Chapter 4 She Wants Shi Niannian's Heart Now

Shi Niannian's body stiffened as she stopped in her tracks, closed her eyes, and braced herself for the storm to come.

Shi Xinghe picked up the business card from the ground and handed it to Shi Niannian, his voice cool and detached, "You dropped your card."

"Huh?" Shi Niannian came to her senses, took the business card, thanked him, and fled from the private room as if escaping.

Xu Lang anxiously waited outside the private room, fearing that something might happen to Shi Niannian. When he saw her come out, he hurried over and asked, "Niannian, are you okay?"

Shi Niannian clutched her chest, still somewhat scared, "Brother Lang, I'm fine!"

Xu Lang took out two thousand yuan in cash and handed it to Shi Niannian, "This is the payment for tonight, make sure to keep it."

Shi Niannian accepted the cash and followed Xu Lang backstage, where she removed her makeup and changed into her own clothes.

She took out the money Ling Yichen had stuffed into her hand, counted it, and found there were five thousand yuan. Together with the two thousand yuan for dancing, that made seven thousand yuan in total, but it was still far from one million!

Shi Niannian put the money into her bag with a sigh, knowing she had to think of other ways to make money.

After leaving Night Charm, Shi Niannian took a taxi back to the Shi family home.

It was already 10 o'clock, the lights in the living room on the first floor were turned off, and she tiptoed towards the staircase.

"Where have you been?" A cold voice came from the direction of the sofa.

"Ah!" Shi Niannian exclaimed in fright, and as she turned, she lost her balance and her body leaned backward.

Instead of the expected pain, she was caught by a strong hand, the momentum causing Shi Niannian to crash into the man's chest.

Shi Niannian covered her sore nose and, using the faint light, recognized the man, "Big… Brother Yichen?"

Shi Niannian's heart raced with panic. Shi Xinghe was supposed to be at Night Charm, so how did he get back so soon!

Shi Xinghe's hand rested on Shi Niannian's waist, showing no intention of letting go. He looked down at her, "Where were you?"

"I went to watch a movie with Wenwen," Shi Niannian mumbled, avoiding Shi Xinghe's gaze and explaining in a quiet voice.

Shi Xinghe used his forefinger to lift her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye, "You better not be lying to me."

Shi Niannian shook her head slightly.

"And," Shi Xinghe warned as he pinched Shi Niannian's chin, "stay away from Ling Yichen, and don't provoke him."

"Okay!" Shi Niannian's voice trembled slightly, not understanding why Shi Xinghe would say that. Could it be that he recognized her?

Moreover, Shi Xinghe's actions seemed inappropriate, giving Shi Niannian a strange feeling.

Time seemed to freeze as neither moved for what felt like a long time, until Shi Xinghe finally let her go, his voice still cold, "Go upstairs and rest."

"Brother Yichen, good night!" After speaking, Shi Niannian turned and ran up the stairs.

Shi Niannian went back to her bedroom, lay in bed, and tried to breathe evenly. The night had been too tense and thrilling; it looked like she couldn't go to 'Night Charm' anymore.

She stepped into the bathroom, stood under the shower to wash, hoping to rinse off all the bad luck of the day.

As she scrubbed her body, she noticed a pain in her right breast. Looking down, she saw a bruise and cursed Ling Yichen inwardly for being such a bastard with such a heavy hand.

After showering and changing into her pajamas, Shi Niannian pulled out a small suitcase and packed some of her clothes and daily necessities. She was going to move to the Dance Academy tomorrow.

The next morning, after finishing breakfast, Shi Niannian greeted her family and then dragged her suitcase out the front door, ready to take a taxi to the academy.

Just then, a Maybach pulled up in front of Shi Niannian. The window rolled down to reveal Ling Yichen's handsome face.

Shi Niannian, pulling her suitcase, took a couple of steps back and turned her face away, refusing to look at him.

"Where are you headed?" Ling Yichen rested his arm on the car window, staring at Shi Niannian as he asked.

Shi Niannian didn't want to interact with him, but she couldn't afford to offend him either, so she replied indifferently, "Dance Academy."

