Chapter 053: Autumn Deer Manor (Lightly Revised)

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The instant Ye Sangsang stopped writing, all sorts of thoughts passed through her mind. She felt that, by and large, everyone who played chess believed they had control over every piece on the board.

This invitation from Autumn Deer Manor, for instance. Or what Zhong Tongxin was thinking.

Regardless, she was going to accept the invitation. She would enter the game herself and accept whatever came her way. After all, their objectives were the same.

So she looked toward Zhong Tongxin, who had spoken, with just the right amount of humiliation in her eyes.

Accepting too readily would seem strange. Silence and humiliation would be enough.

“Is she refusing?” the girl beside Zhong Tongxin asked, unmistakable hostility in her eyes. After all, her position as the young heiress’s attendant might be taken away.

A smug expression crossed Zhong Tongxin’s face. She gave a mocking smile. “She won’t. She… will agree.”

As far as she was concerned, all she needed to do was say it. She did not need Ye Sangsang’s consent.

“She definitely won’t refuse, ha ha ha!” The girl seemed to think of something, and a malicious smile spread across her eyes.

Ye Sangsang picked up her pen and continued writing, showing no intention of paying them any further attention.

She was merely curious about the trip to Autumn Deer Manor.

She had the feeling that Zhong Tongxin had truly succeeded in courting death.

Perhaps Zhong Tongxin still believed that she was the one in control, a powerful person manipulating Ye Sangsang.

As for Zhong Tongxin’s claim that Ye Sangsang was serving the Zhong family, that was indeed true. Part of the school where Qiao Feng worked belonged to the Zhong family, while the hospital where Lin Yu worked was a private hospital under their control.

Both of them depended on the Zhong family for their livelihoods.

It was simply that the two were too incompetent to change jobs. They could only remain where they were, offering up a daughter to be trampled on before they could climb any higher.

Ye Sangsang found it difficult to judge them.

She hoped that, in the real world, once they learned the truth about everything, they would experience utter destruction and collapse.

She had a feeling that Lin Ying’s thirst for revenge had been awakened. After killing five people, she would hardly allow her accomplices to live smooth and comfortable lives.

Ye Sangsang gathered her thoughts and began considering what she would do at Autumn Deer Manor.

The next two days passed peacefully, giving one the eerie impression of calm before a storm.

When they learned that the destination was Autumn Deer Manor, both the Zhou and Zhong families were pleased with the arrangement.

Just as Zhong Tongxin had said, she sent someone to pick Ye Sangsang up and arranged a maid’s uniform for her.

Ye Sangsang obediently changed into it and set off for Autumn Deer Manor.

The manor normally had its own service staff. The four people in Ye Sangsang’s group were there specifically to attend to Zhong Tongxin.

Everything they would need for food, clothing, lodging, and travel had to be brought along, even though they were only spending four days there during the holiday.

All the other attendants knew the purpose of Ye Sangsang’s presence and understood Zhong Tongxin’s intentions.

They therefore assigned Ye Sangsang a great deal of work, making her serve Zhong Tongxin with humiliating deference.

Ye Sangsang accepted every task without complaint. At the same time, amid her busyness, she familiarized herself with the general layout of the entire manor.

It consisted of villa after villa built around hot springs. There was also a small lake on the mountain, a golf course nearby, and all kinds of buildings scattered throughout the grounds, which were surrounded by forests. The air was fresh, and the scenery pleasant.

After arriving, Ye Sangsang was dressed in the plainest clothes. She followed Zhong Tongxin around continuously, being introduced to one person after another while enduring their disdainful gazes. Her presence served to set off Zhong Tongxin’s dazzling splendor and elegant nobility.

Sometimes Ye Sangsang wondered if these people had an especially twisted sense of amusement.

There were quite a few guests, most of them apparently belonging to the same social circle.

From the corner of her eye, Ye Sangsang spotted Zhou Qingyue sitting alone in the corner in a black suit. A black-covered book rested in his hand, but he was not reading it. His pupils held nothing but the dusk surrounding them.

