Marking My Arch-Rival [Rebirth] - Chapter 8

After looking at the painting, Gu Xiyue was speechless for a long time.

In the gathering dusk, she suddenly asked, “When you agreed to date me, was it really only because of my face?”

Ji Shihuan could no longer clearly remember what had been going through her mind during those carefree university days. She gave a vague nod.

“Probably.”

Gu Xiyue glared at her.

“There are plenty of beautiful people in the world. Someone like you will never find true love.”

Ji Shihuan chuckled and shrugged.

She had never expected anything like true love.

After being reborn, the burdens on her shoulders had only increased. If she truly had time to spare, she would rather spend it trying to understand Jiang Boyan’s thought process.

Gu Xiyue put the painting back and opened the front passenger door on her own.

Ji Shihuan frowned and followed her.

“Miss Gu, haven’t you had enough fun yet?”

Gu Xiyue rolled her eyes.

Looking straight ahead, she said, “For the sake of the painting, I’ll arrange a meeting between you and my uncle.”

She immediately named a restaurant, then urged her,

“Let’s go. Don’t be late.”

Ji Shihuan froze.

Once she recovered, she walked around the car toward the driver’s seat.

The dazzling neon sign of Venus hung not far away.

Although Ji Shihuan looked as careless and unrestrained as ever, the scene appeared strangely harmonious.

With Gu Xiyue personally making the introduction, Ji Shihuan successfully met Lu Xingguo.

The two reached a preliminary agreement over dinner and arranged to find another time for a more detailed discussion.

---

A few days later, on the weekend, Ji Shihuan arranged to meet someone at Yucheng Residential Complex.

Yucheng was located in the center of City A, where every inch of land was worth a fortune.

After Ji Shiqin and Shu Ni became engaged, they had moved there.

Ji Shihuan remembered that her brother had gone to considerable effort to purchase the most luxurious full-floor apartment in the complex, spending more than three hundred million in total.

She arrived early and found a breakfast restaurant near an intersection with a broad view.

She casually ordered a set consisting of soy milk and steamed buns and was charged two hundred yuan.

A top-tier Alpha naturally possessed an overwhelming presence.

With a face as devastatingly beautiful as hers, Ji Shihuan attracted secret glances from both the staff and many customers in the restaurant.

Yet she seemed dispirited.

She barely touched her breakfast and curled up in the sofa chair, staring blankly at the street outside.

Soon, however, her previously unfocused gaze sharpened.

Traffic was heavy at the intersection, and minor collisions were hardly uncommon.

Less than two hundred meters from the restaurant, a Maybach accidentally scraped against a black Rolls-Royce.

It was not immediately clear who was responsible.

But after stopping, the owner of the Maybach—a potbellied middle-aged man—got out and rudely knocked on the Rolls-Royce’s window.

From that distance, Ji Shihuan could not hear what he was saying.

Judging from his expression, however, he was probably cursing viciously.

Soon, the owner of the Rolls-Royce also stepped out.

She remained extremely calm. After examining the situation, she ignored the man and began making a phone call, likely contacting her insurance company or an assistant who could handle the matter.

It was merely a minor accident.

Aside from the fact that the Rolls-Royce’s owner was exceptionally beautiful and caught Ji Shihuan’s attention for two extra seconds, there was nothing remarkable about it.

But the middle-aged man was unreasonable.

He continued shouting and even began shoving the woman, which inexplicably irritated Ji Shihuan.

Perhaps dying once had made her indifferent to consequences.

She stood and walked directly toward them.

“You can’t even drive properly, yet you still dare take a car onto the road. In my opinion, women like you should obediently hire drivers. One look at that face and anyone can tell you live off someone else. What, did your sugar mommy not give you—”

The man was shouting as he attempted to shove Jiang Boyan for the third time.

This time, however, he failed.

A tremendous force seized his collar.

The next instant, his face came into intimate, point-blank contact with the hood of the Rolls-Royce beneath him.

Restraining him was not enough for Ji Shihuan.

Gripping the back of his collar, she slammed his head against the hard steel body of the car twice with heavy thuds.

The man let out screams like a pig being slaughtered, while passing pedestrians cast startled, uncertain looks toward them.

