The chances of running into Shang Xu while working overtime would rise sharply, and Lin Ranran now wanted to avoid him.
She was hurt that Shang Xu valued benefits more, yet she still hoped he treated her differently. At the same time, shame stirred in her. Was she being a shameless third party?
After all, everyone in the company knew that Shang Xu was pursuing He Ting.
Her footsteps stopped downstairs, but Lin Ranran did not want to go home.
The matter involving father last time remained unresolved. Mother could not bear to see him imprisoned, so the police gave him a stern warning and released him.
She could not understand why mother kept forgiving father. Had she not suffered enough?
He knew that continuing to entangle themselves would not lead to a good life. Why not get divorced?
Lin Ranran was filled with resentment, then froze.
Was her situation with Shang Xu not the same? The gap between them was far too great, and they could never have a future. So what was she still agonizing over?
More importantly, Shang Xu had never given her a clear promise.
“Well, isn’t this the server who showed such backbone at Yunqi before? You came here again—trying to hook another rich man?”
“Looking down on the two of us? You think you’re something special.”
The flippant voices drew closer. Lin Ranran realized that she had arrived at Bar Street, where she had first met Shang Xu—and where she had encountered the two men who had harassed her before.
The two men had clearly been drinking heavily. Although they knew surveillance cameras were watching, they still tried to grope her.
“How much? Name your price.”
“Still wearing your work uniform? Playing at a uniform fantasy? Nice.”
“Don’t come any closer.” Lin Ranran retreated step by step, her face paling. “If you come any closer, I’ll call the police.”
“Call the police? You think we’re afraid, you little bitch?” The tall, thin man snatched her phone and clamped down on her wrist. “Get in the car.”
“Isn’t it just money? Is this enough?”
A thick wad of bills was flung into Lin Ranran’s face and scattered across the ground.
Lin Ranran trembled with rage and shouted at the top of her lungs, “Help! Someone, help! Help!”
“Keep shouting! Shout louder!” Her struggles only drove the two men further into a frenzy. They covered her mouth and began dragging her toward the car.
“Is that a sound?” He Chan lowered the car window and listened with a frown.
“Mmph!” Lin Ranran struggled, kicking the car door with all her strength.
He Chan’s expression changed at once. She ran toward the sound and said to Su Xiang, “Call the police.”
She was tall and long-legged, and reached the corner in the blink of an eye. Without a word, she attacked.
Her movements were crisp and decisive, clearly the result of training. Drink and lust had hollowed out the two men, leaving them able only to clutch their crotches and shriek incoherently.
Once Lin Ranran was free, she burst into tears and collapsed limply onto the ground.
“It’s all right now.” He Chan had recognized her, but patted her back to comfort her. “The police will be here soon. They’ll be punished.”
“Thank you.” Lin Ranran raised her tear-filled eyes, fragile as a small white woodland flower beaten by rain.
When she recognized He Chan, Lin Ranran froze, then began crying louder and more miserably.
At this critical moment, Miss He had come to rescue her without hesitation. She had even mocked He Chan in private for being a False Heiress. Shame enveloped her.
He Chan had to admit that Lin Ranran was beautiful. No wonder Shang Xu had fallen for her; even He Chan felt pity for the girl.
Unfortunately, Shang Xu was a scumbag. He wanted The He Family’s support while deceiving this young girl.
“Get up. Go rest in my car first.”
Lin Ranran was at a loss. “Will this trouble you? Besides, I sat on the ground, so my pants are dirty.”
“At a time like this, you’re still worrying about all that? It’s fine. Girls help girls, so don’t be polite.”
He Chan’s open and generous manner only made Lin Ranran feel more ashamed. She was like a shadowy third party, coveting what she had no right to possess.
“I’m sorry.”
Lin Ranran sniffed and apologized. “I knew you liked Shang Xu, but I still developed feelings for him.”
He Chan blinked in surprise, gaining a different impression of her.
Because of Lin Ranran’s repeated actions, He Chan had thought she was deliberately trying to climb the social ladder. But perhaps He Chan had judged her too quickly.
She exchanged a glance with Su Xiang, then asked, “Did you realize that Shang Xu deceived you?”
“Did I?” Lin Ranran looked bewildered, her hands clutching the hem of her clothes. “I feel that he isn’t as good as I imagined.”
For some reason, she felt a strong urge to confide in someone. Indignation and grievance colored her voice. “He treats me differently in private. He looks at me with an indulgent, teasing gaze, gives me little gifts, and even applies medicine when I’m injured…”
As He Chan listened, a chill entered her eyes. No matter how much she had accommodated Shang Xu in the past, he had never shown her any warmth—at most, he remained expressionless. When he gave her gifts, he had his Assistant select and deliver them as a routine formality. People really did treat others differently.
“But even after doing all those things that seemed ambiguous to me, he never directly acknowledged our relationship. Instead, he made a show of pursuing He Ting.”
The more Lin Ranran spoke, the more unwilling she became to accept it. “What does he take me for? A third party to ease his loneliness? I don’t want to like him anymore, but every time I see him, I can’t help paying attention to him. Miss He, am I pathetic?”
“The pathetic one isn’t you. It’s him.” He Chan’s reply was decisive.
She let out a cold, mocking laugh. “He’s the one who doesn’t take women seriously. He used me before, and now he wants both your admiration and He Ting’s support. What a scumbag.”
“Is that so?” Lin Ranran felt Shang Xu’s image beginning to crumble in her heart.
“Of course. If he were willing to fight his Family Elders for the sake of his feelings, I would admire his courage. But now he wants everything without bearing any blame. He pretends to be righteous and leaves you to suffer. If that isn’t a scumbag, what is?”
Lin Ranran did not want to think of Shang Xu as such a terrible person, yet she could not refute He Chan’s words.
“I treated him so well. Almost everyone knew I was deeply in love with him. But when news came out that I was a False Heiress, how did he treat me?”
“How did he treat you?”
“He ignored me, refused to acknowledge me, and denied the relationship between us. He portrayed me as a woman without self-respect. If he didn’t want to give anything before, he shouldn’t have accepted my kindness! And his mother humiliated me in every possible way.”
Lin Ranran clenched her fists. “How could they do this?”
“Here’s a piece of advice: The Shang Family will never respect anyone they cannot use. Now that he’s currying favor with He Ting, if he fails to make progress, he might take his frustration out on you, thinking your existence has offended He Ting.”
Lin Ranran stared wide-eyed in astonishment. “No… That can’t be, right?”
“In any case, that old hen is unreasonable. Last time, your appearance disrupted their meal, so they may already hold a grudge against you.”
“Old hen?”
“I mean Shang Xu’s mother. Lin Ranran, remember this: you don’t owe The Shang Family anything. If they come looking for trouble, you don’t need to pay them any mind.”
✦✦✦