At Xincheng Tower, Gu Cheng’an was reviewing documents while keeping an eye on his phone.
Jing Ci had already returned from delivering the gift, but his phone remained completely silent.
This unusual reaction left Gu Cheng’an unsettled, so he eventually called Jing Ci into his office. “Is she doing alright?”
“She seems much better.”
“Did she like the gift?”
“The young mistress didn’t open it. She asked me to thank you on her behalf.”
Recalling the overly affectionate thank-you messages Sheng Xia used to send whenever he had Jing Ci deliver gifts, Gu Cheng’an frowned.
It was precisely because he found it strange not to have received any message of thanks from Sheng Xia that he had summoned Jing Ci to inquire. So now, was she having others convey her gratitude?
Thinking back to the mocking messages he had seen on her phone in the hospital room, Gu Cheng’an pondered for a moment. “Book a private dining room for tonight. I’ll treat the young mistress to dinner.”
After leaving the hospital, Sheng Xia immediately began planning how to sell her orchids. The orchids she had painstakingly acquired through great effort were not going to be easy to sell now.
After all, their prices were steep. Aside from wealthy orchid enthusiasts who truly appreciated their value, who would be foolish enough to spend so much on flowers for their home?
On the way, Sheng Xia busied herself posting listings for her orchids in the orchid enthusiasts’ group.
She had bought ten pots in total. The most expensive one, the Orchid Aristocrat, cost over twenty million, while the others ranged from hundreds of thousands to over a million.
After listing the orchids in the group, inquiries gradually trickled in.
She sold them at discounted prices. The relatively cheaper pots attracted interest quickly, and since Sheng Xia was selling them at half price, they were soon reserved.
Only the most expensive Orchid Aristocrat remained unsought. Sheng Xia couldn’t bear to sell it for just ten million, as it wasn’t merely a bargaining chip to please Gu Cheng’an.
She had indeed poured immense effort into nurturing that Orchid Aristocrat.
To care for it properly, she had studied extensively about orchid cultivation, and the orchid had rewarded her generously, blooming with breathtaking beauty.
The car stopped at the entrance of the Gu family’s ancestral home. Sheng Xia got out, and the bodyguards Su Qiao had called arrived in a pickup truck.
Neither Gu Tingting nor Madam Gu was home. Sheng Xia and Su Qiao led the bodyguards to the greenhouse, where all ten orchid pots were loaded onto the pickup truck.
Except for the Orchid Aristocrat, the other pots had already found buyers. Sheng Xia and Su Qiao began making deliveries and collecting payments.
The last pot, the Orchid Aristocrat, was brought back by Sheng Xia to the marital home, which had already been tidied up by the hourly cleaner.
No trace of mess remained. Sheng Xia had Su Qiao’s bodyguards place the Orchid Aristocrat on the balcony. She glanced at the living room coffee table—the divorce agreement she had seen the night before was gone.
Although the divorce agreement was no longer visible, the contents she had read the previous night were firmly etched in her mind.
Sheng Xia poured a glass of water for Su Qiao and slumped onto the sofa, listlessly scrolling through her phone as she prepared to search for a job.
Su Qiao offered suggestions from the side. “How about becoming a celebrity and acting? My brother’s entertainment company could give you some exposure first. Your face alone is a magnet for attention. With some strategic promotion and a few high-profile projects from my brother, plus some variety show appearances, money would come pouring in.”
“It’s not that easy. There are plenty of people in the entertainment industry prettier than me, and not many of them make big money. Besides, I’m not cut out for acting.””Isn’t my brother supporting you? Let him spend a fortune to pave the way first!” Su Qiao said as she called Su Yanqi: “Brother, Xia Xia needs a job. Can your company give her a chance to act and get some exposure?”
Su Yanqi readily agreed: “Of course! As long as Xia Xia is willing.”
Su Yanqi treated Sheng Xia like his own sister, always ready to help, but Sheng Xia knew her own limitations.
No one’s money comes easily, and she didn’t want to take advantage of the person who treated her best.
