Chapter 51 Ranran, I'm very happy today.

Tang Ran blinked and put down Song Zhixu's handbag.

She took Song Zhixu's hand, turned to look at her, and said with a smile, "Now that you're here, I'll definitely go back with you. When are you planning to leave?"

"We'll leave as soon as the ship docks."

Song Zhixu pursed her lips, took Tang Ran's hand in return, and relaxed her furrowed brows a little.

"Um."

I noticed the change in her emotions.

Tang Ran breathed a sigh of relief.

She persisted, tugged at her clothes, pouted at the stains, and was in a bad mood.

"I don't know if it can be washed off."

Tang Ran was wearing the outfit that Song Zhixu had prepared for her after she spent the night in Beijing.

She cursed Sun Jiaojiao a thousand times in her heart.

They only know these low-class, outdated methods.

Couldn't we find a way that wouldn't get other people's clothes dirty?

That's both wicked and stupid.

Seeing the distressed look on her face, Song Zhixu's gaze softened. "I'll have someone send a new one tomorrow."

She picked out the clothes herself, and she recognized them.

"I'll ask the auntie to take it to the store to wash it and see. I've only worn it twice."

Tang Ran wasn't so extravagant as to throw away clothes simply because they got dirty.

Since these clothes were given to her by Song Zhixu, she should wear them a few more times.

"Okay," Song Zhixu said softly.

The light reflected off the water grew brighter and brighter; the cruise ship was slowly approaching the shore.

Tang Ran stood up, preparing to go down first.

At that moment, Song Wuqi called, asking where Tang Ran was and whether she wanted to get off the ship together.

Tang Ran said she had plans with friends and didn't need Song Wuqi to wait for her.

She put down her phone and saw that the boat was already very close to the shore.

"Shall I wait for you at the dock? Which section should I park the car in?" Tang Ran turned to look at Song Zhixu.

Her phone vibrated; it was a message from Miao Tiantian. She looked down, swiped to open the message, and walked outside.

Song Zhixu stood up, the smile in her eyes fading slightly. "I'll pick you up at C2."

C2 is the furthest exit from the pier where this cruise ship docks, so it's unlikely that anyone attending the dinner will be there to pick someone up.

Tang Ran looked up after replying to the message, missing Song Zhixu's expression.

"Um."

She put away her phone, opened the door, and looked outside.

There was no one in the hallway.

"Then I'll head out first."

Tang Ran turned around and said something to Song Zhixu, then quickly slipped away.

Be careful and sneaky.

Song Zhixu bent down and picked up the handbag.

Her slender fingers pinched the gold clasp, clicked it shut, and she walked slowly to the door, pressed the handle, and went out.

Assistant Jiang picked up his boss from the cruise ship terminal A1, turned around and walked back one block to park the car at C2.

Tang Ran nimbly opened the car door and got in.

Assistant Jiang glanced at the rearview mirror without making a sound.

She said that when she picked up her boss earlier, she sensed that he was in a bad mood.

So that's where the problem lies.

Assistant Jiang was also a little puzzled. Miss Tang had already hired a private investigator to find out that Manager Song was cheating, so why hadn't she exposed it yet?

Thinking about it this way, Assistant Jiang felt sorry for his boss.

The boss did so much behind the scenes and spared no effort in helping the Tang family, yet Miss Tang wouldn't even give him a proper title.

Even getting into a car requires sneaking around.

The boss is Manager Song's aunt. If someone were to photograph them being intimate together, it would definitely cause a media storm in Jiangcheng.

Assistant Jiang could already imagine that the headline on the front page of Jiangcheng News would be: Breaking! Shocking Scandal in a Wealthy Family! The Head of the Song Family Secretly Meets with His Niece's Girlfriend Late at Night!

At that time, not only will the public opinion field in Jiangcheng be shaken, but even the internal workings of the Song Group will be shaken.

Thinking of this, Assistant Jiang felt even more sorry for his boss.

The boss is really something. He's such a decisive and efficient person, how come he turns into a softie when he's with Miss Tang?

