For preview purposes only; final product may differ
Author: Ning Yuan
Translator: Shigure
When Chi Yu opened the door to Ran Jin’s bedroom, she immediately caught a whiff of the same fragrance worn by the room’s occupant.
The bedroom was tidy—immaculate, even. Chi Yu stepped inside and looked around. An ordinary walk-in closet occupied the left side of the room, while on the right, a corridor adorned with oil paintings and fossil stone rubbings led to an expansive study.
The study’s reading lamp was still casting a warm glow. A few books with protruding bookmarks lay on the desk. Presumably, Ran Jin had spent the entire night reading, unable to fall asleep after fleeing from Chi Yu’s car the previous evening.
Within the sparsely-filled wardrobe, her black business suits and long cocktail dresses for social occasions were meticulously organised. Various accessories, such as watches, cufflinks, and rings, hung on display stands according to their categories. Lifting a necklace with her fingertip, Chi Yu examined it briefly before releasing it. The design of the necklace reminded her of Ran Jin—dull and predictable.
Apart from the king-size bed measuring one and a half metres wide, the bedroom lacked any other source of entertainment, such as a television. A large desk and two computers stood out among the furnishings. An orderly stack of file folders rested atop the desk. As Chi Yu leafed through them, she only found documents and blueprints related to projects supervised by Ran Jin, some containing her handwritten annotations.
The choice of drab grey bedding and the placement of the work desk in their bedroom were characteristic of Ran Jin, but not Chi Yu’s sister. Moreover, the bed turned out to be considerably smaller than Chi Yu had expected. She could hardly imagine how her sister, someone she believed enjoyed the finer things in life, could comfortably share this bed with another woman without feeling cramped.
To Chi Yu’s knowledge, her sister had purchased this apartment five years ago for its proximity to her workplace. It served as a convenient place to rest after late-night work sessions, allowing her to easily return to her office the next morning.
Today, any remnants of her sister’s presence in this temporary haven had vanished without a trace.
Chi Yu leaned back in the chair and swivelled slowly. Beyond the sunlit window, the nearby U.P Tower seemed almost within arm’s reach as it jutted into the bright azure sky. This magnificent edifice, reminiscent of alien architecture, housed the business empire single-handedly expanded by her older sister, Chi Li. Like an extraterrestrial creature, it towered over the tangle of highways, establishing itself as one of the megacity’s most iconic landmarks.
With the appetite of a ravenous beast, The Chi family’s empire swallowed up swaths of the energy industry. Nowadays, the company to which Chi Li had dedicated her blood, sweat and tears rested in the hands of her former protégé and ex-lover, Ran Jin. Yet this transfer of ownership did not halt the beast’s advance; if anything, it only fueled its ferocity, making it even more fearsome.
Six years ago, Chi Li introduced Ran Jin to her family. At the time, no one knew who this half-dead woman was, where she came from, and how she had crossed paths with Chi Li. People only witnessed how the eldest daughter of the Chi family diligently mentored this enigmatic lady, gradually entrusting most of the family business to her.
At twenty-three, Ran Jin firmly entrenched herself within the Chi business empire. Aside from overseeing half of the Chi Group, she became a regular feature in prestigious business publications and on the silver screen. Soon enough, she emerged as the most recognisable it-girl in the realms of business, technology, and entertainment news.
Beautiful, astute, flawless—having basked in the spotlight time and again, Ran Jin had steadily ascended to the pinnacle of public admiration. Revered by the masses, she was nicknamed “The Creator’s Grace.” In the eyes of her devotees, she embodied perfection itself, akin to Venus sculpted by the hands of the divine.
Back then, Chi Yu was a high school student who prioritised her studies over the family business. Following the death of their parents many years ago, Chi Li, sixteen years her senior, had nurtured her with the tenderness of a mother. The two sisters relied on each other and shared a deep, intimate bond.
Chi Li never forced Chi Yu to do anything against her wishes, instead giving her the freedom to chart her own path. Her older sister often reminded her of one particular advice: “You don’t need to walk the same road as everyone else. Do what you like to do and be who you want to be.” Chi Yu knew that her life was largely unaffected by her parents’ early demise thanks to her sister providing her a loving home where she could thrive without burdens or worries.
Engrossed in her schoolwork, Chi Yu raised no objection as Chi Li progressively ceded control of their family conglomerate to Ran Jin. She trusted her sister’s judgement, confident that Chi Li would always make sensible decisions. Furthermore, she considered Ran Jin, who had swiftly transitioned from an outsider to the second mistress of the household, as part of their family circle.
