The Beautiful, Strong, and Miserable Ex-Girlfriend [Quick Transmigration GL] - Chapter 24

The smile on Chen Wanling’s face froze. Shen Sujie was half-sitting up, her posture lazy and seductive, exuding an irresistible charm. “Whatever benefits Fu Yanzhou promised you, I’ll give it to you double,” she said.

“No, triple is fine too.” She smiled playfully, her expression serious. “I know why you married into the Jiang family, Auntie Wanling. It is for the endless money, the credit cards, to become a prominent figure in high society,” Shen Sujie said, leaning in, her breath smelling of orchids. “And I know you’ve already basically achieved that.”

“But,” she chuckled softly, “don’t you want more?”

“For instance, to be free from all constraints. Or to become the most beautiful, youngest, and wealthiest person in high society…” Shen Sujie paused intentionally before finishing. “A beautiful widow.”

Chen Wanling’s heart skipped a beat, and she recoiled as if burned, her face twisting into a slightly pained expression. “Do you have any idea what you’re saying?!” she said, her voice louder now. Her heart rate was erratic because of Shen Sujie’s outrageous suggestion.

“Is this your personal idea, or does Jiang Bieyuan want this too?”

“For now, it’s just my personal idea,” Shen Sujie said, resting her chin on her hand. “But how do you know it’s just my idea?”

Chen Wanling’s lips were pressed into a tight line. In the dim light, her expression was hard to make out, but Shen Sujie knew she couldn’t possibly refuse her. After a long silence, Chen Wanling’s gaze landed on Shen Sujie, so intense it felt almost physical. “We were talking about Fu Yanzhou.”

“Why did you suddenly drag other people into this?”

“What if Fu Yanzhou’s ultimate goal is Jiang Bieyuan?” Shen Sujie shot back. “You’ve dealt with him before. I’m sure you understand how calculating and ruthless he can be.”

“If he were to marry Jiang Bieyuan, my girlfriend, your ‘daughter’ and then they had a bunch of heirs, do you think he would keep you and me around as potential threats?”

Shen Sujie’s words were not without merit. Chen Wanling was well aware of this. She had guessed that Fu Yanzhou wanted Jiang Bieyuan, but she never imagined he wanted to take over the entire family. If he succeeded, her own position would become very precarious. A young stepmother who might have children who would compete with Fu Yanzhou’s own heirs for the family fortune…

If Chen Wanling were in his shoes, she would get rid of that woman first. But she still didn’t understand. “This only has to do with Fu Yanzhou.”

Shen Sujie began to laugh, as if at her foolishness. “Do you really believe men’s lies, Auntie Wanling? If he could have one illegitimate daughter with Jiang Bieyuan, why couldn’t he have a second, a third, or even an illegitimate son with another woman?”

“If he were to bring new children home, what do you think would happen to you?”

Chen Wanling was no fool. She knew the implications of all this very well.

She gazed steadily at Shen Sujie for a long time, and then a faint smile appeared on her face. “I think I like you,” she said, leaning in closer. “You’re much smarter and more cunning than that stubborn mule, Jiang Bieyuan.”

Shen Sujie chuckled. “Fu Yanzhou should be here soon. I should go.”

Chen Wanling watched Shen Sujie’s slender back as she tidied up. She frowned, a little worried, and said, “Be careful with him. He’s an extreme person and will do anything to get what he wants.”

Hearing this, Shen Sujie looked back, her smile soft and sweet. She didn’t seem threatening at all. “That’s good,” she said. “Because I’m the same way.”

The door closed behind the girl. The room was dark, so dark that Chen Wanling felt a strange sense of abandonment. She stared blankly at the door for a few seconds before a faint, triumphant smile appeared on her lips. A rush of excitement surged in her chest.

“Could this be the person who will solve all my problems?” she thought. She was starting to get excited.

