The Beautiful, Strong, and Miserable Ex-Girlfriend [Quick Transmigration GL] - Chapter 23.1

Chen Wanling was Jiang Bieyuan’s beautiful, much younger stepmother. After Fu Yanzhou got in touch with her, it was only a matter of time before she came looking for Shen Sujie. Shen Sujie allowed Chen Wanling to hold her chin, not pulling away. “Is there something you need, Auntie Wanling?”

The young girl’s skin was fair and radiant, her features stunningly beautiful. Even without makeup, her dark eyes shimmered with a lively, alluring glow. Chen Wanling’s breathing became a little heavier. The fingers touching Shen Sujie’s skin started to feel hot, as if they were being scorched by hot coals.

Qiao Weiwei certainly had a seductive charm. No wonder Jiang Bieyuan had fallen for her again and again. Chen Wanling quickly composed herself, slowly pulling back her numb fingers, but she remained close, still leaning over Shen Sujie. “I want to talk to you.”

Perhaps the pose was too tiring, because Chen Wanling smoothly pulled a chair over. She crossed her long, slender legs, a surprising amount of skin exposed from the slit in her qipao. “That Yuan Yuan,” the woman said, waving a small fan and feigning annoyance. “She’s in a relationship and she’s hiding it from her family. Does she think we’re some kind of stuffy old-fashioned people?”

“That’s a good point,” Shen Sujie said, after a moment of thought. “Maybe we’re not what you’d call a couple at all. Maybe we’re just friends with benefits.”

She smiled sadly at Chen Wanling. “Who would bring a bed partner home to meet their family?”

Chen Wanling looked surprised, then chuckled softly. “You think too little of yourself. I’ve never seen Yuan Yuan go so crazy, so close to losing her mind over a bed partner.”

As Chen Wanling spoke, a touch of confusion appeared in Shen Sujie’s dark, dewy eyes. “I’m sorry, I don’t really understand.” She frowned, her voice soft. “Even though we have great chemistry and she seems to like me, I don’t think I’m as important to her as you’re saying.”

“I know my place.”

Chen Wanling listened with a sweet smile until Shen Sujie was done. Then she slowly interjected, “If that’s the case, then what exactly do you want from being with her?” Her voice, which had been so charming, suddenly turned sharp. “Is it her money? Or her status and position?”

“I remember you two broke up once before, right?” Chen Wanling’s beautiful eyes swept over her, looking seductive and enchanting, but behind the dazzling beauty was an intense sharpness. “What was the reason for that breakup?”

“If my research isn’t wrong, it was because you resented Yuan Yuan’s humble beginnings. You thought she was too poor to bring you the wealth you wanted, and you felt betrayed after all your scheming. You hated her.”

“You hated her deception, and you hated her incompetence.” Chen Wanling coaxed Shen Sujie like a thousand-year-old fox spirit. “So, you didn’t hesitate to dump her, only to come crawling back when she returned home and her status as the Jiang family heir was revealed.”

Chen Wanling narrowed her eyes. “You’ve only ever cared about money, and there are so many rich people in the world. Why do you have to go after Yuan Yuan?”

“It’s just the two of us here. You can tell me anything you want,” Chen Wanling said gently. “I won’t tell her.”

A torrent of sharp questions came her way. The girl lowered her eyelashes, biting her red lip softly. Her slender shoulders trembled, and she looked so pitiful. “That’s a lie. That’s not what happened at all,” Shen Sujie said, clenching her fists. She finally looked up, her eyes a little red. “You’re just trying to drive a wedge between us.”

Chen Wanling just smiled at her, not denying it. “Yuan Yuan is the heir to the Jiang family, and you’re from a normal family. Do you think you’re a good match?”

“She’s going to marry into a prominent family that’s just as influential in the business world as the Jiang family. You’ve seen the TV shows, haven’t you? Business marriages, powerful alliances. That’s the reality.”

“Miss Qiao, you’re not in a fairytale, and fairytales don’t happen in the real world.”

With the girl glaring at her, Chen Wanling’s lips curled into a smile. She slowly pulled a check out of her purse. “This is two million.” She waved her small fan, her posture lazy and her expression aloof. “If I were you, I’d take the money and leave.”

“Relationships are nothing special. No matter how madly in love you are at the start, in the end, it’s always a mess, and you get sick of each other. There are no exceptions.”

