Chapter 8: Conspiracy

Si Zha Nan studied the photographs for a moment, then he threw them back at his mother.

"Enough!" He snarled, slamming his fist against the table. "I know you hate Ni Yao, but there is no need to slander her to this extent! To think you would go as far as to photoshop these pictures to try and drive a wedge between us. She already dumped me, isn't that enough? Why do you keep trying to force us apart? Do you really think I would believe these lies?"

"Wake up, Zha Nan!" Mom Si pleaded, gathering the photographs. "How much more evidence do you need before you finally realize that Zhou Ni Yao is swindling you? You have already paid off a massive debt for her father. And now she's making you wear a green hat, and you still believe in her?"

"LIES!" Si Zha Nan shouted, not wanting to listen. He clenched his fists, his anger growing inside him. "This is all that bitch Ru Yin Yue's scheming, isn't it? Do you really think I would fall for this?! Are you really that stupid to fall for her lies?!"

"Are you…sane?" Mom Si stared at her son, her jaw hanging open. "Why are you blaming Yin Yue? She has nothing to do with this at all. She doesn't even know about this."

"Do you take me for a fool?" Si Zha Nan sneered coldly. "I know for a fact that you went to visit Ru Yin Yue earlier tonight. I am aware that you are scheming something with her. Do you really think I would believe that it's a coincidence that you come up with these photographs immediately after leaving from that woman's place? How are you so blind to her deception? Why are you still falling for her devious plots?"

Mom Si was speechless for a moment. The person who was blind was none other than Si Zha Nan himself. He was so deeply in denial that she wondered for a moment whether her poor son had gone insane.

"No wonder Yin Yue refused to marry you," she whispered. "She knew just how deluded you have become. So that's why she wants nothing to do with you."

"Acting again, pretending to be the victim after scheming against me and Ni Yao?" Si Zha Nan was practically spitting. Then he smiled coldly, a plan of revenge rapidly forming in the depths of his depraved mind. "I see now. So that's how it is. Since she's so desperate to marry me, I'll grant her wish. Tell her that I accept. That I will marry her."

"…have you not heard a single word I've just said?" Mom Si threw her hands up in exasperation. "She has no intention of marrying you!"

"We will see about that," Si Zha Nan sneered coldly. "Tomorrow I'll propose to her. She will definitely accept because she has been stubbornly stalking me over all these years, so desperate to marry me that she would resort to such despicable scheming. Then I'll expose her lies for all of you to see."

He clenched his fists, vowing silently to himself that he would help Ni Yao take revenge on the scheming bitch who hurt her.

*

The next day, Ru Yin Yue couldn't help but feel slight despair when her agent, Xia Ning Xue, reported to her that she hadn't found a job yet.

"I'm working on it, there might be a small recital, but…"

"Please accept it," Ru Yin Yue said immediately. "No matter how small, as long as they want me to perform, I will do it."

Ru Yin Yue was aware of her current status as a second-rate musician. She wasn't in demand and couldn't afford to be choosy. Not to mention, auntie Si was correct. She needed the money to pay for her mother's hospitalization fees.

Right now, it was more important for her to earn money than anything else.

After hanging up, she closed her eyes and sighed. Leaning against the sofa, she slowly dozed off, only to be roused by the doorbell. Reluctantly rising from the couch, she forced herself to approach the door.

"Who is it?" She asked, peering through the peephole. When she caught sight of Si Zha Nan standing outside, she froze.

"Aren't you going to let me in?" He asked coldly.

"No," she replied. "Please leave. I want nothing to do with you."

"Even though I have a proposal that might interest you?"

"You have nothing that interests me." Except music, but Ru Yin Yue was certain that Si Zha Nan didn't visit her to talk about a potential job.

"You'll be pleasantly surprised. Let me in and we'll talk."

Against her caution, Ru Yin Yue decided to let Si Zha Nan in. She hoped against hope that Si Zha Nan was perhaps thinking of offering her a job related to music. After all, she had heard him play the violin long ago. He was talented, having affinity with the string instrument, often carving out a melodious beat during those days in the school's music room.

