Falling into the Capital's Radiance - Chapter 16

Shen Jingni and Chu You returned to Jing City the next day.

They took Zhao Zonglan’s private jet.

As soon as she got back to Jing City, Shen Jingni was swept up in busy work.

She’d be quite occupied lately, often staying at the shop. The Shen Family’s old house was far away, so she was thinking about finding an apartment nearby.

Actually, it wasn’t a difficult thing-Xu Ningwan owned several properties and shops in this area.

But her mother would never allow her to live outside.

“Sigh~” She slumped over her desk and sighed, then turned to Chu You, “If you have time these days, see if there’s a suitable apartment nearby.”

Chu You nodded, “Alright, boss.”

Just as the two finished speaking, they vaguely heard Qin Muhuan’s voice.

Last time, Shen Jingni had criticized her taste, so this time she changed her style, going for an elegant socialite look.

Today she wore a pink Chanel-style dress, paired with a short tweed jacket, half her legs exposed, striding in on high heels.

Qin Muhuan had brought someone along.

“Why are you here again?” Shen Jingni was speechless. “You must be really bored.”

“I came to check on you.” Qin Muhuan looked smug, arms crossed. “You didn’t get the Song Brocade, and the Night Pearl was bought by Mr. Zhao’s people. I figure your shop won’t last much longer.”

She clacked her way closer, lowering her voice, “I heard your dad cut off your funding too? Tsk tsk, how pitiful.”

“But don’t worry. Even though we’ve had our differences, I, Qin Muhuan, am not heartless. When you can’t hold on anymore, I’ll buy all your shops and leave you some pocket money.”

“And look,” she pointed at the person behind her, “I even brought an interior designer. Got to plan ahead for how to redo your tasteless décor.”

Shen Jingni really wanted to knock on Qin Muhuan’s head and see what was inside.

Blind arrogance, her brain was just for show.

She leaned against the desk, relaxed and casual, slowly raising her eyes.

“Who said the Night Pearl was bought by Zhao Zonglan’s people?”

As she spoke, Shen Jingni nodded at Chu You, signaling her to bring out the Night Pearl.

Chu You held the velvet box, grinning as she stood before Qin Muhuan, carefully opening the lid, “Miss Qin, please take a look.”

Qin Muhuan was dumbfounded.

Impossible.

She had seen Mr. Zhao’s assistant buy this Night Pearl with her own eyes. It couldn’t be fake.

Unless…

Qin Muhuan suddenly understood, her expression turning serious as she looked at Shen Jingni, “You must have paid a huge price to buy it back from Mr. Zhao, right?”

“Sixty million? A hundred million?”

She sighed softly, “Shen Jingni, you don’t have much money to begin with, yet you insist on putting on a show. What’s the point?”

But this only fueled Qin Muhuan’s fighting spirit.

The fight with Shen Jingni.

She felt that Shen Jingni was going all out just to compete with her.

Miss Qin felt valued.

Shen Jingni looked at her as if she were an idiot, “Do you think Zhao Zonglan cares about a hundred million?”

What a bizarre train of thought-hopeless.

Qin Muhuan’s face didn’t look good, but she refused to admit defeat, stubbornly retorting, “Then you must have used some shady method.”

Shen Jingni shook her head.

She hadn’t used any tricks.

Zhao Zonglan had given it to her.

But she had no intention of telling Qin Muhuan that-there was no need. Let her figure it out herself.

“If you’ve got nothing else, Miss Qin, you’d better head back.”

“Miss Feng and her fiancé are coming to sign the contract soon. It’s inconvenient for you to be here.”

A real blow to the ego.

Qin Muhuan was so angry she gritted her teeth, but still managed to throw out a threat, “So what if you got the Night Pearl? You’re bound to lose money on the Song Brocade order. Don’t get too happy yet.”

She even gave a proud little snort before leaving.

Seeing her leave in defeat, Shen Jingni felt inexplicably pleased.

She used to disdain fighting with Qin Muhuan, thinking it pointless and meaningless.

But winning felt pretty good-quite satisfying.

Still, she really should get the Song Brocade back soon.

Her eyes darted around, and she took out her phone to send Zhao Zonglan a message.
–

The Rong Family’s heir, Rong Heng, had finally recovered and was able to go out again.

