"What's wrong with your car?"
"The engine burnt out. I'm calling for a repairman." Bai Youran glanced at A Miao who was seated in the backseat without concealing his loathing at all. "Where are you going?"
Xia Wan chuckled. "I'm treating A Miao to dinner today. Why don't... Why don't you come with us?"
Thinking that he was being humorous, Bai Youran replied, "I'm coming along even if you don't ask me! I'll drive, so ask your driver to drive my car to your home."
If it was Xia Wan who planned for their meeting with Bai Youran, then A Miao had become thoroughly stupefied after seeing Shen Xinglan in the restaurant...
"Mr. Shen!" Xia Wan cried in surprise. "So you're also here for dinner!"
Shen Xinglan was not alone and his female companion was a familiar face. A Miao felt like it was a face that she frequently saw on television. However, it was not the same one she met in Xia Wan's birthday banquet. The woman had a pair of glistening eyes that seemed to be shrouded in mist. Her eyes were so captivating that it felt as if they could suck you in.
"Yes." Shen Xinglan raised his head and lifted one corner of his mouth. "Are you and Mr. Bai on a date?"
Bai Youran's expression was dark. Without even sparing him a glance, Xia Wan immediately replied, "No, no! You misunderstood us. Youran is my sister's fiancee."
"Oh?" Shen Xinglan looked as if he finally noticed A Miao's presence and gave her a fleeting glance. A Miao forced a smile and then continued to pretend to be a part of the backdrop.
The mood of the other person with Xia Wan was much darker. Bai Youran was clenching his fists. When he saw the pleading look that Xia Wan shot him, he said in a rough tone, "Let's sit over there."
"We'll sit here." Xia Wan immediately took the table next to Shen Xinglan's.
A Miao reminded her, saying, "Didn't you say you've already booked a table?"
The waiter that had been watching them immediately and said, "Ms. Xia, you've specifically requested for a table by the window. We've already reserved it for you."
"Then please bring us over!" A Miao resolutely crushed Xia Wan's intention without waiting for the latter to respond.
Xia Wan looked at Shen Xinglan, carrying a hint of hope in her. Yet all of his attention was on the celebrity with an evidently gentle look in his eyes. The celebrity turned around to smile sweetly at her.
Everyone present could see that this was an interaction between lovers. However, A Miao had always been sensitive. She noticed that Shen Xinglan would focus on that woman's eyes each time, as if he could not see the woman at all. The only thing that he could see was that pair of eyes.
"Let's go, Xia Wan." Bai Youran could not bring himself to see Xia Wan being humiliated. He gently pulled her.
"Sure!" Xia Wan was not an idiot to allow herself to suffer disgrace. Nevertheless, she still smiled at Shen Xinglan. "Mr. Shen, have a good meal."
Only then did Shen Xinglan glance at her. "Thank you."
When they took their seats, Bai Youran used a nasty tone to tell A Miao, "Don't sit next to me."
"Youran..." Xia Wan frowned. "Sit here, A Miao. I'll sit opposite you two."
Bai Youran's expression was incredibly unsightly but he could not lose his temper on Xia Wan. When he saw how A Miao sat down without any grace whatsoever, he despised her even further.
"I'm starving. Let's order!" A Miao waved the menu when she saw how Xia Wan was keeping her eye in the distance where Shen Xinglan was.
"Youran, you help A Miao take orders!" Xia Wan looked away from Shen Xinglan and tried to conceal the envy in her eyes.
The female celebrity was not as pretty as she was and did not have illustrious background either. Why would Shen Xinglan fall for her?
"I heard that all rich men would date celebrities," A Miao promptly reminded her. Xia Wan's mood brightened. That was right! How could a man of Shen Xinglan's status not have any woman with him? Even fooling around with female celebrities was something common among their circles.
Either way, he would never marry that sort of woman!
Once she thought this through, Xia Wan's mood improved enough for her to take the initiative to help A Miao order. Bai Youran could also tell the obvious change in her mood and glared hatefully at A Miao. He lifted the cup of coffee and then forcefully placed it in front of her. "Can't even eating shut your mouth?"
