After Faking My Death, My Iceberg Ex-Wife Went Crazy for Me - Chapter 47

As the woman’s languid voice trailed off, Lan Xiao tilted her head back, her vision completely obscured by the brim of her hat. Yet, she instantly recognized the woman’s identity.

Qin Shaowan, the founder and CEO of Weicheng Medical, a fledgling biotech startup, was her direct senior sister and the first friend she’d made after arriving in Boston.

Qin Shaowan claimed to suffer from “Skin Hunger Syndrome,” often randomly grabbing acquaintances for “treatment,” especially when experiments failed. Her craving for hugs intensified exponentially with her frustration.

Over the years, none of their fellow lab members had escaped Qin Shaowan’s “clutches.”

Refusing her, according to Qin Shaowan, was tantamount to “murder.”

Lan Xiao had heard this phrase more than anyone else.

The reason was simple: racial differences. Asians, with their minimal body odor, were perfect “treatment bl00d bags.”

Lan Xiao and Qin Shaowan’s first encounter had been when the latter emerged from the lab, eyes glazed over and energy completely drained.

At the time, Lan Xiao hadn’t officially started classes yet; she was merely exploring the campus to familiarize herself with the environment when she stumbled upon Qin Shaowan, looking like a zombie unleashed.

At the time, Lan Xiao was somewhat disoriented. She vaguely recognized Qin Shaowan’s silhouette and, without a word of greeting, clung to her back.

When Qin Shaowan dodged her, Lan Xiao simply rolled onto the ground and staged a dramatic public nap.

Later, Qin Shaowan confessed she had only meant to scare Lan Xiao a little, never expecting her to actually fall asleep. But it had certainly frightened Lan Xiao badly.

Lan Xiao didn’t know anyone there and couldn’t tell if the person before her was sick or high. She steeled herself to wake the woman, only to be bombarded with “murder” theories.

Initially, Lan Xiao resisted, especially after discovering they were in the same lab after the semester started.

But it was futile. Despite Qin Shaowan’s perpetually languid demeanor, she was surprisingly agile. In their playful tussles, she would often “drain” Lan Xiao dry, leaving her disheveled and bewildered in the aftermath.

As time passed, Lan Xiao’s attitude gradually shifted, aligning with the lab’s laissez-faire approach: If it’s not excessive, let her be.

Today was no different.

Unsure of the extent of Qin Shaowan’s illness, Lan Xiao waited twenty seconds before complaining, “Senior Sister, I can’t see.”

Even then, she made no move to adjust her hat, her tone and actions subtly conveying intimacy.

Qin Shaowan noticed this, and Ye Ling picked up on it too, her gaze turning icy.

“Just wait. I’ll restore your sight in a moment,” Qin Shaowan said, a smirk playing on her lips as if something amusing had just occurred, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

She released Lan Xiao, settled back into her seat, and tugged Lan Xiao’s hat back. “Xiao Lanlan, your life seems quite eventful when I’m not around, doesn’t it?”

As she spoke, her hands remained busy, leisurely smoothing Lan Xiao’s disheveled hair while casting pointed glances at Ye Ling.

Ye Ling clenched her fists, then abruptly reached out to straighten Lan Xiao’s hat, lightly brushing off the spots where Qin Shaowan had touched it.

Lan Xiao instinctively tried to evade Ye Ling’s touch, inadvertently creating distance between herself and Qin Shaowan.

Ye Ling withdrew her hand, unsure whether to feel pleased or not.

Faced with Lan Xiao’s questioning gaze, Qin Shaowan casually withdrew her hand. “There was some dust.”

“Dust? Where? I didn’t see any.”

Qin Shaowan wasn’t about to let her off the hook. She immediately waved her hand in front of her nose. “Hmm, there’s a strong smell of vinegar. The plane hasn’t even taken off yet. When did Boston start using the Shanxi Aged Vinegar brewing method? Xiao Lanlan, did you hear about this?”

As soon as she finished speaking, a passenger in the back row snorted with laughter, followed by the rustling of magazine pages.

Lan Xiao: “……”

She could have pretended to ignore it, you know. Really.

Lan Xiao sighed silently, wrinkled her nose at Qin Shaowan to signal her to tone it down, then turned to Ye Ling and introduced them. “This is my senior sister, Qin Shaowan. And this is Ye Ling, President Ye.”

Taking the hint, Qin Shaowan gracefully stood up, pulled a business card from her bag, and handed it to Ye Ling.

“Your pale complexion and dark circles under your eyes are clear signs of liver qi stagnation. If you have time, you should come to my clinic for a treatment. Mention Xiao Lanlan’s name for a 20% discount.”

Ye Ling didn’t take the card, his gaze cold. “Are you and Xiaoxiao close?”

Qin Shaowan’s smile remained unchanged. “I suppose so. After all, she wouldn’t call me ‘President Qin.'”

Meng Lianqiu, who had just arrived and sensed the awkward atmosphere, was speechless.

Lan Xiao, who had thought handing over her business card signaled the end of the conversation, was equally stunned.

Seeing Qin Shaowan deliver another devastating blow with such casual ease, Lan Xiao had to start considering how to salvage the situation.

Meng Lianqiu hesitated, unsure whether to join the conversation.

Fortunately, a flight attendant arrived to rescue them.

Dressed in her uniform, she offered a standard smile and gestured politely. “Madam, the plane is about to take off. Please return to your seat.”

