Chapter 9: Can You Forgive Him?

AS Group deleting the statement caused a brief stir and made it to the bottom of the trending list. Not many people were actively discussing it anymore; the heat had already died down.

Still, someone raised a tentative, “Could this Lu Hui really be the one President Xie publicly acknowledged before?”

But that thought was immediately shot down—“No way. If it were really her, why would they make such a big deal out of the statement in the first place?”

“I feel like maybe it really was a mistake by their staff. There’s like an 80% chance Lu Hui is the fiancée Xie publicly admitted to.”
“Yeah, yeah, I think so too.”
“Is this company okay in the head? Playing games with us? When they released that statement I thought we were heading to court. Now it’s gone in just a few days? Does such a big company not care about saving face?”
“Some of the minor celebs who jumped on the hate train before are actually from Xingchen Entertainment. They basically mocked their future boss’s fiancée—wonder how they’re feeling now.”

The answer: not great. These social climbers knew how to read the room. Back then they figured Lu Hui was just a shameless clout-chaser and wouldn’t go far.

Now that they weren’t so sure what was going on, they regretted being so impulsive and were scrambling to delete their old snide remarks from when they were happily eating popcorn on the sidelines.

Lin Tong had never seen anything like this since entering the industry. Even the snobbish peers were now taking down posts where they’d kicked someone while they were down. He clicked his tongue in amazement, “Huihui, you don’t really know Xie Ran, do you?”

The two of them were worlds apart—no apparent connection at all.

Lu Hui tightened her thick coat and exhaled white puffs of air as she said, “I do.”

Lin Tong flicked the ash from his cigarette. “You’re seriously his fiancée?”

Lu Hui denied it immediately, “Why would you curse me like that?”

Lin Tong: “…”

He rolled his eyes so hard it almost got stuck. “How is that a curse? That’s a good thing! People lining up to marry Xie Ran could stretch from the Forbidden City to the West Train Station!”

Lu Hui slumped in the backseat of the taxi with a gloomy expression. “Whoever wants to marry him can go ahead. I’ll never have anything to do with him again in this lifetime.”

Lin Tong, self-proclaimed love guru, instantly read between the lines. His voice was firm: “He treated you like trash before, and now he regrets it and wants to win you back.”

Lu Hui: “?”

Lu Hui: “Don’t insult me.”

Lin Tong’s curiosity was killing him, but no matter how he tried, he couldn’t get a single bit of gossip out of her. Switching topics, he brought up business. “Don’t forget to post on Weibo tonight.”

Lu Hui asked seriously, “Do I even have fans?”

Lin Tong said proudly, “Of course! I bought you 500K fans, and now you’ve got 550K!”

Lu Hui said she got it. Then completely forgot about it once she got home.

Lin Tong, having predicted this, sent her two WeChat voice messages hounding her to go online and post something.

Lu Hui gave in to her wild side and posted three selfies on Weibo: “I’m so pretty (▽).”

Fresh, natural, and completely shameless in her narcissism—leaving everyone speechless.

Right after posting, she logged off again without reading a single comment.

By the time she got home, it was already late. The lights in the Sheng house were still on, but there weren’t many people left in the living room.

She hadn’t eaten dinner, and no one had saved her any food. Even the housekeeper had clocked out.

Her stomach rumbled a little. Rubbing her flat belly, Lu Hui decided to cook herself a bowl of noodles.

In the kitchen, she turned on the stove with practiced ease, boiled some water, put on the lid, chopped up green onions from the fridge, and prepared the seasonings in a bowl.

Once the water boiled, she dropped in two servings of noodles—one wasn’t enough.

The beef noodle aroma filled the kitchen. Just as she was about to sit down, Sheng Zhaoming came down the stairs. She hadn’t heard a thing—he was wearing soft cotton slippers, walking like a ghost.

He frowned. “Do you know what time it is?”

Lu Hui ignored him and slurped up a mouthful of noodles.

The man sat in the chair across from her, eyes half-closed as he looked at her lazily. He parted his thin lips, seemingly displeased. “It’s almost ten o’clock. The noise you were making in the kitchen seriously disturbed my sleep.”

Lu Hui lowered her head and sipped her hot soup. After ignoring the man for several minutes, she finally raised her head, tilting up her pale face. “Are you aging prematurely?”

Sheng Zhaoming’s teeth itched with irritation. He raised his hand, only to suppress the urge and slowly lower it again.

Lu Hui could sense that he seemed quite angry, but she honestly couldn’t figure out what he was mad about. What could be so disruptive about her cooking some noodles? It’s not like she was drilling holes by his ear.

