Chapter 29: Han Xue’s Invitation
Dragging her exhausted body, Fang Xiaocao stepped out of the gym, finishing her very first combat class.
If she had to sum it up in one word—tiring!
She drove back to the hotel, swiped her key card, and unlocked the door.
After a quick shower, she skipped dinner, threw herself onto the bed, and drifted off to sleep, mentally replaying the combat class.
Ding-dong!
Fang Xiaocao had no idea how long she had been asleep when her phone notification startled her awake.
Thanks to Hot Noodles, checking messages had become muscle memory. The moment she heard the notification, no matter what she was doing, she would instinctively pick up her phone.
Even though her brain was still groggy, her hands had already unlocked the screen with her fingerprint.
She rubbed her eyes and looked at the screen.
[Hot Noodles: Be careful of Han Xue! Keep your distance! Avoid physical contact!]
The moment she saw the message, a chill ran down her spine, and her mind snapped awake.
She sat up abruptly and reread the message.
“Oh no, this is bad!”
For Hot Noodles to use three exclamation marks to warn her, this had to be serious.
This wasn’t just a casual reminder—it was a heightened warning.
In Hot Noodles‘ eyes, Han Xue had now become a life-threatening danger.
“What happened with Han Xue?”
She didn’t have time to think and quickly asked.
[Contact does not exist!]
Seeing the system prompt, her brows furrowed.
Losing contact with Hot Noodles at this moment was definitely not a good sign.
It meant that, from this point forward, her future was unpredictable again.
Hot Noodles had experienced everything that was about to happen to her involving Han Xue.
Sitting on the bed, she started feeling uneasy.
She stared at her phone, waiting for another message.
Ding-dong!
The notification tone rang again. Fang Xiaocao’s heart skipped a beat as she quickly unlocked her phone.
[Han Xue: Xiaocao, do you have time?]
It was a message from Han Xue!
She froze, staring at the chat window in silence.
“What should I do?”
“Why is Han Xue looking for me?”
“Why isn’t Hot Noodles back yet?!”
She was starting to panic.
Ding-dong!
Another message came in.
She immediately opened it—it was Han Xue again.
[Han Xue: Xiaocao, let’s go out for a gathering. Wanqing, Wenshi, and Luoshu are coming too!]
Her pupils dilated instantly.
“What is Han Xue planning?”
She muttered under her breath.
“Su Wanqing, you husky, how could you go out with Han Xue?!”
She immediately started cursing Su Wanqing, that reckless girl.
She knew very well that Han Xue was bad news, yet instead of stopping Wenshi and Yun Luoshu, she even dragged her into this mess!
“You big dummy, can’t you be more reliable?”
Frustrated, she started ranting to herself.
She opened Su Wanqing’s chat and typed out a message, but her finger hesitated over the send button.
“No, I can’t tell Wanqing!”
She muttered, deep in thought.
She replayed the situation in her mind.
“First, Han Xue doesn’t know that I already figured out her trap. As long as I haven’t shown up yet, Wanqing and the others should still be safe.”
“Second, I can’t warn Wanqing.”
Her thoughts became clearer, and a mental storm brewed in her mind.
“Right now, Wanqing, Wenshi, and Luoshu are with Han Xue, and I don’t know what’s happening at the scene. If Han Xue sees my message, I’ll blow my cover!”
“What if Wanqing’s acting skills aren’t good enough?”
“Or worse, what if Han Xue has already restrained them?”
Scenario after scenario played out in her head.
“If any of those three things happen, my warning won’t just expose me—it could get them killed.”
In the end, she quickly deleted the message she had typed for Su Wanqing and opened Han Xue’s chat instead.
“I need to stall Han Xue.”
“And I need to confirm if Wanqing and the others are safe!”
She glanced at the time.
19:21
Taking a deep breath, she carefully typed out her reply.
“It’s kind of late. Where are we meeting?”
“Besides Wanqing and the others, who else is coming?”
After sending the message, she started getting dressed.
Even though Hot Noodles had warned her to stay away, she couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.
Wanqing, Wenshi, and Luoshu were her closest friends. She couldn’t abandon them.
Those three dummies were innocent!
Even if it meant putting herself in danger, she couldn’t let them get hurt.
Ding-dong!
Another message came in.
While putting on her jacket, she unlocked her phone.
[Han Xue: Bar Street!]
[Han Xue: Just us!]
Attached is a video.
In the clip, Han Xue, Su Wanqing, Wenshi, and Yun Luoshu are inside a KTV private room. Drinks were scattered across the table, and Su Wanqing, that carefree husky, was happily singing karaoke.
It was Shen Tao’s KTV.
She knew that room.
Back when Qi Yu was chasing after her, every time Han Xue suggested karaoke, Qi Yu would bring them to that exact private room.
“Does Shen Tao know?”
Her brows furrowed.
Just last night, Han Xue had been humiliated by Shen Tao for not being able to pay for her drinks.
And now, less than 24 hours later, she was back at his place?
Shen Tao knew she couldn’t afford it. There was no way he’d let her into a luxury suite.
She wracked her brain, analyzing all the possibilities.
“Something is definitely wrong here.”
She reached a firm conclusion.
“Drinking again?”
“Isn’t it too late?”
“I have to drive. How about we meet somewhere else?”
She tried to find an excuse to decline, hoping to change the meeting location.
Bar Street was Shen Tao’s turf.
Han Xue was dangerous enough.
Adding Shen Tao into the mix?
Meeting them there would be suicide.
She wasn’t confident about dealing with Han Xue alone, let alone Shen Tao—the real boss behind the scenes.
[Han Xue: Xiaocao, are you still mad at me for stealing Qi Yu?]
[Han Xue: I was a victim too. He got me drunk—that’s how it happened.]
“Heh…”
“You think I’d believe that?”
Fang Xiaocao let out a cold laugh.
(End of Chapter 29)
