The Beautiful, Strong, and Tragic Female Lead is Mine [Transmigration Into a Novel] - Chapter 68

Xie Zhitian smiled mysteriously, “Wait for me for a bit.”

With that, she glided gracefully upstairs and didn’t reappear for a long time.

Xiao Wen waited with bated breath, and as time ticked by, just before his patience ran out, Xie Zhitian’s figure finally reappeared.

She held a heavy-looking box in both hands. It was made of solid wood with intricate relief carvings on the surface, and the edges were gilded, glinting brightly. It was clearly very valuable.

Xie Zhitian carefully placed the box on the table and reached out to open it.

Xiao Wen craned his neck, eager to see what was inside. The moment he saw the contents, he gasped, his eyes widening in awe.

Inside was a white jade sculpture of a tiger, exquisitely crafted and incredibly lifelike. It glowed with a soft, warm luster in the sunlight. It sat on a black sandalwood base with elegant, flowing patterns, making it a rare piece of art.

Xiao Wen might not have known the value of other materials, but before he transmigrated, he had worked in a jade processing factory. From his experience, he knew the value of this piece.

No wonder Xie Zhitian said there weren’t many people who could afford it. In terms of currency, this piece was worth around 80,000 yuan. Many people didn’t earn that much in a year. With materials scarce and people barely able to fill their stomachs, spending 80,000 on a decorative item was truly extravagant.

Xie Zhitian said, “This white jade tiger should more than cover the cost of the necklace and earrings. It’s an item of immense value. I wonder if you recognize its worth.”

Xiao Wen, seeing an opportunity to get a better deal, put on a difficult expression. “My lady, in terms of value, this piece is indeed more expensive. But as you know, many people are willing to buy jewelry, but not many are looking for a decorative piece like this.”

In truth, the moment he saw the white jade tiger, he was already captivated. Someone in a high position like Zhuo Wu, who lacked for nothing, would naturally appreciate this kind of luxury item that symbolized status. And he had only spent a little over 20 points on the jewelry, so exchanging 20 points for 80,000 yuan was a huge profit.

Xie Zhitian said calmly, “Your jewelry is worth 40,000, and this piece is worth at least 80,000. I know it’s not easy to sell, so I’m not asking for too much. I’m practically selling it to you at a discount.”

Luo Yang also spoke up, “Tian Tian, you’re losing out. Even if no one buys it, you could just keep it. It won’t lose value, and when economic conditions improve, someone will surely love it.”

Everything was going according to the plan she and Xie Zhitian had laid out. She knew Xiao Wen would agree to the exchange; he was just posturing and bargaining for a better price. So she would let him haggle and see who caved first.

Hearing Luo Yang’s words, Xie Zhitian seemed to ponder. “You’re right. And such a valuable item would be perfect for a gift.”

Luo Yang agreed, “Exactly. When I was in the army, the male officials I met really liked this kind of thing. They said it gave their homes a sense of prestige that other items just couldn’t replicate.”

Upon hearing this, Xie Zhitian immediately seemed to have a change of heart. “Forget it. I’ll just keep it for now. I can use it later to build relationships for my mother…”

With that, she closed the box and made to take it back upstairs.

“Wait, my lady.”

Seeing that Xie Zhitian was about to change her mind, Xiao Wen panicked. “I agree to the exchange. Let’s do it now.”

Xie Zhitian looked hesitant. “But…”

Xiao Wen, afraid she would back out, said, “My lady, I can see that you genuinely want to buy the jewelry. How about this, I’ll give you a discount and make it a bit cheaper.”

Xie Zhitian asked, “How will you make it cheaper?”

Xiao Wen said, “The jewelry you’ve purchased from me over the past few days adds up to about 30,000 yuan. I’ll give you that money back, and the previous jewelry can be considered a gift from me. Then I’ll use the necklace and earrings to exchange for your white jade tiger. How does that sound?”

If he missed this decorative piece, he might not find such a suitable gift for Zhuo Wu anytime soon. So he decided to reluctantly give back the profit he had made. He believed that women were creatures susceptible to consumerism and couldn’t resist a discount, and that Xie Zhitian would agree to his proposal.

Sure enough, after he said this, the expression on Xie Zhitian’s face relaxed considerably.

She said, “You’ll really give me the 30,000 yuan back? If that’s the case, it’s not impossible…”

She had planned to go back and forth with Xiao Wen to get him emotional and achieve her goal more easily. She didn’t expect him to get so agitated that he’d offer to return the money, which was a pleasant surprise.

Seeing her agree, Xiao Wen eagerly replied, “Of course, it’s true. If you don’t believe me, we can exchange the money and the goods at the same time. My lady, you wait here. I’ll go home to get the money and come right back.”

Even if Xie Zhitian wasn’t in a hurry, he wouldn’t delay the transaction. Women were fickle, and if Xie Zhitian changed her mind later, he would have no one to blame but himself.

Xie Zhitian looked at Xiao Wen’s anxious face and sneered inwardly. Even if Xiao Wen returned the 30,000 yuan, he would still be profiting from the overall transaction. Men like Xiao Wen felt they were losing out if they weren’t making a profit.

She said to Xiao Wen, “Alright, go on then, but be quick. I don’t have much patience.”

