The Ex-Wife of the Scumbag A Who Abandoned the Female Lead - Chapter 40

Shi Nuocen glanced at her with an expression that clearly said, “Are you serious?” “Can’t you tell? I’m measuring your finger size.”

Ru Xi Cheng was momentarily speechless, thinking, Of course, I know you’re measuring my finger size. But when wearing jewelry, you could just pick any finger. Why specifically choose the ring finger? And why are you being so serious about it?

Her gaze lingered, almost tangible, as if trying to pierce through Shi Nuocen’s exterior and see into her heart.

Shi Nuocen understood what her ex-wife meant, but it wasn’t the right time to explain. Revealing it now would spoil the surprise, so she continued to play dumb.

Ru Xi Cheng failed to uncover anything and felt slightly disappointed.

After measuring the ring finger, Shi Nuocen measured the other fingers as well, finally selecting a platinum pinky ring for her ex-wife and placing it on her little finger. She then chose a gold bracelet and fastened it around her wrist. As she did so, her fingertips brushed lightly over the back of Ru Xi Cheng’s hand, the cool touch of her nails sending a tingling sensation. Under the guise of adjusting the bracelet, she subtly ignited a trail of fire across her skin.

Ru Xi Cheng was certain it was intentional and couldn’t help but glare at her, silently mouthing the words, “Behave yourself.”

“Why?” Shi Nuocen deliberately glanced around. “There’s no one here anyway, right?”

“There are surveillance cameras,” Ru Xi Cheng replied, nodding toward the security cameras and the cameraman not far away.

“But no one will notice such a small detail, as long as neither of us says anything.” Shi Nuocen pressed a finger to her lips in a silencing gesture.

Ru Xi Cheng had no choice but to endure it quietly.

Shi Nuocen winked at her. “Later, you can pick out some jewelry for me too.”

Ru Xi Cheng perked up, but the next moment, she saw the other woman take out several gold necklaces and fell silent.

There are quite a few sensitive spots around the neck and shoulders. She immediately understood. It seemed she was in for more teasing before she could reciprocate.

As Shi Nuocen placed the necklace around her ex-wife’s slender neck, she took advantage of adjusting her hair and the cover provided by their bodies to lean in and press a kiss beside her gland.

Ru Xi Cheng shivered abruptly at the sudden warmth and moisture.

“Alright, I’ll stop teasing you,” Shi Nuocen whispered into her ear as she moved away.

Ru Xi Cheng glanced at the makeup mirror and had to admit that Shi Nuocen had good taste. The jewelry complemented her perfectly.

“Wait, I almost forgot something.” Shi Nuocen took out a pair of earrings, gently brushed the hair away from her ex-wife’s ears, and helped her put them on.

When it was Ru Xi Cheng’s turn to select jewelry for Shi Nuocen, she focused intently. She had considered taking the opportunity to engage in some subtle, flirtatious gestures like the other woman had but felt she lacked the same boldness and finesse. If any observant viewers caught on during the live stream, it could harm Nuocen’s career.

With that thought, she decided against it.

Shi Nuocen had expected her ex-wife to make some move, but after waiting a while and seeing no action, she couldn’t help but raise a delicate eyebrow in silent curiosity.

At 9 a.m., the store officially opened for business.

The first customers appeared to be a married couple, but from their conversation, it became clear that the man was having an affair. To make matters even more dramatic, the other woman was also married.

The man, carrying a briefcase, accompanied his mistress to select jewelry.

The mistress was extremely picky, one moment complaining that the thick gold ring was too nouveau riche, the next moment grumbling that the thin gold ring was too shabby, failing entirely to complement her own temperament.

Shi Nuocen listened, thinking to herself: What temperament do I even see in her? The temperament of a mistress or that of a homewrecker?

The two of them flirted and bantered while trying on the rings, even bringing up their respective spouses at home.

Shi Nuocen watched them for a while, feeling it was too cringey to bear, and averted her gaze.

However, Ru Xi Cheng, relying on her Omega intuition, sensed something off about the pair of customers.

As the two tried on the rings, they nitpicked incessantly, and after taking them off, they carelessly tossed them aside.

Whenever Shi Nuocen or Ru Xi Cheng tried to remind them, they would flare up, threatening to file a complaint.

After they removed the rings once again, Shi Nuocen called a stop. The man immediately grew furious: “What do you mean? What kind of service is this? Are you not letting us try them on? How are we supposed to buy without trying? Don’t disturb us, or I’ll report you!”

Shi Nuocen, however, smirked mockingly: “Sorry, but I’ve already called the police before you could file a complaint.”

“Call the police?” The man was startled, his expression tense, but he forced himself to stay calm. “On what grounds did you call the police?”

“You stole something from the store. Why wouldn’t I call the police?” Shi Nuocen’s gaze was sharp as a torch.

The man panicked: “Don’t you dare slander me! Everything we tried is still on the table. Count them, and you’ll see!”

After saying this, he tugged at his companion’s sleeve: “Let’s go. This store is disgusting!”

