novelraw Chapter 229: A Lingering Ghost
Chapter 229: A Lingering Ghost
The thought churned in her mind, growing ever clearer.
’Just one strike, and I’ll make her scream in agony, leave her bleeding all over the floor!’
’Let her have a taste of pain!’
She was just a single step away from Song Qingya.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
"Director? Are you in there? You haven’t eaten, have you? I brought you something to eat."
A familiar voice drifted from outside the door.
’It’s Old Liu’s voice!’
Song Qingya snapped awake.
The moment the knocking started, her body tensed instinctively.
It was the kind of alertness that had been drilled into her very bones during her past life as a special agent.
In that instant, she keenly perceived that besides herself, there was another person in the office!
The breathing was extremely faint and intermittent, hidden behind the hum of the air conditioner.
If not for her extraordinary perception, she would have never noticed it.
She gave no sign of alarm, merely flicking her gaze toward the sound out of the corner of her eye.
The light was dim, and the corner to the right of her desk was shrouded in shadow.
But she still managed to catch a shadow with her peripheral vision.
The shadow quickly drew back.
Song Qingya’s heart tightened, and a cold sweat almost instantly broke out on her back.
’Danger was close!’
’Someone was hiding in here, and they must have been approaching me just a moment ago!’
Instead of reacting, she lazily rolled over as if she had just been woken up, her shoulders shifting slightly.
"Old Liu? Is that you? Come in."
As she spoke, she had already quietly braced her elbows on the desk.
She subtly adjusted her posture, straightening her spine and pulling her legs in.
If anything happened, she could spring up and counter-attack within a second.
The door swung open with a soft CREAK.
Old Liu walked in carrying a stainless steel lunchbox, an honest smile on his face.
"Director, you should eat while it’s hot. It’s freshly made."
Song Qingya quickly glanced past him.
There seemed to be a faint, almost unnoticeable shadow in the narrow space behind him.
Her pupils contracted slightly as her mind raced.
’This place is too cramped. It’s hard to even turn around, making it a terrible place for a fight.’
’Plus, Old Liu is standing right here.’
’If I make a move rashly, an innocent person could get hurt.’
’I need to lure the person out of hiding.’
’I can’t tip my hand in this confined space, and I certainly can’t give them an opportunity to strike back.’
"Perfect, I’m starving. This room’s getting stuffy. Let’s take a walk; we can eat and talk outside."
She started for the door before the words even left her mouth.
Before leaving, she tilted her chin at Old Liu, signaling with her eyes for him to follow.
Old Liu understood, silently picking up the tray and following close behind.
In the corner, Song Chenglu was so furious she nearly ground her teeth to dust!
’So close!’
’Just three more seconds!’
The sharpened iron rod in her hand was already aimed at the doorway, waiting for the slightest lapse in Song Qingya’s guard to pierce her throat.
’How does Song Qingya always manage to escape disaster?’
’And this Old Liu... he’s a persistent pest!’
’Wherever there’s trouble, there he is, tailing her like a dog!’
A venomous, cold glint flashed in Song Chenglu’s eyes.
She dared not delay any longer and quickly stepped out from the shadows.
The moment her foot crossed the threshold, a cold wind hit her face. Her heart tightened, and she instinctively tried to speed up and follow.
But in that very instant, disaster struck!
"Ah!"
A pained cry shattered the silence.
Someone had suddenly wrenched her left arm back. A searing pain exploded from her shoulder joint, shooting straight to her brain!
Immediately after, Old Liu locked both her arms with one hand, while his other knee shot up, slamming viciously into the back of her knee.
The force was so great that her legs buckled, and she fell uncontrollably to her knees.
THUD!
With a dull thud, Song Chenglu slammed onto the floor.
She struggled to raise her head, but with her arms pinned, she couldn’t muster an ounce of strength.
The sharpened iron rod she had been clutching flew from her grasp with a CLANG.
It rolled across the floor a few times before hitting the corner of the wall with a TINK.
Only then did Song Qingya turn around unhurriedly, the heel of her shoe tapping lightly against the floor with a crisp click.
Now, she looked down at the immobilized Song Chenglu, her expression cold and indifferent.
"Tsk."
She clicked her tongue.
"I have to ask, Song Chenglu, is your brain filled with mush?"
"You went to all the trouble of sneaking out, but instead of running far away to hide in the deep mountains and save your life, you made a special trip straight to my office? Do you have a death wish, or did you just think this place has good feng shui for your demise?"
She leaned down slightly, tapping her temple with a fingertip, her eyes full of undisguised mockery.
"You know what this is called? This is called dig-ging... your... own... grave."
Song Chenglu’s face was contorted in pain, cold sweat sliding down her temples.
But she still gritted her teeth and looked up, her cheeks flushed crimson.
"Pah!"
She spat out a mouthful of bloody spittle.
"Song Qingya! Don’t get cocky! You may have won today, but you won’t be gloating for long! Just you wait. One day... I’ll make you kneel before me and beg for mercy!"
The spit didn’t even touch the hem of Song Qingya’s clothes, landing crookedly in the grout between the floor tiles.
"If it weren’t for that old bastard ruining my plan, you wouldn’t be alive right now! You’re just lucky! Pure, dumb luck!"
Watching her, Song Qingya’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
’How strange.’
’After I transmigrated, even though I’ve always given the Song family the cold shoulder and kept my distance,’
’when it came down to it, I never really did anything truly vicious to Song Chenglu, did I?’
’This hatred of hers is baffling. It’s completely baseless.’
Song Chenglu saw her confused expression—her eyes clear and utterly devoid of guilt, as if she were looking at a lunatic.
"What are you looking at!"
"Stop pretending to be innocent! You think I don’t know what you’re thinking?"
"I’m telling you, Song Qingya! I just had bad luck today! If you were the one kneeling here, let’s see if you’d still be so arrogant! Let’s see if you could still look down your nose at people!"
She had completely lost control, her voice so high-pitched it was on the verge of cracking.
Song Qingya’s eyes instantly went cold.
The flicker of curiosity she’d felt earlier was gone, leaving only an icy chill.
"Whether I’m arrogant or not isn’t for you to decide."
"But you, on the other hand—after pulling something only a beast would do—you have the gall to cry injustice?"
The words struck Song Chenglu’s weak spot.
She immediately began to struggle like a madwoman, lunging forward with her hands and feet, only to be jerked back by the iron chains behind her.
"Song Qingya! You vicious bitch!!"
"Shut up! You whore!"
She kept screaming, still trying to break free of her restraints.
As Song Chenglu shrieked, Yang Meiling, who was in the hallway, couldn’t help but frown slightly.
’This Song Chenglu is hopelessly stupid!’
’As expected, she’s completely useless!’
’But then again...’
’...it’s not like she’s completely without value.’
Yang Meiling’s eyes narrowed, a glint flashing in their depths.
A malicious idea immediately popped into her head.
’Perhaps I can use her to spread some information.’
’Or better yet, use her pathetic state to put on a show, making others think Song Qingya is cruel and vicious.’
’Killing two birds with one stone. Why not?’
Then, she quietly retreated back into the corner.
Song Qingya stood there, not even batting an eyelash.
Her posture was composed and erect, her hands folded in front of her, her gaze landing on a mottled crack in the wall in the distance.
"Are you done screaming? If so, quiet down for a while. You’re as pathetic as you are laughable."