After catching up with me at a brisk pace, Zhao Mingyue, seeing that everyone in front of me had walked far ahead, smiled and said to me, "Thanks!"
Upon hearing this, I made no sound. I merely smiled noncommittally and shook my head.
Seeing this, Zhao Mingyue first gave me a deep look, then directly took out a 520 cigarette from her LV handbag and lit it.
The moment the smoke billowed and diffused, Zhao Mingyue suddenly laughed inexplicably, "You're not Sun Jingjing's boyfriend at all! Am I right?"
After speaking, Zhao Mingyue's eyes, as bright as stars, fixed on me without blinking.
"Heh. You're very smart, I'm indeed not her boyfriend."
I looked at Zhao Mingyue and replied with a light laugh.
"If I'm not mistaken, you should... be looking for me! Right?"
As she said this, Zhao Mingyue's eyes remained fixed on me.
At such close proximity, any unusual expression on my face would be easily captured by Zhao Mingyue.
In just an instant, countless thoughts and ideas flashed through the depths of my mind.
To be honest, I really wanted to lie and deny it, but I was afraid that the subtle expressions on my face would betray me.
After much deliberation, I finally nodded slightly, deciding to admit it.
"Heh~ As expected!"
After a cold laugh, Zhao Mingyue's gaze instantly became profound.
The sudden change in her demeanor made me extremely curious about this woman.
Why was Zhao Mingyue like someone blinded by a single leaf on the card table, becoming oblivious? But after leaving the table, she could possess such keen insight!?
What kind of person was she? And did she have any special relationship with Wang Yangming?
At this moment, these were the two questions that lingered in my heart, for which I most desired an answer.
But unfortunately, even though Zhao Mingyue was only a stone's throw away, I still couldn't find any answers from her face or her eyes.
This kind of hazy, elusive quality that Zhao Mingyue possessed, like looking at flowers in the mist or the moon in the water, made me feel even more lost than Queen Bee Yu Shuang.
Yu Shuang made me completely unable to see clearly, nor could I see through her.
But Zhao Mingyue was the opposite.
I could see her clearly, but I couldn't see through her!
As the old saying goes: "A person's character is reflected in their play."
Although Zhao Mingyue's cluelessness at the card table was all an act, the real money... was genuinely given away!
No one would dislike having more money, nor would they be foolish enough to give it away for nothing!
Unless they were playing the long game, like a cheater fishing for a big catch!
But it was obvious that Zhao Mingyue was not a cheater. This was something I could confirm with 100% certainty after observing her for an entire afternoon.
Not only was Zhao Mingyue not a cheater, but she was also a novice gambler just entering the gambling world.
That's why I felt such strong curiosity about her drastically contrasting behavior at and off the gambling table...
Just as I was lost in thought about Zhao Mingyue's identity, I suddenly heard her say again, "Seeing as you've always been letting me have cards before, I won't hold anything against you."
"What do you need me for? Speak!"
Since she was so direct, I naturally couldn't hide anything anymore.
After coming back to my senses and taking a deep breath, I looked directly at Zhao Mingyue and asked, "What is your relationship with Wang Yangming, the town mayor of Liangshan Town?"
I had expected this question to provoke Zhao Mingyue's anger.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Mingyue's expression remained unchanged, and she replied without hesitation, "I am his concubine!"
"To put it plainly, his mistress!"
The moment I heard this answer, I froze on the spot, a look of extreme disbelief flooding my eyes.
Seeing my dramatic reaction, Zhao Mingyue said faintly, "There's nothing to be surprised about!"
"This has become an almost public secret within my circle."
"As long as one is willing to put in the effort, they can definitely find out."
"Of course, that's assuming you put in the effort! If you inquire about it the way you just asked me, I guarantee no one will tell you the answer!"
"Because... they dare not!!!"
If Zhao Mingyue admitting her identity made me feel incredulous, then what she said afterward made me feel utterly bewildered.
To be honest, I never expected to discover something so unexpected through Sun Jingjing!
It seemed that if Yu Shuang hadn't had people investigate carefully before, leading to inaccurate information, then she must have intentionally been dragging me along and diverting my attention.
Given the style of Yu Shuang's team, the first possibility was completely nonexistent.
Only the second possibility aligned with reality.
"Zero points of sincerity spoken to others, ten points of sophistry hidden in the heart."
Well done, Queen Bee! Well done, Yu Shuang!
I'm impressed! Truly impressed!
...
Seeing my silence and thoughtful expression, Zhao Mingyue flicked her ash and suddenly changed the subject, asking, "I've answered your question frankly just now, so shouldn't you honestly answer mine now?"
"Ask away," I nodded in agreement.
After scrutinizing me from head to toe, Zhao Mingyue asked in a deep voice, "Did you ask Sun Jingjing to bring you here yourself, or did she offer to bring you?"
I answered without even thinking, "She!"
Upon hearing this, after a pause of about four or five seconds, Zhao Mingyue nodded slightly, then chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Heh. Just as I guessed."
"Sun Jingjing, oh Sun Jingjing, you truly are an ungrateful wretch!"
"It's just that I didn't expect you and them... are not of the same ilk!"
"Wh-what do you mean?"
I was taken aback and asked in confusion.
Suddenly lowering her head, with what seemed like a bitter smile or a cold sneer, Zhao Mingyue suddenly looked up at me again and asked, "Do you believe that true friendship exists in this world?"
Hearing Zhao Mingyue's words, I didn't answer, choosing to remain silent.
Silence did not mean I didn't have an answer in my heart, but rather that I didn't want to speak it.
Because for a cheater, most emotions associated with the word "feeling" were ethereal and unrealistic.
A long time ago, a saying circulated in the jianghu: "The bee clan has no heart, the cheater clan has no feelings!"
Seeing my silence, Zhao Mingyue continued, "I used to think that true friendship was the unreserved trust between two good friends, and their willingness to give without regard for the consequences."
"But now it seems... I was wrong! And terribly wrong, ridiculously wrong!"
I remained silent, still listening quietly.