If such a tiny noise was enough to wake him from sleep, wasn’t that premature aging?

Sheng Zhaoming was wearing pajamas and lounging around with messy hair, looking listless and grumpy. He used to scare Lu Hui with just a look, but not anymore.

Lu Hui had almost finished her noodles, only a bit of broth left.

When she looked up again, Sheng Zhaoming was still staring at her intently.

Lu Hui wiped her mouth, then looked at him with a complex expression. “Brother, I know a few reputable doctors. I’ll send you their WeChat contacts later. Add them. It’s nothing serious—just treat it and you’ll be fine.”

She said it with complete seriousness, but to Sheng Zhaoming, it sounded full of mockery.

He stood up coldly. “The Sheng family has rules. We don’t accommodate latecomers.”

Lu Hui gave a casual “Oh,” then said, “But my last name is Lu.”

That really got under Sheng Zhaoming’s skin. He was practically fuming. Lu Hui’s ability to push his buttons had grown quite a bit recently.

Lu Hui, of course, knew all about the Sheng family’s rules. Back in high school, she’d be starving after evening classes but never dared sneak into the kitchen for food. She was timid and afraid of crossing any lines or upsetting anyone.

She had almost never overstepped.

Now full and in a better mood, she added, “Brother, if your sleep quality is really that bad, maybe you should take some sleeping pills. Pop one every time you wake up—it’ll guarantee you a good night’s sleep.”

Sheng Zhaoming was so caught off guard, he had no comeback.

Lu Hui stood up straight, still not understanding why Sheng Zhaoming was micromanaging even the smallest things now. This wasn’t like him.

He might not have liked her before, but he mostly ignored her—kept his distance. He’d never been the type to make sharp-tongued comments just to hurt her.

Lu Hui couldn’t be bothered to figure out what was going on in his head. She went upstairs to sleep, full and content.

In truth, Sheng Zhaoming hadn’t even been asleep. So there was no such thing as her waking him up.

He had just come downstairs to get some water and happened to catch her eating dinner.

It had been a long time since he’d tasted Lu Hui’s cooking. The noodles smelled genuinely delicious, stirring up his hunger.

Since she’d returned, she hadn’t stepped into the kitchen once. And now here she was, eating all by herself and clearly enjoying it—it only made his foul mood worse.

Sheng Zhaoming said, “Well, I can’t sleep now anyway. Make me a bowl too.”

Lu Hui replied, “There are ingredients in the fridge. Make it yourself, I’m a bit tired.”

Sheng Zhaoming ground his teeth and spat out, “Fine.”

—

The next morning, the Sheng family’s breakfast table was unusually full, with all five members present.

Sheng Weicai instructed Sheng Zhaoming to take his two younger sisters to Old Master Cen’s birthday banquet this Saturday evening. Several of the Cen family members held high-ranking positions, and they had always maintained a good relationship with the Shengs.

This banquet wasn’t open to just anyone.

Sheng Zhaoming agreed without hesitation, his gaze circling Lu Hui’s face a couple of times. He had already made up his mind—not to bring her.

She was just an unofficial stepdaughter. Taking her would be inappropriate.

The banquet would be filled with outstanding young men from prominent families. Given Lu Hui’s current personality, who knew if she’d pull something crazy? Just to be safe, he wouldn’t take her.

As soon as Sheng Weicai left, Sheng Zhaoming told Lu Hui the truth. “You don’t need to prepare a gown for Saturday. I’m only bringing Lianlian.”

He softened his tone a little after some thought. “There are limited spots. I don’t have a choice. Don’t think I’m playing favorites.”

Lu Hui didn’t care either way.

To her, these kinds of elite gatherings were full of pointless rules and exhausting expectations—not worth it at all.

“Okay.”

In the freezing weather, Sheng Zhaoming was filled with a restless irritability. And Lu Hui’s calm obedience only made it worse.

Was she putting on an act again?

Did she no longer want to marry rich?

Didn’t she used to get jealous?

Sheng Zhaoming stood up with a cold face. “I’m leaving.”

Lu Hui didn’t see him out.

—

When Xu Qin found out that Sheng Zhaoming didn’t plan to take Lu Hui to the Cen family’s banquet, she jabbed Lu Hui hard on the forehead and scolded her. Said she was useless, letting such a golden opportunity go to waste.

Lu Hui sneered, “And what would I go for?”

“There’s not a single ordinary person at that banquet! You could pick any one of them and marry rich for life!”

Lu Hui didn’t see it that way. In her eyes, they were picky and arrogant, basically all like Sheng Zhaoming—completely insufferable.

