The Domineering CEO, but a Crybaby! - Chapter 48

Chapter 48: Deciding to Give Up

In the darkness, Cen Qianyi knew she shouldn’t be distracted, but her gaze uncontrollably drifted to the front left, to where He Shu had been.

In her eyes, that familiar figure, like a collapsing stone statue, fell to the ground with a crash!

Cen Qianyi’s eyes trembled. Just then, out of the corner of her eye, the target she had just locked on to made a move.

There was still a chance to shoot now, but the wail that entered her ears seized all of her attention.

Almost instantly, Cen Qianyi made a decision. In the darkness, she quickly put away her gun and went toward He Shu.

He Shu was in so much pain that her fingers curled up, tightly clutching her chest. Sweat instantly soaked her entire face.

The last time she was in so much pain was when she had just transmigrated and refused to do the mission, running away by opening the door. At that time, she felt like she had been instantly shattered into powder and then re-solidified. Now, it was like that process of being shattered into powder was slowed down.

Her whole body was numb with pain, and her muscles were spasming and stiff. Her mind was blank, and there was only one word left—pain.

So painful!

It was so painful that tears didn’t even have time to fill her eyes before they started to pour out!

The moment Cen Qianyi got close to the person, she saw that He Shu’s abnormality was from being electrocuted. At the same time, she also noticed that everyone around her had fallen to the ground, curled up and wailing like He Shu.

For a moment, sharp, miserable screams echoed throughout the entire banquet hall.

A strange look flashed in Cen Qianyi’s eyes as she looked at He Shu, quickly locking onto the most likely cause of her situation—the wristband on her wrist.

The people who had fallen to the ground were either wearing a collar or a wristband. She had tested the collar and knew what it was like. He Shu was in a similar situation now.

The wristband also had a problem… Cen Qianyi’s eyes darkened a bit. This situation was beyond her expectation.

Before she could be surprised by the entire situation, Cen Qianyi’s ears twitched. She looked up at the lights on the ceiling and heard the sound of electric current flowing.

She wasn’t surprised that the power was restored so quickly. She knew before she made her move that she only had this much time.

Before the lights came on, she quickly fell to the ground, and like everyone else around her, she curled up in pain and wailed.

The lights came on. Amidst a chorus of screams, the people who had just been dressed in glamorous clothes and laughing and talking were all trembling on the ground, one more distorted than the next, completely without any image.

Nie Wenya tried her best to open her eyelids. Enduring the pain and adapting to the light, she looked at Ye Qi, wanting to make sure she was okay.

“Ye… Qi…”

The two simple words were so painful that it was as if she had swallowed razor blades. Every sound she made was trembling.

Not hearing a response, Nie Wenya tried her best to get closer to the person. For a moment, she couldn’t tell if her eyeballs were trembling with pain or if Ye Qi was trembling.

“Ye… Qi…” she called out to her again.

Ye Qi heard the person calling her, but she couldn’t spare the energy to respond. It hurt, it hurt too much. She had never suffered such pain in her life.

She felt like she was going to die from the pain. After this thought came up, her remaining sanity was filled with regret.

She regretted the last words she said to her sister before she left… that was to tell her to not bother about her.

She should have talked to her properly. She should have made herself clear to her.

She was so regretful. Tears rolled down the corners of her eyes, and she felt her consciousness fading. She was afraid she wouldn’t have the chance to personally tell her sister she was sorry. Ye Qi closed her eyes… but the next second, she opened them again.

A hint of confusion flashed in her eyes. Even though her body still hurt, it was clearly a residual feeling.

Nie Wenya was the first to discover that the wristband had stopped working. She quickly propped herself up and moved closer to Ye Qi: “Are you okay?”

Ye Qi’s throat was numb from the electric shock. When she spoke, it was like swallowing a handful of sand, with a bloody taste.

“I’m… I’m fine.” She endured the pain to speak, to remind Nie Wenya of one thing, “Don’t… don’t tell… my sister.”

Nie Wenya was relieved that the person was okay. The pain in her body also felt much more bearable. While trying to remove the wristband from her wrist, she said: “She’s definitely going to find out.”

Ye Qi paused. That was true.

“Then you… you’re screwed.”

She couldn’t escape punishment, and Nie Wenya couldn’t either. She was the one who asked her to come.