No one doubted the closeness between Chi Li and Ran Jin. Despite gossip tabloids relentlessly churning out sensationalised tales and fabricating “scandalous details” about their relationship in myriad imaginative ways, the CEO heiress and her girlfriend were as inseparable as ever. For all intents and purposes, Ran Jin had fully integrated into the Chi family. Chi Yu respectfully referred to her as “sister-in-law” while their employees greeted her as “President Ran.” Whenever she was addressed with a title, Ran Jin would offer a fleeting half-smile before carrying on.
In Chi Yu’s opinion, her "sister-in-law" might be rather demure in private, but her decisive and uncompromising approach to work made her the perfect aide for Chi Li. Thanks to Chi Li’s unwavering support, Ran Jin had become an indispensable figure within the Chi Group. Her rapid rise to power sent shockwaves throughout the energy industry, sparking all sorts of speculations. And yet, Ran Jin paid no heed to the swirling rumours, remaining steadfast in her commitment to assisting Chi Li.
Ran Jin possessed remarkable business acumen and a keen intuition for market trends. While Chi Yu was studying overseas, Ran Jin helped Chi Li overcome their most formidable competitor and secure exclusive rights to exploit mare basalts and helium-3 from the Moon.
Before leaving the country, Chi Yu reluctantly bid her beloved sister goodbye. Chi Li comforted her gently, promising that once Chi Yu returned home after graduation, they would be together forever.
Chi Yu could never have imagined that this moment would mark her final farewell to Chi Li, nor could she have foreseen that her next homecoming would be to attend her sister’s funeral.
Everyone claimed that Chi Li—the optimistic, idealistic, and ambitious Chi Li—had taken her own life. Chi Yu rejected that explanation. The agonising pain that engulfed her during the funeral, threatening to tear her heart out, felt just as excruciating now as it did back then.
Her sister, who had endured countless hardships for her sake, had been her final refuge in this world. And now, that loving soul was gone, her life cut short under mysterious circumstances. Dealing with the heart-wrenching grief was painful enough, but Chi Yu felt even more frustrated when the police hastily closed the case. The official conclusion, fraught with troubling inconsistencies, left her asking questions.
Her sister couldn’t have committed suicide. Besides the lack of motive, she would never have done so without leaving a note for her closest kin.
On her way home for the funeral, Chi Yu began to investigate the sequence of events surrounding the tragedy. Each piece of evidence that she painstakingly unearthed from the murky depths pointed to one individual...
Ran Jin.
Four years ago, when Chi Yu was preparing to go abroad, she caught wind of some gossip about Ran Jin’s background. These nasty rumours described her as a deceitful woman who didn’t return the affection of her doting girlfriend. Instead, she harboured a secret agenda—to steal the Chi family’s wealth and fulfill her revenge.
In the past, Chi Yu brushed off these whispers as baseless nonsense. Having shared a roof with her “sister-in-law” for many years, she had grown quite fond of that beautiful and intelligent woman. Right before her departure, she even sent the most outspoken of the rumour-mongers to prison for defaming Chi Li and her partner.
Who could have guessed that one day, everything would take a turn for the worse, just as the rumours had predicted?
Sorrow tore at Chi Yu’s heart as thoughts of her dear sister, condemned to eternal rest for reasons unclear, consumed her mind. She tugged the curtains in Ran Jin’s bedroom with such force that she nearly dislodged the tension rod too.
What if the rumours held some truth after all?
As Chi Yu delved into the investigative report, each word and line revealed how Ran Jin had been stealthily expanding her influence within the Chi empire right under Chi Li’s nose. Though Ran Jin’s origins were shrouded in mystery, her actions hinted at a carefully orchestrated plan.
Before Chi Li’s death, the couple had unexpectedly ended their relationship. Chi Yu had long suspected that the breakup was the catalyst for her sister’s murder. Perhaps Chi Li had stumbled upon Ran Jin’s long-buried secrets, prompting her ex-lover to silence her and seek to usurp her greatest achievement.
Dream on! The Chi family isn’t out of the picture yet.
Chi Yu had never experienced such intense hatred before. Remembering how she had once regarded Ran Jin as a close family member filled her with overwhelming disgust.
The ringing of her phone drew her attention to her personal assistant’s call.
“I’m on my way. Where is she?” Chi Yu asked.
“President Ran and Miss Lu left together about an hour ago,” her assistant answered.
Lu Siqing, that cop again. No wonder the police overlooked basic evidence that even Chi Yu could gather while the suspect roamed freely.
Chi Yu hung up and inspected Ran Jin’s closet one more time. Indeed, not a single piece of clothing belonging to Chi Li remained.
She snickered coldly.
