At the Lan Club, operated by the Shen family, Shen Jingze sat imposingly on the sofa, holding a glass of red wine.
His assistant, Nan Feng, stood nearby, reporting: “Gu Cheng’an really dislikes Miss Li. It’s said that he still hasn’t touched her yet. And the reason Miss Li is short on money is because Gu Cheng’an only gives her ten million in monthly allowance.”
“Ten million is rather stingy for someone of Gu Cheng’an’s wealth, but for a woman he doesn’t like, it’s somewhat understandable. With ten million a month, she shouldn’t be short on money, right?” Shen Jingze found it strange.
“Indeed, if she weren’t trying to keep up appearances, she shouldn’t be short on money. But Miss Li’s situation is special. Since she isn’t favored by Gu Cheng’an, she desperately tries to please his mother and sister, spending a lot of money on them. Then, in the socialite circles, those who like Gu Cheng’an mock Miss Li daily for still being a virgin after two years of marriage. To make everyone believe Gu Cheng’an likes her, she spends lavishly on luxury goods—it seems she’s already spent several hundred million.”
“Is that so? But the Li Shengxia I’ve encountered these past few days has been dressed plainly, with no trace of luxury about her.”
“That’s true now. Before, whenever she went out, she was accompanied by bodyguards and drivers, and her shopping sprees were incredibly extravagant. I don’t know what happened, but she suddenly changed. It’s only been these past two days.”
Nan Feng paused, remembering something: “Oh, right, Li Wenshan’s company has been struggling financially. Could it be because of this?”
“Is that the case?” Shen Jingze asked in return.
Nan Feng wasn’t entirely sure: “There’s one more thing. On Miss Li’s birthday, there was quite a scandal. Gu Cheng’an didn’t celebrate her birthday and was instead flirting with the actress Lin Mianmian. It’s said Miss Li caught them in bed and chased Lin Mianmian barefoot, even knocking her unconscious…”
“Nonsense! Gu Cheng’an isn’t that kind of person!” Shen Jingze firmly denied.
“Then it might just be tabloid gossip. But it’s true that Gu Cheng’an didn’t celebrate Miss Li’s birthday, and it’s also true that people in the socialite circles mock and ridicule her daily.”
“Sounds rather pitiful!” Shen Jingze took a gentle sip of his wine, Sheng Xia’s voice and smile appearing before his eyes.
With Sheng Xia’s looks alone, she shouldn’t be someone people dislike. Has Gu Cheng’an lost his mind, bullying a woman like this?
Whatever Gu Cheng’an dislikes, he must firmly support. Shen Jingze instructed Nan Feng: “Arrange a meeting with Li Wenshan tomorrow. I want to discuss a collaboration with him.”
Nan Feng let out a surprised “Ah.” Li Wenshan’s company had no overlapping business with the Shen family. What was Shen Jingze up to?
Nan Feng wanted to advise against it, but having worked for Shen Jingze for years, he knew his boss wasn’t easily swayed.
Without saying anything, Nan Feng prepared to leave. As he opened the private room door, the voices of two women echoed loudly from the corridor outside:
“Oh my, this is hilarious! What on earth is Li Shengxia wearing? Have you ever seen that brand of sweatshirt she has on?”
“Never seen it. Maybe it’s some nine-ninety-yuan, free-shipping brand?”
“How dare she come to the Lan Club dressed in such cheap clothes? Has she lost her mind?””Yeah, yeah, must be out of her mind. Li Shengxia must really be broke? I heard from Gu Tingting that she was so jealous of Lu Xiaoxiao having dinner with Gu Cheng’an that she openly beat Lu Xiaoxiao up, even disfiguring her. Gu Cheng’an was disgusted and forced her to apologize, saying he wouldn’t give her another penny if she didn’t.”
“So she’s now a penniless pauper? How pitiful! Serves her right for trying to steal someone else’s place. Thought marrying Gu Cheng’an would secure her position as the young mistress of the Gu family. At this rate, it won’t be long before Gu Cheng’an abandons her.”
