C13 Her Heart Is Not Ruthless Enough

The voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority that sent a chill down the reporters' spines, causing them to halt in their tracks, hesitant to approach the bathroom any further.

Yet, one bold reporter pressed on, "Mr. Nie, are you feeling guilty about something? Hiding a woman in there, perhaps? This isn't your usual style. Are you afraid to reveal the truth?"

This confident reporter thought, even if Nie Zeyu is influential, local connections matter too. Many of us reporters have strong ties here, with backing from prominent local families. He doubted Nie Zeyu would dare to offend all the city's elite at once.

With this reporter leading the charge, others quickly joined in, "Yeah, Mr. Nie, we won't leave without the truth today."

"Exactly, let your woman come out and meet us. Let everyone know who spent the night with Mr. Nie, or if she's a long-term partner."

What these reporters were thinking was exactly what Nie Zeyu was considering. His eyes darkened slightly, and a faint, enigmatic smile played on his lips. "Alright, since you're so eager to know who she is, I'll let her meet you."

Ji Xinling stood in the bathroom, leaning against the door, biting her lip tightly. She had quickly washed up and dressed, but her body was slowly growing cold.

Her hands were trembling, her body shaking, and the mirror reflected her pale face. Her lips were bitten so hard they bled. Yet, Ji Xinling felt cold and numb, completely unaware of the pain in her lips.

Outside the bathroom, reporters were relentless with their sharp questions, each word hitting her nerves, pushing her to the brink of collapse. A gentle knock sounded on the door, but she didn't seem to hear it, her whole being frozen, her vision darkening.

Nie Zeyu knocked for a while, but there was no response. Frowning, he softly asked, "Can I come in?" Still, there was no answer. After asking a few more times and knocking persistently, he got no reply.

A troubling thought crossed his mind. Nie Zeyu took out a card, swiped it, and quickly entered, closing the door behind him. The scene in the bathroom shocked him.

Ji Xinling lay pale on the floor, traces of blood on her lips, and blood seeping from her palms. Seeing her like this was utterly alarming. In that moment, Nie Zeyu felt a surge of compassion. This woman... every time he saw her, she was in such a state, as if she couldn't take care of herself.

He crouched down, cradled her in his arms, and began administering basic first aid.

Then, he pulled out his phone and made a call: "Make sure all the reporters on the top floor of the building are gone within ten minutes."

In less than ten minutes, there were startled cries from reporters outside the bathroom, along with the sound of something breaking—probably a photographer's camera meeting its end.

Once the last reporter was escorted out and silence returned, Nie Zeyu finally carried Ji Xinling out.

The room was calm again, and about an hour and a half later, Ji Xinling slowly woke up, her eyes filled with confusion and a hint of despair.

That look stirred something in Nie Zeyu. Seeing she wasn't fully awake yet, he went to warm up some milk—not the same glass from before, of course.

Ji Xinling's dazed eyes were filled with helplessness. She looked up at Nie Zeyu, then at the milk he offered, and took it silently.

She was still lost in some shadows of the past, and it took her a while to fully come back to herself.