Chapter Sixty-Six: The Gaping Hole in the Wall

Thompson Golf Villas.

At two in the morning, Fang Yujia, who was already asleep, was startled awake by a knock at the door. Who could be knocking at this hour? Her first thought was that her brother-in-law had returned; it was not unusual for Xiao Cheng to come home in the middle of the night.

Her feelings were complicated—a mixture of happiness, unease, and hesitation. She wasn’t sure how to face Xiao Cheng: should she greet him with her usual coldness, or welcome him home with warmth?

After all, Xiao Cheng had done so much for her, even risking his life to kill their Fourth Uncle, and had nearly died after being shot. He’d gone to such lengths for her that she had no reason to treat him with indifference any longer. But she couldn’t bring herself to be warm either—it simply wasn’t in her nature. Besides, there was another crucial reason: since Xiao Cheng had never revealed to her the things he’d secretly done for her, she didn’t want him to know she was aware of everything.

When she opened the door, she realized it wasn’t Xiao Cheng. A shadow flashed by, and she suddenly felt an arm wrap around her waist. In the next instant, she was lifted off the ground and carried inside.

The intruder swept her into the house and pinned her firmly on the sofa, declaring, “Yujia, just give in to me tonight. I’ve missed you so much after all this time!” With that, she began tugging at Fang Yujia’s pajamas.

At first, Fang Yujia was startled, but upon hearing the familiar voice, she relaxed. There was only one person who would do something so outrageous: her sister-in-law Ning Jingzhe, who had lamented since childhood about women being without husbands.

The two had always been close—one with quiet resilience, the other fiery and bold. Their personalities complemented each other well, and friction was rare.

…

After some playful roughhousing on the sofa, Ning Jingzhe went off to shower while Fang Yujia lit the stove to prepare a late-night snack.

When Fang Yujia finished cooking and stepped out of the kitchen, she found Ning Jingzhe had already washed up and was sprawled on the sofa in a massive bra and pure white underwear—garments Fang Yujia doubted she could ever wear, not even as a mother.

“Ugh, being a woman is such a hassle! If it weren’t for this, I’d almost forget I was one,” Ning Jingzhe sighed.

Fang Yujia wasn’t sure why Ning Jingzhe suddenly said that, but then she saw Ning Jingzhe shift her hips, revealing a bloodstain on the white underwear. Her period had arrived.

Fang Yujia thought to herself that having a period was normal; it would only be troublesome if it didn’t come.

“Find me a pair of underwear and a pad, will you? I really didn’t prepare for this,” Ning Jingzhe declared bluntly, utterly unconcerned. For someone who never remembered the date of her period, she never bothered with such preparations.

At Ning Jingzhe’s request, Fang Yujia went to the bedroom to find her a suitable pair of underwear. Ning Jingzhe was taller than her, and her hips—praised by their grandmother as the most childbearing in the family—made it difficult to find anything that fit.

Standing by, Ning Jingzhe watched Fang Yujia search through a storage box for a large pair and unexpectedly spotted a box with Victoria’s Secret written on it—a renowned lingerie brand. This box of underwear must have cost at least ten thousand yuan.

Expensive underwear wasn’t surprising in itself, but for Fang Yujia, who’d never cared for brand names, it was out of character.

Curious, Ning Jingzhe picked up the box, took out a pink lace-trimmed pair, and stretched it to test the elasticity.

“These will do, I suppose,” Ning Jingzhe teased, closely watching Fang Yujia’s reaction.

At first, Fang Yujia didn’t notice, but seeing her sister-in-law holding both the box and the underwear, she realized with some discomfort that Ning Jingzhe had taken the pair Xiao Cheng had given her. Although the gift was meant as compensation, if anyone found out, they might get the wrong idea.

With quick reflexes, Fang Yujia snatched the underwear back. It was, after all, the first gift Xiao Cheng had ever given her, and given all he’d done, she was loath to part with it. Realizing she’d been a bit abrupt, she handed Ning Jingzhe another, unworn, larger pair.

“That one’s not right for you—try this one instead.”

Ning Jingzhe was not easily fooled. That fleeting trace of girlish embarrassment on Fang Yujia’s usually impassive face didn’t escape her notice. Fang Yujia, usually indifferent to everything, was flustered—this underwear must be special. Could it be a gift from someone?

