Chapter 40: A Scheme Against Her

Xu An’an tried to pry open the shell, but perhaps something was sticking it shut. She didn’t dare use force, afraid she might break it and have no way to explain to Jiang Li. In the end, she had to give up.

How could it possibly be the shell pendant she’d lost? That trinket was worth only a few coins. If it fell to the ground, it would likely be tossed out as trash. There was no way it could have ended up in Jiang Li’s hands.

For now, she put aside thoughts of Jiang Li and decided to go to the police. After all, several people had called with threats—this was no coincidence. She couldn’t remember ever provoking that group of lunatics.

Leaving the magazine office, Xu An’an felt as though someone was following her. But each time she stopped and looked back, she saw nothing suspicious. Was it just her imagination? Yet that prickling sensation of being watched made her skin crawl, especially after the threatening calls. She felt deeply uneasy.

Suddenly, a girl in a Japanese school uniform accidentally bumped into her.

“Sorry, I’m so sorry!”

The girl looked young—probably a junior high student. Xu An’an waved it off and rubbed her waist, noticing the girl seemed off. Her eyes were wide with fear, her whole body trembling.

Was she really that frightening?

“Are you alright?”

“There—there are bad people trying to catch me. Can you help me?” Tears sparkled in the girl’s eyes.

Xu An’an looked up and saw a few men with menacing faces watching them from not far away. Their gaze was fixed on the girl who had just asked Xu An’an for help.

Naturally, Xu An’an wouldn’t stand by and do nothing.

“Don’t be afraid. There are lots of people on the street—they won’t dare do anything openly.”

“I want to go home. Can you take me back?” The girl’s tears finally spilled over. “I don’t want to stay outside anymore.”

But first, they needed to shake off those men.

Xu An’an reassured her, “Alright, I’ll take you home. For now, just come with me into this restaurant.” She remembered this place had a back door.

The girl clung close behind Xu An’an, barely daring to look back.

Once inside, Xu An’an glanced over her shoulder. The men were gone. She had thought they’d pursue relentlessly, but they’d given up so easily.

“Can you tell me who they are? Why are they after you?” Xu An’an, feeling the immediate danger had passed, wanted to clarify the situation.

But the girl just shook her head, crying harder. “Just take me home!”

People around them were starting to stare. Xu An’an had no choice but to lead the girl out the back door, checking to make sure the men weren’t around, and headed toward the street.

Just then, a taxi drove by. The girl quickly flagged it down.

Once they were inside, the girl visibly relaxed.

“Can you tell me your name?” Xu An’an asked gently.

Suddenly, the girl turned to her with a smile, pronouncing each word carefully: “Bad people always get what they deserve, don’t you think, Miss Xu An’an?”

The helpless lamb had shed its disguise.

She was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Xu An’an’s expression darkened. She had never met this girl before, yet the girl knew her name. Clearly, this was a trap set for her, exploiting her sympathy.

“So, what is it you want?” she asked.

The driver, likely in league with the girl, caught her glance in the rearview mirror and grinned wickedly. “Not bad at all.”

“But you brought this on yourself.”

Xu An’an frowned. “What exactly have I done that’s so unforgivable you’d ignore the law to kidnap me? Or perhaps you plan to kill me and go to prison?”

The girl and the driver fell silent. Perhaps, before carrying out this plan, they hadn’t really considered the consequences.

“You have to apologize to Bai Anhao,” the girl said at last.

Thinking of the Dou Dou incident, Xu An’an suddenly understood what the editor-in-chief had meant that morning. The editor must have acted on her own, pinning the blame on Xu An’an.

As for how serious the situation was? Xu An’an looked at the girl, not even of age, then at the driver, who seemed barely an adult himself, and felt only sadness.

“Can I see the interview with Bai Anhao?”

“What do you mean? You were the one who interviewed Bai Anhao, asking all those disrespectful questions. No, wait, those questions—you just made them up, didn’t you? Anhao would never be so mercenary, nor would he resort to dirty tricks for fame!” The girl glared at Xu An’an.

Xu An’an wanted to explain, but the world around her was growing hazy, and she gradually lost consciousness.

Seeing Xu An’an faint before her eyes, the girl shrank back in fear. “Are you sure this knockout gas won’t kill her?”

“Relax, we both took the antidote beforehand. She’ll be fine.” The driver floored the accelerator, heading straight for their destination.

…

When Xu An’an woke again, she found herself tightly bound to a chair, surrounded by more than a dozen people—men and women—sitting in a circle around her.

It felt like a scene from a cult movie, and she was the sacrificial offering.

“Please, let me explain. This is all a misunderstanding,” she pleaded. “I didn’t write those questions and I didn’t make up the interview. It was—”

Smack! A long-haired girl stormed over and slapped her hard across the face, her expression twisted with rage. “Now you realize you were wrong? Too late!”

“Our Anhao never competes, never fights. He minds his own business.”

“His work heals people’s hearts!”

“But people like you, greedy and unscrupulous, just want to squeeze every last drop of value from him for attention. You should be ashamed!”

The burning pain on her cheek made Xu An’an realize she was surrounded by madmen—utterly deranged fans. They wouldn’t listen to reason, trapped in their own little worlds.

“Then call the police,” Xu An’an said, pressing her tongue to her cheek, tasting blood in her mouth. They hadn’t held back at all.

At the mention of the police, the group faltered, exchanging uneasy glances.

The woman who’d hit Xu An’an spoke up. “What are you afraid of? We haven’t really done anything to her. We’re just keeping her here so she can repent for her actions.”

“She doesn’t even know who we are. Once we leave, how will she find us?”

At that, the others relaxed visibly.

The woman eyed Xu An’an’s delicate face with open jealousy. “We should teach her a real lesson—everyone, give her a slap!”

There were fifteen of them in all. If each one slapped her, Xu An’an’s face would be ruined.

Xu An’an clenched her fists. Right now, she was helpless—a lamb on the chopping block.

Suddenly, she caught sight of a familiar face.

Xu Wanwan!?