5: Chapter 5: Online Sweet Talk Service Exposed! My Sister-in-Law Sets a Trap and Requests to Me

Su Wanqing sat on the cold floor; the glaring fluorescent light from the screen hit her pale face, revealing the massive bloodshot veins in her eyes.

She clicked on the first screenshot in the folder, her finger hovering over the left mouse button, her fingertips turning pale from the excessive pressure.

It was an Alipay transfer receipt; the payer was Chen Ming, and the payee was an anonymous account displaying only the initial L.

The transfer amount was five thousand yuan, and the time of the transfer was two forty-five in the morning on July 15th, four years ago.

Su Wanqing stared at that timestamp, her breathing gradually becoming rapid, her chest heaving violently.

She clearly remembered that night; suffering from a severe episode of depression, she had stood on the dormitory balcony and sent Chen Ming her final farewell message.

At two forty-six, Chen Ming replied with a five-hundred-word message; every sentence perfectly struck at her inner fears, forcibly pulling her back from the edge of death.

She had always regarded that text as her faith to keep living, as ironclad proof of Chen Ming's deep love for her.

Su Wanqing's hand holding the mouse began to tremble uncontrollably, and she quickly clicked on the next screenshot.

A transfer of ten thousand yuan, with the note reading "Emotional Crisis Reconciliation Rush Fee," dated the night she discovered Chen Ming was cheating and they had fought about breaking up.

A transfer of twenty thousand yuan, with the note reading "New Year's Eve Special Customized Sweet Talk Package," dated the night of the fireworks party where they established their relationship.

Hundreds of transfer screenshots lined the screen, each monetary transaction corresponding to the "soul resonance" she had once smugly believed in.

The salvation she had treasured, the soul she had fallen deeply in love with—they were all cheap commodities that Chen Ming had bought with money from this man, Code L.

Chen Ming rolled over on the soft, large bed, smacking his lips and emitting a dull snore.

Su Wanqing turned her head to look at her sleeping husband, the corners of her mouth curling into a cold, emotionless arc, the last trace of tenderness in her eyes completely drained away.

She unplugged the data cable connected to the old computer, locked the tablet containing all the copied screenshots into her private safe, and turned to walk into the bathroom to splash her face with cold water.

Cold water droplets dripped down her exquisite jawline as she looked up at the woman with red, swollen eyes in the mirror.

She wiped the water from her face with a towel, walked to the bedside, looked down at Chen Ming, and reached out to nudge his shoulder.

"Honey, wake up. It's morning."

Chen Ming rubbed his bleary eyes and sat up, yawning widely as he looked at Su Wanqing, who stood by the bed fully dressed.

"Honey, why are you up so early today? Didn't the housekeeper take the day off? I can just go out and buy breakfast."

Su Wanqing picked up the glass of water nearby and handed it to Chen Ming, her fingertips lightly tracing the rim of the cup twice.

"Honey, I remembered something while I was tidying up earlier. On New Year's Eve of your junior year, when you confessed to me on the playground, what was the last sentence you said?"

The glass Chen Ming had just taken shook violently, splashing warm water onto the back of his hand and causing him to gasp from the heat.

He hurriedly placed the glass on the nightstand, grabbed two tissues to wipe his hand frantically, his eyes darting around the room.

"Honey, why are you asking about that so early in the morning? That was years ago; how could I possibly remember it so clearly?"

Su Wanqing stood still, her gaze locked onto Chen Ming's face, which was gradually flushing red with guilt.

"You usually can't even remember what flavor of cake I like, yet that night you were able to speak for ten minutes straight with sweet nothings that never repeated. Did you memorize a script for a long time beforehand?"

Chen Ming's Adam's apple bobbed violently, and a fine layer of sweat broke out on his forehead. He laughed dryly and reached out to grab Su Wanqing's arm.

"Of course! I spent a whole month preparing for that confession, studying every single thing in your social media feed."

Su Wanqing took the opportunity to break free from Chen Ming's grasp, stepping back half a pace to create distance between them, her tone remaining calm.

"Then how did you know I had a cat named Pudding when I was sixteen? I never even posted about that on social media; I only mentioned it once in an anonymous confession forum."

Chen Ming's face turned deathly pale. His lips trembled, unable to squeeze out a word for a long time, while his hands gripped the bedsheets tightly beneath the quilt.

"I—I probably heard it from one of your best friends. Why are you obsessing over this? Isn't it enough that I treat you with all my heart now?"

"That's true. You do treat me quite well now."

Su Wanqing didn't continue to expose him. She turned and walked to the vanity to pick up her bag, the tear mole at the corner of her eye exuding a hint of danger in the morning light.

"I'm meeting some friends for shopping today. I'll be on time for our six-month anniversary dinner tonight. Don't forget to invite Lin Yan."

Watching Su Wanqing's back as she left the bedroom, Chen Ming collapsed onto the bed in exhaustion, panting heavily, his shirt soaked through with cold sweat.