*******

After leaving Chen Wanling, Shen Sujie soon ran into Fu Yanzhou in the lobby. He had done a good job of making himself look haggard. His face was pale and sallow, and there were dark circles under his eyes. He looked as if he hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in a while. He was truly a pitiful sight.

When he saw Shen Sujie, the dazed expression in his eyes was replaced by a look of wild hope. “Qiao Weiwei,” he said, his voice hoarse as he strode toward her. He got straight to the point. “Can we talk? There’s a lot I want to say to you…”

“No,” Shen Sujie said, cutting him off without a moment’s hesitation. “I don’t want to see you.”

Fu Yanzhou’s expression froze. He had to clench his fists to control his jealousy. “I know. I was wrong. I apologize,” he said.

“I was too carried away, too arrogant.” Since Fu Yanzhou had already decided to bow to her, he went all the way. “I sincerely apologize. You can hit me or yell at me. I won’t fight back.”

Fu Yanzhou was a top star, and his appearance immediately caused a stir in the salon. The young female staff members were trembling with excitement, secretly recording him with their phones. This was exactly what Shen Sujie wanted.

Shen Sujie lifted her face. Her skin was so fair and smooth under the light that she looked like a piece of high-quality jade. “I’m not the one you should be apologizing to,” she said. “You should be apologizing to Yuan Yuan.”

“All your scheming and all the plans you made to get her… you’ve hurt her with every single one of them. Didn’t you know that?” Shen Sujie said, leaving him no room for an excuse. “Instead of pestering me, you should spend more time begging for Yuan Yuan’s forgiveness.”

“If you two can clear up your misunderstanding, you might even be able to get to the next level in your relationship.”

Shen Sujie’s words seemed to hint at something. Fu Yanzhou pondered them for a few seconds. By the time he came back to reality to ask her more questions, Shen Sujie had already paid and left.

Fu Yanzhou slammed his fist down in frustration. She had gotten away again. But Chen Wanling was still here. He decided to talk to her first before making his next move.

Chen Wanling didn’t refuse to see him. When Fu Yanzhou asked her how her mission had gone, she answered indifferently, “She’s not easy to handle. But she did reveal something else to me, unintentionally.”

Fu Yanzhou was angry for a second, but his anger quickly dissipated at her words. “My husband, Yuan Yuan’s father, seems to have a few potential suitors in mind for her already.”

“Qiao Weiwei told me that Yuan Yuan has been forced to meet these men recently.”

After saying that, Chen Wanling gave Fu Yanzhou a half-smile. “Looks like your plan is going to fail.”

The schadenfreude in the woman’s voice was obvious. Fu Yanzhou was so angry he felt a sharp pain in his chest. “Why? How can he dictate Jiang Bieyuan’s marriage?!” Fu Yanzhou seemed to have lost his mind. “I don’t agree with this marriage!”

Chen Wanling’s cold laugh was his only response. “Our family matters are none of your business,” she said, her face full of mockery. “Who do you think you are, to be telling us what to do?”

Chen Wanling’s contempt seemed to enrage Fu Yanzhou. His face was twisted in a terrifying scowl. Chen Wanling leaned leisurely on the sofa, her legs long and beautiful. She slowly picked up the teacup beside her. “Do you honestly think you’re better than the wealthy young men my husband has hand-picked?” she asked casually, adding fuel to his fire. “They can bring endless benefits to the family’s business. What can you do?”

Chen Wanling looked at Fu Yanzhou, whose face was now a mask of calculation. “If you don’t have my husband’s approval, even if Yuan Yuan agrees to marry you, it will be useless.”

At that, Fu Yanzhou’s head shot up. He didn’t even notice Chen Wanling’s subtle intentions. “I understand,” Fu Yanzhou said, as if he had a moment of epiphany. He looked at the beautiful woman on the sofa and acted like a perfect gentleman. “Thank you for the advice.”

“If I succeed, I’ll be sure to visit you with a gift to thank you.”

