The Beautiful, Strong, and Miserable Ex-Girlfriend [Quick Transmigration GL] - Chapter 8

Even though her system was being useless, Shen Sujie dutifully showed up for her appointment. Jiang Bieyuan lived in the most luxurious high-rise downtown, with a stunning view of the river that took in the entire cityscape. A butler led Shen Sujie inside. After sitting in the living room for a bit, she got up and walked onto the balcony.

Outside, the city lights twinkled brightly, giving off a feeling of human warmth that was a stark contrast to the stark black, white, and gray tones of the room behind her. The butler had left without a sound, and Shen Sujie, engrossed in her thoughts, didn’t notice.

Jiang Bieyuan’s intentions for calling her here were unclear, and that uncertainty made Shen Sujie feel nervous and compelled to guess what she was thinking. But how could she ever know what was on Jiang Bieyuan’s mind?

“The night view is quite nice.” The woman’s cool, clear voice broke Shen Sujie’s train of thought. Jiang Bieyuan’s eyes landed on Shen Sujie’s fair face. She had been so lost in thought that she hadn’t even heard Jiang Bieyuan approach.

Shen Sujie jumped at the sudden sound. She shivered, turned around, and hid her slight embarrassment with a fake smile. “It is.”

“You got back a bit late,” Shen Sujie said with concern. “Are you always this busy?”

“For now.”

Jiang Bieyuan’s reply was concise. Shen Sujie assumed she didn’t want to talk about work, so she politely changed the subject and got straight to the point. “What did you want to see me about tonight?”

“To catch up,” Jiang Bieyuan said, looking her over. Shen Sujie’s black hair, red lips, and pale, flawless skin were highlighted by the Chanel-style dress she was wearing, making her look both delicate and refined. Right now, her aura was quiet and elegant, giving her the appearance of a well-behaved student and an easy-to-bully, soft-spoken rookie at work. She exuded pure, innocent sincerity from head to toe.

Jiang Bieyuan pulled out a chair for her. “Water, a drink, or something stronger?”

“Water is fine,” Shen Sujie said, pointing to the bottle she already had.

Faced with Jiang Bieyuan’s readiness for a serious talk, Shen Sujie felt a bit uneasy. System, did she figure something out? Did I blow my cover?

“No,” the system insisted. “Something as outlandish as transmigrating is not something a normal person would ever think of. This isn’t a TV show. Don’t worry, Host. My Sister Yuan is simply curious about you.”

What?! “That’s even more terrifying, isn’t it?!” Shen Sujie thought.

After the system’s scare tactic, Shen Sujie nervously placed her hands on her lap and looked at Jiang Bieyuan with a curious, probing stare.

Jiang Bieyuan’s eyelashes were long and curled, and her eyes were bright. She pressed her lips together lightly, then asked, “How do you feel about working for Fu Yanzhou?”

How do I feel?

Why is she suddenly asking this?

Shen Sujie’s mind went into a frenzy. Is Jiang Bieyuan testing my relationship with Fu Yanzhou? Is she trying to see if I have feelings for him? Or does she think she’s learned everything she needs to know about Fu Yanzhou and is about to pull me out?

After a few seconds of thought, Shen Sujie answered vaguely, “It’s all right. There’s nothing special to report.” She added, “I have nothing much to do every day, so it’s quite interesting to get all the celebrity gossip firsthand.” Then she emphasized, “The most important thing is that I get to help you.”

Jiang Bieyuan understood what she meant and didn’t beat around the bush. “For now, I don’t need you to help me figure out Fu Yanzhou’s intentions anymore. So, you can either stay with him or leave; it’s up to you.”

Shen Sujie was momentarily enlightened. She was still puzzled, but she didn’t show it. “Okay,” she said.

The topic ended, and the air immediately grew silent again. A gentle breeze from the balcony brushed past, and Shen Sujie watched as the small strands of hair on Jiang Bieyuan’s face were gently lifted by the wind, clinging to her fair skin.

In the soft light, Jiang Bieyuan’s striking features created a powerful atmosphere. Normally aloof and cold, at this moment she seemed to reveal a rare vulnerability and loneliness. Jiang Bieyuan didn’t like socializing and had few friends. After her recent change in identity and status, she had even fewer true confidants. Even when she had something she wanted to share, she could only keep it to herself.

Shen Sujie tilted her head, and for some reason, she felt as if she could read a faint trace of sorrow in the woman’s deep eyes. It was so subtle that Shen Sujie wondered if she was imagining it. She couldn’t help but break the silence. “So what do you feel about Fu Yanzhou right now?” she asked.

Jiang Bieyuan came back to herself and her eyes shifted to Shen Sujie. She watched Shen Sujie quietly for a moment, then curved her lips into a soft smile. “What kind of answer do you want to hear from me?”

Of course, Shen Sujie hoped to hear that she had no feelings for Fu Yanzhou. She gave a small laugh and joked, “Do you mean you’ll feel whatever I want you to feel about him?” Shen Sujie thought she couldn’t possibly have that much sway over Jiang Bieyuan.

But she was quickly proven wrong.

Jiang Bieyuan’s expression was neutral and her tone was calm, but the look in her eyes was serious. “Yes,” she said. “So, what kind of answer do you want from me?”

She pressed on, and Shen Sujie was stunned, her mind struggling to keep up. “System, what does Jiang Bieyuan mean?” Confused, Shen Sujie decided to ask for help from the system.

The system thought for a moment, then suddenly sounded very pleased. “This means Jiang Bieyuan’s impression of you has changed for the better! Congratulations, Host! Keep it up, and you’ll become her inseparable best friend in no time!”

Shen Sujie was hesitant. “Is that really what this means?”

“Of course!” the system insisted. “At this moment, you should say what she wants to hear. If you can figure out what’s on her mind, we’ll complete the mission in no time.”

