Some secrets are deeply concealed, while others are almost common knowledge, yet regardless of the degree of secrecy, the essential component remains the same: someone intimately connected to the secret must be kept in the dark for it to truly qualify as a secret. Ning Yao possessed a secret she never intended to share: she had inadvertently witnessed a ** scene unfold, only to later discover that the principals involved had known about her observation all along.

And now, the other party to that original secret finally knew as well.

Ruan Mingqing paused for a beat, then chuckled with a wry smile. “You knew she was watching back then, why didn’t you tell me?!”

“If I had told you then, wouldn’t it have ruined the fun?” Wang Zhuo sneered. “Besides, by the time I noticed her, she’d already been watching for a while. Since she’d already seen it, I just pretended I hadn’t. Better to avoid awkwardness for everyone.”

“You… you are truly reckless!” Ruan Mingqing stomped her foot with a bitter smile. The thought of her most intimate moment being spied upon gave her an indescribable sense of unease—a mix of embarrassment, shame, and a nervous thrill.

She shot Wang Zhuo a glare, retorting petulantly, “And here I was, pretending in front of her that you and I were just ordinary good friends. Who knows what she thinks of me now! Did you ever mention this to her?”

“I did.” Wang Zhuo let out a dry chuckle.

Ruan Mingqing bit her lower lip, asking with coy anger, “And did she say how much of that night she saw?”

Wang Zhuo leaned in close, whispering into her ear, “She said you have an amazing figure, and that your… technique is exceptional!”

A soft punch landed instantly on Wang Zhuo’s arm. He laughed and accepted it, looking thoroughly smug.

“I see,” Ruan Mingqing glanced pointedly at Ning Yao’s silhouette before huffing at Wang Zhuo, “You two must have something going on, right?” Wang Zhuo blinked innocently. “What do you mean ‘something going on’? Left leg or right leg?”

“Stop playing coy and being clever,” Ruan Mingqing scolded. “I don’t care; she saw me, so I want to see her.”

“Then you should ask her yourself,” Wang Zhuo replied easily. “I certainly don’t mind. As long as she agrees, you can look all you want.”

Ruan Mingqing started, realizing that no matter how this played out, Wang Zhuo, that mischievous brat, was the one coming out ahead. It seemed he was eager to take advantage of this situation to gloat.

Looking at Ning Yao again, Ruan Mingqing felt an indefinable emotion. She was suddenly astonished by Wang Zhuo’s appeal—this boy certainly had an abundance of female fortune!

A question, deeply stimulating, suddenly surfaced. Unable to stop herself, she asked directly, “Wang Zhuo, has she ever… serviced you?”

As mentioned before, even the Little Dragon Girl needed to relieve herself, yet the reality was that most people only ever saw the polished facade of celebrities and idols. When their private lives surfaced, it created a sense of surreal disbelief—as if stars shouldn't engage in such mundane necessities.

In Ruan Mingqing’s mind, Ning Yao was the perfect woman: a model for study, a blend of beauty and wisdom, someone ethereal and untouched by earthly concerns. But Wang Zhuo had just told her that Ning Yao had spied on the two of them during their “intimate moment.” This shattered Ruan Mingqing’s previous perception. Now, discovering that Wang Zhuo and Ning Yao also shared a private intimacy, she immediately conjured a possibility she found unbelievable and had never even considered: Did Ning Yao also need to cater to a man?

Fueled by a slight buzz from the alcohol, Wang Zhuo finally had a chance to be triumphant, flamboyant, boastful, and utterly magnificent! He let out a smug hum through his nose, then grinned widely, “It’s a given….”

As Ning Yao was preparing to follow up her last song with “The Fruits of Midsummer,” the image on the big screen suddenly froze.

She turned to see Wang Zhuo, his face flushed, beckoning her toward the sofa to chat.

Ruan Mingqing, however, wore a strange expression, looking at Ning Yao with an indescribable gaze. Guilt is often self-betraying; Ning Yao immediately understood the reason for Ruan Mingqing’s odd look—Wang Zhuo, that rascal, must have broken his promise and revealed the secret!

She walked over awkwardly, sitting down on Wang Zhuo’s left side, and feigning composure, asked, “I was singing so well, why the pause?”

Ruan Mingqing smiled cryptically. “Sister Ning Yao, what you did was rather unfair…”

Ning Yao’s body stiffened. She thought, It’s here, the moment of reckoning. She paused, then replied with a wry smile, “Mingqing, this was indeed my fault, but if you were in my shoes that night, what would you have done?”

Though their dialogue seemed disjointed to an outsider, all three people present understood they were referring to the night of spying at the Wetland Villa. Ruan Mingqing paused, considering the situation from Ning Yao’s perspective, and realized that in that position, she probably would have watched for a while too!

But regardless, she felt she had been disadvantaged, especially since the matter couldn't be publicized. A bold thought struck her.

“Since it’s all in the past, I don’t want to dwell on it,” she said smoothly, softening her approach after an initial harsh tone. “However, this situation isn't fair to me. I know you’re a straightforward person, Sister Ning Yao, so decide how you’re going to compensate me…”

“Pay back what you owe, then,” Wang Zhuo suddenly interjected with a mischievous laugh.

Unexpectedly, the two women instantly found common ground against a shared opponent. They simultaneously grabbed his arms and shook him. Just as he was about to protest, someone knocked on the door of the private room.

