Shen Xiaoxing knew that her eyes at this moment wished she could kill him.
Indifferent as he was, he didn't even glance her way. In the Shen family, was he lacking in such looks? If looks could kill, he would have died no less than a hundred times by now. He couldn't afford to be heartbroken and melancholic every single time.
The man tapped lightly on the edge of his teacup. He relished the look in Fang Yingxue's eyes, as if she wanted to tear him apart. The more she hated and lost control, the more triumphant he felt.
Shen Yu had never suffered hardship in his life. Having lived to such an age, at the very end, he still had to endure family punishment for his son.
After barely a dozen strikes, he lay sprawled on the ground, unconscious.
Fang Yingxue cried as she pushed past the bodyguards, shouting for a doctor. The old man waved his hand coldly, and a few bodyguards carried the man away. A pool of blood stained the floor—the blood Shen Yu had coughed up...
"Nothing much left now." Lin Zhao raised a hand to lightly cover his nose and mouth, saying he couldn't stand the smell of blood. He gave the old man a slight bow and left.
Shen Xiaoxing had no intention of leaving, because he knew the old man wanted to talk to him. Coincidentally, he had the same plan.
"So, feeling better now?" The old man gently rubbed the head of his cane, his shrewd gaze fixed on him.
Shen Xiaoxing sneered inwardly. He could guess that the old man knew this was his doing. If even Fang Yingxue could figure it out, how could this cunning old fox be kept in the dark? But it was fine that he knew—it saved him the trouble of hiding it.
His voice was cold and deep: "Are you referring to the time with my birth mother, the time of my plane crash, or the attack in New Zealand last time?"
"After all these years, you still remember your mother's matter?"
Shen Xiaoxing raised his hawk-like eyes, a bone-chilling coldness in them: "I will never forget it for the rest of my life."
That was a living person, his only family in this life, the mother who gave birth to him, raised him, and treated him best. How could he ever forget?
"Better remember it for a lifetime." The old man met the hatred in his eyes, raising an eyebrow sternly: "Think carefully about how that woman died before your eyes, and why she willingly went to her death."
Bang!
The glass cup shattered in his palm. The man's eyes were dark, bloodthirsty, and filled with undisguised hatred.
"You have no right to mention her!"
The old man knew well that he had grown strong now. If he was willing to be used, that was fine, but if pushed too far, he might do something reckless, like trying to bring down the Shen Group with him—a loss outweighing a gain. This time, he also knew Shen Xiaoxing had done it deliberately, so he went along with his wishes, severely punishing Shen Yu and vowing to lock Shen Tingfeng away for a year or two before releasing him.
"Don't forget you're part of the Shen family now. Touching the family's interests won't do you any good."
The man sneered. Did he think he cared about the Shen family's filthy wealth? He was just waiting for the right moment, ensuring An Ruo wasn't dragged into it, to seize the chance and wipe out the Shen family completely!
...
Shen Tingfeng, a scion of a wealthy family, had committed such despicable, immoral acts. Netizens erupted like a boiling pot, flooding comments.
The Shen Group's new project was postponed, the entire conglomerate plummeted, and the board of directors voted to remove Shen Tingfeng from his position as executive president of the prospect project. With one less competitor, Shen Xiaoxing had one more step up the ladder.
Thanks to Shen Tingfeng's unlucky tree propping things up, Song Weiwei's little bit of dirt didn't seem to matter. Netizens were all drawn to the big news, and no one paid her any attention anymore.
When An Ruo scrolled through Shen Tingfeng's scandals, she immediately thought of the man. Was he the hidden hand behind exposing this? As his wife, she shouldn't suspect him like this. An Ruo suppressed the thought, refocusing on work, and carried the compiled documents to the president's office.
"An Ruo!" A haughty female voice sounded behind her.
She paused, turning to see that familiar, arrogant figure.
"I haven't seen you in ages." Zhou Mingyue, in gunmetal heels, let her arrogant voice echo down the hallway: "Where have you been gallivanting off to?"
An Ruo smiled slightly: "Nowhere special. I accompanied my husband on a business trip."
"That low-level office worker husband of yours?" Zhou Mingyue rolled her eyes haughtily: "I really can't figure it out. You're not bad-looking, so why did you pick such an ordinary husband? Can he even support you?"
In her aristocratic dictionary, as long as a woman was pretty and capable, she wouldn't have trouble marrying a good husband. And women with advantages should be even more selective—not necessarily matching family status, but at least finding a man far above her financially. What was An Ruo doing? Wasting her looks, blind enough to pick such a thing.
The man stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall. Gu Chao, hands in his pockets, walked up beside him, only to be yanked by the arm and pulled around the corner. Arriving early wasn't as good as arriving at the right time. He wanted to hear how this woman would answer.
An Ruo's tone was neither humble nor arrogant: "Although he's just a small company employee with a low salary, I believe as long as we work hard together, happiness will come knocking."
This retort left Zhou Mingyue momentarily speechless.
After a pause, she snorted: "You just lack confidence."
An Ruo didn't argue. She did lack confidence. In this life, finding a kindred spirit already felt like a great blessing from heaven.
"When you regret it, let me know. For the sake of our friendship, I'll find you the most outstanding man among the wealthy families." Zhou Mingyue raised her perfectly defined eyebrows: "Much better than that nearly thirty-year-old old man of yours."
"..."
Gu Chao struggled to suppress his laughter, turning his eyes to glance at the man beside him. It was fine until he looked—the man's face was now extremely dark. Wearing a human-skin mask, his facial expressions were already somewhat stiff, but now, hearing Zhou Mingyue call him an "old man" and egging his little wife to divorce and find someone else, his dark eyes were murderously cold.
"And you can stomach someone that old."
An Ruo's mouth twitched: "Men a bit older know how to cherish someone..."
"Ha," Zhou Mingyue laughed: "You really know how to crack a cold joke."
She seemed to strongly disapprove of An Ruo marrying a man nearing thirty, whose career was even worse than hers as an unfinished college student. Few people caught Zhou Mingyue's eye, especially in this flattering circle of wealthy families. An Ruo had a tenacity in her bones, and she admired that type the most in her life. She genuinely wanted to be good to her, just with a harsh and unpleasant tone.
"Twenty-year-old men are hard to find, but eighteen-year-old fresh meat is everywhere. Divorce him quickly, and I'll take you to find one."
Shen Xiaoxing's fists cracked. If not for her brother's sake, he would have rushed over and dragged her out by now!
An Ruo shook her head with a light laugh: "Thanks for the kindness, but I have no plans to divorce for now."
Zhou Mingyue glanced at her, shaking her head with a sigh. Truly, mud can't be plastered on the wall.
"Are you heading to the president's office?"
"Yeah. Delivering documents."
Zhou Mingyue lazily extended a hand: "Give them to me. I'm going to see him anyway."
An Ruo hesitated for a moment, about to hand over the documents, when footsteps came from the corner, followed by two tall men walking toward them.
Seeing Gu Chao appear, Zhou Mingyue deigned to lower her proud head, a small, charming smile on her lips as she hooked her arm through his.