The Woman I Was Flirting With Turned Out To Be A Chaebol Heiress - Chapter 33

“She would never hurt me.”

The rebuttal was almost instinctive. How could someone as kind as Jiang Ji possibly do anything to harm her?

Seeing Li Nianyi like this, Mu Yuan knew she probably couldn’t persuade her. She could understand Li Nianyi’s feelings, but the investigation would not stop because of that.

“Then what if I told you that Jiang Ji is most likely the third person you saw at the crime scene that day? Would you still be able to say that with such certainty?

Even if it wasn’t her personally, it was very likely someone she sent a bodyguard or a thug who said or did something to Suzuki, ultimately leading to her fall.”

Li Nianyi felt her throat go dry and sore. No matter how much water she drank, she couldn’t ease the discomfort.

She wanted to say something to defend Jiang Ji to describe just how gentle, lovely, and soft she was in her eyes.

But in front of the police, what mattered was evidence. Her slightly parted lips failed to utter anything persuasive. All she could do was lower her head, shifting uncomfortably as she listened to the sharp, cold judgment.

Seeing Li Nianyi fall silent, Mu Yuan had no choice but to continue laying out the evidence she had. Doing so was risky, but she didn’t believe Li Nianyi was the type to destroy evidence or cover up the truth.

Besides, she had enough backup. The evidence wasn’t solely in her hands.

“There’s someone in all the footage Suzuki shot that really caught my attention.”

Mu Yuan pulled out a screenshot from one of Suzuki’s videos showing a man a gambler who had already died suddenly.

“If Suzuki went filming as usual on May 28th, this guy was likely her target.

But he’s dead now. His body was found near a dumpster just a block from Midnight Paradise. Though it was officially deemed a sudden death, the autopsy showed he’d been in a brawl before he died.”

The next photo showed the man, battered and bruised, lying in a heap of trash.

“He was a gambler and a regular at Midnight Paradise. That street doesn’t have surveillance, but I found this.”

Mu Yuan opened TikTok on her phone and played a vlog that hadn’t gained many views.

She scrubbed the video to the middle and pointed to the corner of the frame. Behind the vlogger was a man crouched against a wall, smoking.

The man’s face wasn’t clear, but his outfit matched the one in the previous photo.

“A colleague in forensics helped me enhance the image it’s the same man. One of Suzuki’s experimental subjects. The one who died in the garbage dump.”

Mu Yuan took a sip of her cappuccino. It tasted good but didn’t quench her thirst it left her mouth sour.

She subtly observed Li Nianyi. Though her expression remained unreadable, the tension in her jaw betrayed her inner turmoil.

“Let’s make a bold guess: on the 28th, Suzuki went to film as planned. She followed that subject to the casino, camera gear in tow.

She must’ve captured something crucial and dangerous something worth killing over.

Suzuki was smart. She knew she couldn’t take down the people behind the casino alone, so after filming, she hid. She pretended nothing had happened.”

“But they found her.

On that rainy day, someone forced her to hand over the footage. Maybe she did, maybe she didn’t… but either way, she never made it out of that apartment building alive.”

“And you, Miss Li you’re the only variable in this murder case. You were Suzuki’s junior. You witnessed her tragic death.

Wouldn’t that make you a suspect in their eyes?

I don’t want to sow discord between you and your lover, but I think you need to seriously consider: was your encounter with her fate… or something orchestrated?”

Li Nianyi felt as though she was trapped inside a giant bell, and Mu Yuan’s words slammed against the bell’s walls, sending painful tremors through her entire body.

Mu Yuan Aoi sighed.

“To this day, we still don’t know what exactly Suzuki filmed, how she was discovered, or what really happened that night.

But I think those people haven’t found Suzuki’s video yet otherwise, they wouldn’t be watching you so closely.

They don’t dare touch you recklessly, but they can keep you under close surveillance. And if you ever show signs of knowing where the footage is, they’ll act fast to destroy the evidence.”

With that, as she left, Mu Yuan slipped a note into Li Nianyi’s hand.

“This is the address of Midnight Paradise. If you don’t believe me, I can go with you.”

“No need. I believe you.”

