The Mighty Mage

Xia Wei sat back with a proud look on her face, thinking she had already won.

Inside her heart, her thoughts were much darker.

'Once Lian Rou marries Chen Wen, she'll have to leave this house. When that happens, I'll finally get my place back in the Xia family. No more pretending. No more hiding. I'll be their perfect daughter again.'

She smirked silently.

'And Lian Rou… once she's out of this mansion, I'll have plenty of chances to attack her. Maybe even… kill her. Then she'll be gone forever.'

She thought her face was calm and unreadable. But Gu Jin saw right through her.

Gu Jin watched her with a blank face, but inside, she was already recording everything, not just on her phone, but in her mind.

'You think I'm stupid enough to believe you?' she thought.

Still, she didn't say anything. Instead, she yawned and rubbed her forehead.

"I'm tired," she said flatly.

Xia Wei stood up right away. "Of course, of course. You rest now. Don't worry about anything. I'll handle it all."

She walked toward the door, humming softly to herself like she'd already won the battle.

After she left and closed the door behind her, Gu Jin let out a sigh and stared at the door.

"That girl…" she muttered.

She sat on the edge of her bed, arms crossed, and shook her head.

"She really thinks I'd fall for that? How can anyone be so stupid? Does she really believe I'd trust someone who's been scheming against me all this time?"

Gu Jin lay back on the bed, still shaking her head in disbelief.

"She's not just evil," she said quietly to herself. "She's also an idiot."

She stared at the ceiling, her mind spinning with ideas. Suddenly, a spark lit in her eyes.

'A fake conversation… using Xia Wei's voice… if Chen Wen hears it, he'll think they're planning to kill him. He'll panic… and then things will get really interesting.'

The more she thought about it, the more brilliant the idea seemed. She smiled slowly.

"I should try this," she whispered.

Without waiting, Gu Jin picked up the phone the Xia family had given her. She opened the contact list and found Chen Wen's number, saved under "Chen Wen." She pressed the call button.

The phone rang a few times, then connected.

But Gu Jin didn't speak directly. She acted like she had called him by mistake. Then, in a soft voice, she started a fake conversation.

"It won't be right if we bring Chen Wen and kill him," she said in her own voice, pretending to sound worried. "If he dies suddenly, everyone will be suspicious."

She paused for a second, then cleared her throat and mimicked Xia Wei's voice perfectly.

"No one will know we're the ones who killed him," she said in Xia Wei's voice. "As long as I contact Chen Wen myself, he won't suspect a thing."

Gu Jin made herself sound nervous again, like she was scared.

"But… if he finds out, we'll be in trouble. He might take action against us."

Switching back to Xia Wei's voice, she replied calmly, "He'll never know. We'll smile at him, act friendly… and he'll walk right into our trap."

Gu Jin paused for a beat, then said slowly, "If that's the case… then I guess we can try. So… how do we get him to meet?"

Again, in Xia Wei's voice, she answered, "Simple. I'll call him and say you want to meet him. Then we'll take care of it."

Gu Jin asked in a soft voice, "What if he runs away?"

Xia Wei's voice came again, cold and sharp. "Even better. We'll use a different excuse. If he refuses to come, we'll send someone to kill him at his home."

Gu Jin acted like she was thinking deeply, then nodded and said, "That's a good idea. As long as he's dead, no one will find out."

Finally, she calmly pressed the red button to end the call.

She looked at the phone and gave a sly smile.

"Now… let's wait and see."

...................

On the other side, Chen Wen stared at his phone in shock. He had heard everything.

His hands trembled slightly.

'What… what did I just hear?' he thought, his heart pounding. 'They're planning to kill me?'

His face turned pale.

'I knew Xia Wei was dangerous… but this…'

He clenched his fists. 'I helped her. I trusted her. And now… she wants me dead?!'

Just then, his phone rang again.

He looked down and saw the name: Xia Wei.

His jaw tightened. He picked up the call slowly.

"Hello?" he said, voice calm even though his heart was racing.

Xia Wei's sweet voice came from the other side. "Chen Wen, are you free tomorrow night?"

Chen Wen took a deep breath and answered without emotion, "I'm free tonight."

Xia Wei giggled. "Perfect! Then I'll arrange a private meeting between you and Lian Rou. No one will bother you two, and if everything goes well, you can get married right away."

Chen Wen gave a small smile. "That sounds good. Where should I come?"

She gave him the address and hung up, humming in excitement.

She was so happy, thinking, 'Once he meets Lian Rou and marries Chen Wen, everything will go well. Then the Xia family will hate her, and I'll take back everything that's mine!'

She was already planning to go out and celebrate.

But just as she was about to leave, someone knocked on her door.

Surprised, she opened it.

Gu Jin stood outside, arms folded.

Xia Wei quickly changed her expression to a kind smile.

"Lian Rou," she said sweetly, "what brings you here?"

Gu Jin gave her a calm look. "I just wanted you to come with me to meet Chen Wen. What if this is your plan, and he tries to kill me?"

Xia Wei's eyes widened for a second. She didn't expect Gu Jin to be so careful.

'She's smarter than I thought…' Xia Wei thought, but quickly forced a soft smile on her face.

"This time, I'm not planning anything," she said sweetly. "But if it makes you feel safe, I'll come with you."

Then she narrowed her eyes slightly. "But you have to promise not to record anything."

Gu Jin nodded without hesitation. "Alright. No recording."

Xia Wei was thrilled when Gu Jin agreed not to record anything. She smiled sweetly and nodded when Gu Jin asked if she had anything else to say.

Gu Jin seemed like she was about to leave, but then paused. She turned around and asked in a casual tone, "By the way… did you know the Xia family is planning a secret outing soon?"

Xia Wei raised an eyebrow, confused. "What do you mean?"

Gu Jin tilted her head and replied calmly,

"Just now, my sisters came to me and said they were planning something fun. A secret trip. They said it was just for the family. But they didn't mention you at all."

Xia Wei froze.

Inside her heart, she felt something cold and bitter.

'Those sisters… they told Lian Rou, a girl who just arrived… but not me? I've been with them for more than 20 years!'

She wanted to scream, but she kept her face calm. She forced a smile and said,

"Ah… I actually told them I was too tired. That must be why. The family should take you out and let you explore. It's the right thing to do."

Gu Jin nodded slowly. "I thought so too. After all, you're so important to the family. Of course, they would tell you."

Then she tapped her forehead and laughed a little. "Maybe I misunderstood. I must've imagined it."

With that, she turned and walked away.

Xia Wei stood there, watching her go. A deep, poisonous thought filled her heart.

'If Gu Jin marries Chen Wen… maybe the Xia family will still protect her. Maybe they'll even blame themselves for letting her marry him. I never thought about that before…'

The more she thought about it, the more she realized she had missed something big.

Her eyes darkened. 'No. I can't let that happen. I'll end her. Tonight.'

She returned to her room quickly, locked the door, and made a call.

"I want to stage an accident," she said in a low voice. "Today."

The voice on the other side said something.

"I'll pay well," Xia Wei added coldly. "I already have a scapegoat, just make it look like a mistake."

Then she ended the call and smiled to herself.

.......................

Later that evening, the sun had almost set. The sky was painted with soft orange and purple colors.

Xia Wei and Gu Jin arrived at the meeting place. It was a quiet park near a small river, where the trees swayed gently in the breeze.

Chen Wen was already there, dressed in a black shirt and black pants. He looked like he was trying to play the part of a charming man.