Transmigrated as a Scum Alpha Cannon Fodder, Sweetly Pampering the Heroine - Chapter 18

Xu Jinman hung up the phone, her earlobes flushed an unnatural pink.

She stared at the still-lit call history, tilted her head, and raised an eyebrow, imagining Shen Shu in a formal suit, her proud head held high, perhaps leaning casually against her desk in front of a crowd.

And then calling out, “Darling.”

Hiss—

Why was this so intoxicating?

Xu Jinman shook her head and instructed Zhou Pei to speed up to Shen Corporation. Shen Shu’s proactive call suggested the situation might be even worse than Zhou Pei had described.

Her wandering thoughts instantly snapped back into focus.

As the car slowed down on the deserted lane outside the villa, Xu Jinman glanced out the window. A beautiful woman in a black miniskirt stood ahead, smiling and waving.

Xu Jinman didn’t recognize her.

Pretending not to notice, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

Zhou Pei replied, “It’s the Second Miss.”

Xu Jinman could only recall the original owner’s deep-seated animosity toward this elder sister, as well as Xu Li’s favoritism toward Xu Tao, from the first half of the book.

Perfect. This way, she wouldn’t be acting out of character.

She had no time to deal with Xu Li right now.

“Don’t stop,” Xu Jinman said tersely.

Zhou Pei paused briefly before accelerating again, driving straight past Xu Li.

Less than a hundred meters down the road, a call came in from a number labeled “Idiot.” Having witnessed the original owner’s infamous contact name scene, this one seemed rather tame by comparison.

Xu Jinman swiped to answer.

“It’s just your wedding. As your older sister, I wanted to congratulate you. What’s the big deal?”

Just as she’d suspected, the contact belonged to Xu Li.

“What do you want?” Xu Jinman asked.

Xu Li chuckled softly. “Nothing much. You handled that land deal well. Dad even praised you. I also heard you’re getting along with that Shen Family woman. I’m just curious—are you finally turning over a new leaf?”

The woman’s words were grating.

Xu Jinman replied lazily, “Not bad. I’m trying to reform myself early so I can get a bigger share of the family inheritance later.”

As expected, Xu Li fell silent at this.

When she spoke again, she dropped the pretense. “Is that so? Then why don’t you try?”

“Sure.”

Xu Li hung up first.

Great. Now, out of the five members of the Xu Family, including the original owner, four were completely dysfunctional.

Xu Jinman placed her phone back in her leather bag, her movements slowing as a thought formed in her mind: Could Xu Li be the person behind Yin Xue?

Only the top executives knew about the land deal. Xu Tao’s improved opinion of her had no impact on outsiders, and no one cared.

But Xu Li was different. She cared deeply.

Xu Li cared about her father Xu Tao’s favor. Like two children fighting over a toy, the moment one senses the risk of losing it, the other reacts.

Xu Tao’s attitude toward her had just begun to soften. If news of such a scandal at the Xu Family’s invested hospital were to surface, damaging the family’s reputation, would Xu Tao still hold her in high regard?

But this was merely speculation. Xu Jinman couldn’t be bothered to dwell on it now.

For some reason, she found it difficult to focus. She simply withdrew her thoughts and glanced at the time.

“Drive faster.”

Shen Shu retrieved her belongings from the drawer. Shen Guoliang stood opposite her, his expression dark and dripping with anger.

“Are you trying to completely sever ties with this family?!”

Shen Shu didn’t look up. “I’m not causing trouble. You’re the one who kicked me out.”

“Sis, after all we’ve done for you, you won’t even agree to a three-month suspension to save me? What kind of sibling are you?” Shen Jun sat at the desk, his feet propped up high, his tone insolent. “And you actually called Xu Jinman for help? Seeking outside assistance?”

Shen Shu replied calmly, “Didn’t you arrange my marriage partner? What’s wrong with calling my wife?”

Shen Guoliang: “What’s wrong with it?! This is a family scandal, you know! If you dare breathe a word of this to anyone, I’ll disown you as my daughter!”

Shen Shu set down the items in her hands, her expression unchanged, her long lashes concealing the bleakness in her eyes.

“Does it even matter whether you acknowledge me or not?” she asked.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t stand up to them.

If they had shown even a hint of remorse, she might have gritted her teeth and accepted her fate, even if it meant never being able to hold her head high again.

Shen Guoliang: “You—!”

Shen Jun tapped his heel against the desk with a heavy thud. “Forget it, Dad,” he said. “She actually thinks that Xu Family’s Second Miss would care about this? Everyone knows what kind of person Xu Jinman is…”

“Besides, Xu Jinman didn’t marry her out of genuine affection. Does she really think she’s someone important enough to summon her at will? I don’t believe it for a second.”

Shen Guoliang’s expression remained grim.