Chen Wanling smiled. “The most beautiful and unforgettable relationships are the ones that end when the other person loves you the most.”

“When the passion stops in its most beautiful moment, it will stay with a person forever, and there will never be room for anyone else in their heart.”

“What do you think, Miss Qiao?”

Perhaps she felt a rare connection with the young girl, because Chen Wanling had said more to her than to anyone in years. In her opinion, love was the most unreliable thing in the world. Someone could love you today, tomorrow, and the day after that, but also get tired of you and fall for someone new the night after. Or they could be loving you and someone else at the same time. You were nothing more than a toy to pass the time.

Qiao Weiwei was still young, and as someone who had been there, Chen Wanling didn’t want her to make the same mistakes she had. Getting into a powerful family wasn’t easy. Not to mention, Jiang Bieyuan’s birth father was a complete opportunist.

To him, she was nothing more than a pretty flower to decorate his home. So what was a girl from a normal family like Qiao Weiwei to him?

Chen Wanling believed she was being sincere with Qiao Weiwei. At least, she hadn’t said anything so heartfelt to anyone in a very long time. She looked at the suddenly disheartened Shen Sujie, a confident smile on her lips. “So? Have you made up your mind?”

“If you have, just take the check. You don’t want Yuan Yuan to see it…”

“I don’t want it.” Shen Sujie cut her off.

The gentle, motherly expression on Chen Wanling’s face froze, replaced by disbelief. The system guessed that in her mind, she was thinking, “Are you crazy? You don’t want this huge sum of money?”

Shen Sujie slowly pushed the check back, a hint of disdain in her smile. “Only two million, Auntie Wanling? Are you trying to pay off a beggar?”

“I think the bag you’re carrying today costs more than two million.”

Shen Sujie tilted her head. “Who asked you to come here and convince me to leave? Is it Uncle Jiang?” She blinked innocently. “That can’t be right. Given his wealth, he’d offer at least five million, wouldn’t he?”

“Or does he think the only benefit his precious daughter can bring him is worth only two million?”

Chen Wanling’s expression was incredibly complex. If you looked closely, you could see that she was desperately trying to maintain her calm composure, but it was cracking under the surface. This made her previously alluring and charming demeanor vanish completely.

Chen Wanling had never expected Shen Sujie’s appetite to be so large. She tried her best to keep a smile on her face so Shen Sujie wouldn’t see how flustered she was. “You want five million?”

“That’s quite an appetite,” she scoffed. “And even if I gave you five million, would you dare to take it?”

Shen Sujie asked, “Auntie Wanling, do you think I’m an idiot?”

“You married Uncle Jiang, and a single one of your purses costs two or three million. If I could marry into the Jiang family like you did, five million would just be the cost of a few purses.” Shen Sujie’s soft voice sounded like a demon’s whisper in Chen Wanling’s ear. “I know the difference between a one-time meal and having food on the table every day.”

Chen Wanling was truly infuriated by Shen Sujie’s shamelessness. At this point, she was too angry to bother with her facade. Her beautiful, seductive eyes stared coldly at Shen Sujie. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell Jiang Bieyuan about your little schemes?”

“Afraid? Of course, I’m afraid.” But even as she said it, the smile on the girl’s face became even brighter. Shen Sujie thought Chen Wanling was a little dumb. “Do you think she doesn’t know what I want from her? She knows, and she’s very clear about it.”

“But even so, she still chose to get back together with me. What do you call that?”

Shen Sujie answered for Chen Wanling. “Love, of course.”

“She loves me, and I love her money. We both get what we want. If I didn’t want anything from her. Not her love or her money—she would be the one who should be suspicious of my true intentions. Isn’t that right?”

Chen Wanling: “…”

System: “…” Dammit, that makes so much sense.

“So, Auntie Wanling, there’s no need to be in such a hurry. When she gets tired of me one day, she can just give me a breakup fee, and I’ll take the money and leave.”

Who knew when that day would come? Shen Sujie could wait, but Fu Yanzhou couldn’t. Thinking of all the benefits Fu Yanzhou had promised her, Chen Wanling’s face fell. Since she couldn’t reason with Shen Sujie today, she didn’t want to waste any more time. She stood up and left.