The calmest person present was Ji Shihuan, who had just committed violence in the middle of the street.

After teaching him a lesson, she pulled him upright and asked face-to-face,

“Would you like to apply for legal aid?”

“Y-you…”

The man’s head spun, and his body trembled violently.

Several days had passed, and the pheromones Jiang Boyan had used to intimidate others had already faded.

Ji Shihuan was different.

When she did not restrain herself, the oppressive force of a top-tier Alpha became almost tangible.

The man under her direct pressure even struggled to breathe, opening and closing his mouth like a dying fish while staring at her in despair.

Ji Shihuan’s lips curved as she released him.

She asked again,

“What’s wrong with women? Am I enough to deal with you?”

The man finally recovered and used the car for support as he shakily stood.

“She… she parked illegally. How can you still act as though you’re in the right?”

Despite having been treated so rudely, with his attacker still standing directly before him, the man seemed to have lost all his fire.

He obediently began arguing the facts, his confidence noticeably weaker in Ji Shihuan’s presence.

Ji Shihuan had seen too many bullies who preyed on the weak and feared the strong.

Too lazy to waste words with him, she kicked the tire beside him.

A loud bang rang out.

The man jumped in fright, hunched his shoulders, and even began avoiding her gaze.

Passersby continued glancing over, but their attention was focused entirely on the two beautiful women standing together, their attractiveness seemingly doubled by sharing the same frame.

Jiang Boyan stepped forward.

Counting this incident, Ji Shihuan had now helped her twice.

Reason told Jiang Boyan that Ji Shihuan’s timing was unnecessary every time and that she could have handled both situations perfectly on her own.

But her body refused to obey.

The speech she had prepared about Ji Shihuan minding her own business vanished from her mind.

Meeting Ji Shihuan’s bright eyes, she quietly said,

“Thank you.”

Ji Shihuan shook out her hand.

She did not accept the thanks and instead looked at Jiang Boyan teasingly.

“You’re quite sharp-tongued whenever you’re facing me. Why do you stay silent when someone bullies you behind my back?”

“There was no need,” Jiang Boyan said calmly.

She had returned to her usual detached appearance, as though nothing happening around her could ever move her.

Ji Shihuan inwardly cursed her.

Pretentiously aloof.

Jiang Boyan looked at her and suddenly asked,

“Why does Miss Ji have the leisure to interfere in my affairs?”

Ji Shihuan lifted her chin.

She stated an odd reason with complete confidence.

“You’re my opponent.”

Jiang Boyan did not understand.

Ji Shihuan narrowed her eyes.

“Show some spirit. Don’t embarrass me!”

Jiang Boyan fell silent.

For a moment, Jiang Boyan began to wonder whether her Chinese was inadequate.

Perhaps the word “opponent” carried some hidden meaning she did not know.

Otherwise, she could not connect those two statements at all.

Soon, traffic police and insurance personnel arrived and took over handling the accident.

Points were deducted where necessary, and repairs were arranged where required.

After issuing the ticket, a traffic officer stared at the bruising on the man’s face and asked whether a physical confrontation had occurred.

The man looked up at Ji Shihuan.

Ji Shihuan had been the one to hit him, but she had acted on Jiang Boyan’s behalf.

Jiang Boyan had already decided to accept full responsibility.

She stepped forward to explain the situation to the officer, but Ji Shihuan suddenly blocked her.

Top-tier Alphas naturally possessed a height advantage.

Ji Shihuan also had the golden proportions of a model, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist.

Standing before Jiang Boyan, she almost completely shielded her.

Jiang Boyan caught the familiar scent of pheromones coming from the back of Ji Shihuan’s neck.

She turned her head aside and unexpectedly noticed their overlapping shadows at their feet.

Ji Shihuan’s half swallowed nearly two-thirds of hers.

Looking past the traffic officer, Ji Shihuan stared directly at the middle-aged man.

“Was there perhaps some misunderstanding?” she asked.

The man’s body trembled as he shook his head like a rattle.

“No. There was no misunderstanding and no physical conflict.”

After saying that, he did not dare remain any longer.

He turned, hid inside his Maybach, pressed the accelerator, and drove away.

Ji Shihuan looked back at Jiang Boyan.

There was a trace of seeking praise in her eyes that even she herself did not notice.

