I Married My Heartless Ex-Wife’s Black Lotus Sister - Chapter 40

Hearing such cold and heartless words from the other end, Liang Xin felt a surge of bl00d rush to her head. “Xiaoxiao has been with you for so long, and now that she’s in trouble, not only are you refusing to help, but you’re also shifting all the blame onto her!”

“Song Qi’an, are you even human?”

“Did she force you to get close to her and flirt with her back then—”

Song Qi’an had always had a short temper, and now, provoked repeatedly by Liang Xin, her anger flared. “Don’t think I don’t know how Lin Xiaoxiao went out of her way to get close to me.”

“Everything that could be uncovered—and even what couldn’t—I’ve investigated it all.”

“Liang Xin, do you all think I’m some easy-to-fool pushover? Or have I been too kind to you in the past, giving you the illusion that I’m someone you can mess with?”

The icy tone in Song Qi’an’s voice sent a chill down Liang Xin’s spine, as if she’d been doused with freezing water. She shuddered involuntarily, snapping back to reality.

“…What do you mean?” she stammered. “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“Back then, it was you who saw Xiaoxiao being bullied, took pity on her, and offered her help before signing her to your company,” Liang Xin said, her voice trembling. “Wasn’t it?”

Song Qi’an responded with nothing but a cold laugh before hanging up without hesitation, unwilling to waste another second on Liang Xin.

The sudden silence in Liang Xin’s ears left her bewildered. She held her phone in a daze, unable to stop herself from pondering Song Qi’an’s words. Had the truth been different all along?

But Xiaoxiao had explained it exactly like this.

Liang Xin was at a loss. She stood frozen, her mind involuntarily recalling the unfamiliar, cold, and distant version of Lin Xiaoxiao she’d seen these past few days—a girl so unlike the Xiaoxiao she knew.

Song Qi’an’s fury, ignited by Liang Xin, refused to subside. She violently swiped the water glass beside her, sending it crashing to the floor with a sharp shatter, the white porcelain splintering into pieces.

Ignoring the fragments, Song Qi’an’s face darkened. By now, she knew all too well that she had been completely played by Lin Xiaoxiao.

From the very beginning—the so-called bullying—it had all been a lie.

The bullying was fake. Her innocence was fake. Her gentle, considerate demeanor was fake. Every last bit of it had been an elaborate act, orchestrated by Lin Xiaoxiao and her accomplices to target Song Qi’an.

The sheer audacity of it made Song Qi’an laugh bitterly, the temperature in her eyes dropping to subzero.

She had already uncovered the identity of the man who had allegedly harassed Lin Xiaoxiao back then. To her shock, he turned out to be Lin Xiaoxiao’s own uncle.

As for the hotel manager who had publicly scolded her, he had been paid 500 yuan in advance by Lin Xiaoxiao to play along, deliberately acting harsh in front of others.

And finally, even the assistant who had worked by Song Qi’an’s side for years was, in reality, a friend Lin Xiaoxiao had met at an event.

Song Qi’an’s eyes were bloodshot, and for a moment, she could hardly distinguish what was real in this world anymore.

Everyone had deceived her, everyone had hidden things from her—Shen Yun, Lin Xiaoxiao, all of them.

Was she some kind of ridiculous clown? To be toyed with by so many people, manipulated and controlled like a circus monkey, at their mercy.

A thin layer of anger slowly colored her face as Song Qi’an’s expression darkened, her brows furrowed with barely contained fury.

She knew Lin Xiaoxiao came from a poor family, which was why she hadn’t wanted to drive her into a corner—perhaps the only thing Lin hadn’t lied about. But even so, Song Qi’an couldn’t easily forgive her.

If it weren’t for Lin Xiaoxiao, would Zheng Yili have been so resolute in breaking up with her and leaving?

The memory of those stubborn, cold, and merciless eyes sent waves of pain radiating from the depths of her bones, threatening to overwhelm every nerve in her body.

Zheng Yili had been extremely busy lately.

With the full commencement of the collaboration with Ding Rui, her interactions with Song Yanqing had also increased day by day.

At first, they occasionally exchanged emails about work, sometimes even including a few words of concern for each other. Later, as the matters requiring discussion grew too numerous, they simply decided to work from home together, sitting side by side in their respective studies.

Stacks of documents towered high, nearly obscuring each other’s faces.

Initially, Zheng Yili had worried Song Yanqing might not take things seriously, but the woman seemed far from preoccupied with trivial romantic notions. Her attitude was earnest and focused, her insights sharp and incisive. Within just half a day, she had completely won Zheng Yili over, who couldn’t help but gaze at her with sparkling admiration.

Zhou Jiaoyuan had been right—Song Yanqing was truly exceptional.

