novelThis Is Bad; Madam's Gone
| ← Ch.0120 | Ch.0122 → |
Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio
"Didn't you say you loved him? That's the love you're giving him? Dirty, hidden and deceptive? Ha, Ning Qing, let's make a bet on whether he will still want you or not!"
Ning Qing but her lower lip hard with her pearly whites. She had broken the skin on her lips and a sweet and metallic taste filled her mouth, but she was unaware.
She sneered and said, word by word, "What does it have to do with you whether he wants me or not? Why should I bet with you? You're just a spectator, an irrelevant person to me!"
"You!"
Ning Qing hung up.
...
Ning Qing sat on the big bed in the room. She stretched out her small hand and wiped her tears away. Then she found the familiar string of numbers and called Lu Shaoming.
Unfortunately, her call didn't go through.
At the other end of the phone was a mechanical and cold female voice — Sorry, the number you have dialed is busy, please leave a message after the beep.
Did he switch his phone off?
Maybe he was in a meeting.
Ning Qing consoled herself, then called the number many times, but she was still greeted by the same robotic woman.
Ning Qing did not give up. She dialed Zhu Rui's number.
This time, a series of melodious ringtones sounded.
Ning Qing was delighted. Zhu Rui's phone was working.
The phone rang three times, but nobody answered.
Ning Qing finally burst into tears. She could tell herself that Lu Shaoming was different than Xu Junxi and the rest of the world; he would want her, but she could not convince herself.
Xu Junxi's words penetrated her heart like needles. Yes, there were probably no men in the world willing to accept her like this.
What was she still hoping for?
If she loved Lu Shaoming, how dare she hope?
Maybe when she had seen Yin Muchen at the White Flower Awards, Lu Shaoming had already noticed something was off, so he asked her if she had anything to confess in the hotel room. She did not confess and dared not confess.
See, she was such a despicable and selfish person.
She owed no one in the world except for the Yin family, and now she owed Lu Shaoming!
Once again, she called Lu Shaoming and started to leave a message after the beep.
"Shaoming..." After saying his name, she was already sobbing. She covered her mouth with a small hand and choked out, "Shaoming, what are you doing now? Why aren't you answering my call? I know. You've read the news and you know what had happened three years ago, don't you?
"Shaoming, I admit that I deceived you. I dare not tell you, I want to hold such a wonderful man like you in my arms all the time. I was afraid that you would dislike me, but I want to spend my life with you. Actually, I have already decided that... I would tell you everything frankly after my period. If you still want me then, I will give you all I have, but now...
"I know you don't want me anymore, but that's okay. I don't blame you, even though my heart hurts so much I can hardly breathe.
"Shaoming, there is one thing I want to tell you. Three years ago, I did not, I did not try to seduce him. I was drunk, went to the wrong room. Everything that happened afterward was like a dream; it was beyond my control. I admit to myself that I had deceived the world but had never harmed anyone. No one has the obligation to expose their bloody wounds to the sun for others' pleasure, but among everyone, I had harmed only you, harmed such a beautiful and innocent you...
"Finally, Shaoming, goodbye!"
Ning Qing hung up.
...
Ning Qing stayed in the villa all the time. When the brilliant sun began to rise outside, she awoke from her stupor and went down the stairs.
She wanted to open the door of the villa, but she sensitively perceived the anomaly outside. The carved red sandalwood door generally insulated sound pretty well, but it was really noisy and crowded outside. She took a look through the peephole. Outside, there was a mass of black bobbing heads, all media reporters.
Ning Qing let go of the door handle and stepped back. Only now did she realize her present situation.
She was surrounded by entertainment reporters.
Her stardom has ended.
She could no longer hold her head high in T city anymore.
From here on, she will only be the subject of a variety of negative scandals; her current situation is more serious than when she was in distress three years ago.
Ning Qing turned around and went upstairs. She couldn't figure out who wanted to harm her.
She also did not know how the photo had been taken and how it had been posted online.
Now, she had no energy to think about it.
She only knew that the reporters had found the villa, so the fact that she was living with Lu Shaoming must have come to light. Nobody knew that they were married, so she didn't know how the story of them living together would be stigmatized and hyped to arouse a new wave of public fervour.
This time, the controversy would surely be directed at Lu Shaoming.
Ning Qing went to the open balcony on the second floor, where there was a staircase that could lead to the maple leaf forest at the back of the hill. The reporters did not know about this road, so she went out of the maple leaf forest unimpeded and came to the back street.
