The Subtle Seduction of My Ex-Girlfriend’s Aunt - Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Can You Tell Me What Happened?

Song Wuqi returned to Jiangcheng this afternoon. After her arrival, she only sent Tang Ran a text message and did not seek her out.

As for the reason, Tang Ran had already found it in the photos sent by the private investigator.

The news about Ning Hao was something Ye Xiaoyu found out by utilizing Sun Jiaojiao’s connections, but she didn’t know that what Sun Jiaojiao had uncovered was incomplete.

On the day following Song Wuqi’s second round of negotiations with Da Ning, the Ning family received a secretly recorded video of the crime scene. It was a video sufficient to prove Ning Hao’s innocence.

The companion who died had overdosed and stabbed himself; the fingerprints on the weapon were left by Ning Hao when he used the knife to cut something while in a state of semi-consciousness.

Ye Xiaoyu had vowed to clear Ning Hao’s name, asking Song Wuqi for a chance to prove herself. The result of her “proving herself” was the destruction of Song Wuqi’s chance to prove herself to the Elder Master Song.

After learning about the cooperation between Da Ning and Golbol, Song Wuqi directed all her rage toward Ye Xiaoyu. On the surface, it seemed Song Wuqi had simply misplaced her trust in Ye Xiaoyu, but that wasn’t the truth. After Ye Xiaoyu volunteered to help, Song Wuqi had actually hired someone else to investigate Ning Hao’s matter as well. The information they found matched what Ye Xiaoyu provided.

It was because of this that Song Wuqi felt safe changing her acquisition strategy. But when the plan failed, Song Wuqi wouldn’t blame herself; Ye Xiaoyu naturally became the scapegoat and the target for her vented anger.

Between the failed acquisition and the messy entanglement with Ye Xiaoyu, Song Wuqi had no spare energy or desire to contact her girlfriend, whom she never truly cared for in the first place.

In her previous life, Tang Ran recalled, Song Wuqi hadn’t known about Ning Hao’s specifics and hadn’t taken the initiative to change the acquisition plan. The Ning family had obtained the crime scene video two months later than they did now, at which point the first phase of the handover between Da Ning and the Song Group was already underway. Song Wuqi had leveraged that success to transfer to the group headquarters, riding high on her achievements.

“I understand. I’m heading over now.”

Tang Ran didn’t care in the slightest whether Song Wuqi was injured, but now was not the time for a final showdown. Since Lu Shuyang had called her, no matter how much Song Wuqi disgusted her, Tang Ran had to play out this scene.

Tang Ran hung up, pulling a look of worry onto her face as she prepared to say goodbye to Song Zhixu. Before she could speak, she heard Song Zhixu ask, “Where are you going? I’ll drive you.”

“That would be too much trouble for you, Sister. I’ll drive my—” Tang Ran began to decline, only to remember that at this point in time, she had only passed the second stage of her driving test. She immediately corrected herself, “I’ll just take a taxi.”

She was truly a lazy person; even after getting her license in her previous life, she was always chauffeured. Since returning to this life, she had been so busy that she completely forgot she hadn’t finished her license yet. It was late, and Tang Ran didn’t want to make her driver come out, but she also felt bad about bothering Song Zhixu.

“It’s too late; taxis aren’t safe,” Song Zhixu said, picking up her keys from the entryway.

Seeing her putting on her shoes, Tang Ran couldn’t refuse any further. She forced a smile and said, “Then I’ll trouble you, Sister.”

In Song Zhixu’s car.

Tang Ran’s phone vibrated again. This time, the private investigator sent a video—the background looked like a bar. Before playing it, Tang Ran carefully muted the sound.

The video began with Song Wuqi sitting at the bar drinking. A moment later, her gaze landed on a nearby booth. In the booth were Ye Xiaoyu and a man. As Song Wuqi looked over, the man reached out to grab Ye Xiaoyu. She dodged, stood up fearfully, and tried to leave.