With a plan in mind, Fu Yanzhou couldn’t stay a moment longer. He left without even getting his beauty treatment, and in a flash, he was gone. Chen Wanling slowly put down her porcelain teacup, her smiling face looking like that of a lazy demon.

The video of Fu Yanzhou and Shen Sujie’s argument quickly went viral. People recognized Shen Sujie as one of Fu Yanzhou’s assistants, so it didn’t cause too much of a stir. His fans, united as a group, quickly came up with a common story and tirelessly posted it on all related videos and hashtags, successfully keeping the scandal from blowing up. The public, who had seen this happen before, just assumed it was a simple argument between a boss and an employee. How serious could it be?

And so, they didn’t take the video to heart. They watched it, forgot about it, and moved on. The system, having watched Shen Sujie’s plan seemingly fail, couldn’t help but go over to her and ask, “Host, your plan seems to have failed.”

Shen Sujie gave it a sidelong glance. “What do you know?”

“Do you know the game Minesweeper? As long as I lay enough landmines for Fu Yanzhou, he will eventually flip over in a ditch and never get back up.”

The host’s soft voice was a stark contrast to her ruthless words, making the system question its life. “Did I corrupt her when I first told her how to deal with Fu Yanzhou? Or was she always this bad?” It was probably the latter, right?

The system wasn’t so sure. The only thing it knew for certain was that if it had known curiosity would lead to such a ruthless answer from Shen Sujie, it would have never asked.

The video only circulated for a short time, but Jiang Bieyuan still called to check in. “Is Fu Yanzhou bothering you again?” she asked, a frown on her face. Her dislike and disgust for Fu Yanzhou had reached a new level.

“No, he wasn’t bothering me. He came to apologize,” Shen Sujie said truthfully. “But I told him that he should be apologizing to you, not me.”

“Then he said he understood and let me go.”

Jiang Bieyuan couldn’t help but feel a little helpless. “You’re trying to shift the conflict to me?”

“I’m sorry,” Shen Sujie said, her soft voice almost too sweet. “I’m not wrong, though. You’re the one he’s hurt.” “So he should apologize to you.”

Jiang Bieyuan couldn’t argue with her. “Okay,” she said softly, then added, “I’ll handle this. You don’t have to worry about it.”

After a moment, she emphasized, “If Fu Yanzhou comes to you again, don’t see him. He’s dangerous.”

“Okay,” Shen Sujie replied obediently.

Jiang Bieyuan was pleased with Shen Sujie’s attitude, and her voice became softer. “Go home early. I’ll finish up my work and come home too.”

Shen Sujie agreed repeatedly. “I’m on my way.”

Holding her phone after the call ended, Jiang Bieyuan felt a sense of daze. Recently, her father had been trying to set her up with a lot of eligible bachelors, forcing her to meet with them to develop a relationship. After Jiang Bieyuan made it clear she was not interested, he ignored her feelings and even chose a future husband for her, meeting with the man’s family to discuss an engagement.

Jiang Bieyuan despised his methods. His actions showed that he didn’t see her as his daughter but as a commodity he could sell to make a profit. By all accounts, she should have been at a banquet tonight, but Jiang Bieyuan looked at her phone’s unread messages, got up, grabbed her car keys, and went home. She had a feeling that Fu Yanzhou would tell Shen Sujie about the engagement. Although Shen Sujie was so well-behaved, she might still be like the silly, innocent heroines in novels and disappear without a word, forcing her to look for her all over the world.

Thinking of that, Jiang Bieyuan’s chest tightened. She couldn’t let that happen, so tonight, she had to stay with Shen Sujie and reassure her again and again that she would never be with anyone but her. Not even for a business marriage, not even a fake one. Her body and her soul would belong to Shen Sujie alone.

Shen Sujie didn’t know about the engagement yet, so when Jiang Bieyuan came home and sat her down to confess, she was stunned and her body went still. Jiang Bieyuan tensed up. “But that’s just my father’s idea. I don’t agree with him.”

