190 — Secrets Unfold, The Quarrel (1)

Growing up, if there was one thing that scared Pei Yueran to death, it was slime. No matter the size, shape of form, as long as it was slippery, she hated it.

So a dream in which she was covered head to toe in a thick gooey substance that made her skin crawl was best described as a nightmare. She struggled with all her might, her brows furrowed tightly with the effort, but it felt like she was trapped.

That was until she felt a gentle hand brush over her body like a feather. As if in response, the slime began to fall away like pieces of plaster off a dilapidated ceiling.

It took a few minutes to open her eyes and reorient herself to her surroundings. Her sight and senses were blurry at first, but she slowly began to adjust.

Feeling the prick of a needle at the back of her hand, she sighed inwardly. She was back at the hospital again. Then she started.

How did she get here?

The last she remembered, she felt dizzy after having that drink. She knew she had fallen into a trap, so how did she get to the hospital?

Or did someone notice and call the police?

It seemed someone came in and snatched her phone, but she wasn't sure if it was real or she only imagined it.

Her head was aching faintly, and even the dim lights in the room felt harsh. She closed her eyes again against the glare, and that was when she heard it.

There were people discussing in low tones nearby. She couldn't make out the words at first, but her heart leaped when she heard the familiar low baritone.

Li Chuanmo was back, and he was here!

She was about to call his name when what they were saying finally filtered into her ears.

"Absolutely not. You leave her to me. Bei Fengxue, no, Xie Weiwan has to pay a hefty price for the harm she caused my wife."

What did that mean?

Xie Weiwan. Wasn't that the name of Li Chuanmo's ex-wife? What did she have to do with Bei Fengxue? Did they have something to do with the recent incident?

Another voice sounded, "Fine. Still, send her to me for three days. I'll return her to you afterwards. She has to lose at least a layer of skin by my hands."

The voice sounded very familiar, but she couldn't place it. As for the only person that came to mind, she was sure there was no way Li Chuanmo would sit down calmly to have a conversation with him.

"Two."

"Deal."

What exactly was going on? What were they talking about? Right now, she had multiple questions, and she needed immediate answers.

She could hear the sound footsteps and of a door being opened, so before anyone could step out, she spoke up.

"What are you two talking about?"

Both men froze at the sound of that voice.

Then Li Chuanmo strode to her side, "Ran, you're awake? How are you feeling now?"

"Raise me up please." She said softly, ignoring his question.

Li Chuanmo did as she asked, raising the bed into a half reclining position.

"Yueran— I mean, Ms Pei, how are you?" Gao Tinghua.

"It's really you. What are you doing here?" Pei Yueran asked in surprise. She had not seen him since the previous incidence, of which recalling it lit a fire in her heart.

She hadn't told Li Chuanmo yet. Knowing how much they were at loggerheads, she felt he would do something drastic.

"I, I, I—." It was the first time Young Master Gao stammered on end, at a loss for words.

Not getting a response from him, her gaze swung back to Li Chuanmo. "I heard you talk about Xie Weiwan and Bei Fengxue just now. Care to explain?"

Seeing that she didn't seem to have heard them talking about her identity, Gao Tinghua stood by the door, feeling conflicted. Should he tell her about it now or come back later?

Just as he made up his mind and opened his mouth, Li Chuanmo shot him a look that clearly said "Don't try it."

Gao Tinghua decided to keep quiet. Nevertheless, his sister seemed quite angry, so he rushed to clear the air.

"We were just discussing how to make sure the person that hurt you gets punished, that's all."

Pei Yueran turned to him. The sight of him still made her furious, but right now, she was more interested in getting the information out of his mouth. "I see. But what does Bei Fengxue have to do with it? Was she the mastermind?"

"...You could say that." Gao Tinghua hedged.

"And Xie Weiwan? How is she tied to all of these?"

"Actually, I was just telling Chairman Li that they are the same person."

Pei Yueran's eyes widened in shock. She had kept her enemy close by all this while? How was that even possible? Even if she didn't know her, how come Li Chuanmo couldn't recognize her as well?

"This is terrifying. When did she even return to the country? How come we didn't even have a clue?"

"Chairman Li knew where she was but he lost the trail after I helped her escape. I'm sorry for...." Gao Tinghua's voice became smaller and smaller until he stopped talking altogether.

He couldn't help it, the look on Pei Yueran's face showed clearly that he had said something wrong, not to mention the chilling glare Li Chuanmo sent his way.

The tension in the private room thickened all of a sudden.

"Chuan, is what he said true?"

"You know what? I'll be back to see you Yue—Ms Pei. Take care of yourself." Gao Tinghua threw down before leaving the room quickly.

If he caused the company to lose yet another foreign partner, he would not be able to raise his head at the company again.

People were scared of him and said all sorts of things behind his back, but one thing no one could call him was incompetent, and that had always been his pride.

He didn't want to witness what an enraged Li Chuanmo was capable of doing to his almost stainless record.

After he left, the room fell silent, leaving the soon to be couple to stare at each other.

Pei Yueran lost as she suddenly felt dizzy, closing her eyes. Li Chuanmo quickly rushed to her side and helped her lower the bed a bit.

When she felt a bit more comfortable, she said, "You haven't answered my question."

After some more silence, Li Chuanmo responded. "Yes. I knew she was back."

Pei Yueran's heart sank.

"Since when?"