Chapter 18: Slapping the Scum 1
Gu Youchen’s plane landed in Beishi City. After arriving, he instructed his assistant to check into the hotel while he went straight to the client’s company.
Zhou Linghang saw him and was instantly energized, as if he’d found his backbone. “Brother Chen, you’re finally here! I was really struggling on my own!”
He tugged on Gu Youchen’s sleeve. “I heard rumors that you got married?”
This is ridiculous! These people spread rumors about anything. His Brother Chen is still chasing someone else’s girlfriend!
Even a good shovel still takes time to dig, right?
Zhou Linghang’s voice wasn’t loud, but a group of people just exited the elevator, causing a direct encounter.
Gu Youchen glanced over, his eyes falling on Shen Zhiqian in the elevator. He spoke to Zhou Linghang:
“Mm, I got married. After all these years, I finally got my wish.”
Shen Zhiqian met his gaze. The two men were roughly the same height, but their appearances and temperaments were completely different.
They rarely saw each other, yet both held significant presence in each other’s worlds.
Now that they were face-to-face, the tension was palpable, like a spark waiting to ignite.
Hearing Gu Youchen’s words, Shen Zhiqian’s lips curled into a slight smile. He stepped out of the elevator, extending his hand to Gu Youchen:
“Congratulations on your marriage, Mr. Gu!”
Gu Youchen looked at the man’s somewhat mocking expression and raised his lips. “Thank you, Mr. Shen. I’ll personally send you an invitation to my wedding!”
They shook hands, the grip firm, a brief power struggle before they simultaneously released.
Shen Zhiqian’s smile didn’t falter. “Oh, I’ll definitely attend. But Mr. Gu, if you lose this project, will you still have the heart to hold a wedding?”
Gu Youchen replied meaningfully, “Mr. Shen probably doesn’t have a 100% chance of winning this project either, so it’s too early to say. But of course, I’ll have the heart for the wedding, and I plan to make it a big one! After all, it’s my first love, and a man’s first love is hard to forget.”
Shen Zhiqian chuckled. “Oh, then congratulations in advance on your wedding, Mr. Gu!”
He and his colleagues left.
The two groups passed each other.
Gu Youchen and his team entered the elevator. Once the doors closed, Zhou Linghang finally recovered from the silent battle, excitedly grabbing Gu Youchen’s arm:
“Brother Chen, tell me clearly! Did you say you got married to upset Shen Zhiqian, or did you actually get married?! How could you get married? Who did you marry? Did you give up on chasing Qingmei?!”
Gu Youchen impatiently pulled away, maintaining a meter of distance from the dimwitted Zhou Linghang. “Mm, I was curious about Shen Zhiqian’s reaction. I haven’t given up on chasing Qingqing, but I’ll pursue her in a different way.”
Zhou Linghang was completely bewildered. “Brother Chen, you’re married and still chasing Qingmei? Are you going to cheat?”
Gu Youchen’s lips curved slightly. “I’ll pursue her legally, because she’s now my legal wife.”
“Damn!” Zhou Linghang couldn’t help but exclaim. He was bursting with questions, but he didn’t know where to begin.
Just then, the elevator arrived.
Gu Youchen’s tone turned serious. “Save it. We’ll talk later.”
Zhou Linghang: “…” He felt like he was about to explode.
The two quickly resumed work.
Meanwhile, after their hotpot dinner, Ning Qingqing and Qiao Xiaomian felt overwhelmed by the day’s events and didn’t want to go home.
They went for a stroll in the pedestrian street.
“Qingqing, today’s your wedding day. Don’t say anything. Your sister’s buying you clothes!” Qiao Xiaomian dragged Ning Qingqing to the most expensive mall, filled with designer brands:
“No refusals allowed, because I might not have the chance to buy you clothes in the future. Your husband will be the one doing that.”
Ning Qingqing laughed. “It’s not that exaggerated.”
