Cen Zhen returned home in a disheveled state. On the way back, she spent a long time mentally preparing herself, thinking about how to explain things to Fu Linyuan.
Unexpectedly, the man wasn’t home at all.
He had only left a note for her on the bedside table.
【Business trip for a week】
Seeing this, Cen Zhen couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. A week was enough time for the wounds on her face to heal.
It also saved her from having to explain.
However, letting that scumbag Liu Chuan off so easily seemed too lenient.
Sitting on the sofa, she twirled her phone while pondering whether there was any good way to make Liu Chuan face the retribution he deserved.
Just as she was lost in thought, the coat draped over her shoulder slipped off slightly.
In the next moment, her almond-shaped eyes suddenly lit up, and she quickly sent a message to the contact she had just added.
【Mr. Fu, hello, this is Cen Zhen. You mentioned in the private room earlier that Liu Chuan once crippled someone in your club. Is that true?】
The message was sent, but there was no response.
It wasn’t until the next afternoon that Cen Zhen finally received a reply.
【Fu Ye】: What’s the matter?
【Cen Zhen】: If it’s true, could you give me a copy of the surveillance footage?
After sending this message, there was no reply for quite some time.
Cen Zhen understood that people of power and influence like them preferred to avoid trouble whenever possible. Moreover, that surveillance footage could also serve as leverage for Fu Ye to control Liu Chuan.
But if she didn’t fight for it, Liu Chuan might become lustful toward her again in the future, and she would be nothing more than a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
After hesitating for a moment, she decisively sent another message.
【Mr. Fu, I know this is very presumptuous of me, but please rest assured, I guarantee that no one will know you gave me the video.】
As soon as the message was sent, the other party replied with a voice message.
“Miss Cen, everyone present last night knows I have the video of Liu Chuan crippling someone.”
Cen Zhen replied, 【What if the surveillance system at Yunding Club was hacked?】
Both being smart people, Fu Ye understood immediately. 【Agreed】
As soon as she obtained the video, Cen Zhen sent a message to Yang Wenzhen. 【Sister Yang, I need your help with something】
Upon learning what it was about, Yang Wenzhen readily agreed.
“Alright, leave it to me.”
After a while, she asked again, “But why do you want to spread the news that Yunding Club’s surveillance system was hacked?”
【Cen Zhen】: Sister, please help me publicize this widely for a week. When the time is right, I’ll tell you.
Yang Wenzhen didn’t press for further details but repeatedly reminded her.
“Don’t forget to chat with my Ah Jie.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure it’s handled perfectly.”
After all, if she succeeded, she could earn a million yuan.
No matter what, she had to give it her all.
Yang Wenzhen’s family ran a film and television company, and she herself was a producer. The man she was about to marry was named Yuan Jie, an obscure minor celebrity. The two had met at a banquet.
According to Yang Wenzhen, Yuan Jie fell in love with her at first sight and began pursuing her passionately after that night.
Over the years, Yang Wenzhen had always been in relationships with younger men, but the age gap never exceeded ten years.
This time, however, Yuan Jie was a full twelve years younger than her.
With such a significant age difference, it was hard not to question his motives.
Yet, the man was sweet-tongued and considerate in bed, and Yang Wenzhen quickly fell deeply for him.
No matter how much those around her tried to persuade her, she remained unmoved.
Yang Wenzhen had spent a considerable sum this time to hire Cen Zhen for the “affection test,” hoping she would use every trick in the book to prove that Yuan Jie was genuinely sincere toward her. As long as Yuan Jie could resist her “seduction,” Yang Wenzhen would be able to shut up all those who doubted their relationship.
For the sake of one million, Cen Zhen was fully committed.
First, she registered a secondary WeChat account and successfully added Yuan Jie as a friend.
Then, she used various beauty filters—so extreme even her grandmother wouldn’t recognize her—to take photos and disturb Yuan Jie late at night.
Of course, she also borrowed Yang Wenzhen’s jewelry room and handbag display cabinet to flaunt her wealth on social media.
At the same time, she crafted the persona of a wealthy socialite whose husband provided money but no love.
Such a character, of course, couldn’t be without loneliness.
Thus, in the days after adding Yuan Jie on WeChat, she set an alarm for two or three in the morning every night. As soon as the alarm rang, she would send him flirtatious messages about her restless nights.
Yuan Jie never replied.
But he didn’t delete her either.
Based on her years of experience, Cen Zhen knew the signs were beginning to show.
But Yang Wenzhen remained naive. “Cen Zhen, it seems I’ve found true love this time. You’ve been sending him so many messages every day, and he hasn’t responded to any of them. It just shows how loyal he is to me.”
Cen Zhen smiled and replied, “Sister Yang, don’t jump to conclusions just yet.”
Yang Wenzhen’s tone was brimming with confidence.
“Alright, I won’t rush. As long as you can win him over before our wedding, that one million is all yours.”
For the following week, Cen Zhen focused on just two things every day—
Going to work.
And harassing Yuan Jie.
Strangely enough, during the week Fu Linyuan was away on a business trip, her three daily meals were delivered by a specialized service.
Additionally, she received a bouquet of vibrant red roses every day.
Cen Zhen knew the meal deliveries were arranged by Fu Linyuan.
But the ostentatious red roses didn’t seem like his style.
With her recent goal being to secure that one million, she didn’t pay much attention to the roses.
Her mind might not have been on them, but Wen Zhiyun, who had bribed Cen Zhen’s colleagues to keep an eye on her, was furious upon learning about this. She wished she could fly to Fu Linyuan’s business trip location and expose Cen Zhen as a master of time management.
This woman was truly shameless—not only meeting Fu Ye in secret but also receiving flowers from unknown admirers every day.
Did she have any sense of being a married woman at all?
On Thursday evening,
Cen Zhen finally received a reply from Yuan Jie.
【Mrs. Zhang, I’m about to get married soon. Please don’t send me these kinds of messages anymore. My fiancée would be jealous if she saw them.】
Cen Zhen could clearly see the subtle fishing tactics in his words.
Immediately, she feigned a heartbroken tone and sent a voice message.
“Ah Jie, how could you be so cruel as to leave me all alone? I noticed you the year you debuted. If it weren’t for the arranged marriage my family set up for me back then, I would have pursued you long ago. I never expected that loving you would turn into a one-sided performance.”
After sending the message, Cen Zhen tossed her phone onto the sofa, hugged her shoulders, and shuddered in disgust.
The reply came quickly.
【Mrs. Zhang, I really appreciate your affection, but I’m about to start a family soon. I think it’s best if we stop contacting each other. If your husband sees this, he might get angry, and I don’t want you to be misunderstood.】
How considerate of him.
In reality, every word was a trap.
Cen Zhen countered each move with ease.
Playing along with his words, she said, “How could that be? My husband and I are just putting on a show—a loveless marriage. Being together feels suffocating, as if the air itself is filled with a nauseating stench.”
Cen Zhen, in her determination to expose Yuan Jie’s true nature, spoke without restraint.
But she had no idea that, as she passionately voiced her thoughts, a tall figure had been silently watching her from behind for quite some time.