She had almost forgotten those sweet days. Closing her eyes, she longed for them once more. For those periods where everything seemed so delightful and hopeful.

Si Zha Nan practically shoved the door open and stalked in rudely. He drew up a chair by the counter in the apartment's small kitchen and sat down, uninvited.

"I've decided to grant your wish," he said. "I'll marry you, as you wanted."

"Excuse me?" Ru Yin Yue wasn't sure she had heard him correctly.

"I said I will marry you. Happy now?""

"Is this some kind of joke?" Ru Yin Yue was getting upset. She cursed herself for expecting a music job, but once again her first love had proven himself…as enigmatic as ever. "Aren't you in love with Zhou Ni Yao?"

"You were the one who caused us to break up. You have to accept responsibility." Si Zha Nan folded his arms. "Besides, wasn't this your goal? What you always desired?"

"No." Ru Yin Yue couldn't believe what a narcissist Si Zha Nan was. "And if you're not joking, then I'm sorry to say, but I refuse."

"What?" Si Zha Nan frowned. "You are saying no?"

"Yes." Ru Yin Yue shook her head. "It's clear that I'm not worthy of you. You should find someone better. Make up with Ni Yao, or perhaps search for a lady of better standing."

"That's pretty rich, coming from you." Si Zha Nan moved out of his seat, seizing Ru Yin Yue's by her wrists. "When you are the one who broke us apart."

"Sorry."

"As if that's not enough, you cooked up some lies, feeding my mother falsified evidence to continue to drive a wedge in my relationship with Ni Yao."

"What lies?" Ru Yin Yue demanded, confused.

"Don't pretend. I know you're the one who photoshopped those pictures of Ni Yao and asked my mother to show them to me."

Ru Yin Yue's eyes widened in shock. For a moment, she wasn't sure if she had heard Si Zha Nan right. How the hell did he even come to such a twisted conclusion?

"What are you talking about?! I did no such thing!"

"Still lying? Even after I caught you red-handed?"

"Caught me red-handed?" Ru Yin Yue spluttered in disbelief. "Now you're making things up. Just how deluded are you?"

Si Zha Nan scowled, wondering to what extent this woman would continue acting, continue pretending. He was getting tired of her lies.

"We will get our marriage registered straight away. Let's go to the civil affairs bureau now."

He began to pull her, but Ru Yin Yue dug her feet in and refused to budge. She tried to yank her hands free.

"Let go of me! I'm not going to marry you! Just leave me alone!"

"Oh, really?" Si Zha Nan then leaned and forcibly kissed her. With one hand holding her wrists, he then began to paw at her clothing, tearing it off.

"You…you really are a dead scumbag!" Ru Yin Yue bit down on his lips, drawing blood. He recoiled in pain, but she wasn't done. She kneed him in the groin, causing him to double over. While he was groaning and stumbling about, she shoved him toward the door.

Planting a foot on his ass, she kicked him out before slamming the door shut and locking it.

"Get out!" She shouted from behind the safety of a door. "Leave before I call the police! And don't ever come back!"

Si Zha Nan glared at the closed door in furious disbelief. He wiped the blood from his mouth and shook his head.

"Playing hard to get now, huh?" he sneered. "We'll see how long you can keep that act up."

He then stomped away. Descending via the elevator, he then strode toward the limousine that was parked outside the apartment block. His butler was already disembarking when he caught sight of his master approaching the luxurious car. He bowed and opened the door.

Si Zha Nan climbed into the car and sat on the expensive leather seats, sullen and furious. As his butler returned to behind the wheel and started the engine, he issued a cold threat.

"Block all job offers for Ru Yin Yue," he ordered. "Make sure she never gets to perform again."

"Young master?" Even the butler was taken aback by how extreme Si Zha Nan was. But the heir to the Si family was too busily brooding to himself with a sulk.

"We shall see how long you will last," he sneered. "I don't believe you'll be able to maintain that façade and keep your lies when you lose all sources of income. You will definitely come begging to me for marriage."