{“Didn’t Qian Xu agree with this?” 3}

But Xu Jun was also very clear in her heart that if the connections she represented couldn’t offer Ji Shifeng any help, then their divorce would be far from imminent.

That’s why she didn’t hesitate to stir things up at the banquet, aiming to show everyone how solid her friendship with Cheng Shuangyi was.

However, these obvious displays meant nothing.

Cheng Shuangyi had not changed one bit over the years—she would always only consider her own feelings.

—

Although Cheng Shuangyi outwardly claimed to be “unconcerned,” she couldn’t help but feel a bit of distaste toward the two children. They came to find her, making a scene and disrupting her sleep, and she had to endure it. Yet, they were just ignorant, foolish kids, unable to distinguish between relationships and positions, and couldn’t figure out their own stances—

That’s why they went running to Qian Xu.

As for why they suddenly turned to Qian Xu, Cheng Shuangyi had no idea at first, but after opening a variety show channel on a video website, everything became clear to her.

Was this because they couldn’t find her and had to settle for Qian Xu?

Fine.

She now felt that she had been too harsh in her judgment before.

She could understand it, but she didn’t want to understand—

Cheng Shuangyi felt that the children were like insatiable monsters, driven by so-called curiosity. Under the guise of growing up, they always wanted everything without paying a price.

But now, it seemed like she didn’t have a reason to refuse.

Before, she didn’t want to participate in these variety shows because they seemed too lowbrow and involved random draws for room assignments—she couldn’t care less about those.

However, with the way things had shifted, she couldn’t just watch someone else take the opportunity she had worked so hard to get, handing it over to another woman.

She thought, maybe she should just participate.

She really didn’t want to deal with the hard work, but at most, she could just play the role of a “bad mom” on the show. Creating a public persona wasn’t difficult these days, and it might even be beneficial for her.

She remembered how her uncle’s family had pressured her about pocket money recently.

Cheng Shuangyi’s brow instinctively furrowed.

She dialed a contact in the entertainment industry, someone who was none other than her brother Cheng Shuyu, whom she was planning to push into the spotlight.

Cheng Shuangyi didn’t beat around the bush with her brother. She got straight to the point: “My dear brother, I’ve been thinking about entering the entertainment industry myself. What do you think?”

“Sis, seriously?” Cheng Shuyu’s voice was filled with resistance. “Aren’t you worried that all your past boyfriends will be dug up? Your black history will be completely exposed?”

“Just them? Do they even have the right?”

Cheng Shuyu reminded his sister, “I know Brother Qi has some influence, but you two have been over for years. Do you really think he’ll be on your side?”

Cheng Shuangyi arrogantly retorted, “Why not?”

“Fine, do what you want, but just don’t make a fool of yourself,” Cheng Shuyu seemed to be preparing for another meeting, reminding her again while getting his makeup done, “If you want to build a persona, don’t do it at the expense of the kids.”

—

It was probably the same woman who used her past hardships to take revenge, relying on past struggles to destroy the fragile relationship that Cheng Shuangyi had just managed to repair with Shen Qi.

She was clearly anxious inside, but that didn’t stop Cheng Shuangyi from maintaining a lazy demeanor when talking to her best friend. There was no hint of confusion in her tone, “I understand.”

Of course, Xu Jun’s intention was never just to vent about her quarrel with Qian Xu or to get the upper hand; it was more about planning for herself.

“You know that our Ah Ji really needs an opportunity to collaborate with Mr. Shen,” Xu Jun said in a vague and polite manner, always subtly revealing her careful schemes. She didn’t have a career of her own and had always relied on her boyfriend from school. Unfortunately, her boyfriend lacked the drive and charisma of someone like Shen Qi, so she had no choice but to cozy up to Cheng Shuangyi. “And by the way, I’m her best friend—the woman Mr. Shen loves most.”

But Cheng Shuangyi wasn’t buying it.

“I think your friend still hasn’t fully reconciled with the person she’s supposed to get back with. As her close friend, you should know better than to bring up such things at the wrong time.”