After the Real Young Miss Became My Canary - Chapter 49

Chapter 49

The sharp, slow, dull pain that came from her chest was a delayed reaction.

Some things had been blatantly exposed. It turned out that the love she had believed she received was nothing more than a false construct built for profit or other ulterior motives.

Her grandmother was one, and Shen Ying was another.

But her paternal grandmother wasn’t. She thought, at least she hadn’t disappointed her paternal grandmother. At least in her grandmother’s heart, she was still Song Zhi, the unique Song Zhi.

Shen Ying quietly said: “I’m sorry.”

Her voice was cold and clear, and her entire being felt cold, like a stone that couldn’t be warmed. She stood at the bottom of the stairs, and although the main light was focused on the stairwell, the small amount of light spilling out hit her pale cheeks. It made her look even colder. A boundary seemed to surround her, clearly separating her from everyone else.

Song Zhi wondered if it was her imagination, but for a moment, she felt Shen Ying’s brow crease almost imperceptibly. It’s just my imagination, she told herself.

Song Zhi: “So, you knew all along, didn’t you?”

Perhaps her heart was naturally stone-filled; she even had the presence of mind to joke. So Shen Ying can apologize and bow her head? Song Zhi thought. How rare. The first time she’d seen it, and the last.

Shen Ying remained silent, the meaning clear. Song Zhi’s stone heart trembled slightly. She pressed her lips together and averted her gaze.

But whatever Shen Ying chose to do now was irrelevant to her. It was time to consider other issues. Song Qin was not a soft-hearted person. Song Guan’s supposed heart attack was very likely his doing. For Song Zhi, whose identity was now suspect and whose position before the Song Corporation was as fragile as a moth trying to shake a tree, his style would be to eliminate her completely.

What she needed to think about now was how to survive under Song Qin’s assault.

Song Zhi turned and walked out quickly. The evening gown she wore was tight on the bottom, making it inconvenient to move. Every step was constricted, as if she were bound by something. She felt annoyed. She thought to herself: I don’t even like Shen Ying anyway. She had disliked her initially; she was just fooled.

Finally, as she reached the door, she forcefully grabbed the fabric of her skirt. Sla-sh. The constraint was finally broken, and the thorn that had been lodged in her heart was violently pulled out. She tore off the chiffon fabric clinging tightly to her legs below the calf.

Song Zhi ignored the astonished glances of the people around her and their increasingly loud, supposedly quiet whispers. She stepped out and walked quickly.

Many pedestrians were walking outside. The moment she pushed open the large door, they all looked at her. Song Zhi realized her mistake. Leaving the door open, allowing those outside and inside to stare at her, she quickly walked to the black consecutive-numbered Bentley and tapped on the driver’s side window. The window slowly lowered, revealing the bodyguard’s expressionless face. Song Zhi leaned into the window, quietly giving instructions. The bodyguard looked up at her in surprise, then drove away. Song Zhi, however, stayed put.

Only after the car had driven away did Song Zhi slightly lift her eyes and look behind the car. Without the vehicle’s obstruction, she stood in the light and shadow on the roadside. She looked at the pedestrians standing behind the car, watching them cautiously out of the corner of her eye while pretending to be nonchalant. Seeing her look, the people reacted quickly, instantly shifting their gazes.

Song Zhi wasn’t bothered. She knew where these people came from. They had clear origins: some were Song Qin’s people, and many were Xie Mu’s people. Perhaps in the future, some would be Shen Ying’s. She was the only person here who hadn’t known the truth.

But so what?

The accompanying escort car quickly pulled up in front of her. The people watching had their eyes fixed on her, their cheeks slightly clenched, yet they dared not move an inch. Song Zhi walked to the opened car door and was about to side-step in when she seemed to remember something. She looked up, her gaze casually falling on the watchers, as if they were just dust on the ground, and then gave a soft, hooked smile. She then gracefully slipped into the car, acting as if she didn’t care about them at all.

The people watching on the street hesitated. It was true that Song Qin had arranged for them to be there in advance, but most of them were Song family people who only recognized the name Song. Song Qin had assured them that after today, Song Zhi would no longer bear the Song name, which was why they dared to stand there confidently. But now, seeing Song Zhi emerge completely unbothered, they were wary and dared not move.

During that hesitation, the black car, shimmering with white light, smoothly drove out of their sight. Although this was the mountainside, there were many winding roads created by frequent traffic. Who knows where they went? Thus, they were content to stop where they were.

As the car rounded a corner, Song Zhi instantly changed her previous dignified, composed posture, leaning forward with a whoosh: “Don’t take the detours yet. Stay on the main road.”

The driver’s hand, which was about to turn the steering wheel to detour, smoothly turned it back.

Her personal bodyguard asked in confusion: “Won’t they just catch up then?”

The car that had just left had Song Guan’s newly assigned bodyguards, and she knew she would be followed. Those bodyguards were a good distraction. By having those bodyguards draw their attention, she’d have a chance to escape with her own people.

Song Zhi rested her chin on her hand, looking eagerly at the road ahead: “Don’t worry, they haven’t reacted yet.”

It wasn’t until Song Qin’s furious voice came through the phone that the watchers got into their cars and followed the tracks of the lead car down the mountain.

Song Qin roared: “I want her brought to me in a specific state! Understand?! She cannot leave A City alive! Do you understand!!!”

After the call ended, one person asked: “Are we really going to listen to him?” They weren’t Song Qin’s people, or even Song Guan’s. They were only here for the highly tempting one percent share in the city’s market that Song Qin had promised.

Someone suggested: “What else can we do? We finish this job and go home. Or… should we switch sides?”

Others turned their heads: “What do you mean?”

“They are very likely to switch sides and come to me,” Song Zhi said softly. “My identity is suspect, but there is no hard evidence. Who can guarantee that they weren’t lying and that what they said was true?”

The personal bodyguard was only half-understanding, but it didn’t matter if she didn’t understand. It mattered that she acted. Whatever the young miss said, she just had to follow.

She realized that Song Zhi seemed to be in a very good mood today and even had the patience to explain her arrangements. The bodyguard asked her own confusion: “Young Miss, are you happy?”

In a situation where her identity was questioned, she was fleeing with the few people she had left, unsure where to go, and could barely be called anything more than a stray dog, yet Song Zhi was happy?

Song Zhi pulled her gaze from the window and looked at the bodyguard strangely. She truly didn’t know where that word came from. She carefully tasted the word on her tongue.

The thing she wanted most, she got at the moment she least wanted it.

She used to just be defiant. She just felt she should have her own thoughts, her own life, and her own attitude, and she should not, and would not, be bound. That’s why she held onto that stubborn breath. Now, she had gone from a person with a lover, family, and friends to a product with nothing. The constraint vanished; everything was gone.

She looked up and smiled, her voice thick with emotion: “Yes, I’m happy.”

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