After I died, they cried in the live studio

Chapter 33: Alternatives on the Chess Board

In the dim room, the lights flickered dimly. Scarface Chen sat on the sofa with his legs crossed. On the low table in front of him were piles of brand new banknotes. He tapped them casually with his fat fingers and raised his chin towards Sang Jiuyue: "My little beauty, if you want to bring down Sang Shuwan, we can't do it alone. Here, take this money and go and please Chu Ling, the young master of the Chu family who is against her. If you succeed, you will get a lot of benefits in the future."

Sang Jiuyue stared at the money, her breathing stagnated, and her fingertips curled up unconsciously. She knew in her heart that this was another ruthless trick of the gangster boss, which made her completely become a pawn in the dealings between men, but for revenge, she had no choice. After hesitating for a moment, she stepped forward, took the money with both hands, and forced a smile: "Brother Chen, don't worry, I will definitely get it done." But her voice trembled slightly.

Walking out of the room, Sang Jiuyue hugged the money in her arms tightly, as if she was holding on to the last glimmer of hope, her eyes were red, and she was full of humiliation. When the wind blew, the banknotes rustled, as if they were mocking her current misery. She gritted her teeth and took a taxi directly to the high-end club where the young master of the Chu family often appeared.

The lights in the club were bright and the atmosphere was extravagant. Sang Jiuyue took a deep breath, fixed her makeup, put on a pitiful look, and pretended to walk towards Chu Ling casually. Seeing him sitting alone at the bar drinking, Sang Jiuyue moved lightly, approached him and said coquettishly: "Mr. Chu, I have heard of your name for a long time. Today I finally see you in person." As she said that, she handed the wine glass to him, touched his lightly, raised her head and drank it all. The wine choked her eyes and made them red, which made her look even more pitiful.

Chu Ling raised his eyes, looked her over, and a playful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Hey, where did you come from, beautiful lady? What do you want to do with me?" Sang Jiuyue bit her lower lip, tears welling up in her eyes. She told the pre-arranged bitter drama, denouncing Sang Shuwan's "evil deeds", and added at the end: "Mr. Chu, you are so resourceful and courageous, only you can deal with her, please help me."

Chu Ling played with the wine glass, smiling: "How can I refuse a beautiful woman who asks for me?" Sang Jiuyue was secretly happy, thinking that her plan had succeeded. However, Chu Ling had other plans in mind. Although he and Sang Shuwan were competitors in the business world, he also looked down on Sang Jiuyue, who was so unscrupulous. Now he pretended to agree, but in fact he was going to take advantage of the situation, find out the layout of the gangster boss, and take control of Sang Jiuyue for his own benefit. Sang Jiuyue was still immersed in the joy of revenge, unaware that she had stepped into a new trap, and the road ahead was becoming more and more confusing and full of crises.

At first, Sang Jiuyue thought she had succeeded in pleasing Chu Ling. She tried her best to dress up and put on a charming makeup every day, and showed up on time at the places Chu Ling often went. Knowing that Chu Ling loved wine tasting, she devoted herself to studying wine culture. At a wine party, Sang Jiuyue gently shook the wine glass and tenderly introduced the year and flavor of the wine. Chu Ling raised his eyebrows and a hint of interest flashed in his eyes. She secretly rejoiced and felt that she was getting closer to her goal.

She also often made exquisite snacks by herself, and sent them to Chu's house under the pretext of visiting, speaking softly and asking about Chu's well-being, and acting like a well-behaved and lovely person. Chu Ling would occasionally tease her, accept the gifts, and agree to help as if it was a casual occasion, and Sang Jiuyue became more and more certain that her plan would succeed.

In fact, Chu Ling didn't take it seriously. He had been in the business world for many years, so how could he be easily fooled by appearances? Seeing that Sang Jiuyue had ulterior motives and ruthless means, and just wanted to use him to deal with Sang Shuwan, he pretended to fall into the trap and quietly collected information about the gangster and Sang Jiuyue, preparing to turn the tables.

On the eve of a crucial business negotiation, Sang Jiuyue could not hold back and asked Chu Ling about his plan to deal with Sang Shuwan. Chu Ling's eyes suddenly turned cold and he said with a smile: "Beauty, you can't eat hot tofu in a hurry. This matter cannot be rushed." Sang Jiuyue's heart skipped a beat and she vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

Later, Chu Ling gradually distanced himself from her, using the excuse of being busy with work to ignore all her invitations and flattery. When Sang Jiuyue came to the door again, she was politely stopped by the servants. Looking at the closed door, she woke up from her dream - her flattery completely failed, and she became a pawn of others. She had no place to vent her hatred, and her revenge plan was also in jeopardy.

Sang Jiuyue knew clearly that she was just a subordinate of the gangster "Scarface Chen". In the eyes of those who really had the means to fight against the evil forces, she was probably not even as good as an ant. Every time she stood in front of people like Chu Ling, the contempt hidden in the other's seemingly polite eyes was like a sharp needle, piercing straight into her heart.

She knew this contempt very well, but she never dodged it, instead she let the hatred devour and digest it. In her twisted concept, being looked down upon was temporary, as long as she achieved her revenge, there would be plenty of time for others to re-evaluate her. So, even if her self-esteem was severely trampled, she still forced a smile, humbled herself to the dust, presented the carefully prepared gifts, spoke softly and well-behavedly, and looked like a weak person who could be manipulated by others.

