Shang Wu gripped the doorknob tightly, her fingertips turning white.
Ever since she had learned the truth that night, she had not seen Ji Yu.
And now, without warning, her enemy had appeared right in front of her.
Shang Wu bit the tip of her tongue to maintain her outward calm.
“Why are you here?”
“What kind of question is that? Your home is my home too! I’ve always come and gone whenever I pleased.”
Ji Yu, completely unaware that anything was wrong, swept inside with a smile.
Shang Wu stepped aside and watched her rummage through the refrigerator for something to drink.
She had never liked crowds. From childhood to adulthood, she had always felt that having one or two close friends was enough.
Ten years ago, she and Zhou Yanci had been neighbors, while Ji Yu had been her deskmate.
The two girls had quickly grown close, and now they had known each other for ten whole years.
Ji Yu had been Shang Wu’s only—and best—friend from middle school until now.
Ji Yu could use her house, her clothes, and anything else she needed. She could use Shang Wu’s cards freely, and Shang Wu had even set up mobile payment accounts for Ji Yu on every platform.
Once Shang Wu accepted someone as her own, she gave them everything she had, wholeheartedly—and was even happy to do so.
But Ji Yu?
Together with Zhou Yanci, she had ruined Shang Wu’s entire family without feeling the slightest remorse. She had taken Shang Wu’s painstakingly created designs, as well as everything else, for granted as things she could claim for herself. She was nothing more than an ungrateful parasite that stripped the skin and drank the blood of others.
Shang Wu slammed the door shut, suppressing the hatred churning inside her as she walked over.
“It’s so late. Did you come because you need something, or are you planning to stay here?”
Ji Yu twisted open a bottle of milk and blinked at her meaningfully. “I heard that someone had a falling-out with her fiancé. Of course I was worried, so I hurried over to check on you.”
So Zhou Yanci had sent her to placate Shang Wu.
Shang Wu lowered her eyes. “It’s not that serious. You don’t need to talk me out of anything.”
“You’ve been together for three years, and you still haven’t given yourself to Zhou Yanci. Isn’t that serious?”
Ji Yu took a sip of milk, her tone helpless.
Shang Wu abruptly looked up. “Are you here to speak for Zhou Yanci?”
“That’s not speaking for him. I’m worried about you.”
Ji Yu set down the milk, came over, and took Shang Wu’s hand as she tried to persuade her. “Being this reserved isn’t going to make a man like you. When it’s time to let go, you should let go. Besides, you two are getting married soon.”
At that, Shang Wu could not stop herself from brushing her hand away.
“My relationship with him is none of your business. If that’s what you came here to persuade me about, you can leave.”
Ji Yu froze for a moment, displeasure instantly rising in her heart.
Usually, Shang Wu did whatever she said. Why was she suddenly refusing to listen to reason?
She pursed her lips. “I’m doing this for your own good. Otherwise, why would I come all the way here to persuade you in the middle of the night? You’re going to get married sooner or later, so what’s the point of acting like a chaste widow?”
Shang Wu narrowed her eyes as she studied Ji Yu’s eager, almost coaxing manner.
For the past three years, Zhou Yanci had never dared to bring up this subject too often. He had put on an ardent, respectful façade, pretending that he honored her wishes.
Ji Yu, on the other hand, had been abandoned after running around with dyed-haired delinquents in middle school and dropping out. She had had more than a dozen boyfriends and undergone several abortions. She had repeatedly urged Shang Wu to experience what she called a wonderful life.
During these three years, Ji Yu had also wanted Shang Wu to break through that final barrier with Zhou Yanci as soon as possible.
In the past, Shang Wu had never thought much of it. But now it seemed that this “good friend” of hers had been impatient to see Zhou Yanci possess her, only to brutally discard her afterward.
She lived recklessly and without self-respect, and she even wanted to drag Shang Wu down with her.
Disgusting.
Shang Wu smiled faintly. “My family has strict values. I’m not allowed to fool around where men and women are concerned. Not like some people, who don’t know how to respect or cherish themselves and sleep with anyone at the drop of a hat.”
“A-Wu, you—you’re talking about what?”
Ji Yu’s expression darkened at once. She demanded, “Are you saying I’m easy?”
