Her voice was not loud, yet it was like a blade tempered with ice, slicing precisely through the noisy jeering around them.
Wang Chang’s smug smile froze on his face in an instant.
When he realized it was Chen Zhiyan who’d spoken, all his arrogance collapsed like a punctured balloon.
The muscles on his face twitched as he tried to maintain his so-called “composure” under Chen Zhiyan’s cold gaze, but the scene just now had already betrayed his true nature.
The power of the Chen Family was not something he, Wang Chang, could afford to provoke lightly.
That was also one of the reasons he’d been so desperate in his pursuit of Chen Zhiyan.
Chen Zhiyan wasn’t just a stunning beauty—more importantly, the Chen Family was a colossus.
The current head of the Chen Family had only one daughter: Chen Zhiyan. And he was famously protective.
It was already set in stone who the heir would be.
If someone could marry Chen Zhiyan, wouldn’t that mean gaining control of the entire Chen Corporation?
He managed to force out a smile that was uglier than crying.
“Zhiyan? What a coincidence, I… I was just chatting with this young lady, making a friend.”
“You know, you’re actually the one I like most.”
Chen Zhiyan didn’t bother sparing him even an extra glance.
Her gaze remained fixed on Hua Qi’an, who was trapped in the middle of the crowd, her face as pale as paper.
A barely perceptible flicker of heartache and increasingly cold malice flashed through those beautiful eyes.
“She doesn’t look like she wants to be your friend.”
Chen Zhiyan’s voice grew even colder, now carrying an undeniable tone of command.
“Aren’t you here to identify a corpse? The police station’s right there, stop hanging around being an eyesore, get in.”
The word “get” sounded casual, but carried the weight of a thousand pounds, smashing heavily into Wang Chang’s pride.
Wang Chang’s face turned green, then white.
To be scolded by a woman like this in front of his followers made him feel utterly humiliated.
Even though Chen Zhiyan had always been cold toward him before, she had never criticized him this directly.
He clenched his fists so hard his nails nearly cut into his palms, glaring viciously at Chen Zhiyan, but in the end, he didn’t dare erupt.
He knew Chen Zhiyan was someone he absolutely couldn’t afford to offend.
Just wait till he got her—let’s see if she could still act so arrogant!
“Fine, fine… I’ll go now.”
He practically forced the words out between clenched teeth, then shot a fierce glare at the now-silent group of followers.
“What are you standing around for? All of you, get inside!”
His tone sounded less like he was going to identify a body and more like he was out for revenge.
With that, he was the first to turn away, almost fleeing toward the police station doors.
That fleeing back was a stark contrast to the haughty attitude he’d shown just moments ago.
The group of followers quickly trailed after him, afraid that if they lagged behind, they’d become his next target.
“Brother Wang, wait for us…”
“Who was that chick? So fierce?”
A clueless newbie in the group dared to mutter softly at the back.
Wang Chang spun around and kicked him hard, then glared as a warning to keep his mouth shut.
Someone else quickly pulled the newbie aside, leaning in to whisper who Chen Zhiyan was.
The newbie scratched his head and showed a look of sudden realization.
Just as they were about to enter the police station, a shifty-looking follower sidled up to Wang Chang, lowering his voice with a greasy, speculative tone:
“Brother Wang, you think… that girl just now, is she a thing with Chen Zhiyan? I mean, Chen Zhiyan called her name so intimately…”
“A thing?”
Wang Chang suddenly froze mid-step.
That word struck like lightning, splitting apart the fog of humiliation and anger clouding his mind.
He instinctively looked back and saw Chen Zhiyan had already gotten out of her car by the black sedan.
She was gently helping that frail beauty, as if a breeze could blow her away.
Her movements were intimate as she opened the passenger door for her.
The girl called “Qi’an” lowered her head slightly.
The streetlamp cast a shadow across her, softening her profile beyond belief, nothing like the bristling look she’d shown him before.
No matter how he looked at it, something about the scene felt off.
Wang Chang’s thoughts spun rapidly, and a spark of wicked desire flared to life in his heart.
The look of humiliation faded from his face, replaced by something darker and greedier.
Of course, Chen Zhiyan was known as the high-cold flower—unmoved by either hard or soft tactics, totally impervious.
He’d chased her for so long and hadn’t even touched her hand.
If she really liked women, then everything made sense.
And that frail little beauty…
Wang Chang covertly glanced back, sizing up Hua Qi’an’s slender figure.
He might not be able to take down the hard nut that was Chen Zhiyan, but didn’t mean he couldn’t take down that sickly kitten.
A girl like her, just a little pressure and she’d fall right into his hands, wouldn’t she?
A wild, thrilling idea began to take shape in his mind.
If he could get Hua Qi’an, wouldn’t that mean he’d grasp Chen Zhiyan’s weak spot?
At that point, he could use both hard and soft tactics, maybe even… two wives for the price of one?
The thought made Wang Chang’s heart blaze with excitement.
The humiliation Chen Zhiyan had just dealt him was swept away, replaced by a sick sense of anticipation.
He licked his parched lips, desire almost tangible in his eyes.
“Come on, let’s go identify the body.”
He turned, striding into the police station with a newly springy step.
…
On the other side, Hua Qi’an obediently climbed into Chen Zhiyan’s car.
The soft leather seat enveloped her weary body.
A faint, elegant cool fragrance filled the car, completely different from the smoky, sweaty stench at the police station door, easing her tense nerves just a little.
