Chapter 198: Chapter 196: Schemes
Vicars Hotel.
Knock, knock knock!
Elliana Lyle knocked on Yan Xue’s door, and it promptly opened from inside.
When Yan Xue saw her sister along with Elliana and Luna, she was stunned, but in an instant, she understood something!
Immediately filled with anger, she thought to herself that Yan Ling must have found a way to get Luna, forcing her to come find her!
In front of Luna, Yan Xue didn’t show anything and only said, "Let me pack, I’ll go back with you soon."
She knew Yan Ling’s temper, afraid she would say something foul to scold Luna, who had saved her life, so she had no choice but to compromise.
As she turned her head, Yan Xue gave Yan Ling a hateful glance.
This look hurt Bella a lot, even though she clearly was...
At this moment, Luna said, "No rush, we’ve got things to talk about with your sister. You just go watch TV for a day or something, order some delivery if you’re hungry."
Watching the three leave, the more Yan Xue thought about it, the more something felt wrong, so she decided to follow.
Elliana led Luna and Bella back to the house where they used to live; the layout hadn’t changed at all. Seeing this, she suddenly felt it seemed more like home, especially since Moonlake Villas was a bit far from the city.
It wasn’t that transportation was inconvenient, just that she was too lazy to drive.
Thinking about this, she considered discussing with Norman Bennett about moving back here.
She said to Bella, "Make yourself comfortable, I’ll boil some water."
Bella responded, "No need, I’m not thirsty, let’s talk business."
But... she was thirsty, thought for a moment, and went to boil some water anyway, since the electric appliance was convenient.
The three of them sat on the sofa, Bella started, "When Nancy was with..."
Bella had just begun when Luna interrupted, "Hold on, what you’re about to say isn’t what I want to hear."
From Bella’s initial expression and demeanor, Luna knew she was full of lies.
With Luna’s words, Bella immediately felt guilty, as if seen through.
Then, Luna said to Elliana, "Get me something to eat, I’m starving."
"Oh, I’ll order some takeout for you."
At this moment, Luna asked Bella, "You know Norman Bennett, right?"
"What do you mean?" Bella’s brow furrowed into a tangled knot, unclear of Luna’s intentions.
Bella knew of Norman Bennett, but there was absolutely no way she could claim to know him personally; she’d never be within ten meters of this man her whole life.
So she said, "I know of him through the media, what’s up?"
In all seriousness, Luna said, "I’m not sure who you’re afraid of, but Norman Bennett is my boss. I see you’re pretty sharp, you should... get my meaning?"
These words struck a chord with Bella; if the person wanting information was Norman Bennett, and he promised to protect her, she would speak.
However, she didn’t believe that Norman Bennett could be Luna’s boss, so she said, "Ha! Why should I believe you? This is all talk, anyone can boast."
This both showed her disbelief and aimed to provoke Luna to prove her claims.
"That’s simple, we’ll just take you to meet him, though right now I need food, I’m hungry. Want anything?"
Since Luna asked, Bella didn’t hold back, "Just a serving of spicy hotpot is fine."
After all, she’d stayed up all night, and by now she was starving.
Elliana, busy ordering takeout, said, "This isn’t great for breakfast, I ordered three bowls of corn, pumpkin, lily, adlay, and almond porridge, along with steamed dumplings and buns."
Luna quipped, "You could have just said eight-treasure porridge, couldn’t you?"
"No, that’s just how it’s listed, not eight-treasure porridge."
...
Once breakfast was over, the three of them were ready to head to Melody Harmony; if it weren’t for Bella insisting on seeing Yan Xue, Elliana would have already taken her to Melody Harmony.
Hoping Bella would speak truthfully, but she still refused to.
As they opened the door, they saw Yan Xue at the doorstep, evidently not expecting them to open the door at that moment, so she stepped back in fright!
"Yan Xue?" Seeing her evasive gaze, Elliana immediately knew her intentions and said, "Join us, we’re just heading out."
Yan Xue hesitated, wanting to ask if the three of them knew each other, and if so, how they met, but she couldn’t bring herself to.
In the end, she could only nod and say, "Okay."
Yan Xue and Bella sat in the backseat, with Luna still occupying the "throne" of the front passenger seat, as she was the only one who ever sat there in the car.
And besides Elliana, no one else drove this car, as it was a special gift from Norman Bennett at her graduation, still adorned with big cat paws outside, pink and incredibly cute.
Yan Xue felt awkward speaking to Yan Ling in front of Elliana and Luna, so she typed on her phone: "How did you find Luna? Do you know her?"
She then handed the phone to Yan Ling, while gazing out the window; the two sat far apart, nearly pressed against the car doors.
Reluctantly, Bella took the phone, seeing Yan Xue’s hand trembling in the air, and replied, "Luna came to find me, not the other way around. What are you doing in North City? Mom called yesterday saying you disappeared and almost called the police; I told her you were with me."
Seeing this message made Yan Xue somewhat amused, she’d been gone for days, yet her parents only just thought to call Yan Ling and considered calling the police.
Bella saw her sister’s mocking expression and sighed. Indeed, their mother called last night, but she said, "Your sister disappears without a word, just like you, nothing but trouble! Embarrassing the family! Better off dead outside."
At that moment, hearing her mother’s words, Bella understood why her sister wanted to run away; their parents’ mindset was too archaic, beyond reasoning.
She felt their parents could shame her, but couldn’t fathom why Yan Xue, who had been kidnapped and saved, wasn’t cherished.
Clearly, it was the opposite.
Yan Xue continued to type: "Why would Luna look for you? Do you think I’d believe that? I’m not a child, not so easily fooled."
Bella really didn’t know how to explain it to her sister. Seeing her sister’s phone handed over, she sighed, then took out her own phone to send a message on WeChat.
Sis: "We can chat on WeChat, no need to pass the phone around."
Seeing this message, Yan Xue’s face turned red immediately, obviously both embarrassed and angry because she hadn’t thought of it at the time too.
Soon, they arrived at Melody Harmony, yet the sisters still hadn’t cleared things up, getting off and keeping their distance.
At the entrance of Melody Harmony, as they were about to enter, they were stopped by a security guard at the door: "What’s your business here? Idle people shouldn’t come around!"
Elliana, helpless, lowered her mask, and the guard immediately stepped aside, recognizing her.
With this action, Bella immediately realized who she was!
She had seen her during meals, felt she was familiar, but couldn’t recall; moreover, Elliana had never mentioned her name!
She was no fool, naturally knowing what kind of relationship Elliana had with Norman Bennett, the heir to the Bennetts, whether as a couple or lovers.
Schemes brewed in her mind, and she began to plot her course.