Song Xingjia did not want to argue with his elder brother. He stood up and said, "I hope my elder brother can wake Mianmian up safely tomorrow. I'm going to the company first."
Song Xingzhi watched his retreating figure, but ultimately did not call out to stop him.
The next morning, Song Xingzhi and Qin Xiaoyan arrived at the villa.
Qin Xiaoyan brought all her things. Once everyone was present,
she put on a very serious expression. "Everyone except Mr. Song, please leave."
Ji Zhixiu gave her a deep look. "I'll leave her to you."
Qin Xiaoyan couldn't help but chuckle. "Don't worry, President Ji. You don't need to be so nervous. This will be quick!"
She had only been so serious because she was thinking. After all, while this little curse was simple to break,
the other party had intentionally cast it. If she broke it, it would be equivalent to a contest of spells between them.
The other party would likely suffer the consequences.
The room quickly quieted down. Qin Xiaoyan opened the bowl and took out a prepared talisman. "Whatever I do later, if I tell you to call her, you call her name. If I don't tell you to stop, keep calling, understand? You must call her full name."
Song Xingzhi nodded, very cooperatively. "Got it. I'll call if you tell me to."
Qin Xiaoyan hummed and no longer looked at him.
Half an hour later, Qin Xiaoyan opened the door. "It's done, President Ji."
Song Xingzhi had been calling for over ten minutes, his throat almost on fire. He was now slumped on the sofa.
Ji Zhixiu glanced at him and instructed, "Fan Cheng, get a glass of water."
Fan Cheng replied, "Yes, President."
As Qin Xiaoyan packed her things, she explained to Ji Zhixiu, "Sister Jiang's body is complete now. I'm not sure when she'll wake up; it depends on her. It usually won't exceed three days. Don't worry, she's fine now. She just needs to rest well. The baby in her belly is also very healthy."
Qin Xiaoyan couldn't help but squint with a smile. She had only just realized Sister Jiang was pregnant. That was wonderful.
Ji Zhixiu nodded slightly and looked at her. "Thank you. Name your price, and I'll pay it."
Qin Xiaoyan repeatedly waved her hands, somewhat flattered. "No need. I like Sister Jiang. I've followed many of her dramas! Besides, President Ji is also..."
She paused, not continuing. "In short, no reward is needed. I'm just glad I could help."
Seeing her insistence, Ji Zhixiu didn't press further. "Then consider it a favor I owe you. If you need anything in the future, you can contact me."
Song Xingzhi felt a pang of jealousy. Ji Zhixiu's favor! This young lady had really struck gold!
Qin Xiaoyan didn't feel anything special. She nodded upon hearing this. "Okay. Oh, right, this is a talisman I drew for Sister Jiang. You can place it by her bedside; it will bless her with a safe delivery."
She handed the talisman from her bag to Ji Zhixiu. It was inscribed with her blood, making its effects extraordinary.
"It can also be used to ward off general minor curses."
Ji Zhixiu took it. "Thank you."
"Then I'll be going back now!" Although it was a minor curse, it had still taken some effort, and she was feeling a bit drowsy.
"I'll see you out."
Qin Xiaoyan was about to refuse, but when she met Ji Zhixiu's gaze, she knew refusing would be futile.
She nodded. "Alright."
As they came downstairs and exited the villa's main gate, Qin Xiaoyan saw the Maybach parked outside.
Her eyes lit up. "Someone's here to pick me up! I'm leaving now, President Ji. Contact me if there are any issues!"
Without waiting for Ji Zhixiu's reply, she happily ran over.
Lu Yunshen had come specifically to pick her up.
Qin Xiaoyan slid into the car. Lu Yunshen handed her some snacks he'd bought on the way. "Is she okay?"
Qin Xiaoyan took them with surprise and opened them to find her favorite sweet plum sweet potato fries.
She instantly felt even happier. She busily nodded, "Thank you, Uncle. Of course, there's no problem with me here!"
A contented smile flickered across her brow. She picked up a sweet potato fry and offered it to Lu Yunshen's lips, her gaze earnest. "Uncle, you eat first."
