Chapter 305: Pretending
Shi Zijin spoke bluntly:
“An unconventional promotion. I don’t know if you’ve heard of Taoyang, but they need official recognition. If you haven’t, you should visit them yourself. Apart from the required years of existence, they fully meet the standards of a base.”
Minister Xu nodded in understanding and smiled. “You’re doing this for that young girl, right? During dinner, Mr. Ling seemed to have his eyes on Taoyang. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have come looking for me.”
Shi Zijin admitted it openly.
“I’m not afraid of them coveting Taoyang—I can handle them. But dealing with flies can still be annoying. The best solution is for Changjing to recognize Taoyang’s independence, which would drive away most of the pests.”
Minister Xu patted his shoulder. “I’ll go check it out when I get the chance.”
Shi Zijin didn’t mention anything about this to Su Tao.
However, when he saw her downstairs, he immediately noticed something different.
His “Eye of Insight” could no longer see through her.
“You used a crystal core?”
Su Tao nodded and explained her conflict with Chu Yue and her suspicions.
Shi Zijin frowned. He had anticipated that once Su Tao left Taoyang, she would encounter endless trouble. And now, it had begun.
Still, he acknowledged her caution.
“Crystal cores are meant to be used—don’t be reluctant. If you need more, just let me know. Also, for the next few days, I’ll stay close to you as much as possible.”
Su Tao asked, “Don’t you have social engagements?”
He seemed very busy, constantly surrounded by people who knew him.
Shi Zijin didn’t care. “I’ll just cancel them.”
Su Tao stared at her toes for a moment before saying,
“Then I won’t hold back. I’ll borrow you as a bodyguard for two days. As payment, when we return to Taoyang, I’ll learn two dishes from Master Qin and cook for you.”
Shi Zijin was quite pleased with this offer. He smiled and agreed immediately.
That afternoon, Su Tao attended two lectures. The experts invited by Xindu provided useful information, and she learned a lot.
Of course, she remained cautious of potential dangers.
But disappointingly, by the time they were heading back to their apartment, there were still no threats in sight.
Su Tao felt a pang of regret—she had wasted half a day of her crystal core’s effect.
As they left the exhibition hall, she spotted Lei Xing sitting on top of a beat-up motorcycle.
When he saw her, his eyes lit up. He jumped down gracefully and started walking toward her.
But before he could reach her, Chu Yue and her group rushed over.
“Lei Xing! Were you waiting for me?”
Shi Zijin quickly opened the car door and said to Su Tao, “Get in. Now.”
Before she could react, she was already inside, and the car sped away.
Lei Xing was left eating dust, his face turning so dark with frustration that it could be smelled from miles away—except Chu Yue, who remained oblivious and kept inching closer to him.
Lei Xing ignored her completely. He got on his old bike, revved the engine deafeningly, and spun his rear wheel, covering Chu Yue in dust.
Huo She jumped onto the bike and shouted,
“Miss Chu, give up already! If you enjoy eating dust, just follow us again tomorrow!”
Chu Yue gritted her teeth so hard they might crack.
Deng Zilu ran over and, seeing Chu Yue’s sorry state, handed her a tissue. “Here, wipe it off.”
Chu Yue snatched it, wiped her face, and threw it on the ground before stomping away angrily, her steps heavy enough to crack the pavement.
After a few steps, she suddenly turned back and snapped at Deng Zilu,
“What you suggested must work!”
Deng Zilu remained silent. She had only given an idea—whether it worked or not wasn’t her responsibility.
At that moment, Zhuo Ercheng appeared behind her. “What did the eldest Miss of the Chu family say to you?”
Deng Zilu flinched, then calmly responded with a half-truth:
“She wants my help to win over Lei Xing from Leopard Path. I gave her a suggestion, and she told me it must succeed. But whether it does or not, I have no idea—that’s up to her.”
Zhuo Ercheng didn’t doubt her. He smiled warmly.
“Hmm. I’m glad you’re making friends. But Chu Yue isn’t someone worth getting too close to. She isn’t very smart and always wants to be the best. You should find more useful people as friends.”
Deng Zilu carefully asked, “Like who?”
“The people from Taoyang.”
Although Shi Zijin had warned them, abandoning such a valuable target like Taoyang was out of the question.
Zhuo Ercheng wanted to learn more about Taoyang, ideally by placing someone inside as a resident—someone who could get close to its true owner.
Once Taoyang’s leader decided to side with Xindu exclusively, even Shi Zijin wouldn’t be able to stop them.
Deng Zilu found the name familiar. She nodded obediently. “I’ll look into it.”
Zhuo Ercheng was very pleased with her, his smile growing even more affectionate, his gaze filled with a deep, almost loving warmth.
Deng Zilu basked in his attention but suddenly thought of a woman named Jiang from the conference today—a woman who had openly flaunted her relationship with Zhuo Ercheng.
She couldn’t help but ask, “That Miss Jiang…”
Zhuo Ercheng shushed her softly.
“She’s troublesome. She’ll be gone soon. Don’t worry about her.”
Deng Zilu felt a flicker of satisfaction.
This man had countless women around him, but aside from her, they all disappeared quickly.
She had long realized that he didn’t just want a beautiful, charming woman—he needed someone smart, discreet, and useful as a wife.
That’s why she never publicly acknowledged their relationship.
Not even that Miss Jiang knew about her.
*
By the time they returned to the apartment, it was already past eight.
The people Shi Zijin sent to find Mama Cat also came back with news:
“I’ve never seen such a fierce cat. It’s been hiding in the drainage pipes, and whenever we try to grab it, it scratches us. Only the black cat can get close, but she still refuses to leave. Maybe there’s something in there.”
Su Tao handed the sleeping Flame to Qian Lin and went to the drainage site with the others.
As soon as they arrived, they saw Black Sesame pacing anxiously on the riverbank.
When Su Tao called out to it, Black Sesame immediately rushed over and started howling at the drainage pipe, as if begging her to help its mate.
Su Tao shooed it away and peered into the pipe.
Sure enough, there was the once-pristine white cat, now filthy and disheveled.
The drainage pipe was abandoned—previously part of the city’s sewage system, now filled with grime.
The white cat was curled protectively over something. Whenever anyone got too close, it bared its fangs and hissed.
If Xiong Tai were here, he could have just used his “Cage” ability to capture her.
In the end, Shi Zijin went in and grabbed her barehanded.
Beneath the spot where she had been lying, they found two tiny, lifeless kittens—already stiff and cold.
They were so small, even weaker than Flame.
Song Yuebing, who had come along, almost cried at the sight, his fists clenching in sorrow.
The mother cat struggled desperately, wailing at her dead kittens with heartbreaking grief.
Song Yuebing clutched his chest.
“She thought her babies were still alive. She was pretending to nurse them!”
