Falling into the Capital's Radiance - Chapter 12

Shen Jingni was planning to go home after work.

But she suddenly remembered today was Friday.

Her mother had someone prepare her medicinal cuisine, which she had to drink every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. If she refused, her mother would resort to emotional blackmail, and her father, a complete wife-protector, was impossible to offend.

But she could hide from them.

Chu You was sitting in Shen Jingni’s office, reading comics and munching on potato chips. “Boss, it’s almost ten o’clock. Can we go home now?”

Shen Jingni lay on the sofa, yawning in exhaustion, waving her hand. “Let’s wait a bit longer. We’ll go after midnight.”

By then, even the Shen Family’s servants would be asleep.

“But we have to catch a flight early tomorrow. I don’t mind, but Boss, can you get up?”

Chu You wasn’t the brightest, but she knew her boss well: Shen Jingni had to get enough sleep every day, or she’d be listless all day long.

“Don’t underestimate me. I’ll set ten alarms right now.”

Shen Jingni had just finished setting the alarms when she got a call from Jiang Zhan.

She hadn’t expected Jiang Zhan to come looking for her this late at night.

The night was thick as ink, the streetlights dim.

A flashy red Ferrari was parked in front of the Oath of Love flagship store.

Jiang Zhan wore a black windbreaker, his shoulders smooth, his posture upright. Black pants were tucked into short boots. He leaned against the car door, lips curled in a lazy arc, with a touch of roguishness.

“What are you doing here so late?”

Shen Jingni came out without a coat, wanting to send him away quickly.

She had always seen Jiang Zhan as a friend, and knowing he intended to confess made her uncomfortable.

“Just wanted to see you.” Jiang Zhan fixed his gaze on her fair, delicate face, with a hint of complaint in his tone. “Why didn’t you answer my call the other day?”

That question.

A good one.

Shen Jingni had been wondering how to bring up the topic, but since he’d asked, it saved her the trouble.

She looked up at him, a bit embarrassed. “They said you were going to confess to me that day?”

A flicker of awkwardness passed through Jiang Zhan’s eyes before he quickly recovered.

“Who the hell is spreading rumors? I’ve always seen you as a buddy.”

So, she’d been avoiding him because of this.

In that case, he might as well hold off on confessing.

He’d take it slow and wait for another opportunity.

Hearing his answer, Shen Jingni suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, almost thinking she’d lost another friend.

Her amber eyes held a smile. “Good.”

“So you won’t avoid me anymore?” Jiang Zhan bent over, leaning in close, staring straight at her. “You’re so full of yourself, Miaomiao.”

Shen Jingni felt the night was too cold.

She rubbed her icy hands together, shuffling her feet, pouting. “You’re the one who’s full of yourself.”

Jiang Zhan noticed her nose was red from the cold. Without hesitation, he took off his coat and draped it over her thin shoulders. “Go inside. I’m heading off.”

“I have my own clothes, you-”

Shen Jingni wanted to refuse, but Jiang Zhan didn’t give her the chance. With long strides, he got into his car, and the Ferrari sped away.

She shook her head and sighed.

Strange people, all of them.

A discreet Maybach was parked across the street, hidden quietly in the darkness.

Zhao Zonglan had seen the entire scene just now.

He stubbed out his cigarette hard in the clear ashtray, emitting a faint sizzle.

Chang An felt that sir’s mood was even worse than before.

But since he hadn’t heard any instructions, Chang An was anxious and tense. He swallowed, turned, and asked, “Sir?”

“Drive.”

Zhao Zonglan closed his eyes, completely hiding the cold malice within them.

So it was all just empty affection.

Childish tricks were beneath him, after all.

Well then, little fox, the game ends here.

–

Today, Qin Muhuan wore a silver-blue mink coat, covered in jewels, looking a bit like a rich wife from an early TVB drama, sitting next to Shen Jingni with an air of arrogance.

She hadn’t expected to run into Shen Jingni at the auction.

“You’re barely able to take care of yourself, so why are you here? Just to compete with me? You’d be better off saving your money to escape.”

Still as sarcastic as ever.

