He Chan sat down, her expression dejected and her voice bitter. “So it turns out that without father, I’m nothing.”
Su Xiang said with concern, “Chanchan…”
“I’m fine. Things being this way is good too. At least now I know how they see me.” She let out a scornful laugh. “Everyone used to laugh at how foolish and shameless I was, right? Shang Xu clearly didn’t like me, yet I clung to him all day.”
“Chanchan, shall we go home?”
“What did Fu Jia mean when he said that Shang Xu was accompanying He Ting?”
Su Xiang avoided her gaze, unable to bear telling her.
“Just tell me. I can handle it.”
Ji Yan said, “Tell her, so she doesn’t start imagining things.”
Su Xiang said solemnly, “It seems He Ting has fallen for Shang Xu too. Recently, she even started working at the Shang Corporation as Shang Xu’s Assistant.”
“How did she get in? He refused when I wanted to go there before.”
“It seems Uncle He reached some kind of deal with him. Chanchan, you know that He Ting suffered a lot in the past, and Uncle He feels sorry for her. Now, he grants her almost every request. Don’t worry, Shang Xu probably doesn’t feel that way about her.”
Who would have thought He Chan was not jealous? Instead, she said anxiously, “Then The Shang Family must have imposed outrageous conditions on father this time for him to agree. Could this affect father’s business? The Shang Family is utterly shameless when it comes to profit!”
Ji Yan and Su Xiang exchanged pleased glances. He Chan’s attitude toward Shang Xu seemed to have changed.
He Chan rose. “I’m going to persuade father. Shang Xu is heartless. We can’t agree to every condition he puts forward!”
Ji Yan said coldly, “If you go there now, everyone will think you can’t stand Uncle He treating He Ting well and that you still have feelings for Shang Xu. Besides, you may not persuade him. Have you thought it through?”
He Chan stopped in her tracks, then said firmly, “I have. I can’t stand by and watch the Shang Corporation oppress father. I want father and He Ting to know that liking Shang Xu is useless. He loves that ordinary employee named Lin Ranran.”
He Chan had never been this angry or this clear-headed. Only by standing outside the situation did she realize how despicable Shang Xu and The Shang Family behind him were.
“From beginning to end, Shang Xu was only using me. Now he wants to keep using father and He Ting. He hasn’t told them about the existence of Lin Ranran.”
Ji Yan drove them both there. “You need to be prepared. Shang Xu may not admit that he likes Lin Ranran.”
“Then what should we do?”
“Perhaps we can call Lin Ranran over and let her see what kind of person Shang Xu is.”
“Good idea! Shang Xu may have deceived Lin Ranran too.”
Lin Ranran was easy to fool. If someone told her where Shang Xu was and what he needed her to deliver, she would go check, whether it was true or not.
Ji Yan drove He Chan to the place where Shang Xu, He Father, and the others were dining. Shang Father and Shang Mother were among them, and several people were laughing as they toasted one another.
He Chan’s nose stung as she watched this scene. He Father looked uneasy. “Chanchan, you’re here.”
He Ting said bluntly, “What are you doing here? Couldn’t sit still after finding out how well father treats me? Or do you think Older Brother Shang Xu feels something special for me, so you can’t accept it?”
Shang Xu frowned, as cold and indifferent as ever. “He Chan, you shouldn’t have come here without even saying hello.”
He Chan felt sick whenever she saw him now. She had no idea how she had once been bewitched into falling for him. He was a man who abandoned principle for profit, yet she had deceived herself for years.
“If I hadn’t come, wouldn’t father and He Ting have fallen for your deception again? Shang Xu, you never liked me at all. Now, you’re using He Ting too. The only thing you’re after is father’s connections.”
As she spoke, He Chan looked toward He Father. “Dad, don’t agree to any of his conditions. Shang Xu already has someone else he likes.”
“I think you came here to disrupt things, didn’t you?” He Ting looked displeased. “You couldn’t win him over, so you came to undermine me? Older Brother Shang Xu has never returned your feelings. You were imagining things. I’m different from you. Don’t try to drive a wedge between us by claiming he likes someone else.”
He Chan had never felt so powerless. Since she had taken He Ting’s identity, she did not want to argue with her. “He does have someone he likes. Shang Xu, if you’re a man, tell everyone what your relationship with Lin Ranran is.”
At that moment, Lin Ranran happened to arrive outside the private dining room. Hearing this, she could not help stopping in her tracks, wanting to know how Shang Xu would answer.
Although they had never confessed their feelings to each other, she could tell that Shang Xu treated her differently.
And she felt the same way about him.
She knew there was an enormous gulf between them, but love did not distinguish between ranks. She believed Shang Xu would not enter a marriage alliance for profit like Ji Yan and Su Xiang had.
“What do you want me to say?” Shang Xu neither affirmed nor denied it. He changed the subject. “He Chan, we’re discussing something. We didn’t invite you. You’re becoming more unreasonable.”
This time, He Chan was not so easy to mislead. She went straight to the point. “Will you admit that the person you like is Lin Ranran?”
He Zheng asked sternly, “Who is Lin Ranran?”
“What Lin Ranran? He Chan, stop talking nonsense. How could I, as his mother, not know whether Shang Xu has fallen for someone?” Shang Mother looked at He Chan with impatience. “You’re jealous of Tingting. At this point, you should learn to behave.”
He Chan laughed scornfully. As expected, The Shang Family changed its attitude as soon as she lost her identity. Whenever she remembered Shang Mother warmly inviting her to dine with The Shang Family, disgust churned in her stomach.
How love-brained had she been to fail to see The Shang Family’s hypocrisy?
“What you say doesn’t count. Your son has to say it himself.”
Shang Xu’s cold gaze swept over, making He Chan shudder.
Although Shang Xu had always been indifferent toward her, he had never looked at her with such a cold, chilling gaze. Now she seemed less like the friend who had pursued him for years and more like an enemy who did not know her place.
So the indifference she had perceived from him had been Shang Xu restraining his temper. She had wronged him.
“Shang Xu, say it. Why don’t you dare admit it?”
“What do you want me to admit? Lin Ranran is an ordinary employee of our Corporation.”
“Smack!” The documents fell to the floor, and Lin Ranran’s face turned pale.
The abrupt sound drew several people’s attention inside the Private Dining Room. Shang Xu seemed to sense something and hurried out. He found Lin Ranran forcing herself to look strong.
Her eyes were rimmed red. She sniffed and forced an ugly, bitter smile. “President Shang, I came to deliver the documents to you.”
“Ranran, why are you here?”
The two voices carried into the room, and the people inside sensed that something was wrong. He Father’s expression darkened. “It seems Chanchan was right. Shang Xu does treat this Miss Lin Ranran differently. Tingting, Chanchan, we’re leaving.”
He Ting said, “No matter how handsome a man is, it’s no good if he has no sense of self-respect.”
✦✦✦