Page 27

Shen Baili bent down and climbed into the car, setting her umbrella by her feet.

Xie Zhiyu handed her a towel. "Did your shoes get wet? Do you need to go back and change?"

Shen Baili took the towel and dried her hair. "They're dry."

"Eldest Brother, we can go now." She glanced at her watch. She was almost late.

Xie Zhiyu noticed her glance. "Haicheng No. 1 High School first."

Assistant Liu entered the destination. "Okay."

The luxury car pulled away. Xie Zhiyu glanced at Shen Baili as she dried her hair and turned up the heat.

Neither of them tried to make conversation. The buzz of a phone broke the silence in the car.

Xie Zhiyu checked the caller ID and answered. "Sang Ya, what is it?"

At the sound of Sang Ya's name, Shen Baili quietly pricked up her ears.

On the other end, Sang Ya was nervous. Xie Zhiyu's cool tone stung, and she blurted out, "Can't I call you unless I need something?"

"You're my fiancé!" she complained.

Xie Zhiyu fell silent for a moment. "I've been busy lately and haven't paid enough attention to you. I'm sorry."

Sang Ya took the initiative. "Are you free tonight, then? Let's have dinner together."

Xie Zhiyu considered it. "All right. I'll pick you up after work."

Sang Ya's tone softened considerably. "You're busy. I'll come to your office."

Xie Zhiyu said, "All right. Call my assistant when you get downstairs, and he'll bring you up."

Having gotten what she wanted, Sang Ya didn't press him further. "Got it, busy man."

"I have to get to work. Talk tonight."

"Mm."

Once it was clear Sang Ya had nothing else to say, Xie Zhiyu hung up and rubbed his temples.

Silence settled over the car again.

Shen Baili couldn't hear Sang Ya's side of the call. She could only piece together what had happened from Xie Zhiyu's answers.

Sang Ya had called to arrange dinner with Xie Zhiyu, and she was going to his company.

What do I do? What do I do?

The girl's panicked voice rang unusually loud in the quiet, enclosed car.

Xie Zhiyu glanced sideways at her. Before he could ask anything, her next thought hit him like a string of firecrackers.

How am I supposed to tell Eldest Brother his fiancée is up to no good? In a week, she'll steal the company's trade secrets and hand them to the CEO of a rival bidder!!!!

Xie Zhiyu's ears twitched. His gaze fell on Shen Baili's tightly closed mouth. She hadn't spoken, yet he had heard his stepsister's voice perfectly clearly.

Without giving anything away, he looked at his assistant in the front seat. Assistant Liu's expression was normal. He showed no sign of having heard anything strange.

Shen Baili's voice continued.

That rival CEO is the boyfriend Sang Ya's been secretly dating...

Ugh, Eldest Brother's actually pretty nice. How can I let him know without making it obvious?

Should I just tell him? But nobody would believe me. He'd think I'd lost my mind, and I can't exactly say I'm @#@#@#...

What if I dyed my hair green???

Shen Baili's mind raced. Xie Zhiyu appeared calm, but his firm belief in a material world was taking a tremendous blow.

He couldn't tell which shocked him more: hearing his stepsister's thoughts or the enormity of what she had revealed.

Perhaps it was both.

The luxury car came to a smooth stop outside the school. By then, the storm had passed.

Shen Baili shouldered her backpack. "Eldest Brother, thanks for taking me to school."

Xie Zhiyu nodded. "Mm."

She opened the door, then turned back before getting out. As though summoning all her courage, she asked, "Eldest Brother, when you come home tonight, could you bring me a green matcha cake?"

"The greener it is, the better it tastes," she emphasized.

Xie Zhiyu looked at her calmly. He could see the concern and nerves in her clear eyes. He gave a slight nod. "Sure. See you tonight."

When Eldest Brother brings the matcha cake home, I'll talk to him about the chapter called "Betrayal" in that book.

I'm a genius!

Relieved, Shen Baili ran toward the school gates with a spring in her step.

She didn't see the unreadable look in Xie Zhiyu's eyes behind her.

Only after Shen Baili entered the school did Xie Zhiyu roll up the window. "Let's go."

"Assistant Liu, did you hear anything strange earlier?"

Assistant Liu looked puzzled. "What kind of sound? The heater?"

Xie Zhiyu shook his head. "Turn the heat down. It's a little warm."

As the temperature in the car fell, his thoughts grew clearer. He took out his phone and pulled up two hospital reports: a psychiatric evaluation and a hearing test. Both showed no abnormalities.

He lowered his eyes in thought, tapping a fingertip against the seat.

So... what I heard just now was Shen Baili's inner voice?

Sang Ya is dating the Gu Family's Illegitimate Son? And she'll steal the company's trade secrets?

Xie Zhiyu thought it over. He was certain Shen Baili bore the Xie Family no ill will. But how had a fifteen-year-old high school girl learned any of this? Or was someone trying to use her?

Shen Baili... can I trust her?

Should I believe her?

Xie Zhiyu decided to trust his instincts.

After a long while, Assistant Liu heard Xie Zhiyu give an instruction. "Contact the Private Detective we work with. Have them investigate Sang Ya and Gu Yeliang thoroughly."

He paused, curling his fingers inward. "And find out whether they've had any contact in private."

Surprise flashed in Assistant Liu's eyes, but his professionalism held. "Of course, President Xie."

"Be discreet. Don't tip them off."

Xie Zhiyu gazed calmly out the window. The dark clouds parted, and the sky gradually brightened.

First, I'll confirm it.

Assistant Liu kept his eyes on the road and drove even more steadily.

That evening, Xie Zhiyu returned to the Xie Residence with a matcha cake. Shen Baili took it from him in delight. "Thank you, Eldest Brother."