Sheng Xia refused, but Su Qiao insisted: “But you need money, right? Even if it’s just for the money, you should endure some hardship, shouldn’t you? Brother, it’s settled then. Have your company pick a script and create a hit drama for our Xia Xia to play a supporting role, one with big-name leads.”
“Alright, I’ll come over later to take Xia Xia for an audition.”
Gu Cheng’an waited until three in the afternoon, but there was still no movement from Sheng Xia’s side. He drove to the hospital.
The door to Sheng Xia’s hospital room was closed. Gu Cheng’an pushed it open and saw the Black Swan cake and the rose bear still in the room, but Sheng Xia herself was nowhere to be found.
Just as he was about to call Sheng Xia, Gu Tingting’s call came in first: “Brother, has that woman Sheng Xia gone crazy? She just came home and took all the flowers from the greenhouse.”
Gu Cheng’an instinctively felt Gu Tingting was stirring up trouble: “Nonsense!”
“It’s true. Zhang Ma told me when I got back. Sheng Xia came with Su Qiao and even drove a pickup truck. All the orchids in the greenhouse are gone. I went to check. If you don’t believe me, I’ll send you a video.”
Gu Cheng’an frowned. Soon, Gu Tingting sent over a video. Indeed, the orchids in the glass greenhouse had all been cleared out.
What on earth was she up to?
Gu Tingting continued complaining about Sheng Xia: “Because you didn’t celebrate her birthday yesterday, everyone in the group is mocking her now. They’re @ing her to show off her gifts, and there are already hundreds of messages. Everyone’s waiting to see her make a fool of herself. I guess Sheng Xia is too embarrassed to show her face and is throwing a tantrum out of anger.”
Gu Cheng’an hung up with a displeased expression. He had asked Jing Ci to buy gifts again, but Sheng Xia hadn’t shown them off? That wasn’t like her at all.
Lost in thought, he heard footsteps outside the room. Soon, two nurses entered.
Seeing Gu Cheng’an’s handsome face, the two young nurses blushed and spoke up: “Sir, are you here to see Miss Li? She’s already been discharged. Someone just came to handle the discharge procedures for her.”
“She doesn’t want these things?” Gu Cheng’an asked, pointing to the untouched Black Swan cake and rose bear.
“Miss Li said if anyone wants them, they can take them. Otherwise, just throw them away.”
“She really said that?” Gu Cheng’an raised his voice. Even though the Black Swan cake and rose bear weren’t prepared by him personally but by his assistant Jing Ci, Jing Ci represented him.
The fact that Sheng Xia didn’t want the gifts he sent and told others to deal with them made Gu Cheng’an feel utterly humiliated.
Gu Cheng’an left the hospital with a dark expression, his mood worsening with every step.
On the way, Jing Ci called: “The private room for tonight has been reserved. I called the young mistress and told her, but she said she doesn’t have time. Mr. Gu, what do you think about this…”
He had taken the initiative to invite her to dinner, and Sheng Xia actually refused? Was she trying to take advantage of his goodwill?
Gu Cheng’an’s anger flared: “Then cancel it! She’s getting too spoiled!”
Though he said that, his mood only grew worse.Not accepting his gifts, refusing his dinner invitations—what exactly was Li Shengxia up to?
Gu Cheng’an drove back to the new house and spotted Shengxia coming out from a distance.
She was wearing a cap and a hoodie with casual shoes, talking on the phone as she descended the steps.
Her face wore a smile, completely different from the ones Gu Cheng’an usually saw. Suddenly catching sight of Gu Cheng’an driving over, Shengxia’s expression froze for a moment.
She quickly averted her gaze and dashed into her car. Shengxia knew how much Gu Cheng’an despised her.
Usually, it was she who clung to him, who provoked him first. If she pretended not to see Gu Cheng’an, he probably wouldn’t stoop so low as to bother her.
But to Shengxia’s surprise, Gu Cheng’an actually drove over and blocked the front of her car.