“How come you’re here?”
Hua Qi’an turned her head, looking at Chen Zhiyan as she started the engine.
Her voice was tinged with a hoarseness she herself hadn’t noticed.
After giving her statement for so long, she was worn out.
Dealing with someone like Wang Chang had only made things more exhausting.
She’d originally planned to break away from the crowd and run straight to the police station.
No matter what, inside the station Wang Chang and his lot would at least restrain themselves a bit.
She hadn’t expected Chen Zhiyan to appear and save her.
This time, she’d saved her…
So now, maybe they were even.
The police station was in quite a remote area; not many people lived here to begin with.
Especially at this hour, unless someone had business, almost no one would bother to drive out this way.
Chen Zhiyan kept her eyes on the road, skillfully maneuvering the steering wheel.
At Hua Qi’an’s question, she turned and offered a gentle, apologetic smile—gone was the cold, ominous look from earlier.
“I came to pay respects at a relative’s grave nearby. I happened to be passing by on my way back, and didn’t expect to see you.”
It was a reasonable explanation.
Mentioning her relative, she showed a trace of regret, a light sorrow coloring her expression.
But she quickly adjusted, chatting with Hua Qi’an as she drove.
“I’ve heard a bit about the Wang Family incident.”
Chen Zhiyan’s tone was calm, but carried an undercurrent of subtle disdain.
“That guy who died in the pond, Wang Lao’er, is Wang Chang’s cousin.”
“A few years back, Wang Chang messed around outside and caused someone’s death. He was the heir of the family, so even though he ended up in juvenile detention, his reputation wasn’t great.”
“So, Wang Lao’er took the fall for him and spent several years in prison.”
“When he got out, the Wang Family gave him a large sum of money.”
Chen Zhiyan paused, smoothly turning the wheel.
Hua Qi’an couldn’t help feeling that Chen Zhiyan had driven much faster when facing off with Wang Chang earlier than she was now…
Was she doing it for her sake?
“Unfortunately, that man was a total gambling addict. No amount of money could fill his pit.”
“It didn’t take long for him to lose it all, and when he was desperate, he started looking for crooked ways to get cash.”
When Chen Zhiyan spoke of this, there was a hint of disgust.
It was as if just mentioning those people from the Wang Family was irritating.
“But Qi’an, I really didn’t expect to find you here too.”
Though she’d bumped into the bad luck of seeing Wang Chang, thanks to Hua Qi’an, the annoyance was immediately dispelled.
Chen Zhiyan was actually in quite a good mood now.
Hearing all this, Hua Qi’an felt her heart sink heavily.
So that’s what happened…
Now she basically understood why those two men had shown up in that abandoned house.
They’d gone to steal something.
A chill of fear gripped her.
If those two hadn’t drowned for some unknown reason… even though it felt wrong to think that way.
But Hua Qi’an couldn’t help thinking: if not for that incident, the one in danger now would probably be her.
She did have an electric baton for self-defense, but you never know what could happen.
Those weren’t dream-phantoms, but real-life gamblers who’d do anything for money.
Watching the scenery whiz by outside the window, Hua Qi’an subconsciously touched the string of prayer beads on her wrist, now much dimmer.
The coolness helped her calm down a little.
“Thank you, Chen Zhiyan.”
This time, her thanks came from the heart.
Chen Zhiyan glanced at her through the rearview mirror, lips curving in a gentle arc.
“No need, you’ve helped me before too, haven’t you.”
The car drove steadily on, soon arriving at the gate of Hangyang University.
“I’ll take you to your dormitory building.”
With that, Chen Zhiyan opened the car door, ready to walk Hua Qi’an over.
“No need, just drop me here.”
Hua Qi’an shook her head, not wanting to attract any unnecessary attention.
After all, Chen Zhiyan was something of a campus celebrity—at least six out of ten people would recognize her.
She opened the car door and was just about to get out when she happened to look up and spot a familiar figure.
It was Zhao Yingying.
She was coming out from the school gate, chatting and laughing with a group of girls.
“Hey, Yingying, isn’t that your goddess’s car?”
One of the girls pointed toward Chen Zhiyan’s sedan.
Zhao Yingying’s eyes lit up instantly as she followed the direction of the finger.
She recognized it immediately as Chen Zhiyan’s car.
Just as she was about to confidently go up and greet Chen Zhiyan, she saw Hua Qi’an getting out of the passenger seat.
The smile on Zhao Yingying’s face froze.
When she realized that it really was her goddess, Chen Zhiyan, standing by the driver’s seat, the shock was even greater.
Zhao Yingying’s eyes went wide as saucers, her mouth slightly agape, looking as though she’d just seen a ghost.
She looked at Chen Zhiyan, then at Hua Qi’an, the emotions in her eyes becoming impossibly tangled.
Shock, jealousy, suspicion, and finally, all of it twisted into a venomous malice.
Hua Qi’an also noticed Zhao Yingying, and her heart gave a heavy thump. “Crap,” she thought.
Just her luck to run into this person.
But things had already come to this; she could only grit her teeth, thank Chen Zhiyan, and close the car door.
Under Chen Zhiyan’s reluctant gaze and Zhao Yingying’s stare that seemed sharp enough to pierce through her, she walked expressionlessly toward the dormitory building.
She could feel that malicious gaze clinging to her back like a festering sore, making her skin crawl.
It felt like trouble was about to find her once again.