novelraw Chapter 069 Trading
Chapter 069 Trading
Three o'clock in the morning.
The air in the apartment felt like solidified cement, making it hard to breathe.
Wen Ning held her phone.
The cold light from the screen illuminated her pale, paper-white face.
In the contacts, my finger hovers over the number labeled "Big Brother".
Zhou Xu.
Her stepbrother, who always lectured her with a stern face, telling her "not to bring shame to the Zhou family."
Although he is usually strict, even somewhat inhumane.
But Wen Ning knew that in this world, besides Jiang Ci, he was the only one who could truly protect her.
"Beep—beep—"
The phone rang only twice.
The call was answered almost instantly.
"Feed?"
Zhou Xu's voice came through.
Instead of annoyance at being woken up, there was an unusual alertness and tension.
The background was quiet, with only the occasional sound of turning pages.
"Ningning?"
He seemed somewhat surprised, and there was a hint of barely perceptible anxiety in his tone.
"What happened so late?"
"Did that guy surnamed Jiang bully you?"
Wen Ning's eyes instantly welled up with tears.
On this night when everyone turned against her, this concerned inquiry became the last straw that broke her defenses.
"Big brother..."
Wen Ning spoke, her voice hoarse and broken, filled with a strong sob.
"I wanna go."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.
Immediately following was Zhou Xu's calm and powerful voice, like a pillar of strength.
"Where are you?"
"Stay where you are."
"I'll come pick you up."
……
Six o'clock in the morning.
Zhou Xu's private apartment.
There are no complicated family relationships here, only a quiet space that belongs to Zhou Xu alone.
Wen Ning nestled in the leather sofa, holding a cup of hot milk in her hands.
She was draped in Zhou Xu's cashmere blanket.
Zhou Xu sat opposite her.
He wasn't wearing a suit, just a dark gray turtleneck sweater.
He held a cup of black coffee in his hand, his expression somewhat complicated.
I've heard about Limitless.
Zhou Xu spoke first.
His tone was calm, even carrying a hint of barely perceptible admiration.
"That kid's got some skills."
"He turned what seemed like a hopeless situation around. I saw the stock market turmoil last night, and his counterattack was brilliant."
Zhou Xu put down his coffee cup and looked at Wen Ning.
"Although I used to look down on him, thinking he was too inexperienced, now it seems... handing you over to him might not be a bad choice."
This is extremely high praise.
Recognition from the head of the Zhou Group.
In the past, Wen Ning would have jumped for joy upon hearing this.
But now.
These words were like salt sprinkled on her bleeding heart.
Yes.
He's so good.
It was so good that even Zhou Xu agreed.
But she had no choice but to leave him.
"Big brother."
Wen Ning put down the milk, her hands trembling.
She took the black card Jiang Ci had given her out of her bag and placed it on the table.
"I don't want his money. I don't want the family's money either."
"I want to go abroad. To the Paris Academy of Fine Arts."
"The sooner the better."
Zhou Xu was stunned for a moment.
He frowned, and his eyes sharpened.
Why?
"Now that he's pulled through and the crisis is over, why are you leaving?"
"Did you two have a fight?"
Wen Ning shook his head.
She did not explain.
She couldn't bring herself to give those absurd reasons about the system and the curse, and no one would believe her anyway.
"I'm just... tired."
She gave the worst possible excuse.
"I don't want to play anymore."
Zhou Xu stared at her for a long time.
Those eyes, which had seen countless people, seemed to see right through her soul.
He realized she was lying.
I could also see the deep, suppressed pain in her eyes.
"Don't want to play anymore?"
Zhou Xu chuckled lightly, but his tone was far from relaxed.
"Ningning, you can fool others, but you can't fool me."
"If you didn't love him, you wouldn't have ruined yourself like this."
He sighed.
I stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.
"Although I don't understand why you did this."
"but……"
"I've already prepared the recommendation letter and the house for you."
"If you insist on leaving, I can take you to the airport tonight."
Wen Ning's tears welled up.
"Thank you, brother."
Zhou Xu turned around.
Look at her.
"Any other requests?"
Wen Ning gritted his teeth.
They made that cruelest and most difficult request.
"There's one last thing."
"Limitless's victory celebration a week later."
"I'd like to ask you... to act in a play with me."
She raised her head, her eyes resolute.
The room fell into a deathly silence.
Zhou Xu did not speak.
He simply watched Wen Ning quietly.
His gaze shifted from shock to solemnity, and finally to a deep sense of helplessness.
a long time.
He spoke.
The voice was deep, carrying the cold, cautionary tone of someone who had been through it all.
"Ningning."
Do you know what this means?
He walked up to her, squatted down, and brought his eyes to her level.
"Jiang Ci is arrogant to the core."
"He values you more than his own life; even I could tell."
"If you just leave quietly, there might still be room for maneuver later."
"But if you use this method..."
"To publicly humiliate his dignity and trample on his sincerity."
Zhou Xu paused, his tone becoming exceptionally serious.
"Then there really is... no turning back."
"Once this play is performed."
"His love for you will turn into hate."
"That kind of hatred will stay with him for the rest of his life. Even if the misunderstanding is cleared up in the future, this scar will never disappear."
"Have you really... thought this through?"
"Are you going to personally sever the last glimmer of hope for reconciliation between you two?"
Wen Ning's fingers gripped the blanket tightly.
The knuckles turn white, and may even spasm due to excessive force.
There is no turning back.
Of course she knew.
This is the result she wanted.
Only by cutting off all his escape routes, only by making him hate her to the core, can he live a carefree life in a world without her.
Wen Ning remained silent.
She simply closed her eyes, and two lines of clear tears slid down her pale cheeks.
That expression.
The pain reached its extreme, and so did the despair.
She nodded.
A silent answer:
Yes.
Zhou Xu looked at her like this.
My heart feels like it's stuffed with a wad of wet cotton, making me feel suffocated.
He didn't understand what reason had forced her to take this step.
But he respected her choice.
I also feel sorry for her resolute decision.
"it is good."
Zhou Xu stood up.
He reached out and gently patted the top of her head.
His actions conveyed the doting and indulgent nature of an older brother.
"Since you want him to give up."
"Then I'll play the villain with you, brother."
"but……"
Zhou Xu looked at her swollen eyes and sighed:
Wipe away your tears.
"Since you've decided to take this desperate path, don't let him see through your act."
"Don't waste all your...good intentions."
Wen Ning opened her eyes.
Through the blurry tears, she looked at Zhou Xu.
"Thank you, brother."
She wiped away her tears.
He gave a smile that looked more like a grimace.