Chapter 18
Xu Jinnan hung up the phone, her earlobes flushed pink.
She stared at the call log, tilting her head and raising an eyebrow, picturing Shen Shu in a business suit, her head held high, perhaps leaning against her desk…
Calling her “darling.”
A shiver ran down Xu Jinnan’s spine.
That was… surprisingly arousing.
She shook her head, telling Zhou Pei to hurry to Shen Corporation. Shen Shu wouldn’t call unless the situation was worse than Zhou Pei had described.
Her earlier fanciful thoughts vanished.
As the car slowed down on the road outside the villa, Xu Jinnan noticed a woman in a short black dress standing by the side of the road, waving at them.
Xu Jinnan didn’t recognize her.
Pretending not to notice, she asked, “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Second Miss,” Zhou Pei replied.
From the first half of the novel, Xu Jinnan recalled the original Xu Jinnan’s dislike for her older half-sister, Xu Li, and Xu Tao’s favoritism towards her.
Perfect; she wouldn’t be out of character.
She had no time for Xu Li now.
“Don’t stop,” Xu Jinnan said curtly.
Zhou Pei hesitated for a moment, then accelerated, driving past Xu Li.
Less than a hundred meters later, her phone rang. The contact was labeled “Second Bitch.” After the original Xu Jinnan’s creative labeling system, this seemed rather tame.
She swiped to answer.
“It’s just your wedding. As your older sister, I wanted to congratulate you. Is that so wrong?” As she’d suspected, it was Xu Li.
“What do you want?” Xu Jinnan asked.
Xu Li chuckled. “Nothing much. You handled the land deal well. Dad even praised you. I heard you and that Shen woman are getting along well. I’m just curious… have you finally decided to settle down?” Her tone was condescending.
Xu Jinnan drawled, “Something like that. Trying to reform myself so I can get a bigger share of the inheritance.”
As expected, Xu Li fell silent.
When she spoke again, the pretense was gone. “Really? We’ll see about that.”
“Sure.”
Xu Li hung up.
So, out of the five members of the Xu family, including the original Xu Jinnan, four were… unusual.
Xu Jinnan put her phone away, her movements slowing as a thought occurred to her – could Xu Li be the one behind Yin Xue’s stunt?
Only the top executives knew about the land deal. Xu Tao’s improved opinion of her wouldn’t have mattered to anyone else.
But Xu Li cared.
She craved their father’s approval. Like children fighting over a toy, if one sensed a threat, they would react.
Xu Tao’s opinion of her had just improved. If a scandal involving her at the hospital, a Xu family investment, tarnished their reputation, would he still think highly of her?
It was just speculation, and Xu Jinnan didn’t have the energy to dwell on it now.
For some reason, she couldn’t focus. She glanced at the time.
“Faster,” she told Zhou Pei.
Shen Shu was gathering her belongings when Shen Guotao stormed in, his face dark.
“Are you trying to destroy this family?!”
Shen Shu didn’t look up. “I’m not trying to destroy anything. You kicked me out.”
“Sis, we’ve been so good to you. All you had to do was take a three-month suspension to save me, and you refused? What kind of sister are you?” Shen Jun sat at his desk, his feet propped up, a smirk on his face. “You even called Xu Jinnan for help? Seriously?”
Shen Shu said calmly, “Didn’t you arrange this marriage? What’s wrong with calling my wife?”
“What’s wrong?! This is a family matter! If you dare speak about this outside, I’ll disown you!” Shen Guotao yelled.
Shen Shu put down her things, her expression unchanged, her long lashes concealing the pain in her eyes.
“Does it even matter if you disown me?”
She could have taken the blame.
If they’d shown even a flicker of remorse, she might have gritted her teeth and endured the humiliation.
“You!” Shen Guotao sputtered.
Shen Jun tapped his foot against the desk. “Forget it, Dad. Does she really think that Xu heiress will care? Everyone knows what Xu Jinnan is like…”
“Besides, Xu Jinnan doesn’t love her. Does she really think she’s someone important, that Xu Jinnan will come running just because she calls? I don’t believe it.”
Shen Guotao’s anger didn’t subside.
Almost immediately after they’d announced Shen Shu’s suspension, Wei Wuqing had messaged him about Xu Jinnan taking Shen Shu away that afternoon. He was genuinely worried.
