The Creator's Grace - Chapter 12

The thin wine glasses met with a light, crisp clink.

Chi Yu finished the wine in her hand, keeping a dark, sideways watch on Ran Jin.

Ran Jin was flushed from her neck up to her forehead, and her ears were a vivid crimson. Her eyes, usually strictly guarded, were now blurred and misty from the alcohol. With slightly sluggish movements, she stared at the thick liquid remaining in her glass.

Chi Yu said, “Sister Ran, why haven’t you finished?”

“Apologies, I… I don’t have a very high tolerance.”

Ran Jin appeared about eighty percent drunk. From her tone—stiff as she forced herself to enunciate every word to avoid showing weakness—it was clear that she had passed the stage of being tipsy and was fast approaching total intoxication.

“Forget it then, I’ll have to drink alone,” Chi Yu said casually.

Ran Jin’s slender fingers gripped the stem of the glass, giving it a gentle swirl. Before the red wine could even finish sliding down the sides of the glass, she lifted it and took a small sip.

Chi Yu was a bit surprised.

“I’ll drink slowly, okay?” Ran Jin asked in a dull, seeking tone.

Seeing how Ran Jin was struggling to keep her eyes open and forcing herself to stay conscious, Chi Yu moved the wine glass away from her hand.

“Don’t drink anymore. You’re already drunk.”

Chi Yu had only wanted her to drink enough to feel lightheaded and lower her guard. She didn’t want her passed out cold; you can’t get answers out of someone who’s unconscious.

Looking at Ran Jin’s slightly bowed head, Chi Yu couldn’t tell if the woman was still being her usual obedient self, or if she was playing along—using this extreme state as a method to escape the inevitable undercurrents of the conversation.

“Sister Ran?” Chi Yu took Ran Jin’s hand. “Are you okay?”

Ran Jin lifted her gaze. Her eyes were strikingly bright but unfocused. She looked at Chi Yu for a moment, her voice airy yet restrained: “I’m fine.”

“Let’s go back. I’ll call Butler Chen to drive.”

Chi Yu’s phone was in her right pocket. Her right hand was currently holding Ran Jin’s; just as she was about to let go, Ran Jin seemed to realize for the first time that she was being held. As if she had been burned, she immediately snatched her hand back.

Chi Yu found it strange and laughed. “Am I poisonous? Why are you so afraid of me?”

Embarrassed by the remark, Ran Jin clasped her hands on the table in front of her. She sat ramrod straight, looking like a model student listening intently to a lecture. Her cufflinks were perfectly fastened, sealing her sleeves tight. The backs of her snowy-white hands were tinged with a peach-colored flush from the alcohol.

Chi Yu observed her secretly while on the phone with Butler Chen. Ran Jin seemed to clear up slightly, her brow furrowing as if she were a bit annoyed. Butler Chen arrived quickly.

Chi Yu gathered her coat and told Ran Jin to head to the parking lot together. She stood up and walked a few paces before realizing Ran Jin hadn’t followed. Looking back, she saw Ran Jin still at the table, struggling to prop herself up. She moved one step at a time, the tips of her high heels scuffing lightly against the floor—as cautious as a blindfolded tightrope walker.

She really was drunk. She wasn’t angry; she was just pushing herself to not show a single flaw.

Chi Yu walked back, her coat in one hand, and hooked her other arm through Ran Jin’s to pull her up. She didn’t want to touch this woman at all, but right now was the perfect opportunity to make her tell the truth. Chi Yu planned to take her directly back to the Chi residence. Facing the old home where she had lived for six years might trigger a drunken emotional response.

“Let’s go, lean on me,” Chi Yu whispered in her ear, trying her best to make her tone sound sincere and gentle.

Chi Yu didn’t know that Ran Jin’s ears were extremely sensitive; she hadn’t even considered the possibility. Already overwhelmed by vertigo, Ran Jin felt the sudden puff of warm air hit her ear. It felt as if her heart had fallen into Chi Yu’s hands to be roughly squeezed. Her legs went weak, and her body fell uncontrollably into Chi Yu’s embrace.

“Careful.”

Chi Yu instinctively caught Ran Jin, holding her in a full embrace. Her coat dropped to the floor.

The cold fragrance on Chi Yu rushed into Ran Jin’s senses. Ran Jin struggled for a moment and quickly pulled herself out of the embrace, standing steady. Chi Yu said something—perhaps a joke about her poor tolerance—but Ran Jin didn’t hear it clearly. Chi Yu’s low laughter was very close, vibrating straight into her heart.

