Chapter 10: The Persistent Vixen

Qin Wanyi’s expression was grim. She stared coldly at him, then shoved away the hand he had resting on her waist with a look of utter detachment.

"Staying chaste for a piece of trash?" she mocked with a sneer. She reached up, gripped his chin, and studied him with feigned interest, her frost-covered face drawing closer.

"Is your brain broken, or am I the one who’s sick?" Her face darkened. She patted his cheek, a clear warning in her eyes. "If I ever hear such absurd nonsense from you again, I’ll cut out your tongue."

Pei Yunian’s expression eased slightly as he stood still, watching her turn and walk away.

Thinking about what had just happened, Qin Wanyi felt unsettled. This dog of a man was going to be the death of her sooner or later. She let out a sigh, her beautiful brows knitting together, and pulled out her phone to call her best friend.

"Let’s go out for a drink," she said, cutting straight to the point.

Shen Lin gasped on the other end, stammering, "Maybe... maybe not?"

Qin Wanyi arched a brow, staring at her phone in confusion. "What’s the situation? Turning down a drink? That doesn’t sound like you."

They had been best friends for years; she knew Shen Lin better than anyone, and this behavior was clearly off. Sensing that Qin Wanyi seemed entirely unaware of what had happened that day, Shen Lin cautiously brought it up as a probe.

"That day, after Pei Yunian took you away, a group of people showed up claiming we were engaged in illicit activities. You’ll never guess what happened next," Shen Lin complained, sounding aggrieved while deliberately keeping her in suspense.

Curiosity piqued, Qin Wanyi wondered what had transpired after she left. "What happened? Don't tell me you were having too much fun with those young men while I was gone."

Qin Wanyi joked without missing a beat, but Shen Lin erupted. "Don't talk nonsense! Am I that kind of person? I didn't do anything!"

"The bar was sealed off that very day. All those handsome guys I’d paid for were dragged off and locked up for over half a month," Shen Lin lamented, covering her face. That day had left her with serious trauma.

"It was that serious?" Qin Wanyi frowned, unable to believe it. They hadn't done anything wrong, and it was a perfectly legitimate bar. If there had been any issues, it would have been shut down long ago.

"You have no idea! So, please, have mercy on me. I don’t want a criminal record before I’ve even found a boyfriend. You’d better lay low for a while."

***

Shen Lin’s logic held some weight, but Qin Wanyi was already in a foul mood and had been counting on a drink to drown her sorrows. Now, that plan had completely fallen through.

Shen Lin’s eyes darted around. She pursed her lips, her expression turning solemn. "But, come to think of it, don't you find this whole thing suspicious?"

"Isn't it a bit too coincidental? The moment you two left, everything went south. It was barely two or three minutes apart." She paused, waiting for her friend’s reaction.

Qin Wanyi had a splitting headache and no energy for conjecture. She simply asked what exactly Shen Lin was trying to imply.

Shen Lin sighed in frustration, thinking to herself that she had made it obvious enough. Could she really not figure it out, or did she simply refuse to suspect the man?

"Is it not obvious enough? I suspect this has something to do with Pei Yunian."

The answer was completely unexpected. Qin Wanyi’s gaze flickered for a moment before she burst into laughter. "Have you been drinking alone at home? Are you drunk?"

"Pei Yunian? He’s just a bodyguard, a dog by my side. What kind of power could he possibly have to pull something like this off?" Qin Wanyi was so annoyed she laughed.

Her dismissal completely shut down Shen Lin’s suspicions, but Shen Lin still couldn't wrap her head around it. The timing was too perfect, and she couldn't think of anyone else capable of such a move.

Not far away, standing ramrod straight, Pei Yunian heard the phone conversation. He covered his mouth to hide a low chuckle. He didn't step forward to explain; instead, he felt a sense of relief that Qin Wanyi’s plans had been thwarted.

***

Jiang Yi returned home in a fury. Everything in the living room looked like an eyesore, so he began grabbing objects at random and smashing them against the floor to vent his rage. The servants, hearing the commotion, were too terrified to make a sound, fearing his wrath.

Minutes later, anything smashable in the living room lay in ruins. He pulled at his tie, unbuttoning his collar to reveal a neck bulging with veins.

"Qin Wanyi, you really are a bitch. You have a perfectly good life as Mrs. Jiang, but you’d rather degrade yourself and be with a bootlicking dog."

He touched his cheek in resentment and turned to the floor-length mirror. He patted his chest, surveying his handsome reflection, feeling both satisfied and puzzled.

"She has no taste. Look how handsome I am! Does a man with my wealth and status really lose out to a dog?"

Jiang Yi grumbled and cursed, yet he couldn't stop preening in the mirror. Even with his injuries, he viewed himself through a flattering filter.

***

"Yi-ge?" Lin Xiaoxiao had arrived at the hospital only to learn that Jiang Yi had already left. She had no choice but to come to the villa.

She was met with a living room in total disarray. Startled, she hurried inside, worried that something had happened to him.

Jiang Yi was still posing in front of the mirror. It was the first time Lin Xiaoxiao had seen him like this, and she felt a flicker of confusion. What was wrong with him today?

Driven by curiosity, she tiptoed closer, hoping to surprise him, only to hear him grumbling to himself.

"It’s ridiculous. I’m perfect from every angle. How could that bitch Qin Wanyi possibly choose a dog over me?"

His voice wasn't loud, but Lin Xiaoxiao heard every word clearly.

Her expression shifted. *Qin Wanyi, that bitch. Even after the divorce, she’s still haunting him.*

She composed herself and snuck up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Yi-ge is the most handsome man of all."

"I adore you. Qin Wanyi must have been blind and stupid!" Lin Xiaoxiao rested her chin on his shoulder, whispering sweet praises.

The words delighted Jiang Yi. He turned, pulled her into his arms with one hand, and pinched her cheek. "You’re the only one with a sweet mouth."

Lin Xiaoxiao buried her face in his chest, feeling smug, completely unaware that Jiang Yi was still fixated on Qin Wanyi.

"You’re right. It must be that this dog did something to bewitch Qin Wanyi, which is why she insisted on divorcing me." After all, Qin Wanyi had liked him for so many years; how could she just stop liking him like that?