Almost immediately after Shen Shu’s suspension was announced at the meeting, Wei Wuqing sent him a message about Xu Jinman taking her away that afternoon. He was genuinely worried.

Suddenly, a knock echoed from outside the door.

“President Shen, Miss Xu from Xu Corporation is here.”

Shen Shu’s grip on her index finger loosened slightly.

She wasn’t entirely sure Xu Jinman would actually come.

Shen Guoliang looked troubled.

He hurried out to greet her, but before he could reach the door, Zhou Pei pushed it open.

Though technically a guest, Xu Jinman entered as if claiming her own territory. No one dared stop her, and no one uttered a word.

Xu Jinman strode forward in her high heels. “Why the long face? Who’s been bullying you?” she asked softly. “Tell me.”

She might as well have said, “I’ll make them pay.”

The person who hurt Shen Shu was someone she had been protecting, while the one offering help was Xu Jinman. Shen Shu found the situation absurdly ironic. She stared at Xu Jinman.

“They’re accusing me of embezzling company funds. I’ve been suspended.”

Her tone was calm, merely stating the facts.

Even if she was acting, Shen Shu refused to show weakness in front of everyone.

Xu Jinman approached Shen Shu, glanced at the storage box on the desk, and casually asked, “Oh? How much?”

“Three million.”

Xu Jinman scoffed. “Three million?”

She glanced around the room. Shen Guoliang cleared his throat awkwardly, but Xu Jinman cut him off before he could speak. “Does anyone really believe that a woman of my stature would settle for a mere three million?”

Shen Guoliang had only just begun to reap the benefits of his association with the Xu Family. He couldn’t afford to offend them.

He glared at Shen Jun, his eyes filled with disappointment, and quickly explained, “Of course not! It’s all a misunderstanding. I was just telling Shu Shu about it! How did you get dragged into this mess?”

“So, I’m the only one who knows about this ‘misunderstanding’?”

“No, everyone knows! They definitely know!”

Hearing this, Xu Jinman finally turned her attention back to Shen Shu. Shen Guoliang immediately chimed in, “This girl just has a fiery temper. What’s with packing up? A company president can’t just walk out like this!”

Shen Shu didn’t respond, simply closing the lid of the storage box.

Xu Jinman understood the situation perfectly. She was secretly relieved; she had worried Shen Shu might soften and stay.

“President Shen?”

The slightly raised intonation at the end of her sentence carried a clear warning.

Shen Guoliang’s face turned ashen. Shen Jun, sitting across the room, met Xu Jinman’s gaze and hastily retreated behind his father, following him out of the office.

A long silence settled over the room.

Xu Jinman, who hadn’t had a drink all afternoon, went outside to fetch a cup of tea.

In truth, she wanted to give Shen Shu some space.

Shen Shu had taken off her suit jacket and unbuttoned the top button of her white shirt. Her head hung low as she held a cigarette between two fingers. Against the backdrop of towering skyscrapers, the wisps of smoke seemed like ghosts clinging to life in the cracks.

This was the Shen Shu Xu Jinman saw when she returned.

A rare display of despondency and defiance. For a moment, Xu Jinman felt the Shen Family’s judgment of her had been too harsh.

“I didn’t know you smoked,” Xu Jinman said, forcing a light tone to mask her heavy mood.

Shen Shu stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray after a few seconds. “Thank you.”

Holding the shareholders’ meeting had sealed her fate; it was only a matter of time before the news spread.

If Xu Jinman hadn’t come, whether the Shen Family eventually allowed her to return or not, she would have found it nearly impossible to move freely in this city.

Xu Jinman smiled faintly. “Then treat me to dinner. I’m hungry.”

She said nothing more.

Shen Shu turned back in surprise, paused, and then agreed, “Okay.”

During the drive to the restaurant, Shen Shu remained silent. Her resilience was remarkable, even by Xu Jinman’s standards.

Xu Jinman hesitated to even start a conversation, feeling more affected than Shen Shu herself. The woman sat calmly, head bowed as she replied to messages, acting as if nothing had happened. The gloom and tension that had filled the office had now vanished into a dead sea.

Through the interface, Xu Jinman could vaguely make out that the messages were from WeChat.

She turned away.

After a moment…

“Give me your WeChat.”

“…Huh?”

“Texting isn’t convenient.” Shen Shu paused. “If it’s a problem, never mind.”

“It’s not a problem.”

Xu Jinman scanned Shen Shu’s QR code with her phone. With a beep, Shen Shu’s profile popped up.

Holy sh1t.

When did I add her?!

Xu Jinman didn’t even register the numbers and letters before quickly closing the window, feigning nonchalance. “Oh, I already had you as a friend. We’re connected.”

Shen Shu said flatly, “I saw that.”

“…” Xu Jinman cleared her throat. “So, here’s the thing…”