Spellbound Hearts - Novelbike

Ji Xuan rarely paid attention to celebrity gossip.

But she knew that anything labeled with “BREAKING” was bound to be trending.

Curiosity got the better of her, and she swiped her finger across the screen to open the article.

One glance was enough to leave her stunned.

What could she say?

The content was… quite explosive.

There were photos to back it up. Last night, Song Zhaoli had entered a hotel room with two young models, and they didn’t leave until ten the next morning.

What exactly happened in that hotel room was anyone’s guess.

But everyone was an adult here-no one believed the three of them spent the night under a blanket just chatting.

Scrolling down, the comment section was buzzing with activity.

[“President Song’s stamina is impressive-handling two at once.”]

[“Now I finally understand that saying: it’s not that money can’t buy happiness; it’s just that your little bit of money can’t buy this kind of happiness.”]

[“A rich, handsome guy and two gorgeous models. Honestly, I can’t tell who’s taking advantage of whom here.”]

[“Doesn’t President Song have a fiancée? I wonder what she’s thinking right now.”]

The onlookers’ excitement was beyond Ji Xuan’s expectations.

Her lifelong principle had always been to stay out of things that didn’t concern her.

Being this “enthusiastic” about someone else’s business? That wasn’t her style.

After skimming through the comments, she suddenly felt bored. She stuffed her phone into her pocket, got out of the car, and started unloading the things Mother Ji had packed for her.

There was quite a lot-bags upon bags.

It took her two trips to get everything upstairs.

Once she’d put everything away in the fridge, Ji Xuan changed into her loungewear and sank into the couch, opening her work group chat.

Over the past few days, two major things had happened at the company.

First, Manager Feng, the one who had pretended to be friendly with her but secretly drugged her, had been officially dismissed.

Second, her assistant, Yan, had been transferred to another department.

The work group chat was eerily quiet. Everyone used their real names, and no one dared to say anything out of line.

It was all “Received,” “Understood,” and “OK”-nothing more.

At 7 p.m. sharp, Wu Shu knocked on her door.

The moment she stepped inside, before Ji Xuan could even say a word, Wu Shu launched into a flurry of gossip.

There was some about Song Zhaoli, and some about Xiao Jin.

Finally, Wu Shu leaned one hand on the entryway cabinet, slipping off her shoes as she concluded, “I’ve got to say, neither of these men you’re tangled up with are easy to deal with.”

After what had happened at home, Ji Xuan had completely lost interest in anything related to Xiao Jin. To keep the conversation going, she shifted the topic to Song Zhaoli. “So, is the gossip about Song Zhaoli true?”

Wu Shu, having just switched into her slippers, curled her lips and then nodded emphatically. “It is.”

Ji Xuan couldn’t help but laugh at her certainty. “Did you see it with your own eyes?”

“Not with my own eyes, but close enough,” Wu Shu replied. “I worked with three groups of models today, and one of them included one of the women who spent the night with Song Zhaoli. The makeup artist said…” She paused, clicking her tongue in a way that spoke volumes. “Well, let’s just say the marks on her body told quite the story.”

Wu Shu didn’t elaborate, but the suggestive “tsk-tsk-tsk” was more convincing than any detailed explanation could have been.

Ji Xuan lowered her gaze, smiling faintly but saying nothing. Still, a faint sense of disgust lingered in her mind.

It wasn’t about moral judgment-she was just worried about diseases. The thought of Song Zhaoli’s “experience” in certain areas crossed her mind. He was, without a doubt, well-practiced, the kind of man who could truly embody the phrase “battle-hardened.”

Wu Shu noticed her silence and seemed to read her thoughts. With a serious expression, she reached out to pat Ji Xuan’s arm. “Sis, I’m not trying to scare you, but you should really get checked out. Better safe than sorry.”

Ji Xuan frowned but didn’t argue. “Yeah.”

She knew Wu Shu was right. She was still young, and if she had to go, she’d rather die working hard at her career than from some fleeting, meaningless fling.

As Wu Shu settled in, Ji Xuan took a few meal containers out of the fridge and headed to the kitchen to heat them up.

Following her, Wu Shu glanced at the fully stocked fridge and sighed. “This is what it must feel like to have a mom. Moms are the best.”

Wu Shu didn’t have a mom. She had been raised single-handedly by her father, Wu Wenyao, who had done his best despite the challenges. A man raising a daughter alone often led to some unconventional results. Wu Shu had grown up with the face of a sweet girl but the heart of a tomboy.

Though Wu Shu often spoke without much thought, Ji Xuan took her words to heart. After putting the containers down in the kitchen, she turned back and gave Wu Shu a hug.

Wu Shu, used to Ji Xuan’s thoughtful nature, hugged her back with a grin. “Xuan-Jie, don’t do this. You’re going to make me fall for you.”

Ji Xuan smirked. “Control yourself. My preferences are perfectly normal.”

After the playful exchange, Ji Xuan returned to the kitchen to heat the food, while Wu Shu grabbed an apple from the fridge, washed it, and started eating.

The two of them chatted casually, one in the kitchen and the other just outside, their conversation light and easy.

Midway through their chat, Ji Xuan’s phone, left on the coffee table in the living room, suddenly started ringing.

“I’ll get it,” Wu Shu volunteered, already heading toward the living room.

She jogged over, glanced at the screen, and saw Xiao Jin’s name flashing on the caller ID. Her lips curled into a smirk. Instead of handing the phone to Ji Xuan, she answered it herself, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Mr. Xiao, aren’t you with your boss’s wife tonight? Working day and night like this, you still found time to call our dear Xuan Xuan?”