“Trying to leave? Too late!” Shi Nuocen sprang into action, vaulting over the glass counter, grabbing the man’s arm, and swiftly snatching his bag: “The number of items on the table may be correct, but you’ve already swapped them out. The real items are in here, aren’t they?”

Seeing his bag taken and hearing that the police had been called, the man only wanted to flee.

But Shi Nuocen moved with lightning speed, and Ru Xi Cheng cooperated seamlessly with her. They quickly subdued the two. By the time Zong Yingdi noticed the commotion from across the street and rushed over to help, the matter had already been resolved.

The cameraman gave them a thumbs-up. He had been ready to step in, but the two women clearly didn’t need assistance.

Later, after questioning by the police, it was revealed that the two thieves had deliberately chosen that day because Shi Nuocen and Ru Xi Cheng were unfamiliar faces. They assumed they were new employees, thinking newcomers would be the most flustered and easiest to target.

In the past, they had succeeded in many places by using their dramatic, attention-grabbing personas and threats of complaints.

But they never expected to be caught by two newcomers.

After the police took the two into custody, a few more customers arrived at the store.

Ru Xi Cheng handled the reception, while Shi Nuocen discussed with Zong Yingdi how to collaborate on a joint promotion.

They decided that both stores would need a model. Someone wearing both jewelry and fashionable clothing to attract customers’ attention first, followed by a joint discount promotion. The model for the jewelry store would, of course, be Ru Xi Cheng, while Bei Yi would represent the clothing store.

Once the specific discounts were finalized, Shi Nuocen brought out two large red posters and used colorful markers to write bold characters on them, accompanied by vivid and lively illustrations.

When styling Ru Xi Cheng, Shi Nuocen chose the sporty cool girl look; a rose-colored jacket, a crop top sports T-shirt, and wide-legged harem pants. To make the look stand out even more, she added a skateboard, a heart-shaped platinum necklace around her neck, intricate silver bracelets on her wrists, and an especially edgy snake-shaped tail ring on her finger.

Afterward, they used loudspeakers to repeatedly broadcast the event details at the entrances of both stores. As expected, this promotional strategy significantly boosted their sales.

In the end, the two couples tied for first place.

When he saw the results, Actor Zong was overjoyed and exclaimed with emotion, “It wasn’t easy. I finally got first place for once!”

After finishing the day’s event, Shi Nuocen and Ru Xi Cheng were on their way back to the Ru family home when Shi received a text message from the game company. Surprisingly, a new director had taken notice of her acting skills and invited her to play the female lead in a new film. A campus-themed story with a sapphic romance.

The message stated that if she was interested, they would share the director’s WeChat contact with her.

Shi Nuocen thought, How could I not be interested in a lead role? She immediately replied and quickly added the director on WeChat.

While driving, Ru Xi Cheng noticed the smug look on her companion’s face and asked, “What’s going on? Did something good happen?”

Shi Nuocen waved her phone. “Someone invited me to play the female lead.”

Ru Xi Cheng was slightly surprised. “Who is it? Are they reliable?”

Seeing her expression, Shi Nuocen grew a bit displeased. “Is it really that surprising that someone would invite me?”

Realizing the misunderstanding, Ru Xi Cheng explained, “Your career is just starting out. Choosing a good script and a good director is really important. I just don’t want you to get scammed.”

“This director actually found out about me through that game you recommended,” Shi Nuocen retorted with a pout.

Ru Xi Cheng sighed helplessly. “Not all the directors in that game are good ones, you know.”

Shi Nuocen ignored her, fiddling with her phone and looking unhappy.

Ru Xi Cheng glanced at her expression in the rearview mirror, feeling a bit anxious. After a moment’s thought, she decided to change the subject. “By the way, the parenting reality show is accepting applications now. The main goal of this season is to help adults learn how to interact with children. Originally, the plan was for participants with kids to bring their own, and those without would be assigned children by the show. But An’an said she wants to join. Why don’t you take her?”

Hearing that An’an actually wanted to participate, Shi Nuocen forgot about her phone and looked at her ex-wife in disbelief. “Why would An’an want to join a reality show?”

Ru Xi Cheng shook her head, looking a bit dejected. “You’ll have to ask her. I couldn’t get an answer. It seems like she has her own ideas.”

Hearing this, Shi Nuocen immediately recalled the little girl’s recent odd behavior and suspected there might be more to the story.

She tapped her phone. “I doubt we’ll get anything out of her by asking. We’ll just have to observe her closely over time.”

Seeing that Shi Nuocen’s mood had improved, Ru Xi Cheng returned to the earlier topic. “Have you read the script for that lead role they offered you?”

“I read the summary,” Shi Nuocen replied, glancing sideways at her. Knowing her ex-wife was just concerned and not wanting to seem ungrateful, she continued calmly, “It’s a campus romance with a sapphic theme.”

Upon hearing the genre, Ru Xi Cheng’s fingers tightened slightly on the steering wheel. She thought to herself that since it was this kind of story, the co-stars would likely be beautiful, young girls and Omegas at that.

