“What happened?” He Chan had grown resentful after waiting so long, but the moment she saw the frost on Shang Xu’s face, she became cautious.
Ji Yan sighed at the sight of her. In terms of family background, the He Family was no worse off than The Shang Family. In fact, because Uncle He was a high-ranking government official, The Shang Family often had to rely on The He Family's Connections.
Unfortunately, He Chan loved Shang Xu and went to extremes when he did not return her feelings. She not only met a tragic end but also dragged the He Family into ruin.
If one asked Ji Yan, Shang Xu was hardly blameless either. Since he had no feelings for her, why had he not made that clear from the beginning? As things stood, it seemed as though he was stringing He Chan along for The He Family's Connections.
Ji Yan could not stand such behavior and said pointedly, “We ran into the girl who splashed a whole bottle of wine over Shang Xu at Yunqi last time. She bumped into him again and scattered the documents across the floor, so they lost time arguing over whether she should pay for the entire suit or only the dry-cleaning fee.”
Once might have been understandable, but after hearing it had happened twice, He Chan grew suspicious. “Are there employees in Shang Corporation who dare to bump into you? You didn’t have her fired?”
Shang Xu replied coldly, “He Chan, you’re overstepping.”
Although Shang Xu had never explicitly rejected her romantically, he had made it clear that she was not to interfere in his work. Ironically, The Shang Family still had plenty of matters that required The He Family’s assistance.
“I…” He Chan’s expression turned ugly, but she restrained herself instead of losing her temper.
Su Xiang looked heartbroken. Ji Yan led her to his car and helped her sit down. “This is between the two of them. Don’t interfere directly.”
“I’m only standing up for He Chan. What gives Shang Xu the right to act like that every time? If he had even the slightest bit of affection for her, he couldn’t treat her this way.”
“He Chan has grown accustomed to enduring it. We need to find a way to shatter her idealized image of Shang Xu.”
Su Xiang’s face was filled with seriousness and anxiety. “Have you thought of something?”
“He Chan treats Shang Xu too well, so he takes her for granted. Whenever The Shang Family faces a difficulty, He Chan takes the initiative and asks her family to resolve it before Shang Xu even says anything. It’s far too humiliating. Even if they become husband and wife, is she supposed to endure this for the rest of her life? The He Family’s elders need to make their position clear first.”
“Uncle He grants He Chan almost every request because Aunt He died of massive postpartum hemorrhaging. If he could bear to let her go, he would have intervened long ago. He has no choice.”
“If I remember correctly, Aunt He passed away because she went into labor in the countryside and did not receive timely treatment, right?” Ji Yan pondered. “I have an idea that could make He Chan give up completely.”
“What should we do?” Su Xiang was eager to know, her long eyelashes fluttering like two rows of fans.
Ji Yan gazed at her, his heart softening. His right hand moved to rub her head without conscious thought. When he realized what he was doing, Su Xiang’s cheeks had flushed with shyness. He coughed awkwardly. “When we get the chance, let’s talk to Uncle He.”
Ji Yan thought “when we get the chance” meant they would have to wait a long time. After all, He Father held a special position and was usually busy. He did not expect Su Xiang to arrange a meeting the next day, which showed how much she valued her Best Friend, He Chan.
He Father had a sharply defined square face and deep-set brows and eyes. His presence was intimidating when he did not smile, yet his deliberate show of goodwill made him seem approachable. No wonder he was an old fox who had thrived in politics.
When it concerned his daughter, he set aside the dignity of a Family Elder and invited them to sit with a kind smile. “Su Xiang said you have a way to make Chanchan give up on Shang Xu?”
“That depends on whether Uncle He is willing to let her go.”
“As long as it makes her give up completely, a short, sharp pain is better than prolonged suffering. I’m willing to try.”
“We only need to stage a story about true and false heiresses. We can say that when Aunt He gave birth to He Chan, someone with evil intentions switched the identities of the two girls.”
He Father fell into thought. At first, he found it absurd, but after careful consideration, he decided it might work.
