Rich Woman, But Got Dumped By A Jerk Three Times. - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Biting Dogs Don’t Bark

Yun Jiushu didn’t go to the restroom after making an excuse to leave the wine party.

Her gaze followed the stray blonde who hurried out of the bathroom, and sure enough, she saw the rest of the band waiting by the roadside.

In the darkness, the splash of black was even more conspicuous.

Initially, Yun Jiushu didn’t want to dedicate her attention to the bar’s atmosphere or music; after all, securing connections tonight was her more important priority.

But the moment that figure appeared on the stage, the screw that sealed her memory within her body suddenly loosened.

Three years. Yun Jiushu thought she had long forgotten those old things.

But the drums held a magic. Every heavy beat struck directly at the floodgate of Yun Jiushu’s memories.

Especially that face, half-lit and half-shadowed by the stage lights, and the curve of her jaw as she tilted her head with every beat—it was like a hook, consciously drawing Yun Jiushu closer to explore.

Until the distance between the stage and the person completely dissolved between the two of them.

Yun Jiushu clearly saw those pale amber-colored eyes.

The hand that was just grasping the collar suddenly climbed upward. The neck that had captivated Yun Jiushu all night on stage was now held in her palm, presented for her to examine like a prized artifact.

“Ye Ge.”

Yun Jiushu’s lips curled slightly, but her eyes were cold: “Three years we’ve been apart. You’ve changed so much.”

As she spoke, her palm tightened. The bluish veins bulging on the back of her hand were like mountains hidden in the mist, and even her fingertips were flushed.

The force wasn’t immense, but because the warm web of her thumb and forefinger was tightly cupping the jawline, this subtle position allowed her to effortlessly cause suffocation.

Yun Jiushu learned this technique three years ago.

And the person who taught her was the very person currently trapped in her grasp, the owner of the amber eyes that were gradually losing focus due to the pressure.

At that time, Ye Ge wasn’t the broken-porcelain appearance she was now.

At that time, Yun Ji wasn’t a private cuisine establishment; it was just a restaurant.

Yeyu was an ancient city primarily focused on tourism, and it received many outsiders daily. Ninety percent of Yun Ji Restaurant’s business catered to these visitors.

That day, Yun Jiushu went downstairs as usual to check on the store and met eyes with the person walking in.

The person carried a kind of frost and snow that was foreign to Yeyu, appearing before her like a sudden, clear blade.

Recalling it now, Yun Jiushu still remembered those beautiful amber-colored pupils. Despite having a delicate, porcelain-like face, she harbored a very strong aggression toward anything that tried to approach her.

This method of choking—effortless yet easily suffocating—was the gift Ye Ge gave Yun Jiushu the second time they met when Yun Jiushu attempted to enter her room.

“Snap—”

Cool fingers rested on the back of Yun Jiushu’s hand. Pale fingertips pressed against the person’s bluish veins.

This was the body’s distress signal when it was about to suffocate.

Yun Jiushu was pulled back from her memory. The amber-colored pupils, which overlapped with the past, were already bloodshot.

The person currently restrained in her palm had no aggression whatsoever.

Her face was flushed red from lack of air. Her slightly parted lips couldn’t emit a sound. Her head constantly tried to shift sideways, seeming to dodge the restraint, like a thirsty fish desperately trying to find a breath.

The cheek, crisscrossed with gauze and scars like broken porcelain, looked only pitiful.

“I apologize, Miss,” the wronged single left eye was already tearing up, and her trembling fingers signed: “I think there might be some misunderstanding? I don’t recognize you…”

A-Ci had sensed the danger even before Yun Jiushu made her move, but she hadn’t dodged.

When the familiar choking technique triggered her memory, A-Ci merely turned her head, trying to sniff more scents with her nose.

Unfortunately, the wrist tightly clamping her neck only emitted a faint perfume scent, lacking the smell A-Ci was looking for.

Yun Jiushu, who couldn’t understand sign language, was disappointed by this disheartening display. She frowned and suddenly released the pressure.

The person, suddenly let go, didn’t have time to escape. She just bent over, taking deep, ragged breaths.

Her lowered head lightly rested against the hem of Yun Jiushu’s dress, her shoulders pitifully hunched.

Their height and build were perfectly identical, so how could the difference be this vast?

The defeated posture of the person before her completely spoiled Yun Jiushu’s mood. Feeling inexplicably annoyed, she subconsciously reached into her pocket for a cigarette, only to realize she’d left her handbag in the bar.

Swept up by a huge disappointment, Yun Jiushu failed to notice that the person with the bowed head wasn’t as pathetic as she thought.

“I have confirmed at close range; she doesn’t smell of ‘Three Waters.’ The people at her table probably don’t either.” A-Ci’s fingers, tucked into her pocket, were tapping a tubular device. She transmitted the collected information.

As if to be precise, her long finger tapped again, adding: “At least not today.”

“But I don’t understand, why is she the target again? Wasn’t the suspicion dismissed back in Yeyu?”

[Received. Continue to follow up. Be careful.]

A reply quickly came through the earpiece, but the question she had posed was not answered.