Once, Chu Ling sneered casually: "Following Scarface Chen, you must have been infected with a lot of banditry." Sang Jiuyue dug her nails into her palm, but her smile became even sweeter. Her eyes were red and she said aggrievedly: "Mr. Chu, you are joking. I have no choice. Sang Shuwan forced me into a desperate situation, and I ended up in this situation. I only ask for pity on me, Mr. Young Master, and help me vent my anger." The weakness in her words was a bit cunning, trying to arouse Chu Ling's sympathy.

But once she left Chu Ling's sight, her expression changed instantly, with a fierce light in her eyes. She raised her hand to sweep the objects on the table to the ground, and cursed hysterically: "Wait until I overthrow Sang Shuwan, and see who dares to look down on me! Today's humiliation will be returned double in the future!" She is like this, knowing that she is being despised, but she still wants to use the force to fight back, clenching her dark thoughts, and paving the road of revenge with all her heart, even if there is blood and conscience along the way, she will never look back. Chu Ling leaned on the sofa, crossed his legs casually, tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of the sofa, making a series of "click" sounds, narrowed his eyes slightly, stared at Sang Jiuyue, and asked straight to the point: "Sang Jiuyue, what is your relationship with Sang Shuwan? Don't beat around the bush, just tell the truth." His tone was flat, but it concealed the determination not to be discussed.

Sang Jiuyue's whole body tensed up instantly as if she had received an electric shock, and she could hardly maintain the smile on her face. She kept muttering in her heart: "Good fellow, that gangster is so talkative that he told people such a private matter!" But she was stunned for a moment, and then she immediately changed into a pitiful look, with red eyes and a row of bite marks on her lower lip, and she said with sobs: "Mr. Chu, since you know everything, I won't hide it anymore. Although we are sisters in name, in fact, for so many years, Sang Shuwan has always suppressed me in everything, and she has taken away all the limelight. What should have been mine was taken away by her."

As she spoke, Sang Jiuyue twisted her hands together nervously, and her tears fell like beads from a broken string, looking extremely aggrieved. She quietly raised her eyes to glance at Chu Ling's face, and continued to complain: "When the family property was divided, she secretly changed the will, leaving my mother and I without a place to stay; in normal times, she also instigated others to isolate me, and she ruined my studies and work. I really had no choice but to find some unconventional helpers."

Chu Ling raised his eyebrows slightly, a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, but he didn't say anything. Seeing this, Sang Jiuyue was determined, and knelt on the ground with a plop, holding Chu Ling's clothes tightly with both hands, looking up, crying with snot and tears: "Mr. Chu, you are very capable and have a wide network of contacts. Looking at the whole city, you are the only one who can cure her. Please give me a hand for my sincerity, and I will be your slave in the future!"

Chu Ling lowered his eyes and stared at her for a long while before he stood up slowly. He calmly pulled the corner of his clothes out of her hand and said lightly, "Get up. It's no use just talking. I will weigh your sincerity myself." Sang Jiuyue's heart skipped a beat, knowing that this would not be so easy to accomplish. But the fire of revenge was burning so fiercely in her heart that she had no time to care about the disappointment. She secretly vowed to find a way to drag Chu Ling into the water and completely destroy Sang Shuwan.

Sang Jiuyue was indeed an expert in this field. She was crying with tears streaming down her face just a second ago, her eyes were red and swollen like ripe peaches, and anyone who saw her miserable appearance would feel sorry for her. But as soon as Chu Ling finished speaking, she seemed to have triggered a mechanism, and she stopped crying instantly. She took a deep breath, her shoulders stopped shaking, and the sadness on her face quickly disappeared.

She stood up neatly, her hands hanging down at her sides, and nodded respectfully and obediently, as if she was not the one who had just thrown a tantrum and cried. She quickly wiped away the remaining tears with the back of her hand, and raised her face. There was still ruthlessness in her eyes, but she responded softly and obediently: "Mr. Chu is right, I understand, I will definitely show my sincerity and will never let you down." The speed of her face changing was comparable to that of a master of Sichuan Opera face changing, and she was so flexible that she was determined not to give up until she achieved her goal.

Chu Ling lazily leaned on the sofa, his slender fingers playing with the pen in his hand slowly, the joints rose and fell with the movement, emitting a cold white light. The room was so quiet that only the slight sound of the pen turning was left. This silence made Sang Jiuyue feel uncomfortable. After a long time, Chu Ling suddenly raised his eyes, his eyes like a falcon, swept straight across Sang Jiuyue's face, and broke the deadlock: "Sang Jiuyue, do you think you can accomplish anything in your current state?"

Sang Jiuyue was startled, her face full of astonishment, and she subconsciously tightened the corner of her clothes, stammering: "Master Chu, I... I don't understand what you mean."

Chu Ling slammed the pen on the table, sat up straight, and frowned: "Isn't it obvious enough? Look at you, timid and shabby, who would look at you if you stand out? You want to bring down Sang Shuwan just by looking so miserable?"

Sang Jiuyue's heart tightened, her eyes reddened, and she complained aggrievedly: "Master Chu, I don't want this to happen, but Sang Shuwan has ruined me and left me with nothing. I have no money left to take care of myself."

Chu Ling snorted coldly, pinched his fingers lightly, pulled out a black card from the side, and handed it forward casually: "Here."

Sang Jiuyue's eyes widened, almost popping out of their sockets. She subconsciously raised her hand, and just as her fingertips touched the black card, she suddenly retracted it as if she had been electrocuted. A storm of fear surged in her heart: "Master Chu, this card... I don't want to receive it without merit. Why do you suddenly give it to me?"

(End of this chapter)