Chapter 54 p2
Wanting a good night’s sleep, Xu Jinnan had instructed her staff not to contact her before 10 a.m.
She slept soundly for the rest of the night, until a knock on the door woke her.
“Come in. It’s not locked,” she called out, her voice still thick with sleep.
Shen Shu opened the door and saw Xu Jinnan’s long, pale leg draped over the blanket.
Xu Jinnan, having changed into a T-shirt after the mango incident, was lying on her side, the hem of the shirt riding up slightly.
Shen Shu quickly looked away, realizing Xu Jinnan rarely seemed self-conscious in front of her.
Her thoughts raced.
“Tong Jia called. Something happened,” she said. She had missed the call while she was in the kitchen and had seen a missed call notification from Tong Jia on Xu Jinnan’s phone as well.
“What is it?”
“Check your WeChat, or call her back. She tried calling you first,” Shen Shu said.
Xu Jinnan reached for her phone.
As soon as she answered, Tong Jia’s voice, choked with emotion, said, “Xu Jinnan, I’m sorry. I need your help.” Despite the tremor in her voice, her tone was relatively calm.
“Tell me what happened,” Xu Jinnan said.
Tong Jia explained the situation.
After returning to her parents’ house, she had thought about it for a day, then sent the messages from Qiao Rui’s iPad, along with a long, heartfelt letter, pouring out all her pain and anger.
She wasn’t one to cling to a lost cause, but Qiao Rui’s betrayal was deeply hurtful, enough to scar her emotionally.
She needed an apology, a sense of closure.
She needed an explanation from Qiao Rui.
And an end to their relationship.
Qiao Rui had called her back, but instead of an apology or an explanation…
She had threatened her.
“She said many of those women are influential, some of them quite powerful. If those messages were leaked, it could damage my reputation. She asked me to let it go, for the sake of our seven years together, and just break up peacefully.”
“Peacefully? Hahaha, that’s rich!” Tong Jia exclaimed. “She cheats on me, sleeps around, and tells me to let it go for the sake of our relationship?” She took a deep breath, and even through the phone’s speaker, Xu Jinnan and Shen Shu could sense her trembling with rage.
Even Shen Shu couldn’t help but mutter, “Disgusting.”
“I can’t believe it. Seven years, and I never really knew her. I never imagined she could be so shameless! And her tone, so calm and reasonable, as if she was doing me a favor! I told her I would make her regret this, and you know what she said?”
“She asked if I didn’t care about my own career, didn’t I care about Shen Shu’s? If this blew up, as Shen Shu’s agent, I would drag her down with me.”
Xu Jinnan leaned back against the headboard, a cold smile playing on her lips as she looked at Shen Shu.
“Oh, that’s what she said?”
…
Two hours later, Tong Jia arrived at Shen Shu’s apartment.
Xu Jinnan and Shen Shu sat together on the sofa, Tong Jia on a nearby armchair, her hands wrapped around a mug of warm water, her demeanor subdued.
In less than two days, she seemed to have aged, her eyes sunken and dark-circled, her face thinner than before, her usually stylish short hair unkempt.
Qiao Rui’s betrayal had clearly devastated her.
“Let me ask you something first,” Xu Jinnan said, her voice calm. “No matter what I do to Qiao Rui, you’ll support me, right?”
“Yes,” Tong Jia replied without hesitation.
Xu Jinnan nodded, relieved by her unwavering response.
Even if Tong Jia had hesitated, she wouldn’t have let Qiao Rui off easily. Dragging Shen Shu into this had crossed a line.
Qiao Rui had told Tong Jia that as Shen Shu’s agent, and the owner of the company she was signed with, if the news of her infidelity got out, and if any of her powerful lovers were affected, it would damage both their reputations.
They would blame Tong Jia, perhaps even blacklisting her in the industry.
Even if public opinion favored Tong Jia, it would still damage her career.
And as Tong Jia’s artist, Shen Shu would inevitably be affected as well.
“She knows you well enough to know you would expose her. And she also knows you’re sentimental, so she used Shen Shu as leverage,” Xu Jinnan said, picking up her glass of water.
“And she acted like she was doing it for my sake,” Tong Jia said, her voice laced with bitterness. “Saying she was worried about my reputation and Shen Shu’s. She was just protecting herself. I knew she was indecisive sometimes, even a little cowardly, but I never imagined she was like this. I feel so stupid.” Seven years.
How had she been so blind?
“It’s okay,” Xu Jinnan said. “Now, let’s discuss our next move.”
Tong Jia held the mug, the water now cold.
“The more she wants to keep this quiet, the more I want to expose her. But she’s right, I don’t care about my own career, but I have to consider Shen Shu’s. She’s just starting out…” This was the reason she had hesitated, finally coming to Xu Jinnan for help.
