After My Flash Marriage with the Sick Beauty, I Reached the Pinnacle of My Life - Chapter 38

Night fell, the neon lights flashing.

Zhou Xiaojiang, carrying her bag, arrived at the city’s most famous clubhouse.

The security guards didn’t stop her because Fu Yunhan had brought her here several times. This place operates on a member-invitation basis, with strong confidentiality. As long as Zhou Xiaojiang said she was there to see Fu Yunhan, she would be let in, and the news wouldn’t be leaked.

The main reason they did this was that they didn’t want any public association in the short term.

So, they tacitly chose this location.

Zhou Xiaojiang entered a private room, where Fu Yunhan was already waiting.

There were no waiters or anyone else in the room. A few bottles of French champagne were on the table, one of which had already been opened.

Fu Yunhan held a wine glass and watched her sit down. “Are you saying that what Qi Xue did was on your instruction?”

Zhou Xiaojiang remained composed. “That’s right.”

Fu Yunhan slammed the wine glass down hard, splashing liquid onto the table. He stood up in anger. “Do you remember that Qi Xue is now working at my house! And she has already been seen by Xia Shishi and her friends!”

Zhou Xiaojiang unhurriedly picked up an empty glass, wiped it with a wet wipe, and then opened the bottled water she carried and poured it in.

She took a gentle sip.

“I remember. So what?”

“So what? When this kind of thing happens, aren’t I the first person they suspect? What you’re doing is putting me on the spot!”

“You’re scared.” Zhou Xiaojiang looked at Fu Yunhan with a sense of distance.

The development of this matter was indeed a bit out of control.

Neither she nor Qi Xue expected Xia Shishi to respond so quickly, and with solid evidence, meaning Qi Xue would face a huge compensation claim.

But what was Fu Yunhan afraid of?

He could simply send Qi Xue away and state that he knew nothing about it. There was no evidence to suggest that Fu Yunhan had instructed Qi Xue, so why was he panicking?

Such a strong reaction all of a sudden must mean something else had happened.

Xia Shishi saw Qi Xue working at Fu Yunhan’s house—had she been to his house? Judging by Fu Yunhan’s reaction, the matter might not be that simple. Did Xia Shishi also bring Wen Jiao along?

Zhou Xiaojiang guessed something and let out a light laugh. “Didn’t you want to prevent Xia Shishi from marrying Wen Jiao? That’s why I did this.”

Fu Yunhan sneered, “What good is it?”

He stared intently at Zhou Xiaojiang. He had initially thought this woman was very clever, but now, he felt she was nothing special.

“What good is it…” Zhou Xiaojiang repeated the words in a low voice, feeling disappointed in Fu Yunhan. She couldn’t be bothered to care what Fu Yunhan thought and first put her water glass back down.

“If Xia Shishi hadn’t come out to clarify, the Xia Group, caught in the public opinion storm, would be in a terrible mess.”

Although things didn’t go exactly as she had predicted.

But! “Even if Xia Shishi came out to clarify, preparing all the evidence in such a short time looks like she was prepared early on. Can’t we say she was orchestrating a self-promotional stunt?”

Such things are not uncommon in the entertainment industry.

Zhou Xiaojiang, familiar with the rules, quickly leveraged this point.

Since the deed was done, she had no intention of turning back.

The Xia Group must be stained with a bad reputation!

Only by continuing to slander them and diverting their attention could she completely distance herself.

If Zhou Xiaojiang hadn’t come from a poor background, her ruthlessness might have already caused chaos in the business world.

She closed her eyes. She had to take that role, she had to become famous, and then enter that world of fame and fortune.

She couldn’t have any flaws.

She could only present the benefits to Fu Yunhan and let him handle the rest.

“Xia Shishi wants Qi Xue to pay compensation. We can have Qi Xue continue to bite back, fabricating a story that Xia Shishi asked her to cooperate in the promotional stunt, but then surprisingly pursued her for compensation, driving her to a dead end.”

