Chapter 12 – Seeking Trouble

Fu Jiaojiao’s heart pounded uncontrollably beneath Jiang Ning’s foot, suffocated by a sudden surge of panic and despair. “Jiang Ning, let me go! Aren’t you afraid of being caught on camera again? Do you really want your career to end here?” Fu Jiaojiao clawed at the ground with both hands, struggling desperately to get up, but the woman half-standing on her back was simply too strong; she could not move an inch.

Jiang Ning’s face was as cold as frost, her dark, icy eyes filled with menace; there was not a trace of warmth in her gaze as she looked down at the woman below. Of course Jiang Ning didn’t want to remain a nobody. Her path to stardom had been smooth—back in her junior year, a renowned director had taken notice of her and cast her in “Azure Love.”

That film had brought her a measure of fame and she’d gone on to sign with Sunrise Pictures, becoming the artist of the gold-medal agent, Feng Tianchi. That very night, Fu Jiaojiao had come to her with false congratulations and gifted her a stunning evening gown. Fu Jiaojiao was Jiang Ning’s college roommate and also her acting partner. Whenever there was a group performance assignment at university, Fu Jiaojiao would design the costumes herself. Jiang Ning had thought the dress was Fu Jiaojiao’s own handiwork. She never expected that, when she wore the gown to the film festival, she would end up wearing the same dress as Gao Tiange, a senior actress from the company.

Gao Tiange was already displeased with Jiang Ning for siphoning off resources after Feng Tianchi signed her. The dress incident provided the perfect excuse—Gao Tiange began plotting against her in secret and threatened Feng Tianchi with terminating her contract if he dared intervene. It wasn’t until her dying moments in her previous life, when Fu Jiaojiao was feeding her poison, that she learned the truth from Fu Jiaojiao’s own lips.

Jiang Ning’s expression grew even darker, resentment welling up inside her. She stomped down hard, her foot pressing mercilessly into Fu Jiaojiao’s back. Fu Jiaojiao wailed and begged for help, “Jiang Ning, what do you want from me? I’m your best friend—have you forgotten?”

The face above her, terrifying as an avenging demon, made Fu Jiaojiao wonder if Jiang Ning had a split personality.

Seeing Fu Jiaojiao’s face twisted in pain, Jiang Ning curled her lips into a smile, withdrew her foot, and crouched lazily down. With slender fingers, she gripped Fu Jiaojiao’s jaw tightly: “Best friend? When you were hurting and framing me, you should’ve thought about this day, Fu Jiaojiao. I’m the sort who acts, not talks.”

Fu Jiaojiao’s calculating eyes now brimmed with terror as she struggled to speak, her mouth clamped in Jiang Ning’s grasp.

“Best friend? Where were you when I was being cursed by netizens, shunned and despised by everyone in the industry? Hm? You were probably smiling so wide your mouth nearly split.” Jiang Ning’s tone grew even more ominous.

Once, Jiang Ning had pitied Fu Jiaojiao for being an orphan with no one to rely on, simple and pure-hearted. She had always tried to accommodate her. Never did she imagine that this woman, cloaked in sheep’s clothing, was a treacherous wolf, skilled at scheming and slandering others.

Jiang Ning’s chilling voice seemed to pierce Fu Jiaojiao’s spine.

“When did you find out?” Fu Jiaojiao’s eyes, dark with malice and envy, bored into Jiang Ning.

So, Jiang Ning knew everything!

A cold laugh escaped Jiang Ning as she squeezed Fu Jiaojiao’s pallid face harder, her fox-like eyes tinged with murderous intent. “I even know who instructed you. Jiang Yuewei, wasn’t it?”

Fu Jiaojiao trembled. “Jiang Yuewei? I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Jiang Ning narrowed her eyes, a glacial smile curling her lips.

Fu Jiaojiao bit her lip, stubbornly glaring at Jiang Ning, refusing to say another word.

Jiang Ning flung her face aside and stamped her left foot heavily onto Fu Jiaojiao’s back.

Fu Jiaojiao shrieked in pain, only to see Jiang Ning produce a small dagger from who knows where and wave it before her eyes. “You’d better keep quiet, or I’ll grant you a quick end.”

Jiang Ning bent slightly, the dagger poised toward Fu Jiaojiao’s thigh. “Turn over.”

Fu Jiaojiao struggled in agony, icy dread seeping into her heart as she felt the blade’s chill on her skin.

“I just traced your femoral artery. One small cut—while it won’t kill you right away, you know what excessive blood loss can do.”

Fu Jiaojiao never expected Jiang Ning to be so ruthless. Her nerves stretched to the breaking point, she imagined her blood draining away, her life ebbing fast.

