"Got it."
Liu Feng shuffled the cards in his hands, then continued to deal.
The game intensified, with the clear goal of determining a winner and a loser.
...
While the game was in full swing, Shu Ya, standing nearby, felt an increasing sense of unease.
Initially, she hadn't thought much of Lu Sisi drinking.
But as Lu Sisi downed glass after glass and still appeared perfectly sober, Shu Ya was so shocked she couldn't speak.
At the same time, she recalled what Tang Xiaomin had told her: Lu Sisi had been drinking with Zhang Guo'er before the accident.
She had initially thought Lu Sisi wasn't someone who drank, but now, with the evidence before her, she felt a chilling fear.
"Shu Ya, what's wrong? Your face looks so pale," Lin Keke said, shaking Shu Ya's arm.
Shu Ya jumped, startled, and snapped back to reality, her face ashen.
She whispered a few words into Lin Keke's ear, and Lin Keke's expression instantly mirrored her own.
"Shu Ya, this..."
Lin Lele wanted to say it was impossible, but then she saw how fiercely Lu Sisi was drinking with Ye Lingyun and immediately dismissed her own thought.
Lin Keke pulled Shu Ya aside, and the two of them took out their phones to call Tang Xiaomin.
"Xiaomin, this is bad. That Lu Sisi can really drink, and she can drink a lot."
"With her tolerance, none of us can match her. She's definitely suspicious!"
Upon hearing about Lu Sisi's impressive drinking capacity, Tang Xiaomin understood everything.
"I know."
"Xiaomin, what are you going to do?"
"That bitch Lu Sisi likely got Zhang Guo'er drunk and then instructed her to cause the accident. It's a shame we don't have any evidence."
Lu Sisi had already targeted her by bribing hospital staff to falsely accuse her of being pregnant.
Combined with the fact that she had been drinking heavily at the bar with Zhang Guo'er before the drunk-driving accident, it became clear that Lu Sisi was the hidden mastermind.
"I will handle this."
"Xiaomin, whatever you need us for, just ask. Fighting crime is everyone's responsibility, and we'll help you all the way."
"Okay, I will."
After hanging up, Shu Ya's face turned green with anger.
"Damn it, she always acts like a timid little lamb. I never expected her to be such a vicious wolf."
Lin Keke also felt a lingering fear.
"You never know what's in someone's heart, even if you know their face. Being with someone like that is terrifying; you never know when you might die."
"No, I have to tell Yun Shao and Liu Feng about this. Let them see Lu Sisi's true, ugly face."
...
When Shu Ya and the others returned, a round of cards was nearing its end.
Even the strong Ye Lingyun was showing signs of intoxication, resting his head on his hand.
Lu Sisi had also slumped over the table.
Ye Lingyun had a slight edge.
Lu Zelei walked over and apologized, "Yun Shao, I'm sorry. Sisi is just being a bit mischievous because she's happy today, please don't take it to heart."
"It's getting late. I've booked a presidential suite. For safety reasons, Yun Shao, please stay the night."
Lu Zelei was very accommodating, handing Ye Lingyun the room key.
Ye Lingyun took the key, his expression unreadable.
"Yun Shao, Sisi is drunk, so I'll help her to her room. Please excuse us."
The lively scene wound down, and the onlookers dispersed.
Once most people had left, Shu Ya and Lin Keke hurried to Ye Lingyun's side and told him everything about Lu Sisi.
...
"Yun Shao, that's how it is. Lu Sisi is a wolf in sheep's clothing."
"If Tang Xu hadn't rushed out to save Xiaomin that day, it would have been Xiaomin who died."
Hearing this, Ye Lingyun's brows furrowed, and his eyes filled with anger.
Liu Feng analyzed, "Lingyun, you should know why Lu Sisi is targeting Xiaomin."
Ye Lingyun certainly knew why; it was because Lu Sisi was aware of his feelings for Tang Xiaomin.
Lu Sisi had been trying to get his attention, but he had rejected her.
He hadn't expected her to turn her attention to Tang Xiaomin, to the point of trying to kill her.
To resort to such ruthlessness and murder over a trivial matter, she was indeed terrifying.
"Yun Shao, say something," Shu Ya urged anxiously.
"You're not attracted to her after a few drinks, are you?"
Ye Lingyun shot Shu Ya a glare and said irritably, "I'm not as blind as you all are to be friends with someone like that."
"Ah... we..."
At first, Ye Lingyun had been very firm, giving Lu Sisi a red card and making his stance clear.
It was only after Tang Xiaomin stepped in that he relented.
Shu Ya's face flushed with embarrassment at his words.
"We... we were all deceived by her. Who knew she was so wicked? We shouldn't have been polite to her from the start."
If only they had known sooner.
If Tang Xiaomin had known that Lu Sisi would inadvertently cause Tang Xu's death, she would never have stepped forward at the abandoned factory.
But now that the disaster had occurred, words were of no use.
Ye Lingyun looked at the room key in his hand. He had initially intended to refuse the offer. Now, he changed his mind.
He said to his attendant, "You go back first. I'm staying at the hotel to rest."
"Yes."
Liu Feng quickly reminded him, "Lingyun, Lu Sisi was deliberately provoking you just now. You've had too much to drink, and this could be her scheme. You should go home."
"Fengzi, I remember you were the most enthusiastic when urging me to drink with her earlier."
"I..."
Liu Feng scratched his head sheepishly.
"Heh... heh... How was I supposed to know? Ignorance is bliss."
"Even if it's Lu Sisi's trap, if we go home now, she won't succeed."
That was true.
But with her persistent invitations, if he didn't go and see, he might miss out on good drama.
"If you don't enter the tiger's den, you can't catch its cubs. I'll go meet her."
Ye Lingyun, having made up his mind, took the room key and entered the elevator.
Tang Xiaomin, after this, how will you thank me?
...
After Ye Lingyun entered the elevator, Qian Lili grabbed Liu Feng's arm, her face etched with worry.
"Fengzi, Yun Shao is walking into a fire pit. I have a bad feeling about this."
"Liu Feng, think of a way!" Shu Ya also pleaded.
"Liu Feng..."
...
In their anxiety, the three girls placed all their hope on Liu Feng.
Liu Feng calmly took out his phone, made a call, and then led the three girls away from the banquet.
In the hotel's security room, the hotel manager stood respectfully beside the four of them.
"Feng Shao, all our hotel's surveillance feeds are here. Not even a fly could get in without being seen. You can rest assured about that."
Liu Feng said calmly, "Ye Lingyun is staying in the presidential suite. Please pull up the surveillance footage. I want to see it."
"Feng Shao, is something about to happen? Should I call the security team to stand guard?"