At the same time, in the CBD of Jianghai City.

The pantry on the top floor of Shenghai Group was filled with the rich aroma of freshly ground coffee.

Lin Yan walked to the coffee machine with his mug and pressed the extraction button; the piping-hot brown liquid slowly flowed from the spout into his cup.

Li Na, a female colleague from the Public Relations Department, held her phone and leaned toward the counter, lowering her voice to share the gossip she had just scrolled across with Zhao Gang, who was standing nearby.

"Have you guys heard? There was a massive bombshell in the Jianghai City socialite circle last night. I heard a top wealthy heir hired someone to ghostwrite all the love letters he used to pursue his wife."

Lin Yan's wrist, holding the coffee mug, jerked violently. Piping-hot coffee splashed over the rim and onto the back of his hand, scalding it bright red.

He gasped, hurriedly setting the mug down on the table with a sharp clatter, and grabbed a few tissues to press frantically against the back of his hand.

His heart pounded wildly in his chest, its rhythm instantly tripling, and cold sweat broke out along his spine.

Beads of sweat broke out on his scalp within a second, and Lin Yan felt a searing, stinging pain with every breath he took.

He forced himself to suppress the urge to tremble, turned to face Li Na, and managed to force a perfectly natural, curious smile onto his face.

"Oh really? Wealthy heirs outsourcing their dating lives now? Which young master in our circle is so unreliable?"

Li Na held her phone screen up to Lin Yan, pointing to the title of an anonymous exposé post.

"They didn't reveal the specific name, but the poster said the 'chat agent' is a man who specializes in taking orders from wealthy heirs online. He's made millions doing this."

Zhao Gang smacked his lips, picked up his teacup for a sip, and looked entirely disdainful.

"What's the point of making millions? If those socialites find out the truth, their methods of revenge would be enough to skin this 'chat agent' alive."

Lin Yan's throat felt parched, and even swallowing his saliva felt incredibly difficult.

He pinched the muscles on his outer thigh hard, using the physical pain to mask the stiffness in his limbs.

"Does the post mention the 'chat agent's' name, or any distinguishing features?"

Li Na shook her head, put her phone away, and sighed.

"No name. It just said that this 'chat agent' understands female psychology incredibly well and is a master at manipulating hearts. Right now, the socialite who was deceived is desperately searching for him in private."

Lin Yan felt his vision go dark, his strength drained in an instant, and his legs went so weak he could barely stand.

"I'm sorry, Su Wanqing. I'm sorry to all the clients' wives."

Lin Yan repeated this meaningless apology frantically in his mind; the surging guilt and the panic of impending exposure gripped him tight.

He knew that the truth couldn't be hidden forever; that anonymous exposé post definitely wasn't baseless.

Once Su Wanqing or any other woman followed the trail to him, his identity as a senior public relations manager at Shenghai Group would instantly become the laughingstock of the city.

His sister Lin Yu's medical fund account would be frozen, and his peaceful life would be completely shattered.

The phone in his suit pocket suddenly chimed with a sharp, clear sound.

This sound, usually so ordinary, fell on Lin Yan's ears now like a death knell.

He couldn't help but shiver, pulling out his phone with trembling hands to see a WeChat message from Chen Ming on the screen.

"Old Lin, I've already booked the private room at Shangri-La for tonight. Dinner starts at 7:30 sharp, so don't you dare be late."

Lin Yan stared at the text on the screen, the corner of his eye twitching wildly as cold sweat from his forehead slid down the bridge of his nose and dripped onto the screen.

That idiot Chen Ming had no idea that danger was already upon him; he was still planning to play the role of the devoted husband at this anniversary dinner.

Lin Yan adjusted his breathing and slowly typed a reply on the keyboard.

"Got it. I'll be there on time."

After sending the message, Lin Yan stuffed his phone back into his pocket, picked up the now lukewarm coffee, and turned to walk out of the pantry.

"What's wrong, Manager Lin? You look terrible. Did you not sleep well last night?"

Li Na muttered behind his back.

Lin Yan didn't look back; he quickened his pace to return to his private office and locked the door behind him.

He leaned against the door, panting heavily, loosened his tie, and took off the gold-rimmed glasses that symbolized his status as a workplace elite, tossing them onto his desk.

He had to do something. He absolutely could not sit around and wait for his doom; he had to confirm exactly how much Su Wanqing knew during tonight's dinner.

If the socialite mentioned in that exposé post really was Su Wanqing, then tonight's dinner was undoubtedly a death trap carefully prepared for him.

Lin Yan braced his hands on the edge of the desk, staring at his own sweat-drenched face reflected on the computer screen, his eyes gradually turning cold.

Evasion wouldn't solve anything. The only thing he could rely on in this life was his Empathy Talent for reading people's hearts.

Since he was already in the game, he had no choice but to play along with these crazy women until the very end.