Zhang Wan'er looked at Li Zhemíng with a headache, unable to comprehend why he had appeared at such a critical moment. Was it truly fate helping Chen Lishū, preventing her from killing her?
The thought of her carefully crafted persona in front of Li Zhemíng crumbling in an instant made Zhang Wan'er despair. If word of today's events got out, she might never have a chance to get close to Gu Xingdong again. Worse, she could face his retaliation!
Therefore, no matter what, she absolutely could not let Li Zhemíng see her true face, despise her, and reveal today's secret!
Just as she was trying to come up with an excuse to fob off Li Zhemíng, another harsh voice reached her ears: "You good-for-nothing Zhang Wan'er, I trusted you so much, only to find out you were just stalling for time this afternoon!"
Zhang Wan'er followed the sound and saw Qin Tai with a cold face, his eyes burning with fury. He looked as if he wanted to kill her!
Seeing her grip on the knife become restless, Zhang Wan'er inwardly grumbled. If Qin Tai truly lost his temper, it wouldn't be good for her. After all, she was so close; she would be the one to get cut!
It seemed she had to stabilize the emotions of both parties and find an opportunity to take care of Chen Lishū!
Li Zhemíng's heart sank when he saw Zhang Wan'er make no attempt to defend herself. A sense of foreboding washed over him, and he quickly pressed, "Wan'er, what's going on? What do you mean you've been deceiving him!"
Zhang Wan'er bit her lower lip and then looked at Qin Tai, saying, "I didn't deceive you. I genuinely wanted to kill her. You saw how she targeted me last time, didn't you? Most importantly, she stole my man! I wish I could flay her and rip out her tendons!
Give me two minutes, and I'll settle this without implicating you. Believe me. I'll just take a few steps forward. If I do anything to betray you, you can drop this knife on me!"
Seeing that there was no turning back, Qin Tai's eyes darted around, and then he raised the knife, holding it against her neck. "Fine, I'll give you two the chance to talk!"
Zhang Wan'er swallowed and nodded. Then, she approached Li Zhemíng and said, "Brother Zhemíng, my purpose in coming here was to kill Chen Lishū!"
Hearing the usually well-behaved Zhang Wan'er speak of violence, Li Zhemíng's eyes widened in surprise, his gaze filled with disbelief.
Li Zhemíng said with a complex expression, "Wan'er, what are you talking about? You've always been so well-behaved in my eyes. How could you have such thoughts? Don't you know that killing someone at a time like this is against the law!"
"I know, but I can't control myself. I thought I could give up on Gu Xingdong and find someone who treated me well. But now, I'm like possessed, fixated only on Gu Xingdong!
Brother Zhemíng, didn't you say you could agree to any terms for me? That you would support me unconditionally, no matter what I did? But right now, I just want to kill this woman!" Zhang Wan'er said, looking at Li Zhemíng with pleading eyes.
Hearing Zhang Wan'er's words, Li Zhemíng's heart felt as if it were pricked by needles, causing him immense discomfort. He pursed his lips. Just as Zhang Wan'er thought she had a chance, he resolutely refused, "I can agree to anything, I can indulge you in everything, but I cannot agree to this. Chen Lishū must live!
Haven't you heard the saying that fire cannot be contained by paper? I can't stand by and watch you commit a crime and get yourself into trouble. You like Gu Xingdong; we can find other ways to pursue him. There's no need for such an extreme method! Wan'er, are you willing to trust me? Believe me, I will find a way to secure a place for you in Gu Xingdong's heart! I just hope you don't do anything foolish!"
Seeing Li Zhemíng’s unyielding stance, Zhang Wan'er felt a flicker of annoyance. She glanced at Chen Lishū lying on the ground, utterly defenseless. She narrowed her eyes, and a bold idea surfaced in her mind.
Zhang Wan'er tugged at Li Zhemíng's sleeve and pleaded, "Brother Zhemíng, I know you're doing this for my own good. However, Qin Tai's kidnapping of Chen Lishū was my idea. Can you pretend that nothing happened tonight, that you saw nothing? Also, I hope you can cooperate with me in a play!"
"A play? What play?" Li Zhemíng looked at the fleeting shrewdness in Zhang Wan'er's eyes and, for some reason, felt an unsettling strangeness. It was as if this girl was entirely different from the one he first met! What could have caused such a drastic change in the same person?
He instinctively wanted to refuse Zhang Wan'er's request, but seeing her pitiful and wronged expression, he couldn't ultimately bring himself to do so. He said, "Wan'er, do you realize how egregious your actions are? There's a whole crowd waiting outside. Can I pretend not to see them?
Have you considered how badly this incident, once exposed, would damage your reputation? You, an unmarried girl, are constantly pestering a married man. More importantly, you've colluded with Qin Tai to frame Chen Lishū. People will call you vicious and cruel!"
Zhang Wan'er watched the extremely angry Li Zhemíng, a slight smile curving her lips. She reverted to her obedient demeanor and said, "Brother Zhemíng, I know that with you here, you won't let Wan'er be subjected to others' gossip. I hope you can play along with me. I want Gu Xingdong to feel guilty towards me!
I don't know what method can salvage my feelings or make him develop a different kind of affection for me, which would be best. If not, I hope he won't hate me as he does now. At least, I want to occupy a place in his heart!"
Whenever Zhang Wan'er acted coquettish, Li Zhemíng found himself unable to refuse her. Seeing her pleading look, he said helplessly, "So, what exactly do you want to do?"
Zhang Wan'er playfully moved closer to Li Zhemíng and then whispered her plan into his ear.
After hearing Zhang Wan'er's plan, the smile on Li Zhemíng's face collapsed even further. "What?! You're going to risk your own purity..."
Before he could finish, Zhang Wan'er reached out and covered his mouth. "Brother Zhemíng, keep your voice down. Don't let her hear. It will expose our plan!"