Nie Wenya also knew this. She didn’t care if she got into trouble here. She couldn’t let Ye Qi get into trouble here. Originally, this time was just to pretend to be someone else to gather some information, and the danger level was very low. She didn’t expect this kind of situation to happen.

She looked at the wristband on Ye Qi’s wrist. It was already completely buckled on her wrist.

Ye Qi couldn’t open it no matter how she tried.

It seemed that the real owner of this wristband had to open it… She stopped her movements and looked at the fallen crowd, looking for that familiar figure. Soon, she saw Cen Qianyi propping herself up. Fortunately, that person was okay too.

Cen Qianyi pretended to be flustered and painful from the electric shock and threw herself into He Shu’s arms. Using her body as a cover, she looked at He Shu’s wristband. As expected, it had stopped.

She tried to take it off and found that she couldn’t. The wristband was as if it had been welded onto her wrist, leaving no gap. It was obvious that the person who designed it had put a lot of thought into it.

She looked up at He Shu and saw that her face was pale, her eyes were unfocused, and she was staring at the ceiling. Her face was a mixture of sweat and tears, and her features, which had been distorted for too long, were still scrunched up. She looked miserable and pathetic. Cen Qianyi’s fingers on the person’s arm suddenly curled up. She had seen the person in a state of distress, and she had seen her cry, but she had never seen her like this.

Her heart twinged slightly. She looked at the wristband on her wrist again, and her pale purple eyes were as deep as if they had merged with the night.

He Shu stared blankly at the ceiling. The well-designed light fixture was twisted into a strange shape in her sight. She didn’t know what had happened. Her body didn’t seem to hurt as much anymore, but her mind was still numb.

What happened to her? Did she violate some rule and get obliterated back to the starting point?

In a daze, her vision went dark. In her sight, a face blocked the twisted light. Looking at those dark pupils, He Shu was wondering in a daze, who was this…

Where was Cen Qianyi? Every time she opened her eyes, shouldn’t she see Cen Qianyi?

“Cen… Cen… Qian… Yi…” She struggled to make a few sounds, wanting to find the ‘symbol’ of her existence.

She was used to using Cen Qianyi to prove that she was still in this world.

The dark pupils in her sight moved a little closer. Gradually, the darkness faded, and she saw the color at the bottom of those eyes.

Pale purple, a very special color, just as special as the hair that fell on her face.

It was Cen Qianyi. He Shu finally regained some consciousness. She was still alive and still in this world with Cen Qianyi.

“I’m sorry for startling everyone. Quick, help them up.”

A clear female voice, amplified by a microphone, reached everyone’s ears. Cen Qianyi looked at the staff who were approaching and was one step ahead of them in helping He Shu up.

She pretended to be struggling, trembling. In addition, her face was also pale. A normal person would not be able to tell that she was the only person who was not affected by the electric shock.

The staff saw that she didn’t want any help and was a little impressed. Cen Qianyi put He Shu on a chair nearby and also sat down next to her as if she was exhausted.

He Shu looked at Cen Qianyi. Her consciousness was starting to recover, but she had only been looking at Cen Qianyi from the moment she woke up until she sat down. She hadn’t noticed the abnormalities around her. She looked at the person and felt a sense of grievance that she didn’t even know why it was coming out…

What was wrong with this person? She was trying to kill someone. Why did she have to involve her? She wasn’t affecting her, and she hadn’t done anything…

She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. Suddenly, her gaze stopped.

She stared blankly at Yao Bing, who was walking back to the center of the well-arranged podium… Wh-what was going on?! Why wasn’t this person dead?!

Didn’t she get shot and killed with one shot? But just now, she really didn’t hear a gunshot. All she heard was her own scream.

She looked at Cen Qianyi. What was going on? Why didn’t she make a move?

Also, what was wrong with her? Why did Yao Bing look perfectly fine, calm, and composed? Did Cen Qianyi get the wrong person?

Fortunately, someone soon cleared up her confusion. When she heard the questions from the people around her, she realized that she had been knocked down by the wristband.

She looked down at the wristband. She had originally worn this thing casually, but now it was tightly pressed against her wrist, squeezing her skin.

This thing could also discharge electricity? Just like the collar!

Yao Bing returned to the podium under the protection of her bodyguards. The danger had been ruled out. There was a problem with the circuit, and now the backup power was connected. To be safe, Mia had also made an extra preparation.

The staff placed a uniquely shaped scented candle on each table.

Cen Qianyi looked at the things on the table and knew that the original plan was no longer feasible, which was expected. There was always only one chance, and it had to be a complete surprise.

