After Becoming a CEO, I Ended Up With the Gorgeous Lunatic Villainess - Chapter 12

He Shu couldn’t hear a word of what that Officer Judy was saying. As the people in front of her moved aside, she was completely unprepared for what she saw.

Pei Congxin.

She was slumped in her chair with both hands clutching her throat. Her head was tilted and her lifeless gaze locked onto He Shu.

Her eyes were black and hollow, as if they had been corroded, and thick cloudy mucus streamed from the corners.

A high-pitched ringing exploded in He Shu’s ears. Her mind buzzed with static.

The woman she had just seen alive yesterday had become a grotesque corpse.

She had already known the news this morning, but hearing that someone had died and seeing the corpse with her own eyes were two entirely different things.

She felt as though her soul had left her body. Her mind went completely blank as cold sweat soaked her back.

For a moment, she thought she was hallucinating.

She could almost hear Pei Congxin whispering, “You’re next.”

He Shu’s teeth chattered as her whole body trembled. She backed away step by step.

Su Zhi immediately noticed something was wrong. She had prepared for this and quickly unscrewed her insulated tumbler, stepping forward to hand her the coffee.

The bitterness could help snap her out of the shock.

But He Shu hadn’t expected anyone behind her. When she turned, she slammed right into Su Zhi.

Su Zhi stumbled and lost her grip. The tumbler flew out of her hand.

There was a loud thud as it hit something solid.

The steaming coffee burst against the white fabric, soaking through the tracksuit pants as it flowed downward and splashed onto a pair of spotless white sneakers. The sound of the splatter echoed throughout the room.

In that moment, the rhythm of the dripping coffee sounded to He Shu like a countdown clock ticking off the seconds of her life.

She met a pair of pale violet eyes. It was as if she could hear Pei Congxin whisper again, “It’s your turn.”

The commotion in the corner drew everyone’s attention. They all paused what they were doing and turned toward the sudden chaos.

When they saw it was the quiet, obedient girl in the corner, a wave of sympathy rippled through them. Especially when they saw the blind cane in her hand. If she had been able-bodied, she might have avoided it.

Lisa was the first to react. She stepped forward to check on the girl. Their boss had shown “interest” earlier, so she figured she could offer a little extra care.

“Are you alright?”

She looked down at the dripping coffee. It was still steaming. She reached out and touched it. It was hot.

The girl’s face twisted in pain. It had clearly scalded her.

Lisa reached out to roll up her pants and inspect the burn.

Suddenly, she was yanked back.

He Shu had grabbed Su Zhi. After steadying themselves, Su Zhi saw Lisa’s action and pulled her away.

“Don’t touch her!”

That shout snapped He Shu out of her daze. When she saw the pain on Cen Qianyi’s face, panic surged inside her. But at the same time, she realized something.

“System, system, why isn’t there any killing intent? Has the sensor card failed?”

“It is functioning. Everything is running properly.”

He Shu was stunned. A flash of hope sparked in her mind. There was still a chance.

She stepped forward and quickly wiped the coffee off Cen Qianyi’s leg, then scooped her up and ran out of the room.

Lisa started to follow but was blocked by Su Zhi.

“Our boss’s people are none of your concern.”

Su Zhi directed others to clean up the mess. Lisa glanced worriedly toward the hallway, watching the retreating figure.

In Cen Qianyi’s gaze, she saw He Shu’s clenched jaw. She had clearly seen it. The spill had been an accident caused by fear.

Cen Qianyi could have dodged, but there were police officers in the room. And she was supposed to be “blind.”

The coffee wasn’t that hot. But the sensory enhancer in her system had peaked, making the burn feel more intense. She clenched her fists.

The card in her palm crumpled tightly.

He Shu carried her as fast as she could back to her office. She pushed into the inner washroom.

She glanced around and, seeing nowhere else to place her, set her directly on the vanity.

She rolled up her pant leg in a rush.

From the top of the thigh downward, her skin was flushed red.

He Shu’s hands began to tremble. She was doomed. But she also felt like crying. That coffee hadn’t seemed that hot. How had it burned this badly?

