The Ex-Wife Of A Wealthy/Powerful Family Tempts Me To Treat Her Badly/Betray Her - Chapter 49

Chapter 49: Liked her more.

It was a truly sharp and ruthless sarcasm.

Rong Wei didn’t speak. She quietly looked at Jiang Yu twice, then said, “I apologize, I misspoke just now.”

“Let’s go, we should head in.”

Rong Wei’s apology came too suddenly, leaving Jiang Yu a little stunned.

Since Rong Wei had already apologized, she couldn’t very well continue to mock her, so she just nodded and replied softly, “Okay.”

It was Wednesday, and there weren’t many people inside the Civil Affairs Bureau lobby.

Jiang Yu had made an appointment online early this morning. Now, they just needed to take a number, fill out the relevant information, and find an empty spot to wait.

She quietly looked at her phone, showing no intention of speaking to Rong Wei the entire time.

Seeing Jiang Yu actively avoiding her, Rong Wei naturally wouldn’t seek an awkward conversation.

Moreover, it seemed that, invisibly, there was nothing left for them to say to each other anyway.

She didn’t want to maintain the tense atmosphere between them, so she simply stood there, checking emails and dealing with work matters.

There wasn’t much joy when they got married, but their state during the divorce was exactly like that of most couples who came to the Civil Affairs Bureau to separate.

Their expressions were grim, their emotions not particularly high, like two people who had grown tired of each other.

About half an hour later.

The announcement sounded, calling out the number for Jiang Yu and Rong Wei.

Jiang Yu put away her phone, looked around, and met Rong Wei’s gaze: “Let’s go in.”

It was only a short distance to the divorce agreement counter, just a few steps. Jiang Yu and Rong Wei soon stood before the staff member.

The young woman handling the procedure took their documents and, after a routine inquiry, stamped the steel seal.

It was still a red booklet, but the script on it wasn’t a celebratory gold; it was a somewhat depressing silver, as if covered in dust.

“Congratulations to you both.”

After stamping the final seal, the staff member pushed the red booklet forward. Jiang Yu reached out, took the document, and then looked at Rong Wei beside her: “Is there anything else? If not, I’ll be leaving first.”

Rong Wei slowly took the document, a complex and strange emotion flashing through her heart. She then lightly hummed in acknowledgment.

Jiang Yu had only said goodbye to Rong Wei out of politeness. Whether Rong Wei agreed or not was completely irrelevant to her decision.

Therefore, when Rong Wei looked up at her again, she only saw her retreating back.

The weather was still fine today, with ample sunlight in the morning. Golden sunbeams scattered from the window ceiling, shining on her.

Similar to the scene three years ago, Jiang Yu looked even more beautiful and striking bathed in sunlight than usual.

Except that this time was ultimately not the same as that time.

Rong Wei keenly sensed a subtle distance in Jiang Yu’s demeanor.

She seemed to have completely shut her out.

After today, they would no longer have any connection.

Rong Wei stood there for a long time. It wasn’t until her phone vibrated five minutes later that she finally moved.

…

After leaving the Civil Affairs Bureau, Jiang Yu returned to her car.

Having dealt with a major issue that had bothered her for a long time, she felt an inexpressible sense of relief and liberation.

But for some reason, perhaps because the withdrawal symptoms were still ongoing, a strange, uncomfortable feeling lingered in her heart, like a thorn that didn’t hurt but whose presence was clearly felt.

She took two deep breaths and finished the remaining half bottle of water in the car before the strange sensation seemed to lessen.

The car slowly moved forward, leaving the vicinity of the Civil Affairs Bureau.

Jiang Yu was sorting through the materials for the clothing company’s upcoming release when her phone suddenly rang.

She picked up the phone and saw it was a call from Lu Linqiao.

There was always a slight delay with international calls. When Jiang Yu answered the phone, it took about several tens of seconds before she heard Lu Linqiao’s voice.

“Is everything sorted out?”