With a soft click, the glass partition behind the seat suddenly activated its fogging mode.

Assistant Jiang tightened his grip on the steering wheel, sat up straight, and focused on driving.

Tang Ran was still texting Miao Tiantian.

After the trip to Turtle Island, Xia Xin'er pulled Miao Tiantian back into their original three-person group chat.

Miao Tiantian asked in the group chat how the dinner party went, and Xia Xiner then posted about how they dealt with Sun Xiao and her sister in the group chat.

Not to mention Miao Tiantian in Beijing, even Qiu Yuan on the other side of the world has come out to show her face.

"That bastard Sun Xiao, wait until we get back, sisters, we'll help you beat him up for us!"

Tang Ran originally intended to transcribe the message into text, but accidentally turned Miao Tiantian's message into a public address.

The next message will be played automatically after the previous one finishes playing.

"Her hand will only do evil if left unused; sisters, cut it off for her to cure her permanently, so as to save her from..."

Tang Ran quickly pressed the pause button.

Without even listening further, Tang Ran could guess that what she was about to say would be both lewd and violent.

She subconsciously looked at Song Zhixu.

Song Zhixu turned her head slightly, her gaze falling on Miao Tiantian's phone, clearly having heard what Miao Tiantian had said.

Tang Ran coughed, changing the subject, "Is work a bit tricky?"

When she got into the car, Song Zhixu was processing emails on her tablet. The cold white screen light shone on her indifferent face, making her look somewhat serious.

"fine."

Song Zhixu put down the tablet and looked at Tang Ran's face. "Want to get something to eat?"

After the unveiling ceremony, Tang Ran went to the second floor without having a chance to eat.

"Go home and eat. I'll have someone deliver food to your apartment."

Tang Ran called the restaurant manager and ordered a meal for two, guessing that Song Zhixu hadn't eaten much either.

My phone vibrated several more times; I knew without a doubt it was a message from Miao Tiantian.

Tang Ran looked down and swiped to open her phone.

"Tang Ran".

Song Zhixu called out to her.

"Hmm?" Tang Ran turned to look at her.

“I have evidence that Sun Zhongji abused his position to illegally issue loans, accept huge sums of money as gifts, and embezzle public funds to speculate in stocks for profit.”

Song Zhixu locked the tablet and placed it aside, his voice slightly somber, "Do we need to release it now?"

Tang Ran's pupils trembled.

Miao Tiantian said she wanted to cut off Sun Xiao's finger, but she could take it as a joke.

What Song Zhixu said was absolutely true; he could do exactly what he said.

Compared to bringing down Sun Xiao's father and removing Sun Xiao's protector, cutting off two fingers is like children playing house.

The boss is indeed a boss; his actions are extraordinary from the very first move.

but.

"How did you get evidence of Sun Xiao's father's embezzlement and bribery?" Tang Ran asked directly as soon as she thought of it.

"I had someone investigate."

Song Zhixu spoke in a calm tone, as if he were checking his own company's accounts.

"Did he offend you?"

This kind of thing can't be found out in a day or two. Tang Ran wasn't so narcissistic that Song Zhixu had already investigated the Sun family for her two months ago.

Song Zhixu looked at her and said, "I guess so."

Tang Ran didn't think much of it, "But it's best not to expose it for now. I need Sun Xiao to do something for me."

"Hmm." Song Zhixu responded, without asking what she wanted Sun Xiao for, only reminding her, "Even if you don't release him now, you won't be able to hide it after a while."

Sun Zhongji recently had a problem with one of his transactions, which has already attracted the attention of higher authorities.

Tang Ran was surprised, calculated the time, and hurriedly asked, "Has it been half a month?"

Song Zhixu quickly calculated the date, raising an eyebrow slightly, "The 13th of next month?"

Today is the 30th, and the 13th will be two weeks later.

Song Wuqi's birthday is August 12th.

Tang Ran didn't think there was anything wrong with her expression.

She nodded in agreement.