The coffee splashed onto A Miao's face, leaving even several yellow stains on her hair.
"Ah!" The waiter immediately rushed over to their table. "Miss, why don't you go to the washroom?"
A Miao shook her head. "Since you don't want to dine with me, I don't wish to invoke someone's enmity either." She stood up and told Xia Wan, "I'm leaving. You two enjoy your dinner."
"Oh dear! Youran, hurry up and apologize to A Miao." Xia Wan held onto A Miao's arm. "Don't go, A Miao. Youran didn't do it on purpose."
Seeing how pathetic A Miao looked, Bai Youran's hatred for her climbed to a peak. Not only did he not apologize, but he also pulled onto Xia Wan and made her sit. "Wanwan, don't try to advise her. What temper! Did she really think that she's a precious young lady?"
Xia Wan truly wanted to slap this foolish man. If A Miao left, what would it mean for her and Bai Youran? Shen Xinglan would certainly misunderstand them. It had not been easy for her to find out that he would be having dinner here today, which was why she brought A Miao and Bai Youran here to fake a chance encounter. How could she let A Miao go?
"That's right. How can I be good enough for the young master of the Bai family? Since that's the case, go and tell the old man that you want to cancel this engagement!" Seeing as Bai Youran wanted to humiliate her, A Miao fixed a profound gaze on him. "Besides... there's someone else who wants to marry you!"
Xia Wan's heart jolted. Thinking that A Miao was referring to her, she immediately stood up and said, "Please give me some face. Let's have dinner, hm?"
"Let her leave!" Bai Youran yelled. "You better quash any intentions of marrying me! I won't marry an illegitimate child like you."
Just as she was about to turn around, A Miao suddenly stood still and stared at Shen Xinglan raising her mouth with a smirk, "Beg me and I'll help you."
She sneered and turned around. Before Bai Youran and Xia Wan could react, she lifted the cup of coffee and splashed it.
"Damn it!" Bai Youran jumped. "You bitch dares..."
A Miao stared coolly at him. "I'd repeat this again: I have nothing to do with you. If you're capable, go and cancel this engagement. If you're not, then shut your bloody mouth." She wiped her hands, threw her napkin at Bai Youran's chest, and left.
When she walked past Shen Xinglan's table, she heard him saying gently to his female companion, "The environment here is getting worse. They're letting any Tom, Dick, and Harry in."
"Oh dear!" A Miao turned her body, knocking into the female celebrity.
"I'm sorry! So sorry!" She took several steps backward and apologized. "I accidentally twisted my ankle."
The celebrity politely assured her that it was fine. However, Shen Xinglan walked up to her and asked in a low voice, "What are you trying to do?"
"Nothing." A Miao smiled and added in a loud voice, "Mr. Shen, have a good meal!"
Shen Xinglan felt a bad premonition after seeing her strange smile. However, he dared not talk too much with A Miao in front of Xia Wan.
He had lost all appetite after A Miao left, especially since that woman Xia Wan would throw him flirtatious glances every now and then and put on a pitiful face.
"Enjoy your meal. I'm taking my leave." He fished out his wallet and prepared to pay the bill.
When the waiter brought him the bill, he saw a suspicious white item falling out of Shen Xinglan's wallet. Before Shen Xinglan could react, the waiter poked the item with his hand and saw the familiar little wings printed on it.
"Ah, my sanitary napkin!" the celebrity cried. Noticing that something was off, she immediately covered her mouth and dared not look at the man sitting opposite her.
Shen Xinglan looked at the sanitary napkin lying on his thigh before turning to glare at the waiter with a malevolent expression.
"Mr... Mr. Shen..." the waiter stammered. "I... I didn't see anything at all!"
"Shut up!" Shen Xinglan rose to his feet and immediately left the restaurant without even sparing the celebrity a glance. Behind him, Bai Youran was still talking to Xia Wan. "Look, that man must be a pervert to carry such a thing around."
Xia Wan had no mood to talk to him. She hurriedly ate part of her meal and then asked to leave. Bai Youran thought that she was angry because of A Miao and swore in his heart to put that illegitimate child in order one of these days.