Shen Sujie looked up at her blankly, her eyes instantly filling with tears. Jiang Bieyuan’s heart ached. She rushed to kiss and hug her, soothing her frantically. “I was supposed to have dinner with that family tonight, but I refused.”

“To me, you’ll always be the most important.”

Jiang Bieyuan was afraid that Shen Sujie would be angry. She gently and patiently explained it all to her. Her mouth was dry, but Shen Sujie was still as still as a block of wood. Just as Jiang Bieyuan was starting to feel discouraged, Shen Sujie’s lips twitched slightly, and she spoke, her voice a little nasally, “So what?”

“As long as you are your father’s daughter, you have to listen to him.”

“Filial piety, responsibility, family honor… With those things hanging over you, can you really fight him until the end?” Shen Sujie didn’t believe it, and she didn’t know if Jiang Bieyuan did, either.

Shen Sujie slowly pushed Jiang Bieyuan away. She looked calm. “Maybe we’re just not meant to be together.”

“Instead of both of us getting hurt in the end, maybe we should just break up now…” Before Shen Sujie could finish, Jiang Bieyuan suddenly cut her off. She didn’t want to hear those words from Shen Sujie. She didn’t want to be separated from Shen Sujie. If she could, she would use all her money to get Shen Sujie to stay with her forever.

Jiang Bieyuan was probably angry, too. Not because of her father’s actions, but because of Shen Sujie’s willingness to let go. The girl hadn’t even considered fighting for them. The moment a challenge appeared, she was ready to leave. Did she really believe she couldn’t win against her family, or had she wanted to leave all along?

The grinding between their teeth intensified until a faint taste of rust filled her mouth. Jiang Bieyuan’s eyes snapped open, and she stopped.

The woman’s eyes were bloodshot and her expression was resolute. “I don’t agree,” she said, kissing Shen Sujie’s cheeks, ears, chin, and forehead. “I don’t agree to breaking up.” She held Shen Sujie close, repeating the words in a soft murmur. “Without my permission, you are not allowed to leave me.”

“Qiao Weiwei, you were the one who came looking for me this time.” Jiang Bieyuan cupped her face. “You said you would be obedient and listen to me. I refuse to believe that what you said then was a lie.”

She looked so wronged. Shen Sujie turned to look at her and smiled. “It wasn’t a lie…at the time.”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Jiang Bieyuan said, still unwilling to let her finish. She kissed her again like a begging puppy, cutting off the rest of Shen Sujie’s sentence. “That’s all I need to hear.”

Shen Sujie remained calm, which made Jiang Bieyuan feel even more insecure. At this moment, Jiang Bieyuan desperately wished she was a simple, lovesick girl. Unfortunately, she wasn’t. Jiang Bieyuan looked down at Shen Sujie’s tear-filled eyes, and her heart ached.

After a long pause, Jiang Bieyuan lowered her head and begged, “Weiwei, just give me two months, okay? I’ll handle everything with my family.” “Once I’m done, you can decide whether you want to stay or go. Is that okay?” The woman’s voice was full of humility. There was no reason for Shen Sujie to refuse. But she felt like she could ask for a better deal. She held out one finger. “One month,” she said firmly. “If you can’t sort out this engagement in a month, we’ll go our separate ways.”

Jiang Bieyuan was silent for two seconds, then finally agreed. “Okay.”

A month was a tight deadline. Jiang Bieyuan felt a rare sense of urgency and pressure. But at the same time, she felt an overwhelming excitement. In a month, she would finally have Shen Sujie for real. Jiang Bieyuan didn’t consider the possibility of failure. She wasn’t going to fail. She would succeed by any means necessary, no matter the cost.

After they came to an agreement, the atmosphere in the room relaxed. Jiang Bieyuan stared at Shen Sujie’s red eyes and red nose. She looked like an innocent rabbit, and Jiang Bieyuan’s throat tightened. Shen Sujie glanced at her and immediately held up a hand. “No, I’m not in the mood.”

