The Creator's Grace - Chapter 3

“Your hands have turned cold.”

Chi Yu pointed out the change with mock consideration as she shifted her right hand from a simple grip to interlacing her fingers tightly with Ran Jin’s.

Her other hand moved to support Ran Jin’s waist, leading her through the steps as the music shifted. It was a natural ballroom pose, but Ran Jin knew she was being held captive. The restraint wasn’t forceful; clearly, Chi Yu knew Ran Jin cared far too much about the potential blockade of the lunar orbit to dare break away.

Ran Jin’s footwork faltered, stepping squarely onto Chi Yu’s foot.

Chi Yu let out a sharp hiss of pain as her high heel nearly slipped off.

“Resorting to physical attacks because of a little embarrassment and rage?” Chi Yu wasn’t truly angry, continuing in that light, airy tone.

“Did you do all that last night just to copy my iris? To gain access to the lunar orbit permissions so you could manipulate everything?”

“I actually admire you, Sister-in-law.” Chi Yu smiled, swaying her hips seductively to the music. “Oh, I forgot—former sister-in-law. After all, you broke up before my sister passed away. You used her to successfully seize control of the entire Chi Group and then dumped her. Quite the calculation. And now, you’re so calm even as your ambition threatens to destroy this massive warship of a company. Your psychological fortitude is truly remarkable. No wonder my sister was blinded by you for all those years. Were you this calm and cold-blooded when you killed her?”

At those words, Ran Jin suddenly exerted force to pull away, only to be gripped even tighter by Chi Yu.

“…”

Ran Jin clenched her teeth, letting no expression of pain escape that might put her at a disadvantage. She continued to stare directly into Chi Yu’s eyes.

Chi Yu lowered her gaze, looking at the perfect face before her with a hint of sorrow, analyzing her in a low murmur:

“Calm, and incredibly patient. You lurked in our family for six years just to take my sister’s life and grab everything you wanted. Wealth, power, a person’s heart… you held them all in your hands, playing with them at your whim.

“Does this result make you happy? With your hands stained with the blood of the person who loved you, can you really continue to live in peace? My sister trusted you so much, loved you so much that she gave you everything. And you? Is this how you repay her?”

Chi Yu’s speech quickened. After the final accusation, she snapped back to reality, faced with Ran Jin’s still-frozen expression.

“Right, why am I bothering to talk to a demon? Demons don’t answer human questions.” Chi Yu regained her relaxed, calculated composure.

Manager Xu and the others from the group watched from the sidelines, wondering aloud, “Isn’t that… the Second Miss?”

“It really is her.”

“Why didn’t anyone say she was coming? And she’s dancing with President Ran…”

“They’re so close. It looks almost… intimate.”

Manager Xu heard the whispered gossip behind her and immediately turned to glare at them. “What nonsense are you talking? Do you even know what their relationship is?!”

Silence fell at her shout. No one dared speak further.

Ran Jin followed Chi Yu’s lead with a heavy heart, her head lowered, eyes fixed on the hem of Chi Yu’s dress.

“You noticed, didn’t you? This was my sister’s dress.”

Chi Yu tilted her head slightly, her soft, long waves of hair falling to one side. She leaned in and whispered into Ran Jin’s ear:

“The perfume is hers, too. I imagine you smelled it long ago. Does it feel like my sister has crawled out of her grave to dance with you? Do you feel guilt? Are you afraid?”

“You’re certain I killed her.” Ran Jin stared at her, her gripped hand beginning to exert pressure.

For a split second, Chi Yu wavered under that steady gaze, but she quickly snapped back with a retort: “If it wasn’t you, then tell me—how did she die? Why did the surveillance only capture you? And why are you in such frequent contact with that police officer surnamed Lu?

“My sister was so optimistic, someone who loved life. Would she really commit suicide? Having lived with her for six years, don’t you know the answer to that?”

Chi Yu broke the interlaced fingers and grabbed Ran Jin’s wrist directly. With her other hand, she pulled Ran Jin forcefully into her embrace.

The scent of her sister’s perfume on Chi Yu trapped Ran Jin. Pressed against Chi Yu’s chest, the heartbeat was clearer than ever through the flesh.

“If it wasn’t you, then who killed her?” Chi Yu asked in a voice only the two of them could hear. “You didn’t even continue investigating the cause of her death. You just let it go, letting her die in mystery. Who is the real killer? Can you tell me?”

Amidst the shifting shadows, Manager Xu watched Ran Jin intently. As a few figures passed by, she realized the two had grown even closer.

Is the Second Miss… holding President Ran?

Manager Xu was terrified. Though the Second Miss was rarely in the country, everyone in the Chi Group recognized that face. Not to mention the hawk-eyed media. With so many eyes on them, what was the meaning of this display?

Before President Chi passed away, she and President Ran had indeed broken up. Legally, it wasn’t forbidden for President Ran to be with anyone else—even her former lover’s younger sister. But the media wouldn’t see it that way, and the public wouldn’t be so kind.

Standing in the corner, Lu Siqiong clenched her fists, wanting nothing more than to rush up and tear that little brat away! But Ran Jin hadn’t given the signal and seemed to be talking to Chi Yu, so Lu Siqiong didn’t want to be too impulsive. This was a public venue; causing a scene would only humiliate Ran Jin.

