But after all, they were his own flesh and blood, so Jian Senran would show them a bit of concern, however minimal. By the time Jian Jinci was eight years old, she had learned to suppress her disgust for him and find ways to make Liang Senran happy. When he was happy, he would give her some money, making life a little easier for her and Jian Xu.
After she came of age, Liang Jinyu no longer allowed Jian Senran to give her a single cent and made her move out of the Jian family, using the excuse that she was an adult and should have her own life.
That year, she moved out of the Jian family with Jian Xu. Liang Jinyu and her daughter were ruthless, so she couldn’t leave Jian Xu behind in the Jian household. Liang Jinyu was more than happy to let her take Jian Xu away—that had been her goal all along.
At the time, she naively thought that a harder life didn’t matter, as long as she could escape the Jian family. But reality proved otherwise. She would still be summoned back by Jian Senran for meals from time to time, or made to attend important press conferences or banquets to put on a show of family harmony.
At first, she outright refused, wanting nothing more to do with anyone from the Jian family. But things didn’t go as she wished. Liang Jinyu threatened her with Jian Xu, saying that if she didn’t comply, she would make sure Jian Xu had no school to attend.
Whatever they wanted to do, they could come at her directly. Jian Xu was still young, with a long life ahead. Without an education, his future would be ruined.
And she feared she might never escape this filthy family.
Jian Xu was in his second year of middle school and had gone to school in the afternoon.
Jian Jinci had just graduated from university, majoring in jewelry design. That afternoon, she stayed at home working on her sketches, planning to sell some of her designs to jewelry stores.
In her spare time, she also took on various part-time jobs—voice acting, courier work, food delivery, and even being a designated driver—anything that could earn her money.
In the evening, the doorbell rang.
Jian Jinci stood up and stretched. At this hour, there was only one person who would come looking for her. She opened the door to find Yan Xi standing outside, holding something.
Yan Xi was her university roommate and her best friend. When everyone else had given up on her, Yan Xi was the only one who stayed by her side.
Jian Jinci smiled. “What delicious things did you bring?”
“Beer and some dishes. I know you haven’t eaten dinner yet.” Yan Xi walked in and placed the food on the coffee table in the living room.
The two sat on the carpet. Jian Jinci opened a can of beer and placed it in front of Yan Xi, then opened one for herself. They clinked their cans together.
The TV was playing the news, with the anchor’s official voice announcing, “Jingche Group, Beijing’s newly listed company—”
Yan Xi picked up the remote and turned off the TV, grumbling, “Annoying.”
Jian Jinci ate her food. “What’s wrong?”
“Seriously, sis, don’t you watch the news, scroll through your phone, or read magazines?” For the past few days, this news had been everywhere. Every time Yan Xi opened her phone, she was bombarded with notifications about it. She clinked her can with Jian Jinci’s. “Beijing’s newly listed company, rising out of nowhere with immense power. Since its listing, many companies are facing the risk of bankruptcy. And the CEO of this group is only twenty-eight years old—a business tycoon and a total hottie.”
Jian Jinci was half-skeptical. “You’re messing with me, right? A CEO who can build a company like that must be some old man.”
“Don’t believe me? Let me show you.” Yan Xi put down her chopsticks, picked up her phone, opened the news article, and placed it in front of Jian Jinci. “Scroll down. There’s a picture.”
Jian Jinci didn’t buy it. She scrolled through the article, and near the end, there was an attached photo. She was so shocked she almost threw her phone.
The man in the photo wore a black suit with gold-rimmed glasses, exuding an air of refined elegance. His narrow eyes carried a hint of danger.
She thought she must have been mistaken and rubbed her eyes, staring at the image for a few more seconds.
Could it really be such a coincidence? She couldn’t believe it. Maybe it was just someone who looked like him. Struggling in denial, she asked, “What’s his name?”
“Pei Yanzhou,” Yan Xi replied. “Sis, didn’t you read the introduction?”