Cen Qianyi looked down and saw the red patch on her knee. She wasn’t surprised.

Her body was unusual. Her skin was unnaturally pale, almost sickly. Even a small injury would appear much worse than normal.

She actually liked this fragile appearance. It made her seem utterly defenseless when playing weak.

This time, He Shu truly felt guilty. It was her fault. She forgot her fear and quickly lifted Cen Qianyi down from the sink.

Her movements were quick but careful. She removed the loose tracksuit pants and the stained white shoes, then carried her into the shower.

Cen Qianyi’s eyes shimmered with pain and surprise.

He Shu remembered that burns needed to be rinsed with cold water immediately. She turned on the shower and gently aimed the spray at the reddened area.

Water flowed over her thigh and down her calf, splashing across her bare foot. Droplets scattered across He Shu’s pants and soaked into her low-cut leather shoes.

She didn’t care. All that mattered was making up for what she had done.

The water ran steadily. He Shu watched the burn closely. It looked better. The color was fading. There were no signs of blistering.

Only one spot remained a dark red.

He Shu lowered her gaze to Cen Qianyi’s bare foot on the waterproof stone.

She used the showerhead to rinse the area where the redness was most obvious.

It was on her right pinky toe.

As the water spread, He Shu sensed something was off. She remembered seeing the same mark earlier when she had helped her put on shoes at the mountain villa.

Curious, she reached out and touched it.

It wasn’t a thread. It didn’t feel like a tattoo. And it couldn’t have been caused by a burn.

Cen Qianyi felt the touch on her toe. Looking down, all she could see was the top of He Shu’s head, her dark wavy hair falling over her shoulders.

“What are you doing?”

The sudden question startled He Shu. The showerhead slipped and sprayed directly into her shoes.

She instinctively stepped back, pulling her wet shoes away from that pale bare foot.

She looked up at Cen Qianyi and blurted out before she could stop herself.

“There’s a red ring on your toe.”

Cen Qianyi curled her toes and lifted her foot.

“Hands off.”

He Shu snapped out of her daze and pulled her hand back.

She had completely lost her mind. Touching someone’s foot like that…

“I thought it was a burn.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she wanted to bite her tongue. She had obviously realized it wasn’t a burn. And anything unique on a villain’s body always meant something.

The more you knew, the quicker you died.

She turned off the water and jumped out of the shower to grab a towel.

“What are you so afraid of?”

The girl who had barely spoken these last two days asked her two questions in a row. He Shu turned around in surprise.

Cen Qianyi had wondered the same thing many times in the past two days. What exactly was this woman so afraid of?

He Shu thought of the corpse she had just seen.

“Someone died. Aren’t you scared?”

She immediately regretted saying it. Of course she wouldn’t be afraid. She was the bounty queen.

As expected, Cen Qianyi tilted her head.

“What’s so scary about a dead body?”

The living were much scarier.

He Shu didn’t want to respond. She handed over the towel.

“Hmm?”

The girl seemed intrigued and even followed up.

He Shu said, “Dead people are scary. Death is the scariest thing there is.”

Once you’re dead, everything ends.

“Have you ever killed someone?”

He Shu almost dropped the towel.

What kind of nonsense was that?

She had been born in a lawful society, raised under the red flag. She had never killed anyone. Not even fish. At most, she had swatted flies or accidentally stepped on ants.

“No.”

She shoved the towel into her hands.

Cen Qianyi blinked. A flicker of surprise passed through her eyes.

People in their line of work, if they couldn’t beat their enemies, they eliminated them. She had taken many such jobs, all commissioned by wealthy clients.

Lying, she decided.

“I won’t be your plaything. If you’re not going to kill me, then let me go.”

He Shu felt miserable. She wanted to let her go. But the system wouldn’t allow it.

“Why don’t you try being one, then?”

Cen Qianyi looked at her and saw her eyes suddenly grow red. She squeezed the towel in her hands.

“Choose someone else. I’m not the right fit.”

Tears spilled from He Shu’s eyes all at once.

“But what if it can only be you?”