The gossip in Ning Jingzhe’s heart flared up. She suddenly asked, “Who gave you that underwear?”

Caught off guard, Fang Yujia flushed and quickly replied, “I bought it myself!”

Noting her unusual expression, Ning Jingzhe concluded not only had someone given her the underwear, but that ‘someone’ was a man—otherwise, why would Fang Yujia look so shy?

A man giving a woman underwear usually means only one thing: they’d been intimate.

Who could possibly have won over the icy, untouchable Fang Yujia? Ning Jingzhe’s curiosity about the mysterious man grew, but she was genuinely pleased for Fang Yujia. It was good for her to find a partner; after all, no woman should be alone forever.

Ning Jingzhe decided to leave it at that—everyone had their secrets. She quickly changed the subject to what had happened with Xiao Cheng that night.

“Tonight, our little brother-in-law was almost killed. Good thing he acted fast and called Li Zirui, otherwise something really could have happened. That’s why I’m here so late—I had to take care of things.”

Hearing this, Fang Yujia was alarmed. Xiao Cheng had only been shot three days ago and clearly hadn’t recovered. Now someone was trying to kill him again? She grew anxious. “Was he hurt?”

“No, but it must have given him a scare.”

Relieved, Fang Yujia pressed on, “Who was after him?”

“It seems someone was targeting Zhuo Qinglian, and he was just caught up in it—not the intended target. The attackers were from Guanyu Security… but you probably haven’t heard of them.”

Fang Yujia always felt she and Ning Jingzhe lived in two different worlds. She didn’t understand Ning Jingzhe’s world, nor did she want to. Since Xiao Cheng was unharmed, she didn’t ask further.

…

After their late-night snack, Ning Jingzhe suddenly grew curious and wanted to look inside Xiao Cheng’s bedroom. She’d heard that the old master had personally come to catch Xiao Cheng the other day, only for him to escape. Knowing what the old master was capable of, she was astonished that the usually unreliable Xiao Cheng had managed to get away.

Taking advantage of Fang Yujia tidying up, Ning Jingzhe slipped to Xiao Cheng’s bedroom door. Just as she reached out to push it open, Fang Yujia called out, “Wait!”—but it was too late. With a thud, the wooden door toppled over, startling Ning Jingzhe.

“What are you doing, Jingzhe?” Fang Yujia asked, clearly displeased. Now that Xiao Cheng’s place in her heart was different, she didn’t want anyone snooping in his room—what if they discovered something? After all, Xiao Cheng had killed Fourth Uncle; that secret must never be known.

Ning Jingzhe gave an embarrassed laugh. She feared nothing in the Xiao family—except perhaps the wrath of the cold and reserved Fang Yujia.

“I was just curious.”

Fang Yujia couldn’t stop her, so she let Ning Jingzhe look around. Inside, Ning Jingzhe was surprised at how tidy the room was. Scanning the space, she noticed fine grains of sand on the wooden floor and signs that the wardrobe had been moved.

With her military background, Ning Jingzhe didn’t miss details. She moved the wardrobe aside.

At first, Fang Yujia was annoyed and puzzled by what Ning Jingzhe was doing—until she saw the large, head-sized hole in the white wall behind it.

Ning Jingzhe stared at the thirty-centimeter-deep hole and finally understood.

“That rascal! Trying to spy through the wall—absolutely shameless! I’ll have to teach him a lesson next time!” Furious, Ning Jingzhe’s chest heaved as she glared at the gaping hole. She’d been curious how Xiao Cheng had escaped from the old master, but this explained everything.

Why else would Xiao Cheng dig a hole in the wall, if not to peep at Fang Yujia sleeping next door? That rogue had the nerve to lust after his sister-in-law!

Fang Yujia was no fool; she realized Xiao Cheng’s intentions as well and blushed slightly. Fortunately, the hole hadn’t yet broken through, which was a relief.

If Xiao Cheng had known what his two sisters-in-law were thinking, he would have been speechless. The hole wasn’t for spying at all—he’d made it to escape from Xiao Fusheng, using cement to patch it afterward. But there hadn’t been enough cement, and he’d been busy protecting Fang Yujia, so the hole remained unfinished and hidden behind the wardrobe. He never expected his sister-in-law would discover it and so completely misunderstand his motives.

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