As Jiang Yu’s good friend, Lu Linqiao naturally knew that Jiang Yu’s return to the country this time was to get a divorce.

“I just came out of the Civil Affairs Bureau.”

“But something special happened that I haven’t told you yet.”

“The beautiful woman I met abroad and the wife on my marriage certificate—they are the same person.”

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone. After a while, Lu Linqiao exclaimed, “I’ve been busy for a while and haven’t texted you much.”

“What on earth has been going on with you?”

Jiang Yu sighed softly, not intending to keep anything from Lu Linqiao. She organized her thoughts and recounted the events to her.

Lu Linqiao listened quietly, finding the story increasingly unbelievable.

This world was a little too small.

“So, you two will completely cut off contact now?”

After listening to Jiang Yu, Lu Linqiao asked.

“Yes, no more contact.”

Lu Linqiao was not too surprised by Jiang Yu’s answer.

“Alright, I respect all your decisions.”

“When you come back, I’ll buy you a drink. We won’t go home until we’re drunk.”

Getting drunk and not going home did sound quite tempting.

Jiang Yu agreed, but on the other end of the phone, a hint of surprise flashed in Lu Linqiao’s eyes.

Ten minutes later, the call ended.

Lu Linqiao silently stared at her phone screen, her gaze lingering for a long time.

There needs to be a certain boundary between friends. Often, inquiries need to be phrased in a more subtle way to have a more profound effect.

As Jiang Yu’s long-time friend, she keenly noticed that Jiang Yu’s state seemed somewhat off.

Normally, if she suggested drinking away their sorrows, there was a high probability Jiang Yu would refuse.

But this time, she had agreed without hesitation.

Lu Linqiao’s right eyelid twitched violently. She had a feeling that Jiang Yu seemed to have changed a little.

…

“General Manager Jiang, good afternoon.”

Nearly an hour later, Jiang Yu arrived at the fashion company. As she walked upstairs, it was lunchtime. Many employees were leaving their workstations to eat and happened to see her on the first floor, greeting her.

Jiang Yu nodded slightly, walked to Ji Zhou’s office, and discussed the new product launch with her.

Work hours always passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was seven in the evening.

There was a decent cafeteria downstairs at the company. Jiang Yu and Ji Zhou didn’t want the hassle of going elsewhere, so they simply went downstairs, preparing to have a quick meal in the cafeteria.

It was dinner time. There were many employees eating in the cafeteria, chatting animatedly.

Seeing Jiang Yu and Ji Zhou come down, some employees paused their conversations involuntarily.

Jiang Yu was a little surprised but didn’t pay much attention. She just got her food and sat down.

She wasn’t very hungry. She simply chose a couple of items for a vegetable salad and chatted with Ji Zhou for a few minutes. Just as she was about to eat, her phone vibrated.

It was her assistant, Lin Yao.

Jiang Yu answered the call and heard Lin Yao say:

“General Manager Jiang, did you see what’s happening on Weibo? Why has the Qin family suddenly gotten involved with you again?”

Hearing this, Jiang Yu’s brows furrowed deeply. She said she would check the situation and then hung up the phone.

Ji Zhou, who was active in the fashion circle, frequently browsed Weibo and had already clicked on the trending topic.

She was also a little surprised and frowned, saying, “What is going on? Come and take a look?”

Saying this, Ji Zhou pushed the phone to Jiang Yu.

Jiang Yu took the phone and quietly looked at the content on the screen, immediately focusing on the content of the Weibo post.

【I’m a fashion industry insider. I returned to the country and went to pay respects at my mother’s grave. On the way back, I accidentally saw a few people standing in another area. Taking a closer look, I found it was Qin Yan, who is very popular in our circle lately. More importantly, the woman next to her is estimated to be our legendary ‘Light of the National Models.’ Judging by their demeanor, the two have a very close relationship. Could they be family?】

Directly beneath the text was a photo—the scene of Jiang Yu encountering them at her mother’s grave yesterday.