Now, the other party was clearly on guard.

She looked at the person on the podium.

Yao Bing was also looking at the people below. The podium that Mia had prepared was only thirty centimeters higher than the people below, but this height difference was enough for her to see the expressions of every person below.

Looking at this group of people in a state of distress, she felt a little… amused. On the surface, she still looked friendly, and her caring gaze swept over everyone.

“I’m sorry, everyone’s wristbands are equipped with an automatic alarm that triggers in case of an anomaly. The sudden blackout just now was one of those anomalies. The wristbands triggered the alarm and activated the defense function—”

“Defense?” Ye Qi had recovered a lot. When she heard this, she interrupted directly, “What did it defend against? It just electrocuted us!”

Yao Bing’s expression didn’t change. She looked at Ye Qi: “This is a form of defense. Generally, anomalies are mostly man-made. The person causing the chaos must be in the crowd. There’s no time to investigate in an emergency, so electrocuting everyone is a form of defense.”

This was ridiculous, but it was easy to understand. The people present were all sharp-witted. They understood it as soon as they heard it.

Ye Qi looked at the high and mighty Yao Bing with a complicated expression. Didn’t her words mean that when she encountered ‘danger,’ she would simply trigger the alarm and knock down all of them to defend herself?

Everyone understood this meaning. Some people still looked a little disbelieving, as if they hadn’t expected the host who invited them to treat her distinguished guests this way.

He Shu was not surprised at all. These people thought of themselves as ‘distinguished guests’ and ‘superior people.’ They naturally had a sense of superiority over the ‘playmates’ they brought to the island. They thought they were here to ‘play,’ not thinking that since they agreed with this system of status, there would be people with more money and power than them who would treat them as ‘toys.’

She looked at Yao Bing, at the person on the podium. Wasn’t this a person who thought she was superior to everyone else present?

She would not be naive enough to think that she was a good person now, but she also didn’t expect her to have this style of action.

If she were to be injured and suspected that someone in this group had harmed her, she probably wouldn’t mind killing all of them.

Looking at that friendly face with a kind smile, He Shu felt a chilling sensation… So terrifying.

Yao Bing continued: “Doing this is all to protect everyone’s safety. If the situation is abnormal, what if the other party’s target is one of you…”

She stopped and continued to talk about the benefits of doing this: “How good is it now? It can completely prevent this possibility. Don’t worry, the current has been strictly tested. Everyone will just feel a little pain and won’t be seriously harmed.”

He Shu snorted in her heart. She was almost dead from the pain. Her gums were bleeding from biting down. Now her limbs were numb, yet she said it was just a little pain.

She really wanted to make that person feel the pain too!

Many people had the same thought as He Shu. They were all people with money and status outside. They had never suffered such a painful experience before, but it was precisely this money and status that made these people accustomed to hiding their emotions, especially toward people who were more powerful than them. They were used to flattery.

After listening to Yao Bing, a few people quickly began to agree, thinking that this method was excellent and praising Yao Bing’s cleverness.

Ye Qi was very angry. She had almost thought she was going to die from the pain just now.

“What kind of protection is that? I’ve never seen such protection. You say this current has been tested, but what if your test was flawed? Everyone’s physique is different. Some people can handle it, and some can’t. How can you guarantee safety?”

“Also, are you treating us like your dogs? You put this on us without our permission. What does this mean? An electronic collar? You say it’s for anomalies, but what if you’re in a bad mood? Don’t tell me you’ll just electrocute us for fun when you’re unhappy!”

As she said this, Ye Qi thought of something even more terrifying: “Was the current from the wristband just now the maximum, or are there other levels? You tested it for safety, so there must be an unsafe amount of electricity. Can you control it at will and directly decide our life and death?”

After she said this, a large portion of the people’s faces turned even paler, and the rest turned black.

Yao Bing looked at the person who spoke, recognizing her as Ye Qi from Ruiling Group. A small fry, who had the title of president in her own company but was actually nothing. The only person she was wary of was her sister, Ye Ling.

She smiled at the person: “How could that be? Everyone is a new member of the club and a friend of mine, Yao Bing. This time, you came to my territory out of trust in me, so I naturally have to be responsible for everyone’s safety.”

Her words seemed to say something, but they didn’t really say anything. It wasn’t that she said nothing at all. She said that this was her territory and that she was responsible for everyone’s safety. In short, she was warning everyone that on her territory, she had the final say on their safety.