She stood by the roadside flagging a taxi.
At that time, two journalists could not find a way in no matter what, so they had chosen to explore and wait around this remote path. Suddenly they saw Ning Qing and shouted in surprise, "Look, it's Ning Qing, Ning Qing!"
The two journalists came running with their cameramen.
At this time, a taxi happened to stop in front of Ning Qing. Ning Qing quickly got in the car."Mister, drive quickly."
The taxi sped away.
Ning Qing looked through the rearview mirror at the journalists who slowly shrank in the distance, and her expression grew relieved. She heard the driver in front of her ask, "Where do you want to go, Miss?"
Ning Qing looked out of the window at the scenery passing by, and her eyes were slowly overcome with loneliness and sadness."Bring me to the station."
She wanted to leave this place.
Ever since she had met Lu Shaoming, she had never done anything for him. She hoped that this entertainment incident would end with her departure.
Lu Shaoming would still be Young Master Lu of the empire corporation who everyone admired.
She had let Xiao Zhou down. From going to the wrong room three years ago to being chased out of the Ning family, she had worked hard for three years and never felt tired. Now she was tired.
She didn't want to fight anymore.
There were many people and things that she couldn't face.
Farewell, Shuiling.
Ning Qing closed her eyes gently as tears fell from the corners of her eyes. It was so quiet and beautiful.
The taxi driver looked at Ning Qing through the rearview mirror."Yes." A menacing and dangerous grin appeared on his face slowly as he lowered the cap on his head.
The two journalists who had been left behind stopped in dismay. A reporter pointed to the taxi and said, "Hey, look, why doesn't that taxi have a license plate?"
Another man looked at it."Weird, is it an unlicensed car? I've heard that there's a taxi maniac recently who picks up beautiful girls with the taxi, then he rapes them and kills them. His methods are cruel and inhuman."
The reporter was horrified."What shall we do then? Shall we call the police?"
"Uhh... I had just mentioned the taxi maniac casually; how could Ning Qing be so unlucky to meet him? Besides, it's noon now, and Ning Qing is a celebrity. That taxi maniac wouldn't dare to come out and commit crimes so arrogantly. Let's not worry about such tangential matters. We'll let the other media wait there while we go back to write a press release."
"... Okay."
...
Ning Qing had gotten on the taxi and left her cell phone in the villa room. What she didn't know was that her cell phone was ringing nonstop.
Outside the airport gates, Zhu Rui opened the door of the luxury car and Lu Shaoming sat in the back seat.
He was wearing a black woolen overcoat, with the same colored suit inside, and a white shirt; he looked extremely proper. He had just gotten off the plane, and with his brows knitted tightly in worry, he dialed her number, only to keep hearing, "This number is not in use".
When the car started, Zhu Rui sat in the passenger seat in front and said, "President, I've called Madam, but nobody answered."
Lu Shaoming's face was grim. His sculpted jawline tightened, and his thin red lips had also tightened into a line of displeasure. His sharp gaze swept toward Zhu Rui."The plane requires me to switch off my phone, Ning Qing could not get through to me, but what about you? What were you doing when Ning Qing called you?"
Lu Shaoming's gaze caused Zhu Rui's scalp to go numb. After keeping his fear in check, he explained, "President, last night I was handling some other business in another city. I only made it back to T city this morning. I only heard about Madam's news after returning to T City. I had meant to appease Madam, but the reporters had found Missus and Old Madam's condo. The reporters had surrounded the door of their apartment. The security guards had gotten into a fight when they went up to maintain order in the condo. I was afraid that Missus would be injured, so I went to the condo to settle things. I didn't hear Madam calling me. When I finished settling everything and looked at my phone, Madam was already uncontactable when I dialed back."
Lu Shaoming stopped talking. He looked sideways out of the window. When he was not angry and overbearing, he displayed a depressing and compelling temperament.
It was frightening.
"Did you find out who was behind everything?"
"I already have a clue. The other party is very cautious and had not left much behind, but as long as they have taken action, there would be traces to follow."
"Hah." Lu Shaoming leaned his handsome back against the soft backrest, crossing his long legs together. The cut of his black trousers was as sharp as a knife, like the gentle murderous intent at the corners of his eyes."I was careless this time. I think the other side has been dormant for a long time, waiting for us to relax our vigilance before attacking."
"President, don't worry too much. Madam has gone through many ups and downs in the rain and wind. I'm sure she will survive this time."