Suddenly, a knock came at the door.
“Mr. Shen, Miss Xu from the Xu Corporation is here.”
Shen Shu’s grip on her finger loosened slightly.
She hadn’t been sure Xu Jinnan would come.
Shen Guotao’s face fell.
He hurried out to greet her, but before he could reach the door, Zhou Pei pushed it open.
Though technically a guest, Xu Jinnan strode in like she owned the place. No one dared to stop her, or even speak.
She walked over to Shen Shu, her heels clicking against the floor. “Who upset you?” she murmured, her voice low. “Tell me.”
It was practically an invitation to let her handle it.
The people who’d hurt her were her family, and the person defending her was Xu Jinnan. Shen Shu suddenly felt a strange sense of absurdity. She looked at Xu Jinnan.
“They accused me of embezzlement. I’ve been suspended.”
Her voice was calm, merely stating the facts.
Even if she was pretending, Shen Shu wouldn’t show weakness in front of others.
Xu Jinnan looked at the storage box on Shen Shu’s desk. “Oh? How much?” she asked casually.
“Three million.”
Xu Jinnan scoffed. “Three million?”
She looked at Shen Guotao, who coughed nervously. Xu Jinnan didn’t give him a chance to speak. “Surely no one is foolish enough to believe that someone I care about would even bother with three million.”
The Shen family had only just begun to reap the benefits of their connection to the Xu family. How dare Shen Guotao offend her?
She glared at Shen Jun. “Of course, no one believes it. It’s all a misunderstanding. I was just talking to Shu Shu about it! She must have called you in her panic.”
“And I’m the only one who knows about this misunderstanding?” Xu Jinnan asked.
“No, everyone knows. Of course, they do,” Shen Guotao stammered.
Xu Jinnan looked at Shen Shu. Shen Guotao quickly added, “She just has a bit of a temper. She shouldn’t have left like that. A CEO can’t just walk out.”
Shen Shu didn’t reply, closing the storage box.
Xu Jinnan understood. She’d been worried Shen Shu would soften and stay.
“Mr. Shen?”
The slight upward inflection in her voice was a warning.
Shen Guotao’s face turned an even darker shade of red. Shen Jun, sitting across from them, quickly lowered his feet and followed his father out of the room.
The office fell silent.
Xu Jinnan, who hadn’t had anything to drink all afternoon, went to get herself a cup of tea, giving Shen Shu some space.
Shen Shu had taken off her blazer, the top button of her white shirt undone. She stood by the window, head bowed, a cigarette between her fingers, the smoke curling like a ghost against the backdrop of the city skyline.
This was the Shen Shu Xu Jinnan found when she returned.
An unusual display of vulnerability and rebellion. For a moment, Xu Jinnan almost regretted her harsh treatment of the Shen family.
“I didn’t know you smoked,” she said, trying to lighten the mood.
Shen Shu extinguished her cigarette. After a moment, she said, “Thank you.” The shareholders’ meeting had sealed her fate; the news would spread sooner or later.
If Xu Jinnan hadn’t come, regardless of whether the Shen family took her back, her reputation in this city would be ruined.
Xu Jinnan smiled faintly. “Buy me dinner then. I’m hungry.” She didn’t say anything more.
Shen Shu looked at her, surprised, then nodded. “Alright.”
On their way to the restaurant, Shen Shu remained silent. Her capacity for endurance was remarkable.
Xu Jinnan wanted to start a conversation but felt it would be too forced. Shen Shu was calmly replying to messages on her phone, as if nothing had happened, the earlier gloom and despair now buried deep within her.
Xu Jinnan could tell she was using WeChat.
She turned away.
After a moment, she said, “Give me your WeChat.”
“…What?”
“Texting is inconvenient.” Shen Shu paused. “It’s fine if you don’t want to.”
“It’s fine.”
Xu Jinnan scanned Shen Shu’s QR code. Shen Shu’s profile appeared on her screen.
What the—?!
When had she added her?!
Before she could see the numbers and letters on Shen Shu’s profile, Xu Jinnan quickly closed the app. “I already had you on my contact list.”
Shen Shu said calmly, “I saw that.”
“…” Xu Jinnan said, “Here’s the thing…”
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