Ye Ling didn’t move. Her gaze shifted downward, from the minimalist business card to Lan Xiao’s face.

It was clear she initially felt a sense of relief, but moments later, her delicate eyebrows furrowed again.

Was it because Lan Xiao hadn’t left?

Her hand, hanging at her side, began to tremble. Ye Ling silently moved it behind her back, and a suffocating feeling rose within her, as if her airway had been blocked.

Strange, she thought. The plane hasn’t even taken off yet, so why do I feel like I’m suffocating?

“Xiaoxiao.”

Ye Ling’s hand trembled more violently. She gripped her right hand with her left, desperately trying to suppress the unnatural tremor.

She swallowed hard and forced out the rest of her sentence: “Lianqiu and I have separate window seats. If you want some quiet, you can switch with us.”

Her voice wavered slightly at the end, betraying her lack of confidence.

What confidence could she possibly have?

To Xiaoxiao, what was she?

A stranger who had inexplicably disrupted her life? Or the ex-wife she refused to acknowledge?

Either way, she had no right to interfere, no right to distance Xiaoxiao from Qin Shaowan.

The closeness of human relationships is determined by memories and time.

And in those thousand-plus days and nights that had passed, Ye Ling had been absent from every single moment.

She didn’t know how Xiaoxiao had adjusted to studying abroad, didn’t know her current menstrual cycle, and didn’t even know when she had learned to rock climb.

As she had said not long ago, Ye Ling remained stuck three years in the past, while Xiaoxiao continued to move forward.

A dull ache pulsed through her heart. Qin Shaowan’s appearance had torn away the veil of denial Ye Ling had clung to.

Never before had Ye Ling felt so acutely aware that she and Xiaoxiao were no longer connected.

Yet why did she still cling to that sliver of hope?

Tears welled in the corners of her eyes, and the red mole on her cheek seemed to burn. Ye Ling lowered her head, her gaze, though looking down, held the pleading of an inferior to a superior.

“Is it possible?”

Xiaoxiao sat serenely on her lotus throne, eyes lowered, refusing to meet Ye Ling’s gaze.

“I chose my seat during check-in, so there’s no need.”

“…Is that so?”

Ye Ling turned away, her steps faltering slightly.

She refused Meng Lianqiu’s offer of support, regained her balance, and walked toward her seat.

Each step sank deeper into the mire.

Snap!

As the plane entered the stratosphere, Qin Shaowan snapped her fingers. “If you keep spacing out and ignoring me, I’ll call her back, you know.”

“I wasn’t spacing out,” Lan Xiao said, pursing her lips. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming to Boston?”

“I’m here for a conference. It was such a rush, I didn’t have time to let you know.” Qin Shaowan twirled a business card in her hand, the one Meng Lianqiu had given her before leaving.

“Was that President Ye from Mo Yuan Technology?”

Lan Xiao nodded. “Who else at Mo Yuan Technology would be a ‘President’ named Ye?”

Qin Shaowan clicked her tongue. “No wonder. He reeked of money. I can’t stand these trust-fund kids.”

“…” Lan Xiao was speechless. “You’re one of them too.”

“Not at all. I’m going to be a self-made millionaire,” Qin Shaowan said, curling her lip. “How did you get involved with them anyway?”

“It’s a long story,” Lan Xiao said, trying to summarize. But growing tired of explaining, she cut to the chase: “Ye Ling wants me to return to China and work on a project with them.”

“Proving she’s not Geng Xiaoxiao—how isn’t that a project?”

Qin Shaowan didn’t doubt her. She frowned and said, “What’s going on? I thought you were going for a doctorate. How come someone’s already trying to snatch you up right after your master’s?”

Lan Xiao blinked in surprise. “Snatch me up?”

“Didn’t I mention it? I want you as my partner.”

Qin Shaowan batted her eyelashes and tried to tease Lan Xiao again, but when Lan Xiao dodged, she didn’t get annoyed. Instead, she pulled a blanket out of nowhere and cocooned herself in it.

“Ah, cozy~”

She sighed contentedly, letting the specially designed blanket help her recover her energy. After resting for a few minutes, she threw the blanket off.

“I can tell Ye Ling has ulterior motives. People like her are experts at manipulating naive girls like you who’ve never left the ivory tower. Besides, what kind of project would require Ye Ling to personally recruit someone? I bet her real intentions are hidden.”

Lan Xiao shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. We have a verbal agreement. She won’t do anything to me.”

“Hard to say. Haven’t you heard? The more beautiful a woman is, the more likely she is to deceive you—especially those CEOs. They each have eight thousand tricks up their sleeves.”

After smearing Ye Ling’s reputation, Qin Shaowan glanced in her direction.

Their business class seats were essentially first-class, but lacked the privacy of individual suites with sliding doors.

Qin Shaowan met Ye Ling’s icy gaze head-on, a smirk playing on her vividly painted lips.

“Compared to Mo Yuan Technology, my company is barely a year old. It’s hard to compete, you know?”

“Then… let me show you a good show.”

Qin Shaowan unbuckled her seatbelt, leaned forward, and let her long hair fall like a natural curtain in front of Lan Xiao.

She raised a finger to her lips in a “shush” gesture, then swiped her thumb across her lips, smudging her lipstick.

“Whether I have ulterior motives or not… we’ll find out soon.”