If it only concerned her, she wouldn’t be afraid.
Shen Shu’s heart warmed, hearing Tong Jia’s words. Even in her anger and despair, she was still prioritizing Shen Shu’s well-being.
Not everyone would do that.
“It’s fine,” Shen Shu said after a moment. “How powerful can her lovers be, compared to Xu Jinnan?” Her tone was calm, simply stating a fact.
Tong Jia looked up, a spark returning to her eyes.
“You two are ridiculous. Just break up already,” she muttered.
Xu Jinnan’s heart leaped, a smile playing on her lips. “She’s saying it’s not as simple as it seems,” she said to Tong Jia.
“What do you mean?”
“There aren’t many people in North City who would dare to cross me openly,” Xu Jinnan explained. “No matter how influential Qiao Rui’s lovers are, do you think they would risk offending me?” Anyone with even a little sense, even someone like the Han family, wouldn’t antagonize Tong Jia for this. In fact, considering Shen Shu’s connection to Xu Jinnan, they would likely blame Qiao Rui.
That was the key.
“Qiao Rui knows me well enough to know what I’m capable of. She risked offending me by dragging Shen Shu into this, meaning she was more afraid of this getting out than of my wrath,” Xu Jinnan said.
Tong Jia hadn’t considered this.
“Write down all the names and numbers from those messages. We’ll investigate each one. There’s either someone more powerful than me involved, or a deeper secret we don’t know about,” Xu Jinnan said.
Sixty-five numbers.
And that was just from the past two years. Who knew how many more there were?
Xu Jinnan handed the list to her new secretary, Viola. It was her first day on the job, a good opportunity to assess her abilities.
After all, she hadn’t hired her just for the North District project.
About four hours later, Viola sent her the information – names, ages, occupations, etc.
Xu Jinnan and Shen Shu, sitting side by side, reviewed the data.
Their eyes met as they reached a particular entry.
“What’s wrong?” Tong Jia asked.
“Wait,” Xu Jinnan said, continuing to scroll.
A minute later, she handed the iPad to Tong Jia, her voice cold. “No wonder.”
Shen Shu’s face darkened. She took a deep breath. “She’s irredeemable.”
Tong Jia, sensing their reaction, had a bad feeling. She started reading, her grip on the iPad tightening as she reached the end.
“That bitch!” she exclaimed, her voice shaking with rage.
Shen Shu gently took her hand, trying to calm her down, then took the iPad from her.
“I’m fine,” Tong Jia said, her face pale, her voice strained. “What are we going to do? Even if she begs for forgiveness, I won’t forgive her! Xu Jinnan, no matter the cost, help me ruin her! I want her to suffer!”
“Call her. Invite her to your apartment,” Xu Jinnan said calmly.
—
Qiao Rui arrived a little after 4 p.m., wearing a gray T-shirt and jeans that accentuated her dancer’s physique.
Her posture was elegant, her expression gentle, her demeanor calm and composed.
As she entered Tong Jia’s apartment, the familiar aroma of home-cooked food, the same scent that had filled this space for the past seven years, brought a pang of nostalgia.
She wasn’t without feelings for Tong Jia; they had been together for seven years, after all.
But seven years was a long time.
Long enough for the passion to fade, even when they were lying in bed together.
But she had grown accustomed to Tong Jia’s love and care. If Tong Jia hadn’t found out, if things could just go back to how they were…
She looked at Tong Jia’s back as she moved about the kitchen, at the food on the table, and felt a surge of longing.
“Jia Jia,” she said softly, the familiar endearment slipping out.
Tong Jia didn’t turn around. She opened the rice cooker, filled two bowls, and said, “Wash your hands. Dinner’s ready,” as if nothing had happened.
“You’re making me think you might take me back,” Qiao Rui said.
“I won’t,” Tong Jia replied. “But we were together for so long…” She paused, her fingers tightening around the bowl. “Let’s at least have a proper ending, like the day we started our relationship.”
Qiao Rui walked closer and noticed the dishes were the same as the ones they had eaten that day.
A wave of affection washed over her. “Jia Jia, I know you still care. I do too. You’re still in my heart. Perhaps we can talk… and find a way to resolve this without things getting ugly.”
“How do you propose we talk?”
“Jia Jia, I was wrong, but my feelings for you have always been true. At least emotionally, I haven’t betrayed you. I love you.”
“So, physical infidelity doesn’t count as betrayal?” Tong Jia asked, her voice cold.
Qiao Rui looked down at her. “It doesn’t have to be so complicated. If you can’t accept it, I can change. We can go back to how things were…”
Tong Jia looked at her, her gaze distant, as if looking at a stranger.
“Let’s eat first,” she said calmly.
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