The Woman I Was Flirting With Turned Out To Be A Chaebol Heiress - Chapter 35

There was still a graceful and beautiful smile on Dai’s face, but the curve of her lips was too forced to inspire any sense of warmth or comfort.

Though her lips were upturned, her eyes were cold and sinister. Every time Jiang Ji saw this expression, a chill would run down her spine. Even after all this time, she hadn’t gotten used to it.

The worst part was that no one else seemed to notice this disguise. Maybe it was because they had lived together for so long that Jiang Ji could now detect even the smallest details. Or maybe it was because Dai didn’t even bother to pretend in front of her.

Either way, it wasn’t something to be happy about.

“Know what?”

Jiang Ji slowly walked to her desk and sat down.

“Know about how you’ve been colluding with those Black Ridge Society thugs? Or how you’ve been using the chips from here to launder your money? If I’m not wrong, your illegal income probably flows through their channels, doesn’t it?”

Maybe she had been provoked by Dai’s words. Though her face remained calm, Jiang Ji’s tone held a sharp edge.

In an instant, Dai’s smile disappeared.

“You didn’t really think your operation was flawless, did you? Dai, your methods are crude—full of holes. You should be grateful you’re doing this on my turf, and that your sister and mother are still willing to cover for you.”

Jiang Ji’s eyes moved from Dai’s face to her tightly clenched fists. Her fingernails had probably already dug deep marks into her palms.

Dai was clearly angered by Jiang Ji’s words. It didn’t show much on her face, but Jiang Ji could sense the hidden fury bubbling under the surface.

“When did you find out?”

After a long silence, Dai finally asked this question. Her tone had lost the polite respect she usually showed around Jiang Ji.

Just as it should be. There was no need to keep pretending they were some happy family. None of them ever needed that.

“Take a guess.”

Suddenly, Dai felt like she was seeing the Jiang Ji she used to know. Of course. That once-thawing demeanor had always been reserved only for that girl, Li Nianyi. She and her mother had never been given such treatment.

Jiang Ji’s hateful attitude made Dai feel even worse.

She began to carefully retrace her steps, trying to figure out where exactly she had gone wrong to end up in such a passive position.

She knew there were no security cameras here. Every chip swap was done with handpicked targets, exchanging for the highest denominations that wouldn’t be reported small amounts, many times over.

She thought she had been cautious enough. Yet here she was, walking into a trap and being ridiculed.

Perhaps the moment she set her sights on Jiang Ji, everything she planned had already been laid bare.

“What about Mother? Does she know about all this too?”

“Of course. She asked me, as your big sister, to clean up your mess. ‘Kids will be kids, playing around and making a few mistakes it’s no big deal,’” Jiang Ji said, mimicking Ms. Kiriko’s tone with chilling accuracy.

The old Jiang Ji would never have done something like this.

She had changed. Ever since she started spending time with that girl, Li Nianyi, she had become more vibrant more alive.

“I don’t quite understand. If you really wanted something, couldn’t you have just asked Mother directly? I’m sure she would’ve given it to you. Why go to such lengths?”

Silence fell for a brief moment.

Then, Dai suddenly laughed.

The curve of her lips widened wider and wider until it lost all grace. She completely dropped her lady-like demeanor, laughing with twisted posture, clutching her stomach, the sharpness of her voice shrill and jarring, like a deranged person in total breakdown.

She wasn’t a normal person.

Or maybe there were no normal people in this household to begin with.

For example, Jiang Ji, sitting nearby with a blank expression, like she was watching a stage play. She was probably just as broken.

The whole scene was bizarre.

Forget it. Dai told herself not to blame herself she really had tried to be normal.

Jiang Ji didn’t bother interrupting Dai’s fit. She calmly waited for her to laugh herself out before trying to continue the conversation.

Eventually, Dai slumped back onto the sofa, wiping tears from her eyes as she said:

“Do you know what I hate most about you, Jiang Ji?”

It wasn’t the kind of question that sparked curiosity especially not for Jiang Ji.

But Dai didn’t seem to care whether she wanted to hear the answer. She went on:

“Why do you think I went to such lengths? Don’t you already know?”

“We’re both Mother’s children. But just because you got to her first, you get to manage all the industries openly. Everyone treats you like her right hand. And me? I’m just some clueless mascot.”