As long as Qi Xue stayed firm on this, it wouldn’t affect Zhou Xiaojiang in any way.

She was just a minor celebrity in the entertainment industry.

What kind of vested interest could she possibly have here?

Zhou Xiaojiang opened her eyes and looked over. “You come out and explain to the media that you simply felt sorry for Qi Xue when she was suddenly fired, especially since she had been with Xia Shishi for so long, and so you kindly took her in, knowing nothing about these matters. When Qi Xue comes out to continue the aggressive pursuit, everyone will only think you were taken advantage of.”

“The Xia Group will still have a bunch of messes to deal with. At this point, regardless of whether the Wen family distances themselves, you will have an opportunity.”

“If they distance themselves, their engagement is void.”

“If they don’t, Wen Jiao will certainly help her fiancée. How could she still focus on the city’s quota? Can’t you easily snatch it away?”

Zhou Xiaojiang spoke a long string of words.

They struck a chord with Fu Yunhan.

“Truly worthy of being my darling, so smart!” After thinking it through, he opened another bottle of champagne, intending to pour a glass for Zhou Xiaojiang, but she raised her hand to push him away.

Zhou Xiaojiang said, “I’ll be going to film a drama soon. You take care of Qi Xue’s situation yourself; don’t count on me.”

Fu Yunhan merely took it as her being angry about his earlier words. “It was my misunderstanding. But why didn’t you tell me about something as big as going to film a drama? Do you need any help?”

Fu Yunhan hadn’t really expected Zhou Xiaojiang to land a role on her own.

It looked like it wasn’t just a minor supporting role either.

She hadn’t received anything from him, yet she was still thinking of ways to help him. Fu Yunhan felt a surge of affection. “Take this card. Buy whatever you need while filming, so no one bullies you.”

Zhou Xiaojiang: “…”

After a few polite exchanges, she reluctantly accepted the card.

The next day, Wen Jiao’s health improved, and she was able to come downstairs for a meal.

Xia Shishi pushed her down.

In the dining room, Wen Father and Wen Mother were both waiting.

They had watched the live-streamed press conference yesterday and were surprised that Xia Shishi had handled the matter so beautifully.

It seemed she was not just an ordinary pampered girl; she had the ability to resolve issues.

However, Wen Father still held a grudge about Wen Jiao’s insistence on getting engaged to Xia Shishi. After Xia Shishi sat down, he still maintained a reserved demeanor and didn’t greet her.

Wen Mother put food on Xia Shishi’s plate. “Have you found out who the person behind the payoff is? Do you need our help?”

Xia Shishi looked at the food in her bowl, casually held her chopsticks, but didn’t eat. She replied casually, “I already have a guess. I plan to go see her alone today.”

Wen Father: “Hmph!”

…What are you huffing about?

Not only did Xia Shishi have this thought, but Wen Jiao also frowned. “If you’re busy with work, go to the company; don’t deal with it at the dinner table.”

Wen Father: “…” He resigned himself to eating.

Wen Mother offered a few more anodyne remarks.

The couple had been living abroad for a long time, and their emotional investment in Wen Jiao was minimal, let alone their concern for Xia Shishi.

This made Xia Shishi extremely uncomfortable.

She was used to chatting and laughing with her parents during meals. Even after moving in with Wen Jiao, she had never been quiet. Now, the silence was awkward, and knowing that these two were Wen Jiao’s parents, she felt it was inappropriate to voice her opinion, which was truly difficult.

Wen Jiao swapped bowls with Xia Shishi. “Eat.”

Only then did Xia Shishi reluctantly start eating.

Wen Father spoke up at this moment. “I was busy and didn’t return for your engagement party before. It might be good to take this opportunity to clarify some things now. Your parents only have one daughter. What do they plan to do with their company in the future?”

Xia Shishi: “???”

She looked up and, subconsciously, spoke sarcastically, “Of course, they’ll donate it. What else, sell it?”

Wen Jiao coughed twice.

Xia Shishi: “…” Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.