"Boss..." Shen I looked at the man with a downcast expression through the rearview mirror. "What happened?"
Shen Xinglan glanced at him. "No one will think that you're mute if you don't speak."
Sure enough, he was mad. Moreover, he seemed particularly pissed off.
"Get someone to go to the restaurant earlier and bring back the CCTV footage," the man sitting in the backseat said in a sinister voice. Shen I nodded and then heard the man say, "No one's allowed to see it, including you. Once you get it, destroy it."
"Got it."
One hour later, a USB flash disk that was snapped in half laid on top of Shen Xinglan's desk.
"Is there any backup?"
Shen I shook his head. "We made sure that there isn't any."
"Leave the room then." Shen Xinglan tossed the USB flash disk into the trash with a disgusted look. "Hang on."
Shen I who was about to open the door stood still. "Boss?"
"Find the CCTV footage of that night. There should be a CCTV in front of the pub entrance. Get all the scenes with the woman and bring it to me."
Shen I was confused until he heard Shen Xinglan mention "that woman" and knew he was referring to A Miao. Seeing that Shen Xinglan's expression was still dark, he dared not ask why and swiftly left the room.
"That stupid woman! Who gave you the guts to embarrass me?" Shen Xinglan's eyes were dark and unfathomable. "I'm the one who should be deciding the rules of the game. Very soon you'll discover the consequences of breaking the rules."
A Miao regretted her actions...
She began to regret it the moment she walked out of the restaurant.
It was too brash of her. She obviously knew that Shen Xinglan was not someone to be provoked but she still did it anyway. How could Shen Xinglan take revenge on her after she embarrassed him so?
"This can't do. I need to make up for it." She immediately returned to the Xia family villa via the minibus. Once there, she washed her face with cold water and started dialing.
It was Shen I who answered the phone.
"I'll find an opportunity to steal the bronze mirror as soon as possible. Please relay this to him and tell him to rest assured."
"I hope you'll succeed next time!" Shen I was somewhat at a loss for words. "Otherwise, I predict that you'll die a tragic death..."
A Miao found his tone to be strange. She thought to herself that it was a good thing that she made the call. Perhaps Shen Xinglan was already racking his brain over how to torture her.
It must be admitted that a person's premonition was sometimes very accurate.
"She dares to make the call herself? What did she say?" Shen Xinglan stared fixedly at the video playing on the computer, his smile incredibly sinister.
Shen I glanced at the video and then relayed A Miao's promise to steal the item as soon as possible. "Boss, then what you said earlier..."
"Upload the video online." Shen Xinglan rapped the desk. "I'll consider this as an early congratulatory gift to her."
With that, the weekend passed. One fine day, Xia Mei began to harass A Miao from the moment she entered the door. "Look at what you've done! You've embarrassed the entire Xia family..."
A Miao was walking downstairs for her meal when she heard Xia Mei's voice. She then turned around to go upstairs. "Stop right there!" Xia Mei threw the photo at her. "It's fine if you embarrass yourself, don't get us involved!" The photo depicted A Miao, dressed in a chick costume, delivering condoms. She picked up the photo but before she could take a clearer look, Yao Lili's voice resounded. "What is this?" Yao Lili snatched the photo out of A Miao's hands. Before long, she began screeching. "Disgusting! How can you do something like this?" Seeing the development of events, A Miao thought she might as well sit down. "It's just a job. You all don't have to make a fuss about it." "Job?" Xia Mei grabbed the photo and waved it in front of A Miao's face. "This photo is pinned up in our school board. Now everyone knows that there's someone in Xia family that does this sort of shady busine
"Is this stinky tofu?" Shen I pinched a block of the tofu with his fingers and gave it a sniff. He nearly vomited. He rushed to the door, about to open it. "Don't open the door." Shen II stopped him while he opened the windows. "The smell will get out." Shen I was dumbstruck as he imagined the entire office floor being filled with the smell of stinky tofu. He could not help but wanting to retch. "Boss, why don't you take a shower and change your clothes?" Shen II did not dare to look directly at Shen Xinglan. Shen Xinglan, who had not spoken all this while, slowly raised his head. The first thing he did was loosening his necktie. Then he took off his suit and shirt and walked into the bathroom. While walking in, he began to slowly turn around. "Hehehehehe..." Shen I swallowed uneasily. "Boss..." "Oh no. Did he get so mad that he lost his mind?" "Go.&quo
