Chapter 56: The Plan

The light on Lu Qiqi's mobile phone screen gradually faded. Her eye sockets turned red, and tears welled up in her eyes before finally sliding down in silence.

She tossed the phone aside, wrapped her arms tightly around her knees, and buried her head. Closing her eyes, she listened to the occasional sound of the night wind blowing outside the window, while her heart was like a churning sea, filled with a complex mixture of emotions that refused to settle.

Gradually calming down, Lu Qiqi slowly raised her head and picked up the phone. The screen lit up once again, reflecting her slightly haggard yet still resolute face.

She gently opened the photo gallery, located the video, and swiped her finger across the screen.

Next, she opened the chat window with Bai Yu, her fingers trembling slightly, and hit send. The display froze on "Sending...", her gaze fixed intently on the screen.

Bai Yu's phone screen suddenly lit up as the video popped into view. Her expression instantly darkened like water, her eyes seemingly breathing fire.

She abruptly stood up, pacing back and forth, and angrily dialed Lu Ranran's number.

As soon as the call connected on the other end, Bai Yu's voice thundered out like a lightning strike: "Lu Ranran! Take a look at what this pair of shameless scumbags are trying to do!"

Her fingers pinched the phone tightly, her knuckles turning white with force, and fine beads of sweat broke out on her forehead. Her entire being seemed enveloped by a flame of fury.

Bai Yu's eyes locked onto the phone screen, the scenes in the video fueling her rage.

Her lips trembled slightly, her voice carrying a trace of a sob: "Lu Ranran, look at them! How could they treat you like this? You have always been so kind and sincere to everyone, but what about them? They simply aren't worth it! They are unworthy of your kindness and your devotion. How can you let them bully you like this?"

As she spoke, Bai Yu's eyes also grew red, tears welling up, but she stubbornly held them back, as if determined to use this anger and indignation to prop up the sky for her best friend.

Lu Qiqi sat in the dimly lit room, the faint glow of the phone screen casting light upon her helpless and weary face.

She let out a soft sigh, her voice full of vicissitudes and a sense of release: "There is nothing we can do; the outcome is already sealed. See if this video is of any use, and whether it can force him to leave with nothing."

With that, she turned the phone screen toward Bai Yu. On the display was a clear record of a conversation, every single word acting like a sharp blade slicing through the quiet air.

Bai Yu stared fixedly at the screen, her eyes seemingly trying to pierce right through the thin layer of glass.

Her fingers instinctively tightened their grip, causing the phone screen to dip slightly beneath her touch.

A flash of heartache crossed Bai Yu's eyes, instantly replaced by the gleam of rationality.

She took a deep breath, forcing her voice to sound calm and firm: "Qiqi, I know you are very upset right now, and you desperately want to get justice for Ranran. But this video was secretly recorded; legally speaking, it cannot be used as conclusive evidence. We cannot let it be sacrificed in vain without securing the justice we deserve."

As she spoke, Bai Yu's eyes were filled with encouragement and determination.

Her gaze fell back onto the phone, her fingertips sliding across the screen as if searching for something. At that moment, the air in the room seemed to freeze.

Seeing this, Lu Qiqi curved the corners of her lips into a mysterious smile, a glimmer of craftiness flashing in her eyes.

She leaned in close to Bai Yu and whispered in a low voice, as if sharing a monumental secret: "Bai Yu, don't rush. I have more than just this one video in my hands. Do you remember that small hidden camera I secretly placed when we went on vacation last time? Hehe, that gadget is going to come in extremely handy."

With that, Lu Qiqi pulled a compact storage device from her bag, wearing the look of a hunter who had finally waited for her prey to walk into the trap.

Bai Yu smiled, her expression carrying a mixture of relief and approval.

Lu Ranran went directly to find them. The moment she pushed the door open, the wind swept her anger through the entire room.

Si Qinyu was sitting on the sofa with a stunned expression, while Shen Manli beside him was terrified, instinctively retreating toward the window.

That window was old and lacked any safety measures. Shen Manli's frail figure swayed precariously in the wind, as if she might plummet down the very next second.

Her complexion was as pale as paper, her eyes filled with terror, and her hands gripped the window frame so tightly that her fingertips turned white.

Lu Ranran approached step by step, her gaze burning like a torch.

Shen Manli's breathing grew rapid, weak whimpers escaping her throat. She cast a helpless plea for help toward Si Qinyu, but the latter merely stood frozen in place, unable to move.

Si Qinyu's gaze shifted back and forth between Lu Ranran's approaching cold silhouette and Shen Manli's precarious, fragile posture, stirring an inexplicable chill in his heart.

He frowned at the tightly closed door, a flash of Lu Qiqi's calm and mysterious smile crossing his mind. He could not help but secretly wonder: Just how did she come to know about all of this? Could it be... that those seemingly casual vacation moments were actually filled with a web of surveillance she had meticulously laid out?

At this thought, a cold sweat broke out along Si Qinyu's spine. The crisis before him and the mystery behind it wove together into an airtight net that left him suffocating.

"Why are you here?"

Lu Qiqi gave a soft smile, a trace of cunning flashing in her eyes. She slowly stood up, walked over to Si Qinyu, and said in a voice meant only for him to hear: "Yesterday, I got it out of Shen Manli's mouth."

Her smile appeared exceptionally eerie under the dim lighting, as though everything was completely within her grasp.

Si Qinyu's face turned instantly pale. He stared at Lu Qiqi in disbelief, as if looking at a complete stranger and a monster.

Si Qinyu's pupils trembled violently in the dim room. Looking at Lu Qiqi's unfathomable smile, what rose in his heart was not merely astonishment, but an even greater sense of indescribable fear and unease.

His gaze drifted uncontrollably toward Shen Manli. That frail figure swayed in the draft, her eyes filled with terror and helplessness, yet carrying a trace of an imperceptible determination.

An absurd thought suddenly flashed through Si Qinyu's mind—could Shen Manli, this usually gentle-as-water woman, actually be plotting something in secret, attempting to use this opportunity to climb higher?

Once this thought took root, it grew wildly like untamed weeds, casting a thick layer of gloom over his heart and making the surrounding air heavy and oppressive.

Si Qinyu's gaze locked tightly onto Shen Manli. Her figure flickered behind the swaying curtains, resembling a lily struggling in the midst of a storm.

A look of resolution flashed across her eyes—not her usual gentle demeanor, but a desperate, do-or-die determination.

The wind whipped her hair into chaotic strands dancing in the air, and a faint curve touched the corners of her mouth.

She shook her head, her complexion looking terribly grim.