Nothing but a Player

Shen Yanchuan raised an eyebrow and admitted with a chuckle, "That's right, she's my cousin. We're not close, but she's still family, more or less."

I gave a cold laugh. "So that's how it is."

It turned out all of this had been nothing but a game played by the Shen cousins.

And I was merely a player for them to toy with.

The night rain was bone-chilling.

I walked along the street, my shoes already soaked through, my whole body as wet as a homeless stray dog.

Raindrops fell from the sky, pelting my face and running down my hair into my collar, icy enough to pierce my bones.

I looked up at the gloomy sky, my vision blurred by the curtain of rain.

For one fleeting moment, a thought actually crossed my mind.

If only this rain could turn into knives and simply stab me to death, blade after blade.

At least I wouldn't have to face the wreckage of my life anymore.

I wanted to hail a taxi home, only to realize... I had no "home" to go back to.

The villa belonged to Gu Hansheng, and I didn't have the courage to return.

And the warm home that had once been filled with laughter now held only my parents' endless arguments. It had long since fallen to pieces.

I just stood in the middle of the road, letting the cold rain beat against my face, shivering all over.

At that moment, for the first time, I understood what it meant to be utterly powerless.

Just as despair was about to swallow me whole, my phone vibrated.

It was Qin An'an.

I struggled to steady my breathing as I answered. "Hello..."

The instant An'an heard me, she became alarmed. "Hanhan, what's wrong? You don't sound right! Where are you?"

I told her where I was.

Before long, a white sedan pulled up beside me.

Qin An'an rushed over as soon as she got out, holding an umbrella over me as she frowned. "How did you get this soaked? Are you cold?"

I forced a faint smile as she half pushed, half pulled me into the car.

I went back with her to her apartment. It wasn't large, but it was warm.

An aromatherapy lamp sat in the corner, and a faint jasmine fragrance filled the air.

It was An'an's scent, clean and reassuring.

She thrust a bath towel into my arms. "Go take a hot shower."

Steam rose in the bathroom, and it was almost only through that warmth that I recovered some sense of being alive.

When I came out, An'an was already sitting on the sofa. She handed me a steaming cup of ginger tea.

I took it. The heat scalded my palms, but that pain felt incredibly real.

"Hanhan." An'an's eyes reddened at the sight of my bedraggled state. "Damn me, I should have gone with you today! But something came up at home and I got stuck there. By the time I got out, things had already ended on your side..."

I gently shook my head and forced a small smile. "It's okay. It's all over now."

She narrowed her eyes, unconvinced. "What exactly happened?"

I stayed silent for a long while before telling her everything that had happened that evening, leaving nothing out.

From the stage at Goddess Night to Shen Nian's deliberate humiliation.

I tried to keep my tone calm, but the more I spoke, the more my voice trembled.

By the time An'an finished listening, she was exploding with anger. She slammed her hand against the sofa. "That green tea bitch Shen Nian! She was obviously bullying you on purpose! That competition might have been a trap the cousins deliberately set up! Just to humiliate you! It's my fault too. It never even occurred to me, and you ended up suffering."

I pressed my lips together. "This has nothing to do with you. Don't blame yourself."

"And that Shen Yanchuan," An'an said through gritted teeth, her anger still burning. "He's no good either. You know what? Back when you married Gu Hansheng, I already hated the way he looked at you. That smile was so sleazy and frivolous. It made me sick."

She held my hand, her tone suddenly turning serious. "Hanhan, no matter what happens, you mustn't give up on yourself. Especially with Shen Yanchuan-you absolutely can't fall into his trap."

I nodded, my nose stinging with tears. "An'an, I have nothing left now."

She squeezed my hand firmly. "You still have me."

As she spoke, she pressed a bank card into my hand.

"Things are bad all around right now, and there isn't much money I can get from my family. There's four million here. I'll find a way to get the rest."

I wanted to decline, but I simply wasn't in any position to refuse.

I really did need money now.

I could no longer hold back my tears. Choking up, I said, "An'an, thank you. I'll pay you back as soon as I can."

Qin An'an wiped away my tears. "Don't talk about thanking me. Here's the key to this place. From now on, this is your home. Come whenever you want."

Here with Qin An'an, I felt the greatest warmth.

Perhaps this world wasn't quite so rotten after all.

That evening, Qin An'an was called home by her family. I didn't know what had happened.

My head felt muddled. After getting drenched in the rain, I had fallen ill after all, and I had a high fever.

Just as I was getting up to fetch the first-aid kit and look for fever medicine.

The phone rang. It was Yu Hui.

I answered weakly, but the voice on the other end wasn't Yu Hui's.

"Is this Yu Hui's older sister?" It was a man's rough voice.

I froze, then immediately frowned and asked, "Yes. Who are you? Where's Yu Hui?"

The man gave a dry cough. "Your little brother stole something from our boss. Now you have two choices. First, bring over five million, and we'll call it settled. Second, come collect your brother's corpse."

My heart jolted. These people were clearly not to be trifled with.

Forcing myself to endure my physical discomfort, I warned them, "Don't you dare do anything! I'll call the police and have you arrested!"

A burst of brazen laughter came from the other end.

"Call the police? Ha... go ahead and try!" The man's voice was hoarse and vicious. "Let's see whether the police get here first or your brother dies first!"