She was beautiful, and once she restrained her aggressiveness, her appearance became exceptionally deceptive.

Like a cat hiding its claws, she gazed at Jiang Boyan with dignified expectation, silently asking for a reward.

Jiang Boyan froze.

She found it difficult to imagine anything she possessed that could interest Ji Shihuan enough to serve as a reward.

As her thoughts wandered, the phrase offering one’s body to feed a tiger suddenly appeared in her mind.

An electric current shot upward from her tailbone.

Seeing that she did not speak, Ji Shihuan raised an eyebrow.

She reminded her,

“It’s been resolved.”

“Mhm.”

Jiang Boyan nodded.

She did not thank her again.

Favors and personal debts were unsuitable for the relationship between her and Ji Shihuan.

Their families had opposed each other for years. If they were going to discuss anything, it should be a direct exchange of benefits.

So she went straight to the point.

“What does Miss Ji want?”

Ji Shihuan lowered her eyes and examined her.

Her gaze paused briefly on the suppressant patch at the side of Jiang Boyan’s neck before moving away without a trace.

She narrowed her eyes in thought, looking as though she were preparing to demand an outrageous price.

Jiang Boyan remained calm on the surface.

Internally, she had already reviewed every recent area of competition between Huanji and Hongxin.

Just as she prepared to seize the initiative and emphasize her principles, Ji Shihuan spoke first.

“Do you have water?”

Jiang Boyan blinked.

“Hm?”

“Preferably disinfecting hand soap as well.”

Ji Shihuan shook out her hands, her face filled with disgust.

“I touched that man earlier. I’ve been enduring it for a long time.”

Jiang Boyan was speechless.

Fortunately, Jiang Boyan was somewhat obsessed with cleanliness, so her car contained everything they needed.

The two moved beside a cluster of greenery.

Jiang Boyan opened a bottle and slowly poured clean water over Ji Shihuan’s hands.

The spring sunlight was gentle, refracting through the flowing water into different colors.

Once her hands were finally clean, Ji Shihuan accepted the handkerchief Jiang Boyan offered.

Frowning as though dissatisfied, she complained,

“…Why is even your hand soap freesia-scented?”

“For convenience,” Jiang Boyan replied calmly.

No matter how many suppressants and suppressant patches she used, she could never guarantee that her pheromones would remain completely concealed.

Jiang Boyan had developed the habit of using products with the same fragrance.

If someone ever caught the scent of her pheromones, she could use them as an excuse.

Ji Shihuan glanced at her and lifted her hand to her nose.

After a moment, she lowered it and commented,

“It doesn’t smell as good as you.”

Jiang Boyan froze.

“Have you ever smelled your own scent?” Ji Shihuan rubbed her nose. “It’s sweet. It doesn’t smell like freesia—it smells like freesia nectar.”

Jiang Boyan recalled the scent of Ji Shihuan’s pheromones.

She could not find anything in the real world that precisely matched it.

She could only determine that the cool, clear fragrance belonged to a complex marine family.

Moreover, a top-tier Alpha like Ji Shihuan could release her pheromones to their fullest intensity.

At the moment when they had been most deeply entangled, Ji Shihuan had also been covered in sweat.

Held tightly within her embrace, Jiang Boyan had faintly detected the scent of sea salt.

Her already sensitive senses had been stimulated yet again.

She frowned.

“Miss Ji, saying things like that could easily cause a misunderstanding.”

Ji Shihuan asked, “A misunderstanding about what?”

Jiang Boyan glanced at her without much emotion.

“Are you savoring the memory?”

“…”

Ji Shihuan ran the tip of her tongue along one canine tooth.

She had not deliberately recalled the chaos of that night during the past few days.

But hearing the phrase savoring the memory caused certain recollections to surface uncontrollably.

Still, Ji Shihuan refused to show weakness.

“Ah. President Jiang may interpret it that way.”

Jiang Boyan nearly stumbled.

“Is that not allowed?”

Ji Shihuan particularly enjoyed seeing any expression on her sworn enemy’s face other than calmness.

She supported Jiang Boyan by the arm for a moment.

Before she could feel the warmth of the other woman’s body through the fabric, she politely withdrew her hand.

“President Jiang, watch your step.”