Jian Jinci: “…”
She silently put down her phone, picked up a bottle of beer from the table, and gulped down several mouthfuls before crushing the empty bottle.
Noticing her unusual behavior, Yan Xi looked at her. “Stunned by his looks?”
Jian Jinci let out a dry laugh. “He looks… just average.”
Yan Xi sensed something was off, very off. “Do you know him?”
Without hesitation, Jian Jinci denied it. “No.”
Yan Xi thought she was acting strange today, though perhaps it was just her imagination. Remembering last night’s events, she asked, “Where did you go last night? Your brother called me looking for you.”
Jian Jinci shifted her gaze away from her phone. “I got cheated on.”
Yan Xi was shocked. “Song Xuchen cheated on you?”
“Yeah.”
Yan Xi cursed, “That hypocritical scumbag, disgusting.”
Worried that Jian Jinci might be too upset to handle it, she added, “Jinci, are you sad?”
A flicker of bitterness passed through Jian Jinci’s eyes. After being together for three years, of course she was sad, but it wasn’t as unbearable as she might have thought. “It’s fine, not that hard to accept.”
Perhaps she had already sensed it when she saw Su Jingxuan wandering around in pajamas in front of him a few times. Now that it had happened, it wasn’t as difficult to accept as she had imagined.
She had drunk her sorrows away and vented her frustrations. She wasn’t the type to be trapped by love—she had more important things to do. Living well and striving to make money were her top priorities.
“Birds of a feather flock together. I’m actually grateful to the other woman for helping me recognize such trash. Trash should stay with trash.”
“Well said,” Yan Xi praised. “Jinci, your clarity is your greatest strength.”
Jian Jinci smiled. “My beauty is my greatest strength, okay?”
Yan Xi laughed in agreement. “Yes, yes, you’re right. Our Jinci is not only clear-minded but also a little beauty.”
Living with clarity brings more happiness. While it seemed like Song Xuchen had cheated on her, for her, it was also a kind of liberation. Seeing his true face—his hypocrisy and his facade of devotion—meant she no longer had to live under his deception.
Still, she couldn’t help but feel foolish for being deceived for three years, naively believing Song Xuchen truly loved her. It was both laughable and pitiful.
Now, the trash she had discarded was being treated like treasure by someone else.
Jian Jinci’s phone rang—it was Song Xuchen calling. She didn’t want to answer and hung up immediately, but he called again.
After a moment of hesitation, she answered. No one spoke on the other end; instead, intermittent, ambiguous sounds came through—the voices of Song Xuchen and Su Jingxuan. Even through the phone screen, it was clear what they were doing.
There was no doubt this call was Su Jingxuan’s attempt to flaunt her victory. Unfortunately for Su Jingxuan, it didn’t provoke Jian Jinci at all—it only disgusted her.
Would she feel regretful about throwing away useless trash? The answer was no.
For her, compared to Song Xuchen, she preferred money. Rather than wasting time on sadness, she’d rather focus her energy on making money.
It’s just that Su Jingxuan’s tastes were quite perverted, practically on the verge of giving her a live show. It’s a real shame Su Jingxuan didn’t go film adult movies for those VIP websites.
Jian Jinci hung up the phone, blocked and deleted Song Xuchen’s number, turned off her phone, and placed it on the coffee table.
Looking at the food on the table, she suddenly lost her appetite. She opened a can of beer and drank it by herself.
Yan Xi: “Was that the scumbag calling?”
“Yeah.” Jian Jinci: “The mistress Song Xuchen found completely shattered my worldview. It was practically a live broadcast for me.”
Yan Xi: “Is it what I’m thinking?”
Jian Jinci gave a faint “mm” in response.
The food on the coffee table instantly lost its appeal. That kind of scene played out in her mind, and Yan Xi said, “That’s really twisted, absolutely shameless. Are mistresses these days that wild? It’s mind-blowing.”
Jian Jinci curled her lips slightly. Yan Xi stayed with her for dinner, comforted her for a while, and only left after Jian Jinci repeatedly insisted she wouldn’t be upset over a scumbag.