In Shang Xinglu’s eyes, Shang Xingyu was the typical “problem child,” the kind who would only behave for three days before being as mischievous as ever.

She couldn’t predict how long this “discipline” would last, though.

But it didn’t matter, the mere “problem” of a Shang Xingyu…

She could squash him anytime!

No big deal.

After making sure her younger brother had enough allowance for the next month, Shang Xinglu went out to have a meal with some employees from Yunshi.

She had gotten along quite well with the Yunshi team over the past few days.

This time, while taking the elevator, she happened to run into Manager Yang, and they exchanged friendly greetings.

Ever since that meeting, Manager Yang had finally realized that Shang’s eldest daughter wasn’t just about beauty, makeup, and petty drama; she had some real talent to match her golden academic credentials.

He had also seen that she didn’t boss people around unnecessarily and was quite polite at work, so he no longer felt the need to challenge her.

Shang Xinglu took the initiative to ask him, “Manager Yang, are you eating? Why don’t we go together?”

Manager Yang glanced at the group of “ladies” surrounding her.

The female employees seemed to have some kind of special bond with her, always flocking around Shang Xinglu.

Manager Yang said, “I think I’ll pass. You young ones go ahead, I’ll just eat in the canteen.”

He took a second look at the ladies and realized they were always the same batch of women from the Finance Department.

Manager Yang was a bit puzzled.

What exactly was this young lady trying to do?

Just as he thought about it, but before he could ask, Shang Xinglu, on her way out of the elevator, casually said, “Well, I don’t really have friends at home, so it’s nice that the office is near the Finance Department. The ladies here are so kind to me. I’m not sure if the other women at Yunshi are as friendly though…”

Ah, so it was just because the office was nearby.

Manager Yang answered casually, “They’re all nice. You’ll get used to it after a while.”

Just then, the elevator reached the cafeteria floor, and Manager Yang got off.

Shang Xinglu simply smiled.

The most anticipated event of the month was just around the corner, and Shang Xinglu felt both excited and a bit overwhelmed—though it was more of a forced situation.

First of all, she had to work diligently every day.

Although she wasn’t really doing anything meaningful, her time was still occupied.

Especially since she had to maintain her extravagant, carefree persona in front of Lin Heng.

At that moment, Shang Xinglu, who used to be an ordinary citizen (read: poor), truly realized that luxury and indulgence also took up a lot of time.

Especially since her group of “snake spirit” friends were all masters at enjoying life, each one better at wasting time than the last.

While Shang Xinglu was balancing work and pleasure, she felt like she could never get enough energy.

Moreover, Lin Heng’s father—her father-in-law—was about to celebrate his sixtieth birthday, and many prominent figures were going to attend.

This was an important event, and while she was going there with a more playful attitude, she still couldn’t show up looking like a carefree pig. She needed to look glamorous and avoid embarrassing the Lin family.

Luxury indulgence required time.

Even skincare and beauty routines demanded plenty of attention!!!

And on top of that, she was still thinking about the Yunshi situation.

She finally understood how it felt to be the top student who pretended to be a failure…

…Being in character was really tiring!

Shang Xinglu felt exhausted.

But the days flew by. She worked during the day, hung out with her sisters at night, and on weekends, she would chat with Xiao Xiao at the Huolong Company, shop around, and indulge in luxury. The winds of enjoyment were sweeping over the poor soil of her previous life, and Shang Xinglu felt like a sprout growing in an overly rich nutrient solution—enjoying it but also feeling a bit tortured.

She had always just wanted to be a pig, eating and sleeping all day.

Just a few days before Lin Heng’s father’s banquet, Shang Xinglu decided to take a break from work that afternoon and, along with Xue Shaoying and Shi Rui, went for a hair treatment and spa.

While they were together, the conversation flowed easily.

Thirty percent of the talk was about family matters, another thirty percent was about fashion and beauty, another thirty percent was gossip, and the remaining ten percent covered other things.

From their conversations, Shang Xinglu could fully peek into the life of a wealthy woman, and some parts she had to deduce herself.

Though she didn’t fully understand it, she wasn’t bored by it, because it helped her keep her “character” intact!

That day, while sitting next to each other, they started gossiping.

Shi Rui spoke first, “Hey, did you guys hear that Shen Wang seems to have a thing for Yin Yao?”

Shang Xinglu’s antennae immediately perked up.

She had heard the female protagonist’s name.

Xue Shaoying asked, “What? Where did you hear that from?”

Shi Rui explained, “It’s because Yin Yao’s grandfather just passed away. The families are splitting up their assets, and it’s been a big mess. Yin Yao has started working at the family company, and it seems like her uncle tried to sabotage her, causing her to lose a batch of goods. She should have been held responsible, but Shen Wang helped her out!”

A man helping a woman?

Oh no, to expand on that—a single man helping an unmarried woman…

That was definitely something worth looking into for Shi Rui.

As she said that, Shi Rui glanced at Shang Xinglu and held her gaze for a long time, her eyes full of meaning.

Shang Xinglu froze for a moment.

She wasn’t sure what the “meaning” behind that look was.

…Could it be that she had revealed that she thought Yin Yao’s smile was charming?