A bloodstained dagger was pictured on the cover, giving the book an ominous air.

Zhong Tongxin was probably about to go over to him.

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All the earlier diversions had merely been incidental entertainment. This was the real reason she had brought Ye Sangsang here.

That was what Ye Sangsang thought.

Sure enough, in the next moment Zhong Tongxin swept her a contemptuous glance and gave a derisive laugh. “Follow me. I’m going to see Zhou Qingyue.”

“All right.” For once, several other emotions colored Ye Sangsang’s reply.

Zhong Tongxin narrowed her eyes as she looked at her. “Put those filthy thoughts away. Standing beside us is already contaminating the air.”

Ye Sangsang lowered her gaze, concealing her impatience.

Sometimes, such excessive self-confidence seemed to her like a delusion in full bloom.

[Sister Sang: I only want to go over and see what’s happening.]

[Lin Ying is that ruthless. She would never like a bully. She doesn’t have Stockholm syndrome.]

[Ha! Zhong Tongxin really thinks they’re that irresistible? Being around someone like her would make anyone suspect the air was full of fart.]

Seeing Ye Sangsang’s meek, downcast appearance, Zhong Tongxin quickly walked toward Zhou Qingyue. Ye Sangsang followed at a leisurely pace, carrying the wineglass he had no desire to hold.

Standing beside them, one had to admit that they made a perfect pair.

In the insulting sense of the word—because they truly suited each other.

Zhong Tongxin leaned against Zhou Qingyue’s chair. Bending down, she whispered something to him. Zhou Qingyue looked up and glanced at Ye Sangsang.

His dark eyes revealed no emotion.

Ye Sangsang lowered her gaze, finding the whole thing rather dull.

“See? I told you, Qingyue. Someone like Lin Ying has poverty written all over her,” Zhong Tongxin teased.

Zhou Qingyue neither agreed nor disagreed. His gaze merely grew slightly more profound as he gave a meaningful smile. “Sometimes, people like that are more interesting to us, aren’t they?”

A malicious smile appeared on Zhong Tongxin’s face. “Exactly. Playing with them is like playing with a rag doll. They look so fragile and disheveled that you can’t help wanting to destroy them. Playing with a little toy like that now and then is harmless enough for people like us.”

Her smile gradually became one of deep satisfaction. She picked up the wine Ye Sangsang was holding and drained the glass in one go.

Bringing Ye Sangsang had never been a spur-of-the-moment decision. It had been deliberate.

She knew that Zhou Qingyue had once paid attention to Ye Sangsang, and she would not tolerate such a presence.

So she had chosen to sully Ye Sangsang, because Zhou Qingyue was a neat freak who disliked dirty things.

She also wanted Ye Sangsang to appear before him so that he would recognize how wretched and shabby she was, completely sever his interest in her, and turn his attention instead to Zhong Tongxin.

Someone like Zhou Qingyue, a favored son of heaven, was too proud and arrogant. He would never allow himself to fall for someone as lowly as Ye Sangsang.

Only someone of the same background could stand shoulder to shoulder with him.

Now that her objective had been achieved, she smiled with complete satisfaction.

Ye Sangsang remained silent. Her slight, slender figure looked terribly fragile in the evening breeze. Yet within that slender body beat a fervent heart, a heart eager to warm itself with hot blood.

Days when she had no chance to act were truly boring.

The three of them stood together, each harboring different thoughts, yet somehow forming a harmonious scene.

Zhong Tongxin disliked Ye Sangsang, so after taking her around once more and ordering her about for a while, she quickly grew bored and dismissed her.

Ye Sangsang returned to her room. It had originally been meant for two people, but the other maid would rather squeeze in with her colleagues than share a room with Ye Sangsang.

She had probably heard something from the bodyguards or from Zhong Tongxin and was somewhat afraid of Ye Sangsang.

