Chapter 9 : Laughter is Ugly

Bai Ruoxi smiled bitterly, remaining silent. Yin Rui leaned closer to Bai Ruoxi and whispered, "Ruoxi, it's actually quite simple to conquer a man. Men are all lustful creatures, even your third brother, who is so righteous, he also..." Bai Ruoxi suddenly stood up, afraid that if she listened any further, she would go crazy. "Yin Rui, I... I just remembered that I have some important work to attend to. Feel free to sit here, I'll be busy." As she spoke, she opened the laptop on the nearby desk and sat down. Yin Rui pouted and slowly picked up her bag. "Since you're busy, I won't disturb you. We can discuss it when you have time." Bai Ruoxi stared at the screen intently, her slender fingers typing on the keyboard, pretending to be busy. "Okay." Yin Rui waved at her. "Goodbye." "Goodbye!" The moment the door closed, Bai Ruoxi felt like a computer that had been unplugged, instantly shutting down. She leaned weakly against the back of the chair, her hands sliding off the keyboard, her blurred vision staring at the screen without focus. The sun was shining outside, but she couldn't feel any warmth in the room. The wound in her heart felt like it had been sprinkled with salt, causing a deep pain. Feeling the coolness on her face, she reached up to touch her cheek and realized that tears had silently fallen. From that day on, Bai Ruoxi never stepped out of the room. The next morning. It was still early, the fog hadn't dissipated yet, but Bai Ruoxi had already gotten up, washed up, and changed into casual clothes. She planned to use this time off to investigate her mother's case. The spacious living room was quiet. Bai Ruoxi carried her bag and headed downstairs, suddenly hearing rhythmic footsteps, steady and powerful. These footsteps were not like those of an ordinary person, but more like those of a well-trained soldier. She quickened her pace and went downstairs, just in time to see two soldiers in uniform entering the study on the first floor. Why would one of Qiao Xuanshuo's subordinates come to find him? Bai Ruoxi was puzzled, but her intuition told her that it must be related to her mother. Driven by curiosity, she tiptoed to the study door. The study door was half open, and she could faintly hear the man's voice reporting, "Tang Lide has been redeemed." Qiao Xuanshuo's majestic and deep voice came out, "Did you find out who redeemed him?" "He was redeemed in the name of your Qiao family's Qiao Group. He has already returned to his position and is working normally today." "Who is supporting him?" "It should be your grandfather." Qiao Xuanshuo fell silent. The study suddenly became quiet. Bai Ruoxi listened quietly, suddenly feeling a chilling sensation. Tang Lide was the man who almost violated her on the ship, and the most terrifying thing was that the mastermind behind it was likely the Qiao family. Bai Ruoxi was certain that her grandfather would never do such a thing. She had to find out the hidden truth. "Ruoxi." Suddenly, a cold and high-pitched female voice came, startling Bai Ruoxi. She looked towards the source of the voice. It was her sister-in-law, Yin Yin. She was Yin Rui's sister and had married Qiao Xuanshuo's older brother five years ago. They even had a child together. Bai Ruoxi turned and moved towards the wall, awkwardly greeting her, "Good morning, sister-in-law." Yin Yin was dressed elegantly and gracefully, every movement exuding the aura of a noblewoman. She carried a limited edition luxury bag and spoke with an air of superiority as she left, "Sneaking around outside the study early in the morning is not ethical." Bai Ruoxi had no words to refute. Her mind was not on ethics, but on the fact that Tang Lide was the director of the film and television company under the Qiao Group. Coincidentally, her sister-in-law was currently managing this company. Yin Yin changed her shoes at the entrance, and Bai Ruoxi approached her, hastily saying, "Sister-in-law, do you have an employee named Tang Lide? Can I go to the company with you..." Before she could finish her sentence, a force came from behind, grabbing her arm and forcefully pulling her back. "Mmm..." She was suddenly jolted. By the time Bai Ruoxi reacted, she had been thrown heavily onto the sofa. Startled, she looked up and saw a dark figure pressing down on her, trapping her on the sofa. Bai Ruoxi pressed herself tightly against the sofa, her hands pressed against her chest. She looked up in shock