She flopped back on the sofa without a care for her image.

“But the worst part is, you act like you don’t even care. Like all that power and status was forced on you. You just want to tell me that you didn’t even have to fight for any of it. You want to show me how close you and Mother are.

It’s disgusting.”

All she ever did all her efforts were just so her mother would look at her a little longer. Dai thought this with deep sorrow. Meanwhile, Jiang Ji could always get what she craved so easily and didn’t even want it.

How dare Jiang Ji treat it all so casually?

She should be grateful for everything Mother gave her. How dare she treat it with such indifference?

Jiang Ji finally frowned. She really couldn’t understand the twisted thoughts running through Dai’s overly dramatic head. Somehow, she ended up getting scolded for nothing.

She took a moment to process Dai’s long, emotional rant.

Honestly, she never considered herself a particularly smart person. Long-winded speeches like that just tired her out. But she forced herself to think through what Dai had said.

“You think she values me more?” Jiang Ji picked out one key point and asked.

Something felt off. But that was as far as Jiang Ji’s mental energy would take her. Dealing with Dai was just… exhausting.

“Doesn’t she?”

“I think you’ve misunderstood some things.”

Jiang Ji weighed her words carefully, debating whether she should say this next part.

“Our mother Saionji Kiriko you probably don’t really understand her. She’s a ruthless utilitarian. What you call ‘being valued’ is probably better described as ‘being useful.’

Both you and I, once chosen by her, entered this family as chess pieces. You think you’re being neglected? That’s only because your turn to be used hasn’t come yet.”

In the end, Jiang Ji chose to brutally lay out the truth.

She wanted Dai to understand there was no need to treat her like some imaginary rival. They were both just pawns, living at someone else’s mercy. Competing to see whose utility score was higher? It was almost laughable.

Besides… after so many years at Kiriko’s side, Jiang Ji suspected Dai unruly as she was was about to be put into play soon.

If Dai was destined to fall one day, it would be because of her own naivety.

“Shut up.”

Dai grew even angrier.

“You think you know her better than I do?”

Chess pieces, usefulness Dai didn’t care. All she wanted was to be the daughter her mother loved most. Or maybe…

Was that really the point?

Jiang Ji felt communication had completely broken down, but she knew what Dai wanted to hear.

“If that’s what you believe, Dai, then go ahead try to take my place. If you can.”

Then, without giving Dai a chance to respond, Jiang Ji picked up the phone and told her assistant to come escort the guest out.

Being called in late at night just to watch someone have a breakdown Jiang Ji felt like she was going insane herself.

Still, Dai’s visit tonight left Jiang Ji with a lingering unease.

It felt like something dangerous was quietly brewing.

Elsewhere…

Kimoto couldn’t figure it out. If Suzuki hadn’t reported anything to the police how had someone found out she recorded the video?

She just couldn’t dig up that missing link in the chain.

But if that was the case, then everything made sense.

Li Nianyi jolted upright from bed and rushed to her desk, fumbling to open her laptop and re-examining that complex file.

Maybe Suzuki hadn’t reported anything out of distrust.

But what if what if she had told someone she completely trusted?

Someone with social status. Someone she deeply respected. If Suzuki had been in a desperate, conflicted situation, she might have told that person everything.

Her mentor Professor Tanaka.

At that moment, Tanaka’s profile filled the computer screen.

As Suzuki’s direct academic junior, Li Nianyi knew better than anyone just how much Suzuki trusted her mentor.

But Tanaka was connected to the Saionji conglomerate. If Suzuki confided in him, she had essentially exposed herself to the enemy.

That thought made Li Nianyi shudder. Tanaka’s kind, benevolent face suddenly seemed eerie and terrifying.

Was this how Suzuki lost her life?

Pushed into the abyss by the teacher she loved and respected?

Her fingers trembling, Li Nianyi forced herself to type out a clear message and sent it off. She desperately hoped she was wrong. She had to tell the police everything she knew.

Her eyes stung from staring at the screen in the dark, but she couldn’t rest until she saw a reply from Kimoto.

Ding.

The sound of a message arriving let her finally exhale and slump into her chair, breathing hard.

She had to get to the bottom of this.

A voice inside urged her do something.

Li Nianyi was no longer just a bystander.

She had to find Jiang Ji and get some answers.