Spellbound Hearts - Chapter 41 - Different Perspectives

Perhaps it was the brief chat with Wu Shu that helped her relax. After putting her phone down, Ji Xuan stared at the chandelier on the ceiling for a while before drifting off into a restless sleep.

It wasn’t a peaceful rest. After all, she wasn’t in her own home, and a sense of vigilance lingered in her heart.

When she woke up, still groggy and not fully alert, the first thing she saw was Song Zhaoli sitting on the sofa opposite her, scrolling through a phone.

Ji Xuan froze for a moment before quickly sitting up straight. Once steady, she greeted him, “President Song.”

Song Zhaoli lifted his gaze slightly, his expression unreadable. “You’re awake.”

“Mm,” Ji Xuan responded.

He asked, “Was it me who called you last night?”

Ji Xuan answered honestly, “Yes.”

Song Zhaoli leaned back slightly. “I must’ve been out of it. I meant to call Qiu Lin.”

Ji Xuan nodded. “I figured. You called me but kept saying Qiu Lin’s name.”

As she finished speaking, her eyes caught sight of the phone in Song Zhaoli’s hand.

It wasn’t his phone-it was hers!

Alarm bells went off in Ji Xuan’s mind. Just as she was about to say something, Song Zhaoli casually spun the phone in his hand and placed it on the coffee table. “Who’s the one sending you threatening messages?”

Ji Xuan froze for a few seconds, then lowered her gaze. The screen displayed a message from an unknown number: “You think blocking me solves anything? Ji Xuan, you’re asking for it.”

She had a pretty good idea who might’ve sent it. Or rather, she could guess the type of person, but not the exact individual.

Seeing her remain silent after reading the message, Song Zhaoli tapped the screen twice with his long fingers before it dimmed. “Do you know who it is?”

Ji Xuan looked up to meet his gaze, trying to decipher his intentions. After a brief hesitation, she answered truthfully, “I don’t know who it is, but this person sent me a message from another number yesterday. I blocked them.”

Song Zhaoli raised an eyebrow, his expression calm but laced with a hint of disapproval. “When something like this happens, you don’t think to call the police? Do you really think blocking them will help?”

Dressed in a blue robe, Song Zhaoli exuded a relaxed yet commanding presence, his tone sharp and direct.

Ji Xuan remained quiet for a moment before responding in a measured voice, “President Song, for someone like you, when faced with a threat, you only need to consider two options: call the police or deal with the person directly. But for someone like me, an ordinary person, the first thing I have to consider is weighing the risks and benefits.”

Since yesterday, Ji Xuan had come to terms with a lot. If she couldn’t avoid or escape Song Zhaoli, she might as well face him with composure.

Hearing her words, Song Zhaoli’s narrow eyes narrowed further, a flicker of displeasure crossing his face.

Ji Xuan avoided his gaze and picked up her phone. “People like to say that life is more important than money, but for those at the bottom of society, the two are often inseparable.”

His voice dropped an octave, steady but probing. “Are you saying money is more important than safety?”

Ji Xuan sat upright, her tone calm. “When the pandemic hit, many cities came to a standstill. Yet countless people at the bottom of the social ladder risked everything to keep earning. Do you think they weren’t afraid of dying?”

She paused, watching his expression carefully, then took a deep breath and continued, “They weren’t unafraid of death. It’s just that whether they starve to death or succumb to illness, the end result is the same. The pandemic is an unknown fear, but starvation is an immediate crisis.”

Her voice remained steady, but her words carried weight. Song Zhaoli’s half-lidded eyes darkened, his expression unreadable.

The atmosphere grew tense as silence stretched between them.

After about a minute, Song Zhaoli picked up his phone and made a call. His voice was cold and commanding. “I need you to look into someone.”