Lu Yunshen didn't usually like these kinds of snacks, but under her expectant gaze, he took a bite. "Alright, I've had some."
Qin Xiaoyan happily popped the rest into her mouth. "Uncle is so kind."
Her words brought a flicker of joy to Lu Yunshen's heart.
He could see the weariness on the young girl's face and said gently, "Go back and get some rest."
Qin Xiaoyan nodded, a little puzzled. "Why did Uncle insist I agree to President Ji?"
While she would help with anything she could, the matter of Jiang Mian had been specifically requested by Lu Yunshen for her to assist with.
"Don't move," Lu Yunshen said softly.
Qin Xiaoyan, not understanding, paused her hand holding the sweet potato fry and obediently remained still.
Lu Yunshen extended his fingertip and wiped the sweet plum powder from her lips, then said meaningfully, "It will be useful later."
Her nature was pure, and she had no backing. Getting to know more influential figures like Ji Zhixiu would not harm her.
Qin Xiaoyan seemed to understand but didn't dwell on it.
Her earlobes flushed shyly. "Am I clean?"
Lu Yunshen's mood improved greatly seeing her like this. "Yes."
Ji Zhixiu took Jiang Mian back to Kyoto that very day.
As they were leaving, Song Xingzhi seemed a little reluctant. "So soon? As for Song Yin..."
Taking Song Yin away so quickly, Luo Manman might not accept it.
Ji Zhixiu interrupted him, "You can come whenever you want."
His words immediately tightened Song Xingzhi's heart. Fearing Ji Zhixiu's impatience, he quickly said, "Then President Ji can go first. Tomorrow, I will definitely send Xiaoyin over tomorrow."
Therefore, this return journey only had Ji Zhixiu and Jiang Mian.
Upon returning to Xiushui Villa, they found Lu Cong and Ye Yi playing games in the living room.
Ji Zhixiu's lips twitched, his emotions unreadable. "You two are quite idle."
Lu Cong's head whipped around and he saw Ji Zhixiu behind him. He immediately dropped the game controller, beaming. "You're back!"
Ye Yi raised an eyebrow and turned to look. "You've worked hard."
Ji Zhixiu asked, "Where is she?"
Though he didn't name anyone, everyone knew who he was referring to.
Lu Cong grinned. "We locked her up. She's in the basement."
Ji Zhixiu asked, "What did you guys do?"
Ye Yi coughed. "I'll tell you."
In fact, the two of them hadn't done much.
It was simply that Ye Yi, tired of their back-and-forth, and since Ji Zhixiu had found Jiang Mian, he was too lazy to keep up pretenses with Shen Tingyu anymore.
He simply tied her up. Of course, it hadn't been easy, especially since she was still using Jiang Mian's face.
Seeing her plan exposed, Shen Tingyu stopped pretending.
She made it clear to the two of them that even if they found Jiang Mian, it wouldn't matter.
Hearing her implication, Ye Yi immediately understood that this crazy woman had a backup plan.
However, fortunately, everything was over now.
After he finished explaining, he asked Ji Zhixiu, "What should we do with this woman?"
Lu Cong smacked his lips. "Should we inform Mu Yuan?"
Ji Zhixiu pondered for a moment. "I will. And there's something else I need to handle."
Lu Cong asked, "What is it?"
"Shen Tingyu must have had a helper, otherwise, she wouldn't have obtained Jiang Mian's personal belongings."
Qin Xiaoyan had reminded him before she left that this sorcery required personal clothing and birthdates.
Jiang Mian was a public figure, so her birthday could be found online. With some effort, even the specific time could be found.
Only the personal clothing... Ji Zhixiu looked at Ye Yi. "Where is Jiang Mian's assistant?"
Ye Yi frowned. He hadn't seen Li Zhuyi for quite some time. "Wait a moment, I'll make a call."
He got Li Zhuyi's number from Sister Ning and dialed.
"President Ye."
Ye Yi switched to speakerphone. "Where are you right now? Why haven't I seen you at the company recently?"
Li Zhuyi's voice was bitter. "Don't you know, President Ye? Sister Mian has already fired me."