Ye Qi was not threatened by this, especially in this situation where her life was already in the other person’s hands.

She pointed at her wristband and stood up: “I’ll be responsible for myself. Unlock this for me!”

As soon as she stood up, the row of bodyguards behind Mia quickly moved, surrounding her table. Nie Wenya quickly pulled her to sit down.

The bodyguards retreated. Yao Bing’s face was still very friendly, as if the confrontation just now hadn’t happened: “Ms. Ye, don’t worry. After the banquet, this thing will naturally be unlocked.”

By then, she would have already left the island, and what happened to these people had nothing to do with her.

Ye Qi really wanted to shoot the person in the head, but she didn’t have a gun.

Her “taking the lead” was unsuccessful, so the other emotional “birds” didn’t dare to say anything. As for those “fair-weather friends,” after looking at the wind, they went with the flow.

Fu Hualuo had a flattering look: “Chairwoman Yao is so thoughtful. This wristband is great. It can protect everyone’s safety.”

Ran Anni lowered her head and sneered in her heart. This person always mocked her for losing her dignity for a little money, but she was no different. It was just a difference in the amount of money. Her backbone was not much heavier than hers. She was just as lowly.

Thinking of a backbone, she secretly looked to the right. He Shu’s well-defined profile looked particularly strong under the light. She was very different from the people here… Just now, she wasn’t far away. After the electric shock stopped, the first thing this person called out was ‘Cen Qianyi.’

In that first moment, she was worried about her woman… Thinking of this, Ran Anni’s nails dug into her palms. Jealousy was growing wildly. She followed He Shu’s hand and looked at the other hand holding it.

Why couldn’t this woman be electrocuted to death? What a pity.

Cen Qianyi felt a very strong presence of a gaze behind her, but when she turned her head to look, she didn’t see anything unusual.

She retracted her gaze and continued to look at He Shu. Her face was gradually regaining its color, and her hands were no longer trembling. Cen Qianyi let out a sigh of relief.

She picked up the cup on the table and handed it to He Shu. He Shu took a sip. Warm water entered her throat, but there was still a bloody taste, which made her feel a little sick.

She put the cup back and gave Cen Qianyi a grateful look. She now knew that her sudden collapse was not Cen Qianyi’s doing, but this wristband, and it was Yao Bing’s doing.

At the same time, she had new questions. She looked at Cen Qianyi’s collar. She knew that Cen Qianyi was not affected by this collar.

Her current appearance of being in pain after being electrocuted was all an act.

But since she wasn’t electrocuted, why didn’t she shoot?

What happened? Why did she change her plan…

If she changed, the entire plot would change. In the original novel, the banquet had just begun, and people hadn’t even sat down yet. Cen Qianyi had already dealt with Yao Bing cleanly and neatly.

Then there was chaos. Everyone was worried that they would be the next one to die from a gunshot, so they all ran away in the chaos.

In the original novel, the original owner didn’t know that Cen Qianyi had done it. No one in the darkness saw who did it. In the chaos, ‘she’ took Cen Qianyi and left. The pier was naturally not open, and no one on the chaotic island cared about them.

Finally, ‘she’ contacted Su Ming. After midnight, Su Ming rushed over and took them off the island.

Thinking of Su Ming, He Shu suddenly remembered that the plot might have been wrong for a long time. She couldn’t even contact Su Ming… How was she supposed to get her to pick them up?

But now she didn’t need to be picked up. Yao Bing wasn’t dead… There was no chaos, and they couldn’t leave early now… He Shu had no idea what would happen next in the plot.

This change shouldn’t have anything to do with her, right? He Shu hesitated in her heart and then tried to call out to the system.

The broken system was still charging… This thing was really like some kind of old phone. The battery life of an antique old phone probably wasn’t as bad as this one… She had picked up a product that should have been eliminated by the times…

He Shu let out a deep sigh.

“What’s wrong?”

Cen Qianyi noticed that He Shu’s expression was even worse after drinking the water and couldn’t help but worry a little.

She agreed with one of the things Ye Qi said earlier. Some people could handle the same pain, and some couldn’t. Someone like He Shu, who probably hadn’t suffered much since she was a child, and the biggest pain she had probably experienced was falling down. Unlike her, she was used to it, but even if she was used to it, it would still hurt.

