Chapter 3: My First Encounter with Shen Zhiyi

Mo Liang held her phone and went through all the information Xu Lingxue had sent, finally getting a clear picture of the situation.

The pink-haired little loli was named Su Xiaoyou, and she was Miss Xu’s business rival.

The white-haired older sister was named Shen Zhiyi, and she was Su Xiaoyou’s girlfriend. However, due to some career issues, Su Xiaoyou was about to go abroad for half a year. Shen Zhiyi came from an ordinary family and didn’t accept the money Su Xiaoyou left her. Instead, she went to work at a restaurant to make ends meet.

Coming out of Xu Lingxue’s villa, Mo Liang took a deep breath of freedom and set off on her mission with high spirits.

The most urgent matter at hand was to fill her stomach.

She hadn’t eaten for a day and a half, and her stomach was already growling loudly.

Mo Liang pulled out her phone and called a ride, heading straight for the restaurant where Shen Zhiyi worked. It was just around noon, so she could grab a meal and scope out the place at the same time—two birds with one stone.

“Let me count the time. Su Xiaoyou should still have about four months before she comes back, right?”

Mo Liang leaned back in the seat. Four months was enough time for her to work things out slowly. She already had a plan in mind.

When they arrived, Mo Liang pushed open the car door and stood at the restaurant entrance, giving it a once-over.

It was a moderately sized shop with a clean and cozy interior. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, she could see about seven or eight tables occupied with customers.

After walking inside, Mo Liang spotted Shen Zhiyi at a glance. That head of white hair shimmered with a soft luster, her features delicate and refined.

Mo Liang looked around and noticed that most of the customers in the restaurant were men. What they were here for went without saying.

Mo Liang didn’t care about that.

She picked a seat by the window and just sat down when Shen Zhiyi walked over with a menu. Her movements were brisk yet polite, and she gently placed the menu in front of Mo Liang.

Up close, Mo Liang could see even more clearly that cold but not arrogant expression on the other woman’s face. No wonder Su Xiaoyou liked her.

But she was truly hungry today, so she’d eat first and worry about the rest later. The whole seduction thing could be taken one step at a time.

She opened the menu, casually marked a few dishes, and handed it back.

“Got it.”

Shen Zhiyi took the menu, nodded earnestly, and turned toward the kitchen.

Mo Liang idly scrolled through her phone. Before long, Shen Zhiyi came back carrying a dish and a drink.

The drink was, of course, deliberately ordered by her.

“Could you help me open this?”

Mo Liang took the bottle and made a show of twisting the cap. Sure enough, it didn’t budge.

She took the opportunity to roll up her sleeve, just enough to reveal the patch of purple and blue bruises mottled across her forearm.

Shen Zhiyi’s gaze indeed paused there.

She took the bottle, gave it a slight twist, and with a “click,” it opened—but she didn’t hand it back right away. Instead, she frowned slightly, her eyes lingering on Mo Liang’s arm before she had a chance to pull it back.

“Excuse me, what happened to your arm?”

“Oh, oh, it’s nothing.”

Mo Liang quickly pulled her sleeve back down, covering it in a flash, forcing a slightly flustered smile onto her face.

Seeing this, Shen Zhiyi didn’t feel comfortable pressing further. Her gaze lingered on Mo Liang’s tightened cuff for just a moment before she quietly tucked that concern away.

That was exactly the effect Mo Liang wanted.

The other woman was indeed as kind as the profile said. She thought this without an ounce of guilt.

Sorry about this. For my five million, you’ll just have to make a sacrifice.

As for feelings of guilt, she really didn’t have much. After all, this wasn’t her first time doing something like this—she knew the ropes well.

If anything, those people only had themselves to blame for being too naive, right? They clearly had boyfriends or girlfriends, yet they could still be stolen away by an outsider. No matter how you looked at it, that was their own problem.

Even if she, Mo Liang, didn’t make her move, someone else would eventually come along to do the same thing. She only wanted money, not their bodies—that already made her a conscientious worker in the industry, pretty merciful by comparison.

She wolfed down her meal in record time, wiped her mouth with satisfaction, and got up to push open the restaurant door and head out.

She’d barely taken two steps when a thick smell of alcohol hit her in the face, making her instinctively cover her nose with her hand.

A man with unsteady steps was staggering toward her, his murky gaze slithering over her.

“Hey, little missy, all alone? Come have some fun with big brother?”

Mo Liang’s heart skipped a beat. She put on a frightened expression, shaking her head while trying to sidestep around him.

She was just about to run when her arm was grabbed, and she was yanked off balance, about to hit the ground.

The next second, she tumbled into an embrace carrying a faint, cool fragrance. Shen Zhiyi had somehow already moved in front of her, catching her steadily in her arms.

Mo Liang was like a startled kitten, curling up in Shen Zhiyi’s arms, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably.

Shen Zhiyi looked down at her to confirm she wasn’t hurt before she relaxed.

She lifted her head and warned the drunk man,

“If you cause more trouble, I’ll call the police on you.”

Passersby gathered around at the sight of a scene unfolding. The drunk man was startled by the commotion, his drunkenness evaporating. He muttered a few slurred curses under his breath but didn’t dare to act tough anymore, slinking away in defeat.

“Are you okay?”

Shen Zhiyi turned her gaze back and looked down, speaking softly to comfort the little blond girl in her arms.

Good thing she’d come in time. If this girl had hit the ground for real, she might have ended up with a scarred face.

The person in her arms lifted her face, her eyes red-rimmed.

Shen Zhiyi met those watery eyes and suddenly felt a bit awkward, shifting her gaze away.

She gently eased Mo Liang out of her embrace, putting some distance between them again.

“Thank you so much, miss. Can I buy you a meal?”

She pulled out her phone as she spoke, wanting to add her on WeChat.

Mo Liang’s eyes were full of admiration.

Shen Zhiyi pulled out her phone and let her scan the QR code, but shook her head at the meal invitation.

“No need. Just be more careful next time.”

With that, she turned and left without lingering.

“It’s going to be a long road ahead.”

Mo Liang watched Shen Zhiyi’s retreating back without a second glance and pouted, then turned and headed toward her own place.

Slow and steady approach—she understood that principle well.

The harder the target was to crack, the more satisfying it was to finally land it. Besides, there was plenty of time. She could just take it slow.

As she walked, she pulled up her sleeve and looked down at the patch of purple and blue bruises on her arm. She pressed a fingertip against them and winced, sucking in a sharp breath.

The rough outline of a plan was already forming in her mind. All she needed now was time.