Chapter 46 Let the Person Taking the Lead Among You Speak to Me Directly

Wen Yanli stood by the bed, watching her. “Get up and have breakfast first. I’ll tell you as you eat.”

Just from these words, Song Mi knew that things were very much as the two of them had speculated last night.

As expected.

The person who abducted Qiao Weiwei had done it to get at her.

But what Song Mi hadn’t anticipated was that there was more to it than she knew—the other party actually had a video of their passionate night two evenings ago. “It was Shen Ruming.”

Because in Shen Ruming’s hands was a video of Rong Le and Li Xinyue participating in a drug party.

Shen Ruming was simply following suit!

Song Mi instinctively narrowed her eyes, and in her amber gaze flashed a chill as sharp as a blade. “Give me the video, I’ll investigate.”

Wen Yanli looked at her, his brows knitting just slightly. “The only thing you need to do right now is rest in bed.”

Meeting the warning in his eyes, Song Mi’s heart skipped a beat.

So this is what it feels like to be truly cherished and protected.

His tone was unmistakably forceful and brooked no argument, yet oddly, she didn’t mind. “Alright, I’ll investigate right here in bed.”

But it wasn’t easy.

This time, Shen Ruming had been careful—most likely sending the video from an old mobile phone, completely untraceable.

She refused to give up and tinkered with it for a long while, but still found no usable clues.

Yet her swift and unconventional keystrokes, once again, rippled through someone’s heart like a stone cast into a tranquil lake, the disturbance lingering long after.

He watched the woman before him: dark hair unadorned, snow-white skin like condensed cream, lips pale but not sickly—a hint of peach-pink moisture glistened there.

It made one want to taste her, but only gently.

She was wholly absorbed in the screen, sometimes frowning, sometimes narrowing her eyes with a sidelong glance.

Unbidden, Wen Yanli’s gaze deepened and curved with intrigue—if she were a labyrinth, what would he find at the end if he crossed through every twist and turn?

After several failed attempts, Song Mi gave up.

Besides, this was only a backup plan. Even if she found the source, it wouldn’t resolve the threat hanging over them.

Shen Ruming must have made multiple copies.

Ye Zhao had found the hairpin on the bathroom sink and discovered a micro camera hidden inside.

This latest model came equipped with a self-destruct mechanism triggered by tampering.

Ye Zhao hadn’t told her immediately, but kept the device intact.

She examined it closely. Though the chip was destroyed, the remnants were useful—she identified the model and started a discussion on the dark web. Most responses were: camera limited to xxx*xxx.

The exact specifications varied.

The bathroom had indeed been where it all started.

But neither of them remembered clearly how far things had gone, or exactly when they left.

Still, passivity had never been her style. She chose to go on the offensive. “Attorney Wen, let’s take a gamble.”

Wen Yanli understood.

She was basing her plan on the location of that diamond hairpin.

Perhaps by chance, she’d tossed it between two ceramic bottles on the sink.

Which meant a significant blind spot for the camera’s field of view.

Knowing she had more to say, he didn’t question further.

Across from him, Song Mi’s eyes remained fixed on the laptop, her fingers never pausing. Soon, she produced a simulation of the camera’s coverage area. “Here, look.”

She quickly turned the laptop toward him.

After a thorough look, Wen Yanli met her gaze. “What’s your plan?”

From his tone, Song Mi immediately realized he was like her—unintimidated by threats.

Or rather, unafraid.

Her heart fluttered, and her words took on a playful edge. “Attorney Wen, you’re the epitome of an elite, a living legend in the legal world!”

The curve of his lips softened. “Then I have all the more reason not to give in to criminal coercion, don’t I?”

Song Mi laughed, the faint dimples in her cheeks blooming, the mirth reaching her eyes.

The mood between them felt almost indecently harmonious, given Qiao Weiwei’s disappearance.

This so-called threat to their reputation truly didn’t bother Song Mi. Unexpectedly, neither did the man before her.

It wasn’t that they didn’t value their privacy, nor were they shameless by nature. But even if the video were to spread, becoming gossip, fodder for ridicule—what real harm could it do them?

