My Gorgeous Wife Relies on Her Beauty to Commit Crimes - Chapter 1.1

June in Zhuoyang City was unbearably noisy.

Whether it was the scorching sun outside the window or the heated arguments over sample designs in the office, everything felt grating.

Shen Jin kept her head down, flipping through the new sample catalog from the product department.

The new winter collection was about to go into production, but they still hadn’t decided on the flagship pieces to promote.

Shen Jin scanned each design, her gaze lingering on one particular coat. She tapped the table and said, “Enough arguing. What do you think of this?”

She pushed the catalog forward.

“The weather bureau predicts this winter will be harsh. Let’s focus on pushing warmer styles.”

With that, Shen Jin stood up, clearly ready to leave.

The company’s head designer, Ge Xinqing, hesitantly stopped her and asked, “I heard your son is back?”

Shen Jin nodded.

Ge Xinqing’s eyebrows shot up, her expression caught between wanting to curse and not daring to do so in front of her.

“That little… brat isn’t planning to come to the company again, is he?”

Last year, he’d claimed he wanted to intern here, only to turn the design department upside down and nearly delay the spring collection launch. If he showed up again, the design department absolutely wouldn’t put up with his nonsense!

Ge Xinqing stared intently at Shen Jin, demanding an answer.

But their CEO was as unreadable as ever, no one could guess what she was thinking.

Naturally, Ge Xinqing couldn’t either.

Even after seven years of working together, Ge Xinqing still couldn’t decipher Shen Jin’s thoughts.

Shen Jin’s snow-white chin dipped slightly.

“He won’t,” she said.

Then, turning to her secretary, she added, “I have something to attend to this afternoon. Adjust my schedule accordingly.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the secretary replied with a polite smile.

The moment the CEO left, the office erupted into chatter.

The product manager was the first to seize the spot next to the secretary, eager for gossip. “What mess has the young master gotten himself into this time? The boss never leaves early, she’s a workaholic! Is she off to clean up another one of his messes?”

The web designer beside them leaned in, eager to share the latest rumor. “I heard the young master found true love in Europe and is bringing her back to get married!”

A collective gasp filled the room.

The young master had declared he was getting married… what, three times now?

One of his flings had even shown up pregnant, demanding money from the boss. Thankfully, the boss was sharp, she offered cash only if the woman got an abortion. No abortion? Not a single cent. Even if she gave birth, the boss would sue her for extortion.

Luckily, the woman was just after money and took the cash without hesitation. By the time the young master found out, the matter was already settled. He’d stormed into the company and made a scene in front of everyone which was how the whole office learned the details in the first place.

“Please don’t tell me it’s another Sun Feifei situation,” Ge Xinqing groaned in horror.

She’d had enough.

Every time the young master got a new girlfriend, the design department suffered.

Her department had practically become a second wardrobe for his flings.

Sun Feifei was his… what, fourth or fifth ex?

A D-list celebrity from the entertainment industry who acted like she owned the place. Every time she had an event, she’d throw the young master’s name around to demand free outfits from the design department. If Ge Xinqing hadn’t finally snapped and reported it to the boss, their seasonal samples might’ve leaked ahead of schedule.

Why wear anything else when you could flaunt their design department’s unreleased new collection?

Just thinking about all the foolish things the young master had done made everyone’s heads spin.

There wasn’t a single person here who hadn’t been tormented by the young master, Shen Wan San. His real name was Shen Tuo such a profound and dignified name. But because of his utterly outrageous antics, everyone had taken to calling him Shen Wan San.

The mood instantly soured at the mention of this.

Whoever was out there, they prayed not to be subjected to any more of his nonsense. They were just ordinary employees trying to make a living.

The office emptied in an instant, leaving only the secretary still diligently working at her computer.

……

Shen Family Estate.

A black car pulled in, and the butler, who had been waiting for some time, hurried forward to open the door as soon as he saw Shen Jin’s vehicle.

“Where is he?” Shen Jin asked.

“By the pool,” the butler replied quietly, his expression troubled.

Shen Jin strode forward in her impeccably tailored black suit skirt, her long legs carrying her swiftly toward the pool. The butler shut the car door and quickly followed.

As soon as she reached the poolside, the sound of shameless flirting reached her ears.

“Stop sleeping, come down and swim with me.”

“Did you put on that bikini just to nap on a floatie?”

Behind her sunglasses, Shen Jin’s sharp gaze swept over the scene.

In the azure water, a giant pink flamingo-shaped swimming ring floated lazily, its occupant lying on her back, so pale she practically glowed.