Shang Wu raised a brow. “Of course not. You and your dozen or so boyfriends were all true love. Every time, you were preparing to get married.”
She curled her lips into a smile and delivered the final blow with perfect accuracy. “It’s just a shame that not one of them was willing to marry you.”
“You!”
Ji Yu opened and closed her mouth in shock.
What shocked her even more than the viciousness of those words was Shang Wu’s utterly unfamiliar attitude.
In the past, Shang Wu had never said a single harsh word to her. But now she was actually mocking her with open sarcasm.
Ji Yu’s face turned livid. She drew a deep breath. “I came to persuade you because I wanted to see you and Zhou Yanci grow closer. I never expected you to speak to me like this! You’ve really disappointed me!”
She flung her hand aside and stormed out of the house, her departure so bold and triumphant that she seemed to be marching into battle.
Two minutes later, however, she still had not actually left.
Her phone kept notifying Shang Wu that someone was standing outside the door, as shown by the surveillance camera.
Shang Wu opened the camera feed and saw that Ji Yu had waited there for quite some time before finally leaving in even greater anger.
Had she assumed that Shang Wu would, as before, foolishly chase after her the moment she saw her leave and lower her head to apologize?
From now on, she would never do that again.
Shang Wu went straight upstairs to sleep.
The next day, her alarm woke her. She sat up, rubbed her temples, and picked up her phone.
There was a schedule reminder: she had an eight o’clock meeting that morning.
Shang Wu glanced at the time. It was seven. She hurriedly washed up and left the house.
She had just driven to the company entrance when she saw several female employees at the front desk smiling at her brightly—but strangely—as though they were waiting for something.
Shang Wu frowned slightly. As soon as she entered the lobby, a familiar voice came from beside her.
“A-Wu!”
Shang Wu turned around, and a bouquet of pink roses appeared before her eyes.
Holding the flowers, Zhou Yanci lowered his gaze to her. “I’m sorry about last night. Will you forgive me?”
The employees passing by let out a series of subdued exclamations.
The lofty, distinguished CEO had actually lowered himself in public to present her with flowers. What kind of romantic scene from an idol drama was this?
Hearing the reactions around him, Zhou Yanci’s lips curved slightly.
Looking at him, Shang Wu noticed many details she had never paid attention to before.
Every time Zhou Yanci performed this act of a superior willingly lowering his head, it was nothing more than an attempt to construct an image of himself as deeply devoted. He enjoyed the sense of accomplishment that came from manipulating people’s hearts and having everyone fooled at the same time.
Just as now: Zhou Yanci could establish his devoted persona and dispel the rumors about last night with nothing more than a bouquet of flowers and a few words.
And her—the tool assisting in his performance.
“A-Wu?”
Zhou Yanci prompted her, a trace of suspicion passing through his eyes.
Shang Wu looked up and accepted the flowers as she had in the past. “I’m not angry anymore. You didn’t need to go out of your way to apologize with flowers.”
“Is that so? Then I’m relieved.”
Zhou Yanci took her hand and walked into the private elevator for the CEO as though no one else was around.
Shang Wu pulled her hand free and hugged the bouquet tightly, moving half a step away from him.
Zhou Yanci’s eyes flickered. In a low voice, he said, “A-Wu, I promise I’ll never force you like that again. Don’t be afraid of me, all right?”
“Mm.” Shang Wu merely nodded faintly.
Zhou Yanci smiled. “I heard Ji Yu went over to speak for me, but you drove her away with a few harsh words. You’ve never been able to bear saying anything unpleasant to her before. What happened last night?”
Shang Wu reached out and gathered up a few roses that were coming loose from the bouquet. She said indifferently, “I don’t have to give in to her every time. This is private, and I don’t want to discuss it with anyone else. From now on, don’t have her come and persuade me about everything.”
Zhou Yanci paused, stunned by her attitude. It took him a long moment to find his voice again.
“…All right.”
The elevator doors opened. Shang Wu nodded. “I have a meeting to attend, so I’ll head back to the Jewelry Division first.”
Her secretary, A-Ying, was already waiting. The moment she saw Shang Wu, she smiled. “Those are flowers from CEO Zhou again, aren’t they? The whole company is talking about it. They say CEO Zhou upset you and apologized in public.”