The disconnected device became indistinguishable from an ordinary pocket trinket. The person who had been bent over slowly straightened up, and her hands came out of her pocket.

Why is she the target again?

The unanswered question planted a seed in her heart. A-Ci’s gaze lowered, locking onto the back of the other person’s tightly clenched hand.

A very clean wrist, without any needle marks, not even any bruising. This was not characteristic of long-term “Three Waters” use.

Glancing upward, A-Ci examined the other person’s clothing, her eyes trying to find a pocket.

But a custom-fitted Qipao had no pockets, and she wasn’t even carrying a handbag.

Such blatant scrutiny was exceptionally conspicuous in the space occupied only by the two of them.

“What are you secretly looking at?” The deflated expectation was reignited. Yun Jiushu’s cold voice spread through the night, carrying immense pressure.

The person who intentionally let herself be caught in the act looked up.

The bloodshot eyes had not yet cleared. Sensing the suspicion in the other’s gaze, A-Ci provocatively curved her lips slightly. The next moment, she was rewarded with a re-establishment of the restraint.

“I knew you were faking it!” Yun Jiushu’s anger instantly flared. Her palm relentlessly tightened, and her eyes turned vicious: “Ye Ge, who gave you the guts to play tricks on me repeatedly?”

In the narrow, back-lit alley, A-Ci carefully observed the face before her, illuminated by the fragmented streetlights.

There was no pallor in her pupils. The lips and teeth that parted when she spoke were pink and white. The person in front of her was confirmed to be clean of “Three Waters.”

Unable to tell if she should be relieved or disappointed, A-Ci’s gaze lowered, the previously curved lips fell, and she began signing again.

Yun Jiushu, who was no longer falling for this act, didn’t lessen her grip. She said fiercely, “Do you think a blindfold, an extra scar, and a missing eye can fool me? I’ll let go when you make a sound.”

Yun Jiushu had truly thought she might have been mistaken when she saw the person gasping for breath moments ago.

If she hadn’t caught that flicker of provocation, if she hadn’t seen through the disguise.

She would have been fooled by this person a second time.

Her palm squeezed with force, compressing the windpipe beneath the flesh. Yun Jiushu continually increased the pressure; it was impossible for any person with vocal cords not to make a sound.

“What are you doing!”

A furious shout rang out before the person could utter a plea for help.

Seeing a flash of dazzling gold suddenly dart out from the alley entrance, Yun Jiushu subconsciously frowned. Turning her head, she saw the person she was restraining signing.

“Hey! I’m talking to you! Where did this drunkard come from!” Seeing the scene before her, Box felt her bl00d instantly rush backwards. She tossed the cigarette from her fingers and ran toward the entangled pair: “There are surveillance cameras here! You’d better let go! Do you know you’re hurting a disabled person!”

Hearing the furious accusation, Yun Jiushu completely understood the reason for the provocative look moments ago.

So this was her plan all along—to set her up.

Yun Jiushu turned her head, meeting the gaze of the person watching her.

The eyes, filled with physiological tears, looked incredibly pitiful. If she hadn’t been close enough to catch the smirk on her lips, those eyes and hunched shoulders would have fooled many people.

Yun Jiushu stared intensely into that eye, trying to tear through the entire disguise beneath the amber pupil.

A total stranger?

A disabled person?

Did she think pretending to be mute, losing an eye, and gaining a scar would make her unrecognizable?

Letting out a cold, contemptuous sniff through her nose, Yun Jiushu lowered her voice: “Ye Ge, we’ll see about this.”

Releasing her grip, Yun Jiushu turned around without hesitation, walking openly toward the person rushing to intervene.

“Hey—”

Just as Box was about to stop her from leaving, her outstretched hand was caught.

A-Ci shook her head and signed an explanation: “She was just asking for directions; she wasn’t hurting me.”

“Are you serious?” Box didn’t believe her, her tone urgent: “Did you find your hearing aid? Are you hurt? I’m telling you, don’t be afraid! Tangtang and Natsuki are walking behind. If you were really bullied, I’d gladly spend a few days in jail to get justice for you.”

“Thank you, Box. I’m really fine.” A-Ci continued signing to comfort the person in front of her, but her gaze couldn’t help but follow.

The woman’s figure walked out of the alley and returned to the light.

The black and gold Shu brocade Qipao caught the streetlamp’s glow, illuminating her bright red lips like a Spider Lily blooming in the night.

The two people she passed couldn’t help but take a second look.

“Yun Jiushu!”

“What on earth were you doing!” Nuo Ye, standing by the bar door, finally saw the familiar figure and couldn’t help but feel annoyed, asking in a hushed voice: “Do you know those two were about to get angry waiting for you? Do you still want these connections or not?”

The previously packed bar was now mostly empty, the festive atmosphere diluted by the night.

Suppressing her chaotic thoughts, Yun Jiushu sighed softly and replied: “I ran into a dog and almost got bitten.”

“A dog?” Hearing about the danger, Nuo Ye stopped being annoyed and quickly checked her over: “Are you hurt? Why didn’t I hear any barking? Was it a mad dog?”

Yun Jiushu gave a faint “Mm” and said: “Mad, yes.”

“And biting dogs don’t bark.”