“It’s basically about a high school romance between an underachiever and a top student. One of them doesn’t even realize they’ve fallen in love. The underachiever even thinks they like boys. So, the campus romance fizzles out without a proper conclusion. By the time the underachiever figures things out and goes to the top student’s university to wait for her, they find that she already seems to have someone else by her side. In short, it’s a mix of heartache and sweetness, with what appears to be an open ending.”

Ru Xi Cheng listened quietly and only said, “Sounds pretty good. A campus-themed film probably low-budget. What’s the director’s budget? Is the funding sufficient?”

Shi Nuocen typed rapidly, asking the director, and then replied, “The director just said she thinks it’s enough.”

Ru Xi Cheng: “…”

After a moment, she couldn’t help but rub her forehead and said, “Based on my past experience, that kind of answer usually means they’ll run out of money halfway through filming.”

Now it was Shi Nuocen’s turn to stare blankly, speechless. She couldn’t rely on the Shi family now, and if things really turned out as her ex-wife said, she wouldn’t be able to contribute a single cent. If the director couldn’t raise more funds, the film might not be completed.

Seeing her expression, Ru Xi Cheng softened her voice and said, “When we get home, I’ll take a look at the script. If it’s genuinely good, I’ll consider investing more.”

Hearing this, Shi Nuocen perked up immediately. At that moment, she felt that Ru Xi Cheng was truly wonderful, beautiful inside and out!

What Ru Xi Cheng didn’t mention was that if the director proved reliable, she was considering taking a role in the film herself.

Shi Nuocen was in a good mood now and started playing on her phone. However, she soon came across some negative comments about herself. In summary, they accused her of having too many resources, claiming she must have obtained them by sleeping her way to the top. They also said that if she secured a debut spot in the girl group, it would only be because she had connections and was shamelessly stealing opportunities from others.

Reading these comments did dampen her soaring spirits slightly, but more than anything, she found it amusing.

She knew exactly where these negative remarks came from. Those people wished they could clip her wings, but in the end, they would only watch her soar higher and higher.

She would never let such vague and baseless accusations defeat her.

When they returned to the Ru residence, they spotted An’an standing at the entrance from afar, quietly waiting for them. A man stood beside her, seemingly talking to her incessantly, but the little girl acted as if she hadn’t heard a word, showing no reaction at all.

However, Shi Nuocen’s sharp eyes noticed An’an trembling, her gaze repeatedly darting toward a large tree as if she wanted to hide behind it. For some reason, though, she was forcing herself to stay put, silently enduring everything.

Seeing the little girl like this, Shi Nuocen felt a fire ignite within her. Before the car had even come to a complete stop, she flung the door open, rushed out, scooped An’an into her arms, and shielded her from the man’s incessant pestering.

Her sudden movement seemed to startle the man. After quickly composing himself, he looked her up and down and said, “You’re Xi Cheng’s assistant, right? I’m not a bad person I was just chatting with An’an.”

Shi Nuocen didn’t refute her assistant’s words either. Instead, she angrily said to the man, “An’an has been trembling, can’t you see that?”

The man choked back his words. Of course, he had noticed, but he claimed he hadn’t paid attention. He admitted he had been too hasty, but after pursuing Ru Xi Cheng for so long without any progress, this reality was deeply frustrating for a young master from a wealthy family like him.

He thought that since Ru Xi Cheng adored her little niece so much, it would be better to focus his efforts on An’an. Yet this little girl was just as unyielding and seemed particularly afraid of him. Today, he had seized the rare opportunity when she didn’t avoid him to talk to her a bit more.

Who would have thought that this “Cheng Yaojin” would suddenly appear out of nowhere?

However, as Shi Nuocen held An’an and took a few steps forward, standing fully under the light, the man realized she was extraordinarily beautiful. She didn’t look like an assistant but more like a celebrity. Yet, he was familiar with most actresses, from A-list to C-list, and he was certain he had never seen a face like hers.

Just as he was about to ask who she was, he caught sight of Ru Xi Cheng approaching from the corner of his eye. “Mr. Lei, what brings you to my home so late?”

Hearing the surname, Shi Nuocen immediately understood. This was the “Uncle Lei” An’an had mentioned.

She glanced at the man’s appearance. He was dressed exquisitely, but his earlier attitude toward An’an spoke volumes about his character.

Facing Ru Xi Cheng’s question, the man curved his lips into a smile. “I was thinking I hadn’t seen you for a few days and decided to try my luck. It seems my luck isn’t too bad.”

Ru Xi Cheng glanced at An’an, her pretty face cold and stern. “Mr. Lei, I believe you’ve seriously disrupted my life. I hope you won’t disturb me unnecessarily in the future.”

Her words were harsh, and the man’s expression darkened. “Xi Cheng, that’s going too far. At least save some face for me in front of outsiders.”

But Ru Xi Cheng replied, “To me, you are the outsider.”

Shi Nuocen couldn’t help but curl her lips in a silent laugh. She gently squeezed An’an’s little hand and mouthed, “We’re the insiders, you know.”

An’an smiled too. In Sister Cen’s arms, she always felt completely safe.