Crimson Instinct

"LIES!" Zhang Ning roared. "You are lying! Bai Li has nothing to do with him!"

Zhang Xiulan chuckled. "Oh my. You refuse to believe that Bai Li can be a part of it."

"Of course! Bai Li loves me! He won't do any such things!"

Zhang Xiulan was visibly surprised. "Wow. I cannot believe I will see a day where you will be talking about love."

"Xiulan, I warn you. Don't dare bring Bai Li into this. I know you are doing everything to destroy me! It's you! You hated Dad! You snatched him away from me!"

She narrowed her eyes. "Why should I not? Forget about how he treated me. Forget about all the doctors who cruelly treated me like a test subject, yet he didn't say a word against it. He kept watching his daughter suffer as if it had nothing to do with him. But with Mom…" she clenched her fists, and her gaze turned cold.

"Mom had already passed away, so why was there a need to kill her a second time by accident!? Just to save you!?"

Zhang Xiulan gave a tight slap on Ning's face again.

"Just so that he could hide your murder! Just so that he could hide your sin by burning her into a fire?"

She pulled her hair and slapped her again, left and right.

"He had already treated her terribly when they were married, but even after her death...he couldn't even treat her death with respect only to protect his status and position! Only to protect his psycho daughter!"

Zhang Ning's face had turned all red by now. "Xiulan!" 

She madly rushed to tear her face apart, but Zhang Xiulan easily overpowered her. She was way stronger than her as she had learned all sorts of martial arts.

So dealing with that dumb attack was a piece of cake to her. She dodged it and jabbed an upper knee cut on her abdomen.

"*Cough!*" Zhang Ning's eyes widened, and she coughed hard. She even puked a little blood. That kick was so hard on her stomach that it almost knocked her out.

Her knees trembled, and she collapsed. She clutched her stomach, and her brows tightly furrowed in pain. She glowered at Zhang Xiulan with hatred.

While Zhang Xiulan trained every day in Scotland to make herself strong and capable, Zhang Ning did no such thing.

Zhang Chao treated her like a princess, and she always had the guards following her for safety and protection. Even in her world of the dark web, there was Rodey, General Song, Duan Deming, and numerous other minions who took care of outside matters.

So she never felt the need to train for anything. She was physically weak and no match for Zhang Xiulan.

Zhang Ning only sat on her throne and watched everything at a distance as she played with everyone like puppets.

"You…" she coughed more blood.

Zhang Xiulan bent and crushed her jaw in between her fingers.

"Ugh…" Tears pooled in her eyes, and they became red in anger.

"What's wrong? Cannot believe that your weak younger sister, who was on the verge of dying by all those drugs and injections, could grow up to be so strong?"

Zhang Ning glared at her but could say nothing.

"Once again, it's an irony, right? I was the weak and helpless one all those years back, and I could only bear your and everyone's torture. But look at you now. Who is the helpless one now? First, we ended Zhang Chao and now-"

"Don't... Don't you dare include Bai Li as if...he was with you…"

"Why shouldn't she include me, Zhang Ning?" Bai Li's voice echoed throughout the playroom as he entered with Xin Lei.

Zhang Ning froze. She slowly raised her head and saw his figure walking towards her.

Zhang Xiulan smiled. "Took you a long time."

"Hey, spare me, okay? I had a lot of things on my plate with all those never-ending minions."

Xin Lei chuckled. Her gaze fell on Zhang Ning, and she raised her brow at her condition.

"B-Bai Li!" Zhang Ning burst into tears. "Bai Li! Zhang Xiulan! She wants to kill me! Help me!"

Zhang Xiulan sighed. "Well, it's good that you came. Now please burst her bubble and confess about Zhang Chao. She is really irritating me now."

Bai Li smiled in amusement. "Ho….what do you mean?"

"My poor sister cannot seem to believe that the love of her life had any hand in killing Zhang Chao."

Zhang Ning stared at them, dumbfounded. She realized that they were talking as if they were buddies and not enemies!

"Bai Li...what are you doing...w-why are you talking to her like that? She is our enemy! She killed Mom and everybody! She is the culprit you are looking for!"

"Hold on a second, Zhang Ning," Bai Li asked Zhang Xiulan, "Love of her life? Care to explain?"

Xin Lei pouted and took out the minion's phone she stole after he died. She typed. "Bai Li, you have a weak memory. Didn't I say that Zhang Ning likes you?"

"I thought you were pulling my leg."

Zhang Xiulan chuckled. "Oof Bai Li. Acting all so arrogant. You saved her so many times. She was bound to fall for your charms~~"

"My charms are all reserved for my Xin Lei. Nobody else."

Zhang Ning froze.

Xin Lei typed again. "And she didn't understand even after she saw us kissing in the hospital. Talk about being in a delusion."

Zhang Ning couldn't understand what was going on.

First, he talked with Zhang Xiulan as if they were on the same side, and now he confessed that he liked Xin Lei.

"No…*cough*...it's false. This is a misunderstanding. Bai Li...you don't understand...you love me, not Xin Lei."

Xin Lei almost choked.

Bai Li tilted his head. "Are you saying that I don't understand my own heart and feelings? Am I a kid who needs to be told what I should feel and what I shouldn't? I will spell it out if you like."

"I like Xin Lei. I have always liked her since the beginning and will always like her in the future too. Nothing can change that. Oh, and Zhang Chao? Yup, I helped Zhang Xiulan in ending his pathetic life too."