“I don’t want to die. Jiang Ning, ask whatever you want—I’ll tell you everything!”

“Fu Jiaojiao, you’d better tell me the truth. Did Jiang Yuewei send you to get close to me?”

Fu Jiaojiao strained to lift her head, her face growing cold as she met Jiang Ning’s gaze. She shuddered involuntarily. “Yes… she told me to approach you.”

“You two colluded even back in college?”

Fu Jiaojiao’s body went rigid at Jiang Ning’s words. “Yes, during university. We weren’t roommates at first, but to get close to you, I bribed the dorm warden…”

Panic flared in Fu Jiaojiao’s heart. How did Jiang Ning find out about her secret dealings with Jiang Yuewei?

“Jiang Yuewei wanted you to win my trust just to utterly destroy me?”

In her past life, Jiang Ning had always thought Fu Jiaojiao betrayed her simply over Bai Zehan, but on the plane today, she had accidentally glimpsed Fu Jiaojiao’s pinned WeChat contact: her own sister, Jiang Yuewei.

That made Jiang Ning suspect that Fu Jiaojiao was deliberately sabotaging her at every turn, and that the cause ran deeper than jealousy. She’d only mentioned “Jiang Yuewei” earlier to test her suspicions.

She hadn’t expected it to be true. It seemed the Jiang family meant to eradicate her completely.

With no way out, Fu Jiaojiao could only resign herself to her fate. She feared this madwoman, Jiang Ning, might actually kill her. “Jiang Yuewei told me to monitor you at all times, even to look for an opportunity to…”

Jiang Ning, seeing Fu Jiaojiao hesitate, crouched in front of her, toying with her chin and letting a faint, mocking smile play on her lips. “She also wanted you to find a chance to kill me, didn’t she?”

Fu Jiaojiao shook her head with a sob. “No, I didn’t dare. Jiang Ning, I had no choice. You know I have no money or power. If Jiang Yuewei hadn’t backed me and given me money, I’d be nothing!”

A cold laugh escaped Jiang Ning. “Yet you’re still nothing—just her pawn.” Fu Jiaojiao claimed she couldn’t kill, but in her previous life, that woman’s viciousness at the end had been like a mechanical killer.

Quelling her terror, Fu Jiaojiao looked Jiang Ning in the eye. “I’ve told you everything. Now take me to stop the bleeding!”

Jiang Ning sneered, her gaze scornful as she looked at the woman’s wretched face. “Get up yourself.”

“I’m bleeding, I can’t move! Please, Jiang Ning, help me stop it. I won’t breathe a word about today.” Fu Jiaojiao stared desperately at Jiang Ning, terrified that woman would finish her off.

“I said, get up yourself.”

Only then did Fu Jiaojiao look down at her thigh, numb with fright, and realize there wasn’t a scratch on her—it was perfectly intact.

She stared in disbelief at Jiang Ning. “You didn’t just—?”

Jiang Ning was perfectly calm. This foolish woman was nothing but a chess piece; it was the Jiang family she truly needed to deal with. “That was all in your head. Intentional injury is a crime.”

Slowly, Jiang Ning walked toward her. “Give me all the evidence—everything that links you to Jiang Yuewei.”

“Why should I?”

“You have no way back, Fu Jiaojiao. You’d better weigh your options and not make me your enemy.”

Suspicion clouded Fu Jiaojiao’s face. “What’s in it for me?”

Jiang Ning uttered three words: “Bai Zehan.”

At that name, Fu Jiaojiao’s blood boiled, her nostrils flaring with excitement. “Bai Zehan? Jiang Ning, what are you planning? You can’t touch him!” She tried to get up and grab the woman now toying with her fate, but her legs were still weak and useless.

Her desperate longing made Jiang Ning roll her eyes in disgust. With a lazy drawl, she said, “You know about the undercurrents between Gao Tiange and Bai Zehan. If you give me what I want, I’ll find a way to get Bai Zehan for you.”

“You don’t want Bai Zehan anymore?”

Jiang Ning snorted. “That mutt is all yours.”

Fu Jiaojiao bit her cheek, shame and desire flooding her eyes. “Fine. I have recordings and chat logs.”

“Give them to me. Now.”

Jiang Ning picked up the phone from the floor, raising an eyebrow. “Hurry up.”

Fu Jiaojiao puffed out her cheeks, sending all the evidence she had on Jiang Yuewei to Jiang Ning. Then, struggling to her feet, she gathered up her scattered underwear. “Can I go now?”

“Mm. And don’t even think about Cheng Beigu. Stay out of my way from now on.”

With a loud bang, the door slammed shut in Fu Jiaojiao’s face.

Dragging her suitcase behind her, she staggered back toward the coastline.