Lu Shaoming's determined eyebrows were warm and soft, and his tone was filled with helplessness. He sighed, "If she could get through it, she would not be at the whim of everyone in school last night. She is particularly weak and helpless when it comes to things involving the people she loves."
Six months ago, that time in the hospital, her mother had ignored her.
Three months ago, when she thought that he had brought another woman to the dinner party.
This time, Yin Shuiling?
And there was him, the old incident three years ago, and the debt she had.
Everything was enough to knock her down.
The message she had left for him echoed in his ears, and his heart felt as if he had been stung by bees, numb and painful.
She cried again.
She only knows how to cry whenever it comes to the people she loves.
Where had her usual wisdom gone?
Lu Shaoming's deep eyes flashed with an eagle-like keenness again. He had to admit that this time the other party knew Ning Qing's character very well, and they had landed a direct blow to her soft spot, making a quick and brutal move.
This method reminded him of a person, but unfortunately, that person was in prison, Li Meiling.
Was it Ning Yao then?
Lu Shaoming scoffed. If this had really been done by Ning Yao alone, it would be easy to settle.
"I've asked you to investigate Mu Yunfan; how is it going?"
"I've already sent people to Singapore. But the Mu family has a hand in both legal and illegal matters. They have means and forces that are beyond the reach of ordinary people. I'm afraid of making a move and alerting the enemy, so it'll take some time, " Zhu Rui answered. After that, he asked Lu Shaoming hesitantly, "President, do you think Xu Junxi has a role in this? He would be the biggest winner."
"Hah, if he had the courage to participate, he would have participated three years ago. Why wait until now? But regarding this incident, he must be happy to see it unfold."
Zhu Rui nodded, and then his cell phone rang and he answered the call. His expression turned grim instantly."What?"
Lu Shaoming looked up from the back seat, his eyes were cold."What's wrong?"
"This is bad, President. Someone just reported that Madam is not in the villa, she's missing."
Lu Shaoming's black eyes instantly looked like spilled ink, cold as the abyss and bottomless. He growled, "Speak clearly!"
"Yes, President, when I went to Missus' condo, I had sent someone to protect Madam secretly at the Tea Pavilion Villa. The person assigned confirmed that Madam was in the room at that time. Because this very important, I had gone to pick you up at the airport first, but when I couldn't get through to Madam's phone, I sent someone to check on her again. This time, they reported that Madam is not in the villa."
When Zhu Rui finished, the car was dead silent.
Lu Shaoming frowned and suppressed his almost boiling temper. He was not easily angered. He had never been angered for the past 30 years. He looked down at his wristwatch. He pressed his thin lips so tightly that they turned white. His voice was calm and wise as he said, "About half an hour, it's not too long. Ning Qing must have walked from Maple Leaf Forest. Send someone to start searching from that remote place. Have them focus on checking the nearby stations and airports. In addition, get all the city's road surveillance cameras and monitors. I will find Ning Qing even if I have to dig all the way down."
"Yes, sir." Zhu Rui replied.
"Also, didn't you say that the reporters were surrounding the Tea Pavilion Villa? Ning Qing is a celebrity nowadays. There isn't a soul in T city who wouldn't know her. There must be passers-by who have seen her. Spread the word. I want to get results in 15 minutes!"
...
Hence, the two journalists, who were writing the press release quietly in their office, were tied up by several bodyguards who had broken in randomly. They were stuffed into a car and brought to the Tea Pavilion Villa.
When entering the villa gate, the swarming media reporters had already disappeared, and there were bodyguards at the door. There was an air of indifference and desolation everywhere.
The reporters trembled as they entered the villa door. A man in a white shirt and black pants leaned lazily against the living room sofa. He was expressionless, but his gaze was as sharp as an eagle's. The murderous look in his eyes caused the reporters' knees to weaken instantly.
"Young... Young Master Lu, I wonder why you've asked us to come?"
Zhu Rui stood next to two or three women."Is that them?"
"Yes, yes, we were shopping then, when we suddenly heard someone calling Ning Qing. I looked back and remembered the reporter's lanyards hanging around their necks."
"Alright, thank you. You can leave after getting your payment, " Zhu Rui said politely.
"Thank you." The women went out one after another.
As soon as the reporters heard what the woman had said, they knew why Lu Shaoming had "asked" them to come. They had a feeling in their hearts that Lu Shaoming would cause another uproar now that he was back.
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