For the male lead, Su Wanquing, as an outsider, couldn’t really put her feelings into words.
He clearly had the ability to prevent many of these events from happening, yet it seemed that “not having a mouth” had become a standard trait for CEOs.
As for the vicious supporting female character, she seemed to exist purely to strengthen the relationship between the male and female leads. Her glamorous background destined her for a tragic ending.
Soon it was time to get off work. Su Wanquing finished her tasks, closed her laptop, and left.
Seeing her already gone, Lin Yaxin—who had been in a sort of “invisible” state—walked over. “Sister Dy, Winnie has been leaving work so early these past few days?”
“She’s a young lady from a wealthy family. Even if she just stays at home doing nothing, she’ll still be taken care of. That ‘stable job’ you’re so fond of is just a stepping stone for her to chase someone,” Dy said sarcastically.
“So tell me, does Winnie really not have any feelings for President Li anymore?” Lin Yaxin continued asking.
Dy let out a cold laugh. “Who knows what tricks she’s playing now? These wealthy families are probably full of chaos anyway. How could anyone be innocent? They’re all very skilled at schemes.”
Lin Yaxin pursed her lips and said nothing, then returned to her seat.
The car stopped at the kindergarten.
Su Wanquing got out.
“Su… Miss Su?” a voice called from the side.
Turning toward the sound, she saw a figure in front of her. “Assistant Xu? Why are you here?”
Xu Yi, Gu Hengzhi’s assistant.
“Today is the day we go to the Gu family old residence for dinner,” Xu Yi said. “The CEO is in the car.”
Dinner at the Gu family old residence happened once every month. In the past, the supporting female character Su Wanquing had avoided the male second lead like the plague, using her marriage as a tool to preserve her reputation, so she naturally never attended any of the Gu family’s gatherings.
The Gu family’s background was complicated.
Gu Hengzhi was not the legitimate heir of the Gu family; he was born to his father’s mistress.
His mother and he were long suppressed by the official wife and never acknowledged.
Perhaps fearing he would compete for inheritance, but Gu Hengzhi built his own company—within the novel, he was the only person in the capital city who could stand on equal footing with the male lead. So the Gu family both resented him and had to curry favor with him.
The novel only briefly mentioned his background, and Su Wanquing didn’t know much about it.
But since she had said she would act like a proper wife…
“Please trouble Assistant Xu to drive my car back,” Su Wanquing said.
Xu Yi froze for a moment, then replied, “Alright, I’ll go inform the CEO.”
“No need. I’ll tell him myself.” Before he could respond, Su Wanquing had already walked toward the car behind him and opened the door.
Inside the understated Maybach, Gu Hengzhi was still working on his laptop. He glanced up at her. “Get out.”
“I said I would act as a proper wife for these six months, so I will keep my promise,” Su Wanquing said.
“This isn’t necessary,” Gu Hengzhi said without looking up.
“Fine. Then I’ll take Shi Mu away with me as well,” Su Wanquing replied.
Gu Hengzhi raised his head, frowning slightly. “What exactly are you trying to do?”
Su Wanquing looked at him seriously. “You know better than I do what kind of people the Gu family are. There are always places you can’t see. And every time after a family dinner, Shi Mu’s arm has bruises on it. You didn’t know that, did you?”
Speaking of this, Su Wanquing felt a sharp ache in her chest.
In the novel, there was a scene: after little Shi Mu returned from the Gu family, he happened to encounter Su Wanquing failing in her attempt to please the male lead, and she took all her anger out on the child.
The original text described it this way:
At twenty, Gu Shimu was gentle and elegant, like a butterfly with broken wings—beautiful yet incomplete. The woman in front of him lay in a pool of blood, still cursing him even in death.
When did he first hear those words? Back then, the small child seemed to have already become numb to insults like “illegitimate child” and “bastard.” He listened expressionlessly, then returned to his room and hid in his small corner. Rolling up his sleeve, he saw patches of bruises—purple and blue all over.
He couldn’t remember how many times it had been. It seemed that every time he went to the Gu family with his father, there would always be a hand like scissors gripping his arms and legs.
It hurt—more than sitting in a wheelchair now. A voice kept echoing in his ears: “If I say it out loud, no one will care anyway. It’s fine. Just endure a little longer. Once she gets bored, she’ll stop.”