“Where’s the meeting outline?” Shang Wu asked, casually handing her the flowers.
A-Ying pointed toward the office with her lips. “I put it on your desk.”
Shang Wu went inside to retrieve the documents for the meeting. “Don’t bring the flowers in. Put them in the break room to freshen the air.”
A-Ying froze, stopping in her tracks.
…
The meeting focused mainly on preparations for promoting the limited-edition new release.
An employee handed Shang Wu the promotional copy.
Shang Wu skimmed the lavish, over-the-top praise.
“The Jewelry Division’s pillar, genius designer Ji Yu’s labor of love! Transforming the work into a breathtaking visual feast for the world, it carries on the creative style of the formerly retired designer Freya—and even surpasses the master!”
Shang Wu’s gaze stopped.
Freya.
The goddess of love and beauty.
Legend had it that whenever two people in love met for the first time, the goddess Freya would appear and bestow her blessing upon them.
She remembered that when she had first chosen this design’s name, she had sworn that she would become the Freya of the jewelry-design world. She hoped that those who bought her designs as gifts for the people they loved would live happily ever after.
“Designer Ji didn’t come to work today, but she already approved this promotional copy for publication.”
The employee responsible for the copy, Zhang Min, saw that Shang Wu had remained silent for so long and assumed that she was dissatisfied. Her tone became increasingly cautious.
“Director, is there anything you’re unhappy with that needs to be changed?”
Shang Wu blinked and came back to herself.
“Publish it as it is.”
Surpass the master?
The designs clearly originated from her.
Ji Yu loved this kind of praise, which elevated her to the highest position and placed her on a level with Freya.
But even if a person was surrounded by an aura, she still had to see whether she could bear its weight.
Shang Wu sat down and continued the meeting.
After the meeting ended, she answered a phone call.
“Hello, this is Dingfeng Law Firm. You scheduled a meeting with one of our lawyers today at one thirty in the afternoon. Would it be convenient for you to arrive half an hour early?”
Shang Wu paused, remembering that she had arranged to meet with a lawyer the previous night.
Dingfeng was the most authoritative law firm in Lincheng, if not the entire industry.
She had specifically investigated it. There was no influence belonging to Zhou Yanci within the firm.
Zhou Yanci’s public-relations department and his personal legal team happened to be Dingfeng Law Firm’s rivals.
Having Dingfeng’s lawyers investigate the case in which Older Brother had been convicted, as well as how the Shang family had been framed, was the safest option.
Shang Wu agreed. “I’ll arrive early.”
As soon as her lunch break began, she went straight to the law firm.
A staff member was waiting for her and escorted her upstairs to a conference room.
“Tea and refreshments have already been prepared for you. Please wait half an hour. Our lawyer will arrive promptly at one thirty.”
Shang Wu frowned. She had assumed that when the firm told her to arrive at one, it was because the lawyer would be waiting for her in advance.
She could not help asking, “I took time out of my lunch break to come here. Your lawyer hasn’t arrived yet?”
The woman looked embarrassed. “I’m sorry. Lawyer Lu doesn’t like waiting for people, so normally the client waits for him. We hope you’ll understand.”
“…”
Displeasure rose in Shang Wu’s heart.
The firm claimed that its lawyer Lu Rang was its top expert, someone who had never encountered a case he could not take on or a lawsuit he could not win.
Forget it. She would endure it.
Shang Wu said nothing more and turned to go inside.
She sat down facing the timer on the wall.
Time passed second by second.
Shang Wu had drunk half her coffee.
1:29:59.
The door opened.
The wall clock gave a soft chime.
Shang Wu was speechless.
He really had not been off by even a second.
She stood up and watched the doorknob turn, intending to make a sarcastic remark.
The next moment, the door was pushed open.
Shang Wu opened her mouth, but before she could make a sound, she froze.
Those deep eyes, carrying that faint edge of sharpness, were still the same. They resembled the humid, hot monsoon winds sweeping through a seaside town in summer—unrestrained and wild.
Shang Wu stared in astonishment, the words she had prepared catching in her throat.
“It’s you?”
The man who had personally witnessed her standing by at Changqing Hotel while her fiancé and his white moonlight pulled at each other.