“Shen Luoxi?”
Lan Yue also called out her name in surprise. What was she doing here?
Shen Luoxi’s grip was firm, leaving a faint crimson ring around Lan Yue’s fair wrist. She released her with a dark expression and stepped in front of Pei Yu, shielding her. Her entire being exuded a palpable chill. “This is a school anniversary,” she said coldly. “If you want to cause trouble, take it outside. Don’t ruin everyone’s mood.”
“You… Shen Luoxi, what did you just say?”
Lan Yue’s eyes flickered with confusion. She thought she had misheard. Shen Luoxi was telling her to take her trouble elsewhere? There had to be something wrong with her head.
Shen Luoxi’s gaze remained icy as she repeated herself. “What? Was I not clear enough, Miss Lan? Or do you wish to continue making a scene here and require me to have someone escort you out?”
Standing behind her, Pei Yu was equally stunned. Since when did Shen Luoxi ever have the heart to be harsh to Lan Yue?
Shen Luoxi and Lan Yue were childhood friends who had grown up together. Although Lan Yue was a year older, it was usually Shen Luoxi who took care of her, both in daily life and at school. Pei Yu remembered an incident where Lan Yue had been schemed against and ended up with a small scar on her face; Shen Luoxi had tracked down the Beta responsible and forced him to apologize to Lan Yue over the school’s public PA system for three consecutive hours.
The school administration hadn’t dared to intervene back then because they relied on investments and donations from the Shen and Lan families. Moreover, since the boy had struck first, a police report would have left him with a permanent criminal record. A three-hour broadcast apology was considered a light punishment.
In the past, no matter how outrageous Lan Yue’s behavior was, Shen Luoxi was always the one to clean up the mess, regardless of right or wrong. But today, she had publicly scolded Lan Yue.
“What’s going on? Did those two have a falling out?”
“I don’t know. Why are they fighting?”
The students and teachers nearby began to whisper.
Hearing the rising tide of gossip in the corridor, Lan Yue’s breathing suddenly became erratic. She gasped for air, her fists clenching at her sides. She averted her eyes, not daring to look at them again, as a clear bead of cold sweat rolled down her neck.
“If this gets out, Lan Yue might not be able to stay in the industry. This is basically bullying.”
“Yeah, it definitely is.”
As the discussion intensified, the words began to stab at Lan Yue’s heart. Not able to stay in the industry. That phrase looped in her mind like a curse. She suddenly stumbled.
No. She couldn’t leave the industry.
The more she thought, the more the cold sweat poured. Her intense orchid pheromones began to leak out uncontrollably.
Shi Xiaoman was the first to be affected. Having been marked by Lan Yue, her glands contained a significant amount of the other woman’s pheromones. As soon as she caught the scent, she began to tremble uncontrollably, her body reacting instinctively.
“Teacher?” Pei Yu noticed the change and turned to her in concern.
Shi Xiaoman knew her body’s condition well. She looked at Lan Yue, who was not far away, and did her best to suppress the heat rising within her. “I’m fine, Xiao Yu. Thank you,” she whispered to Pei Yu. “My speech is finished, so I’ll be leaving now.”
“Teacher…” Pei Yu called out.
But Shi Xiaoman broke away from Pei Yu’s grasp. Steeling herself, she walked over to Lan Yue and stopped beside her. Lan Yue looked up, her eyes bloodshot.
“Let’s go,” Shi Xiaoman said softly.
She leaned down and grabbed Lan Yue’s wrist, leading her toward the exit with her head lowered. When they reached the crowd blocking the path, Shi Xiaoman used her free hand to gently push people aside, leading Lan Yue away.
Once they were gone, the school officials who had followed Shen Luoxi in finally snapped back to reality. They began directing the crowd. “Alright, the ceremony has started! Everyone disperse!”
The onlookers gradually filtered out. Soon, only the two of them remained in the corridor.
Shen Luoxi let out a soft sigh. She turned and looked down at Pei Yu, whose brow was knitted with worry. “I didn’t intend to come in,” she explained gently. “The school leaders found the car, surrounded it, and practically dragged me here.”
Who could have guessed that the moment she stepped inside, she would find them arguing? When she saw Lan Yue raise her hand to strike, she hadn’t had time to think; she had simply rushed over to block the blow.
“Mhm,” Pei Yu replied absently. Her mind was entirely on Shi Xiaoman—not out of jealousy, but out of pure concern.
Shen Luoxi noticed her distraction and assumed she was upset about the teacher. She stepped to Pei Yu’s side, placed her hand on the small of her back, and guided her forward. “The ceremony has begun. Your speech was abruptly canceled, so you should go out and show your face. Otherwise, people will gossip even more.”
Pei Yu quietly pushed her hand away. “I can walk on my own. No need to trouble President Shen.”
“Alright.” Shen Luoxi withdrew her hand, knowing she didn’t want to be touched.