“I’m not going. If you have dreams of marrying into wealth, feel free to go yourself.”

“Are you trying to piss me off on purpose?!”

“No.”

Xu Qin had already realized she couldn’t control her daughter anymore. Lu Hui barely listened to anything she said.

—

Unfortunately, on the day of the Cen family banquet, Sheng Lian got sick and had to be taken to the hospital for an IV drip. Sheng Zhaoming had no choice but to bring Lu Hui along.

He gave her a heads-up in advance and told her to pick out a nice dress.

But when he drove over to pick her up, she was still wearing her usual clothes, and his face darkened.

“Where’s your dress?”

Lu Hui shrugged. “I don’t have money.”

Sheng Zhaoming seized the opportunity. “Not so capable after all, huh?”

She’d been a celebrity for over half a year and still couldn’t afford a dress?

Lu Hui didn’t feel the least bit ashamed. All her savings had gone toward her medical treatment.

Now, even being poor came with a sense of justified pride.

The two of them returned home briefly. Lu Hui changed into a halter dress that exposed her lower back, her pale, delicate shoulders draped with a fox-fur shawl. Her skin was smooth and fair like jade, her waist slender and white. The well-fitted dress outlined about seventy to eighty percent of her figure. Loose black curls lazily cascaded down her back, and a light touch of makeup was enough to reveal her full beauty.

She had just bought this dress online for a little over two hundred yuan and had only worn it twice.

This time, thinking it appropriate, she picked it out again.

Sheng Zhaoming took one look at her outfit and felt certain she had ulterior motives for the evening.

As expected—she couldn’t sit still!

He made up a whole irritating scenario in his head and kept warning her before they left for the banquet: “Behave yourself tonight.”

Lu Hui shamelessly replied, “It’s not my fault I look this good.”

Sheng Zhaoming closed his eyes. A few seconds later, he opened them again, now calm. “Heh.”

Though they were siblings in name, the moment they entered the Cen family’s old estate, they went their separate ways.

Lu Hui’s awkward status made her a non-factor in these kinds of social gatherings. No one would waste time on an unloved foster daughter. Still, her appearance did draw the eyes of a few attendees.

She carried herself with grace, no less elegant than any socialite. She was quiet, spoke little, and lacked the off-putting airs of someone trying to climb socially. This didn’t quite match the rumors about her.

The girls, with sharper eyes, scrutinized her thoroughly. A beautiful girl would always draw jealousy.

“That dress she’s wearing is a cheap knockoff from Taobao.”

“Her bag is off-brand too.”

“Nothing on her is worth a dime.”

“What a waste of a face.”

They weren’t wrong—Lu Hui had thrown on the dress casually. Her jewelry and bag were just basic fast-fashion pieces.

But Lu Hui had no shame and wasn’t afraid of awkwardness. Catching those who were bad-mouthing her behind her back, she smiled sweetly. “Not a waste. I’m just troubled that even in knockoffs, I still look better than people in designer brands. Those men are burning me with their stares.”

She added dramatically, “Ah, it hurts so much.”

The rich girls, who still cared about saving face, couldn’t take her jabs. Blushing and flustered, they shuffled away.

What an embarrassment! What kind of creature was Lu Hui? She tore down the pretense without hesitation, dragging all of them down with her!

Lu Hui took a small sip of wine, quietly satisfied.

A few meters away, a man stood half-hidden in the shadows, the oppressive feeling he radiated creeping up her spine.

She turned and saw Xie Ran.

He stepped forward, walking slowly toward her. His brows furrowed slightly, his stern face tinged with a deep, unreadable intensity. But the coldness he carried melted into gentleness once he was close to her.

Xie Ran had only come because he knew she’d be here.

He had seen those women criticizing her outfit—her small, delicate figure retreating into the shadows, bullied and saying nothing, looking pitiful.

He hadn’t realized that even here, she could be treated so badly.

His heart ached again. Was the Sheng family not treating her well? Why did she always seem so pitiful no matter where she went?

Xie Ran had wanted to step in, but it looked like she’d learned how to protect herself.

His eyes stung. He called her softly, “Huihui…”

Lu Hui cut him off. Again, she said she didn’t know him.

That cruel statement echoed in his mind. He asked himself—could she forgive him just once?

He opened his mouth, but the words lodged in his throat, stuck fast and unspoken.

Xie Ran said cautiously, “Huihui, can I take you shopping for clothes?”

That way, they wouldn’t be able to laugh at her again.

He wouldn’t give anyone else the chance to bully her again.