her to impersonate a woman.
It's just a role-playing game; the task isn't difficult, but the rewards are substantial.
Li Ruo accepted, transforming into Zhou Luming, and the person who entrusted her with the task was Q.
After revealing their identities to each other, Xu Yan and Li Ruo were at a loss for what to talk about next. Li Ruo felt a little awkward. She thought that after confirming Q's identity, the two of them should have a new feeling, but for now, all that was left was silence and unease.
Essentially, both of them are greedy; one covets the client's inheritance, and the other wants a generous share. They are no different.
Having figured this out, Li Ruo felt a little calmer. It turned out that the distance between her and Xu Yan wasn't so great after all; they shared the same goal.
At this moment, Xu Yan said, "I hope you will continue to see yourself as Zhou Luming in the future, and at least during the cooperation period, please forget Li Ruo's identity."
Li Ruo smiled upon hearing this, "Who wouldn't want to be the little princess Zhou Luming?" She didn't want to mention Li Ruo's name because it represented past pain.
Xu Yan paused for a moment and said, "Being Zhou Luming isn't as good as you imagine."
Her expression was slightly gloomy, and there seemed to be a lingering melancholy between her brows, but she quickly composed herself. "Luke's matter is not yet resolved, and there will be a tough battle to fight today. I'm going to rest now. If you have any news later, please come upstairs and wake me up."
"But your room is locked, can I get in?"
"We won't lock it this time," Xu Yan said.
When Li Ruo calmed down, she thought about how she had assumed many identities and taken on various names during her many missions. No matter what name she was called or what kind of life she lived, she felt it was better than her original life. That's why she was able to fully immerse herself in the role, treating herself as the person she was playing.
The same goes for this time.
So from now on, she still considers herself Zhou Luming.
She stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window watching the sun rise. The warm sunlight shone on her, and the gloom in her body seemed to gradually dissipate.
Xu Yan went back to her room to sleep. To be honest, Zhou Luming really wanted to follow her upstairs to see what her room was like; she was curious about the environment inside. However, she needed to restrain herself and not be hasty, otherwise it would backfire and anger Xu Yan, making their relationship even more awkward.
So she patiently sat on the sofa in the living room, not turning on the TV, but scrolling through the news on her iPad. She wanted to know how Luke and his doting father would respond.
As expected, Lu's stock price plummeted when the stock market opened. A flood of insider information online, along with reports of financial fraud that appeared out of nowhere, quickly caused Lu's stock to hit its daily limit down. The chairman of the Lu Group, Luke's father, hurriedly got out of his car and went to the group to convene a board meeting. The man in his fifties looked exhausted and hadn't slept well all night.
It's no wonder. His son was arrested, and his company was on the verge of collapse. He suffered a double blow, yet he still had the energy to hold meetings and try to save the company. Even Zhou Luming admired his efforts.
Sitting cross-legged on the leather sofa, Zhou Luming smiled faintly. It seemed that Luke had finally gotten his comeuppance this time.
Wang Anjing sent her a message saying she would arrive in twenty minutes. Zhou Luming immediately replied "okay," then jumped up from the sofa, put on her slippers, and rushed upstairs despite her sprained ankle. She wanted to go to Xu Yan's room.
Xu Yan's room was indeed unlocked.
Zhou Luming gently pushed open the door. It was completely dark inside, without a single light. After entering, Zhou Luming felt as if she had gone blind for a moment. It took her a few seconds to adjust. Using the light from the hallway outside, she carefully groped her way in, afraid of bumping into or disturbing Xu Yan. But she found the room to be very empty, unexpectedly empty.
She couldn't touch any tables, cabinets, or decorations; the floor was wooden, and the walls were cold. She closed her eyes to listen to her surroundings. Normally, she would hear people breathing, but it was completely silent. Could Xu Yan not be here?
Just as Zhou Luming hesitated, she tripped over something and almost lost her balance, but managed to regain her footing. She slowly crouched down and touched a blanket. Almost as soon as she touched the corner of the blanket, her wrists were gripped tightly by a pair of hands. Xu Yan's cool voice rang out in the darkness, "What are you doing?"
Chapter 44
===================
Zhou Luming's eyes flickered, and he vaguely caught Xu Yan's shadow in the darkness. Xu Yan sat up, her hand still holding Zhou Luming's wrist, confronting her in the darkness.
Zhou Luming thought he was going crazy, because in such darkness, he could actually see Xu Yan's eyes. They were a pair of light black eyes that held countless stories. Usually, they would gaze quietly without showing any emotion, but at this moment, they revealed the most unusual fear.
Is she afraid?
What is she afraid of?
Zhou Luming's hand was sore from Xu Yan's grip, and it was sure to leave a bruise. He had no choice but to break the stalemate, "Sister Anjing just called and said she'll be here soon. I'm here to let you know."
At this moment, she felt the pressure from Xu Yan. Although she couldn't see his expression clearly, a heavy sense of oppression pressed down on her. Coupled with Xu Yan's gaze in the night, she felt inexplicably flustered. She hadn't felt this flustered in a long time, and she was even a little afraid.
Xu Yan's fingers, which had been gripping Zhou Luming's slender wrist tightly, loosened after hearing Zhou Luming's explanation, as if she had finally remembered the incident. After a few seconds, she finally let go.
"I'm sorry, I had a dream." Xu Yan got up, lifting the covers, her voice hoarse.
"No...it's nothing." Zhou Luming was still shaken, rubbing her wrist. Had a dream? What kind of dream made her so terrified? She felt that Xu Yan was experiencing stress; she had felt that way before, but fortunately, she was mentally strong and adjusted in time.
In the darkness, she heard Xu Yan putting on his coat. She turned around and felt her way along the wall to leave the room, but touched a glossy piece of paper on the wall. Zhou Luming frowned, realizing it was photographic paper, and that it must be a photograph. Touching the side, she discovered that there were several other photographs pasted there.
Perhaps this is a photo wall, but the lighting is so dim that it's impossible to tell what these photos are.
"Where's the light switch? I think I bumped into something," Zhou Luming asked.
Xu Yan replied, "There are no lights in this room. You can go out now, I'll tidy up."
Why don't you have lights in your room?
From the darkness came Xu Yan's reply, "My eyes aren't used to bright places."
Zhou Luming left Xu Yan's room. Although she had discovered that Xu Yan was Q, she understood Xu Yan less and less. This person had many secrets and was definitely not a simple estate administrator.
Although they managed to sneak into Xu Yan's room, they found nothing. What was the content of the photo on the wall? Was it about her life? Friends? Or family?
Zhou Luming saw that there were indeed faint marks on his wrist. He thought to himself that Xu Yan looked weak and frail, but she was actually quite strong. Even someone like him who had trained would have a hard time dealing with her. She probably had other secrets to hide.
Just as Xu Yan came out of the room, Wang Anjing arrived. Zhou Luming welcomed her in, and the three of them sat in the living room on the first floor.