She had already managed to slip away earlier.
But because Zhou Shijing was leaving, she was called back by a phone call from Wen Yu.
At this moment, she was lowering her head, seemingly busy with something.
Having struggled in the business world for many years, Wen Yu was a shrewd man. Seeing this scene, he immediately nudged Wen Xuxue and said, “Go see your older brother off.”
Wen Xuxue was momentarily dazed before responding, “Oh.”
She then lifted her long skirt and trotted toward the man in the distance.
“My dad asked me to see you off.”
She stopped in front of the man and said honestly.
Zhou Shijing was much taller than her, and when he looked at her, he had to lower his gaze completely.
Wen Xuxue was wearing an off-the-shoulder fishtail dress.
The design at the chest was bold and alluring.
There wasn’t much fabric covering it.
Yet it was cleverly adorned with a row of pearl buttons.
The topmost button had somehow come undone at some point.
He continued to gaze, his eyes deep and intensely invasive.
Wen Xuxue stiffened under his stare.
Suddenly, a cold hand lightly brushed over her collarbone, quickly and precisely fastening the button for her.
Wen Xuxue looked up in surprise, only to see the man turning away, slightly bending as he prepared to get into the car.
Then, as if remembering something, Zhou Shijing paused and straightened up.
He didn’t turn around but instead glanced sideways, watching the girl from the corner of his eye.
“Do you know why Older Brother came today?”
He spoke slowly, his voice not loud but piercing clearly through the heavy night.
He didn’t seem to expect an answer.
After saying this, Zhou Shijing immediately bent down and stepped into the dimly lit car.
Wen Xuxue was completely stunned, staring blankly at the man through the car window.
At the same time, the Maybach’s engine roared to life and slowly drove away.
Wen Xuxue watched the receding car, lost in thought.
Why?
Why would the heir of a top-tier wealthy family attend the birthday party of a lower-tier wealthy family?
Could it be…
that he came for her?
The night wind blew fiercely as Su Lishu brought a thick coat and draped it over Wen Xuxue, saying, “Xiao Xue, come back with Mom.”
Only then did Wen Xuxue snap out of it and take her mother’s hand.
The relatives who had been seeing them off at the entrance had already dispersed, leaving only Zhao Sui.
Neither of the two young people enjoyed such occasions, and having made their appearance, they both decided to take their leave.
After Su Lishu left, the smile on Zhao Sui’s face instantly vanished.
He walked ahead toward the parking platform without waiting, then casually took out a cigarette and lit it.
The smell of smoke spread.
It was foul.
Wen Xuxue’s brows furrowed ever so slightly.
She quietly distanced herself from him.
She hated the smell of smoke.
When she was with Zhou Shijing before, he used to smoke too.
Later, she told him that if he kept smoking, he shouldn’t kiss her anymore, and he gradually quit.
But with Zhao Sui, Wen Xuxue seemed to have no way to influence him.
The man walking ahead seemed to notice something and glanced back, frowning as he said, “Did your legs break? Walking so slowly.”
Zhao Sui’s tone wasn’t particularly pleasant, likely because he was still upset from his earlier encounter with Zhou Shijing.
Wen Xuxue covered her nose, frowning as she said, “The smoke smells awful.”
Considering the situation, Zhao Sui extinguished the cigarette, got into the car, and sprayed some air freshener, saying, “There, it’s fine now.”
Only then did Wen Xuxue reluctantly take her seat in the passenger side.
As she fastened her seatbelt, Zhao Sui suddenly spoke, seemingly without malice: “Out of so many women, you’re the only one who dislikes the smell of smoke.”
“Why is your Older Brother so different toward you?”
He added.
Wen Xuxue’s expression remained calm. After a moment of silence, she said, “We grew up together.”
Zhao Sui was taken aback. “He’s so much older than you, and you grew up together?”
Wen Xuxue grew somewhat impatient. “Yes.”
Zhao Sui frowned. Just then, his phone vibrated in his pocket.
He answered the call, casually responding a few times before suddenly saying, “I have something to attend to now. Get back on your own.”
Wen Xuxue wanted to say something, but the car had already pulled over to the side of the road.
His attitude was clear.
—He couldn’t be bothered to drive her back; he had more important matters to attend to.
