Her words of astonishment caused varied expressions among the three present.
Li Sihe was the calmest. He merely kept silent for a moment before saying, "If Bian Yue wants to marry Shen Jinci, then let her be."
"You... weren’t you two engaged?" Zhuang Jie Ning’s expression was anxious, regrettable, "What happened to separate you so suddenly? Weren’t you doing well when I was in the country two years ago?"
Li Sihe said, "That was two years ago. The engagement has been cancelled now. From now on, whether it’s men getting married or women getting married, it has nothing to do with me."
Li Tingmo looked even more grim. Li Sihe’s words were clearly meant for him.
Zhuang Jie Ning seemed to be pondering the credibility of Li Sihe’s words.
After a pause, she turned to Shi An’an, her eyes turning cold: "I’m asking you, did you cause Sihe and Bian Yue’s breakup?"
"What does that have to do with me? Miss Zhuang, Bian Yue’s legs are on her own body. If she wants to get married, what can I do?"
Shi An’an gave a cold, indifferent smile. She was at her wit’s end today, with nothing left to fear.
"Jie Ning, you don’t need to waste your breath on this woman. You’ve just returned to the country today. Why not invite your father and dine with our family tonight?"
Li Tingmo resumed his gentle, patriarchal demeanor, "It’s been a while since I’ve spoken with your father. This is a rare opportunity."
Zhuang Jie Ning’s smile was charmingly innocent; she had already notified her father on the way here, and her father was already making arrangements. Uncle didn’t need to worry.
Li Tingmo looked at Zhuang Jie Ning with approval, his gaze softened, "So many years have passed, yet among all the children I know, you’re still the most sensible."
Li Sihe had long since grown tired of it.
Seeing that the matter was coming to a close, he got up and walked upstairs without a word.
Zhuang Jie Ning saw Li Tingmo’s expression change and quickly said some pleasing words to him.
Li Tingmo’s countenance immediately improved, and he left, coaxed by Zhuang Jie Ning.
In the hall, only Shi An’an and Zhuang Jie Ning remained.
Miss Zhuang sat on the sofa, looking up and down at Shi An’an, who stood rigidly in front of her.
She smiled elegantly, speaking softly, "Aren’t you a celebrity, Miss Shi? Don’t you even know how to stand? Or is it because you don’t like seeing me, you’re doing this on purpose?"
Shi An’an’s mind went blank for a moment, then she had a sudden realization, "You’re doing this on purpose? Were you pretending not to recognize me just now?"
"So what if I was?" Zhuang Jie Ning’s smile widened, yet her eyes remained without a ripple, she whispered softly: "You’re nothing but a third-rate actress. Standing in the hall of the Li Family is already your ancestors’ smoke drifting up from their graves. You should feel lucky it was Bian Yue you met. If it had been me, your bones would have fed the dogs long ago."
Shi An’an felt a chill.
The woman before her still wore a gentle facade, yet her words sent shivers down the spine.
And then, Zhuang Jie Ning suddenly kicked Shi An’an’s knee cap. The sharp pain from the high heel was piercing, and without any defense, Shi An’an knelt on the ground.
Before she could even catch her breath to stand up, Zhuang Jie Ning’s foot was already stepping on her back.
Shi An’an felt overwhelmed by humiliation and pain.
Zhuang Jie Ning’s voice came from above, condescending as she said, "Shi An’an, roll out of Xiangjiang and never come back. Bian Yue’s man is not someone you can touch."
Was she teaching herself a lesson on behalf of Bian Yue?
"I grew up alongside Bian Yue and Sihe. Bian Yue might be easy to deal with, but I am not," Zhuang Jie Ning said, "If you ever bother Bian Yue again, I’ll kill you."
A stark contrast to the gentle and demure lady from just moments ago.
This was the real Zhuang Jie Ning.
Shi An’an’s head throbbed, her face flushed red with anger, to the point of feeling nauseous.
But there was nothing she could do. She could only lie on the ground, like a dog.
Her life was ruined by her, turned into a laughingstock because of her!
When Bian Yue woke up, it was already the next day. Anny was sitting beside her bed, her makeup smeared with tears. The black eyeliner had run down her face with the tears.
It was enough to scare a ghost.
Bian Yue was so frightened she almost fainted again.
"Bian Yue! You’re awake! You finally woke up!"
Anny, filled with excitement, moved closer and began to sob: "I thought for a moment! I almost thought Shen Jinci was going to kill me!"
Turns out, she wasn’t weeping for herself but out of fear of Shen Jinci.
Bian Yue closed her eyes in despair and lamented, "Can I ask you something?"
Anny, still crying, asked: "What is it?"
"What brand of eyeliner are you using? Can you tell me so I can avoid it like the plague?"
Bian Yue’s lips twitched, she closed her eyes, not bearing to look: "Do you realize how scary you look right now? Please clean up the tears on your face first!"
"What? Is my makeup a mess? It’s all Taro’s fault! She told me this mascara was good!" Anny’s tears stopped as quickly as they started. She pulled out a tissue and a mirror to touch up her makeup.
Bian Yue let out a sigh of relief and sat up with eyes open.
The pain in her hand had lessened a lot, but her head was still pounding. Bian Yue raised her hand and massaged it, "How did you get here?"
"How could I not come! Right after Shen Jinci took you away yesterday, his assistant Kang Yu had someone inspect the entire crew, top to bottom, insisting on leaving no stone unturned for potential safety hazards, to prevent such incidents from happening again!"
Anny was still haunted by the event as she picked up a bag of fruit from the ground, "Oh, and I brought some fruit especially for you!"
Bian Yue’s headache worsened. She couldn’t figure out why Anny, who was a workaholic devil, always acted like a completely helpless fool in day-to-day life.
"Do you know that eating strawberries and raw bananas together can cause poisoning?" Bian Yue looked helplessly at Anny, "Are you trying to poison me?"
"Really?" Anny’s expression cleared, "No wonder Mr. Shen was so fierce with me just now."
Bian Yue sighed, "Are they contacting a new female lead for ’Shengshi Yan’?"
"They’re looking, but it’s hard to find someone with a similar status to Shi An’an who is also immediately available," Anny said. "Moreover, we need someone suitable for the role, so even fewer candidates are qualified."
"It’s not something we can rush. Let’s take it step by step," Bian Yue paused, then asked: "Did you see Shen Jinci when you arrived?"
"Is he still outside?" Bian Yue said, "I have something to talk to him about."
"Why don’t you go to his company!" Anny brightened up with the suggestion, "And bring him a love-filled lunch."
Bian Yue raised her bandaged hand, "Look at me. How am I supposed to cook?"
"You don’t actually have to cook!" Anny rolled up her sleeves, eager to try, "I’ll cook! You just bring it to him."
"Don’t!" Bian Yue held Anny back, "I haven’t even warmed up my marriage certificate, and I don’t want to be a widow so soon!"
So, two hours later, Bian Yue, carrying takeout, and Anny got into the car together.
On the way, Anny drove and chatted with Bian Yue, "Bian Yue, the reports said that Shen Jinci has a terminal illness, is that true?"
Bian Yue frowned, trying to think of a response, when she heard Anny chuckling.
"If it’s true, once Shen Jinci dies, you’ll become the wealthiest woman in Xiangjiang!"