TSDT - 57

“Well, well, look who it is.”

Meng Jingshu and Wei Zhanfeng arrived one after the other, the others were already seated. Tong Hao, biting on a cigarette, chuckled, teasing them.

Old Su rubbed his hands and laughed, “Deal the cards, deal the cards. I see you two have been lucky in business and love lately, now you’re about to be unlucky in gambling.”

Wei Zhanfeng pushed him aside and sat down, saying in a strange voice, “Only Young Master Meng is lucky in love. It’s all over the company’s small group chat. Yesterday, someone saw CEO Meng hugging a teenage girl—”

Amidst the “tsk tsk” sounds of disdain from the others, Meng Jingshu slowly took a sip of his drink, calmly saying, “What do you know? That’s my wife being interesting.”

“Oh my goodness!” came from the others.

“Bah!” came from Wei Zhanfeng.

“You’re so amazing, does your wife know you’re letting that woman surnamed Fu badmouth you and cause trouble everywhere?! Get all the evidence and expose her quickly. I can’t stand looking at her!”

Someone was puzzled, “It’s not you who got cheated on, why are you so agitated?”

Wei Zhanfeng just grunted.

Ah Qing then asked, “Is it because of the exhibition? I heard Jiarah told me last night...”

Recently, there was a high-end art exhibition in Zebian called “Huating Shadow Art.” Because the exhibition only lasted two weeks and had been heavily promoted, many influencers flocked to check in. Fu Xuan was no exception; not only did she post a beautiful photo at the entrance, but she also live-streamed to her fans inside the venue.

The exhibition was positioned as high-brow art, and with video projections and irregular performances, there was a sign at the entrance stating: “Photography allowed, but no video recording.” Of course, live streaming was strictly forbidden.

Therefore, Fu Xuan’s actions were stopped by the person in charge. Coincidentally, this person in charge was Ke Nian, the precious girlfriend Wei Zhanfeng had finally managed to win over.

Ke Nian was not a soft-spoken person. Her frowning demand for Fu Xuan to stop the live stream was also recorded in the live content. However, Fu Xuan, in front of the camera, was absolutely gentle and poised, even naturally revealing a hint of being frightened and vulnerable...

And afterwards, she posted a long apology on Weibo, roughly saying that she was too excited and didn’t notice the instructions at the entrance, and the person in charge suddenly came over and spoke so sternly that her mind went blank and she didn’t react. She felt very ashamed after knowing that video recording was forbidden and would definitely be more careful in the future.

Her words seemed fine, but upon closer inspection, it could be analyzed that she felt it was merely an unintentional mistake, and the person in charge was too aggressive, somewhat scaring her.

Fans are always blind. Seeing their favorite fairy being wronged, they naturally had to speak up for her, blaming the person in charge in the comments for having a bad and fierce attitude. Some even took the opportunity to say she was snobbish, thinking that doing art exhibitions made her superior and she looked down on influencers. Some even said she was jealous,

“Xuan Xuan is so beautiful and so many people like her, she must be dying of jealousy just seeing the number of online viewers!” — roughly so.

Of course, a small number of people were objective, saying that Ke Nian, as the person in charge, had to fulfill her responsibilities, and it was only right for her to be serious. However, these comments were all buried beneath the popular comments supporting Fu Xuan.

These discussions quickly reached Ke Nian, who was extremely annoyed. However, she also represented the image of the exhibition and couldn’t directly retaliate. She suppressed her anger and told Wei Zhanfeng about it, who casually mentioned that Fu Xuan was the ex-girlfriend of a friend. Now, all the unvented anger was directed at Wei Zhanfeng.

That’s why Mr. Wei was now taking potshots at his brothers.

Tong Hao chuckled, “Miss Fu certainly has some skill, provoking two ‘sisters-in-law’ at the same time.”

Wei Zhanfeng slapped his thigh, “Exactly! Old Meng, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and reveal her true colors, let her fans be disillusioned! All day long, she only knows how to use her fans to stir up trouble! Your wife is still being called a homewrecker, and she can tolerate this?!”

Meng Jingshu smiled leisurely, “She said it doesn’t matter, this matter can’t be rushed, we have to wait for a good opportunity. I’ll listen to her.”

“I’m blinded, I’m blinded! Is this still our unaffected Young Master Meng?! Completely subjugated by a girl!”

He was brimming with confidence, raising an eyebrow and saying, “You’re just jealous.”

