Obsessive Love, The Possessive Real Young Lady - Chapter 28

Compared to the hustle and bustle of M City, H City seemed much quieter, nestled between mountains and the sea. Other than a faint smell of seawater always lingering in the air, the scenery was pleasant, making it a good place for leisure, retirement, and enjoying family bliss.

In this peaceful and relaxed city, a small pub named “Huan Xing” (Calling Star) opened on the beach of a quiet little town.

It was rumored that the proprietress had red hair and was stunningly beautiful, especially her azure blue eyes, which sparkled like deep jewels. Furthermore, the drinks she personally mixed were exceptionally mellow and intoxicating, leaving an unforgettable aftertaste that seemed to cleanse the soul, making one linger and be unable to stop.

However, the proprietress herself rarely appeared in the pub. Even so, this attracted many men and women to try their luck, hoping for a glimpse of her beauty.

“How ignorant,” Chen Qianqian dismissed with a glance at the person speaking. “They’re hyping up a mere pub owner to the skies.”

“I think it’s just a marketing gimmick to create mystery. She’s probably just some greasy-looking guy who hired an internet celebrity as a front; in short, just a bartender.”

Her words stunned the young people at the same table.

“Oh, right, why didn’t we think of that?” “As expected of someone who’s been in M City’s socialite circle; her insight is much greater than ours.” “Yes, yes.” …

The group echoed her sentiments, making Chen Qianqian smile brightly. However, her smile didn’t last long.

Ever since Su Sui became the largest shareholder of Shen Group with 25% of the shares, she had proposed replacing all previously partnered suppliers. This included their Chen family’s building materials company. Without the big tree of Shen Group, their Chen family immediately suffered a devastating blow. Not only did their order volume drastically decrease, but at the most critical moment, Su Sui exposed quality issues with their materials. This led to their stock hitting the lower limit, their capital chain breaking, and the Chen family being unable to repay bank loans, forcing them to declare bankruptcy and undergo liquidation by the bank.

Although the Chen family’s building materials company wasn’t top-tier internationally, it was certainly renowned domestically. To have it ruined like this by Su Sui caused her father’s hair to turn white overnight, leaving him utterly dejected. Despite her unwillingness, she could only bring him to the seaside town to start a small business and hide from their debts.

The more Chen Qianqian thought about it, the more distressed she became, so she grabbed a glass of strong liquor and drank several large gulps.

As she put down her glass, the pub door’s bell rang, and a familiar figure strode in.

The person was wearing a white qipao, the hem reaching her ankles. Her red hair was loosely pinned up in a bun with a minimalist jade hairpin. A few strands of hair dangled languidly by her forehead as she walked. Her face was exquisitely beautiful, with three-dimensional, perfect features. Especially her eyes, which were as blue as the deep sea, capable of making anyone who looked into them sink in.

Her entire demeanor had changed drastically compared to four years ago. She exuded an aura that was both cool and gentle, completely unlike the arrogant, willful, and reckless Shen Jiayan she used to know.

Of course, Chen Qianqian wasn’t the only one who noticed Shen Jiayan. The young people drinking with her immediately raised their phones: “This must be the legendary proprietress! Oh my god, she’s so beautiful.”

Shen Jiayan, the center of attention, was focused on pushing a wheelchair, speaking softly to Gao Wei: “I told you, let me take you home to rest first. You insisted on coming along.”

“I won’t. I was going stir-crazy in the hospital. You have so many people here; I wanted some excitement,” Gao Wei pouted, looking unwilling to be persuaded, and tugged at Shen Jiayan’s arm playfully.

Shen Jiayan sighed. She couldn’t do anything about this young lady either, so she gave in, “Alright, alright. Once I finish checking the accounts, we’ll go back. No more trying to get out of it.”

“Okay, Sister!” Gao Wei answered with cheerful excitement.

But the way Shen Jiayan looked at her held a trace of sorrow. Earlier that day, after accompanying Gao Wei for her chemotherapy, she had spoken privately with the doctor, who said Gao Wei’s condition was worsening. She needed to find a bone marrow transplant as soon as possible. For the past three years, she had practically traveled across the country with Gao Wei, yet still found no information about her biological parents. Shen Jiayan felt heartbroken but helpless. The only thing she could do now was work hard to earn money and save up enough for the surgery before a suitable bone marrow could be found.

At that moment, she heard a sarcastic jab from nearby: “Oh, isn’t this the Shen family’s fake daughter who disappeared for four years, Shen Jiayan? How did you end up opening a pub in this desolate place?”

The voice came from her back right, completely outside her line of sight. However, with that familiar tone and inflection, Shen Jiayan knew who it was without turning around. She patted Gao Wei’s hand to reassure her, “Apologies, guest, you have the wrong person. My name is Gao Qiang.”

Saying this, she pushed Gao Wei toward the cash register.

“Hmph, Shen Jiayan, stop playing dumb with me. Do you think I wouldn’t recognize you? I’d recognize you even if you turned to ash.” Chen Qianqian grabbed Shen Jiayan’s arm, deliberately digging her nails into the flesh out of spite, “You are Shen Jiayan! You are!”

