"Wen Yibo!" Feng Kexin shouted angrily. "Try walking away, and see what happens!"
Wen Yibo glanced back at Feng Kexin. "Fine."
Feng Kexin suddenly grabbed a teacup and hurled it viciously in Wen Yibo's direction.
Crash—The teacup shattered into pieces, tea splattering everywhere.
The people around were stunned into silence, too terrified to move.
Wen Yibo sighed and shook his head slightly, saying nothing as he turned to leave.
"Wen Yibo, are you going to abandon me too, just like He Yining?" Feng Kexin roared. "He Yining doesn't care about me anymore, and now you won't either?"
Wen Yibo's body stiffened abruptly. His usually flirtatious peach blossom eyes now held a heavy solemnity.
He didn't turn around, speaking flatly. "You already rejected me years ago, didn't you? Kexin, I don't owe you anything."
With that, Wen Yibo continued walking forward.
"Wen Yibo, are you going to find that little stylist?" Feng Kexin kept shouting. "I won't let you!"
Wen Yibo didn't stop again, striding away with large steps.
The storm in Feng Kexin's eyes grew darker and more oppressive.
Seeing the situation turn sour, the others quickly took their leave.
The once lively courtyard fell into a desolate silence, leaving behind a mess.
"Fine, fine, fine! Every single one of you—for the sake of some unknown little girl, you're all betraying me, aren't you?" Feng Kexin's face darkened to the extreme. The jade nail guard on her finger snapped with a crack as she clenched her fist, shattering on the ground.
The servants were too scared to breathe, shrinking back and daring not to approach.
Feng Kexin's once meticulously made-up face twisted into a mask of fury. "Just wait and see!"
Shen Qi, clutching her shoes, rushed out onto the street before realizing she'd been barefoot all along.
As she put her shoes on, Shen Qi let out a long sigh of relief.
Even though she'd been publicly humiliated by so many people tonight, even though she knew for certain her career was truly over, even though she understood she might not even find a dishwashing job in H City or even H Province...
It hurt. Yes, it really hurt.
The career she loved and had pursued was brutally severed from her. The sense of loss and unwillingness flooded every cell of her being.
But what could she do, even with all that loss and reluctance?
Hadn't she experienced enough loss and reluctance in her life?
As a child, she followed her mother into the Shen family through remarriage.
Her once bright and outgoing brother was suddenly diagnosed with autism.
When choosing a university after the college entrance exam, she worried about her brother being mistreated at home and didn't dare go far. Despite scoring as the top student in the province, she only enrolled in a third-rate university.
And now, she was taking Shen Yinyin's place in marrying into the He family.
Was it unfair? Of course, it was.
But she had no right to complain about unfairness, nor to shed tears.
Because she still had to carry her brother's life on her shoulders.
She couldn't. She didn't dare.
Now, completely blacklisted, what else could she do but grit her teeth and move forward?
Shen Qi grabbed her disheveled hair, now free of ornaments, and pulled it all up into a messy bun.
She raised her hand to hail a taxi to leave the area.
A fiery red Lamborghini slowly pulled up in front of Shen Qi. The door opened, revealing Wen Yibo's handsome face, one that particularly appealed to women.
"Do I have the honor of giving you a ride home?" Wen Yibo flashed a bright smile at Shen Qi.
Shen Qi looked at him and couldn't help but smile bitterly. "Were you there just now too?"
Wen Yibo spread his hands, making an "what a coincidence" expression.
After a moment's thought, Shen Qi got into Wen Yibo's car.
Maybe because his name also had the character "Yi," Shen Qi had a decent impression of Wen Yibo.
Wen Yibo drove off quickly. "Address?"
Shen Qi casually told him where she lived with Shen Lu.
Wen Yibo kept glancing at Shen Qi in the rearview mirror, hesitating several times as if to speak.
Shen Qi noticed and couldn't help but smile. "I'm fine. You don't need to comfort me."
Wen Yibo nodded. "You're a smart girl."
Shen Qi sighed. "Actually, I saw this coming. I just didn't expect it to happen so fast, or in such a setting... Feng Kexin's feelings for He Yining are known to the whole world. As his stylist, it was only natural I'd be targeted."
"I didn't expect you to be so calm," Wen Yibo said, looking at Shen Qi with a smile. "It surprised me. But what surprised me most was what you said on the spot. You really are a very competent stylist—your grasp of certain cultural details was spot on."
Shen Qi smiled sheepishly. "You flatter me. It's all just basic stuff from my major. I took an elective on that subject in college."
"Not bad," Wen Yibo nodded, his eyes full of praise.
"Are you really just Yining's stylist?" Wen Yibo asked as he drove.
"Yeah," Shen Qi replied matter-of-factly. "Otherwise? You're all lofty deities, and I'm just a mortal on earth. Overstepping boundaries would end badly."
Wen Yibo's smile grew more genuine. "You see things very clearly. More than most women."
"That's because I know my place," Shen Qi answered with a smile.
Seeing the buildings ahead, Shen Qi said, "I'm home. Thanks for the ride. Goodbye!"
Wen Yibo slowly pressed the brake, giving Shen Qi a meaningful look. "Mm, goodbye."
Shen Qi got out, waved at Wen Yibo, and ran into the building.
Wen Yibo looked up at the building's name and chuckled to himself.
Back home, Shen Qi first poured herself a glass of water. After drinking it, she adjusted her emotions, shaking off all the negativity before entering the room to check on her brother.
Confirming Shen Lu was still asleep, Shen Qi opened her entire stash of belongings and counted her money.
The 200,000 He Yining had given her that day had dwindled to almost nothing after paying rent and medical bills.
Now that she was completely blacklisted, it seemed life would get a bit tighter.
Shen Qi crossed out some non-urgent expenses, prioritizing Shen Lu's treatment above all.
After finishing, she turned off the lights and went to rest.
The next morning.
Shen Qi got Shen Lu ready early. Today, she planned to take him out to interact with people again, slowly teaching him basic life skills.
To ensure Shen Lu could gradually adapt, she took him to the aquarium.
Since it wasn't the weekend, the aquarium was nearly empty, making it easier for Shen Lu to adjust to the outside environment.
Shen Qi held Shen Lu's hand as they walked slowly, introducing the marine animals she recognized along the way.
"Hey, Xiao Chun, am I seeing things? Isn't that Shen Qi? Who's the guy with her? Oh my god, he's so handsome!" Assistant Xiao Xia suddenly tugged at Xiao Chun's arm, pointing in the direction of Shen Qi and Shen Lu, exclaiming.