Chapter 28: Afraid I'll Devour You?

As she pondered with lowered eyes, her phone rang again.

Yu Zhi tapped the speakerphone. "Little Fish, have you missed me?"

Ning Qi'er’s lazy, cheeky voice filled her ears. She made a face of disgust. "Spit it out, don't keep me from sleeping with men!"

"Don't, don't, don't! The old man wants you to come home for dinner this week. Will you do me the favor, sister?" Ning Qi'er said, pitching his voice in a way that made her skin crawl.

Yu Zhi propped her long legs casually on a stool, her tone flat. "Haven't you told your family about us yet?"

"I haven't found the right time. The old man isn't in good health, and I have to consider that. Just give me an answer—yes or no?"

A flicker of pity crossed Yu Zhi’s lowered eyes. She checked her schedule; it was the day the show finished filming, so she was free.

"Fine. Send someone to pick me up. Don't you come."

"Little Fish, what are you afraid of? That I’ll eat you?"

Various snippets of his malnourished-looking antics flashed through her mind, and she ground her teeth. "Ning Qi'er, you are such a dog!"

"Woof!"

...

Yu Zhi hung up in silence and called Jiang Weicheng. Since the arrangements for after the show were set, she would give them a break for now. Returning to the Ning residence wasn't a one- or two-day affair; she would have to stay for at least a week before the old man would let her leave. It felt a bit like being a hostage in an old mansion. It seemed Ning Qi'er was finally preparing to take action against his relatives, who were always siding with outsiders.

Going back to watch the chaos unfold wouldn't be too bad, she consoled herself. She only hoped that once everything was over, she could successfully divorce Ning Qi'er.

Yu Zhi had planned everything out neatly, but all her carefully laid schemes came to a screeching halt the moment she arrived at the meeting point. She instantly understood why Ning Qi'er hadn't objected when she refused his offer to pick her up—he had been waiting for her here.

Standing next to Zhao Lihang were a man and a woman. The man was none other than Ning Qi'er, who had been on the phone with her yesterday, and the woman was someone she recognized—the very person she had slapped a few times in the past.

"Hello, everyone! I’m the surprise guest from the production team, Wen Siguan. Please take care of me!"

Compared to Gu Qing, the artificial beauty, Wen Siguan clearly had more capital, and she played the "fresh and innocent, man-slaying" style. Once upon a time, she had tripped Yu Zhi up more than once. So, having heard the news, she was here to mock Yu Zhi for her lack of progress in person? She really had gone to great lengths.

Shi Hai Ling stared at Ning Qi'er with an unreadable expression before smiling at Wen Siguan.

Wen Siguan deliberately pushed Yu Zhi aside to get closer to Shi Hai Ling, clinging to her arm and rubbing against her. "Sister Ling, long time no see! I missed you so much!"

Yu Zhi slowly drifted to the side; there was no need to lock horns with her over such trivialities.

Ning Qi'er’s disheveled suit stood in stark contrast to Li Ze. The vibrant red he wore didn't look gaudy at all; instead, it added a touch of flair to his appearance. He strode over to Yu Zhi, but just as he reached out to put his arm around her shoulder, he realized the setting and pulled back, whispering with a laugh, "Is it a surprise?"

Yu Zhi endured and endured. She couldn't let it be known that the new guest was also intimately connected to her. She smiled in response, "Who wouldn't be surprised to see you?"

Nearby, the director announced the mission details through a megaphone: "The task assigned to us by the village committee hasn't been completed yet, so we will continue with it this noon. In the afternoon, we will prepare a debate on the topic of love. We hope everyone will participate enthusiastically!"

[To prevent you guys from leaving nasty comments, let me give you some background: Ning Qi'er is the newly appointed CEO of Xingyue Group. Within just six months of taking office, he turned Xingyue into the powerhouse it is today. There are even rumors that he is the descendant of a powerful tycoon—a super-rich, handsome man with endless wealth!!!]

[Friends, tremble!]

[I feel like Teacher Shi and President Ning have a deep connection. She’s been staring at him for at least two minutes!]

[Hiss, so Yu Zhi’s top rival has also come to watch her make a fool of herself? Yu Zhi probably doesn't know about the moves Shanming is making. If Zhao Lihang didn't have some talent, this show would have been dead in the water.]

[Yu Zhi has offended so many people to get where she is; she must have a powerful backer to act like this, right?]

Leaving the chattering director behind, Yu Zhi and Bai Fuyuan followed the path they had investigated the day before to look for clues.

"Sister Zhi, how many possibilities do you think there are for the water and power to be cut off for no reason?"

Yu Zhi waved the souvenir fan she had bought from a stall earlier and exhaled. "First, no money. Second, a centralized outage. But since it’s neither of those, there’s a third..."

A flash of inspiration struck her. She looked up, locked eyes with Bai Fuyuan, and they spoke in unison: "Human intervention!"

"Then the question arises: who would cut off the power for so many households?"

Bai Fuyuan leaned against the table behind him, about to speak, when someone walked up and cut him off.

"I actually have a lead. Is Zhizhi willing to hear me out?"

Following behind Ning Qi'er was a sulking Wen Siguan. Because of the mission requirements, the guests hadn't been reassigned, so the two newcomers were automatically grouped together. Wen Siguan glared at Yu Zhi—it was all her fault! They could have figured out the cause and effect directly, but Ning Qi'er insisted on finding Yu Zhi to solve the puzzle with him. Now, the prize that was within reach was about to be handed over to someone else; how could she not hate her?

Feeling Wen Siguan’s inexplicable renewed hostility, Yu Zhi raised an eyebrow and ignored her.

"Let's hear it. Let's see what kind of insight you have."

Ning Qi'er walked forward slowly. His black hair fell in wisps over his rugged brow, and those ink-like peach-blossom eyes were as deep as pools. His shirt was never buttoned properly, revealing his collarbone beneath the smooth lines of his chest, and his jacket hung loosely from his hand.

An alarm bell rang in Yu Zhi’s head. Rule eight of seducing a handsome man: peach-blossom eyes that look like peach blossoms but aren't, half-hidden and half-revealed, means they want it—take them down decisively—

This man was trouble; he was corrupting her focus!

His lazy voice carried a hint of morning intoxication. "I asked a few kids. The households that lost power all liked to sing, dance, and hold parties in their yards in the middle of the night. The neighbors complained repeatedly, but they wouldn't stop."

"As for those who lost water, although I don't know what they were doing, you can always hear the sound of rushing water at night—"

"Zhizhi~ tell me, if you encountered people like that, what would you do?"

Yu Zhi understood. She swatted his hand off her shoulder and gave Bai Fuyuan a look, signaling him to leave with her. Bai Fuyuan was staring at Wen Siguan, lost in thought, and didn't catch the signal. She called out again, "Bai Fuyuan, are you coming or not?"