Chapter Twenty-two

At this moment, Su Bai slowly regained consciousness. Without warning, she found herself sitting in an unfamiliar car, with two unfamiliar young men sitting next to her. The two boys were dressed in trendy, youthful clothes, their eyes filled with amusement as they looked at her, as if they had found new prey.

Years of cultivation and etiquette training had allowed Su Bai to remain composed even in such a situation. She furrowed her brow slightly and tried to move her body, only to find that her hands were bound with hemp rope. A shock ran through her, and instinctively, she began to struggle.

As she struggled, her whole body trembled slightly. Su Bai wasn't a deity; she had a slightly higher sense of self-esteem than ordinary people and a somewhat indifferent personality. But in this situation, she was still caught off guard and flustered. After all, a woman alone in a strange car, surrounded by unfamiliar men, it was impossible for her to remain calm.

"Ah, sister, sister, don't be afraid, we didn't tie you up," Xu He said, though his face was lit up with a mischievous smile. He didn't rush to untie the rope but instead watched her panic with growing interest.

Ni Yuan chuckled lightly, shaking his head. He knew Xu He was just teasing Su Bai, but he didn't plan on intervening. Instead, he quietly observed her.

This woman, judging by her age, she seemed to be around twenty-four or twenty-five, maybe even younger. She was wearing a professional outfit, especially the five to six-centimeter black leather shoes. The leather was soft, genuine lambskin, suitable for long hours of work in the office. The watch on her wrist was a low-key Patek Philippe mechanical one. Judging by her entire demeanor and attitude, she was likely an employee of some large company or institution.

Su Bai was in a state of confusion. Her eyes darted around in a panic, and as they happened to meet the gaze in the rearview mirror, the cold, mocking look she saw there felt like a bucket of cold water being poured over her head, sending a chill through her body.

Before she could even marvel at the beautiful, almond-shaped eyes, Su Bai realized the boy driving the car was the true one in control, and he was dangerous.

At that moment, she quietly closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and when she opened her eyes again, she appeared much calmer, at least on the surface.

Xu He and Ni Yuan had observed all these changes in her, and they exchanged a quick glance, knowing that this woman was no ordinary person. Just the composure she displayed was not something typical people could manage. She must have experienced a lot in life.

In fact, Xu He and Ni Yuan had only guessed part of the reason. Su Bai's ability to calm down so quickly was not just due to the strict and cautious upbringing from the Su family, but also because she was still processing her thoughts.

Su Bai could roughly guess that her sudden appearance in this car had something to do with her alternate persona.

Xu He saw her lowering her gaze, unable to read the emotions in her eyes. He then said, "Sister, here's the thing. There was a car accident with the car you were in earlier. My friend and I rescued you. Do you remember what happened?"

But Su Bai didn't respond. She sat there quietly like a statue, the light in the car not very bright, casting half of her face in shadow. Her pale skin seemed almost as white as paper.

Su Bai wished she hadn't woken up at all. Her mind immediately flashed to the scene from her wedding day. In that chaotic and restless garden, she had watched her husband change into a completely different person because of another woman. She couldn't accept the fact that the perfect, elaborate wedding had only been a trap to deceive her with another woman.

No matter how stubborn she was, Su Bai couldn't help but bite her lip, feeling the boy on her right untying the rope around her. She didn't even realize that her face was now drenched with tears.

Though the woman was crying, Xu He still found it amusing and said to her, "Sister, does your wound still hurt?" He glanced at the small cut on her forehead, which didn't diminish Su Bai's beauty in the slightest. In fact, her silently shedding tears added a touch of sorrowful charm, making her look even more pitiful.

When a proud and aloof woman cries for a man, it signifies that she has been deeply hurt. The way Su Bai bit her lip, holding back tears, made her appear even more fragile than usual.

Hearing Xu He's words, Su Bai felt her consciousness grow more and more blurry, but she still shook her head slightly and murmured, "Just take me to the Imperial Tower."

Xu He, however, laughed and said, "Sister, are you confused? There's no Imperial Tower in Huaijiang. Hey, sister? Sister?" Before he could finish, he saw the woman's head tilt and her body slump toward Ni Yuan.

Ni Yuan shrugged, patted Su Bai's cheek, and said, "She must have hit her head in the car, and maybe she's been through some kind of shock. She's fine; she just passed out."

"Hey, she doesn't even have the accent of someone from Huaijiang," Xu He said, scraping his fingers lightly across Su Bai's cheek. The smoothness and slight dampness made him curious about what this woman had gone through. He then turned to the driver, Gan Xin, and asked, "What do you think, Gan Xin?"

Gan Xin, showing little interest, replied indifferently, "Whatever, just don't make too much of a fuss."

Xu He raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile on his face. "Tsk, tsk, I don't like hearing that. Don't you understand the importance of pitying the fairer sex?" But before he could finish, they were interrupted by a mumbling voice from Su Bai.

"I told you, Su Bai, is it really worth it to hang yourself on a tree for a man? Are you stupid or what? You've hidden all this time, so why let yourself be exposed now? I've helped you so much, do you think I care about your mess? You know very well that Fang Cheng is a scumbag, so why pretend you don't know? You, you, you... You deserve to mess up your whole life..."

When she got to the most emotional part, the woman stopped, breathing heavily with her brow furrowed, as though her mood was terribly bad.

"If I had known, if I had known, using drugs wouldn't have stopped you..." Her voice suddenly changed, becoming so faint it was almost devoid of any emotion.

"Fine, fine, you just want me to disappear, right? If I didn't see your sorry state, do you think I'd really want to fight with you? Tell me, why did you run off last time?"

"...I'm tired, you're tired too. I'd rather not know. At least he was willing to lie to me for a lifetime." Tears started to fall as she spoke more emotionally.

"You, fine, do whatever you want. This is the path you chose, I'm done, I'm done." Her voice turned from a tone of regret to silence, as if she had fallen into a deep sleep.

Xu He widened his eyes in shock but then laughed and turned to Ni Yuan and Gan Xin. "What do you think is going on with this woman? Is she some kind of crazy lady?"

"I think she's talking in her sleep," Ni Yuan replied with little interest, looking down at his phone. He then asked Gan Xin, "Zhou Qi said there's new stock from 'Gulin.' Should we go check it out?"

"That kid Zhou Qi is something else, getting new stock so quickly. The last 'honey dates' he brought were pretty rare. Let's see what new things he's got this time," Xu He teased.

Gan Xin glanced at the time and then said, "Let's go first. If it's too late, we'll wait until tomorrow when everyone's gathered."

Both Ni Yuan and Xu He agreed, each wondering what Zhou Qi had brought this time.

Actually, "Gulin" was a collection place Zhou Qi had set up with a group of wealthy playboys. It was an antique club, though it wasn't open to the public, only allowing a select few people in the circle. The collection was vast and varied—anything from rare antiques, exotic animals, to palace relics. The last time, Zhou Qi had brought in "honey dates" that were said to have been "brewed" by a Tang dynasty concubine using her own body. As for how that was done... well, it was quite a conversation piece.

The car slowly made its way toward a villa on the outskirts of the city. Su Bai, and even her alternate persona, Su Xiaobai, never imagined that this trip to Huaijiang would lead to earth-shattering changes in both their lives. It truly was a case of fate and fortune.