A ripping sound resounded as the man tore A Miao's shirt and began touching her all over. She felt something rising from her stomach and then vomited all over herself and Xia Mingde. "Let me go… You bastard, let me go!" Without even bothering to wipe her mouth, she felt around for the table lamp on the floor and swiped Xia Mingde with it. "F*ck!" Xia Mingde blocked her attack with his arm and snatched it out of her hands. With a turn of his hand, he landed a hard slap on her face. "You bitch." A Miao fell on the floor. Xia Mingde once again grabbed her thighs and ripped her skirt with one smooth movement. "No! Let me go… Mom… Help!" A Miao stared at the ceiling with tears streaming down her face. The only thing she could think of was her mother's final words. Thud! Just as she was about to close her eyes and waited in despair for Xia Mingde to climb over her, the door abruptly opened. "Boss, how s
Shen I held onto A Miao's arm and took no more than a few steps before turning his head to ask, "Boss, where should we…" "Just find a random dark room." Shen Xinglan waved impatiently. "Not the underground." "Understood." Noticing that A Miao was faintly trembling, Shen I comforted her while dragging her. "Don't worry. I'll be locking you in the storeroom. When boss' mood improves the next morning, I'll let you out." Worrying that she would catch a cold at night, Shen I kindly found a particularly small storeroom and even placed a quilt inside. When he saw how A Miao lied on the quilt without moving, he said nothing and locked the door. It was pitch-black inside the storeroom without even a hint of the moonlight. In the darkness, A Miao began to quiver. She could not stand staying in a cramped space like this. To a claustrophobic person, this was life-threatening torture. "Let me out! Let me ou
Shen Xinglan ordered the hospital to inform the Xia family that A Miao was involved in a car accident. "How did you end up getting involved in a car accident? What about Shen Xinglan?" Xia Wan questioned her as soon as she entered the room. Yao Lili and Xia Mei carefully observed A Miao. "Where are you injured?" A Miao raised both of her hands. "If that guy didn't dump me on the roadside, I wouldn't have been hit by a car." It was Le Yi who told her that Xia Wan might get suspicious if A Miao said that Shen Xinglan dragged her home. "Don't tell me you've gone blind!" Xia Mei said, evidently happy over A Miao's misery. That was because the bedridden A Miao was wearing a pair of shades. Beside her, a nurse who was preparing to leave immediately replied, "Her eyes were injured. She can't see light for the time being." "What sort of injuries are these? You're even staying in such an expensive ward
A Miao's smile instantly disappeared. Le Yi got up while shaking his head. "Have you been here for long?" Le Yi meant that he must have heard most of their conversation. "I just got here," Shen Xinglan shamelessly lied. He then looked coldly at A Miao. "You better recover as soon as possible. Otherwise, don't dream of going to classes in the second half of the year." A Miao stared at him and suddenly smiled. "I'm not in a hurry then. Worse comes to worst, I'll just attend next year." What she did not know was that her smile earlier had stupefied Shen Xinglan. It was as if the soft and gentle little girl in his memories was lying on his body, saying, "Brother Lan, it'll stop hurting after I blow on it…" Le Yi called him. "Shen?" "I'm fine." Shen Xinglan sat down on the sofa. "How soon can her hands recover?" "One and a half month if she obedient
Before he was a doctor, Le Yi was first and foremost Shen Xinglan's friend. Moreover, he came here because Shen Xinglan wanted to heal her hands... "I understand." A Miao pushed aside the bowl of soup in front of her without any expression. "Don't worry, I'll play along. You're right. This is a deal that I should complete." Le Yi chuckled, his expression ever attentive and gentle. A Miao smirked in self-mockery. She was the foolish one here. How could she think that this man was a good person? No, the man was not a bad person. They merely had different stances. "Why didn't you finish the soup?" Le Yi pushed the bowl in front of her again. "This is good for your recovery. It's much better than the hospital food." A Miao once again scolded herself in her mind. She thought that he was being kind when he prepared all those meals for her. She had been so grateful and treated him as a friend. Hehe, she was simply t
