Chapter 508: Photos for Ding Ruilong?

Chapter 508: Photos for Ding Ruilong?

In the villa’s first-floor living room, He Shiqin sat on the sofa with a small mirror in her hand, applying lipstick. Time had left no marks on her face. She was only in her early thirties, after all, and women that age who took care of their skin rarely had wrinkles.

Wu Chen’s announcement that he was coming had been so sudden she’d had to do her makeup in a hurry. She’d only had time for light makeup, but it made her look less mature, more youthful.

She was naturally beautiful to begin with, and she looked nothing like the mother of a fourteen-year-old girl. She looked more like an older sister.

“The moment Teacher says he’s coming, you put on makeup. Every time Teacher comes, you put on makeup…” He Xinxin wandered in front of the coffee table, darting little glances at her mother as she applied her makeup, muttering under her breath.

She didn’t dare say it too loudly.

Previously, He Xinxin had boldly asked her mother all sorts of questions on several occasions. After getting scolded once, she’d stopped daring to bring them up.

Tap, tap.

Footsteps in dress shoes suddenly sounded at the stairwell, coming from the basement level.

“Teacher’s here!” He Xinxin put a finger to her lips and hurriedly whispered to her mother.

Snap!

He Shiqin snapped the little mirror shut and set it on the coffee table. Then she deftly twisted the lipstick closed and slipped it into the handbag beside her.

Wu Chen came up the stairs from the basement. Just as he emerged from the stairwell, He Shiqin smoothed her hair and rose to her feet.

“Teacher, Teacher! Why’d you come all of a sudden? Did you miss me?” He Xinxin skipped over to Wu Chen with her hands clasped behind her back and her shoulders swaying, making a comical show of herself.

“Of course. I missed you terribly.” Wu Chen stopped and smiled at her.

“Hmph! Liar.” He Xinxin pouted and snorted, then broke into a grin and bounced in a circle around him, sneaking little glances at He Shiqin by the sofa.

“Mr. Wu.” He Shiqin pressed her lips together and greeted him.

He Xinxin was dressed casually for a day at home, still in her pajamas. He Shiqin, on the other hand, was wearing a long dress. She’d obviously changed clothes.

“Something unexpected has come up…” Wu Chen said as he walked toward the sofa.

He Shiqin’s expression changed slightly. She knew the real reason Wu Chen had brought her to Donghai, so the words “something unexpected” genuinely made her heart give a violent thump.

He Xinxin, however, sensed nothing amiss. “What’s wrong, Teacher?”

“You two need to move.” Wu Chen smiled, glanced at He Xinxin, then looked at He Shiqin. By then he’d reached an armchair and sat down. “This villa is being sold, so… I’m afraid you’ll have to go to the trouble of moving.”

“Ruobing put this place on the market quite a while ago, but the asking price was too high and it hadn’t sold. I didn’t expect a buyer to turn up so suddenly…”

Wu Chen was making it up as he went along.

The excuse wasn’t entirely beyond suspicion, but he wasn’t trying to fool He Shiqin. It was enough to pull the wool over He Xinxin’s eyes.

“Oh… so where are we moving?” He Xinxin asked, taking him at his word.

“You’ll find out when we get there.” Wu Chen smiled, deliberately acting mysterious to tease her. Then he glanced at his watch, looked back up at He Xinxin, and said, “We’re moving in two hours.”

“What? That soon?” He Xinxin grew a little anxious.

“That’s right. The buyer saw a video the real estate agent took and immediately put down a deposit on the place. The transfer of ownership is tomorrow, so you need to move out today,” Wu Chen said.

“That’s so fast…” He Xinxin muttered.

“Xinxin, go tidy up the art studio first… I’ll help you pack the luggage in a little while…” He Shiqin quickly interjected, gesturing toward her daughter.

“Okay, okay…” He Xinxin agreed and turned to run upstairs, still muttering, “Teacher, you’re so mean, springing this on us…”

He Xinxin went upstairs.

In truth, the mother and daughter didn’t have much luggage. They’d moved in only half a month ago. Aside from clothes, shoes, and other personal belongings, the only other things they needed to take were some painting materials and tools He Xinxin had purchased since arriving in Donghai.

Two hours would be more than enough.

He Shiqin listened to her daughter’s footsteps until she was sure Xinxin had entered the second-floor art studio. Only then did she turn to Wu Chen and ask in a lowered voice, “Mr. Wu, what’s happened?”

She knew Wu Chen had lied to He Xinxin.

There was no way this sudden move was really because the house was being sold.

She’d interrupted to send He Xinxin to tidy the studio precisely so her daughter would be out of the way and she could speak to Wu Chen alone.

There was unease in the way He Shiqin looked at him.

“Nothing serious. Don’t be nervous.” Wu Chen smiled at her and gestured for her to sit.

He Shiqin sat on the long sofa, at the end nearest Wu Chen’s armchair.

“Ding Ruilong knows you’ve left Modu,” Wu Chen told her, looking straight at her. “He’ll probably find out today that you’re in Donghai.”

“Huh?” He Shiqin froze, and her expression grew complicated.

This… didn’t really seem like such a big deal.

He Shiqin had long known this day would come. In fact, there’d even been a time when she desperately hoped Ding would find out sooner, because she wanted revenge on him—revenge on the scumbag who had ruined her life.

She wanted to make him a cuckold.