Jiang Yu saw all of this and sneered.

So Qin Yuanshan was waiting for her here. He was even more shameless than she had imagined. Since she didn’t want to be associated with Qin Yan, he resorted to this disgusting tactic.

Jiang Yu suddenly felt sick as she looked at the comments section.

【Wow, our little Yan is actually sisters with Jiang Yu!】

【But as everyone knows, our little Yan is a down-to-earth, hardworking person. In her vlogs, she climbs up step by step, attending interviews herself.

She’s too low-key! If I had a sister like that, I would definitely announce it to the world, okay?】

Qin Yan had been ill for a few years early on and worked as a self-media blogger during that time. After becoming a model, she maintained good popularity due to her built-in traffic, approaching the level of a domestic A-list celebrity.

The comments section was overly harmonious, clearly controlled by relevant parties.

Jiang Yu quietly watched the comments, and the long-suppressed anger erupted at this moment.

She quickly messaged the relevant departments of the company to prepare appropriate countermeasures.

However, the next second, as she was switching pages, she saw another trending topic that had shot directly to number one.

【Reason for quitting the industry.】

Jiang Yu frowned and clicked in.

【Seeing the so-called ‘Light of the National Models’ trending again, I have something I want to tell everyone. I was once her friend, and I know a little about the inside story regarding her sudden departure and leaving the industry without saying goodbye.】

Jiang Yu found the content increasingly absurd, especially when she clicked on the video attached below it, which left her stunned.

Because the content was nothing other than a bedroom photo of her and an unknown woman.

For a moment, Jiang Yu was surprised.

She pondered for a moment, crossed her arms, and sneered, realizing the entirety of Qin Yuanshan’s scheme.

He wanted to ride on her fame but was worried about being exposed.

So, he chose to attack first, fabricate facts, smear her reputation, and lower the credibility of anything she might say in the future.

This move was risky but highly likely to succeed.

After all, given the current public opinion environment, everyone believes that where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Over time, she might truly be seen as the person who made the mistake, and the credibility of her words would naturally decline.

Qin Yuanshan truly was a “good father.”

He could go to such lengths for his biological daughter, even pushing her into the abyss.

…

Almost simultaneously.

Rong Wei had just finished work and was sitting in her car. On WeChat, she saw a message about Jiang Yu from her sister.

She stared at the screenshot for five minutes, front and back, but ultimately exited the page and typed a dismissive response: 【Got it, but it has nothing to do with me anymore.】

They had separated. She didn’t need to get involved in Jiang Yu’s affairs.

On the other end of the phone, Rong Shi was momentarily speechless.

She silently and stiffly replied with “Okay.” Just as she was about to close Weibo, she saw another trending topic about Jiang Yu.

Her eyes narrowed, and she immediately forwarded it to Rong Wei.

Rong Wei knew the message was from her sister.

She guessed it might be related to Jiang Yu. She actually didn’t want to look, but her hands moved more honestly than her heart, and she immediately opened her phone.

From beginning to end, her expression had been light and composed.

It wasn’t until she saw the latest message from Rong Shi that something inside her cracked. A strange, upward-climbing emotion took up the main position in her heart.

Some fresh soil grew brilliant, indestructible flowers on top of it.

She suppressed this subtle feeling, realizing in hindsight that she liked Jiang Yu even more than she had imagined.

So much so that she didn’t want to see Jiang Yu suffer any injustice and strongly wanted to protect her.

Her gaze suddenly turned icy cold, and her words became even more serious, carrying the full authority of a superior: “Xiao An, I don’t like tonight’s Weibo trending topics.”

“I want all of them gone within half an hour.”

The assistant driving in the front seat was slightly bewildered, but quickly recovered and responded with an affirmation.

Rong Wei remained silent, not replying to Rong Shi. She opened the app store, downloaded Weibo, and then started browsing Jiang Yu’s profile page.