CHAPTER 155: CHAPTER 155 WU SHI NO LONGER WEARS A MASK

Qin Sheng frowned. "Do you really wish for my death?"

"Haven’t you ever thought about killing me?" Li Yuan’s eyes held no warmth. "I’ve been in a terrible mood lately, so you’d better not provoke me. Otherwise, don’t blame me for disregarding our marital ties."

"Fu Bing is having a blind date with the son of the Jiangnan Military Region’s head. If she succeeds, your son’s return will be pointless."

"Impossible! How could Fu Bing go on a blind date..."

"Your son is already dead. Do you still expect her to remain unmarried for the rest of her life?"

Li Yuan quickly processed this. "So, you intend for me to intervene and stop Fu Bing? She isn’t stupid; without a significant incentive, she won’t be moved. How much are you willing to offer?"

"Give her all of Qin Jinhai’s private assets."

Li Yuan was stunned. "You want to win her over? After all those slaps, suddenly offering her a small incentive. Qin Sheng, are people so insignificant in your eyes?"

"I only need to achieve my objective. I can continue to use the same conditions that tempted Qin Jinhai to tempt Fu Bing into cooperating with me. Initially, I thought her fame was due to luck and a pretty face. Now, I realize she’s intelligent. If she were to marry Jinmo, I could control her, utilize her resources, and even give her the chance for close-range revenge. What do you think her choice will be?"

Li Yuan pursed her lips, silent. "You came to me in the middle of the night with this... Is it because Jinmo has agreed to marry Fu Bing?"

"He’s jealous of everything Qin Jinhai had, including his woman!"

A wave of disgust rose in Li Yuan. "I won’t cooperate with you. If you’re so capable, don’t hide behind others stirring up trouble. Go talk to Fu Bing face-to-face and see if she slaps you."

"If you’re unwilling to be this pawn, someone else will naturally step up." Qin Sheng’s expression turned sinister. "Li Yuan, do you know what happens to someone once they’re no longer of value to me?"

"I advise you not to even think about touching me. As long as I’m alive, Jinhai still has a chance to return to the Qin family. If anything happens to me, you’ll lose any ability to restrain him."

With that, Li Yuan turned to go upstairs.

The courtyard lights cast their shadows onto the ground, where they overlapped.

Li Yuan walked slowly, her gaze fixed on the ground. As she stepped out of Qin Sheng’s shadow, she saw his left hand rise.

Her heart sank.

Bodyguards instantly emerged from the darkness, forming a protective circle around Li Yuan.

Qin Sheng smiled. "New bodyguards you’ve hired?"

"I didn’t trust yours, so I replaced them."

"Who found them for you?"

"That’s none of your concern." Li Yuan looked at Qin Sheng. "Leave Jinhai’s car."

Qin Sheng’s gaze swept over each bodyguard’s face before he casually tossed the car keys. One of the bodyguards caught them, and Qin Sheng departed quickly.

Qin Jinmo’s car was parked nearby.

Qin Sheng got into Qin Jinmo’s car. "Your mother has always favored Jinhai. Even after his death, she continues to do so much for him, completely disregarding you."

Qin Jinmo’s face was hidden in the shadows. He stared into the deep darkness and asked a question that had troubled him for a long time.

"Dad, why did our Qin family have to become like this? If you had properly nurtured Jinhai and treated Mom well, the Qin family wouldn’t be on such a narrow path. Everything you’ve painstakingly schemed has actually accelerated the Qin family’s demise." Qin Jinmo gathered all his courage before finally asking, "You actually hate the Qin family, don’t you?"

"So, you don’t want to live properly anymore either? Playing dumb is what’s kept you alive."

Qin Jinmo chuckled mirthlessly. "Out in the world, I’m constantly compared to Jinhai. The worse his reputation gets, the more people pity him. I can’t derive any sense of accomplishment from that. When he was alive, I thought he was my greatest enemy. I believed that if he were gone, all the glory would be mine. Only after he was truly gone did I realize that all the pressure he had borne now fell on me, and I’m not coping well."

"I used to think you loved me, but later I realized you don’t. You don’t love Mom, Jinhai, or me. Is your heart too hard, or do you have other people to love, making us unnecessary?"

"Jinmo, you’ve said too much tonight."

Qin Jinmo fell silent and drove.

Qin Sheng closed his eyes, rapidly calculating if Jinhai’s private assets would be enough to sway Fu Bing.

「The next noon.」

Fu Bing was dazed by two drinks until noon the next day.

When she awoke, sunlight was seeping through the gaps in the curtains. It was early autumn. The sun wasn’t as scorching as before and carried a touch of cheerfulness.

She got up to wash.

Exiting her room, she saw Wu Shi sitting cross-legged with his back to her, assembling a LEGO set.

Sunlight spilled onto the nape of his neck, softening the appearance of his scars.

He wasn’t wearing a mask.

The sunlight cast a soft glow on his face, making it seem less terrifying.

Hearing her footsteps, Wu Shi spoke without turning. "Go have breakfast."

Fu Bing obediently went to the dining table, but her eyes remained fixed on Wu Shi. His hands were skillful. In no time, he had assembled a large section without a single mistake.

"Let’s stay one more day."

Wu Shi looked up at her. "Why?"

"We’ll leave after you finish assembling it."

Wu Shi smiled, and even his distorted features seemed steeped in joy.

He answered softly, "Okay."

After breakfast, Fu Bing curled up on the sofa, watching Wu Shi work on the remaining parts.

She had never truly known how to relax. She had been busy for as long as she could remember. She owned many things but didn’t know how to enjoy life. It felt as if a whip was constantly lashing at her back, driving her forward.

Only after meeting Qin Jinhai had she, under his influence, learned to occasionally waste time.

Now, Wu Shi could also help her relax.

She suddenly felt incredibly fortunate.

Fu Bing hadn’t been watching for long before her eyelids grew heavy and closed.

Once Wu Shi saw she was asleep, he slowed his pace, his eyes unintentionally drawn to her face. The sunlight and breeze lingered on her face like playful children. Her fair skin looked dewy and soft in the sunlight. Her features were relaxed, a clear sign of peaceful sleep.

Qin Jinhai, holding LEGO pieces, moved closer to her. She slept on the sofa, while he sat on the floor, leaning against it. The sunlight cast their shadows on the floor, creating a strange sense of intimacy.

When Fu Bing woke up, Wu Shi had already finished assembling the LEGO set. He had placed it in a transparent display case, one meter long and one and a half meters tall.

Wu Shi asked, "Do you want to take it back?"

"Yes, put it in my study. Maybe we can assemble something else when we’re free, okay?"

"MM-HM."

Wu Shi arranged for hotel staff to transport the LEGO model back to the villa.

Then, they drove home.

Aunt Ning and Xiaomei were nearly frantic. Fu Bing had clearly gone on a blind date, but then she had vanished. If Wu Shi hadn’t been with her, they would have been desperate enough to confront Ren Ye.

After checking Fu Bing over and seeing she was unharmed, even looking much better than before, they finally breathed a sigh of relief. Only then did they belatedly realize Wu Shi wasn’t wearing his mask.

Xiaomei was already too scared to make a sound, shrinking fearfully into a corner.

"This... this..." she stammered, almost inaudibly.

Is no one going to speak up for a timid soul like me? I’m really terrified. I had just gotten used to Wu Shi’s mask, and now he’s not even wearing that! If I saw his face in the middle of the night, how could I possibly bear it?