Chapter 118: The Soul of Vengeance

Tanya furrowed her delicate brows, clearly displeased with the other’s tone. He was a man—so why mimic a woman’s voice? Wasn’t that just asking to be scolded? Such an obvious trait—if he truly were her friend, there was no way she wouldn’t have some impression of him.

It wasn’t that Tanya discriminated against men who dressed as women, but she wished they would be more professional about it! She wasn’t expecting the other to look like the male protagonist of a romance novel—handsome enough to captivate the eye, even shamefully leaving one drooling.

But if you were going to imitate a woman, at least adopt some feminine gestures. Maintaining the careless, boisterous movements of a man while your voice closely resembled a woman’s—more melodious than most—was simply contradictory.

This contradiction made Tanya grit her teeth in frustration. She truly regretted knowing how to address him! She detested his mysterious pretenses; wouldn’t it be better to be sincere?

Given Tanya’s poor social skills, the number of people she knew in life was few, and even fewer could be considered friends. Those who left a deep impression on her were certainly distinctive.

“Stop pretending to be unconscious and wake up!” Tanya gently shook Chu Ning, but he showed no reaction.

You can never wake someone who’s pretending to sleep.

That phrase was absolutely true. Tanya took a deep breath and pushed Chu Ning off her. Troubles were not something she intended to face alone.

As a young person who believed in sharing blessings and hardships alike, she didn’t want to bear everything by herself. So waking someone feigning ignorance was truly a blessing.

Chu Ning didn’t fall despite losing his support. He smiled awkwardly, ignoring Tanya’s glare. As long as he wasn’t embarrassed, then the one feeling awkward was someone else! He knew this well and stared intently at the mummy before them.

“I never thought you’d end up like this,” Chu Ning said with a melancholic expression. He felt his opening line was not wrong; no matter how it was continued, it was versatile. Like a universal opening taught by a language teacher, it could fit many situations.

Drawing from films he had seen, he came up with this phrase that blended sophistication with nostalgia.

“Haha, you say you don’t know?” The mysterious figure shouted angrily, sounding like someone whose feelings had been toyed with. Speaking in a female voice, it was easy for an outsider to mistake Chu Ning for a callous scoundrel who abandoned a lover.

Tanya felt a chill run down her spine. She knew this person was male! She instinctively stepped back a few paces, keeping some distance from Chu Ning. Yet, glancing at the mysterious man not far ahead, she moved closer to Chu Ning again, trying to enjoy the spectacle while ensuring her own safety.

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“Uh, sorry! I’ve forgotten a lot. You know how amnesiacs are...” Chu Ning said awkwardly. Even though he recognized the man was Wang Jinkai, he couldn’t acknowledge him before Wang Jinkai revealed his identity.

Besides, it wasn’t his fault—he was just taking the blame for someone else. Chu Ning truly felt wronged!

“Keep pretending, then!” Wang Jinkai shouted indignantly. He blamed Chu Ning entirely for his current ghostly, neither-human-nor-ghost state. It was impossible not to resent him!

Chu Ning refrained from provoking him further. Though his words were honest, truth was often the hardest to accept. He stood silently, waiting for Wang Jinkai to share his story.

Tanya quietly perked up her ears, eager to catch the gossip between the two men. She was curious about Chu Ning’s past, and anyone connected to him intrigued her. There was no way she’d miss out.

“Do you remember the secret array I once entrusted to you?” Wang Jinkai asked calmly. After venting his frustration wildly, he felt much better. Mindless shouting solved nothing, and he had no intention to trouble Chu Ning further.

For the simple and brutal reason: he was not Chu Ning’s match, at least not for now.

As a successful businessman, Wang Jinkai rarely lost his head over emotions. Even with deep hatred, he sought rational opportunities rather than recklessly pursuing revenge like a novel’s hot-blooded hero.

“Secret array? Do you mean the one we saw in that villa?” Tanya whispered into Chu Ning’s ear, lowering her voice as much as she could and cupping her hand to muffle the sound, hoping Wang Jinkai wouldn’t overhear.

Chu Ning raised his head, unable to meet her eyes. Leading this group was proving difficult! Tanya was clearly playing loyal, helping the opposition to cover all their tracks. He didn’t know what to say.

Forget it, Chu Ning shrugged indifferently. He didn’t mind if Wang Jinkai misunderstood him even more. How others saw him no longer mattered.

Wang Jinkai evidently heard Tanya’s whisper. He was no longer the man he used to be; his senses were far sharper, and detecting a mere whisper was no challenge.

Yet his expression showed no great surprise, leading Chu Ning to suspect that Wang Jinkai might know they had been inside the villa—that is, inside his home.

Based on the timeline and leftover letters and diaries, it could be deduced that Wang Jinkai should have been dead. In other words, he very likely lured them intentionally into the villa, which explained the mysterious phone call.

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From a human logic standpoint, Wang Jinkai’s proactive call was indeed puzzling. It was difficult to explain why someone who should be dead would contact them. This was a clear misunderstanding—both parties thinking like humans, without considering their own supernatural identities.

It sounded incredible, yet it truly happened before their eyes.

Chu Ning still avoided accepting his ghostly nature, unwilling to embrace the supernatural, while Tanya was a complete novice, so her confusion was understandable. This had caused them to fail to grasp the reality of the situation.

Analyzed through their logic, this was an impossible contradiction.

“Did you lure us into the villa where you’re hiding?” Chu Ning pressed aggressively. He liked to use presumptive tactics, pulling those who took the moral high ground down to the same level.

“That’s right. Otherwise, did you really think you could find my lair?” Wang Jinkai’s female voice still sounded awkward, but pride shone clearly through it.

“So that phone call you made was premeditated?” Chu Ning asked, his expression strange. He could hardly believe his ears.

The other admitted it so simply. How could he judge Wang Jinkai’s actions—could honesty be the measure?

If everyone in the world were like the pre-corruption Wang Jinkai, detective work would flourish, and a new investigative method would emerge—interrogation through conversation!

In this way, the culprit would confess during the chat, leading to a smooth conviction.