Xiao Wen nodded repeatedly. “Right away, I’ll be right back. Please wait, my lady.”

With that, he quickly got up and jogged away.

After the door closed again, Xie Zhitian smiled and looked at the person beside her. “You acted very well.”

Luo Yang smiled back. “Tian Tian, I’m not good at this. You’re a good teacher.”

She looked at the pearl jewelry on the table and murmured, “I didn’t expect him to fall for it so easily. Now all we have to do is wait for Zhuo Wu to arrive.”

About three days ago, Xie Zhitian had received news that Zhuo Wu would be coming to their district in a few days to handle some official business.

Zhuo Wu was one of the commander’s men, belonging to the central authority, so it wasn’t uncommon for him to have official dealings with their district. But since he had a secret arrangement with Xiao Wen, this was the best opportunity for him to contact Xiao Wen and get information.

After all, Xiao Wen was just a servant. Even if they were caught, Zhuo Wu could simply say he had come to serve him, and it wouldn’t raise any suspicion.

Xie Zhitian hummed in agreement. “Yes, judging by how anxious Xiao Wen was, I can guess Zhuo Wu must be arriving soon. Why else would he be in such a hurry to give a gift?”

Luo Yang said, “It’s a shame about this decorative piece.”

Xie Zhitian smiled. “It’s not a shame. It’s just being put to good use.”

She knew very well that once this great gift was given, Xiao Wen would be in big trouble.

The white jade tiger itself was valuable and beautiful. But for Zhuo Wu, it was deeply ironic.

The book had mentioned that during the apocalypse, Zhuo Wu was chased by an alien creature and had to flee into the forest. He then encountered a wild animal and had one of his legs bitten off by a tiger. He was lucky to have been saved by several modified soldiers.

Zhuo Wu had always valued physical strength and prided himself on his masculinity. Now, his left leg from the knee down was a prosthetic, which was a source of great pain and shame for him. He never let anyone mention it, and only a few of his close confidants knew. He had a deep-seated hatred for tigers and wouldn’t even use a subordinate with the surname ‘Hu’ (tiger in Chinese), let alone receive a tiger sculpture as a gift.

Although the white jade tiger was priceless, Xie Zhitian didn’t care. She had acquired it by chance in her previous world. It was just an inanimate object collecting dust in her personal space. As long as it served its purpose, she was fine with it.

Her goal was not only to have Xiao Wen pass false information to Zhuo Wu, but also to make Zhuo Wu completely lose interest in Xiao Wen and stop looking for him. If Zhuo Wu remained persistent and thought Xiao Wen was useful, it would cause her trouble. Since Xiao Wen was to be sent away, it was best that no one cared about him.

If they were on his own territory, Zhuo Wu might have killed Xiao Wen out of anger. But since this was another person’s district, he wouldn’t cause a scene over a servant. He would just dismiss him.

Besides, Xiao Wen didn’t have many points left. Once he passed the false information to Zhuo Wu, Xie Zhitian could use some minor tricks to have him sent away.

Luo Yang, although unaware of the points system, had no objections. From her perspective, cutting off the connection between Zhuo Wu and Xiao Wen was necessary.

Just then, the door was knocked on again, and Xiao Wen appeared.

He was out of breath and immediately thrust a cloth bag into Xie Zhitian’s hands. “My lady, here is the 30,000 yuan. Please count it.”

Xie Zhitian handed the cloth bag to Xiang Nan, who was clearly skilled at counting money. In a moment, he looked up at Xie Zhitian and said, “My lady, the amount is correct.”

Xie Zhitian nodded, told him to put the money in a drawer in the bedroom upstairs, and then said to Xiao Wen, “Take the item. The transaction is complete.”

Xiao Wen had been waiting for her to say this. He quickly covered the box and held it carefully in his arms. “Thank you for the kindness, my lady. I have something to do, so I’ll be leaving now.”

Xie Zhitian waved her hand indifferently. “Go on.”

Xiao Wen left in a great hurry, his steps betraying his excitement.

Xie Zhitian looked away and noticed that Luo Yang’s eyes were slightly lowered, her expression focused as if she were thinking about something.

She asked, “Luo Yang, what’s wrong?”

Luo Yang snapped out of her thoughts. “Nothing. I was just thinking, after Xiao Wen passes the false information and delivers the gift, how should we deal with him?”

Since Xiao Wen was transmitting information for Zhuo Wu, he was a traitor to the district. Leaking information was a serious crime, punishable by death under district regulations. But she had asked Xie Zhitian before, and they had no concrete evidence of his betrayal, making it difficult to prosecute him.

However, Luo Yang felt that Xiao Wen absolutely could not be left alone. She never showed mercy to her enemies. They had to be completely eliminated to avoid future trouble.

Xie Zhitian paused and asked, “How do you want to handle it?”

Luo Yang said, “If possible, I want him to disappear from this world.”

As she said this, her clear eyes seemed to be tinged with a thin layer of ice, revealing an undeniable coldness and murderous intent.

Xie Zhitian slowly smiled. She casually threw the cup Xiao Wen had used into the trash can and said faintly, “Don’t worry, he will go to where he belongs.”

Support The Beautiful, Strong, and Tragic Female Lead is Mine [Transmigration Into a Novel]