So exceptional it was almost intimidating, so exceptional it stirred deep envy.

Perhaps Zheng Yili’s gaze had been too intense, because Song Yanqing slowly looked up. “What are you staring at?”

Snapping out of her thoughts, Zheng Yili couldn’t resist asking out of sheer curiosity, “How do you know everything?” She tilted her head slightly. “It feels like there’s nothing in this world you don’t know.”

Song Yanqing merely smiled. “I used to be in poor health, often confined to bed with nothing to do. To distract me from the pain, Wang Ma would bring me books to read.”

“Over time, I picked up a thing or two.”

Her tone remained calm and detached, as if she were discussing something trivial. But Zheng Yili, having endured the torment of illness in her past life, wasn’t so easily fooled by appearances.

The pain that came with sickness—gnawing at the very core of one’s nerves—was impossible to ignore, no matter what methods one tried.

Even reading, even watching shows.

She had tried it herself. No matter how many times she replayed the happiest moments of her life on her phone, the piercing agony had always lingered, inescapable.

A trace of heartache gradually surfaced in Zheng Yili’s eyes.

Because she had been through it, she understood all too well.

Noticing the faint redness in Zheng Yili’s eyes, Song Yanqing paused. “It’s all in the past,” she said soothingly, her lips curving into a gentle smile. “My health is much better now, not as frail as when I was young.”

Zheng Yili was half-convinced, but seeing the other’s relatively good complexion today, her doubts gradually lessened somewhat.

However—

Her gaze sharpened as she took a closer look at Song Yanqing and noticed for the first time that she seemed to be wearing light makeup today.

Delicate arched brows, lips like crimson pearls, and skin as fair and smooth as polished jade. Song Yanqing was naturally beautiful, her features exquisitely refined with a breathtaking allure.

Her unbound hair cascaded freely like a waterfall of ink, its soft sheen resembling frost under the winter moon—enough to dazzle the eyes.

Zheng Yili stared at Song Yanqing in a daze, her gaze unconsciously lingering on those deep, captivating eyes. The hint of green eyeshadow suited her particularly well, adding an air of cool elegance.

This was a side of Song Yanqing Zheng Yili had never seen before.

In her memory, Song Yanqing’s makeup had always been minimal, sometimes even completely bare-faced. Though beautiful then, this current charm was utterly intoxicating.

That heart-stirring allure was indescribably mesmerizing, leaving one restless with longing…

The undisguised admiration in Zheng Yili’s gaze was too obvious. The corners of Song Yanqing’s lips curved deeper, perfectly concealing the subtle calculation in her eyes.

After a long moment, Zheng Yili snapped out of it and awkwardly averted her eyes. Guiltily steering the conversation toward work, she couldn’t help wondering:

How could someone usually so gentle suddenly become so bewitching?

Before she could ponder further, the butler approached from the next room and lightly knocked on the study door. “Miss, you have a visitor.”

Zheng Yili turned and opened the door. “Who is it?”

“She said her surname is Lin. She claimed you’d know who she was if I told you.”

Lin? It could only be Lin Xiaoxiao.

Before Zheng Yili could seek her out, she’d come knocking herself.

“I’ll be back shortly.” After briefly explaining to Song Yanqing, Zheng Yili followed the butler away. “Did she come alone? Anything unusual?”

“No,” the butler answered honestly before hesitating. “Though she seemed somewhat anxious and remorseful.”

Lin Xiaoxiao was always acting. Zheng Yili’s lips curled in scorn as she fell silent.

Upon entering the courtyard, Lin Xiaoxiao rushed forward eagerly yet timidly. “Miss Zheng…”

Zheng Yili stopped and looked down at her coldly. “What do you want?”

Stung by her tone, Lin Xiaoxiao’s eyes reddened slightly. “I… I came to apologize for what happened before.”

“Really?” Zheng Yili dismissed the butler before fixing Lin Xiaoxiao with an icy stare. “You didn’t come when the truth first came out. Why the act now?”

She raised a mocking brow. “Running out of options?”

Lin Xiaoxiao stiffened slightly, inhaling sharply to restrain herself. “I know everything was my fault. I just…”

“It was your fault from the beginning, beyond any doubt, so there’s no need for you to play the victim now. If you’re unwilling to offer a sincere apology, I won’t force you.”

“Your half-hearted remorse means nothing to me.”

Zheng Yili’s bluntness made Lin Xiaoxiao’s eyes well up with tears, which clung pitifully to her lower lashes, presenting a heartbreaking sight.

Yet Zheng Yili remained utterly unmoved. No matter how Lin Xiaoxiao tried to manipulate her appearance, Zheng’s expression stayed cold and unyielding, her resolve as firm as stone.