“Auntie Wanling, won’t you have a glass of water before you go?” Shen Sujie called out.

“No,” Chen Wanling said, stopping for a moment before answering without thinking. “You can have it all. Drink your fill.”

Hearing the bitterness in the woman’s voice, Shen Sujie let out a soft laugh. “Auntie Wanling, come visit me again when you have time.”

This time, Chen Wanling completely ignored her. She figured Shen Sujie was just bored at home and had invited her over to pass the time. The seductive woman came and went quickly, leaving nothing but the scent of a strong rose perfume. It was a little overwhelming, so Shen Sujie got up and opened a window. When she turned back, she saw that Jiang Bieyuan had quietly appeared, leaning against the door frame and watching her.

The rise and fall of her chest was a little fast, as if she had just rushed back in a panic. Shen Sujie didn’t look surprised. She put on a warm, intimate smile and walked toward her. “Didn’t you just leave? Why are you back so soon?”

Jiang Bieyuan looked down at her with a cool, detached gaze and didn’t say a word. She let a fierce, passionate kiss answer for her. She had never kissed her with such force before. Their lips ground against each other, and soon, a faint scent of bl00d filled the air. Shen Sujie’s tightly clenched teeth were forcefully pried open by Jiang Bieyuan’s tongue. The kisses showed the woman’s controlled but overwhelming rage and displeasure.

Jiang Bieyuan was a mess. The moment Chen Wanling had called her, she had rejected the call. But her stepmother was persistent, calling again and again. Annoyed, Jiang Bieyuan was about to blacklist her. But just then, as if she had guessed her next move, Chen Wanling sent her a text message. “Don’t you want to know which is more important to Qiao Weiwei—you or money?”

As if possessed, Jiang Bieyuan stopped and, in a sudden need for an answer, picked up the phone. “What do you want?” she asked, on high alert. She had never considered Chen Wanling as family. But more than an answer, Jiang Bieyuan was afraid of what Chen Wanling might do to Qiao Weiwei. She threatened her fiercely. “If you dare to mess with her, I promise you will never have a place in this family…”

“Relax,” Chen Wanling said, “tch”-ing and interrupting Jiang Bieyuan’s threat. “I won’t do anything to her, and I won’t kidnap her.”

“I just plan to go talk to her.”

“After all, I am your mother in name. You don’t actually think I have any bad intentions, do you?”

Jiang Bieyuan scoffed at her words. “You’d better not.”

Chen Wanling was a smart woman. Jiang Bieyuan’s failure to stop her said it all—she, too, was curious about Qiao Weiwei’s answer and her choices. So, the two of them maintained their silent connection until Chen Wanling arrived at the house.

At first, when Jiang Bieyuan heard the girl’s voice turn into a faint sob under Chen Wanling’s pressure, she panicked. She wanted to rush home immediately, even regretting that she had ever agreed to Chen Wanling’s little game. Did it matter if the girl loved her or not? As long as she was with her, that was enough. So she sped up, trying to get home before Chen Wanling made her cry, ready to pull her into her arms and shield her from any of Chen Wanling’s malice.

What she didn’t expect was that Shen Sujie would be so blunt about her intentions, with a logic so sound that it was convincing.

Jiang Bieyuan almost laughed, but at the same time, she felt an inexplicable sense of relief. Should she be grateful that she wasn’t the same poor girl she used to be? Now she had money—endless money. The money she had could let Qiao Weiwei spend it recklessly for ten lifetimes. But even with all that, the thought that Qiao Weiwei wasn’t with her because she truly loved her still made Jiang Bieyuan feel a bitter pang in her chest.

She wanted the girl’s love, unconditional love. She wanted the girl to genuinely love her, to like her, and not just be with her reluctantly for money. The old Qiao Weiwei had never been this ruthless.

The more Jiang Bieyuan thought about it, the sadder she became. In the end, she let all of her sadness out on Shen Sujie. Even though they had just finished, she came back with more vigor and frenzy than the two previous times. Shen Sujie was so worn out she could barely breathe, and she completely felt the madness coming from Jiang Bieyuan… and the subtle hint of unease hidden beneath the storm. She couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. Her cheeks, as pink as a peach, were enchanting and alluring, and her smile was utterly captivating.

Jiang Bieyuan’s movements were interrupted by her soft laughter. Her long, dark eyes looked over, a hint of confusion in them. “What are you laughing at?”

