Page 27

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

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

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

"Big Brother, we can go." 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. "Got it."

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

Neither of them started a conversation. The buzz of a phone broke the silence.

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. Hearing Xie Zhiyu's cool voice made her feel a little hurt, 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 your feelings. I'm sorry."

Sang Ya took the initiative. "Are you free tonight? 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 did not press him further. "Got it, Mr. Busy."

"I have to get to work. We'll 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 could not hear Sang Ya's side of the call, but Xie Zhiyu's replies told her enough.

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 unnaturally loud in the quiet, enclosed car.

Xie Zhiyu turned toward her, but before he could ask anything, her voice burst over him like a string of firecrackers.

[How do I tell Big Brother his fiancée is up to no good? In a week, she's going to steal his 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 lips. She had not spoken, yet he had heard his stepsister's voice perfectly clearly.

Without betraying any reaction, he looked toward his assistant in the front seat. Assistant Liu's expression was normal. He had noticed nothing strange.

Shen Baili's voice continued.

[That rival CEO is the boyfriend Sang Ya has been secretly seeing...]

[Sigh. Big Brother's actually pretty nice. How can I let him know without making it too obvious?]

[What if I just tell him? No one would believe me. They'd think I'd lost my mind, and I can't exactly say I'm @#@#@#...]

[What if I dye my hair green???]

Shen Baili's thoughts raced. Xie Zhiyu appeared calm, but his firmly held belief in a rational world was taking a violent blow.

He could not tell which was more shocking: that he could hear his stepsister's thoughts, or the enormity of what she had revealed.

Perhaps it was both.

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

Shen Baili picked up her schoolbag. "Big Brother, thanks for taking me to school."

Xie Zhiyu nodded. "Mm."

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

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

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

[When Big Brother comes back with the Matcha cake, 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 lighter step.

She did not see the inscrutable look in Xie Zhiyu's eyes behind her.

Xie Zhiyu waited until Shen Baili had entered the school before rolling up the window. "Drive."

"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 mind 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 finger lightly against the seat.

So... had he just heard Shen Baili's thoughts?

Sang Ya was dating the Gu Family's Illegitimate Son? And she would steal his company's trade secrets?

Xie Zhiyu considered it. He was certain Shen Baili meant the Xie Family no harm. But where would a fifteen-year-old schoolgirl have learned this? Or was someone trying to use her?

Shen Baili—could she be trusted?

Should he trust her?

Xie Zhiyu decided to trust his instincts.

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

He paused, curling his fingers inward. "Find out whether the two of them have had any contact in private."

Surprise flashed through Assistant Liu's eyes, but his professionalism held. "Yes, President Xie."

"Be careful not to tip them off."

Xie Zhiyu looked calmly out the window. The dark clouds were parting, and the sky was gradually brightening.

First, I'll confirm it.

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

That evening, Xie Zhiyu brought a matcha cake back to the Xie Residence. Shen Baili accepted it with delight. "Thank you, Big Brother."

Ranking List

|

Transmigration into a Book

Wish-Fulfillment Fiction

Rich CEO

Female Supporting Character Story

Transmigration and Rebirth Romance

Pumpkin Vine

Mind Reading

Beloved by Everyone