Spellbound Hearts - Chapter 37 - Caught in the Game

Qiu Lin froze at Song Zhaoli’s words, clamping his mouth shut instantly.

After a moment, seeing that Song Zhaoli showed no signs of anger, Qiu Lin let out a quiet sigh of relief, muttering to himself, Life is tough, but being a subordinate is tougher.

But just as he was about to relax, Song Zhaoli’s cold voice cut through the air again. “What’s going on with the Xie Family?”

Qiu Lin gripped the steering wheel a little tighter before answering, “I heard Old Master Xie threw quite a fit and demanded Miss Xie break off the engagement with you.”

A sneer tugged at the corner of Song Zhaoli’s lips. “Then let’s go along with it and call off the engagement.”

Qiu Lin hesitated, lowering his voice. “It… it seems Miss Xie isn’t willing.”

Song Zhaoli’s eyes flicked toward him. “What?”

Qiu Lin repeated honestly, “Miss Xie called me this morning, questioning me about the hotel incident. I couldn’t explain it to her satisfaction. She said if this is your way of trying to end the engagement, you can forget about it.”

Song Zhaoli let out a soft scoff, as if laughing, though the cold amusement never reached his eyes.

After returning to the office, Ji Xuan immediately reported the progress of the Song Group project to Li Ming.

Li Ming showered her with praises and, right in front of her, called the finance department to allocate her an additional quarterly bonus.

After hanging up, Li Ming turned to her. “This bonus will be issued along with next month’s salary.”

“Thank you, Mr. Li,” Ji Xuan replied.

“No need to thank me. You’ve earned it. Xiao Ji, you’re truly my lucky star. Since you joined, our branch’s performance has been skyrocketing.”

Ji Xuan responded with polite modesty, “It’s all thanks to your excellent leadership.”

Li Ming chuckled, pointing at her playfully through the air. “You, young lady, don’t let your age fool anyone. You’ve got more potential than some of the veterans here. You don’t even take credit for your own achievements.”

Ji Xuan smiled faintly but didn’t respond further.

In front of a superior, it was important to read between the lines.

Li Ming’s words sounded like praise on the surface, but in reality, he was subtly reminding her not to claim credit. On a deeper level, it was likely that he had already reported the project’s progress to headquarters, taking the credit for himself.

But none of that mattered to Ji Xuan. She wasn’t foolish. She understood the rewards appropriate for her position and had no interest in competing with her boss for recognition.

Leaving Li Ming’s office, Ji Xuan took the elevator back to the Project Department.

As soon as she walked in, she noticed a package sitting on her desk.

She stepped closer and saw her name listed as the recipient. Assuming it was something her mother had sent, she thought nothing of it and opened it.

The moment she saw what was inside, she gasped sharply, stumbling back a step, nearly letting out a scream.

Inside the box was a dead cat.

The cat’s body was covered in blood, and a coarse rope was tightly wound around its neck.

It was clear the poor animal had suffered horrific abuse before its death.

Ji Xuan stared at the gruesome sight, her lips pressed into a thin line, her hands trembling slightly at her sides.

It took her a full seven or eight minutes to regain her composure. She stepped forward, closed the box, and walked out of the office. “Who brought this package to my desk?”

Her voice carried a sharp edge. A male colleague, who often tried to act clever, stood up hesitantly. “Manager Ji, it was me.”

“Did you see who delivered it?” she asked.

“No,” he replied. “When I went downstairs, it was already sitting at the front desk.”

Ji Xuan offered a faint smile and nodded. “Thank you. Sorry to trouble you.”

The colleague scratched the back of his head awkwardly, clearly flustered by her gratitude. “N-no trouble at all.”

After a moment, Ji Xuan turned and re-entered her office. She approached the box again, examining it closely, hoping to find some clue. But there was nothing.

Just as she was about to pick up the box to dispose of it, her phone vibrated in her pocket.

Frowning, she pulled it out and saw a new message on the screen: Ji Xuan, do you like the cat I sent you?

Her lips tightened as she typed back: Who are you?

The reply came quickly: Your father deserved to die. And so do you.

Ji Xuan’s breathing quickened as she read the message. Without hesitation, she dialed the number, but after a few rings, the call was cut off.

Another message followed immediately: Don’t call the police, or you’ll never find out anything about your father for the rest of your life.