Her long, fair legs dipped halfway into the water, clad in a white bikini that revealed not an ounce of excess around her waist. An equally exaggerated flamingo-patterned pair of sunglasses covered her eyes, while her jet-black hair cascaded beneath her, swaying gently as the flamingo drifted across the water.

Meanwhile, Shen Jin’s infuriating son, Shen Tuo, swam laps in the pool, the ripples from his movements nudging the flamingo leisurely toward the edge.

Shen Jin removed her sunglasses and looked down imperiously as the flamingo floated right up to her.

The person on the flamingo chose that moment to open her eyes, meeting Shen Jin’s gaze.

Shen Jin’s expression remained unreadable, her eyes flicking briefly toward Shen Tuo, who was still splashing around.

She called out, “Shen Tuo.”

“Mom?” Shen Tuo finally noticed the two figures standing by the pool. He climbed out, bare-chested and dripping.

“Why are you back? Isn’t it still office hours?”

The butler handed the young master a towel before retreating behind Shen Jin.

Shen Jin gave her son a once-over before saying coolly, “Get dressed and meet me in the parlor. We need to talk.”

Her gaze shifted past Shen Tuo to the flamingo behind him, now floating motionless on the water, its occupant gone. Only the expanding ripples betrayed any movement before a mermaid-like figure broke the surface. She clung to the pool’s edge, flashing Shen Jin a bright smile as she waved the flamingo sunglasses in her fingers.

“Hi, Auntie.”

Her fair, bare arms glistened with water, her smile warm and genuine.

Shen Jin’s eyes lingered on her face for a moment, a faint twitch at her brow, before she turned back to Shen Tuo. “Bring her along too.”

Then she walked away without another word.

Xie Jing’s hand was still raised mid-wave. She chuckled softly, climbing out via the pool ladder and slicking her hair back, her curvaceous figure on full display.

Shen Tuo whistled, tossing a nearby bath towel her way. “Catch.”

Xie Jing caught it effortlessly, draping it over her shoulders.

“Your mother’s really cold,” she remarked, her tone teasing despite the complaint.

“I told you, that’s just how she is.”

Shen Tuo picked up a cigarette from the lounge chair beside him and asked Xie Jing, “Want one?”

“I don’t smoke,” Xie Jing refused.

Shen Tuo raised an eyebrow. “Then why do you have cigarettes in your bag?”

“You went through my bag?” Xie Jing frowned.

Shen Tuo rolled his eyes. “I saw them when you were reapplying your lipstick.”

Xie Jing walked over barefoot. The sun had warmed the floor tiles to the point where they burned the soles of her feet red. She leaned in, plucked the cigarette from Shen Tuo’s mouth, and whispered in his ear, “I don’t like the smell of smoke. Don’t smoke in front of me from now on.”

Shen Tuo hadn’t even lit the cigarette yet. He spun the lighter in his hand once before tossing it back onto the table. With a cold snort, he said impatiently, “Got it.”

Upstairs, Shen Jin stood by the window, watching the intimate scene below.

She reached up and drew the curtains, then changed into comfortable clothes. The black suit dress was tossed onto the bed as she undid her hair, letting the raven-black locks cascade down like seaweed. Shen Jin lit a slender cigarette, leaning against the dressing table in her undergarments. After just two shallow drags, she stubbed it out.

She seemed to be in a good mood, taking her time to pick an outfit from the walk-in closet. Her fingers trailed over the neatly ironed clothes arranged by color before selecting a black spaghetti-strap maxi dress and draping a small shawl over her shoulders.

After tousling her hair casually, Shen Jin was about to head downstairs when she caught her reflection in the mirror. Deciding she looked too pale, she reapplied her lipstick.

By the time Shen Jin went downstairs, neither Shen Tuo nor the girl had arrived yet.

Shen Jin wasn’t surprised.

Shen Tuo had never been punctual.

She stood by the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room, leaning her hips against the sofa, and lit another cigarette.

Normally, she was very restrained, three cigarettes a week at most.

Smoking was bad.

It could lead to lung disease.

Shen Jin didn’t want to die young.

She was usually very careful, but today she couldn’t seem to control herself, lighting a second one in quick succession.

Holding the cigarette between her fingers, she brought it to her lips, exhaled, and watched as it slowly burned down. When the ash grew long, she leaned forward to tap it into the ashtray on the side table.

The furnishings in the old house were all to her liking now. The ashtray was placed within easy reach, as she often enjoyed leaning here to take in the view. The scenery outside the floor-to-ceiling window was beautiful, with the distant mountains painted in muted shades of blue.

Footsteps approached, light and rapid, unlike the heavy strides of her useless son.

Shen Jin turned to see Xie Jing.

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