Ye Sangsang did not mind. She stood by the window, considering what sort of surprise she could prepare for them at Autumn Deer Manor.

After thinking it over, she had no concrete ideas. She merely had a vague intuition and decided to wait and see.

Some people might be unable to wait much longer…

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There were cameras everywhere in the villas and throughout the grounds. Without the guidance she had received in the previous case, she would have to observe her surroundings and avoid the cameras herself.

These preparations still had to be made.

Zhong Tongxin clearly liked Zhou Qingyue very much. After changing into more suitable clothes halfway through the evening, she went out again. It was not until eleven that night that she returned to the villa and summoned everyone.

Ye Sangsang walked out and looked at Zhong Tongxin lying on the sofa.

The woman had completely abandoned all decorum and was muttering incoherently.

A glass of water was thrust into Ye Sangsang’s hand. She glanced at the lemonade, then walked over and handed it to Zhong Tongxin.

“You need to tilt the glass carefully and feed Miss Zhong,” the maid beside her instructed, looking down at Ye Sangsang as she directed her actions.

Ye Sangsang raised the glass and poured the water into Zhong Tongxin’s slightly open mouth.

Very soon, Zhong Tongxin choked on the overflowing water and coughed twice. Ye Sangsang simply sat beside her and watched.

Zhong Tongxin opened her eyes and stared at her through narrowed lids.

Ye Sangsang’s gaze was deep yet indifferent, as if she were carefully examining Zhong Tongxin—or perhaps simply staring straight through her.

“Bitch!” Zhong Tongxin cursed instinctively.

Ye Sangsang looked at her, her expression instantly returning to normal. She regarded Zhong Tongxin with faint confusion.

Clutching her head, Zhong Tongxin shook it, convinced that she had hallucinated.

The maid, assuming that Ye Sangsang would obey, turned and left after issuing her instructions.

Ye Sangsang held the glass out to Zhong Tongxin. Something seemed to occur to Zhong Tongxin, and a wary glint flashed through her eyes. She struck the back of Ye Sangsang’s hand, knocking the glass away.

It landed on the expensive carpet with a dull thud. Zhong Tongxin reached out and seized Ye Sangsang by the throat. “Don’t even think about stealing Zhou Qingyue from me. You’ll always be beneath us. Don’t dream of climbing up here.”

Muttering all the while, she shoved Ye Sangsang down onto the sofa and tightened her grip with both hands.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Ye Sangsang grabbed her hands and, frowning, forcibly pried them apart.

The other woman was using considerable strength in her frenzy. If Ye Sangsang’s stamina had not been at ten, she might well have been strangled into unconsciousness.

There were cameras in the villa’s living room, so Ye Sangsang did not take advantage of the moment to slap her while no one else was present. She merely pulled Zhong Tongxin’s hands away, concluding that the woman was indeed drunk.

As Zhong Tongxin walked past, a standing ornament suddenly toppled and shattered. Ye Sangsang happened to be watching her with a distant, somber gaze.

Zhong Tongxin screamed at Ye Sangsang like a madwoman.

Ye Sangsang watched her unravel and sensed that something was wrong.

[It feels like Zhong Tongxin keeps dancing back and forth along the edge of courting death.]

[Does she really think other people will never dare fight back, even when their lives are at stake?]

[Judging by the environment, probably. They’re already accustomed to everything revolving around them.]

The woman carried on for half an hour before being helped back to her room by another maid.

As she passed a porcelain vase in the living room, it suddenly shattered.

Zhong Tongxin looked at it, then turned her gaze toward Ye Sangsang.

Ye Sangsang: …

Zhong Tongxin was placed on the soft bed. After watching her fall asleep, Ye Sangsang and the other maid turned and left.

Acting here was too risky. Ye Sangsang would have to find another way.

The lights in the room were turned off, leaving only the bedside lamp glowing.

After the door closed, Zhong Tongxin pressed a hand to her throbbing temple. She rolled over once on the bed, her entire body filled with restlessness.