Chapter 51 Fourth Uncle, could you kindly let me stay the night?

It was a bottle of perfume.

By the dim light, Nan Zhen'er saw clearly that the person was Xiaofang.

Xiaofang threw the perfume directly into the trash can, muttering something under her breath.

Nan Zhen'er immediately recalled how, back in the attic, Nan Xing had asked all the servants if anyone had seen a bottle of perfume.

At that time, everyone had shaken their heads and said no.

Driven by a shred of suspicion, Nan Zhen'er stepped a little closer.

Hearing clearly what Xiaofang was muttering, Nan Zhen'er finally figured out the whole story from beginning to end.

It turned out to be the result of Xiaofang's vanity.

While cleaning the room, taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention, she had stolen Nan Xing's belongings.

"And here I thought a so-called young lady of high status would use some high-end product. To think it's just some junk bought off Pinduoduo. I blame myself for being blind."

"Stinky Nan Xing, putting on such a grand facade when she can't even afford a luxury brand, and now she's given me an allergic reaction!"

Earlier, when she heard Nan Xing mention getting free shipping for 9.9 yuan, Xiaofang had felt deeply uncomfortable all over.

Several places on her arms and neck were itching intensely.

When she went back and looked in the mirror, red rashes had broken out everywhere she had sprayed the perfume.

Therefore, she concluded that what Nan Xing had said was the absolute truth.

That so-called perfume endorsed by Lin Weiyang was blatantly fake—nothing more than a knockoff.

After finishing her resentful complaints, Xiaofang turned around, intending to head back to the dormitory to sleep, only to be startled out of her wits by the person standing right before her.

"Zhe... Zhen'er Miss, why are you here?"

Out of fear, Xiaofang's face turned pale, and her words came out disjointed.

She had no idea how long Nan Zhen'er had been standing there.

Nor did she know how much of her complaining about Nan Xing Nan Zhen'er had overheard.

"I saw everything you just did," Nan Zhen'er said with a solemn expression, her fierce gaze burning like fire. "You stole that bottle of perfume from Nan Xing, didn't you?"

Terrified to the point of tears, Xiaofang grabbed Nan Zhen'er's hand and pleaded, "Miss Zhen'er, I didn't mean to. I was just curious what this perfume smelled like when sprayed on, so I took it to have a look..."

Listening to her pleas from her position of superiority, Nan Zhen'er remained completely unmoved.

"Do you know what price you'll pay if Nan Xing finds out you stole her perfume?"

"Miss Zhen'er, I know I was wrong. I'll never dare do it again. Please, could you not tell Miss Nan Xing?"

Thinking of Nan Xing's terrifying demeanor, a chill crept up Xiaofang's spine.

"Miss Zhen'er, I beg you, please don't tell Miss Nan Xing, or I'm dead."

"As long as you don't tell her, I'll gladly be your beast of burden," Xiaofang cried out, hugging her arm and pleading desperately.

"Really?" Nan Zhen'er raised an eyebrow, probing, "You're willing to do whatever I ask?"

Xiaofang dazed for a second before nodding vigorously. "Yes, Miss Zhen'er! I will do whatever you say, as long as you don't chase me out of the Nan family and don't tell Miss Nan Xing about this."

"Good. Then you're going to go do something for me."

Nan Zhen'er readily agreed, her sweet smile as venomous as a scorpion's. "As long as you're a good girl and do as you're told, I promise I won't tell Nan Xing, and I'll even buy you a real bottle of perfume afterwards."

"Alright," Xiaofang rejoiced, leaning her ear closer to listen intently to Nan Zhen'er's instructions.

At the main entrance of the Nan residence, Nan Xing stood alone by the roadside, clutching her small pink suitcase and waiting for a car.

Neon lights flickered at the street corner. It was already ten o'clock at night, and taxis were scarce at this hour.

After about ten minutes, a BMW driver finally came to pick her up.

Nan Xing hailed a cab to the nearest hotel, only to be told at the front desk that all rooms were fully booked.