Looking at the person’s tense profile, Cen Qianyi thought of the person’s tightly clenched jaw when she fell to the ground just now. She must have been in a lot of pain…

“I’m fine.” He Shu replied to Cen Qianyi after she came back to her senses.

Cen Qianyi looked at the person and thought of something.

“In the future, will you still come to a place like this?”

He Shu tilted her head and looked at Cen Qianyi, surprised that she would suddenly say something like that.

What did she mean? Was she asking if she would still come to Yi Wang Island?

Of course not. If it weren’t for the original plot that she had to follow, she wouldn’t have come this time.

He Shu shook her head decisively.

Cen Qianyi gave her a look of approval. It was good that she had learned her lesson. How could anyone be so bold as to come to an island like this?

They all thought they were coming to the island to play, not thinking that under these rules, they might become the ones being played with.

He Shu didn’t understand why Cen Qianyi was looking at her so meaningfully. Also, what was this person’s plan?

Did she change her plan and not intend to make a move? Or was she going to make a move later? Or did she make a move but miss?

She looked at her hand, which was holding hers under the table. Was it because she didn’t have a gun?

Was she unable to bring a weapon in because of the strict security check?

As soon as she thought of this, He Shu realized that something was wrong. She looked at their legs, which were close together. Just now, her legs were numb, so she didn’t feel anything unusual. Now, she moved her leg a little and found that the area where Cen Qianyi was touching her was not flat. There was something in the way…

The shape seemed to be a gun… This person had brought a weapon. Was it tied to her leg? How did she get past the security check with such a simple way of hiding it? She couldn’t have hypnotized the machines, could she…

Wait, hypnosis, He Shu’s eyes lit up. The restroom!

She suddenly thought of a possibility. The system said before that Cen Qianyi had gone out in the evening. She assumed, assuming that Cen Qianyi had hidden the things in advance and then armed herself after she came in tonight, then everything would make sense!

It all made sense. So she went to the restroom just now to get the weapon. No wonder she had to hypnotize her.

He Shu let out a deep sigh of relief.

Cen Qianyi felt He Shu’s muscles relax a little, and her face looked a little better, so she continued to look at the wristband on her hand.

This thing on her wrist was a threat.

She held the person’s hand, looking scared and sad, and leaned on her arm. Her hand under the table was fumbling. Now, there was no gap in the wristband at all. She had also let He Shu try it just now, and the fingerprint sensor couldn’t open it. She didn’t have any tools. What was worse was that she didn’t know if there was anything else inside, like a bomb. If she were to forcibly remove it and detonate the bomb, that would be a problem.

In the end, Cen Qianyi couldn’t take the risk and decided to give up.

Not only did she give up on taking off the wristband, but she also gave up on taking any new action before the person was safe.

He Shu felt the hand holding her wrist loosen a little, and at the same time, she felt a change in Cen Qianyi’s mood. She looked down at Cen Qianyi’s somewhat downcast mood and guessed that she was sad because she had missed her chance.

Missing a chance to kill someone… He Shu definitely couldn’t comfort her with ‘It’s okay, you’ll do better next time’…

“How are you? Were you okay just now?” He Shu asked tactfully.

Cen Qianyi’s eyes curved slightly, a little surprised by her question. This person didn’t know that she had the clothes she gave her and wouldn’t be electrocuted by the collar, so was she concerned about her mental state? Was she worried that she was scared by the scene just now?

“I’m fine.” Since the other person had spoken, Cen Qianyi also had something to say, “Be careful. Promise me that no matter what happens later, don’t be reckless and stick your neck out. If you can’t stand something, wait until we’re off the island to talk about it.”

He Shu looked at Cen Qianyi, who had just said that, in surprise.

Her words were so strange, as if she was telling her to endure things first and that she would settle the score for her afterward…

A misconception, it must be a misconception. Even if this person were to settle the score, it wouldn’t be because of her.

Since the other person had started talking about this, He Shu also had something to tell Cen Qianyi.

“You be careful too. It’s best not to run around. Stay here and don’t move. We’ll wait for the banquet to end and then leave. Don’t cause any trouble.”

Cen Qianyi raised her eyebrows. She naturally wouldn’t cause any trouble. Seeing the person’s worried look, her heart felt as if it had been electrocuted by her gaze.

After hesitating for a moment, Cen Qianyi put her hand into He Shu’s palm.

“Okay, then you lead me.”

If she led her, she wouldn’t run around.