But Shen Jiayan merely turned around, tilting her head slightly, looking at her faintly, her gaze calm, showing no sign of panic. This composure unsettled Chen Qianqian, making her feel strangely uncomfortable. Why did this disgraced ‘fake daughter’ feel like she was somehow beneath her? Under that gaze, Chen Qianqian’s clenched hand slowly relaxed until it fell completely to her side. Why? Why can she still look so much more radiant and confident than me, even though we’ve both fallen on hard times? Why!!

The more Chen Qianqian thought about it, the more annoyed she became. She kicked over a display shelf inside the pub, causing bottles and vases to shatter onto the floor with a crash, startling the surrounding customers. She strode towards Shen Jiayan in her high heels, “Shen Jiayan, listen to me, I will never let you off!”

But the other woman remained silent. Instead, the woman in the wheelchair pouted and said in a clipped voice, “I, Greedy Wolf, will definitely be back!” Then, batting her dark eyes, she asked, “Sister, is that line correct?”

“Oh, you,” Shen Jiayan smiled helplessly, then turned and shouted into the pub, “Aji, a guest knocked over the display cabinet here. Come clean it up, and calculate the losses so the guest can compensate.”

Chen Qianqian, completely ignored, gritted her teeth in anger, angrily pulled out a few cash notes from her bag and threw them on the floor, “You just wait for me.” Then, she stomped away in her high heels in a huff.

“Sister… maybe we should…”

“It’s fine,” Shen Jiayan patted Gao Wei’s shoulder to reassure her. Shen Jiayan knew what Gao Wei wanted to say. She couldn’t hide forever. Moreover, this kind of encounter had happened more than once in the past three years. Ever since they fell from grace, anyone who had once surrounded and flattered her would now either verbally humiliate her or find excuses to cause trouble and harass her. She didn’t mind; after all, these people had been bullied by her quite a bit before. Now that she had fallen from heaven to hell, she felt it was only right for them to seek revenge.

It was just Gao Wei who suffered. She was merely an acquaintance, whom Shen Jiayan had even coerced and nearly killed by pushing her into the water. Yet, she still helped and protected her without hesitation, sharing the burden with her. Although she lacked that person’s ruthlessness and wasn’t as tough, she made Shen Jiayan experience what true kinship felt like. Gao Wei’s existence filled her regrets and brought color back into her life. This time, she would not run away. She wanted to ensure Gao Wei could stay with her Director Mother/Matron.

“We’re going back to the orphanage tomorrow. What gifts are you planning to bring for those little rascals?” Shen Jiayan asked, pushing Gao Wei behind the counter.

After Chen Qianqian left, a different version of the story about the proprietress of “Huan Xing” began to circulate in H City.

The rumors began to spread that the proprietress, described as beautiful as an immortal, was actually a vicious lesbian, with videos and pictures circulating online.

Upon seeing these materials, Gao Wei was so furious she almost jumped on the spot, “Damn it! How can this person be so malicious!! Just like those gossiping old hags who gather in the park specifically to ruin someone’s reputation.”

“That’s not entirely wrong; I really was that kind of person before,” Shen Jiayan appeared remarkably calm. As she spoke, she took the phone from Gao Wei’s hand, gently pushed her back onto the bed, and said, “As for you, can you take your medicine obediently? I have to supervise you every time.”

Gao Wei pouted, looking very wronged, “I’ll take it~”

“Good.” Shen Jiayan patted her head and went back to the kitchen to busy herself.

For dinner, the two casually prepared something light to eat.

Around 9 PM, Shen Jiayan got ready and headed out to the pub. Before leaving, she couldn’t help but remind Gao Wei, “Rest early; you have chemotherapy tomorrow.”

Then she left Gao Wei and the three cats alone in the rented apartment.

The night was deep, and it was pitch black outside. In the bedroom with the curtains drawn, the light was dim, with only faint moonlight spilling into the room.

Gao Wei, lying in bed, shifted slightly, unable to sleep at all. Recently, due to the rumors, the pub’s business had been terrible. Coupled with rent, shop lease fees, and employee salaries, not to mention her chemotherapy expenses these mounting expenditures were suffocating Shen Jiayan. And she, apart from causing as little trouble as possible for Shen Jiayan, couldn’t help in any meaningful way.

She thought for a moment: maybe she should contact that person?

Gao Wei sat up straight and logged into the account she had deactivated for two years. Instantly, hundreds, even thousands, of messages flooded her screen. Every single one asked where Shen Jiayan was there were threats, intimidation, and even voice messages begging her. Finally, the entire screen was dominated by a bold, red message: “GIVE HER BACK TO ME!!”

The latest message was from just five minutes ago, followed by several bloody knife emojis. Gao Wei felt a chill just looking at the screen. Has this person gone crazy? Could they be planning to kill me?!

Forget it, forget it. She had already been tricked out of 200,000 yuan. It was better not to provoke such a lunatic. If she pushed them too far, they might find her and Sister Jiayan, potentially bringing disaster.

Gao Wei was about to log out when the three fluffy babies suddenly jumped onto the bed, rubbing against her persistently. She put her phone aside for a moment and picked up one of the cats to pet it.

Just as Gao Wei was immersed in the joy of petting the furry babies, one small, fluffy paw started batting at her phone screen. After a few fumbles, several photos of her and Shen Jiayan appeared in the chat window…