What Should I Do If My Ex-Girlfriend's Pheromones Smell Too Good? - Chapter 61

Chapter 61: Cousin

Being held with a knife to one’s throat is a sensation that is likely quite unpleasant.

Shu Qiong’s thumb pressed firmly against the driver’s carotid artery, but she didn’t urge her further. A heavy silence filled the car for several breaths before the driver compromised. She raised her wristband, unlocked it, entered the contact list, and—under Shu Qiong’s watchful gaze—placed a video call to a contact labeled “Sister Minmin.”

However, the ringing went on for nearly ten seconds without an answer. With a beep, the other side hung up.

The driver’s face turned pale. Shu Qiong continued to command without emotion: “Call again.”

The cheerful ringtone echoed once more, making the atmosphere in the car feel even more bizarre. Shu Qiong looked down patiently, her thoughts unreadable. The driver struggled to keep her neck stiff, terrified that the other woman might accidentally slice the delicate skin.

This time, they waited for a full fifteen seconds. Every second was excruciating.

Ding.

A different sound chimed. A light screen projected from the wristband, and a voice devoid of emotion spoke.

“What is it?”

It was Shu Xuanmin. She looked at the stiff-faced driver on the video and frowned. “What’s wrong with you?”

Then, she saw the perspective shift. A hand reached out from behind the driver, gripped the wristband, and tilted the camera upward. A face that felt somewhat unfamiliar to Shu Xuanmin appeared on the screen.

“Cousin, long time no see,” Shu Qiong greeted her.

Shu Xuanmin glanced at the driver with an unreadable expression—causing the latter’s body to stiffen further—before replying to Shu Qiong’s greeting: “Cousin, why haven’t you arrived home yet? Grandfather threw a massive fit just now.”

“Why is Cousin being so dishonest?” Shu Qiong toyed with the small knife in her hand. “If you’re giving a gift, just give it. Why have the driver lie to me? Because of that, the driver took a detour to show me the gift you sent, which wasted some time.”

Shu Xuanmin smiled with genuine interest. “A gift?”

Shu Qiong turned the camera, capturing the beautiful detached villa outside the window. “Isn’t this the gift Cousin intended for me? Oh my, how could I accept this… By the way, is the house in my name yet? The paperwork should be finished, right?”

Shu Xuanmin was momentarily choked by her words. She stared at this cousin she hadn’t seen in years for a long moment before laughing oddly: “The paperwork is in progress. Yes, that is indeed my gift to you.”

Shu Qiong nodded in satisfaction. She caught a glimpse of the driver’s “I’ve seen a ghost” expression through the screen, making her own smile even more sincere: “Really? This location isn’t cheap at all…”

“Cousin,” Shu Xuanmin narrowed her eyes, “The Shu family assets are worth hundreds of millions. This tiny villa is nothing for you to be so concerned about.”

Shu Qiong replied with total indifference: “Sigh, after being away so long, the thought of returning to the Shu house feels restrictive. A golden birdcage is still just a cage. Cousin, let’s be straight: my dream is to become the same kind of person as my mother.”

Shu Xuanmin was confused by her sudden frankness: “A successful person like Auntie?”

Shu Qiong said calmly: “A rebellious person like my mother.”

Shu Xuanmin raised an eyebrow. “Meaning?”

Shu Qiong answered honestly: “Sister, being indirect is too tiring. I don’t want to spend all day racking my brain over power struggles and managing family assets. I want to be a pure Mech Department military student… If you want the family assets, take them. After all, your enemy was never me to begin with. Hmm, if you promise to be a strong backer for my freedom in the future, I might even give you a hand.”

The driver felt this person was full of nonsense. Pure student, my ass! With so many tricks, you have the nerve to say you don’t like being indirect?

Shu Xuanmin was also shaken by her words: “But just now, you…”

Shu Qiong had just scammed a small villa in a prime location out of her.

Shu Qiong gave a shy smile: “To be honest, those few sentences just now used up two months’ worth of my brain cells, Cousin.”

Regardless of whether anyone believed her, she continued, “So, shall we cooperate? Our interests don’t conflict. I hate being restricted, and you want more power and money. In this matter, having one more friend and one less enemy is a win.”

Shu Xuanmin was indeed moved. After a moment of thought, she said softly, “I’ll consider it.”

She lacked an understanding of this cousin; all her information came from indirect investigations. Unsure if Shu Qiong would be a stumbling block in her path to seizing the family estate, she had resorted to this plan—sending her trusted subordinate to pose as a driver to kidnap and house-arrest her to remove an unstable factor.

Shu Xuanmin hadn’t intended to actually harm her. Once the most unstable period passed and her victory was secured, she would have released her and provided compensation.

She just didn’t know her cousin well enough. The news she had gathered was that Shu Qiong had excellent grades and was a pre-certified Mech Designer. Consequently, she had miscalculated Shu Qiong’s combat value. To avoid suspicion, she had only sent one capable driver.

Who would have thought the driver would get bluffed out of the truth in a few sentences and then be easily neutralized?

Luckily, Shu Qiong was composed and rational enough. She already loathed everything about the Shu family and had no desire to inherit the business. Otherwise… Shu Xuanmin worried she would have triggered a rebellious psychological reaction, leading to fierce retaliation. If that happened, her plans would certainly be hindered.

Thinking about how her plan almost backfired, Shu Xuanmin cast a glance at the driver.

The driver asked tremulously, “Min… Sister Minmin, should I still bring Miss Shu Qiong back to the Shu house?”

Shu Xuanmin sighed helplessly and pressed her forehead. “Bring her back. Do you think you have any other choice now?”