She hadn't expected that the first thing Sister Mian would do upon her return was to fire her.
However, she was also filled with self-reproach and felt too ashamed to beg Sister Mian.
If she had followed Sister Mian back to the hotel earlier, Sister Mian wouldn't have been in trouble.
The few of them exchanged glances, immediately understanding that this must have been Shen Tingyu's doing.
After hanging up, Ji Zhixiu lowered his gaze. "It seems it wasn't her."
If it were her helping Shen Tingyu, Shen Tingyu wouldn't have fired her.
Lu Cong, completely out of the loop, asked, "It wasn't who?"
Ye Yi knew what he meant. He thought for a moment. "Don't try to approach from Jiang Mian's side. Approach from Shen Tingyu's side. Who would help her and also be able to get close to Jiang Mian? You must have a range, right?"
Ji Zhixiu's brow furrowed. Thinking about it this way, he did have someone in mind.
"No, what are you guys talking about?" Lu Cong became anxious.
Was this the unspoken understanding between brothers? Damn it!
"We're thinking about who helped Shen Tingyu," Ye Yi rubbed his chin.
Lu Cong weakly raised his hand. "I have a candidate."
"I do too," Ji Zhixiu looked at him.
Ye Yi asked, "Why not just ask Shen Tingyu directly?"
Ji Zhixiu had no time to deal with Shen Tingyu now. The thought of that woman meticulously planning all this made him feel utterly disgusted.
"I don't want to ask."
Ye Yi clicked his tongue. "So willful. Then I'll go ask."
He put his arm around Lu Cong's shoulder. "Let's go."
Lu Cong exclaimed, "Ah?"
Ye Yi added, "Together."
They dragged each other out of the living room and into the basement.
This basement in the villa was used for storage. Ye Yi had moved all the clutter out so that Shen Tingyu would have a comfortable place to stay.
Hearing the commotion, Shen Tingyu raised her eyes and sneered. "How is Jiang Mian? So what if you found her? She still can't wake up, right?"
She had paid a fortune to find a master from Southeast Asia. When her subordinates told her that Jiang Mian had escaped,
she thought it was time to implement this part of the plan. The person had escaped, but she still had a way to prevent Jiang Mian from returning!
Ye Yi crossed his arms, his tongue pushing against his jaw as he chuckled. "Why don't you go ask the person you hired?"
Shen Tingyu narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"
Why didn't he seem worried at all? That shouldn't be the case.
Things shouldn't have gone this way. Where exactly did it go wrong?
Ye Yi took out his phone, unlocked it, and kindly handed it to her. "Why don't you ask yourself and find out?"
Shen Tingyu looked at him suspiciously and immediately took the phone and dialed.
Her phone had been confiscated after she was locked up, and she hadn't been in contact with the outside world for a long time.
The call was quickly answered. Shen Tingyu hastily asked, "How is the matter progressing?"
"I'm sorry, Miss Shen. I haven't been able to reach you. I was just about to tell you about this. The other party clearly found an expert more skilled than me. This curse... has been broken. It even caused me to be bedridden for two days... But it's my lack of skill. I won't accept the remaining money. Let this business end here."
Shen Tingyu froze, doubting if she had heard correctly.
Broken? How was that possible?!
This was the master she had found at great cost, and he was this incompetent?
She was so shocked that she almost dropped her phone. Ye Yi quickly bent down and caught the phone before it hit the ground.
Then he straightened up. "If you broke my phone, I'll have to ask your brother to pay for it."
Shen Tingyu couldn't accept this fact. How could it be broken?
Who else had helped her?
Why was Jiang Mian so lucky? She should have been more ruthless and killed Jiang Mian directly! Then none of this would have happened!
She raised her face, her eyes bloodshot, stubbornly and madly exclaiming, "Why? Why?! How can Jiang Mian still be alive and well?"
Lu Cong was startled by her demeanor and, fearing she might suddenly go mad, quickly hid behind Ye Yi.
Ye Yi's lips flattened, his smile disappearing. He said in a deep voice, looking directly at her, "Don't say such things using her face. You are not worthy."