"!!..."
The two women stared at each other for a very brief second before Stephanie Ruan heard a familiar voice that quickly came to her rescue!
"Darling, you must have been mistaken! My bedroom is over here. That room is my father's."
Javier Zhong called out to her from behind, at the exact same time that Victoria Zhong came face to face with Stephanie Ruan.
The timing was perfect and the situation appeared to be purely coincidental that was leaving absolutely no room for doubts - at least to Victoria Zhong.
Turning around to face Javier Zhong, Stephanie Ruan spoke in a sarcastic tone, "Oh, how forgetful am I!! I think the next time I should just follow you instead so I will not bump into people whom I'm not interested to see."
Though she was speaking to him, anyone could tell that the words were directed at Victoria Zhong.
Well, she has clearly not forgotten how Victoria Zhong had treated her when she first stepped into this house.
With that, Stephanie Ruan casually walked over to Javier Zhong, who had already put out one of his hands, ready to embrace her.
As soon as the two of them had stepped out of her sight, Victoria Zhong clenched her fist in anger. "Stephanie Ruan! You better watch out!"
...
The moment they entered Javier Zhong's bedroom, the atmosphere became a little strange...
Stephanie Ruan did not know what to say to him. Frankly speaking, she could not just pretend that nothing had happened right?
After a few seconds of awkward silence, she looked at him, "You saw me eavesdropping outside her room?"
Of course, being the smart and quick-witted person that she is, it is not surprising at all that she had made the correct guess once again.
In fact, when Javier Zhong had caught her sneaking toward his father's bedroom, he simply stood at the side of the staircase and watched her silently from behind.
He did not want to stop her because at that very moment, he saw a reflection of himself in her and he understood...
He understood how much she wanted to unveil the truth behind her family's accident, just like how he too wanted to bring his mother's murderer to justice.
But... sneaking around and looking for clues to move forward... is this really the best option to uncover the truth??
Perhaps to Stephanie Ruan, her hands are already tied up and this is the only way for her to keep the investigation going.
Javier Zhong's heart suddenly felt very heavy after witnessing how she almost got caught by Victoria Zhong earlier.
What if he wasn't there just now...
What would have happened?? How would the situation have unfolded?
"..."
Without responding to Stephanie Ruan, Javier Zhong walked over to the sofa and placed the glass of water on the coffee table.
He took a seat and paused for a few seconds before asking her in a serious tone, "You are willing to do anything to find out the truth?"
Thinking that he is reprimanding her, Stephanie Ruan immediately became defensive, "I know I was careless earlier. But it won't happen again."
"As for your help just now, thank you." She said indifferently before walking toward the door, not wanting to entertain him any longer.
Right before she could reach for the handle, a large hand swiftly grabbed onto hers from behind and pulled her to the side.
"??!..."
Stephanie Ruan instantly turned around in anger, only to find Javier Zhong putting a finger on his lips, signalling her to not speak a word.
Upon seeing this, she intuitively turned her head and stared at the small gap below the door.
But she could not see anything...
With one finger, she tapped on the screen situated on the wall - which is within her reach where they are standing, and the lights went off.
Since the 'light's button' is on a tablet screen and is not a traditional light switch, it made no sound.
Thanks to the well-lit corridor, Stephanie Ruan is able to spot the shadow of someone standing just outside their room.
To them, it is very obvious who that person could be...
Leaning against the door, Victoria Zhong heard that there is no more movement in the room.
With a smirk, she walked away while dropping a short text to an unknown number.
[Alright, I will give you the money. We need to meet.]
...
Javier Zhong navigated through the dark room and led Stephanie Ruan into his bathroom since it is no longer convenient to speak right where they were.
Once they were inside, he closed the door shut. At the same time, he had also made up his mind to work with her on the investigation.
"I'll help you." He conveyed his message to her succinctly.
However, in the eyes of Stephanie Ruan, there is absolutely no such thing as a free lunch in the world! Especially from a man like Javier Zhong!
It must not be so simple...
Skeptical about his sudden proposal, she questioned him with a wary tone. "What do you have to gain from this?"
Stunned by her unexpected reply, Javier Zhong could only continue to stare into her doubtful eyes.
Must he have a reason for showing his love and kindness to her??
It is actually the first time that he is offering help to someone but he is being questioned like a prisoner instead.
At this point, Javier Zhong wondered how bad of an impression does she have of him...
After many difficulties and internal struggles, he confessed to her with his heartfelt words, "I want to protect you. I don't want to see you get hurt."
"??!!..."
Looking at his eyes filled with nothing but sincerity, Stephanie Ruan could not deny that she had indeed been moved by him.
But...
She will never fall for his trick!
Protect her?? Don't want to see her get hurt??...
Stephanie Ruan could not help but scoffed to herself, "I'm a nobody to him other than being his fake fiancée. What makes me think that he will honour his words to protect me?"
It is clear that she is definitely not buying this poorly developed story.
Sensing that Stephanie Ruan is about to walk away from him again, Javier Zhong hurriedly stopped her by pressing his back against the door so she could not open it.
Has he not made himself clear enough to her just now? And if he did, then why is she reacting so negatively to his words?
He really could not grasp the situation right now...
I mean, shouldn't she be very glad that he offered his help and run to him with open arms??
At this point, Javier Zhong truly did not know how else he could better express his thoughts to her again.
"I mean every word I said." He stared straight into her beautiful eyes and spoke earnestly.