After a while of joking, Ah Qing suddenly remembered something and said, “Oh, by the way, Jiarah said Hongle Network has been making some moves recently, and they might be targeting Shufeng. And Fu Xuan is close to Hong Binyu and his crew, so be careful.”

Ah Qing’s fiancée, Jiarah, works in media, and news in the industry spreads quickly. She heard something and wanted to give them a heads-up.

Meng Jingshu hadn’t spoken yet, but Wei Zhanfeng scoffed first: “I’m not afraid of them. Openly or secretly, let them come at us, let’s see who can’t handle it.”

The others also sneered, “The Hong family didn’t start with any legitimate business years ago. Now they see this industry booming and want a piece of the pie.”

“The old man of the Hong family still has some tricks, but unfortunately, his son is a good-for-nothing.”

In their circle, there were also cases where people looked down on each other, and there were plenty of unsavory things in the business world.

And Old Su was eager, just wanting to win money. He tossed the dice, “Less nonsense, let’s start the game!”

After a few rounds, Meng Jingshu, whom everyone had confidently predicted would be unlucky in gambling due to his success in love, indeed lived up to expectations, footing the bill for tonight’s entertainment and likely the next two or three sessions.

The one who lost money was completely unaffected, shaking his head and smiling, “It’s quite mystical.”

A brother teased him, “Old Meng, you’re still smiling. Your sister-in-law will definitely peel you when you go back.”

Meng Jingshu was very composed: “Impossible, this is her fault. If she hadn’t gone out with someone else today, I probably wouldn’t have come.”

“What kind of brothers are you? Look at you, prioritizing love over friendship!”

Upon hearing this, Tong Hao asked, “Was it with Hu Ruochen?”

Meng Jingshu: “You know her?”

“Yeah, the little girl next door when I was a kid. I saw her last time, almost didn’t recognize her.”

Meng Jingshu paused for two seconds, then a smile played on his lips: “Should I give you her contact information later?”

Tong Hao pushed up his glasses, “Sure.”

And so, an innocent and naive little girl, because she ignorantly clung to someone else’s wife, was unwittingly sold out.

________________________________________

“Ah-choo!”

Hu Ruochen rubbed her nose, oddly saying, “I’m not cold, why am I sneezing?”

“Someone’s probably thinking about you,” Jiang Ying said casually.

“Who?”

“Chen Tianjing,” Jiang Ying glanced at her, her eyes clearly writing: “Are you an idiot?”

“...Oh.”

Jiang Ying flipped through a thick stack of documents, rustling as she highlighted key points for her, “These are probably the most likely things to be asked. You go back and memorize them well.”

Hu Ruochen took a look and felt dizzy: “So much!”

“No choice, eight interviewers, who knows what they’ll choose to ask. You definitely need to know the cases you’ve handled inside and out.”

“Oh...” Hu Ruochen drooped.

“Alright, let’s order. Waffles or soufflé? Oh, there’s also a limited cherry pie...”

Exquisite desserts were brought to the table, and Jiang Ying beckoned Hu Ruochen to sit beside her.

She took a bite of the soft and delicate soufflé, narrowing her eyes in enjoyment, and commanded, “Give me your phone.”

Hu Ruochen obediently unlocked it, and the chat window with Chen Tianjing was blatantly open before them. She said with a hint of anticipation, “What are we going to say to him?”

In fact, reviewing her homework was just a small part of today’s agenda, something to tell Meng Jingshu. Jiang Ying’s biggest goal for coming out today was to flirt with Chen Tianjing, as Hu Ruochen.

She was pondering if she could dig up some information from him.

It seemed Chen Tianjing had been traumatized by Feng Xirou and deeply believed that innocent girls were easiest to control. Thus, he persistently wanted to reconcile with Hu Ruochen.

Although Hu Ruochen knew in her heart that he wasn’t a good person, she was soft-hearted and couldn’t say harsh words, which often filled Chen Tianjing with hope, making him send considerate greetings daily like clockwork.

The young girl complained to Jiang Ying, saying she was busy preparing for the interview and also dealing with him, which was very distracting. Jiang Ying, being relatively free-spirited recently, immediately became interested and arranged to meet her over the weekend.

Ding.

A new message popped up right on time.

Jiang Ying chuckled, “Perfect timing.”

Chen Tianjing said: “Xiaochen, what are you doing?”

Jiang Ying took a photo of the desserts on the table, waited two minutes, and sent it to him.