The two women walked away, gloating over their gossip. Inside the private room, Shen Jingze called out to Nan Feng, “Find out which room Li Shengxia is in.”
After finishing hotpot, Su Qiao and Sheng Xia went to Lan Club to sing. As soon as they arrived at the entrance, they ran into He Jiajia.
He Jiajia took one look at Shengxia in her sweatshirt and laughed, mocking her as a discarded wife. She also warned that if Shengxia didn’t go apologize to Lu Xiaoxiao soon, the Lu Family would make her pay.
Su Qiao was so angry she wanted to fight He Jiajia, but Shengxia stopped her.
Once they entered the private room, Su Qiao was still fuming. “Why did you stop me just now? Why let that bitch He Jiajia humiliate you like that to your face?”
“It’s not really humiliation. I am the wife Gu Cheng’an discarded, after all. He Jiajia was just telling the truth.” Shengxia replied calmly.
She recalled some plot points from the book. Once Gu Cheng’an and the female lead, Shen Xinhe, sparked a romance, he would treat her even worse.
Without the so-called protection of her husband, Gu Cheng’an, those who already disliked her would bully and provoke her far more severely than now. Today was just a preview.
Who told her to be so arrogant before, squeezing her head through a door crack and making so many enemies?
Shengxia pulled Su Qiao down to sit. “No need to get angry. Let’s sing! Tonight’s mission is to sing. Later, you can enjoy my nightingale-like voice.”
Su Qiao couldn’t help but laugh at Shengxia’s carefree attitude. Shengxia picked a song and started singing. After finishing a verse, she asked Su Qiao, “Do you think I should go sing in a bar? I’m pretty good at singing, right? And I can play instruments decently too.”
“Give it a rest! If you go sing in a bar, you’d definitely make headlines. Those bitches would just go there to humiliate you.”
“Humiliation is secondary. The main thing is I could earn money. I’m broke right now! Desperately broke! If someone wants to humiliate me with money, I can handle it.”
“Have some self-respect! If you’re willing, my brother would pay off your debts right away.”
“No way. I already owe Brother Yanqi too much. This time, I want to solve it on my own! I’m smart enough—I’ll figure something out!”
As Shengxia muttered to herself, Su Qiao chimed in, “How about you start live streaming? You’re so pretty—just sit there and say, ‘Thank you, top donors! Thank you, family! Thank you, buddies!’ I bet you’d charm a whole crowd. My brother would probably shower you with gifts too.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?” Shengxia reached out to pinch Su Qiao’s cheek, and the two laughed and tussled on the sofa.
“I’m serious, Xia Xia. You could do live streaming. You sing so well, and you play several instruments, right? Just rely on your talents for the stream.”
“That’s actually a good idea. Maybe I should try opening a live streaming account?”
“Give it a shot! It’s not like there’s much to lose if it doesn’t work out.”Sheng Xia was true to her word, sitting on the sofa and creating an account on the largest domestic livestreaming platform.
The account was named “Wang Xiao’er Who Got Rich Overnight.” After setting it up, Sheng Xia muttered, “Now that I’ve opened an account, I should post a video first. Qiaoqiao, record a video for me to upload—make sure my face isn’t shown.”
“No problem, princess, please sing!”
Sheng Xia began singing while Su Qiao picked up her phone to record the video. Just as she was singing joyfully, the private room door was pushed open, and a server entered with a fruit platter and drinks.
Without turning around, Sheng Xia continued singing to keep the recording going. Once she finished, she put down the microphone and was about to check the video Su Qiao had recorded.
Meanwhile, the server placed the fruit platter and drinks on the coffee table and said softly, “Please enjoy, guests.”
Sheng Xia found the voice somewhat familiar and turned around. Upon seeing the elegantly dressed server in uniform, she gasped in surprise.