"What happened to you?" Su Yining asked, her eyes widened in astonishment.
She thought she was the most miserable one in this office, still had to go to work despite her body still aching all over. Unexpectedly, there was someone more tragic than her.
Han Zhicong’s face swollen like a pig, and his wailing made him resemble one even more.
Only his face looked swollen while the other parts of his body like his hands or feet were still fine. He was currently wearing a jacket, a mask and black glasses, trying to hide the bruises on his face.
He only took them off after he arrived near Su Yining.
It took every single one of her cells not to burst out laughing.
His eyes radiated extreme resentment, and he actually was getting teary. But, moving too much also made his face hurt and he let out a hiss, "Ouch."
"Why didn’t you just take a day off?" she asked in puzzlement.
Han Zhicong had become more tolerable once he no longer acted like Chen Kaixuan was his father or something.
He pulled up his mask back on and put on the glasses, sighing deeply. His eyes scanned the deserted surroundings before he fixed his eyes on her again. The time was early and not many people had come yet.
"Do you think Chen Kaixuan finally found out I was scamming him and took revenge?" He let out another hiss, sounding very miserable.
Su Yining shrugged. "Did you give out any clues that the one talking to him wasn’t me?"
It was easy to pretend to be her. After all, Chen Kaixuan basically knew nothing about her and her preferences. Han Zhicong could just make up something as long as they were consistent.
"Nothing." He shook his head. "He still called me darling last night."
Su Yining twitched her mouth, goosebumps rising.
"If it’s really him, he would have come to find you and beat you up himself. Well, maybe also bring some helpers." She shrugged. That was how Chen Kaixuan’s temper was.
She tilted her head. "So, Han Zhicong, how did you get beaten up?"
"Someone put a sack over me after I arrived home, dragging me somewhere. They beat me up, but only aimed at my face!" He scowled, his voice dripping with hatred.
Han Zhicong gritted his teeth. "Su Yining, you aren’t laughing at me, are you?"
Su Yining, who had been trying to keep a poker face, failed after he said that. She burst out laughing, slapping the table with her hand in the process.
Her laughter didn’t subside for a long time.
Han Zhicong, utterly defeated, could only glare at her. Sighing, he said, "Then, it’s not Chen Kaixuan."
Su Yining wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes, shaking her head. But wait... she stopped and blinked rapidly.
Why does that move trick sound so familiar?
It was something her brother used to do whenever he found someone he didn’t like. For example, the kids who bullied her.
"Do you know who might have done it to me?" Han Zhicong accidentally pressed his face and let out a pained hiss.
Her eyes darted around guiltily. It might really have been her brother’s doing. However, between her stinky brother and this wicked Han Zhicong, her heart naturally leaned on her brother more.
The expression on her face became solemn and she shook her head, rolling her eyes. "How would I know? With your personality, I don’t doubt anyone has been itching to do that to you for a while."
"You do too?" He seemed to be taken aback.
"Guess?" She shrugged and waved her hand. "The one who beat you up must have been one of your enemies. Go back to your desk and search through your memory, who did you bully recently?"
"Uh..." he mumbled, seeming hesitant to speak.
Su Yining looked at him, narrowed her eyes. How did her brother know the one holding her SIM card was him at such a short time?
It was so suspicious.
"Speak," she told him.
"Does your brother know that I am the one who has your old SIM card...?" He asked carefully.
Su Yining slammed the table with her fist, making him jolt in shock. His words sounded like a rhetorical question.
"Speak, what did you say to my brother? Did you unblock his number?" She interrogated him, her face soured with each passing second.
Han Zhicong was startled. After he received her brother’s beating, he became scared. He was also worried she might take revenge by telling Chen Kaixuan about what he had done.
Wouldn’t he risk losing both money sources? Currently, he still acted as himself, who was providing fake information to Chen Kaixuan about Su Yining while acting as his chatting partner by assuming Su Yining’s identity.
He had just brainstormed more ways to stop Chen Kaixuan from asking to meet again. How could he let all his hard work go down the drain?
As such, he racked his brains to find suitable words to answer. But... he couldn’t find any!
"You scammed my brother, did you?" A furious voice broke him out of his thoughts.
Before he knew it, he could feel a slender hand grabbing his collar.
"Eek!" Han Zhicong squealed in shock. Unexpectedly, this woman was quite strong! Almost ripping out his collar.
"Wait, wait, Yining..." he hurriedly tried to appease the angry tigress. "Let me explain first, I can explain, I can explain!"
Su Yining, still bristling, was one second away from punching him.
"Your brother agreed to it! He knows!" He almost yelled.
She slowly let go of his collar. Now, his clothes looked as unkempt as someone who had just passed a hurricane.
Crossing her arms on her chest, she tapped the floor with her shoes. "Then, explain."
"Uh," he took a deep breath, his brain organizing the words. Gritting his teeth, he opened his mouth, "So, it’s like this. Before he beat me up... he sent me a message through a new number, offering you pocket money."
Seeing him hesitating, Su Yining raised her eyebrows, waiting for him to continue.