{“I heard you also have a girlfriend in the states…” 2}

Shen Qi briefly closed his eyes, seeing through the intentions of those around him with complete clarity. To be honest, he didn’t mind it much. Watching someone who once abandoned him now pleading for his mercy out of necessity—this was, without a doubt, an immensely satisfying thing.

In the shifting tides of fortune, he now firmly held the upper hand among this group, with full control of the conversation. He was quite intrigued to see her performance, curious to witness how she would feign a love that had long since faded but could still be voiced.

“If we invite Miss Cheng next time,” Gu Wei ventured, probing directly to avoid any further uncertainty about Shen Qi’s unpredictable demeanor tonight, “you wouldn’t mind, would you?”

“I wouldn’t.”

Shen Qi seemed to reveal a weakness, but only he knew just how cold and rational he was. The words were spoken with utter indifference.

He was curious—curious to see how far the once-proud Cheng Shuangyi would lower herself. More than any interest in Cheng Shuangyi, he was curious about himself—whether he still harbored any lingering fantasies about her.

The once-burning desire for revenge had been dormant for so long, but now, with the slightest provocation, it flickered back to life.

However, he didn’t need to express anything outright.

Shen Qi was confident that, in due time, with the help of those who had a vested interest, Cheng Shuangyi would willingly place herself before him.

–

“What?”

“Shen Qi didn’t come to see me in person?”

Cheng Shuangyi playfully complained about Shen Qi’s indifference over the phone to her friend, but the other woman remained unfazed. “Oh, why be so hung up on formalities? The Qing Dynasty’s been gone for ages. What’s wrong with taking the initiative yourself?”

Her friend clearly understood the situation well. “If you ask me, the only person Shen Qi truly holds dear is you, Cheng Shuangyi.”

“But some things naturally require the man to take the lead.” Cheng Shuangyi’s words were full of pride, as if she was not lamenting but rather subtly showing off.

Her friend easily caught on to Cheng Shuangyi’s underlying meaning. Though she had started the conversation, prompted by her own boyfriend’s meddling, her tone softened immediately before someone as haughty as Cheng Shuangyi. “Well then, Miss Cheng, you can just wait for your old flame to come to you.”

Cheng Shuangyi let out a soft sigh, but her heart wasn’t really in it.

She sat on the edge of the terrace, painting her toenails in a fresh, vibrant color.

She appeared indifferent. “What can I say, Men!”

Yet today, even Cheng Shuangyi thought she could remain completely unbothered. Even if Shen Qi didn’t come to meet her in person, orchestrating a seemingly chance encounter was something she could manage effortlessly.

She thought back to the days three years ago, remembering the overwhelming love in Shen Qi’s eyes and the obsessive way he stormed into the airport without regard for the cost.

Cheng Shuangyi always believed that she was the exception, the one and only exception in Shen Qi’s life.

At that moment, her friend suddenly and cryptically brought up those two children.

With this new realization, Cheng Shuangyi quickly came up with a new plan. Why bother orchestrating an awkward “chance encounter” when the children could easily make everything fall into place?

“But what if those two kids reject you?” her friend hesitated.

Even Cheng Shuangyi’s closest friend, Xia Peiyun, believed that when it came to spending time with the children, Cheng was at a disadvantage. After all, she’d been absent for so long—perhaps even more so than Shen Qi’s rumored ex-girlfriend.

Cheng Shuangyi was dismissive. “They’re just kids. They’re easy to win over.”

“There’s no comparing a biological mother with a stepmother,” Cheng rolled her eyes on the terrace, clearly unimpressed with her friend’s concerns. “Besides, I trust that my children, being mine, have enough sense to tell the difference between their real mother and a nanny.”

“You’re absolutely right,” her friend continued to flatter her.

Feeling slightly more satisfied, Cheng finally remembered the two children she’d left behind in the U.S. But looking back on the carefree and indulgent years she’d spent, she had no regrets.

“I’m hanging up,” she said.

Cheng’s expression turned languid, tired of the endless flattery.

For now, she decided it was probably time to see her children again.