“You will be,” Jiang Bieyuan said, moving closer. Regardless of whether Shen Sujie was willing or not, she started to work her magic. To prevent Shen Sujie from resisting, she used her beauty to seduce her, making her dazed and half-willingly compliant.

Shen Sujie, after coming to her senses: “…”

The system, which had watched the whole thing: “…” What a devious Jiang Bieyuan. She had completely outwitted the host.

********

Jiang Bieyuan promised Shen Sujie she would handle the engagement in a month, and she immediately got to work. First, the old man announced her engagement to the media, and she immediately denied it. She even publicly declared, “I’m sorry, I don’t approve of my family’s arrangements. I already have someone I like.” This caused a huge stir and almost gave the old man a heart attack. What kind of daughter publicly embarrasses her father like that? Probably only Jiang Bieyuan.

The old man was furious. Chen Wanling tried to soothe him with kind words, and it took her a long time to get his anger to subside. “Do you know who this boy she likes is?” he asked. “You’re her mother. Has she said anything to you?”

“No, Yuan Yuan hasn’t told me anything,” Chen Wanling said, shaking her head. But then she added, “But she did have a scandal with a male celebrity…”

“Who?” the old man asked angrily.

Chen Wanling looked down and said softly, “I think his name was Fu Yanzhou.”

“Fu Yanzhou?” the old man sneered. “Good. Very good. I’m going to go see him now.”

*******

Meanwhile, Fu Yanzhou wanted a chance to see the old man. Jiang Bieyuan was his carefully hunted prey. He was so close to succeeding, but now, because of the old man’s actions, he was about to fail. He couldn’t just sit there. The bold get what they want. Fu Yanzhou had decided to recommend himself to the old man to win him over and convince him to reconsider Jiang Bieyuan’s marriage. Maybe if he showed a little courage, the old man would be impressed and put him on the list of potential suitors.

He quickly got the old man’s schedule from his agent and dressed in his most dashing clothes. Even if he wasn’t going to charm a million girls, he would definitely turn heads. Fu Yanzhou was very confident today. He had a great face, he was cunning and smart, and he felt that he could help Jiang Bieyuan manage the family business. He thought the old man was incredibly lucky to be able to meet such an excellent son-in-law—completely a blessing from his previous life.

And so, both of them, with their own agendas, conveniently ran into each other on the road. The two cars stopped at the same time. Fu Yanzhou was the first to react. He immediately got out of his car and respectfully called out, “Uncle Jiang.”

The old man looked at him coldly. After a moment, he motioned for Fu Yanzhou to get into his car, sending his driver away. “Let’s be blunt,” he said. “You’re not good enough for my daughter.” He was a man who only cared about profit. He had no feelings for a notorious actor with no value like Fu Yanzhou.

“Yuan Yuan is already engaged, so I don’t want to see you in front of her again.” The pressure of a man who had held a high position for years came crashing down, leaving Fu Yanzhou with no dignity. “Otherwise, I’ll make sure you can’t survive.”

When the man said that, Fu Yanzhou knew he had no chance. But he wouldn’t give up. He persisted, “Please reconsider. I’ll do anything for you. If you just agree to me and Yuan Yuan, I’ll do anything you say…”

Fu Yanzhou was professing his loyalty, but the old man cut him off. The old, seemingly respectable man was full of disdain and contempt. He didn’t say anything else, but simply asked a single question. “Are you worthy?”

All of Fu Yanzhou’s words died in his throat. He stared at the old man with a cold expression, but the old man had no time to waste on him. “Get out,” he said bluntly, kicking Fu Yanzhou out of the car.

Fu Yanzhou stood on the side of the road like a stray dog, his eyes so dark they were terrifying. The back of the Bentley was almost gone. Fu Yanzhou stared at it for a moment, then, without hesitation, he got in his car and sped after it.

As long as the person who was in charge of Jiang Bieyuan’s marriage was gone… no one would be able to stop him from climbing to the top and becoming a man above all others.