“Then… why are we moving?” He Shiqin asked after a moment’s thought. She didn’t understand this step.

“It wouldn’t be good for Ding to know you’re staying in Ruobing’s villa,” Wu Chen explained briefly, without going into detail.

Wu Chen intended to let Ding learn He Shiqin’s address in Donghai. But if Ding traced the villa’s ownership to Li Ruobing, being cuckolded would hardly be the only conclusion he’d draw.

So, to keep the matter simple for now, Wu Chen needed He Shiqin and He Xinxin to move.

It wasn’t much trouble.

He Shiqin couldn’t fathom everything Wu Chen had in mind, but she didn’t press him.

“Then are we moving to…?” She looked at him.

“Anywhere, really. A hotel, another villa complex, a high-rise… Where would you like to live?” Wu Chen asked with a smile.

“Well… I’ll leave that to you, Mr. Wu.” After a brief hesitation, He Shiqin handed the decision back to him.

“Then let’s go with another villa.” Wu Chen took out his phone. “I’ll make a call.”

He Shiqin watched him tap and swipe across the screen, then bring the phone to his ear.

The call connected quickly.

Sitting close to Wu Chen in the otherwise silent living room, He Shiqin could faintly hear a voice coming from his phone. It seemed to be a man calling him “brother-in-law.”

“A-Tai, are you using your villa in Century Central City?” Wu Chen asked.

“Ah… Brother-in-law, you even know about that place? That’s my brother-in-law for you.” Li Ruotai sounded mildly surprised and took the opportunity to flatter Wu Chen before continuing. “It’s empty. Do you need it, Brother-in-law? The keys are at the club. Or… should I have someone deliver them to your home?”

“Don’t send them to my place. In an hour, have someone bring them to the commercial street in Central District and wait for me by the road…” Wu Chen said.

Wu Chen exchanged only a few more words with Li Ruotai before ending the call.

The housing was taken care of.

Actually, Wu Chen couldn’t let Ding discover that He Shiqin was staying in one of Li Ruotai’s houses, either. But this villa in the Century Central City Villa Complex in Central District was special.

It was the villa Li Ruotai used for his dirty business.

During his years in Donghai, he’d conducted many unsavory dealings there.

For reasons of secrecy and security, the villa wasn’t registered in Li Ruotai’s name.

Very few people knew it belonged to him. Apart from Li Ruotai himself, only a handful of his trusted confidants knew.

Even Li Ruobing didn’t know.

It wasn’t that Li Ruotai was deliberately hiding it from his older sister. Li Ruobing simply seldom went out of her way to learn about her younger brother’s sordid affairs. They were enough to give anyone a headache.

“We’ll move to Central City,” Wu Chen said, looking at He Shiqin.

“Mm-hmm.” She nodded, then added, “I’ll go upstairs and start pack—” She began to rise.

“There’s no rush,” Wu Chen said.

He Shiqin, who had only just lifted herself off the sofa, sat back down.

“We’ll move in two hours, and then I’ll treat you and Xinxin to dinner… At that point, I’ll have someone secretly photograph us eating together. Those photos, among others, will eventually find their way into Ding Ruilong’s hands…” Wu Chen outlined his plan to He Shiqin.

Her eyes lit up as she listened.

She hadn’t expected Wu Chen to move so directly to provoke Ding Ruilong when Ding had only just discovered she was missing!

He Shiqin was one of the people who best understood just how extreme Ding Ruilong could be. She could easily imagine him flying into a rage, smashing everything in the room, shouting like a madman, utterly hysterical.

The thought of Ding Ruilong going mad with anger filled her with satisfaction.

But there was a trace of nervousness, too.

Because she knew Ding Ruilong would certainly retaliate!

Yet clearly, if Wu Chen dared to do this, he wasn’t afraid of any retaliation.

Over the next ten minutes or so, Wu Chen went over the details of the dinner with He Shiqin. She even eagerly suggested things she could do herself. It was obvious she’d been holding back a great deal.

“Ding Ruilong has a serious weakness in his personality. The crazier he gets, the more mistakes he’ll make… So… there’s one more thing… Come take a few pictures with me. I’ll send them to Ding Ruilong when the opportunity arises…” As they were finishing their discussion, Wu Chen raised a hand and gestured to He Shiqin.

Pictures to send to Ding Ruilong?

He Shiqin immediately understood. She stood up, took a step toward Wu Chen, turned, and sat straight down on his lap, looping both arms around his neck.

Wu Chen picked up his phone and opened the selfie camera.

Click! Click! Click! Click! Click!

Wu Chen took five photos in all. He Shiqin struck a different pose in each one, including pressing her cheek against his, kissing his cheek, and kissing the corner of his mouth.

Once the photos were taken, Wu Chen put his phone away. But He Shiqin didn’t get up. She remained on his lap, her arms around his neck.

“Aren’t you afraid Xinxin will see us?” Wu Chen asked with a soft laugh.

“I’m listening for her,” He Shiqin answered quietly, her gaze lingering on him with unmistakable meaning.

Ring, ring—

A phone suddenly rang.

It wasn’t Wu Chen’s. It was He Shiqin’s!

Wu Chen helped her retrieve her handbag. He Shiqin took out her phone and glanced at the screen. Her expression instantly froze.

Caller ID: That Damned Beast.

The name saved under that contact… was Ding Ruilong!