Chapter 9: Except for Being Handsome, He's Good for Nothing?

[Damn, Shen Jingxiu really heard everything, including the nonsense about my pocket money. Poor guy still doesn't know I saved him. Shen Jingxiu, oh Shen Jingxiu, do you have any idea that if it weren't for me, that woman would have already doused your crotch in red wine.]

Shen Jingxiu: ...

He had indeed seen a woman passing by his table with red wine in hand.

So that was a part of his blind date's seduction plan? What a low-level tactic.

"You haven't answered my question yet, do you still not plan on cutting off ties with that kind of friend?"

"Cut them off!" Since he had heard everything, there was no need to pretend in front of him.

"Such so-called friends have to be cut off for sure, it's just not the right time yet."

"Oh? And when do you think would be the appropriate time?"

"I still have to go to her house and get back the jewelry and handbags she borrowed from me. At least I should wait until all financial issues are cleared up, right?"

"..." Shen Jingxiu raised an eyebrow, "After playing her like that today, you still plan on going to her house?"

"Go, why not! Strike while the iron is hot. That's the way to do it. Besides, my time is so precious, I can't afford to waste it on people like her."

"Time is precious? As far as I know, you must be quite idle."

Wenyan: ...

[This Shen Jingxiu, what kind of person is he? I helped him, and he's still implying something about me!]

Shen Jingxiu: "What I mean is, you don't go to the office anymore, so what are you rushing to get your money back for? What are you planning to do with it?"

Wenyan looked Shen Jingxiu up and down: "When did big brother start showing such interest in my affairs? You didn't used to be like this."

Shen Jingxiu: ... What does this count as interest? He just asked casually.

Better to speak less.

"The elevator is here, are you going down?"

"Yes, I've driven here, I'll wait for my friend in the car."

Both of them entered the elevator one after another, and just as the doors were about to close, a group of people suddenly ran up. The group included old and young, and they looked like a big family.

Wenyan quickly pressed the door open button to let the group in.

Shen Jingxiu saw all her little actions and suddenly remembered something that had happened many years ago.

That summer when he came back to China, the family went out for a meal, and at that time Wenyan was still very averse to riding in crowded elevators, always showing impatience during the process.

Now she was even taking the initiative to make room.

Since many people had entered at once, Shen Jingxiu and Wenyan, who were the first to enter the elevator, were inevitably squeezed into the corner.

On top of that, with two rowdy kids shoving and playing around, Wenyan bumped into Shen Jingxiu several times.

The first time, Wenyan just thought it was an accident, something that just happened, and didn't make much of it.

But then there was a second and a third time.

Just as Wenyan was preparing to say something, a tall figure suddenly stood in front of her.

The broad and long silhouette instantly separated her from the noisy kids.

Even though Wenyan could only see the back of a head, it was unmistakably that of Shen Jingxiu.

"Thank you, big brother." Wenyan was not stingy with her words of gratitude since someone had been kind to her.

However, what responded to her was Shen Jingxiu's silence.

"Cold as ice, but still, the guy is pretty decent, and even handsome too. Just don't know whose woman will be lucky enough to have his strong chest and broad back shield her from the wind and rain in the future."

Shen Jingxiu: ... Here we go again, aside from being handsome, does he really have nothing else going for him?

The elevator quickly reached the first floor.

Shen Jingxiu didn't move away from Wenyan until the big group had all descended, and neither spoke again until they had left the building.

It was finally Wenyan who pointed to the left and said, "My car is parked over there."

Shen Jingxiu simply nodded at her, then headed off in the opposite direction.

After getting into her car, Wenyan immediately called Qiao Kexin.

As it happened, Qiao Kexin hadn't driven herself today, so Wenyan had planned to take her home and use the opportunity to retrieve her own belongings.

Sitting in the car waiting for Qiao Kexin to come down, Wenyan just happened to see Shen Jingxiu's Bentley drive past.

Seeing the man, Wenyan suddenly remembered she had forgotten to explain to him that everything she said in front of Qiao Kexin today had been bluffs.

But then Wenyan thought it over and concluded that he was too busy to bother running to mom and dad over such a trivial matter, given he barely had time to go home anyway.

With that thought, Wenyan's mind was at ease again.

Qiao Kexin soon got into Wenyan's car.

Thinking about what had happened in the restaurant earlier, she couldn't help but feel suspicious, "Yanyan, didn't you say you and your older brother aren't on good terms? Why did he offer to take you home just now?"

Wenyan, getting a taste for acting, slapped the steering wheel in frustration.

"Don't even mention it, don't you think he's as cold as a fridge? When I went to greet him, he ignored me and just asked if I had been drinking.

You know whether I drink or not, I didn't dare to oppose him, so I just went along with what he said. You saw it too, in the end, I had to drive myself home."

"He might seem difficult to deal with, but among the Shen siblings, only he and Shen Zhirou are involved in the company. Shen Zhirou will get married eventually, and the other two aren't concerned with the company's affairs, so the Shen Family business will likely end up in Shen Jingxiu's hands.

You really should pay more attention, his aloof personality aside, you have the advantage of proximity. You can make sure to be more visible to him. The woman he had dinner with just now was probably his blind date, right? You really need to step it up."

Qiao Kexin's earnest tone made it seem as if she was a genuinely concerned best friend.

Wenyan didn't immediately correct her but sized her up instead.

Feeling uneasy under Wenyan's gaze, Qiao Kexin asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Wenyan feigned an innocent expression, "You mentioning the blind date just now reminded me of something. I think the woman sitting across from my brother is not as good as you. How about I introduce you to my brother? If you became my sister-in-law, you'd be the wife of the head of the Shen Family. Would I still have to worry about securing my place in the Shen Family then?

By the way, do you still have some of that medicine you gave me before? Give me a bit more, and one day I'll arrange a meeting with my brother, secretly drug him, and you can finish what I didn't manage to last time. After it's done, have my brother marry you. How does that sound, Kexin?"

"Of course not, if the Shen Family finds out I resorted to such a despicable method like drugging, they'd figure out a way to kill me. There's no way they'd--"

Halfway through her sentence, Qiao Kexin suddenly realized she had slipped up and quickly tried to cover her tracks.

"But it's different for you, Yanyan, after all, you were raised by the Shen Family."

"Oh, well, never mind that then. Let's just go to your place first."

"Sure."

As the car started moving, neither of them spoke again.

Wenyan focused solely on driving, while Qiao Kexin occasionally stole glances at her.

With the quietness, Qiao Kexin finally had a chance to sort through her chaotic thoughts, all of which were connected to Wenyan.

And at last, she began to realize that Wenyan seemed to have changed.