Shen Sujie’s long, black hair was splayed out on the pillow. She raised her pale arm and gently hooked it around Jiang Bieyuan’s neck. “I really like you, Jiang Bieyuan,” she said, her voice soft and languid.

Her slender fingers lightly caressed Jiang Bieyuan’s slightly sweaty face, her eyes filled with a greedy adoration. “You’re so cute.”

Jiang Bieyuan felt a little tickle from her touch and instinctively caught the wandering hand. Her expression didn’t change, but her heart was soaring. Her lips curled upward. Although she tried to suppress it, her joy was obvious. “You think I’m cute?”

“Mhm,” Shen Sujie nodded. “Very.”

“Then you have to always think that.” Jiang Bieyuan kissed her gently, her cool voice holding a hint of a threat. “Don’t ever change your mind.”

“Okay.”

Shen Sujie smiled, watching as Jiang Bieyuan got the answer she wanted. Then, the woman began to neatly fix her clothes and appearance. “I have to rush to my meeting,” she said, her voice bright as she bent down and picked up the million-dollar watch she had angrily thrown on the floor. “I’ll be late if I don’t go now.”

After saying that, the woman paused and looked back at Shen Sujie, who looked like a dog that had been licked too hard by a golden retriever. She felt a little guilty. “I’ll help you get ready before I go…”

Shen Sujie stopped her. “You go ahead. I’ll do it myself.”

“I’ll take a bath and then go get a facial.”

“Alright.” Jiang Bieyuan nodded and pulled a card out of her purse. “Go to this place. It’s very famous, and the director’s skills are great. There’s a million left on the card. You can even do your toenails.”

Shen Sujie gave her a speechless look. Jiang Bieyuan seriously added, “Of course, even if you don’t do it, I’ll still like you just as much.”

Feeling like she had to get Jiang Bieyuan out of the apartment before she said anything else outrageous, Shen Sujie urged her to get her things and leave. In the car, Jiang Bieyuan was still waving at her wistfully. Shen Sujie stood by the window and gave her a small smile before pulling the curtains shut without hesitation.

Jiang Bieyuan: “…”

System: “…” The system couldn’t figure it out. How, in such a short amount of time, did Jiang Bieyuan fall so hopelessly in love with the host? Overcome with curiosity, it directly asked.

Shen Sujie gave it a cool glance, then brought up an old score. “When Chen Wanling came to see me, you didn’t tell me beforehand. Then, when she was talking to Jiang Bieyuan on the phone and setting me up, you still didn’t say anything.”

“What? You were hoping I’d fail the mission?”

“I wasn’t,” the system said, the back of its neck tightening at her tone. “I didn’t think that. I just wanted to see how you would handle the situation.”

“I never told you, so how did you know about Chen Wanling’s little plan?”

“Ha.” Shen Sujie laughed disdainfully. “I’ve read more trashy novels in my life than you’ve had salt. With such a simple trick, I could have guessed it with my eyes closed.”

The system was defeated. “Then choosing you as my host was the right choice. You’re truly excellent.”

Shen Sujie let the flattery go in one ear and out the other. She hadn’t answered the system’s previous question, so the system asked again, relentlessly. Shen Sujie looked at it lazily for two seconds, then smiled brightly. “As a punishment for you deliberately hiding that from me, you’ll never get the answer to that question from me.”

The system, which had been waiting for so long: “?” Why are you holding a grudge? Are you a Scorpio or something?

Shen Sujie, feeling good after getting her revenge on the system, lay down and played on her phone for a while before getting up to take a bath. After she was done, she dried her hair and went to the salon Jiang Bieyuan had mentioned without any makeup on.

Seeing the card in Shen Sujie’s hand, the owner personally came out to greet her and did the facial himself. Staring at the host in the mirror who looked even prettier after the treatment, the system suddenly felt a sense of crisis. If the host kept getting prettier… What kind of a chance would Fu Yanzhou have left?

Fu Yanzhou was a rough-and-tumble guy to begin with, and now that his rival in love, Jiang Bieyuan, was blacklisting him every day, he was looking more and more unkempt. His looks were fading. If this kept up for a few more days, Fu Yanzhou wouldn’t even be able to compete with his rivals in terms of looks.

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