The man blocked her path and forced her to sit back down. At that moment, Song Wuqi walked over and pulled Ye Xiaoyu away. The man refused to let go. Whatever Song Wuqi said, the man reacted by smashing a wine bottle against her. Song Wuqi blocked it with her hand and retaliated by hitting the man with a bottle in return. The bar security arrived, and the video ended there.

What a classic ‘hero saving the beauty’ drama.

The yellow traffic light flickered. Song Zhixu slowly pressed the brake and glanced at the rearview mirror. In the dim car interior, the light from the phone screen cast a cold glow on Tang Ran’s face.

After watching the video expressionlessly, Tang Ran flipped the phone over. Her reflection in the rearview mirror vanished into the shadows, and a moment later, Song Zhixu heard a deep intake of breath.

The countdown on the signal jumped to 1, and the car slowly crossed the stop line. Jiangcheng Hospital wasn’t far from the city center; they arrived in no time.

“Thank you, Sister. I really troubled you today,” Tang Ran said, unbuckling her seatbelt and thanking Song Zhixu once more.

“No need for such politeness.” Song Zhixu’s gaze lingered on her face. Tang Ran’s eyes were curved as if smiling, but there was no warmth in them at all.

“Drive carefully, Sister. Could you send me a message when you get home?”

“Okay,” Song Zhixu nodded.

Tang Ran reached for the door, and the dome light turned on. Song Zhixu called out to stop her: “Tang Ran.”

Tang Ran paused her exit and looked back. Meeting her questioning gaze, Song Zhixu asked softly, “Is there anything I can help with?”

“Huh?” Tang Ran didn’t understand her meaning for a moment.

Song Zhixu hesitated before speaking. “You don’t seem like you’re in a good state. Have you run into some difficult problem?”

Tang Ran’s expression stiffened.

She didn’t know if it was because the concern Song Zhixu showed was too sincere, or if her voice was simply too gentle, but the accumulated emotions surged like a flood, crashing against the high dams Tang Ran had built in her heart.

Her fingers unconsciously let go of the handle, and the car door closed automatically with a soft click. The dome light slowly faded, leaving the car in darkness, with only a sliver of streetlight allowing them to see each other.

The moment the door closed, Tang Ran’s vision gradually blurred. She was shrouded in a heavy, gloomy aura. A sudden impulse struck her—she didn’t want to worry about the consequences anymore; she wanted to pour everything out.

For a split second, Tang Ran thought: If Song Zhixu doesn’t believe me, at worst, I’ll just drag Song Wuqi down to hell with me. Dying with her would still be better than the ending of my previous life.

“Tang Ran?”

Song Zhixu reached out and took hold of her wrist. The light pressure on her wrist pulled Tang Ran back from the brink of gloom. She looked up and stared intently at Song Zhixu.

Song Zhixu spoke again, “Are you alright?”

Tang Ran’s state was perhaps even worse than she had imagined. It confirmed that the melancholy she had sensed from Tang Ran back in the study hadn’t been an illusion.

Song Zhixu unbuckled her own seatbelt and pulled Tang Ran back into the passenger seat. Tang Ran instinctively lowered her head to avoid Song Zhixu’s gaze. The hostility in her heart was screaming; she couldn’t control her emotions and didn’t want Song Zhixu to see her lose her composure.

Song Zhixu let go of her hand, turned her body slightly, and leaned down to catch her eyes from below. Those beautiful dark pupils had lost their sparkle; the depths of her eyes were as dark and thick as ink.

Tang Ran clearly wasn’t crying, yet Song Zhixu felt as if she could hear her heart-wrenching sobs again. More than gloom, what Song Zhixu felt from her was a profound sadness. This intense grief acted like a suit of armor Tang Ran had donned, wrapping her tightly so no one could get close.

Song Zhixu’s fingers twitched, curling slightly before relaxing. Finally, she reached up and tucked a stray lock of hair behind Tang Ran’s ear. Sensing no rejection, she spoke in a soft voice:

“Can you tell me what happened? Maybe I can help you.”

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