Seeing this tactic fail, Lin Xiaoxiao suppressed her tears and slowly lowered her head. “I’m sorry. I was so panicked before that my memory became confused. Not only did I slander Miss Meng, but I also dragged you into it, causing you to endure over half a month of online harassment…”

“Memory confusion?” Zheng Yili couldn’t help but interrupt, raising her hand. “Was it really confusion, or was it something you planned all along? I think you know the answer better than anyone.”

“Besides, what’s the point of coming to me now with this insincere apology?”

“Can your apology undo the online harassment Meng Sulan and I suffered? Can it restore our tarnished reputations?”

“If we hadn’t kept evidence back then, would you have just let the mistake stand, content to use Meng Sulan and me as stepping stones for your own advancement?”

As she spoke, Zheng Yili began to laugh. “In this whole mess, Meng Sulan was the real victim. Yet here you are, rushing to apologize to me—why? Did you think I was the one who made your life difficult now?”

“Well, I’m afraid you guessed wrong.”

A cruel smile played on Zheng Yili’s lips. “Lin Xiaoxiao, my retaliation against you hasn’t even begun yet.”

With every word she uttered, Lin Xiaoxiao’s expression shifted, until finally, her face turned deathly pale, and she looked up in disbelief.

If Zheng Yili hadn’t acted against her, then who had?

No, it had to be her. It couldn’t be anyone else.

Apart from Zheng, Lin Xiaoxiao had no other enemies.

Pressing her lips tightly together, Lin Xiaoxiao repeated her apologies tirelessly. “Miss Zheng, I know what I did was wrong. I’ve truly realized my mistakes now, so I beg you to show mercy and let me go. I promise I’ll never trouble you again.”

“Please, just take pity on me and spare me this once.”

Spare her? Zheng Yili’s face remained expressionless. If she spared Lin Xiaoxiao now, who would have spared her in her past life?

Back then, she had pleaded desperately, begging Lin Xiaoxiao to let her go. But how had Lin responded?

“Miss Zheng, there’s nothing I can do about this.”

“You know as well as I do that I’m just a small-time actress. The one with real power is Qi An.”

It was a knife to the heart—twisted for good measure, leaving her chest riddled with wounds, the pain unbearable.

Zheng Yili stared at her intently before suddenly smiling. “Why are you so sure it was me?”

“Who knows? Maybe it was Song Qi’an—the one you pined for, the one you could never have.”

Seeing Lin Xiaoxiao about to retort, Zheng Yili lost interest and raised her hand to stop her. “If I don’t see your personal public apology across all major social media platforms within the next few days, I’ll make sure you never recover your standing in the entertainment industry.”

“You know how easy it is for someone like me to blacklist a minor celebrity abandoned by her sugar daddy.”

Lin Xiaoxiao’s excuses died on her tongue. She glared at Zheng Yili with furious resentment, not doubting the truth of those words for a second.

In the end, Lin Xiaoxiao was driven out by Zheng Yili in utter dejection, standing by the roadside for a long time in stunned silence.

She couldn’t understand how things had come to this, how she’d ended up in such a predicament. It shouldn’t have been like this—she should have been passionately involved with Song Qi’an by now.

Gritting her teeth in frustration, Lin Xiaoxiao refused to accept defeat. She wouldn’t just sit back and take this lying down.

Staring at her phone, she slowly dialed a number: “Hello? Aunt Xian, it’s me. Has my brother’s injury improved…”

After sending Lin Xiaoxiao away, Zheng Yili took a moment to compose herself before going to see Song Yanqing. Song Yanqing didn’t ask any questions, merely smiling when she noticed the complicated look in Zheng Yili’s eyes. “This kind of trivial matter—I’m confident you can handle it.”

“Besides, whatever choice or method you ultimately decide on, I wouldn’t consider it wrong.”

Zheng Yili was momentarily stunned.

She had always longed for someone who would understand and care for her, but she never expected that in this second chance at life, that person would be the unexpected Song Yanqing.

Unconsciously smiling along, Zheng Yili asked half-jokingly, “Don’t you think I’m ruthless and venomous?”

“Not at all.” Song Yanqing shook her head firmly, meeting her gaze. “At our level, if we let people walk all over us repeatedly, that’s called being spineless and weak.”

“Moreover, you’re just doing what you have to. As the saying goes, ‘Don’t tread on me, and I won’t tread on you.'”

These words soothed the inexplicable restlessness and unease in Zheng Yili’s heart. She couldn’t explain why Song Yanqing’s opinion mattered so much to her.

Perhaps… after truly interacting with Song Yanqing, she’d realized what a genuinely good person she was, and she didn’t want to see the same disgust in those bright, sincere eyes that she’d seen in Song Qi’an’s.