Seeing that Wen Father clearly didn’t like her, Xia Shishi decided not to hold back. “I wonder what good suggestions Father has. After all, my father is quite ordinary. He just started from scratch and now has assets worth hundreds of millions. His experience is certainly not as rich as yours, so I’ll have to trouble you to worry about it more.”

How could Wen Father not understand?

He couldn’t believe Xia Shishi actually talked back to him!

She was indeed just like the rumors said: terribly temperamental. He didn’t know what Wen Jiao saw in her! Wen Father was furious. “I don’t expect you to help the Wen family with anything, but I’m just asking you a question, and you’re being disrespectful!”

Xia Shishi understood the root of Wen Father’s dissatisfaction.

Wen Jiao was the daughter he was proud of.

Deeply favored by the Old Master.

Which elevated his status within the group.

So, he expected Wen Jiao to bring him even more.

Xia Shishi brought nothing; her marrying into the family sounded more like she would rely on Wen Jiao, which made Wen Father uncomfortable, as if he were losing out.

But that was no reason for him to probe the Xia Group.

Either he had low emotional intelligence, or he had malicious intent. If he had low emotional intelligence, it would be truly baffling for him to understand her sarcasm.

Xia Shishi glanced sideways, saw that Wen Jiao wasn’t stopping her, and continued, “How about this?”

“In the future, what’s mine is Jiao Jiao’s. If I can inherit the Xia Group, she can inherit it too.”

Wen Father was surprised that Xia Shishi would change her tune, and while he was astonished, he was also quite pleased.

“From now on, Jiao Jiao should move to my house. I don’t need the Wen family to contribute anything, nor am I concerned about the Wen Group. Anyway, I can take good care of Jiao Jiao. No problem, right?” Xia Shishi had been planning this for a while.

Wen Father understood. “You want her to marry you?”

“Is that not allowed? I can also pay the bride-price. We can discuss it.”

As Xia Shishi spoke, she kept looking at Wen Jiao, observing her every reaction.

Wen Jiao simply ate composedly, seemingly unaffected and having a good appetite.

Wen Father was almost incredulous.

Are you kidding? Letting Wen Jiao marry Xia Shishi.

Did she not know how much profit Wen Jiao brought to the company after joining?

“Alas, I knew Father couldn’t accept it, just like my father.” Xia Shishi sighed dramatically. “Who isn’t someone’s precious daughter? My dad wishes he could give me everything, but the one thing he’s reluctant to give away is me.”

Wen Jiao put down her chopsticks.

Under Wen Mother’s gaze, she spoke, “Shishi has been living here for so long, it’s about time I move to her house for a while. How about this afternoon? Otherwise, it will delay Shishi’s work tomorrow.”

Xia Shishi held her breath, wondering if she had heard wrong.

Wen Jiao spoke very seriously. “Shishi is going to see Qi Xue this afternoon, right? It’s fine; I’ll just have Uncle Zhang drive me over. I won’t delay you.”

Xia Shishi suddenly understood and squeezed Wen Jiao’s hand. “Truly worthy of being my good wife!”

Wen Father’s expression now resembled someone who had lost a hundred million in the lottery.

Seeing Wen Jiao’s eagerness to “freely offer herself,” he suddenly became speechless. Looking at their hands clasped together, he belatedly shut his mouth.

Wen Mother, however, felt as if they had planned this from the start.

Everything they said was merely a cunning trick to achieve their goal.

Otherwise, this level of synchronization was too coincidental.

The calmest person present was Uncle Zhang. “I’ll go upstairs to pack Miss’s luggage right away.”

Wen Father found the word “Miss” grating.

He instantly lost his appetite, especially when he saw Wen Mother’s face, which resembled Wen Jiao’s, making him, the father, seem utterly superfluous.

Xia Shishi scratched Wen Jiao’s palm with her finger, wanting to say something.

Before she could speak, Wen Jiao squeezed her hand hard, signaling her to keep quiet for now.

Wen Jiao needed to make her father realize that some matters were not for him to interfere with.