Splashing Ink

The private room was spacious, furnished with a deep blue leather sofa, blue murals adorning the walls, and two elegant bouquets of lilies resting on the coffee table in the center.

But at the table, elegance was the last word to describe the scene.

Thirteen rounds of mahjong had passed. First, Mu Qingxi had stripped her companions of their money, and when that was gone, she began a thorough search for valuables on their persons. By now, they had lost disastrously.

Li Ruoying couldn’t hold back her temper any longer. “Mu Qingxi, you must be cheating!”

“Li Ruoying, even if you’re blind at heart, your eyes aren’t, are they?” Mu Qingxi replied, shaking the dice in her hand.

Looking at Li Ruoying’s sharp and bitter face, Mu Qingxi felt the urge to slap her with a few pancakes and see if that might thicken her sourness into something more bearable.

At this moment, Liu Jun’s expression was equally grim. He glanced unhappily at Old Hou, his eyes questioning. Old Hou pretended not to notice, shifting his gaze around the room. Liu Jun’s breath came heavy and rough.

Where Liu Jun couldn’t see, Old Hou shot him a look of disdain, sneering coldly to himself: Just wait, your turn is coming.

“Jun, why can’t you win? Yu Deng, Li Qi, what are you two doing? Didn’t you say we were sure to win? How did it come to this?” Li Ruoying complained, glancing at Mu Qingxi’s relaxed demeanor.

Just as the next round was about to start, Mu Qingxi remembered that Qin Yu had said she was going to the restroom. Why was she gone so long? Glancing around, everyone was present except for Xu Ting, whom Mu Qingxi had barely noticed missing.

*****Ladies’ Restroom at the Club*****

Xu Ting’s face was twisted with indecision as she stood before the sink, clutching a bottle of ink. She wrestled with herself—should she really go through with this? If Dongzi found out, would he despise her even more? Her grip on the ink tightened.

The sound of flushing water echoed. Qin Yu emerged from a stall and started at the sight of Xu Ting. “Xu Ting, what are you doing here?”

Startled, Xu Ting snapped back to herself, hurriedly hiding the ink behind her back. Her heart was pounding as she stammered, “I… I just came to… to use the restroom…”

“Xu Ting, why are you holding a bottle of ink?” Despite being startled, Qin Yu had noticed the object in her hand.

Before Xu Ting could respond, Qin Yu exploded: “Xu Ting, were you planning to splash ink on me while I was in the bathroom? Were you? I’ve done nothing to provoke you—are you insane?”

Xu Ting, furious and losing all restraint, shouted back recklessly, “You’re the insane one, Qin Yu! And you’re seriously messed up! You only broke up when he got involved with someone else. Who knows what’s going on between you and Yu Qian now? Maybe you’re involved with him too!”

Qin Yu’s face changed instantly. Anger surged through her as she recalled what Mu Qingxi had told her. She threatened coldly, “Listen to me, Xu Ting—stop spreading rumors about me. Don’t think your dirty little secrets are safe from everyone.”

How dare Xu Ting suggest she had an ambiguous relationship with that faithless Yu Qian, who had left her behind.

“Oh? Did I hit a nerve, Qin Yu? Is that why you’re angry? Ha! With your character, how could you ever be worthy of Xu Dong?”

“I, Qin Yu, walk upright and have nothing to hide from my own shadow. Unlike some people who fling their own filth onto others. Don’t think your schemes are flawless. If you try anything against me or Mumu, I promise you won’t get away with it,” Qin Yu retorted coolly, then turned with a snort and left.

Xu Ting stood rooted to the spot, her face white as chalk, her thoughts in turmoil. From Qin Yu’s tone, it seemed she knew something.

What now? Qin Yu would definitely tell others. If that happened, she’d end up just like Wang Feiyan—she couldn’t let that happen. She had to stop her.

Driven by impulse, Xu Ting dashed out, not noticing the wet patch on the hallway floor. Her foot slipped.

A muffled groan escaped her lips.

Then came a crisp “crack”—the bottle of ink had shattered on the floor.