As a young woman who enjoyed reading novels, Su Xiang accepted this kind of plot with ease. Her eyes lit up. “Uncle, this is a great idea. If He Chan became the False Heiress, she would be almost useless to The Shang Family, and Shang Xu might grow even more impatient with her.”
He Father tapped the table. “But wouldn’t Chanchan still love Shang Xu just as much?”
Ji Yan chuckled. “What if the ‘true’ heiress we found also fell for Shang Xu, and you felt guilty enough to want to make amends by forcing Shang Xu to choose?”
He Father looked at him and laughed. “No wonder Su Xiang’s father has spent the past few days boasting everywhere that he gained a wonderful son-in-law. He really is blessed! But you all grew up together, so why aren’t you helping Shang Xu? Why are you helping our Chanchan?”
“It’s because Xiangxiang couldn’t bear to see He Chan get hurt. As her fiancé, I can only stand on her side.” Ji Yan gave Su Xiang a tender smile before explaining, “If Shang Xu is simply born with such an unpleasant temper, yet still firmly chooses He Chan when the time comes, then we won’t lose anything by testing him.”
He Father said solemnly, “You’re right. Things could hardly be worse than they are now. I would rather she remain single for the rest of her life than compromise herself. It’s a pity that Chanchan’s taste is inferior to Xiangxiang’s.”
He Father had always enjoyed an excellent reputation, so Su Xiang could hardly conceal her delight at his praise. When she turned her head, she found Ji Yan gazing at her with the same tenderness.
Lately, Ji Yan seemed to have grown more intimate with her. He was no longer a gentleman merely out of formal courtesy; it was as though he had become more human.
After offering his suggestion to He Father, Ji Yan left the remaining arrangements to him. Thinking about what her Best Friend would soon have to face, Su Xiang felt guilty.
“You’re doing this for her own good. Shang Xu isn’t her suitable match.”
Su Xiang was curious. “You never cared this much before. How do you even know to suggest a true-and-false-heiress scheme now?”
Ji Yan tightened his grip on her hand. “I already explained the reason to Uncle He.”
Explained it already?
Su Xiang froze as she recalled what he had said. Her cheeks soon flushed. He had seemed to say that because she was He Chan’s best friend, he had chosen to stand on her side…
After her embarrassment faded, she muttered, “I never knew you could say sweet things.”
She thought she had spoken quietly, but Ji Yan had keen hearing. The corners of his lips lifted. “I was only following my heart.”
After being shy so many times, Su Xiang instead became more open. But their marriage alliance had initially been meant to lead to a life of mutual respect as mere formal partners, so why did it now feel like they were dating?
Still, this seemed nice~
“Huh? Isn’t that Shang Xu’s car? Who’s sitting in the front passenger seat?”
Ji Yan turned his car around. “Lin Ranran—the girl who not only splashed wine all over him but also bumped into him and scattered his documents.”
Su Xiang was astonished. “She hasn’t been fired? Isn’t this Shang Xu’s favorite car? He actually let her sit in the front passenger seat? Where are they planning to go?”
“We’ll know if we follow them.”
Shang Xu did not know why he had followed Lin Ranran out. He told himself he could not allow his otherwise perfect life record to bear the stain of being deceived by a woman. He had to see for himself whether Lin Ranran really had a seriously ill mother.
Given how she had offended him time and again, he could never let her off easily.
“Lin Ranran, you’d better not let me discover that you’re a scheming woman. Otherwise, this won’t end with firing you and demanding compensation.”
Lin Ranran’s expression was stubborn and aggrieved, yet she refused to yield. “If I haven’t lied to you, then you must apologize to me and make me a Permanent Employee. I told you, everything that happened today was an accident. I didn’t deliberately intrude onto the rooftop. I didn’t know ordinary employees weren’t allowed there, and I had no intention of eavesdropping on your secret. I was under too much pressure and went up there to get some air!”
“Hmph. Don’t think that eavesdropping on my secret gives you leverage over me.”
“I truly never thought that way. Are all you rich people this twisted?”
“Whether I’m overthinking it will be verified soon enough.”
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