Novel Bin Chapter 80 - Play Pretend (2)
Su Ling and Hou Chen left her to her own devices. Li Chuntao looked around the spotless room, a light scent of lemon reaching her nose. Running her fingers over the bookshelf, she gently scanned the first editions of the books she and Ying used to read when they were younger.
She then turned to sit on the pink office chair her sister used to own and sat in front of the computer that reflected nothing but her face on its blank screen. Her hand reached out and pressed the power button with her other hand cupping her chin as she waited for it to power up.
Ying might have left something that she could use. Whether or not it was a threat to Mu Jianyu or Gu Changge, it didn\'t matter as long as she could use it to her advantage. Mu Jianyu had taken the first move and given her an opening to start her revenge and she wasn\'t one to waste such an opportunity.
She browsed the document files and checked each folder that was kept by her sister. There was nothing suspicious as Li Chuntao could only see several proposal drafts and copy of contracts with the Li Corporation. There wasn\'t anything that she found suspicious and was about to give up when she remembered to check her twin sister\'s email.
Another window popped up prompting for a password. Li Chuntao only had three attempts to unlock her sister\'s account. She cupped her chin and pondered all the possible passwords that Ying used. Knowing her sister, Li Chuntao knew the patterns and commonly used passcodes for Ying\'s account.
The first time Li Chuntao keyed in the password she was familiar with, it denied her access with Ying\'s account. The second time yielded to the same result and she was left with only one chance to figure out the right password.
Li Chuntao grunted and leaned back on her seat. She should get this one right or else she would have to wait again to try later. Shifting in her seat, her eyes landed on the family photo Ying had placed near the computer.
A genuine smile crossed her lips, something she hadn\'t done in a long time. It was a picture of her and Ying with their parents when they were still alive. The picture was taken during her and Ying\'s first recital.
Thoughts and memories spiraled her mind. She would need all the strength she could gather to play this tricky game with Mu Jianyu and Gu Changge. Turning her back at the screen of the computer, she keyed in the last possible password she knew Ying frequently used and it successfully logged her in her sister\'s account.
Out of habit, she cupped her chin with one hand as her elbow propped up over the desk. She scrolled through the unread emails and wasn\'t surprised to see Mu Jianyu\'s failed attempt to reach her sister.
\'After betraying her trust, do you honestly think Ying would forgive you that easily? Bastard.\' She muttered to herself.
And then there were follow up reports from the investigators Ying hired to find conclusive evidence against her husband. A smug look bloomed on Li Chuntao\'s face. At least her twin sister was smart enough. Ying would be the one who\'ll deliver the final blow to Mu Jianyu later.
How satisfying it would be to see him crashing down after he found out the truth? His beloved Ying would be the one who will put the last nail in his coffin.
Again, there were work reports that had piled up on Li Xiuying\'s mailbox which didn\'t interest Li Chuntao at all but she kept a mental note to review it later.
She then checked the cloud storage connected to her sister\'s account and wasn\'t surprised by a daily log of her diaries which had started when she migrated overseas and a compilation of personal videos Ying hadn\'t shared yet with her.
She and Ying had been exchanging long letters and recorded videos for a long time. This was also a good way to communicate with each other when one was too busy or the other was having a hard time to tell what she wanted over a phone call.
The first video was dated almost three months ago coincidentally when Ying started avoiding talking about her marriage life with her. Li Chuntao narrowed her eyes at the thought.
Thinking about it, it should be noted that it was a hundred days before Li Xiuying\'s passing. This was the start of her hundred days of agony.
Without thinking twice, Li Chuntao hit the play button of the first video and was greeted by the face of her sister pained with anguish.
"Chuntao, do you remember, you once asked me if I know how it feels when someone made you feel special yesterday only to make you feel like nobody today? I think…" Li Xiuying heaved a sigh, "I think I now understand what you meant back then."
Li Chuntao rested her chin on her entwined fingers, watching her sister\'s video with undivided attention. There was a long pause as Li Xiuying tried to contain her tears.
"I\'m sorry… I-I just don\'t know where to start." Li Xiuying confessed as she fiddled with her fingers, refusing to look at the camera. "I know we promised that we would never keep secrets from each other unless we have to. It\'s hard for me to admit this or believe that this is happening to me…" she sniffed and then lifted her eyes to look straight at the camera as if she could see Chuntao, sitting there, watching her. "I think my husband is having an affair and I don\'t know what to do…"
Li Chuntao continued watching the twelve-minute video to the end.It was long enough for Li Xiuying to tell her what she was feeling back then. To see her like this, it broke Li Chuntao\'s heart.
What did her sister see in that bastard to love him anyway? And why the fuck did her sister allowed Gu Changge to trample her marriage that easily?
\'Ying, forgive me. I wasn\'t able to help you the time you needed me the most.\'
She really regretted not knowing it sooner. If she did, she probably would have taken Ying away sooner and Li Xiuying wouldn\'t need to die. However, Li Chuntao knew that she couldn\'t change the past anymore but that didn\'t mean she couldn\'t seek justice for her twin sister\'s death.
\'Ying, you have to help me. I might not be able to protect you before but I\'ll make sure whoever did this to you wouldn\'t live in peace for the rest of their lives. I also have to apologize because for now on, I\'ll be living as you.\'
By using her sister\'s identity, it would be easy for her to draw Mu Jianyu and Gu Changge out at the same time. Those small flies who contributed to Li Xiuying\'s suffering wouldn\'t be spared by her but first she must find out the truth from her Uncle Yuren before entering the enemy\'s camp.
She wondered when would be the perfect time to invade Mu Jianyu\'s home and what could be Gu Changge\'s reaction upon discovering that \'Ying\' was still alive but had forgotten about them.