Rapid Collapse (GL) - Chapter 56

Shen Xi curled her lips into a slight smile. She let out a slow breath and simply waited for Nie Lan to return.

At this moment, Nie Lan was not asleep. She was at a hospital in Qingming City, which had the best medical facilities and the most skilled doctors in the entire city. These doctors were currently in a conference room discussing Nie He’s condition.

Nie Lan stood by the hospital corridor window, holding a small handbag, her hands tucked into the pockets of her long trench coat. Her face showed no emotion at all, almost as if she was completely at ease. She gazed into the distance, her eyes carrying an unreadable smile.

She wasn’t particularly concerned about Nie He. She only showed up to avoid gossip.

Whether Nie He lived or died made no difference to her.

Though she was Nie He’s biological daughter, she had barely experienced any fatherly love since childhood. Nie He had tossed her to You Xi, leaving mother and daughter to struggle their way up. Yet, in the end, they were never truly accepted by the Nie family. Even before her grandmother passed away, she had never been allowed to set foot inside the Nie family home.

She enjoyed material wealth and spent extravagantly—she could have anything she wanted.

But the one thing she never had was love.

She lit a thin cigarette and let out a cold laugh as she looked in the direction of the hospital room. At this moment, her only concern was how much longer Nie He would live and how much of his inheritance would be left to her in his will.

A doctor walked toward her from afar. She stubbed out her cigarette, quickly putting on a sorrowful expression, looking pitiful as she anxiously grabbed the sleeve of one of the doctors.

“Dr. Bai, how is my father’s condition?” she asked.

Dr. Bai adjusted his glasses and sighed. “The old man is over seventy. His condition is not optimistic. Miss Nie, as his family, you should prepare for the worst and try to spend more time with him.”

After saying this, the doctor left.

Nie Lan maintained her sorrowful pose for a moment, then her expression slowly changed.

She turned around, watching the doctors walk away. Looking back at the hospital room, she suddenly grinned—an unrestrained, almost wild smile.

The next morning at 9:00 AM, Shen Xi woke up. She checked the time, got up, freshened up, and sat on the sofa to send a message to Nie Lan: [When are you coming back?]

Nie Lan was still sleeping when she saw Shen Xi’s message. Her eyes lit up slightly, and her heart fluttered with excitement. She adjusted her voice and sent a voice message back:
“It’s all settled here. I can return today. Did you miss me?”

Ding-dong.

Shen Xi looked at the reply and couldn’t help but roll her eyes. As if I’d miss you. But she still pretended to act coy, pinching her voice as she replied:
“Of course~ It’s so boring without you~”

After sending the voice message, Shen Xi listened to it again and almost gagged over her breakfast.

Not everyone is cut out for this fake sweet talk… she thought, shuddering at the sound of her own voice.

But Nie Lan loved it. She immediately sat up in bed and spoke into her phone:
“I went to bed late last night and only slept for five or six hours. I was planning to head back this afternoon, but since my baby misses me so much, I’ll return right away!”

“How long will it take?” Shen Xi asked in her fake sweet voice.

“Not too long…” Nie Lan thought for a moment. “Around three hours by car. Once I arrive, let’s go eat together, okay?”

“Okay~ I’ll be waiting for you~” Shen Xi replied, forcing herself to endure the cringe before tossing her phone aside.

In the next three hours, she carefully styled herself into the perfect “innocent little sweetheart” type. Nie Lan seemed to love this kind of pure and delicate look. She liked being in control.

So Shen Xi decided to let her—until she, in turn, gained full control over Nie Lan.

She had laid a perfect trap, and Nie Lan was walking straight into it.

At exactly 1:05 PM, Nie Lan entered the apartment after unlocking the door. She looked around but didn’t see Shen Xi. Tossing her bag onto the sofa, she glanced left and right before calling out:
“Baby, where are you?”

“I’m showering… Wait a moment,” Shen Xi’s voice came from the bathroom.

Nie Lan smiled mischievously and teased, “Showering at this time? Baby, what are you up to?”

She walked to the bathroom door and knocked lightly. “Do you need me to help apply lotion?”

Shen Xi replied, “I don’t use body lotion.”

“Then how come you always smell so nice and feel so soft?” Nie Lan’s words carried a playful undertone.

But compared to Shen Xi—who had years of experience sneaking suggestive hints into her writing—Nie Lan’s teasing was amateurish at best.

Shen Xi replied in an innocent voice, “How do you know I smell nice and feel soft? Have you been dreaming about me these past few days?”

As she spoke, she opened the door and stood before Nie Lan, dressed in a soft, creamy-white pajama set. Her hair was half-dried and casually draped over her shoulders. Her fresh, makeup-free face looked as pure as a lotus emerging from water, with a warm, inviting smile in her eyes. She tilted her head and winked.

“Did you dream about me?”

Nie Lan’s heart pounded wildly—an unfamiliar rush of excitement, longing, and desire.

It had been a long time since she felt this way. Her throat moved as she swallowed, her breathing noticeably quickened.

Shen Xi took a step closer, and Nie Lan seemed to be eagerly anticipating something. But just as Nie Lan thought something would happen, Shen Xi simply brushed past her and walked toward the sofa.

Nie Lan quickly caught up, grabbing Shen Xi and pulling her into a tight embrace. She took a deep breath, inhaling her scent, and closed her eyes in satisfaction.

“I missed you… So, so much…”

Her heart was racing. She loved this feeling—this addictive, intoxicating feeling.

But Shen Xi gently pushed her away and plopped onto the sofa, smiling playfully. She twirled a strand of Nie Lan’s long hair between her fingers, her other hand lightly tracing over Nie Lan’s thigh, slowly moving higher.

Nie Lan’s body tensed with anticipation…

“You can only think about me from now on, okay?” Shen Xi whispered in her ear.

Like a puppet under her spell, Nie Lan nodded blankly. She grabbed Shen Xi’s hand, arching slightly toward her.

“Help me take this off…”

Shen Xi complied. Nie Lan lay back on the sofa, her eyes glowing with desire, her face filled with satisfaction as she enjoyed Shen Xi’s touch—an electrifying, nerve-tingling sensation.

Shen Xi, however, remained indifferent, her gaze cold. She watched Nie Lan’s reaction without any emotional stir.

Afterward, she simply went to wash her hands.

From that day on, Nie Lan followed Shen Xi’s every word. Shen Xi, in turn, became increasingly clingy.

Whenever she got bored at home, she would text Nie Lan. If Nie Lan said she was busy, Shen Xi didn’t believe her and insisted on video calls. She even demanded constant updates on Nie Lan’s whereabouts. If she didn’t comply, Shen Xi would either argue with her or lock her out of the bedroom.

Nie Lan had no way to deal with this side of Shen Xi. It frustrated her, yet she couldn’t resist the feelings Shen Xi stirred within her.

One day, Nie Lan finally brought it up. “Do you have trust issues?”

Shen Xi, eating an apple, didn’t even look up. “Are you calling me crazy?”

“No… I just think we’re both adults with our own lives. Sometimes I’m really busy, and I still have to check in with you all the time… Isn’t that a bit unnecessary?”

Shen Xi was silent for a moment before raising her head.

“So now it’s ‘unnecessary’? But when you said you missed me a few days ago, it wasn’t a problem, was it?”

Nie Lan hesitated. “That’s not what I meant…”

“Then what do you mean?”

Nie Lan sighed and suddenly smiled. She made a decision.

“Let’s get married.”