“It won’t be that fast,” Song Zhixu replied.

"Then it doesn't matter." Tang Ran was relieved, and then told her, "Then you shouldn't interfere."

Since the higher-ups have already taken note, let's not let Song Zhixu get involved in this mess.

In his previous life, Sun Zhongji was brought down because of corruption and bribery.

However, this happened a year later.

Since she returned, many things have changed, and Tang Ran doesn't find it strange that Sun Zhongji would fall from power prematurely.

Back at the mansion, Tang Ran belatedly realized what Song Zhixu meant by raising an eyebrow.

The cleaning of the upscale apartment was impeccable; the smooth, shiny elevator car doors were spotless.

Tang Ran didn't need to turn around to see the face of the person behind her.

Song Zhixu held her bag with her hands folded, her eyes slightly lowered, her gaze casually falling in front of her.

His expression was calm, but upon closer inspection, a subtle hint of disappointment was faintly visible.

It felt very similar to when Song Zhixu applied the medicine to her.

Tang Ran suddenly realized something.

She thought about what happened next again and finally figured things out.

Tang Ran secretly glanced at Song Zhixu again, thinking that this person usually seemed so easy to talk to, but when he got angry and sullen, he was quite difficult to coax.

She thought she had already appeased him while she was on the boat.

The elevator has reached the 19th floor.

An electronic announcement sounded.

Song Zhixu looked up.

Tang Ran turned around and took Song Zhixu's hand, asking, "What are you thinking about so intently?"

She led Song Zhixu out of the elevator without asking his opinion and pulled him directly towards her home.

Song Zhixu let her pull him along, but her words softened as she said, "It's nothing."

There's nothing to it.

Saying one thing and meaning another.

Tang Ran mentally complained.

He opened the door and led the people inside.

Seeing that she had changed into slippers, Tang Ran spoke: "Song Zhixu."

When Song Zhixu heard Tang Ran call her name, she reacted for a moment.

Tang Ran suddenly moved closer, her fingers hooking around Song Zhixu's fingertips, "Do you want to know what I'm going to have Sun Xiao do?"

Although Tang Ran had agreed to give it a try with Song Zhixu, she didn't truly believe that she and Song Zhixu were currently in a relationship.

After being reborn, she no longer considered Song Wuqi as her girlfriend, but they hadn't officially broken up yet.

During those few days in Turtle Island and Beijing, things happened so suddenly that Tang Ran was actually a little dizzy.

He even felt it was perfectly natural to have something happen between him and Song Zhixu just because of a sudden impulse.

But if that actually happens, it would be disrespectful to both her and Song Zhixu.

After returning home, Tang Ran has truly and seriously thought a lot in the past few days.

She could sense Song Zhixu's sincerity and didn't want to betray her goodwill.

Tang Ran had already planned how to expose Song Wuqi's affair long before she agreed to Song Zhixu's request.

She hadn't originally intended to tell Song Zhixu about it.

But now she not only wants to cancel the engagement by exposing Song Wuqi's infidelity, but also wants to change the engagement partner to Song Zhixu.

As a result, things became far more complicated than initially planned.

If Song Zhixu wasn't Song Wuqi's aunt.

Even if Tang Ran broke up with Song Wuqi one day and then officially announced her marriage to Song Zhixu the next day, no one would say anything.

With the aunt-niece relationship in place, even if they were to get together after ten years apart, in other people's eyes, countless versions of a scandalous love story in a wealthy family would still unfold.

Tang Ran didn't want to become the subject of gossip or third-rate stories, nor did she want Song Zhixu's reputation to be damaged because of being with her.

Tang Ran came up with a solution, but it was a solution she couldn't accomplish on her own.

She originally intended to discuss it with Song Zhixu after she returned.

When Song Zhixu asked her last time if she wanted to continue the engagement, Tang Ran guessed that Song Zhixu probably had his own plans.

Exposing Song Wuqi's infidelity was part of Tang Ran's plan, and also the entry point for her to talk to Song Zhixu.