In reality, she still didn’t know what their relationship dynamic would be like after Gu Youchen returned.
Gu Youchen said he was serious about the marriage. So would they live together? Or would they maintain distance, only considering their future if they developed feelings?
And what if they never developed feelings?
Overwhelmed by these thoughts, Ning Qingqing took a deep breath and forced herself to relax. Tomorrow’s worries are for tomorrow.
She and Qiao Xiaomian went to a designer store, trying on outfit after outfit, finally selecting a light blue long dress.
Qiao Xiaomian was very satisfied. “My Qingqing is so beautiful. You’ll definitely captivate Gu Youchen!”
Ning Qingqing chuckled. “So you want me to show him this?”
They chatted and checked out. As they reached the door, they saw two women walking towards them hand-in-hand.
They had met Si Luoqing twice now, both times while shopping for clothes.
Si Luoqing only wore sunglasses today, walking in with Xue Wenlan, looking like mother and daughter.
In the distance, paparazzi were taking pictures of Si Luoqing, flashes flickering.
Ning Qingqing immediately guessed tonight’s trending topic:
[Si Luoqing and a middle-aged woman spotted at a designer store. The woman is revealed to be the mother of Shen Zhiqian, CEO of Shen Group.]
If entertainment reporters dug deeper, they’d find that the Si and Shen families had connections. Si Luoqing also endorsed Shen Group and had just made an official announcement a few days ago.
Plus, Shen Zhiqian and Si Luoqing were junior high school classmates, and according to their classmates, they were each other’s first loves.
The return of her first love, hand-in-hand with his mother shopping, meant what?
A wedding was on the horizon!
Maybe Si Luoqing had planned this, even writing the script beforehand!
Using eyewitness accounts from the mall, even fabricated stories could become believable!
A wave of irony and disgust washed over Ning Qingqing. She took Qiao Xiaomian’s arm and prepared to walk around them.
However, Xue Wenlan had suffered a setback with Gu Youchen and Ning Qingqing that afternoon and wouldn’t let Ning Qingqing off so easily.
She coldly said to Ning Qingqing, “What, you don’t greet your elders?”
Ning Qingqing didn’t want to appear in the paparazzi’s photos, but the entrance was narrow, and the other party was blocking her way.
So she stopped, looking at Xue Wenlan. “Oh, this auntie, are you talking to me?”
Xue Wenlan was beautiful in her youth, otherwise Shen Yeyuan wouldn’t have fallen for her. Even with the passage of time, she looked younger than her age because of regular cosmetic procedures.
Unexpectedly, Ning Qingqing, who had always been polite before, now directly called her “auntie”! She was so angry that she gasped, wanting her son to see Ning Qingqing’s true face!
“My Zhiqian—” But before she could finish, Si Luoqing realized something was wrong and quickly said, “Excuse me, we’ve mistaken you for someone else!”
Although furious, she could only pull Xue Wenlan away.
She couldn’t let Xue Wenlan blurt out that Ning Qingqing was Shen Zhiqian’s girlfriend; that would make Si Luoqing the third party!
For now, she had lost to Ning Qingqing. Si Luoqing was angry but had to endure it.
Xue Wenlan was still angry, but she understood what Si Luoqing was thinking, so she gritted her teeth and left.
“Mom, it’s my fault, for making you upset.” Si Luoqing pulled her to buy clothes. “Mom, you’re so young, this outfit will look great on you!”
Si Luoqing checked the price tag, feeling the pinch.
Her family’s company was in trouble, and the money she earned from her career was already used to cover expenses, but they still needed a significant amount of capital.
These clothes, costing hundreds of thousands, felt like she was cutting her own flesh.
But she had to do it.
Seeing Si Luoqing’s sweet talk, Xue Wenlan’s anger subsided slightly. She took the clothes and patted Si Luoqing’s hand.
