Stop Pretending to Be a Strong Woman

Yu Wanyue’s slap landed hard on Ye Chu’s face, making her head tilt to the side. A burning pain spread across her cheek.

Ye Chu covered her face with one hand. When she looked up again, her eyes were ice-cold.

The look in her eyes made Yu Wanyue feel uneasy, like she was facing a wild beast that was about to lose control and could pounce on her at any moment.

"What kind of look is that?!" Yu Wanyue snapped.

She was afraid of Ye Chu’s eyes, but when she remembered that this bastard was the child of that woman, she felt an uncontrollable urge to tear her apart.

"Ye Chu, let me tell you something. You better know your place and fix that attitude, or I’ll make sure you and your slutty mother disappear!" Yu Wanyue gritted her teeth and said fiercely.

Ye Chu glanced at Ye Shiyun coldly and sneered. "Mother and daughter really are alike, even when it comes to threats."

"Ye Shiyun, is it true? Are you really planning to do something to my mother?" Ye Chu asked, her expression unreadable. Her voice was calm, but her gaze was chilling.

Ye Shiyun looked away, avoiding Ye Chu’s eyes. She felt guilty.

Before Yu Wanyue could say anything, Ye Shiyun quickly pulled her away. "Don’t waste your time with this wild seed," she said, dragging her mother down the stairs.

She couldn’t let her parents find out what she had done. And more importantly, Gu Muchen could never know.

If he did, not only would she lose her chance to marry into the Gu family, but her reputation would be completely ruined.

---

Gu Muchen was dragged out to drink by Qin Jingxuan, who insisted on thanking him for giving a speech at Yun City University.

"Why this place again?" Gu Muchen frowned when he saw the sign for Shengge Bar.

"This place is great! Wine, music, and beautiful women!" Qin Jingxuan said excitedly. He waved at Bai Li as they walked in together.

As soon as they entered, the deafening music blasted in their ears. On stage, a woman with heavy makeup and a huge, messy wig was singing rock music passionately.

She wore a purple sequined mini dress that hugged her body tightly. Her long legs were on full display, drawing whistles and cheers from the crowd. The dress looked cheap, but under the stage lights, the sparkling sequins made her appear as if she were glowing.

"Brother Two, isn’t that the woman who said she wanted to kiss you last time?" Bai Li joked.

Gu Muchen shot him a disdainful look.

Inside a private room, a few models—friends of Qin Jingxuan—were already waiting. When they saw them enter, they immediately stood up to welcome them warmly.

Some of the bolder ones tried to get close to Gu Muchen, but before they could even take a step, they were scared off by his icy glare.

"Brother Two, why are you so cold? We’re just here to have fun! Who made you mad today?" Qin Jingxuan laughed as he sat on the sofa with his arms around two women.

"Do you know?" he turned to Bai Li.

"I think it’s because he failed to catch Gu Lexuan when he went to see the old man," Bai Li replied.

"Lexuan really is something. He spent two years abroad just to escape his arranged marriage. I heard he still hasn’t officially returned to the Gu family," Qin Jingxuan sighed. "I hope I have his courage when my family arranges a marriage for me in the future."

"Forget it. Who would want to marry a playboy like you?" Bai Li teased.

As they joked around, Gu Muchen sat alone on a single sofa, sipping his wine.

Without realizing it, his mind drifted back to the moment he saw Ye Chu earlier today.

Today, Ye Chu completely shattered the impression Gu Muchen had of her.

Before, she was like a frightened rabbit, always nervous, scared, and never daring to lift her head when scolded.

But today, he realized she wasn’t just a rabbit. She was also a hedgehog, covered in sharp spines.

At the first sign of danger, she would curl up and raise her spines to protect herself.

A TV was mounted on the wall of the private room, broadcasting the live performance from the stage downstairs.

"Jenny" was singing passionately, and the guests below cheered her name with excitement.

"That girl has a great figure, but who knows what her face looks like?" Bai Li joked, swirling his wine glass.

"Her face definitely isn’t that great," a beautiful model beside him sneered. "If she was really pretty, she wouldn’t have to cover herself in all that ghostly makeup."

"Yeah," the other models chimed in agreement.

Gu Muchen swirled his wine glass, his cold eyes fixed on the screen, deep in thought. By now, "Jenny" had finished her song. She exchanged a few words with the audience before quickly leaving the stage.

Ye Chu was exhausted today.

Normally, she would chat and interact with the guests as much as possible to earn more tips and commissions.

But today, she simply said a few words of thanks before rushing off the stage.

She hadn’t eaten all day, and her blood sugar was low, making her feel dizzy.

She hurried back to the dressing room on the third floor, hoping to find something to eat to ease the dizziness.

As soon as she stepped inside, she heard the resident singer, Betty, speak in a mocking tone.

"Oh, isn’t this our famous 'Jenny,' the shining star of Shengge Bar? Why are you back so soon today? No one came to support you?"

Ye Chu glanced at Betty.

Before Ye Chu arrived, Betty had been the most popular singer at Shengge Bar. She attracted many customers and made good money.

But ever since Ye Chu joined, Betty’s popularity had dropped, and many of her former supporters had turned to Ye Chu instead.

This made Betty furious. So, whenever she saw Ye Chu, she would mock her.

Ye Chu was used to it by now. She never paid Betty’s words any attention. Besides, she wasn’t feeling well today, so she didn’t have the energy to argue.

She picked up a glass of water and took a sip to soothe her throat.

But just as she turned around, Betty suddenly stretched out her foot and maliciously tripped her.

Ye Chu stumbled forward, but she quickly grabbed a nearby table to steady herself before she could fall.

"You act so high and mighty, but who are you trying to impress?" Betty sneered. "You’re just using cheap tricks to attract customers and squeeze money out of them!"

Betty crossed her arms and smirked.

"I’ve seen plenty of girls like you! You’ve probably sold yourself to countless men, yet you still pretend to be a virtuous woman. It’s disgusting!" She spat out each word with venom.

Betty thought that if she could get rid of this "Jenny," she would reclaim her position as the star of Shengge Bar.

Ye Chu slowly straightened up, one hand still resting on the table.

Without warning, she turned around and kicked Betty hard in the stomach.

Her voice was ice-cold as she said, "What did you just say? I didn’t hear you clearly."