Gossip wounds, online abuse destroys, but fame—no matter how brilliant or empty—can be just as much a hindrance.

Once you see through the nature of life, all the world’s splendor and filth amount to little.

Song Mi was someone who lived as though dying, with less freedom each day—she could keep her composure no matter what.

Yet he, as a lawyer, could also remain worldly yet unworldly, unfettered by reputation or gain. That was worthy of her admiration.

There was no denying how well matched they were.

All the more reason she couldn’t bear to lose him.

How could she let him be ruined, his hard-earned career destroyed?

She would never let that happen.

Her thoughts sharpened, and a cold glint flickered in her amber eyes. Song Mi spoke quickly: “Attorney Wen, you must know people in the relevant authorities.”

Wen Yanli’s lips lifted. “What for?”

She smiled again, but this time the smile didn’t reach her eyes. “To be a model citizen and report inappropriate behavior, of course!”

…

Before dark, Shen Ruming called.

Clearly, the authorities had acted swiftly and decisively against illegal activities.

Rong Le and Li Xinyue must have already been invited to assist with an investigation.

“It was you, wasn’t it, Song Mi?” Shen Ruming got straight to the point, voice tight with rage and barely suppressed fury. “Didn’t I warn you? If you touch Jiaxing, I’ll go all out against you!”

Song Mi sat up slowly and gave a soft, dismissive laugh. “And what are you going to use against me?”

“Our so-called action movie?” After a day in bed, even her back was aching. As she spoke, she straightened up, arching her back. “Or are you talking about Xia Yuan’s whereabouts?”

“Should I add Qiao Weiwei to that list?”

At this point, Shen Ruming stopped beating around the bush and snorted coldly. “What, still not enough?”

“If not, I’ll add one more.” Clearly here to take the lead, Shen Ruming laid her cards on the table in one breath. “We’ve already jointly submitted an application to change the share structure. Just wait to be kicked off the board!”

“Song Mi, all that blood loss still didn’t kill you on the operating table—you really are hard to kill!” Shen Ruming’s words now were nothing but insult and vented spite. “And as for you and that man going at it for three hundred rounds—I almost feel sorry for my late husband in his grave for three seconds!”

“That lawyer Wen—does he satisfy you? He truly embodies the meaning of a beast in a suit…”

“Enough!” Song Mi wasn’t truly angry, but she raised her voice, chilly as ice. “Shen Ruming, don’t you think you ought to watch your mouth, for your son’s sake?”

That brought Shen Ruming up short, silencing her at once.

Before she could respond, Song Mi threw out another bombshell. “Why not call your nanny right now and ask if your son mentioned anything unusual on the way home from school today?”

“Song Mi, if you lay a hand on my son, I—”

“Again, you’re threatening to go all out? How many lives do you think you have, Miss Seven?”

“Or rather, how many lives does your son, Su Zherui, have?”

Shen Ruming let out a shrill scream. “Song Mi, are you even a woman? What happens between adults should stay between adults—how can you drag children into this…”

“And who was it,” Song Mi retorted, her voice forceful, “who killed my child?” The words seemed to pull at her insides, pain radiating through her abdomen.

There was sudden silence on the line.

Song Mi struggled to steady her breathing.

On the other end, Shen Ruming’s breath was ragged and uneven.

Song Mi spoke again, her meaning clear. “Shen Ruming, you’re just a pawn—you can’t make the decisions. Tell whoever’s pulling the strings to talk to me directly.”

Still, Shen Ruming said nothing.

She was truly intimidated.

Song Mi was terrifying—how had she uncovered Rui Rui’s existence?

She had a son who’d only just started first grade. Even the Shen family didn’t know about him. Song Mi had only been in Jinzhou for a short time—how had she found out?

For Shen Ruming, her son was everything. No amount of money Jiaxing Media could bring was worth even a strand of Rui Rui’s hair.

As if reading her thoughts, Song Mi added, “But you have another option—defect now.”

Defect?

Even if Shen Ruming wanted to, she didn’t have the weight to do it.

Song Mi was right—she was just a pawn. Not being a core player meant her knowledge was limited. “I don’t know where Xia Yuan and Qiao Weiwei are, but I can offer you something else in exchange.”