He had been cooped up at home these past few days and was truly feeling stifled.

Previously, Rong Heng had to cancel an appointment due to illness, and since his friends were all a few years older than him, he sent out invitations today to treat them to a meal and make amends.

He didn’t invite many people-just Song Yanting and a few others.

Nearly half of the hotels in Jing City belonged to the Rong Family. Wangjing Tower was the largest and most famous investment, but since Wangjing Tower was currently closed for rectification, Rong Heng chose Wuqi Manor in the northern suburbs instead.

Wuqi Manor was different from the luxurious and grand Wangjing Tower. Located on the outskirts of the city, it had a tranquil and secluded environment with excellent privacy.

Phoenix trees could be seen everywhere in the manor, but as it was winter, the leaves were withered and yellow, and the fallen branches rustled in the wind.

The attendants, dressed in warm uniforms, entered the private room with practiced ease, refilling tea and serving hot drinks to ward off the cold for the distinguished guests…

Zhao Zonglan was the last to arrive.

At the entrance, an attendant nodded to him respectfully, greeted him as “Mr. Zhao,” and handed him a warm towel to wipe his hands.

When Rong Heng saw Zhao Zonglan, he immediately got up to greet him.

He was six years younger than Zhao Zonglan and called him “Fifth Brother.”

The two families had been close for generations and interacted frequently, so they were naturally at ease with each other.

Xie Chengsui lounged lazily in his chair, propping his chin with one hand, yawning, and looked up at Zhao Zonglan as he entered.

Though he seemed unreliable, Xie Chengsui had a keen eye.

With just one glance, he noticed the ambiguous mark on Zhao Zonglan’s neck.

A red mark right next to the Adam’s apple-though the color had faded, it was clearly a love bite.

He raised his eyebrows slightly, a knowing smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

After Zhao Zonglan took the main seat, the attendants began to serve dishes and pour wine.

Song Yanting naturally noticed as well, but he chose not to ask or comment, since it was Zhao Zonglan’s private matter and bringing it up might annoy him.

Besides, someone else would surely ask.

That someone was, of course, the young master Rong.

“Fifth Brother, what happened to your neck?”

Afraid Zhao Zonglan wouldn’t understand, he even pointed to the corresponding spot on his own neck.

Zhao Zonglan shot him a sidelong glance, absentmindedly rubbing his wine glass, his tone indifferent: “Cat bite.”

Cat?

Xie Chengsui and Song Yanting could both guess who he meant.

But the description hardly fit someone as cold and ruthless as Zhao Zonglan.

Yet Rong Heng was rather clueless in this regard, so he pressed on, “Fifth Brother, when did you get a cat? And how did it bite you there?”

You could say he was silly, but he did have some analytical ability; call him smart, and it didn’t quite fit either.

“Just got it a couple of days ago.”

Zhao Zonglan drank his wine unhurriedly, for once patient enough to answer his question.

Which meant he was in a good mood.

Only then did Xie Chengsui chime in, “So when will we have the pleasure of seeing your little cat?”

Though he knew who it was, he hadn’t dared to meet them rashly.

Zhao Zonglan lifted his eyelids to glance at him, his expression indifferent. “We’ll see.”

Which meant: not allowed.

Song Yanting had expected as much.

He took a sip of tea, his voice gentle, “Christmas is coming up, and my Hot Spring Villa has just been renovated. Would you all do me the honor of spending a few days there?”

Song Yanting owned a large Hot Spring Villa in Yangzhou.

It was private and not open to the public.

Xie Chengsui said, “Sounds good to me, let’s spend Christmas there.” Then, with a grin, he asked, “Can we bring female companions?”

Song Yanting smiled, “Of course.”

He then looked toward the man in the main seat.

He saw Zhao Zonglan looking at his phone, his usually cold features softened a little.

That was rare.

Very few people knew his private number-not even the younger generation of the Zhao Family, who usually had to contact him through Chang An.

Clearly, the person messaging him was the “little cat.”

Zhao Zonglan was indeed reading a message from Shen Jingni.

[Thank you, Mr. Zhao, for the luminous pearl. You’re just too nice. If you could help me get back the Song Brocade soon, you’d be the best person in the world.]

She even added a kissing emoji at the end.

Heh, sweet talk.