Ran Jin forced her nerves to tighten, leaning down to pick up Chi Yu’s coat while simultaneously putting distance between them.

“You’re not even afraid of falling,” Chi Yu said as she took the coat.

“Let’s go.” Ran Jin forced her eyes open again and let Chi Yu lead the way.

“Can you really walk by yourself?”

“I can,” Ran Jin said, short and firm.

Chi Yu stopped trying to help her and walked toward the exit.

Butler Chen was standing by the car. Seeing Ran Jin walking unsteadily and even having to brace herself against the door to slide inside, he asked worriedly, “What happened to Miss Ran?”

“She had a bit to drink.” Chi Yu sat beside Ran Jin and closed the door. “Let’s go.”

From the driver’s seat, Butler Chen asked, “Second Miss, where to?”

Chi Yu knew Ran Jin hadn’t been living at the family home recently; she had moved to an apartment after the breakup with her sister.

“Home. To the Chi residence.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Butler Chen was usually a very steady driver, but the road conditions tonight were terrible. Once they got on the elevated highway, it was stop-and-go traffic. After opening the window to let in some cold air, Ran Jin’s stomach and head had just started to settle when the swaying of the car turned her world upside down again. Her face turned pale.

“Sister Ran, are you uncomfortable?” Chi Yu asked. “Do you want to throw up?”

“Mhm…” Ran Jin’s fists were clenched tight. She curled up and closed her eyes, her face as white as paper. The sound she made wasn’t an affirmative answer, but rather the sound of someone holding their breath with all their might.

Chi Yu pulled a bag from the seat pocket. “If you want to throw up, do it here.”

“Thank you…” Ran Jin clutched the bag, still enduring.

Chi Yu thought to herself: Typical. You really can endure anything.

They finally arrived at the Chi villa. When Butler Chen opened the car door, Ran Jin practically fell out. She braced herself against a small stone lion by the steps, dry-heaving.

Butler Chen said anxiously, “Did Miss Ran drink that much? I’ll find someone to help her.”

“No need.” Chi Yu gripped Ran Jin’s arm with one hand to keep her from toppling over, her eyes never leaving her. “Go park the car.”

“Yes, Miss.” Butler Chen left.

Chi Yu watched her dry-heave for a long time without actually vomiting anything up, knowing that this was more painful than actually throwing up.

“If you can’t throw up, then go inside.” Chi Yu pulled her up coldly and led her into the house.

Ran Jin was too dazed to walk on her own and had to lean entirely on Chi Yu. Chi Yu led her a few steps inside and dumped her onto the sofa. Ran Jin sat there half-collapsed, eyes tightly shut. She slowly leaned against the armrest and curled her body, lying on her side on the sofa, trying her best to digest the nausea in her stomach and the spinning world.

Because of her posture, her phone slid out of her trouser pocket and fell onto the carpet. Chi Yu picked it up.

“Oh, Second Miss?” Auntie Su came out upon hearing the noise. Her gaze darted between Chi Yu, who still carried the chill of the night, and Ran Jin curled up on the sofa. “Miss Ran is here too?”

“Auntie Su, go to bed early,” Chi Yu said with a sweet smile. “Let the other helpers and sisters get some rest too.”

Auntie Su was sharp enough to sense the “hidden blade” in the Second Miss’s smile. It made her heart skip a beat. She replied, “You go to sleep early too, Second Miss,” and immediately left. she told the other two servants in the villa to get to their rooms and stay there.

In the empty living room, only Chi Yu and Ran Jin remained.

Chi Yu held Ran Jin’s phone and pressed the side button. The screen lit up with push notifications from various business apps and a pile of WeChat alerts. But because the screen was locked, the specific content couldn’t be seen.

Chi Yu expressionlessly entered her sister’s birthday. Password incorrect. As expected.

She knelt in front of the sofa and patted Ran Jin’s face.

“Ran Jin.”

Ran Jin struggled to open her eyes. Her gaze was vacant and unfocused, and she quickly closed them again. She seemed to be in a deep sleep. Good, Chi Yu thought.

Chi Yu held her shoulder and called her name again. Ran Jin opened her eyes once more, and the phone was successfully unlocked. Ran Jin noticed nothing; she closed her eyes again, her brow furrowed tight as she buried her face deeper into her folded arms.

Chi Yu stood up, called Ran Jin a few more times to confirm there was no reaction, then stepped aside and quickly opened WeChat.