He quickly replied: “Out having fun? Girls just love to eat these.”

Then he sent a 200 yuan red packet: “My treat.”

Tsk, still that cheesy, greasy warm-guy tone.

Jiang Ying quickly accepted it and sent a shy emoji.

Hu Ruochen was stunned by her actions, awkwardly saying, “This, this isn’t good... We’ve already broken up, taking his red packet, won’t it make me seem, seem so... He’ll definitely think I have no backbone...”

Jiang Ying lectured her: “Does what he thinks matter? Of course, being happy yourself is more important! Did you consider what I thought when you were clinging to me, the one he cheated on? We’re just trying to use him now, and get a little revenge along the way. This is only right and proper. Who told him to cheat and break our hearts, right?”

Hu Ruochen wrinkled her nose: “...Okay. Then, can we really get some dirt on Brother-in-law’s ex?”

Jiang Ying had previously given her a brief rundown of their past grievances, which left the young girl dumbfounded. Now, watching Jiang Ying expertly use her phone, a sense of admiration spontaneously arose. She felt even more strongly that clinging to Jiang Ying and letting her help her out of her heartbreak was indeed the correct choice.

Jiang Ying said, “I don’t know, just ask casually. Even if we don’t get anything out of it, we still got a free afternoon tea, right?”

Hu Ruochen nodded: “Right!”

Big sister is so awesome!

Chen Tianjing, seeing the shy emoji, assumed he had received a signal of permission and launched his offensive with even more enthusiasm.

Jiang Ying rolled her eyes while actively interacting with him.

When the groundwork was almost laid, Chen Tianjing appropriately expressed his regret and lingering feelings: “Xiaochen, I’ve thought a lot during this time, and I truly know I was wrong. I was too immature before, only wanting to pursue novelty, but I forgot that the person right in front of me is the most worth cherishing...”

Looking at these messages, Jiang Ying felt her eyes glazing over. She slowly finished her waffle before replying.

“Tianjing Gege, about this, I can’t give you an answer quickly. I have to think about it very, very carefully.”

“Mm! Xiaochen, you need to know, no matter how long it takes, I’ll wait for you.”

Jiang Ying thought for a moment and said, “I can consider it, but you have to tell me first why you broke up with that girl named Feng Xirou. I need to know the reason.”

Chen Tianjing spared no effort in slandering his ex, saying she was two-faced, materialistic, had a chaotic private life, and so on.

Jiang Ying sent a pouting emoji: “But you still often went out with her, and that very pretty blogger named Fu Xuan, I’ve seen photos of you two very close. What’s going on with you two?”

“I have nothing with her, we just hung out, and people took random photos. She’s just pretty, actually very snobbish, has a bad personality, and few people like to hang out with her. We’re not close.”

Jiang Ying sneered, thinking, You’re not rich enough for her to fancy, so of course, she’s snobbish towards you. It seemed there wasn’t much dirt to get from him.

But the person opposite, caught up in the moment, couldn’t stop talking.

“The more people I’ve met, the more I realize Xiaochen is the best. How can there be such a good girl in the world? I really don’t want to let you go. From now on, I don’t want to look at any other woman.”

Hu Ruochen, drinking her beverage beside her, choked and coughed. Jiang Ying scratched her scalp, which felt numb from the cheesiness.

She asked sincerely, “Just how bad was Feng Xirou?”

That she left such a big shadow on you?

“Originally, as a man, I didn’t want to say anything. But I swear I want to be honest with you.”

Chen Tianjing paused for a moment, then continued typing: “That woman, for money, slept around, would do anything. Mr. Hong from Hongle Network, Xiaochen probably doesn’t know him, right? He’s famously promiscuous, and even though he’s a married man, that woman maintained an S/M relationship with him... If I hadn’t seen the videos on her phone with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it...”

Hu Ruochen gasped and covered her mouth.

And Jiang Ying fell into deep thought...

Mr. Hong... that slick-haired guy who hit on her at The One.

Hmm... Meng Jingshu seemed to have mentioned that they weren’t on good terms?

It all got mixed up.

The last time she stayed at a hotel with Hu Ruochen, Jiang Ying saw Hong Binyu.

