Chapter Fifty-Two: A Deliberate Frame-Up

At ten o'clock in the evening, Nuan Mianmian had already showered and returned to bed. The girl's slender legs were crossed behind her as she lay prone, swaying back and forth, her good mood evident in her every movement.

"This photo is absolutely perfect!" she exclaimed, unable to put her phone down as she browsed through her gallery one last time before sleep.

Knock knock—

As luck would have it, a knock sounded from behind her. Nuan Mianmian set her phone aside and walked to the door.

Jiang Ce stood outside, dressed casually, his hair still damp, a few stray bangs falling across his eyes, lending him a hint of unruly charm.

Nuan Mianmian opened the door and leaned against the frame. "What's up? Did you need something?"

Jiang Ce glanced at her, his gaze lingering on her loose hair and then drifting to her bare toes. "Put on your slippers," he reminded her, frowning.

She shook her head, undisturbed. "There’s carpet in the room."

Jiang Ce gave her a look of resignation, then explained his purpose. "The suspicious waiter you mentioned earlier—there’s news. I came to tell you."

Nuan Mianmian froze. "Did you find him?"

"Not exactly," Jiang Ce replied, his brows furrowed with irritation. "The kid isn’t as simple as he looks. It seems someone’s been helping him all along. I suspect last time, he was hired for the job."

His words stirred memories in Nuan Mianmian. "Yes, that’s right." She nodded, then added, "Actually, there’s something I haven’t told you—about where the USB drive came from."

Jiang Ce raised his brows, sensing that she was about to get to the heart of the matter, and gestured for her to continue.

"Should we talk inside?" Nuan Mianmian hesitated, then hurriedly ushered Jiang Ce into her room, realizing they had been standing at the doorway chatting for ages.

She sat at the edge of the bed. Jiang Ce, all long limbs, settled into the nearby sofa, his gaze lowered, patiently waiting for her explanation.

"But let’s agree on something first," Nuan Mianmian bargained. "Whatever you hear, it only concerns the past. You can’t get angry!"

Jiang Ce’s expression remained calm. For some time now, the phrase he’d heard most from Nuan Mianmian was: it only represents the past.

"Go on."

Jiang Ce nodded. Relieved, Nuan Mianmian began her long account.

"I originally left that USB drive in the Hanhai office. After arriving here, the first time I asked A Kuan to accompany me out, it was to retrieve it, so I snuck back to Hanhai. But when I got there, I discovered the USB was gone! Furious, I decided to quit. As I was leaving downstairs, I got a call."

Jiang Ce looked up. "What kind of call?"

Nuan Mianmian sighed. "Here’s the crux. The caller was my direct supervisor. She never liked me, but I never expected her to stoop so low. She not only stole my USB drive but tried to extort ten million from me for it!"

Jiang Ce’s gaze darkened. "So, that’s why you wanted to sell your shares in Hanhai?"

"Exactly!" Nuan Mianmian continued, "That was my plan at the time. But a few days later, she secretly sent the contents of the USB to Jian Yanzhi, and managed to set me up at Moonlight Villa. Afterwards, I called her and she admitted it—the waiter was her doing, arranged to frame me!"

Jiang Ce listened to the entire story and finally understood what had transpired. Still, questions lingered.

"Who is she? Have I met her?" he asked.

Nuan Mianmian pursed her lips. "You probably haven’t. I doubt your paths crossed. She’s a manager at Hanhai—her name is Shen Ting. Not a pleasant person, to say the least."

The moment Jiang Ce heard the name Shen Ting, he was startled.

"What did you say? Her name is Shen Ting?"

Nuan Mianmian nodded. "Yes, do you actually know her?"

Jiang Ce’s expression grew even colder, but he didn’t answer her question. He looked lost in thought.

"What’s wrong?" Nuan Mianmian asked, puzzled by his reaction.

Jiang Ce snapped out of it and looked at her. "Describe Shen Ting’s appearance."

"Uh?" Nuan Mianmian was confused but obediently recalled. "She’s about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, about my height, has medium-length curly hair, always dresses like a professional woman. Nothing particularly remarkable."

"Oh! Right." Nuan Mianmian suddenly remembered something else, "She has a faint scar under her eye. It’s barely visible with makeup, but up close it’s quite noticeable."

Jiang Ce’s mood plummeted; he looked downright grim.

Nuan Mianmian, baffled, asked, "What is it? You really do know her?"

Without a word, Jiang Ce stood up and said, "You should rest now."

With that, he turned and strode out without hesitation.

Nuan Mianmian stood frozen, utterly confused. "What’s going on with Shen Ting? Why did Jiang Ce react so strongly to her name?"

She muttered to herself, when suddenly inspiration struck.

"Shen Ting?"

"Shen Qing?"

Could it really be a coincidence?

Nuan Mianmian hurriedly called A Kuan and asked, "Tell me, does Shen Qing have a sister or a brother?"

She hoped she was overthinking.

A Kuan, halfway through his evening routine, heard the phone ring and rushed over, only to be greeted by this question.

"Nuan, you called in such a hurry just to ask this?"

She snapped, "Cut the nonsense, just answer me."

A Kuan wiped water from his face and nodded. "Yes, Qing has a little sister. We all call her Ting. She’s in Lan City now. Why the sudden interest?"

Ting? So Shen Ting really was Shen Qing’s sister!

No wonder Jiang Ce had such a strong reaction earlier.

With names so similar, Nuan Mianmian hadn’t noticed at first. Now, anger burned hotter in her chest.

If Shen Ting was Shen Qing’s sister, why was she so unreasonable toward her? And why go out of her way to frame her?

Nuan Mianmian couldn’t understand.

"Nuan? What’s with that look? Did something happen?" A Kuan sensed something was off.

"You said she’s in Lan City?" Nuan Mianmian asked.

"Yeah! She’s a department manager at Hanhai headquarters, very highly regarded," A Kuan replied.

"Heh—" Nuan Mianmian let out a cold laugh. "She’s at Hanhai, yes, but not in Lan City."

A Kuan was confused. "Nuan, what do you mean? If she’s not in Lan City, where else could she be?"