“N-no.” The driver’s peripheral vision caught the glint of the knife blade, and she couldn’t help but pout.

Shu Qiong watched the two talk with a pleasant smile, though she was somewhat surprised. At first, she thought the driver was a tough character to deal with, but now she seemed a bit scatterbrained and easily fooled. Furthermore, her cousin’s attitude toward this subordinate was intriguing; she hadn’t even scolded her after such a major blunder.

Of course, maybe she just didn’t want to do it in front of an outsider. Perhaps her salary would be docked in private. Shu Qiong thought with a touch of schadenfreude as she patted the driver’s shoulder. Because she had almost been house-arrested for no reason, the pat was quite forceful.

“Talk when you get back,” Shu Xuanmin threw out a final sentence and hung up.

For the sake of cooperating with the woman’s boss later, Shu Qiong didn’t make things too difficult for the driver. She retracted the switchblade, sat back in the rear seat with her legs crossed, pulled out a chilled juice prepared in the car, and ordered grandly: “What are you standing around for? Drive!”

After saying that, she bit the straw and looked out the window, sighing: “Three sentences to make a woman gift me a luxury mansion.”

The driver’s face twitched at her thick skin as she reluctantly restarted the car. The levitating vehicle suddenly shot forward like an arrow from a bow. Caught off guard, Shu Qiong pitched forward and almost choked on her juice, coughing twice.

“Weren’t you driving very steadily when you came?” Shu Qiong questioned suspiciously.

The driver said strictly: “That was because Sister Minmin ordered it. Of course I had to drive well.”

“…Isn’t it still her order now?” Shu Qiong said rudely. “Bringing personal emotions into your work—watch out, or I’ll report you to your boss.”

So, the driver drove properly with a face as grim as water.

The two remained silent for the rest of the trip. Shu Xuanmin’s villa wasn’t far from the Military Academy; a normal drive would only take twenty minutes. However, the Shu family estate was located in an old district developed years ago—a typical wealthy area filled with historic mansions.

The Shu estate was quite far from the villa and the academy. Even with the driver pushing the speed limit, it took a full hour and a half to arrive.

During the trip, Shu Qiong watched her courseware out of boredom and then started chatting with Yan Xiangyu, sharing the good news that she now owned property.

Shu Qiong: The location is great. It’s just that at first glance, the interior decor looks a bit old-fashioned.

Yan Xiangyu: Decor can be changed, it’s no trouble.

Shu Qiong thought about it but deleted the message: “What kind of interior style do you like?” She stared at the car ceiling, thinking blankly: If I send that, will it sound like a suggestion to move in together?

Since she didn’t reply for a long time, Yan Xiangyu sent another message: “When you come back, I’ll help you pick.”

Shu Qiong: Okay.

After the reserved “Okay,” Shu Qiong couldn’t help but feel she was being too cold, so she grabbed her wristband and sent another one.

Shu Qiong: Second hour apart, I miss you.

After sending it, she felt so embarrassed that she turned off the screen and slumped against the soft, elastic backrest, counting the diamonds embedded in the car ceiling. She reached the nineteenth diamond, and Yan Xiangyu still hadn’t replied.

Shu Qiong snorted coldly: “Decadent, extravagant capitalist.”

The driver glanced at her through the rearview mirror several times, having watched this entire silent drama, and wanted to speak but held back. Hearing that sentence, even though she didn’t know who had offended the young lady now, she agreed: “I wonder if my salary will be docked this time.”

“You deserve it,” Shu Qiong laughed without sympathy. “Who told you to plot against me?”

The driver was speechless. Is this person really this childish? So she started a war of words back: “I don’t know why your mood suddenly turned sour, but you deserve it too.”

The two glared at each other through the mirror. A battle of three hundred rounds raged through their brainwaves, invisible sparks flying. The driver even turned on the autopilot so she could focus on the staring contest with Shu Qiong.

Ding-dong. The driver’s wristband chimed first, followed immediately by a vibration from Shu Qiong’s. The two called a temporary truce and looked down at their messages.

Sister Minmin: Swap positions with Xiao Qi when you get back.

Sister Minmin: I won’t dock your salary this time.

The driver’s face broke into a smile, and her fingers typed rapidly: Thank you, Boss!!!

Sister Minmin: Focus on driving.

The driver felt her previously suppressed spine straighten up. Sister Minmin really was the best boss in the world! She looked mockingly at Shu Qiong through the mirror, only to find the girl burying her face in her palms like an ostrich.

The driver spoke up: “Hey, you…” Did you know I didn’t just get a pay cut, I’m getting a promotion? Wahaha!

Shu Qiong lifted her face; her cheeks were flushed with a vivid scarlet. The driver was startled. Wasn’t she fine a second ago?

Shu Qiong sighed in tragic indignation and turned her head toward the window, refusing to look at her. The wristband was still open to her chat with Yan Xiangyu.

Shu Qiong: Second hour apart, I miss you.

Yan Xiangyu: I was just in a video conference reporting on the training with the instructors. Captain He and Jin Yan were both with me.

Yan Xiangyu: Everyone was using my wristband to project the screen.

Shu Qiong imagined the scene—the hair-raising embarrassment made her want to dig a hole with her toes. Just then, Jin Yan, unfortunately, sent a new message to the group.

Jin Yan: Daughter, we’ve only been apart for an hour and a half, why don’t you miss me?

Jin Yan: [Crying emoji]

He Xuchou: [Snickering emoji]

Qin Liang: [Snickering emoji]

Chang Xichun: [Laughing emoji] Eeee!

“…”

Shu Qiong chose to play dead.