Battlefield Emerges: The Smoke of War Between Women

The three people in the hospital room all turned to look at Little Jia.

Qu Yin sensed the awkward atmosphere and chuckled, saying, "Ah, Little Jia is here. It's been a while since I last saw you, my dear."

Little Jia glanced at Zhou Yi as she passed by, then crouched beside Qu Yin's bed with a sweet smile. "You look much better now! Brother Zhou is really amazing."

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Qu Yin, Little Jia noticed Qu Hongzhuo signaling Zhou Yi to leave quickly.

Zhou Yi lowered his eyes with a faint smile and turned to go, but Little Jia immediately spun around as if she had sensed something.

"Brother Zhou, are you still coming to my place tonight? I’ve already had everything prepared at home. You’re not backing out, are you?"

"Next time. I already made plans with a friend today."

In front of the Qu family, Zhou Yi didn’t outright refuse, but Little Jia was still upset.

She walked over and looped her arm through his, putting on a sugary sweet tone as she cooed,

"What friend could be so important? Why not bring them along? It’s just an extra pair of chopsticks, right?"

Her deathly sweet smile seemed to drop the room’s temperature by three degrees.

Zhou Yi didn’t shake her off, only sighing helplessly. "It’s a teammate from a competition. We need to discuss some things. I doubt you’d find it interesting, Little Jia."

With wide, innocent eyes, she pouted. "Not at all! I want to know everything about you, Brother Zhou. I’m so bored at home—why don’t you take me with you? I promise I won’t disturb you. Please?"

Her youthful appearance, paired with her soft, pleading voice, made it hard to refuse.

Before Zhou Yi could respond, his phone rang.

Little Jia snatched it from him before he could react. The caller ID read: Xie Tingwan.

Never one to play fair, Little Jia answered in a sickly sweet voice, "Hello?"

"Yi, I’ve arrived at—" Xie Tingwan paused, hearing the unfamiliar feminine voice. "Did I dial the wrong number? Who is this?"

Zhou Yi reached for his phone, but Little Jia smirked and tapped the speaker button.

"Brother Zhou, it’s for you. Is this the friend you’re having dinner with?"

Xie Tingwan frowned but stayed silent, waiting for Zhou Yi to speak.

"Tingwan, wait for me downstairs at the hospital. I’ll be right down."

"Yi, who is this girl...?"

As a woman who had feelings for Zhou Yi, Xie Tingwan couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy. If this girl had his phone, their relationship couldn’t be simple.

[Xie Tingwan’s Affection Points +3]

Women were prone to jealousy—the more they cared, the easier it was to provoke possessiveness.

Little Jia had successfully stirred that instinct in Xie Tingwan.

"Sis, I’m Brother Zhou’s cousin. He promised to visit my place tonight, but now he’s ditching me for you. Can I come along? Please?"

Her voice turned even more saccharine, making Xie Tingwan assume she was just a clingy high schooler. She exhaled slowly.

A cousin? That wasn’t so bad.

It wasn’t unusual for a little sister to be attached to her older brother. Still, when had Zhou Yi mentioned having relatives in City A?

But now wasn’t the time to dwell on it. She forced a gentle tone. "Well... sure, that’s fine."

Though disappointed about losing her alone time with Zhou Yi, she couldn’t outright reject the girl.

Qu Hongzhuo and Qu Yin didn’t dare breathe too loudly. If Little Jia threw a tantrum, Ma Yunfang would be next—and neither of them wanted to deal with that.

They stayed silent, pretending to be invisible.

Zhou Yi grabbed his phone and headed for the elevator, Little Jia trailing behind him like a shadow.

"What do you want, Little Jia? I’m not your toy. Stop following me."

"No. Either you come to my place tonight, or I’m tagging along to dinner. Your choice."

"Why? I don’t understand why you’re doing this."

"No reason~ You treated me so badly yesterday, and I didn’t even get mad. I even came to the hospital to see you, only for you to break your promise and run off with another woman."

"I never promised you anything."

"Well, I say you did. Either you agree, or I’ll have you and that woman dragged to my place. And you know I can do it."

Little Jia wasn’t bluffing. She absolutely would.

She was even more unhinged than Gong Zi—spoiled rotten, with zero regard for rules or consequences.

Zhou Yi sighed. If she insisted on forcing her way in, what could he do?

"Fine. But behave yourself in front of my friend."

"Oh? Seems like you really care about her."

Zhou Yi didn’t respond. Soon, they stepped out of the hospital.

Xie Tingwan stood beside a Porsche, her smile fading the moment she spotted Little Jia beside Zhou Yi.

It’s her?

How could it be her?

There’s no way she’s his cousin!

"Tingwan, sorry for making you wait."

"So this is Brother Zhou’s friend? So pretty! Do you have a boyfriend, sis? I know tons of hot guys—I could introduce you!"

Little Jia put on her most innocent act, sizing up Xie Tingwan. Instantly, Xie Tingwan’s guard went up.

Xie Tingwan was stunning—not just conventionally pretty, but breathtakingly beautiful even in silence.

The two women were polar opposites in their allure.

Xie Tingwan knew right away: this girl was no cousin.

"Ah, Little Jia. Long time no see."

"You’ve met me before?"

"At a banquet two months ago. You probably don’t remember."

Little Jia stared, still drawing a blank.

Zhou Yi was surprised Xie Tingwan recognized her, but in City A’s elite circles, it wasn’t unusual for people to cross paths at events.

Zhou Yi glanced between them. "You two know each other?"

The women locked eyes—neither was the type to back down.

From the moment they met, Xie Tingwan and Little Jia were already at odds.

Hearing Little Jia’s sickly sweet "sis" act, Xie Tingwan—no naive flower herself—responded with a gentle yet pointed tone:

"Of course. Everyone calls Little Jia the ‘Walking Treasure Vault.’ So many people dream of visiting her home."

She smiled, seemingly praising Little Jia, but the underlying jab was clear: Little Jia was known for inviting men over.

In their circles, it was an open secret. She was infamous for her lavish spending—and her terrible temper.

Xie Tingwan then blinked innocently with a playful smile and added, "Besides, isn’t Little Jia already 26 this year? I’m only 20—shouldn’t I be calling you ‘Big Sister Jia’ instead?"

At this, Little Jia raised an eyebrow. Was she being challenged?

Good.

It had been a long time since she’d met a woman so reckless.