Shen Jingni was a little disdainful of Qin Muhuan’s outfit today. She looked like a nouveau riche.
She shuffled away, putting as much distance as possible between herself and Qin Muhuan, then shot back without mercy, “Wow, you really think you’re something, Qin Muhuan. Compete with you? Please. Stop trying to inflate your own worth all the time.”

Qin Muhuan gritted her teeth, furious. “Hmph, keep pretending.”

“Anyway, this luminous pearl is mine. I’m not leaving without it!”

Shen Jingni replied with a calm, indifferent “Oh,” as if she couldn’t care less. “Then let’s see who’s got the skills.”

“And, Miss Qin, could you please stay away from me? Your taste is just…”

Her tone dripped with undisguised disdain. She waved her hand dismissively, as if shooing away a fly.

Qin Muhuan always loved to go against her.

“Ha! I won’t!” she declared, deliberately hooking her arm around Shen Jingni’s, refusing to let her escape.

“Childish,” Shen Jingni spat, her voice cold and contemptuous.

…

The auction began amid their bickering, the two of them squabbling like petty children, neither willing to back down.

As the event drew to a close, the item both had been waiting for finally appeared.

On the central display, the luminous pearl glowed with a gentle, clear light, like a piece of moon fallen to earth-beautiful, mysterious.

The auctioneer announced the start: opening bid, ten million.

Instantly, bidding paddles shot up all around. Shen Jingni joined in, and Qin Muhuan refused to give an inch.

By the time the price hit twenty million, only the two of them remained.

Shen Jingni’s budget was capped at thirty million. Her private funds were tight, and she had to set aside money for possible breach-of-contract penalties. Everywhere needed cash-it was a headache.

But Qin Muhuan was dead set on making things difficult, pressing her relentlessly, and soon the price was called up to thirty million.

Shen Jingni thought bitterly that running into Qin Muhuan was truly her “luck.”

A pearl worth barely over ten million, and the price had been driven this high. Wasn’t there anything better to do with that kind of money than throwing it at her out of spite?

She took a deep breath, unwilling to lose, and was just about to raise her paddle again when suddenly, the indicator light beside the second-floor VIP suite lit up.

A moment later, Shen Jingni spotted Chang An.

He spoke in a flat, emotionless voice: “Fifty million.”

The auction hall erupted in commotion.

Behind her, people whispered:

“Isn’t that Mr. Zhao’s assistant, Chang? Did Mr. Zhao come to Hong Kong?”

“Probably not. For a small event like this, having Assistant Chang show up means it’s being taken seriously.”

“If Mr. Zhao wants something, nobody dares to compete.”

Indeed, when it came to money, none of them together could even catch Mr. Zhao’s attention.

Qin Muhuan dropped out immediately. She nudged Shen Jingni, her words dripping with schadenfreude: “See? I told you you couldn’t even protect yourself, but you just had to argue. Look, he chased you all the way to Hong Kong, just to make your life miserable.”

“You’d better watch out. Mr. Zhao is warning you.”

“From now on, anything you want, he’ll snatch away. You’re doomed.”

Warning?

Zhao Zonglan wouldn’t be so childish.

Shen Jingni glanced up at the second-floor VIP suite, but never caught sight of the man himself.

Maybe it was just a coincidence.

Still, not getting the luminous pearl left her deeply disappointed.

It probably meant losing another major deal.

When the auction ended, Qin Muhuan was in high spirits, humming a little tune as she left.

Shen Jingni called for Chu You, her face clouded with worry as she prepared to leave.

Just then, Chang An walked up to her, nodded slightly, and said, “Miss Shen, sir would like to see you.”

Zhao Zonglan had actually come to Hong Kong!

Just for the luminous pearl?

Her instincts screamed it wasn’t that simple.

Shen Jingni stood frozen.

Chang An opened the tablet in his hand and held it out to her.

“Miss Shen, sir asked me to tell you: for every minute you delay, five million will evaporate from the Shen Family’s stock value.”

On the screen, the real-time stock chart plunged off a cliff, glaring green numbers flashing and tumbling.

Shen Jingni’s breath caught.

She felt a stab of pain.

If not for her good upbringing, she’d have cursed out loud.

What the hell was this ruthless capitalist doing?

Everything was fine just a few days ago!

In the end, she was no match for capital. Without hesitation, she urged Chang An, “Then let’s hurry up, don’t waste any more time!”

“Time is money!”