and saw Qiao Xuanshuo's cold and icy handsome face, his eyes sharp and piercing. Qiao Xuanshuo placed his hands on the sides of her head on the sofa, towering over her. Yin Yin finished changing her shoes and glanced at the living room, showing no interest in the scene. She turned and left. "Th-Th... Third brother..." Bai Ruoxi's voice trembled nervously. Although the man's features were pleasing to the eye, his expression was terrifying, especially the gaze that could kill without a trace. Just one look and she was overwhelmed. Qiao Xuanshuo coldly uttered each word through gritted teeth, "Don't interfere in Tang Lide's affairs. If you ever see this man, run as far away as possible." "But..." "This is an order." Qiao Xuanshuo's authoritative words interrupted Bai Ruoxi's voice, and she remained motionless, taking a deep breath. Bai Ruoxi thought to herself: I'm not your subordinate. Qiao Xuanshuo frowned, his gaze becoming even colder, his tone devoid of any warmth as he commanded, "I will handle your mother's case. You just behave." Bai Ruoxi bit her lip, her nostrils filled with the masculine scent of the man. She was so nervous that her breathing became difficult, and she weakly nodded in response. Qiao Xuanshuo straightened his body and took a step back, reaching out to the side. One of his subordinates standing nearby immediately handed him two pieces of white paper. Qiao Xuanshuo took the white paper and handed it to Bai Ruoxi, his tone as cold as zero degrees. "Sign and leave your fingerprints in the bottom right corner of these two papers." "Sign?" Bai Ruoxi hesitated as she slowly took the white paper handed to her, feeling confused. "These are the conditions for saving your mother." Looking at the white paper, Bai Ruoxi couldn't help but smile bitterly. They wanted her to sign and leave her fingerprints on a contract that didn't even have any content? This was too domineering and unreasonable. They should at least let her know if it was a matter of life or death. After looking at the white paper for a while, Bai Ruoxi softly spoke, "What if I don't sign?" Qiao Xuanshuo smirked lightly, emitting a deep sound from his throat, lowering his voice, "Your mother's innocence is in your hands. It's up to you." Bai Ruoxi smiled bitterly, tears shimmering in her eyes as she looked up at the man's cold and penetrating gaze. She struggled to force a smile, "From the beginning, you were investigating the case of my second aunt's murder. You didn't ignore my mother. By digging this pit for me to fall into and making me sign this inhumane agreement as an exchange condition, you've gone too far." Qiao Xuanshuo's face became even more dim, his gaze fixed on her watery eyes, clearly seeing the tears rolling in her eyes. His slender fingers couldn't help but tremble slightly. He composed himself, putting his hands in his pockets. Bai Ruoxi lowered her head, blinking away the tears in her eyes, not wanting this man to see her crying. Her choked voice whispered, "You are the most terrifying and evil soldier I have ever seen." Bai Ruoxi was also a woman of her word. She gritted her teeth and searched for a pen in her bag. Star, who was standing beside her, immediately handed her a pen and a handkerchief. "Miss Ruoxi, please use this." Bai Ruoxi paused for a moment, looking at Star. She remembered this man, Qiao Xuanshuo's personal subordinate. She took the pen from Star without hesitation and signed her name, leaving her fingerprints on the paper. In a matter of seconds, she entrusted her life to the unknown darkness. After signing her name, she threw the paper into Xingchen's hands without even looking up, grabbed her bag, and walked away without a second glance. For the first time in 25 years, she found Qiao Xuanshuo so detestable that she didn't even want to look at him. Qiao Xuanshuo stared at the fading figure of Bai Ruoxi, standing motionless in the same spot. "Third Young Master, Miss Ruoxi has already signed," Xingchen said respectfully. It was only after Bai Ruoxi's figure disappeared from the house that Qiao Xuanshuo smiled bitterly and asked, "Did you hear what she just said?" Xingchen and A Liang dared not speak, because they had both heard it. Knowing that his subordinates dared not speak up, Qiao Xuanshuo answered his own question, "I am the most terrifying and evil soldier she has ever encountered." After saying that, he couldn't help but laugh. However, his laughter was more pitiful than crying.