Chapter 11 Fallen Angel

Love is a sorrowful fairy tale, distant yet real. The pace at which romance stories update is even faster than a rocket—can you believe it?

To let go of someone who loves you is not painful; to let go of someone you love, that is pain…

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In the span of a week, Xue Zuining finally realized how laughable and absurd her former confidence and pride had been in the face of that man.

Under the scorching sun, she held the rejected property deed and mortgage application, her mind replaying the man's contemptuous voice: "Buy back your dignity with money! Buy back your dignity with money!"

Before those who think themselves invincible, the property deed in her hand could turn into a worthless scrap of paper. If they wished to make her their puppet, she could never resist. If they wished to conquer, she would never be allowed to rebel.

Survival of the fittest, nature’s law—why must the world of the strong prey upon the weak, and why must it choose to clash with someone as powerless and insignificant as herself?

A dazzling blue Porsche spun around in a graceful arc, pulling up before her like the wind. The window rolled down, revealing a man’s triumphant smile.

“Miss Xue, are you sunbathing?” He Min took off his sunglasses, his flirtatious eyes sweeping over her expressionless face. “My, you’re sweating. There’s air conditioning in the car. Care to join me for a bit?”

Xue Zuining looked at the man’s self-satisfied grin. Such an opening remark—how utterly mocking!

Just then, the bank security guard approached, recognizing the car as belonging to someone wealthy. He bent politely, asking He Min with a smile to move his car to a proper spot.

He Min glanced at the guard’s cautious face, then at the woman brimming with pride, and shook his head. “Miss Xue, by now you should realize that dignity can’t fill your stomach.”

At last, Xue Zuining understood the source of the man’s confidence. In the end, under the pleading gaze of the security guard, she slid into the flamboyant car of Young Master He.

“What would you like, Miss Xue? Tea or coffee?” He Min casually flipped through the menu. Seeing the woman sit rigidly before him, he raised a brow. “Caramel macchiato, then. Girls usually like that sort of thing.”

“One caramel macchiato, double milk; one Blue Mountain, half a sugar.”

“Very well, Young Master He. Please wait a moment.” The server took the menu, bowed, and withdrew from the private room.

Soon, the drinks arrived. He Min poured all the extra milk into the caramel macchiato and pushed it toward her. “They say milk is good for the complexion. You’ve been in the sun for so long—take care of yourself. Don’t ruin your greatest asset.”

Xue Zuining gazed at his frivolous smile, her eyes glimmering. “Young Master He, to invite someone who’s wronged you for coffee—what a generous heart you have!”

He Min set down his Blue Mountain coffee, crossing his knees. “How shall I put it? I’ve always appreciated pleasing things. And Miss Xue, you’re a rare beauty with both brains and looks in this day and age. Moreover, you have such character.”

She met his ambiguous gaze and smiled faintly. “I’m just an ordinary woman, you flatter me.”

“Flatter you? At fourteen you composed ‘Lake Verdun’ and received an invitation from the New York Conservatory. There’s not a second such woman in all of China.” His fingers drummed idly on the table as he spoke.

Her eyes grew colder. “So you’ve investigated my life so thoroughly.”

He Min’s mouth curved into a smirk. “Then you should know, some could understand you even better than I do. Some know, just as well as I, that what you need is money—enough to send Ms. Zhong Yilan abroad for treatment.”

“So Young Master He is at odds with Lu Huaining.” At last, Xue Zuining understood that this man’s intentions were not as simple as they seemed. Of course, those from the same world would never allow her to be beneath them. How could the mistake that night with Lu Huaining be so easily erased?

“You’re sharp, Miss Xue.” He Min, watching this ever-changing woman, took out a business card and set it on the table. “Contact my private number whenever you’ve made up your mind.”

She rose from the sofa, picked up the card, and smiled down at him. “Then I shall thank you in advance for your timely help, Young Master He.”

He Min watched her, his gaze following until her figure disappeared from the room. He took a sip of his coffee, lips curving. When had cold coffee ever tasted so flavorful?

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Shengtian International, Executive Conference Room.

“Assistant Huang, proceed with the second plan for phase one of Starfish Gardens. I want to see preliminary results in two months. Also, if the sales permit for phase three of Yuming Pavilion isn’t on my desk tomorrow, the sales department’s quarterly bonus will be halved.” Lu Huaining’s imperious gaze swept the room. Just as the group trembled beneath his eyes, his voice thundered through the vast conference room: “Meeting adjourned.”

No sooner had he stepped out of the office than his secretary approached. “President Lu, your personal phone rang twice during the meeting—from the same number.”

Lu Huaining took the phone, unlocked it as he entered his office, and saw, as expected, that it was that number.

“I’m in my office. Come up and see me,” he said, tossing the phone onto the sofa as he sat down, loosening his tie. An inexplicable sensation surged restlessly inside him—an agitation he’d never felt before.

Soon, the secretary ushered in a man in a black trench coat.

The door closed quietly.

The man in the coat placed a sealed file respectfully on the coffee table, his hands folded before him. “Young Master Lu, here is all the information on Miss Xue Zuining, including her family and friends. I have organized the data as thoroughly as possible. However, I encountered resistance when investigating a girl named An Xinyi.”

“Resistance? Who could stymie a top detective?” Lu Huaining hadn’t expected that someone as ordinary as Xue Zuining would have such a powerful friend.

“It was Mr. Wen of the Wen family. He asked me to tell you, regarding Miss An, that you should not pursue the matter further.” The man bowed his head lower, catching the subtle change in the other’s eyes. His professional caution made him meticulous. “Moreover, as far as I know, Young Master He of Hengrun Group has privately approached Miss Xue—and…”

“And what?” Lu Huaining sneered. So she’d latched onto an old patron—no wonder she could keep her composure.

“And Miss Xue has agreed to Young Master He’s terms. She consented to be the lead stand-in for the film ‘Enchantment.’”

“A stand-in? Seems He Min is truly fond of her!” Lu Huaining scoffed. “Still, that’s quick money.”

“Young Master Lu, forgive my boldness, but Miss Xue’s role this afternoon as a stand-in is that of a nude model.”