So eager to erase my sister from your little world, aren’t you? But that doesn’t matter. I’ll carve the memory of the woman who saved you and cherished you more than anything into your mind, so that guilt will eat you alive no matter where you go.
Tonight, the Chi Group planned to host a press conference under the guise of a dinner party, where Ran Jin would announce her acquisition of the rights to exploit energy resources on the Moon. Needless to say, Chi Yu couldn’t possibly miss such an eye-catching occasion.
She was determined to make Ran Jin regret and suffer. Once she dragged Ran Jin’s reputation through the mud, she would make sure that both the siren and her policewoman accomplice faced the justice they deserved.
Before the dinner party, Chi Yu met with Chi Li’s former assistant.
“Miss Chi, I brought what you asked for. Would you like to put it on now?”
Chi Yu accepted the garment—a long, silky dress in a flaxen colour similar to pecan. The dazzling gown hugged her figure snugly.
Once she dressed up, the on-call make-up artist employed by the Chi Group skillfully applied her make-up.
Chi Yu opened her eyes and checked her reflection in the mirror, wearing her sister’s dress. Lavish curls of auburn hair cascaded over her delicate collarbone. Her scarlet lips curled into a smirk.
“Use my sister’s perfume as well.”
“As you wish.”
A blend of fir, black truffle, and jasmine—the top notes of Chi Li’s fragrance of choice—teased Chi Yu’s nostrils.
Surely, Ran Jin will “appreciate” this too.
The interior of the car was as quiet as the void of outer space. Sitting in the front passenger seat, Ran Jin crossed her arms and closed her eyes, ready to doze off when the ringing of Lu Siqing’s phone jolted her awake.
“Sorry to disturb you.”
Frowning, Lu Siqing reached for her Bluetooth headset with one hand while gripping the steering wheel with the other. She whispered into the mic, “I’m outside with Jin… Uh-huh, talk to you later. Bye now.”
She ended the call and glanced at the woman beside her. Ran Jin struggled to open her swollen eyelids into a slit, the dark circles beneath them lending her a weary look. Then, she gazed outside to gauge the remaining distance to her destination.
“Didn’t sleep well last night?”
“I’m fine.”
“Actually, did you catch a wink at all?”
“…”
Ran Jin’s silence spoke volumes to Li Siqing; she knew her old friend all too well. But even so, she couldn’t help feeling irked.
“I thought her death would set you free, but things still turned into a mess.”
Ran Jin’s elegant eyebrows furrowed deeper as her eyes squeezed even tighter.
Lu Siqing glimpsed at Ran Jin’s neatly fastened cufflinks. Her friend always concealed her slender wrists beneath long sleeves, even on the warmest days. Yet despite the cufflinks rigidly wrapped around her wrists, the police officer could still notice faint red marks on them.
“Did Chi Yu do that?” Lu Siqing asked in a gruff voice.
The mention of that name made Ran Jin slowly open her eyes, staring directly at her reflection in the window. Her long black hair falling over her shoulders, her hauntingly vacant gaze, and her sclerae more bloodshot than expected combined to create a striking portrait.
“What did she do?” Ran Jin replied flatly.
Lu Siqing felt her temper flare up. “Don’t pretend like she hasn’t been harassing you!”
The policewoman drove on, her heart smouldering with anger. However, not wanting to antagonise a victim, she suppressed her indignation before asking, “Do you have to be there tonight?”
“Of course, it’s an important press conference. I need to be present in person.”
Lu Siqing grunted in agreement and continued, “In that case, I’m coming with you.”
Ran Jin gave her a weak smile. “No need. I can handle her.”
“Handle Chi Yu? That little pest? Are you even hearing yourself? Sure, you’re pretty amazing. You’ve curbstomped enough rivals over the years to fill a small town. Heck, you could probably conquer Hell with all the people bowing down to you. Take this month’s lunar resource war, for example. Yidai Technology went from competing against you to declaring bankruptcy, and then their founder Wang Yan ended up dead. Look, I get that you’re smart and resourceful, but everyone has a weak spot—someone who can always get on top of them. Now that your nemesis is back and gunning for you at every chance she gets, what’s your plan? Let all those years of hard work go down the drain?”
With each word, Lu Siqing grew more impatient.
“Are you seriously going to give up everything? Just for Chi Yu?”
Lu Siqing’s voice echoed within the confines of the car, yet Ran Jin maintained her impeccable posture. She reached for a mint candy from the glove compartment, unwrapping it before handing it with a smile to her driver.
The policewoman found herself at a loss for words.
Before shutting her eyes again, Ran Jin made one last remark to Lu Siqing with a chuckle.
“Don’t worry. I can take care of myself.”