She’d had enough of being despised and disliked—she didn’t want to experience that again.

“Thank you,” Zheng Yili said, this time with a genuine smile.

Song Yanqing smiled back, then suddenly brought up, “The rumors about me parachuting into Ding Rui are already spreading like wildfire. Ding Rui is expected to make an official announcement next week.”

“My thought is to simultaneously reveal the collaboration between Ding Rui and Xing Yue at that time.”

Zheng Yili disagreed: “But that day should be your moment to shine. If Xing Yue is announced at the same time, it’ll steal your spotlight.”

“Is that how you see it?” Song Yanqing looked at her calmly. “I don’t think so.”

“Right now, Xing Yue is the icing on the cake for Ding Rui. Besides, with this partnership in place, it’ll be easier for me to convince everyone, given Xing Yue’s proven track record.”

Song Yanqing’s slightly upturned eyeliner exuded an indescribable allure and charm at this moment. “Yili, I need your help.”

“Just consider this,” the woman’s voice emerged husky from her throat, like a fluffy cat’s tail brushing against one’s heart, “as helping me, alright?”

Zheng Yili met those deep, lightless eyes and was ultimately persuaded. “…Alright.”

“Then, I’ll welcome you to attend my inauguration ceremony later.” Song Yanqing extended her pale palm toward Zheng Yili.

Zheng Yili looked at it, then slowly but firmly grasped it. “Congratulations.”

The news of Song Yanqing’s appointment as Ding Rui’s CEO was soon officially announced by the company. Netizens who had been immersed in the love-hate triangle between Lin Xiaoxiao, Song Qi’an, and Zheng Yili were caught completely off guard.

“What’s going on? Was Song Qi’an dismissed?”

“She deserved to be dismissed, didn’t she? It was pure recklessness. Having a fiancée yet still being involved with an artist from the company—if I were her parents, I’d be furious.”

“Abandoning a magnificent peony for some wildflower in the countryside—I truly don’t understand her.”

“What’s so hard to understand? Reverse the genders, and isn’t this just typical behavior from men? Keeping a wife at home while fooling around outside.”

“Thankfully, Zheng Yili has a clear head. She didn’t linger over such a fickle woman and kicked her to the curb decisively.”

“So cool! I declare that from now on, I’m a fan of Zheng Yili!”

Zheng Yili racked her brains but never imagined she’d benefit from this situation. She stared deeply at her social media platform, which had gained hundreds of thousands of followers, feeling utterly bewildered.

Memories from her past life, where netizens had cursed her relentlessly over Lin Xiaoxiao, still haunted her vividly, sending chills down her spine even in midnight dreams.

With a mocking laugh, Zheng Yili closed the webpage.

Tomorrow was the press conference. At Song Yanqing’s invitation, she would attend together. Rising and heading to the walk-in closet, Zheng Yili found herself struggling over what to wear.

After much deliberation, she finally settled on a simple, understated lilac suit.

The next day, she arrived at Ding Rui by car on time.

Reporters and media had already gathered, setting up their equipment. Zheng Yili minimized her presence as she entered from the side. Song Yanqing hadn’t appeared yet, so she waited patiently below the stage.

As the clock struck the hour, the host strode up the steps.

After a brief speech, Song Yanqing stood at the pinnacle of attention under a barrage of camera flashes.

Zheng Yili gazed at this scene, slightly dazed. Everything was different—completely diverging from the trajectory of her past life. In that life, Song Yanqing had never appeared publicly before the cameras until Zheng Yili’s death.

Back then, the world knew only Song Qi’an, not Song Yanqing.

But now, Zheng Yili stared fixedly at the radiant woman, her cool features glowing brilliantly, feeling as though everything before her was a dream.

Lost in thought, she only noticed Song Yanqing smiling at her when someone nearby nudged her.

Those usually aloof features now carried an indescribable tenderness, making Zheng Yili feel something quietly unfurling in her heart—a tingling sensation.

Zheng Yili was called onto the stage.

As the host loudly announced, the collaboration between Xing Yue and Ding Rui was officially revealed to the public, causing an uproar among the audience.

Zheng Yili didn’t bother observing others’ reactions. Her gaze remained fixed on the imperial purple jade necklace resting against Song Yanqing’s collarbone—elegant yet alluring, exuding a woman’s mature grace and aloof charm.

The live broadcast continued. Before the screen, Song Qi’an took in the tender exchange between the two, his knuckles whitening from the force of his clenched fists.

They were so perfectly matched, so divinely paired, making his past possession and failure to cherish seem like the despicable, wretched act of a sewer rat lurking in the shadows.