If you do the math, it's only been a little over ten days since she agreed to Song Zhixu's request.

The past ten days or so spent with Song Zhixu made Tang Ran feel very relaxed, and she was willing to try to trust Song Zhixu.

However, her trust in Song Zhixu was still quite limited.

Before deciding to speak, Tang Ran thought that perhaps she could wait until Song Wuqi was exposed before talking to Song Zhixu about the rest.

At the very least, she achieved her primary goal.

Tang Ran hesitated before stepping into the house.

Until Song Zhixu's name was called out.

Regardless of what happens in the future, at least for this moment, she doesn't want to see Song Zhixu disappointed again.

Ding-dong!

The doorbell ring from the first-floor housekeeper interrupted the conversation that was about to begin.

The restaurant's takeout has arrived. The housekeeper asked Tang Ran if she wanted it brought up to her now.

Their conversation was postponed until after dinner.

After quickly tidying up the trash, Tang Ran pulled Song Zhixu to sit down on the sofa.

He took the initiative to speak about his plans.

After explaining how to expose Song Wuqi, Tang Ran paused to observe Song Zhixu's expression and wait for her reaction.

She was afraid that Song Zhixu would say she had gone too far, and she was also afraid that Song Zhixu would ask her why she had gone so far.

Song Zhixu pondered for a moment before asking her what her next plan was.

Tang Ran breathed a sigh of relief and then explained the rest of the plan.

"These are the best solutions I can think of. What do you think? Are there any potential problems?"

Song Zhixu looked at her, her eyes full of tenderness, "It's better than the method I came up with."

Her solution was simpler and more efficient than Tang Ran's.

But Tang Ran's plan was more comprehensive and offered her more protection.

"Really?" Tang Ran didn't believe it.

"real."

Song Zhixu nodded seriously and told Tang Ran what he originally wanted to say.

After listening, Tang Ran raised her chin and said, "Then my plan is indeed better!"

"Hmm." Song Zhixu smiled and praised, "Ranran is really amazing!"

Her gaze was like water, and the emotions flowing in her eyes were undisguised.

It's a bit overwhelming.

Tang Ran's expression froze slightly, and a faint warmth rose from her ears.

She raised her voice and got up from the sofa, not even glancing at Song Zhixu.

"I'm a little thirsty, I'll go get some water."

After saying that, Tang Ran ran off to the restaurant in a flash.

Before officially breaking up with Song Wuqi, she must resist Song Zhixu's temptations.

Song Zhixu turned her head to the side, her smiling eyes following the retreating figure.

Tang Ran drank a large glass of ice water herself and poured one for Song Zhixu as well.

The moon is high in the sky.

Before leaving, Song Zhixu rubbed the medicinal wine on Tang Ran's wrist again.

Tang Ran escorted Song Zhixu to the door and said goodbye to her.

After putting on his shoes and stepping out the door, Song Zhixu turned around and gently hugged Tang Ran.

"Ranran, I'm very happy today."

Tang Ran's ability to talk to her so much was a big step forward for her.

The embrace was brief, and by the time Tang Ran realized what had happened, they were already on the other side of the corridor.

"Thump!"

The expected sound of the door closing came from behind. Song Zhixu paused in her unlocking hand and turned to look at the door opposite.

She suddenly felt a little regretful.

Since they're going to be shy anyway, we should have hugged them a little longer.

Early morning.

Sun Xiao woke up from his coma in a daze and remembered what had happened last night.

An unbearable pain shot through her entire body, and she gritted her teeth, dragging her weak right arm as she sat up.

Despite his constant swearing, Sun Xiao used his barely functional left hand to pull out his phone, preparing to call someone to retaliate against Song Wuqi.

Damn it! How dare you hit me! If I don't get someone to kill Song Wuqi, I'll change my name to Grandson!

I opened my phone and a notification popped up for an unread message.

It was an unfamiliar number.

The message included a video, the first shot of which showed her wearing the same outfit she was wearing today.

Sun Xiao's eyelids twitched, and he clicked on the video.