After that, she visited two adjacent hotels, but with the exact same result: no vacant rooms.

Something was amiss.

Nan Xing stood at the hotel entrance, looking at the endless stream of traffic on the road and falling into deep contemplation.

This wasn't even peak tourist season; how could every single hotel she went to be fully booked?

She couldn't shake the feeling that something felt bizarre.

Yet, she was far too sleepy at the moment to care about who might be tripping her up.

Right now, she desperately wanted to collapse onto a bed and sleep.

The ride-hailing app indicated that the driver was very close to her destination, so Nan Xing pulled her suitcase and walked a few paces toward a wider open area.

Upon arrival, seeing that she was just a young girl, the driver immediately stepped out of the car and proactively helped Nan Xing put her luggage into the trunk.

"Mister, thank you so much," Nan Xing said, thanking him as she fastened her seatbelt after getting into the car.

Her previous driver hadn't been nearly as kind-hearted as this gentleman; even seeing that she was a young woman, he hadn't bothered to get out and help with the luggage.

In fact, he had even impatiently urged Nan Xing to hurry up.

Nan Xing hadn't retorted to anything.

The very first thing she did after getting out of that car was to leave the driver a bad review.

That's right: treat me without benevolence, and I shall return the favor in kind.

"It's nothing, young lady. Everyone's out making a living, so if we can help each other out, we should. It's no trouble at all."

The plump driver was a kind-hearted man, chatting amiably with Nan Xing all the way, which successfully chased away much of her sleepiness.

"Young lady, we've arrived."

Following the driver's booming voice, the taxi came to a halt outside the gates of Cuilin Bay residential area.

Nan Xing got out of the car, pulled her suitcase, and located the villa where Lu Beitian had brought her last time.

The interior was pitch black, suggesting that the master of the villa was likely not at home.

Nan Xing placed her suitcase on the steps and, walking closer, discovered it was secured with a fingerprint password lock.

With a hint of despondency, she squatted down, barely managing to keep her fighting eyelids open, and sent a WeChat message to Lu Beitian.

[Fourth Uncle, are you asleep? I have nowhere else to go. Can you kindly take me in for the night?]

She appended a grievance-filled emoji: qWq.

Meanwhile, at Meise.

Lu Beitian had just stood up to head to the restroom when his phone, resting on the table, rang.

Sitting beside it, Bo Qijin glanced over and saw a message notification from a contact nicknamed "Little One."

Little One?

Tsk tsk, ordinary people wouldn't use such a mushy nickname.

It completely refreshed his understanding of Lu Beitian.

Bo Qijin's mouth split into a grin stretching almost to the back of his head, and suddenly his fingers grew itchy.

He wanted to see just who this "Little One" might be.

Just as his fingertip brushed the screen, before he even had a chance to pick up the phone, a deep voice sounded: "What do you think you're doing?"

Bo Qijin's hand jerked.

He looked up to see that Lu Beitian had emerged from goodness-knows-where and was standing in the doorway, fixing him with a deep, chilling gaze.

"Hey-hey, nothing, old Lu. Just wanted to let you know someone's looking for you."

Bo Qijin offered Lu Beitian a cheeky smile and nonchalantly handed him the phone.

Lu Beitian shot him one more piercing glare before tapping the screen.

The moment he saw the message, his handsome brows furrowed tightly.

"Hey, hey, old Lu, why are you leaving the moment you just got here?" Seeing him lean down to grab his coat, Bo Qijin grew anxious. "You're planning to stand me up again, aren't you?"

Having walked a few steps away, Lu Beitian paused slightly. "Put this on my tab; I'll treat you another day."

With that, he walked away without looking back.

Watching his hurried retreating figure, Bo Qijin stood frozen in place, unable to squeeze out a single word for a long time.

Getting into his Maybach, Lu Beitian put on his headset and dialed Nan Xing's number directly.

Hearing the howling wind over the line, realizing she was outdoors, Lu Beitian's heart tightened. "Where are you?"