There was no way that she could run. Never mind that she had so little money on her or that she did not have her passport, she knew the casino town was dangerous just from the scene she saw earlier. Dejected, she hid in a corner of the room. She felt like crying but no tears came. "Mom…" she cried out with much difficulty. Suddenly, she found herself truly despising people of the Xia family. She did not know when her tears began to flow. She sobbed and whimpered quietly until her voice turned smaller and smaller. She had fallen asleep with her body curled up. She woke up to the sound of someone knocking on her door. Bai Youran sent someone to deliver a dress. She gave it no more than a glance before throwing it on the floor. Later on, Bai Youran came over and saw that she was not wearing the dress. "What do you mean by this?" He flew into a rage. "Put on that dress!" The dress was so deeply cut in the front that she wo
After Yaya and Yu Sihan were married for three years, she was already twenty-three years old. As for Yu Sihan... it was better to ignore his age... "My dear sister!" At dawn, Chu Bai ran to Yu Sihan's villa, taking advantage of the absence of the great devil. Yaya was embroidering mandarin ducks on a piece of brocade, probably because she was influenced by Yu Sihan. She had been very interested in the traditional crafts of Country Hua in the past two years, and she also went to the old workshop to learn the skills. "What do you want to do?" Yaya glanced at him. Nowadays, Chu Bai was a very popular young actor. He caused traffic jams whenever he went out. "Oh! The ducks Yaya embroidered are so beautiful." Chu Bai came over to flatter her. "They are mandarin ducks." Yaya was expressionless. Chu Bai opened his eyes wide. "Oh, they're all birds anyway!" "What are you doing her
Yaya, who had been worrying about him for a month, was finally relieved. She decided to travel, because of anger. She also felt strange. Why she did not feel angry and sad, after being deceived. Later on, she thought that maybe it was the effect of the vermin... "Miss, shall we go?" Zhu Yan reminded her. "Considering the ability of Young Master, he will find us soon." Chu Bai sat up abruptly. "Then we must go! We can go to the Caribbean by boat, and see how he can find us in the vast sea." "Young Master has fleets in more than 20 countries. No matter what cruise you take, he will find you." Zhu Yan looked at Chu Bai, seemingly thinking that he was an idiot. Chu Bai was used to the expression in her eyes, every day. He had no way to deal with it. He could not scold her, and as for fighting with her... he was a man, so he could not do that. "Find a car. Let's drive ourselves." Yaya put on her sunglasse
"Young Master! He's been cloned!" "How dare you!" The two voices sounded at the same time, and Green turned around in panic. Yu Sihan rushed toward her, his face extremely cold. Green instinctively raised her hand to stab Yaya with the knife, but she was too slow. Bang! Shen Xinglan pulled the trigger. "Young... Young master..." Green looked at the bloody hole in her chest, and even smiled and hugged the stone platform. Then she reached out her hand to try and catch Yu Sihan. Yu Sihan ignored her, anxiously untied the ropes on Yaya, and held her tightly in his arms. "Sorry, I was late." The man's tight hug made Yaya feel a little sore. But she could feel Yu Sihan shivering all over, so she let him hold her. "I'm fine..." A Miao came to her and looked at her, with tears in her eyes, and tried to pull her out of Yu Sihan's arms, but Yu Sihan seemed not to care
Yaya did not move and looked at him, her face expressionless. "Did you set up a tent?" Shen Xinglan saw the roof in the distance. "Go and have a rest first. A Miao is a little seasick." Meanwhile, the family of three passed by him, and Yu Sihan lowered his head and followed behind them. "Where is Green?" Yu Sihan's bodyguard asked Zhu Yan discreetly. "She's locked up in the cabin." Zhu Yan looked at the several people who had entered the tent. "I'll go and ask the Young Master for my punishment." The bodyguard stopped her. "Don't be stupid! Young Master did not say that he will punish you. Besides, given the current situation, you'd better not go and create more problems." The tent was big and comfortable. Yu Sihan never did stint on himself. His quality of life was always extravagant. "I know all about the matter of the vermin." Yaya deliberately sat far away from Yu Sihan. "It turns o