That night, they first encountered Feng Xirou and two men entering a room when they checked in. Later, deep into the night, Hu Ruochen was already fast asleep, and after Jiang Ying finished her video call with Meng Jingshu, she went to the restroom. When she reached the door, she heard some commotion outside. Curious, she looked through the peephole and saw a familiar man and another woman arrive outside their door. The three people who came out of the room looked dazed. Jiang Ying couldn’t make out what they were saying, only that they seemed to be changing rooms. She guessed that the standard room they had booked couldn’t accommodate five people playing together.

So, that man outside the door was Mr. Hong.

And seeing their somewhat disoriented state, it seemed they weren’t just drunk...

However, besides being shocking, this news didn’t seem to be of much use.

Taking down Fu Xuan still had to be done by herself...

“Sister, sister... he’s asking why I’m not talking anymore...”

Jiang Ying snapped back to attention and said angrily, “What else is there to say? Tell him to hurry up and get checked for STDs at the hospital, after associating with such a messy woman!”

“Ah? I don’t know what to say...”

Jiang Ying gave her a disappointed glare and directly blacklisted Chen Tianjing. Simple, crude, and very effective.

The world was quiet again.

The free afternoon tea was mostly eaten.

Jiang Ying logged into her main Weibo account to check the results.

Last night, their sweet selfie, despite Jiang Ying’s strong dissuasion, didn’t become a couple’s avatar but was posted on Weibo. In just one night, she gained two hundred followers.

At noon, she was putting on makeup and tidying up in front of the mirror when Meng Jingshu came over and clung to her, being all clingy and playfully demanding.

“You go on a date with me and just wash your face and leave, but when you go out with others, you dress up so seriously. Who’s more important, and who are you best with?”

The childish man leaned down. Jiang Ying laughed uncontrollably, pushing him, “Stop it, you’ll smudge my makeup!”

“Then let’s take more pictures,” he picked up his phone, excited.

“Again?” She was a little unaccustomed to it.

“Yes! I want to take many, more than anyone else.” The very competitive man said so.

So after taking the pictures, she picked a few to post on Weibo. Two hours later, she had gained over a hundred more followers...

It’s clear how popular handsome men are these days. Even if Mr. Meng had nothing, he could make a fortune with just that face.

Her main Weibo account had some real-life friends, including high school and university classmates. Those who knew about their years of entanglement, especially high school classmates, were quite shocked, leading to many comments, mostly expressing emotion and blessings.

There were also many comments and reposts from enthusiastic netizens. In addition to blessings, there were more “Ahhhhhh! Other people’s boyfriends are too handsome 5555555 Wishing you 99 [lemon emoji][lemon emoji][lemon emoji]”

For now, there were no discordant voices.

Jiang Ying searched for Fu Xuan’s Weibo.

The latest post was an hour ago, completely different from her usual lovely and lively style: I’ve never seen a homewrecker so brazen, do you have no shame?!!

She gave a cold smile. The fish seemed to be taking the bait.

Hu Ruochen didn’t quite understand, asking her, “Sister, why do you let her talk about you like that? Why don’t you just expose her?”

Jiang Ying said calmly, “Don’t look at her having over two million followers, seeming very popular. In fact, she’s just a moderately popular influencer, not as newsworthy as a celebrity. If I, an unknown person, suddenly expose her without reason, even if I release evidence, who would search for it, who would see it? And most of the people who see it would be her fans, they would only curse me, report me, say I’m spreading rumors and slandering her. In a few hours, her feed would be clean.”

“Only if she herself gets desperate and mobilizes public opinion first, attacking me as the ‘other woman,’ can it create a sensational event. You know, a ‘homewrecker’ is like a rat crossing the street online; everyone wants to stomp on them. When public sentiment is high, if I then release the evidence, causing this ‘righteous’ condemnation to suddenly make an undeniable reversal, then, and only then, can the effect be maximized.”

Hu Ruochen’s jaw almost dropped, “Sister, you’re really scary. Good thing I’m not the one who provoked you...”

“Hmm? I’m giving you a chance to say that again.”

“So, so smart!”

“Good girl.”

The young girl asked, “What if she, feeling guilty, just curses a bit to vent her anger and doesn’t attack you?”

“Then I won’t expose her either, and she’ll be safe.” Jiang Ying smiled coolly. “But how could she? She’s already stalking me, isn’t she?”

You, who are arrogant, who have tasted the sweetness of public opinion, who are accustomed to being praised and supported, how could you let it go?

If you can bear it, we will always live in peace.

If you shoot at me first, that will be the beginning of your downfall.

This time, I don’t intend to let it go either.