After a simple wash-up, the family of four went downstairs again to dine at a restaurant outside and to buy some lacking household goods along the way.
Meanwhile, in a private room of a high-end club in Beijing, An Zihao looked at the screen in front of him with an ashen face, surrounded by the young men of the An Family.
One of the men, wearing a white shirt, held a glass of red wine in his hand, with a lethargic demeanor, he casually said:
"Zihao, learn from this lesson and be more cautious with women in the future, especially those pitiable ones like Chuchu; remember, women are as unpredictable as the sea."
"That trash, even you could get tangled up with it, Zihao, you really used to live in an ivory tower," another person joked.
An Zihao was completely indifferent to the surrounding voices, his hands clenched into fists as his eyes stared intently at a laptop.
The screen of the computer showed the situation in the adjacent private room, where one could not only see inside but also hear everything clearly.
The people inside were Chu Xueli and another ordinary-looking middle-aged man who, according to the eldest of the An Family, was Chu Xueli’s previous sugar daddy and the one who had sponsored her to study abroad.
Since the first birthday party of the Jiang Family’s twins, Chu Xueli had not been able to contact An Zihao—his phone was always turned off.
Chu Xueli wasn’t initially worried that An Zihao would turn against her. She knew An Zihao quite well—he might seem proud, but he was naïve, and a few tears from her would make him submit to her will.
Therefore, not being able to contact An Zihao this time, Chu Xueli deduced that, in all likelihood, he was confined by the An Family. The An Family had never been satisfied with her from the beginning, and it stood to reason that after the Jiang Family banquet incident, the An Family would intervene to ruin her relationship with An Zihao.
However, Mai Qiqi had not managed to make An Zihao leave her, so she did not believe the An Family could persuade him.
Thus, she was in no hurry, nor did she consider other ways of contacting An Zihao, thinking it would be enough for him to deal with the An Family’s resistance.
Without dwelling on An Zihao, Chu Xueli’s mind was constantly haunted by Yan Hui’s face, and she had learned that indeed Yan Hui was a hundred times better than An Zihao. How perfect it would be if she could conquer Yan Hui.
Regrettably, she hadn’t anticipated that Mai Qiqi had given up on An Zihao entirely; otherwise, she wouldn’t have ended up so embarrassed that day, nor would the An Family have locked up An Zihao.
Chu Xueli refused to let the chance with Yan Hui slip by, so for the past three days, regardless of An Zihao, she had been sending a barrage of apologetic and reconciliatory text messages and emails to Mai Qiqi and also had former study abroad classmates pass on messages, yet there was no response from Mai Qiqi.
After waiting for three days without contact from Mai Qiqi or An Zihao, she received a call from a coal mine boss, Boss Jin. Thɪs chapter is updated by novel•fire.net
Boss Jin was the man she had been with the longest before An Zihao, and truthfully, he was not bad—if judged by appearance, he didn’t have the belly or the look of a big eater, and he was quite generous.
But no matter how good he was, he was just a businessman who had to bow and scrape to any official he met.
So, once she learned about An Zihao’s family background, she decisively broke it off with Boss Jin.
She originally didn’t want to go when she received Boss Jin’s call, but when he mentioned a farewell meal and wished to see if she was doing well, Chu Xueli changed her mind.
Little did she know that her meeting with Boss Jin was arranged by the An Family, solely as a lesson for An Zihao.
In the private room, Boss Jin laughed and said, "It seems that life isn’t treating you all that well, huh."
Chu Xueli sighed opportunistically, "I chose this path, and I must follow it to the end, even on my knees."
"Let me know if you need any help," Boss Jin was still generous, "after all, you’ve given a lot during those years with me."
Chu Xueli had always been adept at handling people; even as a canary kept by Boss Jin, she set herself apart from other mistresses. She behaved with virtuous grace, expressed concern for others, and never asked for money outright. It was always Boss Jin who volunteered to give her money.
Hearing Boss Jin’s words, Chu Xueli smiled gently, yet sighed despondently, "Life is so hard, and the truth between people is just too materialistic. I don’t steal, I don’t rob, the clothes on my back are earned by my own hard work, yet I am still looked down upon."
The An brothers from next door sneered, "Do you know the subtext of what this woman is saying? If she just asked for money directly, I could at least call her frank. But she has to complicate things, treating everyone like fools."
An Zihao humphed and continued to listen to the noises inside.
Boss Jin’s eyebrows twitched slightly, and he smiled, "Since ancient times, people have been judged by their clothes and horses by their saddles, it’s just a couple of pieces of clothing. Tomorrow, I will take you to the most upscale mall in Beijing. Just pick whatever you like, no need to feel down about something that money can solve."
Chu Xueli smiled coquettishly, "You’re using your money to smash at me again."
The An brothers disdainfully said, "Acting like a saint when you’re a whore, with these tricks, she could go straight to the limelight on stage."
An Zihao glared at him, "How could Chu Xueli possibly go on stage." Okay, Chu Xueli surely was somewhat scheming, but he didn’t believe that she would stoop to prostitution.
The An brothers laughed heartily, "As long as the price is right, nothing is impossible. How about we make a bet? In less than five minutes, the one surnamed Chu will be in a tumble with the one surnamed Jin."
An Zihao humphed again, without replying. He had lost all faith in Chu Xueli now.
Sure enough, Boss Jin from next door said, "I may be a nouveau riche, a crude person, but even though we’ve parted, you never left my heart."
Hearing this, a flicker of triumph appeared in Chu Xueli’s eyes as she lowered her lashes.
Boss Jin continued, "I like you, and I’m more than happy to spend money on you. How could it be considered throwing my money at you? I beg you to give me another chance to do something for you."
It sounded heartfelt indeed, and Chu Xueli said with difficulty, "Although we’ve broken up, I still don’t want to see you unhappy. Since you want to go shopping tomorrow, I’ll accompany you one more time."
"Tsks." The mocking sound from the An brothers made An Zihao’s face shift between pale and flushed. How could he have been so foolish before to lose Mai Qiqi, a diamond, and pick up Chu Xueli, such a worthless stone?
Hearing Chu Xueli say this, Boss Jin laughed, "Xueli, you’re the best." As he spoke, his hand landed on Chu Xueli’s shoulder.
Chu Xueli struggled slightly, but soon Boss Jin embraced her even tighter.
"Don’t... don’t do this here," Chu Xueli managed to say as soon as her mouth was free.
Boss Jin stopped to think, feeling that the show must have satisfied those in the next room by now. He wasn’t into public displays, so he carried Chu Xueli out of the private room and headed upstairs to the hotel.
"How about it, Zihao? You should give up now, right?"
An Zihao watched the empty room on the screen, and landed a punch on the desk in front of him.