Zhou Yanci lowered his brows, his face filled with disbelief.
“Shang Wu, what did you say?”
All the reporters stared blankly at Shang Wu, and the scene fell into a brief, unnatural stillness.
Facing the crowd, Shang Wu said, “I’m not going to marry Zhou Yanci. That’s all.”
She shoved the microphone into the hands of the stunned reporter, then turned and walked into the company without sparing Zhou Yanci a single glance.
Zhou Yanci pressed his lips together tightly. The panic in his eyes vanished in an instant, replaced by a smile.
“Yesterday, Shang Wu and I had a fight, and I haven’t managed to make it up to her yet. Please don’t take it to heart.”
His expression was helpless yet indulgent. He nodded politely to the crowd. “Let’s do the interview another day. In any case, Chengzhou is taking this winter limited edition very seriously. Please look forward to it—we definitely won’t disappoint our customers.”
Zhou Yanci turned and shot his assistant a warning glance.
Xiao Dong immediately understood. After everyone had left, he lowered his voice and threatened the reporters, “Don’t report a single word about what just happened, unless you don’t want to stay in Lincheng anymore!”
The reporters nodded repeatedly, keeping their mouths firmly shut.
Upstairs.
In the Jewelry Division.
The employees were gathered in small groups, gossiping.
“I heard CEO Zhou treats Director Shang’s parents very well too. He must already be looking after them as his future parents-in-law, right? Looks like Zhou Yanci really does plan to get married.”
Shang Wu entered just in time to hear that. Thinking of her father’s illness, a flicker of disgust and hatred passed through her eyes beneath her sunglasses.
She raised one eyebrow. “Do you all have nothing better to do?”
No one even had time to turn around. The moment they heard Shang Wu’s voice, they hurried back to their respective seats.
Shang Wu was in an exceptionally foul mood, and her tone turned cold along with it. “If I hear you discussing my private affairs again, you can leave the Jewelry Division!”
Bang!
The door to the director’s office was slammed shut.
The employees looked at one another, unable to figure out what was going on.
“Did Director Shang eat gunpowder today? Why is she in such a bad mood?”
The moment the employee finished speaking, a colleague beside her gave her a hard tug. “CEO Zhou is here!”
Zhou Yanci swept a cold glance over the person who had just spoken, then walked straight toward the office.
Shang Wu had just sat down when the door was pushed open.
“Shang Wu, what are you trying to pull? Why did you suddenly say that in front of all those reporters?”
Zhou Yanci entered and closed the door behind him, his voice carrying a note of reproach.
He walked over to the desk. “Give me an explanation. Have I done something wrong, or are you angry because I worked overtime last night and didn’t come home to keep you company?”
Shang Wu lifted her head and looked at the man from close range. Intense hatred burst from her eyes, and her fists clenched so tightly that they trembled faintly.
Three years of affection had turned to ashes.
From this moment on, Zhou Yanci—the man she had treated like family—would become the target of her revenge.
The suffering her Older Brother had endured in prison, the plight of her parents being hidden away in the countryside, and everything Chengzhou had gained from it all—she would make Zhou Yanci pay back every last thing!
“Shang Wu, say something. What’s wrong?”
Unable to see Shang Wu’s eyes, Zhou Yanci inexplicably began to panic. He bent down and removed her sunglasses.
The next second, he froze.
Shang Wu’s eyes were swollen and bloodshot, as if she had just wept bitterly. Even now, they were filled with a dense, unrelenting sorrow and grievance, as though he had done something unforgivable.
Zhou Yanci’s heart clenched painfully. He involuntarily half-crouched and took Shang Wu’s hand.
“Shang Wu, how did you end up crying like this? What exactly did I do wrong? Let me apologize, all right?”
Shang Wu pulled her hand away and gazed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, her eyes brimming with tears.
“During this time, everyone has been guessing that we’re about to marry, but you told the reporters that the decision was mine. You never clearly said that you wanted to marry me. That means you never planned to marry me in the first place, did you?”
She choked back a sob, then raised a hand to wipe away the tears at the corners of her eyes. She looked so fragile that she seemed as though she would shatter at the slightest touch.
Zhou Yanci gripped her hand tightly. The guilt in his eyes flashed by before disappearing. “How could that be? I was only respecting your wishes. If you want to marry me, I can have people start preparing the wedding tomorrow.”
“All right, then.”
Shang Wu lowered her eyes to look at him, her expression relaxing. “Then bring my parents here. Both families can sit down and discuss the wedding date.”
Zhou Yanci opened his mouth, his gaze tightening. “That… That’s something we have to choose carefully. You know my family places great importance on auspicious dates. Even our families’ meeting has to be held on a joyous day.”
“Fine.” Shang Wu sneered inwardly. “Then come back to the countryside with me this weekend. I’ve been too busy for the past six months and haven’t had time to visit them. You can bring them back while we’re there. We’ll need my parents to make frequent appearances while we discuss the wedding date, so it’ll be more convenient for them to live here in Lincheng.”
Zhou Yanci’s brows drew together slightly. He hesitated without answering.
Tears slipped down Shang Wu’s cheeks. “What? You don’t want to?”
The clear tear slid down her face and landed on the back of Zhou Yanci’s hand.
It was ice-cold, yet he reacted as though he had been burned, jerking his hand back before wiping away Shang Wu’s tears.
“How could I not want to? We’ll do as you say. I’ll make the arrangements.”
Zhou Yanci left with his phone.
Shang Wu immediately dropped her aggrieved expression. She took out some eye drops and put them into her already sore eyes.
She tilted her head back and closed her eyes. In the short span of a few seconds, countless thoughts had already raced through her mind.