Xue Shaoying interrupted, “Helping her doesn’t really mean anything, though. Louise once saved a stray dog on a whim—does that mean he likes stray dogs?”

Shang Xinglu stammered, “No… that… well…”

Actually, she really did like Wang Cai.

Shi Rui pressed on, “No, but there’s more. Lately, both you and Louise have been so busy. You missed the last gathering, but if you had come, you would have seen how Shen Wang looks at Yin Yao. His attitude is completely different.”

Shi Rui and Xue Shaoying went on to describe in detail how Shen Wang’s demeanor had changed, telling the story with dramatic flair, making it sound like something out of a suspenseful novel.

This topic left Shang Xinglu unable to interject.

However, the more she heard about Shen Wang’s name, the more something felt off.

She remembered the last time at the party, when they played a video of a two-year-old girl’s birthday greeting, and that girl was Shen Wang’s niece.

Their “Glamorous and Trashy Group” had a wide circle of friends and gossip topics.

Whenever they mentioned someone, they would usually give a background introduction so everyone would be on the same page.

But Shen Wang didn’t get that treatment. It was as if they expected everyone in the “Glamorous and Trashy Group” to know exactly who he was without needing any introduction.

…Who exactly is he?!

To be honest, the original novel was 600,000 words long.

Although she remembered it clearly when she first transmigrated, she hadn’t reviewed it in almost a month, so now she couldn’t remember the more detailed parts.

Shen Wang… Shen Wang…

Louise repeated the name a few times in her mind.

It seemed… familiar, but she just couldn’t recall it!

She had that feeling when something was on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t quite organize her thoughts to express it.

Xue Shaoying and Shi Rui kept mentioning Shen Wang and Yin Yao in their conversation.

Louise put these two names together in her mind, and the more she repeated them, the more they seemed to make sense.

Suddenly, it hit her like a lightning strike!

Shang Xinglu froze, unable to believe it.

How could she have forgotten this?!

Shen Wang—wasn’t he the male protagonist of “Exclusive Love: The CEO’s Starry-eyed Little Wife”?!

Shang Xinglu: …………

Why didn’t I remember the male lead’s name?

But I still remember the ridiculous title of the book?

I can’t possibly be this ridiculous!

It didn’t take long for her to figure out who was to blame.

The Shen family had an old tradition, and based on the generational ranking, Shen Wang was second, so he was referred to as “Second Young Master Shen.”

The “Second Young Master” character appeared often in the novel.

Everywhere she read, it was always “Second, second, second.”

There were so many “seconds” that she just thought of him as the “ridiculous male lead” while reading.

And now…

…Of course, the blame isn’t on Louise—it’s on the ridiculous male lead!

“…Louise, you’ve been quiet since earlier. What’s with that expression? Are you still bothered by it?” Xue Shaoying said in surprise.

Then she sternly turned to Shi Rui, saying, “I told you not to bring it up, but you just had to. Now look what’s happened.”

Shi Rui muttered in a small voice, “How was I supposed to know Louise still cares… It’s been so long…”

Louise: ????

Meow meow meow?

What past? What hasn’t passed?

She was completely confused now.

She was certain this wasn’t her forgotten mistake.

To probe for more information, Shang Xinglu couldn’t help but go along with their conversation, saying, “I’m not bothered, though…”

“Don’t hide it. What are you trying to hide from us? With that little issue of yours, how could we not know?” Xue Shaoying responded with a knowing look.

Louise innocently said, “I really don’t mind…”

That’s right. What she was using here was the well-known move—“retreat to advance!”

“Sigh.” Xue Shaoying sighed. “Stop pretending. After all this time, you still haven’t told us how you and Shen Wang broke up. How could you have moved on from it?”

Shang Xinglu kept her face calm, but inside, she was thinking: What the f*ck?!

What? Me and the ridiculous male lead??

Shi Rui: “Exactly, exactly. Why don’t you tell us how you and Shen Wang broke up? Then we’ll believe you when you say you don’t care.”

Shang Xinglu: …

She couldn’t say anything.

Because I want to know more than you do!!!

Shi Rui: “See! You still won’t say.”

Xue Shaoying advised, “I heard from Rui Rui that Shen Wang seems to have an interest in Yin Yao. And you’re already married to Lin Heng, so the past should be left behind.”

Louise: ………

No, no way!

It can’t be left behind!!!

Who the hell is going to explain the ridiculous drama behind all of this to me?!

Amid their concern and probing looks, Shang Xinglu could only say, “Hmm, there really isn’t anything to it.”

She wanted to shout, but had to play the role of a graceful lady, suffering inside.

At this moment, Shi Rui, like a missile after the atomic bomb had already leveled the target, was now aiming to bombard it again to ensure no one survived.

Shi Rui said with a little envy, “Wasn’t it after you dropped out of your freshman year and applied to Cambridge’s St. John’s College? I remember you told us you met Shen Wang at that famous May Ball. It was so romantic, like something out of a romance novel. I thought for sure you two would get married, but then you turned around and married Lin Heng.”

“Ah, but whether it was Lin Heng or Shen Wang, both are really enviable! Look at my own…”

Louise: ………………

I can’t take this anymore.

She quickly went to wash her hands, unsure if she could touch her former golden student’s now-gilded diploma as a wealthy, beautiful, and successful lady.