Making Three Heartless Woman Go Crazy for Me - Chapter 42

“She did it on purpose. Madam Luan Hua definitely did it on purpose,” Qi Lanshi muttered, taking deep breaths to calm herself.

A moment of verbal sparring felt good, but now she felt like she’d been tossed into a trash can. When Luan Hua chased after her, she didn’t dare turn around, fearing their final farewell would turn sour—like the stench of non-recyclable waste.

Is this the tragic ending you’ve chosen for Luan Hua? the System asked. To leave for a distant land and never see her again?

“Of course not! If I did that, wouldn’t I be just like Bai Jiao? How would I stand out as unique? Besides…” Qi Lanshi tossed the used wet wipe and pulled out a fresh one to clean herself. “Going abroad isn’t like attending a funeral. Why would we lose contact? As long as I’m alive, with Luan Hua’s background, finding me would be child’s play.”

Luan Hua couldn’t find Bai Jiao because she never truly wanted to be with her, nor did she need Bai Jiao’s reciprocation. But Qi Lanshi was different.

She was Luan Hua’s cinnabar mole, the bl00d of her heart, the pain of separation, and the agony of unrequited love.

More than just an emotional anchor, Qi Lanshi was the embodiment of Luan Hua’s love and desire itself.

“Why do you think I agreed to go abroad according to Luan Hua’s parents’ plan? I even tolerated their idiotic scheme of having me rummage through trash cans,” Qi Lanshi said, addressing both the System and the Livestream viewers. “They wouldn’t just let me have my way. They’re sending me beyond Luan Hua’s sphere of influence so they can eliminate me.”

“Their methods will likely be subtle, using someone else as a weapon to ensure my demise without leaving any trace of their involvement. Not because they fear moral consequences, but because they don’t want to completely sever ties with Luan Hua—after all, she’s their only daughter.”

Qi Lanshi’s calm explanation sent a chill down the System’s virtual spine. It countered,  You know all this? Then who do you think they’ll use to target you?

“I believe we can agree on this,” Qi Lanshi said with a smile. “My chosen target is Bai Jiao.”

This game may be brain-dead, but it still follows a twisted logic. Bai Jiao’s return to the country has never been adequately explained, suggesting hidden motives.

“I’m certain of two things: Bai Jiao doesn’t actually like Luan Hua, and Bai Jiao is officially recognized as a genius painter. Given these two factors, she shouldn’t have gotten involved with Luan Hua at all. Instead, she should have become like the moon I described—hanging high in the sky, beautiful yet unattainable.”

“Luan Hua’s only merits are her beauty and wealth. Oh, wait, her ‘love-brain’ could also be considered a virtue—at least, it’s a virtue in my eyes.”

“From Bai Jiao’s perspective, the only reason she would endure the discomfort of humbling herself to approach Luan Hua is a severe financial crisis—so dire that she had to sell her body and exploit emotions to survive.”

“And now, because of me, a mere substitute, her hopes have been shattered. After enduring such humiliation, forcing herself to feign affection for Luan Hua, everything has been ruined by a woman like me. She’s been exiled from her homeland, with no chance of returning. How humiliating, how disgraceful! How could she possibly endure this?”

Qi Lanshi finished the entire pack of wet wipes, finally feeling a bit more comfortable. “She’s at her wit’s end. Luan Hua’s parents know this too, so it’s no surprise that the plane’s final destination is the country where Bai Jiao is hiding.”

She roughly calculated the time. Half a month had passed. Not only had Luan Hua gone mad, but Bai Jiao was likely on the verge of collapse as well.

“She’ll probably make her move against me soon, within the next day or two.”

As it turned out, Qi Lanshi’s estimate was spot-on. She had barely arrived in this unfamiliar country, without even finding a place to stay, when her wallet was snatched. While chasing the thief, she was led into a dead-end alley.

Facing a man dressed in black, his face radiating malice, Qi Lanshi put on a convincing display of panic. She turned to flee, but the man charged after her, striking her on the back of the head with a blunt object, knocking her unconscious.

Before losing consciousness, Qi Lanshi’s last thought was: Thank goodness I adjusted my pain sensitivity.

With a soft groan, the beautiful yet fragile woman collapsed limply. Still wary, the man kicked her shin to confirm she was truly unconscious before approaching.

To ensure nothing went wrong, he had struck a little too hard. Qi Lanshi’s face was deathly pale, and her breathing had become shallow. The man checked for a pulse beneath her nose, only relaxing when he confirmed she was still alive.

This was the most crucial part of their plan. If anything happened to Qi Lanshi, their entire scheme would fall apart.

“She looks just like Bai Jiao, only even prettier. No wonder she lost,” the man sneered, gripping Qi Lanshi’s chin roughly, without a trace of tenderness. “What exactly did you do to bewitch Luan Hua like that?”

As he spoke, his hand grew bolder, already reaching for Qi Lanshi’s collarbone.

“What are you doing?” Bai Jiao, who had rushed to the scene, demanded as she stepped into the alley. Her voice was sharp and furious. “Have you lost your mind? Don’t do anything unnecessary!”