As the two emerged from backstage, the whispering hushed. But when the crowd saw Pei Yu appearing with Shen Luoxi, the murmurs turned into cheers and excitement. This was the first time since their marriage that Pei Yu had appeared in public with Shen Luoxi.
Previously, the internet had painted Shen Luoxi as a profligate second-generation heir who cheated immediately after marriage. Public sentiment had shifted from envying Pei Yu to mocking her. Paparazzi and reporters had been relentless; some had even gone so far as to disguise themselves to knock on Pei Yu’s hotel room door in the middle of the night.
Pei Yu remembered being woken by that knocking, terrified that it was Shen Luoxi coming for her with a baseball bat. In that situation, the only person she could message was Guan Tong, but she knew Guan Tong wouldn’t come to her rescue. So, she had grabbed a self-defense tool, locked herself in the bathroom, and hidden in the bathtub. She had spent the entire night in a state of terror.
For two weeks afterward, she lived in fear of the paparazzi breaking in. Every time she returned to a hotel, she locked herself in the bathroom and refused to open the door for anyone.
The harassment only stopped when the Shen family issued a stern statement: Regarding the recent false rumors of Shen Luoxi’s infidelity, we will take all legal measures to stop the spread of these lies and sue those on the following list for excessive defamation.
Following that, Pei Yu’s agency also released a statement regarding the harassment of their artist. With both statements out, the late-night knocking ceased, and the gossip vanished overnight as the rumor-mongers issued public apologies.
Pei Yu wasn’t surprised that the Shen family had the capital to solve these problems, but she had wondered if it was Shen Luoxi or her parents who had initiated it. She got her answer soon after from Guan Tong: “Mrs. Shen usually looks like a gentle housewife, but I didn’t expect her to be so decisive and efficient in handling matters.”
So, it had been Mother Shen. It certainly couldn’t have been that scumbag Shen Luoxi.
“Pei Yu, is this President Shen?”
As the two walked through the auditorium, a man in a suit approached. He held a glass of red wine, and his eyes were fixed on Pei Yu. Only when he reached them did he turn his gaze to Shen Luoxi.
“And who is this?” Shen Luoxi asked. Although this school anniversary scene wasn’t in the original novel, she knew exactly who this was: Huang Rui, the son of Principal Huang Lide.
In the book, he was the one who whispered in his father’s ear to have Pei Yu stripped of her “Ambassador” title. He was also the one who bribed the media to fuel the “diva” narrative. His goal was to push Pei Yu out so his own girlfriend could take the title. Thus, Shen Luoxi intentionally pretended not to know him.
Huang Rui introduced himself with a flourish. “Hello, President Shen. I am Huang Rui, Principal Huang’s son and a member of the school board. We’ve met at a few events before, but you’re a busy person; you probably forgot who I am.”
“I certainly don’t remember,” Shen Luoxi said flatly.
Huang Rui’s expression darkened momentarily, but he quickly recovered his gentlemanly facade. “No matter. We can see more of each other in the future.”
In the distance, Huang Lide was walking toward them with a kind smile. Out of respect for the Principal, Shen Luoxi offered a polite platitude. “That’s true. We should see more of each other.”
Huang Rui took her literally, smiling broadly. “As long as you’re willing, President Shen, I’m always available. I heard you enjoy horse riding. I recently acquired a Ferghana horse; I wonder if you’d be interested?”
“I’d love to, however…” Shen Luoxi put on an act of a doting wife, reaching out to pull Pei Yu close. She looked conflicted. “My wife is about to start a new project. I need to be with her every step of the way to make sure nothing goes wrong, so my time is quite limited.”
Pei Yu hadn’t expected to be used as a shield. She instinctively tried to pull her arm away, but couldn’t. Shen Luoxi held her even tighter.
Huang Rui backed off with a polite laugh. “Of course, Mrs. Shen’s career comes first. Whenever you have time, President Shen, just let me know. I’ll be there.”
“Alright,” Shen Luoxi said with practiced courtesy.
By then, Huang Lide had reached them. He waved to Shen Luoxi from a distance. “President Shen, I didn’t expect to see you today! I only saw Mrs. Shen earlier and assumed you weren’t coming.”
Shen Luoxi finally released Pei Yu and shook his hand. “We came together, but I thought my presence might dampen everyone’s spirits, so I stayed in the car to wait for Pei Yu. I didn’t expect to be ‘caught’ by you all.”
She used the word “caught” to make her point clear: she was only here because she had no choice.
Huang Lide, knowing the full story of how she was brought in, looked a bit embarrassed. Earlier, after Shen Luoxi had left the red carpet, the driver had parked the car. She had just closed the script and was preparing to nap when a persistent tapping on the window began. She had looked out to see two or three middle-aged men peering in through the one-way glass. Reluctantly, she had stepped out.