“You’re the most sensible, unlike that wild girl! She doesn’t know her place! The Shen family’s mistress should be someone of matching status, like you and Zhiqian, who know each other well…”
From the first time she saw Ning Qingqing, she didn’t like her. A beautiful girl from an ordinary family marrying her son would constantly remind everyone of how she, Xue Wenlan, married into the Shen family!
Hearing “matching status,” Si Luoqing’s heart sank, but her smile became even brighter.
In the opposite store, Qiao Xiaomian gave Ning Qingqing a thumbs-up:
“Qingqing, you were amazing! That’s how you should be! Before, you were polite because of Shen Zhiqian, but now, who cares about that shrew? So satisfying!”
Ning Qingqing smiled. “Mianmian, the satisfying part is yet to come.”
Qiao Xiaomian blinked, listening intently.
Ning Qingqing said, “The Si family is facing financial problems and needs a strong partner, so they’re using the Shen family as a sucker!”
Qiao Xiaomian was shocked. “So, that old hag is being fooled?”
“Yeah, she thinks she’s caught a golden phoenix!” Ning Qingqing smirked:
“And it might not work out. The Shen family is ultimately controlled by two men. I’m sure Shen Zhiqian no longer likes Si Luoqing, and even if he cares about their first love, he may not be willing to be a sucker. And although I don’t know Shen Yeyuan, the Shen family has thrived for so many years, so he’s not a philanthropist.”
Qiao Xiaomian laughed brightly. “Oh, so we can just sit back and watch the show?”
Ning Qingqing thought for a moment. “I can still give them a little eye medicine, depending on whether they provoke me further.”
If Si Luoqing used the photos taken by the paparazzi last night, she might have several explanations.
Ning Qingqing thought, she wouldn’t mind Si Luoqing putting pressure on the Shen family.
But if Si Luoqing included her in the photos and slandered her, then she wanted to see if they could afford the consequences!
“Qingqing, I found your intelligence has returned.” Qiao Xiaomian curiously asked, “So, how did you sell yourself to Gu Youchen this afternoon?”
Ning Qingqing felt a headache coming on. “Probably… I drank fake beer.”
It must have been something wrong with the beer, not Gu Youchen taking advantage of her!
That night, Qiao Xiaomian insisted on staying at Ning Qingqing’s apartment, so they went together.
Xiao He, the driver, drove them in the Bentley. Qiao Xiaomian whispered to Ning Qingqing: “Darling, is this the married life of Mrs. Gu?”
Ning Qingqing was speechless, glaring at her.
Back at the apartment, before bed, Ning Qingqing checked the trending topics and found only passersby’s comments about seeing Si Luoqing at the mall, all praising her beauty.
Ning Qingqing turned off her phone and went to sleep.
The next morning, Qiao Xiaomian had already packed up. “Qingqing, you guessed it right. That disgusting woman, Si Luoqing!”
Ning Qingqing opened her phone and received a series of messages, all mobile reminders of missed calls during her phone’s downtime.
She recognized the number; it was Shen Zhiqian.
Then, she opened WeChat and found that Shen Zhiqian had sent her a voice message using Wu’s assistant’s phone:
“Qingqing, it’s me. I didn’t know our affair would be exposed. Don’t be angry, I’ll handle it. After you wake up, please accept my friend request. I’m worried because I can’t reach you.”
Ning Qingqing looked at her friend requests; many were from Shen Zhiqian, sent at 3 AM last night.
She ignored them, deleted Wu Tezhu, and blocked Shen Zhiqian’s number.
Opening Weibo, Ning Qingqing finally understood what was going on:
Last night, ‘passersby’ posted beautiful photos of Si Luoqing, and her fans immediately praised her beauty.
However, within two hours, the topic of ‘the beautiful woman opposite Si Luoqing’ trended.
Some compared Ning Qingqing and Si Luoqing, praising Ning Qingqing’s beauty and temperament, overshadowing Si Luoqing.
