Chapter 276

Chapter 276: 269: Begging for Joy (Second Update) Chapter 276: 269: Begging for Joy (Second Update) Wen Changling saw Yu Qiang again at a business dinner, where she was clad in an expensive haute couture gown, effortlessly charming as she accompanied the brand, a far cry from the woman in the hospital who tearfully asked if Jiang Chengxue had ever loved her.

Wen Changling couldn’t be bothered with networking and followed behind Fu Ying.

The Chief Technical Officer of Huaqi Technology and Director Fu of Paimei Group were now openly close friends, it wasn’t a secret anymore. Paimei Group was formerly Zhou Group, which Fu Ying had now completely taken over and renamed. All those Zhou Family relatives who had been eagerly waiting for their share had become ostriches, extremely well-behaved, because after all, they knew that only Fu Ying could steer the old Zhou Family’s ship.

“Miss Wen,” Yu Qiang approached Wen Changling, “may we have a word?”

Wen Changling nodded at Fu Ying and followed Yu Qiang out of the banquet hall to the hotel’s rooftop terrace.

Various drinks adorned the tables on the terrace, and Yu Qiang offered Wen Changling a blue drink. She gently refused with the excuse that she didn’t drink alcohol, “Miss Yu, do you know me?”

Holding her drink, Yu Qiang took a sip herself, “I’ve heard of you,” she said. “Thank you for the flowers, I received them.”

“You’re welcome.”

During Yu Qiang’s hospital stay, Wen Changling had sent her nine hydroponic hyacinths without leaving any message. She must be a very detail-oriented person: she had investigated the flowers she received.

Then, she must also know that those flowers symbolized rebirth.

“What kind of person do you think Jiang Chengxue is, in your eyes?” Yu Qiang started the conversation about Jiang Chengxue.

She was smart, and Wen Changling’s first impression of her was favorable.

Wen Changling replied, “A villain.”

She laughed lightly, “Indeed, he is.” Her thin gown let her feel the cold, as her eyes and nose turned red, with the bandages on her wrist yet to be removed, her delicate bones as if they could snap in the wind, “But I will never betray him, never.”

Her words were firm and without regret.

She looked at Wen Changling, “Do you think I’m foolish, so blindly infatuated after he treated me like that? If you knew more about him, you’d realize that everyone around him is just like me.”

Wen Changling didn’t find her foolish, only that Jiang Chengxue was terrifying.

“I debuted at sixteen, followed the wrong people, lived in hell, and it was Jiang Chengxue who pulled me out, so I wouldn’t complain even if he pushed me back in.”

As a gift in return for the flowers, Yu Qiang sincerely advised Wen Changling, “Miss Wen, stay away from Jiang Chengxue. The farther, the better.”

Yu Qiang still remembered the first time she saw Jiang Chengxue, thinking he was a god coming to save her.

He entered the private room surrounded by a group of people, and when he took his seat, his gaze lingered on her for a few seconds. Her then-agent, quick to act, immediately arranged for her to sit next to him.

She poured him a drink, but he said water would be fine.

The unwritten rule of the dining table was that the companions drank what the honored guest drank.

“How old are you? You look really young.”

“Seventeen.”

“Not of age yet,” he laughed. “I have a soft spot for minors.” He glanced over the girls at the table, seemingly dissatisfied, and asked the host of the gathering, “Got anyone younger?”

The agent brought four even younger girls. All five girls, including herself, were taken away by him, but nothing happened. They got their contracts back and were given a fresh start.

She was the exception, the only exception.

She was led to his hotel room by his secretary; his residence was in the hotel, on the top floor, cluttered and casual.

“I like your eyes, want to play with me?” He sat on a black leather sofa, a laptop on his lap, not looking at her, “Of course, after you’re of age. I don’t play with minors.”

His intentions were clear, it was just play.

She was aware that she wasn’t the only one he played with; he had no mercy for anyone, he’d punish those who were disobedient, whether it caused bloodshed or tears, he didn’t care.

It wasn’t until after the last visit to the pet clinic, when she learned about Wen Changling’s existence, that she finally understood why she’d been chosen.

In ancient myths, devils wore beautiful skins, embodied traits that humans liked. They would disguise themselves in the form that was most enticing to their prey.

*****

“Everyone around him is just like me.”

Did Yu Qiang’s words mean that Jiang Chengxue had no weaknesses?

“Letting the snow fall like this, not even holding an umbrella.”

Xie Shang walked up to Wen Changling, holding an umbrella for her.

She had been standing outside for a long time, gazing at the Uncaria vine completely covered by snow in the courtyard, “Xie Shang, it looks like this Uncaria vine is about to die.”

“If you like it, we can plant a new one.”

“It’s hard to keep it alive; the climate of the imperial capital doesn’t suit the Uncaria vine. The fact that this one survived so long is already a miracle.” She, in her flowery jacket and Xie Shang’s black overcoat, did not seem incongruous. The height difference made her look up at him. She drew her hands into her sleeves, holding onto the fabric at Xie Shang’s waist, and stepped onto the concrete encircling the Sweet Osmanthus Tree, “It’s so cold this year, always snowing. Do you think this could be an omen of great disaster?”

The umbrella tilted toward her as Xie Shang replied, “Not at all, a heavy snow promises a prosperous year.”

But this was a blizzard.

She still felt it was an ominous sign.

“Changling, how about we move in together?”

This was the second time Xie Shang had suggested cohabitation.

Wen Changling shook her head, “I don’t want to.”

There was always a shadow lurking in her eyes, which made Xie Shang uneasy. Fu Ying had confided in him privately, saying that Wen Changling’s psychological state wasn’t good.

“Don’t you love me?”

He was asking for her commitment.

She looked at Xie Shang with a very sincere expression, “If I need physical intimacy, I will definitely come to you.” She emphasized, definitely.

Xie Shang laughed.

Miss Wen was difficult to win over.

“You make me feel like a concubine in the harem waiting to be chosen,” he said.

Wen Changling didn’t feel guilty at all, “But there’s only you in the harem, Xingxing. Aren’t you satisfied?” She spread her arms, looked up, closed her eyes, like a brave warrior ready for sacrifice, “Then dig away, scoop out my heart.”

She was being playful again.

Xie Shang kissed her eye softly, “Will you come to my place tonight?”

She opened her eyes, shook her head, and spoke calmly and seriously, “Today, Miss Wen is inclined to purity and reticence.”