What’s on her mind…? Shen Sujie found herself meeting Jiang Bieyuan’s gaze. After thinking for a moment, she tentatively replied, “Well, actually, Fu Yanzhou is a really good guy. Not only is he handsome…”

Before she could finish, the temperature around Jiang Bieyuan dropped to freezing. Shen Sujie shivered instantly, knowing she had said the wrong thing. She quickly tried to fix it. “…It’s just that he’s too much of a player and he doesn’t have any self-respect.”

Under Jiang Bieyuan’s calm, unblinking stare, Shen Sujie bit the bullet and continued. “And his character and personality are problematic. He’s a sycophant, he’s heartless, and he’s incredibly fake and hypocritical.”

After she made a desperate attempt to fix her mistake, Jiang Bieyuan held her neutral expression for another two seconds before a hint of a smile appeared on her lips. “Really? Is that what you truly think of him?”

“Really,” Shen Sujie said, almost raising her hand to swear. “Truer than true.”

Jiang Bieyuan watched her closely, saying nothing, her thoughts unreadable.

Shen Sujie had no idea if Jiang Bieyuan believed her, but Jiang Bieyuan didn’t press the topic. “You’ve been with Fu Yanzhou a lot lately. Tell me everything he’s been up to.”

Well, now there was plenty to talk about. Shen Sujie immediately rolled up her sleeves and sat up straight. She told Jiang Bieyuan everything, from the big stories, like Fu Yanzhou selling himself for resources, to the small ones, like his stamina only lasting three seconds. She held nothing back, spilling all of Fu Yanzhou’s secrets.

The system watched helplessly as Shen Sujie went on and on, unable to stop her. When it came to gossip, few women could be stopped once they started. After Shen Sujie had talked for a while and was still not finished, the system finally had to remind her. “Host, you got a little carried away. You talked for a good half hour. Jiang Bieyuan couldn’t even get a word in.”

Shen Sujie froze. She quickly looked at Jiang Bieyuan’s expression. Luckily, she didn’t seem angry. Shen Sujie quickly apologized. “I’m so sorry. I got a little too excited and couldn’t stop myself.”

“It’s all right,” Jiang Bieyuan said with a smile. “You tell a very lively story.”

Shen Sujie finally sighed in relief. But just as she did, Jiang Bieyuan said, “You seem to know a lot about him. You must pay a lot of attention to his every move.”

Shen Sujie hesitated and asked her system again, “System, what does she mean now? Is she getting jealous?”

After a quick, detailed analysis, the system said, “I think so. I told you that you were being too casual, and now we have to figure out how to fix things… Wait, no,” the system corrected itself. “This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s great that my Sister Yuan is showing jealousy. So now, what we need to do is keep provoking her and making her feel more emotions. That way, her emotional connection with Fu Yanzhou will progress.”

“Yes, Host, what you just did was perfect.” It stared at Shen Sujie in surprise. “I didn’t realize you had such a talent for this.”

“Huh?” Shen Sujie’s face was a blank. What did I do to be considered talented?

But would this really work? Shen Sujie hesitated as she looked at Jiang Bieyuan’s unreadable face. She decided to follow the system’s instructions. “I don’t really know him that well,” she said. “I’ve just spent time around him to learn about your preferences. Most of the information I get about him is from his assistants. They know him better, and since we get along, they’re willing to share gossip with me.”

“Is that so?” Jiang Bieyuan lowered her gaze, her eyes shimmering.

Shen Sujie nodded firmly. “Yes. Fu Yanzhou is a big star, so he has a lot of assistants. And with a lot of people, it’s hard to manage everyone. So even when this news gets out, he won’t know who did it.”

She said with genuine sincerity, “If there’s anything else you want to know, I can keep helping you look into it.”

“You’re very kind,” Jiang Bieyuan said, with a hint of something unreadable in her voice. “I’ve never seen you this enthusiastic before.”

Shen Sujie felt the veiled sarcasm. She unconsciously reached up to feel the thin layer of sweat on her forehead and gave a strained laugh. “I just don’t want to let you down. After all, the condition for us getting back on good terms was that I would listen to you.”

Jiang Bieyuan certainly hadn’t forgotten that. She blinked, and when she opened her eyes again, her gaze on Shen Sujie was subtle and complex. The word “reconciliation” seemed to stir something in Jiang Bieyuan. Shen Sujie felt like the way the other woman was looking at her had shifted dramatically. She couldn’t describe it, but she felt an overwhelming sense of being Jiang Bieyuan’s prey—a feeling that made her uneasy and want to escape.

“It’s rare to see you keep your word like this,” Jiang Bieyuan said in an ambiguous compliment, then changed the subject. “There’s one more thing about Fu Yanzhou… I really don’t have any time to meet him right now. I happen to have a resource in hand. Tell him this resource is my apology to him.”

Shen Sujie’s heart had been sinking, but after Jiang Bieyuan’s words, it immediately warmed up again. Wasn’t Fu Yanzhou pursuing her for these very benefits? She didn’t even need to ask for his opinion, because he would definitely not refuse.

“Okay, I’ll pass it on to him tactfully,” Shen Sujie said, deciding their conversation was over. She picked up her bag, ready to stand. “Work is important, but you should also take care of yourself. Don’t get too tired. Your health is your greatest asset,” she advised sincerely. “It’s getting late. I won’t bother you any longer.”

Jiang Bieyuan watched her prepare to leave, no longer interested in hearing Shen Sujie’s polite words and concerns. Her gaze settled on Shen Sujie, sweeping over her from head to toe, before she finally spoke.

“You seem to be sweating,” she said. “Why don’t you take a shower before you go.”

Shen Sujie froze.

The system internally screamed, What?!