Her father was ill and needed treatment without delay.
At present, Zhou Yanci was concerned about the Jewelry Division’s interests, and he was also quarreling with her over his white moonlight. He would not expose himself just yet.
That would actually make it easier for her to set her revenge in motion.
Two months from now, she wanted to see whether Zhou Yanci and Ji Yu would kick her aside—or whether she would leave the two of them with nothing and make them pay the price!
Before long, Zhou Yanci returned.
He was clutching his phone, his expression anxious.
“I just spoke with the village chief in the countryside. Your father is ill.”
Shang Wu rose abruptly. “How serious is it? I’m going to see him!”
Zhou Yanci stopped her and soothed her gently. “I sent Xiao Dong there with a caregiver. They’ll transfer your father to a high-end sanatorium in the city center right away. Don’t worry. He’ll receive the best isolation treatment there. Once he recovers, our families can formally discuss the wedding date.”
“Isolation treatment?” Shang Wu’s breathing faltered.
Zhou Yanci rubbed her head and said softly, “His illness means he can’t see people, so he has to undergo isolation treatment. But your mother will be with him, so he won’t feel lonely. Focus on the Jewelry Division’s winter limited edition for now. With me here, nothing will happen to your father.”
Shang Wu’s heart turned cold.
What isolation treatment? He was simply taking control of her parents and buying himself time.
That was fine too. Because Zhou Yanci was afraid she would notice something was wrong, he would certainly make sure her father received treatment.
She could not push him too far and alert him.
Shang Wu’s fingernails dug deep into her palms. After a long while, she finally said, “Have the caregiver send me photos every day to report on his condition. I want to see my father getting better day by day.”
Zhou Yanci paused, then smiled without any warmth reaching his eyes. “All right. I’ll arrange it.”
He changed the subject. “Will you give the reporters an interview today? Tell them our wedding is imminent, and promote the limited-edition release while you’re at it. How about it?”
Shang Wu narrowed her eyes and said calmly, “My eyes are swollen. Another day.”
Zhou Yanci could not press her any further. He told her to go home and rest that afternoon, then left.
After he was gone, Shang Wu rose and went to the office across from hers.
Ji Yu’s office faced north and south and was larger than hers. Shang Wu had personally arranged it for her back then.
For the past few years, all the effort she had poured into her designs had been used to build Ji Yu’s reputation.
To Shang Wu, Ji Yu had always been like a biological sister. They had never made distinctions between what belonged to one another.
Thinking back on it now, she had been unbelievably foolish.
Ji Yu had become so carried away with herself that she had failed to realize one fact: her reputation, her status, everything she had—all of it had been given to her by Shang Wu.
Shang Wu could support Ji Yu and raise her to prominence, but she could also push her down from the altar.
Shang Wu pushed open the door to Ji Yu’s office.
The computer on the desk had been left on all night. Displayed on the screen was a WeChat conversation between Ji Yu and Zhou Yanci.
Shang Wu immediately saw her own name.
Ji Yu: 【Hmph! Does Shang Wu really think her designs are that amazing? They just cater to the public’s tastes, that’s all.】
Zhou Yanci: 【I can’t see how they’re any better than anyone else’s, either. Yet every design becomes a trendsetter. The Jewelry Division can’t do without her right now.】
Ji Yu sent an eye-rolling emoji: 【Her designs have no class and no taste. They’re unbearably tacky! If I designed them myself, I could handle it just fine!】
Shang Wu’s gaze lingered for two seconds. She let out a soft scoff, moved the mouse, and opened the designs she had sent to Ji Yu.
Then, without the slightest hesitation, she pressed delete.
The upcoming limited-edition release, along with all the design drafts for the projects that followed, was completely erased.
Since Ji Yu could handle it, she could rely on herself from now on.
……
Ji Yu still did not come to the company by the time work ended.
She had always been like this. She relied on Shang Wu for her designs, then swaggered around the Jewelry Division once she became famous, treating her work hours as entirely flexible.
Shang Wu knew her habits. Ji Yu would not open that file until the last few days.
Every time, she would wait until the release was already out, then leisurely post it simultaneously through her social-media account and the official website, sitting back and enjoying the fans’ praise and adoration.
Shang Wu stepped out of the elevator while replying to a message.
She had arranged to meet someone from Dingfeng Law Firm the next day and planned to find a lawyer to reinvestigate the trap that had sent her Older Brother to prison.
Just then, a familiar voice sounded beside her.
“Really? Shen Mian has actually returned to the country?!”
Shang Wu looked up and saw Zhou Yanci standing with his back to her as he spoke on the phone.
The delight in his voice was unmistakable.
Shang Wu stopped in her tracks.
She did not know what the person on the other end said, but Zhou Yanci tightened his grip on the phone and stubbornly replied, “So what if she’s eating at Changqing Hotel? She left without saying goodbye back then. Did she expect me to go looking for her? Impossible! Tell her I already have Shang Wu!”
Zhou Yanci hung up angrily. He rested one arm on the half-open car door, his expression complicated and gloomy.
Then he made another call.
The ringtone of a phone sounded behind him.
Zhou Yanci looked up in surprise.
Shang Wu pretended she had just arrived. She walked over, waved her phone at him, and ended the call. “I’m here.”
Zhou Yanci put on a gentle smile and walked over to drape his coat around her shoulders.
“It’s cold outside. Why didn’t you wear more? Are you finished with work? I’ll take you to dinner.”
Shang Wu’s eyes darkened slightly. Without revealing anything, she asked, “Sure. Where are we going?”
Zhou Yanci opened the car door for her, his gaze affectionate and flawless.
“Changqing Hotel.”