A sea of red notification dots appeared in the chat list. Chi Yu scanned them quickly. Aside from a dozen work-related groups, there were quite a few people in private chats. She didn’t even need to click in; the previews showed most were about Chi Group collaborations. Only one person had sent voice messages.

The profile picture was unfamiliar to Chi Yu. The name was “Revolutionary Road,” and the avatar was a gun.

Road? Lu?

Lu Siqiong? The police officer.

Chi Yu walked into the bathroom and opened the chat with Lu Siqiong. She wasn’t afraid Ran Jin would discover the voice messages had been read the next morning; she had her own plans.

In the chat history with Lu Siqiong, there were six unread voice messages. Above that, aside from call duration records, there were no traces of voice or text messages. Clearly, read messages had been deleted by Ran Jin. This made Chi Yu even more curious about how many secrets were hidden in their conversation.

She played the unread messages.

[Anyway, you don’t like listening to me now, hmph.]

[But you need to be aware of your own health. I’ve been busy to death lately because of you; if you get sick again, I won’t have time to take care of you.]

Ten minutes later, another one:

[Why haven’t you replied? Are you angry?]

[I’m the one who should be angry, okay? Because of your business these past few days, I’ve got dark circles under my eyes just like yours.]

[Alright, alright, don’t be mad. I know I’ve been nagging lately, but isn’t it because I care about you? I’m coming back tomorrow, are you happy?]

The last one was: [Still ignoring me?]

Chi Yu had never been in a serious relationship, but the coquettish tone and concern in those voice messages were not something a normal friendship would have.

Ran Jin really did have someone else on the outside, yet she had the nerve to claim her breakup with Sister was a mutual decision.

Sister’s last call before she died was to her. She must know the truth, yet she told me Sister, who was stabbed twelve times, committed suicide by slitting her wrists.

Ran Jin has been deceiving me the whole time.

Chi Yu braced her hands against the sink. In her immense rage, her chest ached violently. Those disgusting voice messages from the one named Lu had completely ignited the fury Chi Yu had been suppressing.

She strode back to the living room. Ran Jin was still curled on the sofa, asleep but restless. Chi Yu gripped her shoulders, flipped her over, and suddenly grabbed her by the throat.

To kill Ran Jin here and avenge her sister—that was the most direct, most satisfying way. Why bother continuing this charade? Chi Yu’s mind and heart were filled with hate. She wanted to make Ran Jin pay the price for what she had done!

Ran Jin let out a cough. Still under the control of the alcohol, she was in misery. A few tears escaped her closed eyes, wetting her lashes. If she were sober, Chi Yu wouldn’t have been able to overpower her so easily and leave her no room to resist. Now, the unconscious Ran Jin was like a fish on a chopping board, at her mercy.

Memories of Ran Jin escorting her to and from school, of her waiting in the wind and rain, tried to push their way into Chi Yu’s mind, attempting to make her stop. Chi Yu squeezed those false displays of affection out of her consciousness. She was going to kill Ran Jin right here. Kill her.

But…

Currently, Ran Jin wasn’t even a suspect. If she killed her here, Chi Yu wouldn’t escape the law; it would be a life for a life. If she died with Ran Jin, the Chi Group—having lost its pilot—would completely fall apart. And the truth of her sister’s death would be buried forever because of her moment of impulse.

That was not the ending she wanted.

Chi Yu’s grip slowly loosened. No, she couldn’t let her die so easily.

Chi Yu knelt with one knee on the sofa, breathing heavily.

I will reclaim everything belonging to the Chi family. I will ruin Ran Jin’s reputation and make her die full of guilt.

That was the ending she truly deserved.

Chi Yu slowly recovered from her extreme emotions. Having reached a decision, she moved to pull her hand away.

At that moment, Ran Jin struggled to open her eyes. Chi Yu didn’t look away; she stared back at her. Ran Jin let out a light cough. She couldn’t remember the terrifying dream she’d just had; she only felt a pair of hands holding her neck, slender fingers pressing against her jaw and extending behind her ears.

When Chi Yu’s face appeared in her slightly opened eyes, she didn’t struggle at all. Instead, she let out a half-awake smile. Perhaps because of the alcohol, her smile carried a hint of allure—a look Chi Yu had never seen before.

What Chi Yu expected even less was for Ran Jin to reach up and grasp Chi Yu’s wrist. She gently rubbed her hot, smooth cheek against the back of Chi Yu’s hand—cautious, yet lingering as if unwilling to let go.