Zhu Yan kicked in the door without saying anything, and then she felt cold from head to foot. "Young Master... Miss is gone." Yu Sihan fell silent for such a long time on the other side that Zhu Yan almost could not keep her footing. Then she heard Yu Sihan sigh. "Go to the Shen villa and bring them to the island." "But Miss..." "Tell Shen Xinglan, if he wants to see Yaya, he has to come over immediately." He did not discover that the one who had been sleeping in the cabin was not Green, until he reached the island. She must have planned to escape before she got on the ship, and she had stashed away many drugs during her numerous years in the institute. "She drugged the bodyguard with some ecstasy, and hired a person to stay in the cabin instead of her..." The bodyguard said in a low voice, "Until we landed on the island." When Yu Sihan learned that Green had behaved well and stayed in
Yaya was about to say something, when she saw the girl being slapped hard by Zhu Yan, and she fainted instantly. So ferocious! "Miss, please get into the car." Zhu Yan pulled the girl up with one hand, and threw her to the two male bodyguards, who had rushed over. Yaya pointed at the girl and said, "She..." "We will interrogate her and report to Young Master, if there is any danger." Yaya said "fine", and got into the car. However, she was still curious about it, so she planned to ask Yu Sihan about it, in the evening. "Young Master, we have brought her back." A Bodyguard rushed into the house and said, "She tried to talk to Miss, but she was stunned by Zhu Yan before she could say anything." Yu Sihan was lying sideways on a couch, his Buddha beads swinging in one hand. "Take her on board directly. If you fail, all of you need not come back." "I will keep it in mind!" The
After that night, Yaya was never worried again, about why Yu Sihan did not want to be intimate with her. "I'm afraid that I cannot resist having sex with you. Then what will I do on our wedding night?" Yu Sihan insisted that women should not lose their virginity until the wedding night. Yaya did not mind it, because she was not the one who had a strong sexual desire. A Miao was worried that Yaya might suffer, so she repeatedly asked about it in a tactful way, so Yaya just told her Yu Sihan's thoughts directly. "Sure enough, he is older than you…" Unexpectedly, A Miao was still unsatisfied. "Mom!" Yaya did not know what to do. Her mom would still criticize him, no matter what he did… Time flew and the muggy summer would soon be over. After the first rains in autumn, the engagement party was approaching. All Yaya's dresses and accessories had been delivered to the Shen family house, a week ago.
Chu Bai called the police, but his agent blamed him for doing so. "There are security cameras in the house. If I ran away, others might trace it back to me. How would I explain it?" Of course the agent knew Chu Bai was right, he was just too anxious. "You could have just left it to us. Our company will deal with it. Since you have finished filming, you can rest at home for a few days." If someone else was stuck in the same situation, the agent did not know how their company would have dug him out of this hole. However, it was Chu Bai, who was stuck in the situation, so he did not need to worry about him. Thus he was assured, and went back to the company, after sending Chu Bai home. Chu Bai could not bear to stay home, so he went to the villa of the Shen family to have dinner. "What happened?" Yaya had read the news, and asked when she saw him. A Miao asked the auntie to bring another pa
Chu Bai called Yaya. He dared not go to the Shen house, for fear of being caught by Yu Sihan. "Don't let him know that I want you to be an assistant, just say that you have to go, OK?" Yaya did not know whether to cry or to laugh. "Why are you so afraid of him? You are an adult now" "You don't understand." Of course, Chu Bai could not tell her how many times Yu Sihan had secretly tossed him about, when he was a child. Those terrible memories were too many to count... "In short, just don't let him know!" "All right!" Yaya did not want to remind him that Yu Sihan clearly knew that she would not go to such a crowded place on her own accord, especially the movie set with such complicated interpersonal relationships. "One more thing," Chu Bai said mysteriously, "guess who I saw on the set today!" Yaya thought for a moment and said, "The new female supporting role?" "No, it's Zh