Probably to meet his mistress, or mistresses number three, four, five, or six.
Wen Xuxue slammed the car door shut with a “bang” and called Jiang Jing.
Ten minutes later.
A black Maybach slowly approached and stopped at a red light.
Zhou Shijing glanced out the window and clearly saw the tall, slender figure standing by the roadside.
The night wind had picked up, rustling the tree branches. The young woman wore only a dress, standing under the neon lights, delicate and beautiful.
He watched quietly for a moment before withdrawing his gaze, pretending he hadn’t seen anything.
The red light turned green, and the Maybach drove forward without hesitation.
A moment later, the car reversed back.
But by then, a white BMW had already stopped in front of Wen Xuxue.
Completely unaware of the prestigious black Maybach beside her, she happily got into the BMW.
The driver in the front seat hesitated and called out, “Young Master…”
Zhou Shijing said expressionlessly, “Let’s go back.”
In the BMW, Jiang Jing looked at her friend’s gloomy face and asked, “What’s wrong, Xiao Xue? Did Zhao Sui bully you again?”
“Mmm…” Wen Xuxue responded, wanting to vent but feeling she shouldn’t waste her precious time complaining about a scumbag. Besides, her gloominess wasn’t entirely because of Zhao Sui, so she changed her answer. “No.”
Jiang Jing was confused by her response. “Then what’s wrong?”
Wen Xuxue lowered her head and murmured, “I just ran into someone.”
Jiang Jing asked, “An ex-boyfriend?”
Wen Xuxue paused before saying, “Something like that.”
Actually, it was quite different.
Their relationship was purely physical, nothing more.
Jiang Jing’s eyelashes fluttered slightly as she immediately asked, “You saw him, and then what? Did old feelings reignite?”
Wen Xuxue said, “What feelings did we ever have?”
Jiang Jing was somewhat surprised. “No feelings? Then why were you with him?”
Wen Xuxue replied, “Well… the situation is a bit complicated.”
“Don’t scold me when I tell you,” she hesitated before saying.
Jiang Jing said without hesitation, “It’s fine. As your best friend, in my eyes, as long as you’re not betraying the country, whatever you do is right.”
“Even if you’re dating 18 people at once, I’d praise you for keeping your balance.”
Wen Xuxue smiled guiltily and said, “When we were together, he seemed to have a fiancée…”
“I’m not sure if she counts as his fiancée, but everyone says they’re a perfect match in terms of age, family background, and education.”
Her voice grew softer as she spoke. Jiang Jing frowned and asked, “Are they engaged?”
Wen Xuxue said, “No.”
Jiang Jing said, “What kind of fiancée is that? You didn’t break up with him over something like that, did you?”
“No,” Wen Xuxue replied seriously. “We were never together. Except physically.”
Jiang Jing: “…”
What kind of couple was that?
Her situation was way too complicated.
Wen Xuxue continued, “You know, when I told him I was going abroad, he didn’t try to stop me, didn’t come to see me off at the airport, and in the three years I was overseas, he never sent me a message or called me.”
Jiang Jing fell silent for a moment before saying, “I don’t know about the rest, but not sending messages or calling… could it be that you changed your phone number and he didn’t know?”
Wen Xuxue: That made sense.
Jiang Jing added, “Why don’t you go look for your old phone or SIM card, log in and check? Maybe he really did call or message you.”
Deep down, Wen Xuxue felt that a proud man like Zhou Shijing would never do such a thing, but she still wanted to go back and check. Out loud, she said, “Forget it, I have a boyfriend now.”
Jiang Jing scoffed and scolded, “That boyfriend of yours, I can’t even be bothered to criticize…”
“Hey,” Wen Xuxue cut her off. “Let’s not talk about him.”
Jiang Jing’s heart sank.
Was Wen Xuxue defending her boyfriend?
In reality, she just didn’t want to spend all her time with her best friend complaining about a scumbag and spreading negativity.
Wen Xuxue unlocked her phone, found a trendy restaurant, and showed it to her. “Let’s go check it out sometime.”
Jiang Jing was still worried but said, “Okay.”
After Wen Xuxue returned home, she received another verification message on her phone.
It was the same familiar profile picture, the same familiar “Z.”
This time, in addition to the words “Your creditor,” there were three more words:
—Maybach.