Dance Academy? Ling Yichen glanced down from Shi Niannian's face, lingered on her chest for a moment, then cast a quick look at those long, straight legs. She did have an impressive physique.

Shi Niannian had always had a low presence, and Ling Yichen had never bothered to understand more about her. He merely knew that she was the invisible little foster daughter of the Shi family.

"I'll take you. Get in!" Ling Yichen patted the passenger seat.

"No need to trouble you."

Get in my ass, Shi Niannian cursed inwardly at Ling Yichen; she wanted to move to the school dorms specifically to stay away from the Shi family and him.

Ling Yichen was rejected, and he found it somewhat unbelievable, his handsome face falling into a frown.

"Brother Yichen!" Shi Shuyao ran out from the Shi family's courtyard, asking with a shy look on her face, "I saw a car that looked like yours from the window, and it really is you. What brings you here?"

Seeing Shi Shuyao, Ling Yichen's expression softened. "I was passing by on my way to the company and happened to see your sister standing on the roadside, so I stopped to give her a lift."

It was only then that Shi Shuyao noticed Shi Niannian. She gently took Shi Niannian's hand, "Niannian, why did you run out alone? The family driver is still waiting to take you to school."

"No need, sister, I can take a taxi," replied Shi Niannian, feeling she didn't deserve the privilege of being chauffeured.

Shi Shuyao frowned, "How can that be okay? Regardless of everything else, you're still a young lady of the Shi family. How can you just take a taxi to school, especially with luggage to carry?"

A hint of annoyance on Shi Shuyao's expression made it clear to Shi Niannian what her concern was—she was afraid of Shi Niannian getting into Ling Yichen's car!

A Rolls-Royce drove out from the Shi family's courtyard and stopped at the roadside.

Shi Xinghe poked his head out and asked, "What are you all doing standing around here?"

"Brother!" Shi Shuyao walked over and explained the situation.

Shi Xinghe glanced at Shi Niannian, his expression sour. Shi Niannian kept her head down, not wanting to deal with anyone.

"Get in, Niannian. I'll take you to school," Shi Xinghe said.

Shi Niannian looked up at Shi Xinghe, saw the stormy look on his face, and felt a dangerous aura. Could rejecting his offer provoke him? And if Shi Xinghe was provoked, how would he punish her?

"Beep beep!" A taxi stopped behind Shi Xinghe's Rolls-Royce.

The driver leaned out and called, "Who called for a cab?"

Shi Niannian breathed a sigh of relief, quickly raising her hand, "That's me, I called for it!"

She smiled at Ling Yichen and Shi Xinghe, "Big brother, Brother Yichen, my taxi is here, so I won't bother you guys anymore. I'm off now!"

"Sister, I'm going as well!"

Shi Niannian waved farewell to Shi Shuyao, dragged her luggage to the taxi at the back, threw her luggage in, and got into the car as well.

At Shi Niannian's urging, the taxi driver sped off.

There was an indiscernible emotion in Shi Xinghe's eyes. He said, "I'm leaving first," closed his car window, and drove away.

Shi Shuyao stood in front of Ling Yichen's car, "Brother Yichen, can I come with you to the company? I'm so bored at home."

"I'm going to be very busy at the company today, I won't have time to entertain you. You should just stay at home. I'll take you out for dinner tonight!"

In front of Ling Yichen, Shi Shuyao was always docile and sensible. "Alright then, but you have to come to find me tonight!"

Ling Yichen smiled and nodded in agreement, waved good-bye to Shi Shuyao, and drove off.

Shi Shuyao watched Ling Yichen's Maybach drive into the distance, her smile fading. If she hadn't come out in time, would that little bitch Shi Niannian have gotten into Ling Yichen's car?

She clutched her heart, resenting the limitation of her own condition—were it not for her weak heart, even finding a replacement would make childbirth risky, she would never have allowed Shi Niannian to share a bed with the man she liked, nor have her bear Ling Yichen's child.

Shi Shuyao was filled with hatred, wishing she could rip out Shi Niannian's heart right then and there!