Jiang Boyan turned to look at her.

It was still early, but she issued an invitation anyway.

“Let me treat Miss Ji to lunch.”

She had thought about many things during the past few days.

But rehearsed scenarios could never replace reality.

Some matters were better settled as soon as possible.

Ji Shihuan took out her phone and checked the time.

“Lunch?”

Her tone was careless.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have time.”

She looked at Jiang Boyan with sincere regret in her eyes.

“I already have an appointment.”

Jiang Boyan did not want to delay any longer.

“Then when will Miss Ji have time?”

Ji Shihuan had to travel for business the following week.

Hongxin had just taken an important raw-material supplier from Huanji, and Ji Shihuan needed to find a way to fill the gap.

After considering it, she realized the only opportunity to dine with Jiang Boyan would probably be that weekend.

She asked whether Jiang Boyan had any urgent plans that day.

After receiving a negative answer, she gestured for Jiang Boyan to wait for her call.

“I’ll contact President Jiang after I finish my work.”

“All right,” Jiang Boyan replied.

Ji Shihuan had already passed the time she had agreed upon with someone else.

She turned to leave, but after walking two steps, she looked back.

“By the way, do you live nearby?”

“Yangpan Road,” Jiang Boyan answered.

Ji Shihuan raised an eyebrow.

“Got it.”

She delayed no longer.

With a wave, she headed alone toward Yucheng Residential Complex.

---

The person Ji Shihuan had arranged to meet was named Yang Rong, a private investigator.

Yang Rong’s agency had only recently opened and was still unknown.

But the reborn Ji Shihuan knew he would become famous throughout City A two years later.

After careful selection, she had still chosen him.

Yang Rong was a male Beta in his thirties.

He had an ordinary appearance, the kind of face that would disappear immediately in a crowd.

This was the first major assignment he had received, and he placed great importance on the cooperation.

Before their meeting that day, he and Ji Shihuan had already discussed many details online.

Ji Shihuan arrived nearly ten minutes late, yet he did not send a single message urging her to hurry.

He waited quietly at the entrance to Yucheng Residential Complex.

His assistant had already grown bored enough to stamp his feet, but Yang Rong showed no trace of impatience.

Ji Shihuan got out of the car, approached them, and politely apologized before leading them inside.

Although she did not own property in Yucheng, Ji Shiqin had doted excessively on his younger sister and had registered her access long ago.

Ji Shihuan could unlock every coded door to the apartment simply through facial recognition.

Ji Shiqin had not installed surveillance cameras in private areas.

Ji Shihuan told Yang Rong,

“There’s only one camera at the entrance.”

The three entered the apartment.

Everything was neat and simple, with little difference from when Ji Shihuan had visited several months earlier.

After Ji Shiqin’s death, Shu Ni had not deliberately put away all his belongings.

Even all his shoes remained arranged in the entryway, as though Ji Shiqin still lived there.

Ji Shihuan found two bottles of lamotrigine in the bedside cabinet of the master bedroom.

One remained unopened, while the other was half full.

She handed them to Yang Rong.

Although she knew hope was slim, she still said,

“Perhaps you can have these tested and determine whether the tablets are genuine.”

Yang Rong accepted the bottles.

“You suspect his mood-stabilizing medication was replaced?”

He looked at Ji Shihuan and thought aloud.

“So your current theory is that someone deliberately exploited Mr. Ji’s illness and triggered an emotional breakdown while he was driving on a dangerous stretch of road, thereby causing the fatal accident.”

Ji Shihuan nodded.

“Mhm.”

“I’ll investigate in that direction,” Yang Rong said.

Ji Shihuan rubbed the bridge of her nose.

“I realized it too late. There’s a strong possibility the other party has already destroyed all the evidence.”

Yang Rong nodded, his expression equally grave.

“If your theory is correct… then this was a very sophisticated method. If executed properly, it would leave almost no trace.”

Ji Shihuan bent forward, placing both hands on the bedside cabinet.

Her expression was hidden in the dim shadows as she stared unblinkingly at the intimate photograph of Ji Shiqin and Shu Ni resting on top.

“She’ll reveal an opening.”

Yang Rong looked at her.

“Hm?”

“I’ll drive her into a dead end.”