Caught red-handed just as his lust was rising, the man’s face flushed with embarrassment. He feigned composure and asked, “Aren’t you supposed to hate this woman? Even despise her? Why are you helping her now?”

“You wouldn’t understand,” Bai Jiao scoffed. “And you don’t need to. Just get her out of here quickly. We can’t afford any complications.”

Bai Jiao hated Qi Lanshi with a burning intensity.

But that didn’t mean she wanted to resort to such vicious methods against Qi Lanshi. She wanted money, nothing more.

Staring at the pale, unconscious Qi Lanshi, she murmured, “If you have anyone to blame, blame yourself for obstructing my plans. I had no choice.”

Qi Lanshi: “……”

As a player in the game, her in-game body would fall unconscious according to the plot, but her consciousness remained alert.

In fact, she had switched to a third-person perspective to observe the unfolding events, never expecting to witness such a scene.

“Bai Jiao will never know that her decision at this moment will determine her ultimate fate.”

From her third-person vantage point, she watched Bai Jiao and the man frantically work. First, they transported her unconscious body to a prearranged abandoned warehouse. Then, to clear her own name, Bai Jiao staged her own kidnapping, pretending to be a victim as well.

Qi Lanshi cooperated fully, only slowly opening her eyes once everything was in place.

The moment she saw Bai Jiao, her face registered confusion. “Miss Bai, what are you doing here? I… what happened to us?”

Bai Jiao, who had never committed a wrong in her twenty-odd years, felt a pang of guilt under her gaze. “I… I don’t know either.”

“Shut the fvck up!” the menacing man roared. “Let me tell you the truth: you two girls haven’t done anything wrong. I’m not targeting you—I’m after Luan Hua.”

“You’d better hope Luan Hua cares enough about you. I’m giving her one day. If she doesn’t show up, you’ll be needing a funeral!”

“You’re not a very professional kidnapper,” Qi Lanshi said calmly. “According to you, kidnapping Miss Bai is pointless. She’s an outdated White Moonlight, now just a sticky rice grain. Luan Hua only cares about me. If you hate her so much, why haven’t you updated your intel?”

Bai Jiao never expected Qi Lanshi to say such a thing. She jerked her head up, her eyes overflowing with disbelief.

The man was clearly caught off guard, momentarily speechless.

“Kidnapping just me would be enough,” Qi Lanshi continued. “Let Miss Bai go. The more people involved in a kidnapping, the higher the risk of things going wrong. Don’t you think?”

“Shut up! You haven’t even grasped your situation yet, and you’re trying to teach me how to do my job?” The man’s voice grew frantic. “If Luan Hua doesn’t come, you’ll both die! Enough with the bullshit!”

After finishing his tirade, the man slammed the door shut and stormed out.

“Why did he get so defensive? Are men really this fragile?” Qi Lanshi asked calmly, turning to look at Bai Jiao.

Bai Jiao’s heart skipped a beat under her gaze. She stammered, “W-what’s wrong?”

Qi Lanshi shook her head with a gentle smile, her eyes softening. “Nothing. I just never imagined we’d meet again under these circumstances. If I’d known our paths would cross so awkwardly, I wouldn’t have burned my bridges so thoroughly back then.”

Bai Jiao lowered her head, avoiding her gaze.

“I wonder how long I’ve been unconscious. Even if Luan Hua comes to rescue us, the flight alone will take six hours. It’ll be a while,” Qi Lanshi said quietly. “Now that we’re both in such dire straits, would you mind talking to me? I have a few questions.”

Guilt was already overwhelming Bai Jiao. Her mental fortitude clearly paled in comparison to Qi Lanshi’s. She could only nod and agree.

“Is there something wrong with your hand?”

Qi Lanshi’s first question sent a cold sweat trickling down Bai Jiao’s back.

Instead of answering directly, she countered, “Why do you ask?”

“I just think that if you hadn’t encountered some insurmountable difficulty, you wouldn’t have sought out Luan Hua.”

Bai Jiao had been Luan Hua’s childhood friend, their families of similar standing. Yet now, Luan Hua was urging her to leave the country, effectively barring her from ever returning to her homeland. This could only mean one thing: the Bai Family had fallen from grace.

Even so, Bai Jiao wouldn’t have been driven to such desperation as to resort to kidnapping. After all, she was the artist capable of painting the Mona Lisa.

That left only one possibility:

Bai Jiao could no longer hold a paintbrush.

Bai Jiao never imagined that Qi Lanshi would be the first to uncover the secret she had so painstakingly concealed—the woman she hated, despised, and had even kidnapped.

“I…” Bai Jiao’s throat tightened. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“It’s alright. I’m just bored. You don’t need to satisfy my curiosity.” Qi Lanshi maintained her disarmingly gentle demeanor, the kind that could conquer any battlefield. “Don’t be sad. It’s okay.”

For a fleeting moment, Bai Jiao felt the urge to abandon her plan and release Qi Lanshi.

But she couldn’t.

An arrow once loosed cannot be recalled.

There was no turning back.