Li Nianyi declined Mu Yuan’s offer. Mu Yuan had no reason to lie to her but the sheer weight of today’s revelations demanded solitude and time to think.

She sat alone in the café for a long time, staring blankly at the photo. Her mind was a tangled mess. She didn’t even know what she was thinking anymore.

Just like Mu Yuan asked: Did she really know Jiang Ji?

After Suzuki’s incident, she’d been fired, rejected by all part time jobs and then, suddenly, hired by Saionji Dai. Could that really be just coincidence?

If not, then what about everything between her and Jiang Ji? As Mu Yuan suggested, had it all been part of a carefully laid trap?

This woman she once kissed and embraced so closely now, Jiang Ji seemed veiled in fog, a shadowy ripple, just out of reach.

Jiang Ji… such a kind, good person. How could she possibly be the one behind Suzuki’s death? How could she have approached her with an ulterior motive?

Out of place and unwanted, the image of Suzuki’s lifeless, wide eyed stare flashed through her mind.

She thought she had already forgotten the shock of that moment but now, the memory returned like a dark cloud, pushing out all other thoughts.

And then, Jiang Ji’s face appeared full of affection, gazing at her.

For a split second, her face overlapped with the mysterious figure in a black raincoat from that stormy night.

Countless scattered fragments rearranged themselves in a chilling, unnatural way in Li Nianyi’s mind.

She shut her eyes tight, trying to drive away the absurd images.

Now that she thought about it, both she and Jiang Ji had always avoided discussing her work.

They were both resisting whatever dangers might shatter the peace of their current life.

Sure enough, problems don’t go away by ignoring them.

Li Nianyi sighed.

Should she confront Jiang Ji directly? Or try to test her subtly? Neither option seemed quite right.

She never expected to become so indecisive. But who could stay calm and rational after getting caught in something so full of treachery and deceit?

Suddenly, a familiar ringtone rang the special tone she’d assigned to Jiang Ji.

Li Nianyi stared at her phone for a few seconds before finally picking up.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Nian Nian, are you done? I’m outside.”

Jiang Ji’s voice was as enchanting as ever. But Li Nianyi no longer felt that usual flutter in her heart instead, a quiet ache formed in her nose.

“Mm. I’m coming out now.”

The weather had cooled. Li Nianyi wore a light long coat. She hadn’t bothered to remove her glasses, her complexion a bit pale. She’d always been like this during school no desire to dress up.

“Jiang Ji.”

She called out, and the tall figure turned around.

“Nian Nian!”

The woman hurried over and held her hand.

“Nian Nian, did something happen today? You don’t seem very happy.”

Jiang Ji studied her closely and quickly came to that conclusion.

When it came to Nian Nian, she was always sharp. Even though Li Nianyi had tried to hide it, her emotions were still easily read.

“No, not really. School’s never fun. I always look miserable when I go.”

But Jiang Ji was easy to fool. As long as Nian Nian said something, she would believe it without question.

So she joined in bashing school then shifted gears.

“So… do you want to come over tonight? Maybe I can cheer you up.”

Li Nianyi shook her head.

“I have work to do. My computer’s still at home.”

Hearing that, Jiang Ji’s expression immediately drooped.

“Aww…”

“You’re that reluctant to let me go?”

Jiang Ji nodded pitifully.

“If that’s true, why don’t you try convincing me? Maybe if you act cute, I’ll cave and go with you.”

Like a rewarded puppy, Jiang Ji’s eyes sparkled. But then she shook her head again.

“Even if I miss you, I don’t want to interrupt your work.”

As she spoke, Jiang Ji kept poking her shoulder a cold faced woman with endless little gestures.

Li Nianyi’s voice caught in her throat.

It felt like a storm was building in her chest, pressing painfully, ready to burst at any moment.

She got into the passenger seat, where a small, delicate lunchbox was handed to her.

“What’s this?”

“Mango mousse! I noticed you like mango flavored desserts, so I tried learning how to make it… good thing I brought it when I came to pick you up, or you’d have missed out on it today.”

Jiang Ji was still chattering, explaining the ice packs in the lunchbox to keep it cool but Li Nianyi could no longer hear her.

She pulled Jiang Ji into a hug, seeking comfort in the warmth of her body the only thing that could calm her heart right now.