Chapter 355: A Strong Sense of Crisis
"Miss Lin, you keep saying you're the Lady of the House for the Xiao Family, but the problem is, you and Xiao Ye aren't married yet."
"Are you... afraid I'll steal your position?"
Lin Chuxing lashed out, "Bullshit! Who do you think you are? You're not worthy of Xiao Ye!"
When Jin Mingzhu saw Lin Chuxing's frantic and furious state, she instantly lost interest.
She had assumed Xiao Ye's fiancée would be intelligent, at the very least. 'I didn't expect... her to be this stupid.'
'Does she really think a man would like a woman like that?'
'She's like a complete madwoman, assuming every woman she sees is trying to seduce Xiao Ye.'
'The true Lady of a great House needs to learn how to properly assess a situation.'
'If it were me, I would first figure out who the guest is, and then come up with a strategy.'
"You should leave now. I need to rest. I'm sure you don't want Xiao Ye to find out this is how you treat his guests, do you?"
Of course, Lin Chuxing wasn't about to leave. "I saw the look in your eyes!"
"The way you were staring at Xiao Ye... you obviously want to steal him from me!"
"Let me tell you, dream on! I'll never let you get what you want!"
'So she has a little bit of cunning, after all.'
Jin Mingzhu turned, leaned close to her ear, and whispered, "You're right. I am here to steal Xiao Ye away."
"Because the one who isn't worthy of him... is you!"
"With a character like yours, not only are you unworthy of Xiao Ye, you're not fit for the position of Lady of the House, either."
Furious, Lin Chuxing looked ready to strike, but Jin Mingzhu had already pushed her out the door. "Instead of wasting time on me, why don't you think about improving yourself?"
"A truly exceptional woman never worries about her man being stolen away."
SLAM!
The door shut in her face.
Lin Chuxing bit down hard on her fingers, her face wrought with anxiety.
Her mental state hadn't been right for some time now. First, Xiao Ye's coldness had made her anxious.
Then there was the matter with Ouyang Xin, which made her nervous, terrified of being found out.
On top of that, there was the news from her Godfather.
Under the mounting pressure, Lin Chuxing had begun to show symptoms of anxiety, and they were getting progressively worse.
She thought back to what Jin Mingzhu had just said, and panic seized her.
'It's true. I am nothing. I have no special qualities or talents—just a face, and one that looks so much like Lin Chuyue's.'
'No!'
'I can't let this go on!'
'More and more women are going to throw themselves at him in the future. I have to find a way to get rid of them!'
Lin Chuxing glanced at the guest room door, then turned and left.
She returned to her room, took out the phone she used to contact her Godfather, and made the call. "Godfather, something's happened!"
"A woman showed up today! She's trying to steal Xiao Ye from me!"
"She's not like the other women. I feel seriously threatened by her!"
Even with Lin Chuyue, she had never felt this way.
Because she knew Lin Chuyue had to make way for her.
But this woman, Jin Mingzhu, had such a powerful presence it scared her witless!
The person on the other end of the line was silent for a moment before finally speaking, "Three o'clock this afternoon. Go to the south side of the city, the usual place. I'll have someone give you something."
"Okay!" Lin Chuxing's mood instantly brightened. With her Godfather handling it, the problem was as good as solved!
「Three in the afternoon.」
Lin Chuxing arrived on time.
But the private room was empty, save for a box sitting on the table.
She carefully opened it and found a cloth doll and a piece of paper inside.
The paper contained instructions for using the doll.
After reading it, Lin Chuxing quickly set it on fire to destroy it, a smirk playing on her lips. "Bitch, you dare try to steal what's mine!"
"This time, I'll make you wish you were dead!"
The look in her eyes was no longer innocent like before; instead, it was filled with venom!
「Night fell.」
「In the dining room.」
Xiao Ye and Jin Mingzhu sat opposite each other. Most of the Xiao Family had either moved out or were busy elsewhere, so few were usually home. Tonight, it was just the two of them.
Suddenly, footsteps sounded, and Lin Chuxing walked in.
Jin Mingzhu paused. She had expected to be met with a hostile glare, but to her surprise, Lin Chuxing was all smiles.
"It's not often we have a guest. Why didn't anyone call me to join you?"
'Huh?'
'Did this woman somehow grow a brain while she was out?'
'Did someone tell her something?'
Jin Mingzhu also smiled. "Xiao Ye, it looks like we'll need to prepare food for one more person."
She said it as if she were the lady of the house.
Lin Chuxing nearly lost her composure, but to her surprise, Xiao Ye agreed. "You're right. I'll have them prepare another plate."
Soon, the food was served.
Lin Chuxing deliberately sat next to Jin Mingzhu.
She put on an act of pure innocence, all while trying to figure out how to get a drop of Jin Mingzhu's blood.
Her gaze fell on a dinner knife. 'Yes, that's a good way to do it.'
With this in mind, Lin Chuxing feigned a casual lean toward Jin Mingzhu. Then, with the knife in her hand pointing downward, she let it drop.
Jin Mingzhu couldn't believe it. 'She actually dared to hurt me right in front of Xiao Ye!'
"Oh my!" Lin Chuxing leaped to her feet, hastily grabbing a napkin from the table and pressing it to Jin Mingzhu's wound. "I'm so sorry, I lost my grip!"
"Please, don't be mad at me," she said, feigning tears. "I'll get someone to help you take care of it right away!"
Lin Chuxing quickly stuffed the napkin into her pocket and called for the family doctor. "Miss Jin, you can yell at me if you want."
Jin Mingzhu's wound wasn't deep, and it was just on the back of her hand, so it wasn't a serious injury.
"It's nothing," she said after a simple bandage was applied. "Xiao Ye, I'm not hungry anymore."
Xiao Ye nodded, glancing at Lin Chuxing. "Me neither."
The two of them entered the study, one after the other.
Lin Chuxing was so angry she almost smashed a plate, but when she thought about what was coming next, a smile appeared on her face, and she quickly returned to her room.
She viciously pressed the blood-stained napkin against the doll.
"You dare try to steal my man? You should have considered whether you were even worthy!"
「In the study.」
Xiao Ye looked at Jin Mingzhu's hand. "Is the wound okay?"
"It's fine, just a small cut." Jin Mingzhu had no intention of playing the victim.
'Complaining might be effective right now, but that's not what a gracious woman would do.'
'It was just a petty little trick. Not worth getting worked up over.'
"Okay. I've almost finished up my business here. We'll continue our journey tomorrow."
Jin Mingzhu nodded. "Then I'll head out."
She handled herself with such grace and propriety that even Xiao Ye had no complaints about dealing with her.
「The night passed uneventfully.」
「Early the next morning.」
Xiao Ye and Jin Mingzhu packed their things early and set off again.
By the time Lin Chuxing woke up, they were already gone.
She stomped her foot in anger, wishing she could tear that woman Jin Mingzhu into a thousand pieces!
"Chuxing." Jian Qiuyan entered, her face all smiles. "Did you miss us?"
Lin Chuxing looked at her coldly, didn't reply at all, and just turned and went into her room.
Jian Qiuyan sighed helplessly and looked at Lin Feng beside her. "I feel like she's... growing more and more distant from us."
"It's okay," he said. "Things will get better."