Ning Yao and Ruan Mingqing immediately let go. They could fool around privately because of their closeness, but not in front of outsiders. What would it look like—a young matron and a movie queen playfully wrestling with a young man?

The knock broke Wang Zhuo free. He calmly adjusted his clothes, adopting an air of propriety, which earned him two eye-rolls.

“Come in!” he called toward the door. Simultaneously, he used his somewhat dulled X-ray vision, numbed by alcohol, to peer out, only to be surprised to see five unexpected guests instead of a beer girl or a waiter.

By then, Ning Yao had gracefully settled by the karaoke machine on the opposite end of the sofa, and Ruan Mingqing had created a half-body distance between them, now holding a microphone. Wang Zhuo chuckled inwardly, thinking women seemed inherently skilled at clandestine activities—they learned them without needing instruction!

Pushing the door open, only three of the five uninvited guests entered. The first was Wang Zhuo’s old classmate, Wang Daming, but he clearly wasn't the leader. Upon entering, he stepped aside. Behind him was a middle-aged man in his early forties, radiating an imposing aura and appearing perfectly composed. His eyes swept calmly over the room, lingering not at all on Wang Zhuo.

This man was Tao Haitong, the second son of the Tao family. Trailing him was the third son, Tao Qian, followed by two bodyguards who remained outside the door.

Ning Yao, dressed in a crimson qipao, remained seated at the karaoke machine, offering only her back view, yet the gazes of the three men clearly centered on her—they had clearly come for her.

But Tao Haitong’s gaze fixed itself for a moment, looking with some surprise at Ruan Mingqing, who was dressed in white, and greeting her with delight, “Miss Ruan?”

Ruan Mingqing was, after all, the daughter-in-law of the newly appointed director of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a native of the capital. Her connections weren't weak. It wasn't unusual for a playboy like Tao Haitong, with his wide social circle, to recognize her.

The Director of the CAS might not sound earth-shatteringly powerful, but those in the know understood that this was an official enjoying the equivalent status of a Vice Premier. While Yan Ran might not wield life-and-death authority, he could influence national policy and economic strategy, and a small maneuver from him could dictate the future of an entire industry, easily paving the way for several economic giants to rise.

Furthermore, Ruan Mingqing was a strikingly beautiful matron with an ethereal temperament, precisely in the age bracket most favored by young men. The moniker "pretty widow" wasn't just Wang Zhuo’s appraisal; she was already somewhat famous in certain elite circles in Beijing.

“Mr. Tao?” Ruan Mingqing stood up in surprise, never expecting the Tao brothers to appear in her private room.

“Heh, what a coincidence,” Tao Haitong laughed. “I heard Miss Ning Yao was singing here, so I specifically came over to offer a toast, but I didn't expect you all to know each other. Truly unexpected!”

Hearing someone mention her name, Ning Yao turned around. Seeing Tao Haitong, she wasn't overly surprised; running into an acquaintance in Beijing was common. The second young master Tao hadn't left a strong impression on her. Though they weren't close, exchanging polite toasts felt natural.

She walked over to greet Tao Haitong, and the five people stood in the open space in the center of the room exchanging pleasantries. Wang Zhuo wasn't interested in such scenes anyway, and since the visitors hadn't paid him any mind, he simply moved back to the karaoke machine to check what trends topped the KTV charts in Beijing compared to Jiangzhou.

When Ning Yao and Ruan Mingqing attempted to introduce Wang Zhuo, they saw he had no intention of joining them. The two women exchanged a look, deciding it was better to avoid trouble—they would simply treat Wang Zhuo as an invisible bystander, especially since his social standing was rather awkward at the moment.

Since they didn't introduce him, Tao Haitong and his companions treated Wang Zhuo like a passing stranger they could ignore, guessing he was a younger relative of either Ning Yao or Ruan Mingqing and dismissing him. Moreover, a young man dressed head-to-toe in "Semir" casual wear wasn't worthy of the Tao brothers' attention—even their attendants drove BMWs!

After exchanging toasts, Tao Qian asked, “Miss Ning Yao, is it just the three of you?”

“Yes,” Ning Yao nodded. “We came for a chat and some singing after dinner, and we’ll be leaving soon.”

“Just three people singing? That sounds a bit quiet,” Tao Haitong laughed heartily. “If you don’t mind the intrusion, we’ll join the fun, or perhaps you could move to our room? It’s larger, and the sound system is better.”

Ning Yao and Ruan Mingqing exchanged a look, both feeling a slight headache. Ruan Mingqing smiled unnaturally. “We won’t bother you. We’ll sing a little longer and then head out.”

“That works too,” Tao Haitong said, turning to instruct Wang Daming. “Go ask a waiter to bring two bottles of Latour over, and transfer the bill to our room. Get the deposit back for Miss Ning Yao’s party.”

“Oh, we really shouldn’t,” Ruan Mingqing quickly demurred. “Mr. Tao, we are leaving shortly, perhaps we should just settle ours.”

“Nonsense, it’s my honor to pay for beauty,” Tao Haitong smiled gallantly, about to secure a seat. His shoulder was suddenly tapped lightly.

He turned his head. The young man in the Semir casual wear had appeared silently beside him, retracting his hand after tapping the shoulder. He said with a half-smile, “Uncle, are you pretending I don't exist?”

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