Shen Shuang was feeling uneasy at the moment; after she finished speaking, she didn't have the heart to care if her behavior seemed a bit unnatural.
She picked up her phone and headed toward the restroom with a furrowed brow.
In the emergency exit next to the second-floor restroom, the lighting was even dimmer than in the main hall.
It carried a quietness that felt isolated from the noise, and it was even a bit chilly.
Xu Zhi leaned against the wall, a half-burnt cigarette held between his fingers; the swirling smoke blurred the profile of his face.
Hearing footsteps, Xu Zhi turned around. There was no intent for pleasantries on his face; his gaze was as sharp as a knife, piercing straight toward Shen Shuang.
"Young Master... Young Master Xu, did you need something from me?" Shen Shuang forced herself to stay calm, revealing a slightly awkward smile.
Xu Zhi let out a sneer, cutting through her pretense.
He took a step forward, his lowered voice carrying an unquestionable interrogation as he got straight to the point.
"I'm asking you, is the news Jiang Cheng and the others mentioned—about Love Book moving up their Metaverse strategy launch to the early hours of the day after tomorrow—true?"
Hearing this, Shen Shuang's heart sank abruptly.
She hadn't expected Xu Zhi to look for her just to ask about that.
She had naturally overheard Jiang Cheng and the others' conversation earlier.
But at the time, she only thought it was an investment topic within Jiang Cheng's circle and had nothing to do with her, so she just let it go after hearing it.
She hadn't taken it to heart at all, let alone thought about remembering or analyzing it.
But even if she did remember, could she really tell Xu Zhi?
If she spoke and Jiang Cheng found out, would her fate be any good?
This idiot Xu Zhi was clearly setting her up.
After cursing him a few times in her head, Shen Shuang's mind raced desperately.
Her already furrowed brow tightened even further.
"Why are you suddenly asking this? I... also just arrived today. I was just listening casually while they were chatting. As for whether it's true or not, how would I know..."
Xu Zhi narrowed his eyes, the suspicion and sense of pressure in his gaze deepening.
"You don't know? You were sitting right next to them; how could you not have heard clearly? Shen Shuang, playing dumb in front of me won't do you any good... Your family's business..."
The threat in those words couldn't be more obvious.
Shen Shuang's face turned pale in an instant.
As expected, Xu Zhi was using her family's business to pressure her.
Daheng Group was one of the Xu Family's core industries, and the cooperation between them was crucial for her family at the moment... In an instant, a massive pressure enveloped her.
At this moment, she gripped her phone tightly, her nails digging into the edge of the case, feeling that her luck was simply too terrible.
No matter how this was handled, she would be the one to suffer the consequences.
Seeing that she couldn't fool him, Shen Shuang could only soften her tone.
"Young Master Xu, I really don't know. I was taking photos just now... I only heard them mention something about 'Love Book' and the 'Metaverse,' but as for the specifics, Jiang Cheng and the others didn't elaborate. I... I didn't dare to ask more."
Xu Zhi stared intently into her eyes, trying to find any trace of a lie.
Shen Shuang's panic was real, but was it because of the threat, or because she was guilty about knowing the inside story? He couldn't tell for the moment.
"I'm warning you, Shen Shuang," Xu Zhi's patience seemed to have run out, his voice turning even colder. "If you play tricks with me, you know the consequences..."
The pale, silent light of the emergency exit stripped away the mask of forced composure on Shen Shuang's face inch by inch.
Xu Zhi's threat was like cold wire, wrapping around her loop after loop, tightening until she could barely breathe.
Cooperation, family, a way out... these heavy words weighed down on her, making her fingertips cold.
However, just as Xu Zhi thought she would completely yield or continue her panicked pretense, Shen Shuang's expression changed subtly.
Her furrowed brow didn't relax; instead, due to extreme suppression and disgust, it twisted into an even clearer crease.
In those beautiful eyes, the previously forced smile and panic receded like a tide, replaced by an undisguised, sharp impatience from being backed into a corner, even carrying a hint of suppressed fury.
"I already said I don't know! I just came here with Ranran to have fun. Why would they tell me the details of those investment matters? Young Master Xu, is it necessary to keep doing this??"
"Your family's little business can't withstand my anger; you should know that..." Xu Zhi had originally intended to continue applying pressure.
"I'll say it again, I don't know... If you're a man and you want to know, have the guts to ask Jiang Cheng yourself. What's the point of threatening me?"
Her voice wasn't loud, and it even trembled slightly from agitation.
But the momentum and defiance in her tone unexpectedly pierced through the atmosphere of absolute control that Xu Zhi had built with threats and power.
As the son of the richest man this year, he normally encountered far too many women.
Top-tier beauties like Jiang Churan who rejected him could be found as long as he was willing to spend money.
And the main reason he was so impressed by Jiang Churan was mostly because of Jiang Cheng.
But at this moment, Shen Shuang made Xu Zhi feel that she was somewhat different.
He had seen many sides of Shen Shuang.
The one with the charming smile in social settings, the one with the cautious, fawning look when trying to get close to their circle.
And the panicked, pale look she had just now while being interrogated by him.
Every side was within his expectations and control; their relationship was that of a beautiful doll that could be manipulated with interests or threats.
But he had never seen her like this.
Although her face was pale, it even flushed with an abnormal redness due to anger.
But those eyes were startlingly bright, burning with the flames of being offended, which dispersed her usual, deliberately maintained submissiveness.
This impatience was so real, even carrying a bit of reckless abandon.
It made her meticulously made-up face, which always carried a hint of pandering, instantly come alive.
It even... burst forth with a highly impactful vividness.
Like a delicate plant accustomed to the gentle wind and rain of a greenhouse, suddenly snapped roughly; instead of wilting, it emitted a stubborn and sharp fragrance from the break.
The pleasure of control born from applying pressure in Xu Zhi's heart stalled strangely for a moment.
The alcohol made his thinking a bit sluggish and jumpy.
The genuine disgust and impatience on Shen Shuang's face were like an unexpected flame that scorched him.
A strange emotion, a mix of a desire for conquest and a more complex interest, quietly replaced his simple intent to threaten.
He suddenly felt that this Shen Shuang, who had thorns and would glare at him, was... much more interesting than the one who always wore a standard smile.
Seeing Shen Shuang roll her eyes at him again, Xu Zhi let the words roll on the tip of his tongue; when he spoke, the pure, cold threat in his tone seemed to have faded slightly.
Instead, it was mixed with a hint of playfulness. He deliberately slowed his pace, his gaze like a hook scraping over her features, which were even more vivid due to her agitation. "Whether it's necessary is for me to decide..."
After saying this, Xu Zhi moved another tiny step forward.
The emergency exit by the restroom was already narrow; this step made the air between them feel thin and sticky.
"If you don't want to talk, then it depends on how you, Eldest Miss Shen... make me feel it's 'necessary' or 'unnecessary.'"