Under Chi Yu’s interrogation, Ran Jin never answered. Instead, she bypassed the critical question of Chi Li’s death and asked in a low voice:

“Do you realize how many people are photographing you holding me like this? Do you know what the media will write?”

Chi Yu rubbed her slender wrist. “Let me guess why you’re still so calm. You aren’t fighting alone. It isn’t easy to swallow the Chi family bit by bit; it can’t be done by one person. Among your mysterious and intimate partners, there must be a backer you rely on. Even if those backers leave you, with your perfect public image, if you play the victim, I—the Chi family member who suddenly swooped back in—might be the one the public turns against. So, what should I do to strip away your mask?”

Seeing that Chi Yu was about to rub the cufflink open and expose her wrist, Ran Jin wrenched her arm back violently.

Chi Yu nearly lost her grip. Thinking Ran Jin was genuinely bothered by her words, she smiled.

“Don’t be so rough. I don’t want to hurt you yet. I’ve prepared a ‘grand gift’ for you.”

Ran Jin wasn’t interested in any gift. She lowered her eyes and remained silent.

Chi Yu wasn’t worried about her escaping. She pulled one hand away to take out her phone, her fingers gliding skillfully across the screen.

“Guess how the public will see you when your true face is revealed. And when your reputation is in ruins, how many of your backers will still be standing?”

The music stopped abruptly. As the crowd looked around in confusion, the ballroom speakers began to play a recording.

…

“You heard that too? Personally, I think the whole thing feels a bit fishy.”

“Eighty percent says it’s because of the battle for lunar energy. That woman surnamed Ran probably…”

“This Ran woman… never mind her competitors—to get the top seat in the Chi Empire, even her own benefactor and old lover was…”

“She really is beautiful, and she really is poisonous. Her acting is top-tier… Securing the lunar energy rights this time was entirely due to her superior ‘social’ skills.”

The recording was crystal clear, filling the ears of everyone present.

Manager Xu shouted, “Turn it off!”

A sharp burst of static followed, and the broadcast cut out, plunging the room into a dead silence.

But the media professionals had already pulled out their phones, recording the segment. Now, they all pointed their lenses at Ran Jin.

Chi Yu had recorded the conversation between the buzz-cut man and the girl in glasses in its entirety. She had used her permissions to hack the hotel system and play the audio for everyone. She had edited out the malicious comments regarding Ran Jin’s private life; Chi Yu found them filthy, a pollution to the Chi family and a desecration of her sister.

Hundreds of people in the massive hall were stunned. Low murmurs began to ripple through the crowd.

“President Chi was murdered by Miss Ran? It wasn’t suicide?”

“That’s sensational!”

“You really couldn’t tell… Miss Ran looks like such an upright person.”

“You can know a person’s face but not their heart.”

…

Ran Jin knew many people were filming her, but she wasn’t afraid. Instead, she smiled.

“Xiao Yu.”

This was the nickname Ran Jin had always used for Chi Yu, her younger sister figure. Using it now carried a hint of contempt.

“There has never been a lack of rumors surrounding me over the years. The public is already tired of these boring ‘exposés.’ If you think these tabloid stories can destroy me, you are far too naive.”

“Oh?”

Chi Yu didn’t show the panic of failure. The hand she had removed from Ran Jin’s waist didn’t return to its original place; instead, it moved to cup Ran Jin’s chin, tilting her face upward.

“What if I add this to the mix?”

While Ran Jin was still processing the meaning of this intimate gesture, Chi Yu did something entirely unexpected.

In front of everyone, she kissed Ran Jin on the lips.

Ran Jin hadn’t anticipated this. The hot, sweet kiss came so suddenly. In an instant, she was pinned by Chi Yu.

Chi Yu discovered, to her surprise, that Ran Jin didn’t refuse. She even allowed Chi Yu to part her lips with ease. The slightest tremble of a body held so close could be felt by the other.

Just as I thought, Chi Yu mused, taking the opportunity to deepen the kiss even more passionately.

“Chi Yu! Stop!”

Forcing herself to break out of the enchantment, Ran Jin suddenly snapped back to her senses. She pulled away, calling Chi Yu’s name in a muffled voice to warn her.

“If you no longer care about the Chi Group as your weapon, and if you want the Chi family’s years of accumulation to be destroyed by your hand, then go ahead and break away from me.” Chi Yu stopped the kiss, her glistening lips parting slightly, radiating a fatal temptation. “I won’t force you.”

An uproar broke out.

The sudden breakup of the media darlings, Chi Li and Ran Jin, had already been a shock that invited many theories. Who could have expected that just one month after Chi Li’s passing, Ran Jin would be kissing her younger sister in full view of the public?

Was this a firsthand witnessing of a Chi family scandal?

Anger burned in Ran Jin’s eyes. She was finally furious. “Chi Yu, have you spent this entire month meticulously deceiving me just for today? Just to humiliate me in public? To ruin my reputation? Don’t you know that by doing this, you’re dragging your own reputation down too? Your name will be tied to mine—we will become sinners together!”

“Sinners.”

Chi Yu circled her waist, looking at the enraged Ran Jin with a sort of intoxication. A side of her usually invisible was now so clear, so vivid.

“As long as I can drag you into hell, as long as I can avenge my sister, what do I have to care about? I’m not like you; I don’t rely on my reputation. Ran Jin, the Chi Group you snatched, the life you took—I will take it back tenfold. I will show you what pain is, what despair is. I will let my sister in heaven see you get exactly what you deserve.”