The video shows her dragging Tang Ran into the house.

Tang Ran's face was blurred in the video, but her face was not covered and could be seen clearly.

The video is accompanied by the following text: If you don't want me to send this video to your aunt, you'd better swallow this beating!

It carries a strong sense of danger.

It's obvious that it was posted by Song Wuqi.

Enraged, Sun Xiao raised his hand and smashed his phone.

She was already in pain all over, and this shove only made it worse, bringing tears to her eyes.

"Damn it! Song Wuqi, I'm going to kill you!"

The sinister look in Sun Xiao's eyes deepened. "Trying to play dirty tricks on me, huh? I'll make you pay!"

The sky was just beginning to lighten, and the cicadas in the trees had already started chirping.

Tang Ran got up with a yawn and opened the group messages that had been popping up non-stop since early morning.

The screen is filled with messages about Qiu Yuan and Miao Tiantian, which are so offensive they're almost painful to look at.

Tang Ran curiously scrolled up to see more.

An hour ago, Xia Xiner posted several photos, all of which were of Sun Jiaojiao passionately kissing someone else.

Yesterday, after drinking the glass of wine she had prepared, Sun Jiaojiao got really high and was even dragged into a bubble party at the pool.

Tang Ran glanced at the photos briefly; there were more than a dozen photos, some of men and some of women, and each one featured a different person.

Tsk.

Tang Ran posted a picture of sewage removal in the group chat, then got up and went to wash her eyes.

After washing up and putting on a beautiful makeup, Tang Ran strolled leisurely to the living room with her hands behind her back.

When Tang Ran reached the sliding door, she first gently opened it a crack, and after hearing the sound from the balcony next door, she pushed the glass door open forcefully.

Hearing the noise, the person on the neighboring balcony turned around. Tang Ran leaned out of the door frame, opened her hand, and waved to the person opposite.

Good morning!

Her smile was radiant, as dazzling as the sun.

Song Zhixu smiled and said, "Good morning."

Tang Ran walked onto the balcony, leaned on the railing, and asked her, "How is it? I took good care of her, right?"

"It's excellent." Song Zhixu smiled. "Ranran is fantastic!"

"Yeah." Tang Ran was in a great mood. "Have you had breakfast yet?"

Song Zhixu put down the kettle. "Not yet."

"I ordered breakfast, want to come together?" Tang Ran smiled even more broadly.

"OK."

"Then you wait and see!"

Tang Ran loosened the fence, quickly returned to the house, and happily took breakfast to the next room.

After the meal, Song Zhixu examined Tang Ran's wrist again.

After a night, Tang Ran's entire wrist was covered in marks, with the most obvious ones on the palm side, where two spots were particularly severe, turning purplish-blue.

Song Zhixu said seriously, "I'll take you to the hospital to get an X-ray."

During the meal, she noticed that Tang Ran unconsciously frowned when she bent her hand to pick up food.

"No need, no need. It just looks serious, but it'll be fine in a couple of days. It's nothing serious," Tang Ran said with a smile, pulling her hand back.

Seeing that she insisted, Song Zhixu didn't try to persuade her anymore and turned to get the medicinal wine from home.

After applying the medicine, she pulled Tang Ran along, saying, "Ranran."

"Hmm?" Tang Ran looked at her.

Song Zhixu glanced at the injury on her wrist, then looked up at her and said softly, "Please don't put yourself at risk anymore, okay?"

His tone was pleading, but also full of worry.

Tang Ran was taken aback.

For some reason, Tang Ran had the illusion that Song Zhixu had guessed the secret of her rebirth.

But the thought was fleeting.

She thought that normal people wouldn't have such wild imaginations as to guess such fantastical things.

Song Zhixu was probably just too worried about her.

Tang Ran felt a pang of tenderness in her heart.

She nodded obediently, "Okay."

Having finally been reborn, she cherishes this precious life.

Song Zhixu's brows relaxed slightly.

He took a blue velvet box out of the pocket of his loungewear and handed it to Tang Ran.