Then someone revealed that the woman next to Si Luoqing was Shen Zhiqian’s mother, shifting the focus back.
Soon, another informant emerged, providing evidence that the woman in the photo was Shen Zhiqian’s second girlfriend.
The informant claimed that Si Luoqing and Shen Zhiqian were childhood sweethearts, and Ning Qingqing interfered with their relationship while Si Luoqing was studying abroad, but she never gained the approval of the Shen family.
The photos showed that the Shen family only acknowledged Si Luoqing, as seen by Xue Wenlan’s affectionate gesture towards Si Luoqing.
This woman actively approached them, clearly trying to get attention!
Under the guidance of online water army, uninformed netizens mocked this unknown woman for being a homewrecker and having no morals!
Now that the real girlfriend is back, she’s returning to her rightful place!
Just as Ning Qingqing was about to search for related topics, all photos and posts about them disappeared from Weibo.
Even the trending topics were gone.
The topics were removed? Who did it?
Before Ning Qingqing could investigate, her phone rang. It was Nie Yu:
“Qingqing, I saw the news about you this morning. I was about to remove the trending topics when they disappeared. How do you plan to handle this?”
Ning Qingqing didn’t answer directly but asked, “Brother Nie, regarding the Si family’s financial problems, when were you planning to expose them?”
Nie Yu replied, “We were planning to choose the right time soon, and this trending topic gave us the perfect opportunity. But I don’t know your plan, so I came to ask.”
Ning Qingqing smiled. “Today’s the best day. Si Luoqing probably didn’t expect that the trending topic she paid for would backfire. We saved on publicity costs!”
Nie Yu immediately understood Ning Qingqing’s plan. “Once exposed, the Shen family will immediately understand the Si family’s intentions, knowing that they are being used as suckers, and will come out to clear things up for you.”
Ning Qingqing responded. “Yes, once the Si family’s intentions are exposed, Xue Wenlan might be the first to attack Si Luoqing!”
Ning Qingqing had interacted with that woman several times and knew she only cared about money.
Xue Wenlan disliked Ning Qingqing’s ‘ordinary background’ and favored Si Luoqing’s ‘matching status’.
But what if that ‘matching status’ was hollow and inferior to an ordinary background?
Ning Qingqing was curious what Xue Wenlan would say to the media!
“Qingqing, I’m looking forward to you joining Ningchuang.” Nie Yu laughed. “Take a few days off, and see you next month!”
After hanging up, Ning Qingqing sighed. She hadn’t had time to tell her family about her marriage. Oh well, it’s a private matter. She’d tell them together with Gu Youchen when he returned…
At that moment, she received a WeChat message from Gu Youchen:
“Qingqing, I learned about the trending topic this morning and was about to have it removed, but Shen’s PR department beat me to it. Let’s talk when you wake up. I’m visiting a major shareholder this morning at 8:30, planning lunch with them. I have a project meeting at 1:30 PM, ending at 5 PM. I have a dinner engagement at 7 PM, hosted by the client, with all bidding companies invited.”
Ning Qingqing was stunned after reading the message.
Gu Youchen had sent her a message last night after arriving in Beishi, saying goodnight, and she replied.
This morning’s message wasn’t a good morning message but a report of his schedule?
This was their second day of marriage. She hadn’t seen her husband, but she somehow got a feel for married life.
Looking at Gu Youchen’s WeChat nickname, ‘joke-teller that loves tiramisu’, Ning Qingqing decided to change it.
What should she change it to?
Author’s Note:
Shen Zhiqian, unaware of the truth: “Congratulations, Mr. Gu. I heard you’re doing well in love but not so well in business, be careful!”
Shen Zhiqian, knowing the truth: “My arch-rival is digging into my territory!”
Tomorrow, more scum-slapping. Let’s see if they’ll beg Qingqing for mercy later!
Qingqing: What nickname should I change to? Online help needed…
Thank you for the support!