Then she hung up the phone, and Shen Mingyou couldn’t reach her again after that.

Shen Mingyou was very upset at the time. She had always been the one to take the initiative, while Lin Jing would passively accept it. Shen Mingyou thought they were best friends and was used to sharing everything with Lin Jing, believing she didn’t mind. If Lin Jing showed any discomfort, Shen Mingyou would naturally adjust and change over time.

But Lin Jing ended their friendship abruptly, not giving Shen Mingyou any time to adapt.

Shen Mingyou felt both angry and sad. After trying to call Lin Jing without success, she gave up. Just as Lin Jing had said, they stopped talking completely, treating each other like strangers.

She never expected Lin Jing to reach out again because of Tang Qian.

She also never thought Lin Jing would offer help.

It seemed like Lin Jing wanted to reconcile, but Shen Mingyou didn’t know how to respond.

“Mingyou, I’m sorry,” Lin Jing said, apologizing for something long overdue.

“Why are you apologizing?” Shen Mingyou was surprised. Although she didn’t know why Lin Jing was suddenly apologizing, hearing it still made her happy.

Lin Jing took a big sip of wine. “I owe you this.”

Lin Jing had never had close friends. Her family sent her abroad at a young age, and she got used to being alone. She never felt like she needed friends.

But meeting Shen Mingyou made her realize how nice it was to have one.

At first, she thought Shen Mingyou was just an annoying little girl. Shen Mingyou never seemed to notice her coldness and didn’t care about her rejection. Like a frog in boiling water, Lin Jing gradually got used to Shen Mingyou’s presence.

For the first time, Lin Jing realized that having a friend made her feel less lonely.

Lin Jing was quiet, but Shen Mingyou was different. Shen Mingyou loved chatting, was friendly with everyone, and made friends easily.

During their time abroad, Lin Jing was grateful that Shen Mingyou stayed by her side. She thought they would always be friends.

She never imagined they would drift apart.

The Lin family was wealthy for generations but rotten at its core. For the sake of money and power, many family members acted like lunatics.

Including Lin Jing.

Lin Jing grew up in this environment and saw their true faces from a young age. At 18, her father indirectly caused her mother’s death over a property dispute. Even though her mother never really cared for her, she left everything to Lin Jing in her will: shares of the Lin Group and all her property.

At 18, Lin Jing became the target of the entire Lin family, who all wanted her inheritance.

But Lin Jing wasn’t going to let them take what was rightfully hers.

The Lin family became vicious. They began to investigate Lin Jing’s life abroad, trying to use anyone she cared about against her.

Besides her mother, the only person Lin Jing cared about was Shen Mingyou.

Lin Jing didn’t want Shen Mingyou to get hurt because of her. Although Shen Mingyou had her father and brother, she was still just a young girl like Lin Jing.

At the time, they were both too young and too powerless. The only solution Lin Jing could think of was to distance herself from Shen Mingyou so the Lin family wouldn’t target her.

Years later, Lin Jing had gained control of the Lin family, but the guilt she felt toward Shen Mingyou never went away.

Now, she could finally offer the apology that had been long overdue.

Lin Jing said, “Mingyou, you have so many friends. Losing me probably wasn’t a big deal to you. But you were my only friend, and losing you was like losing everything.”

Shen Mingyou drank her wine. Everything Lin Jing was saying described a world Shen Mingyou had never known. Maybe Lin Jing thought she was protecting her, but Shen Mingyou didn’t agree with how she handled it as a friend.

“I do have other friends, but you know you were my best friend and the one I cared about most.” Feeling tipsy, Shen Mingyou asked, “What made you think losing you didn’t matter to me?”

Who could know how hurt Shen Mingyou had been at the time? After this, she became more guarded in her friendships and relationships, afraid of getting hurt again.

Lin Jing fell silent after hearing Shen Mingyou’s words. After a long pause, all she could say was, “I’m sorry.”

When Jiang Chen and Tang Qian arrived, both of them were drunk. Lin Jing could hold her liquor well, but Shen Mingyou was completely passed out.

“Why did they drink so much?” Tang Qian glanced at the bottles. “They’ll have terrible headaches tomorrow.”

He helped Lin Jing up. “Boss Jiang, I’ll take Boss Lin home. I’ll leave Shen to you.”

Jiang Chen knew that Tang Qian was Lin Jing’s boyfriend, so he nodded.

Tang Qian helped Lin Jing into the car and gave her a sip of water. Seeing that she seemed more awake, he asked, “Didn’t you say that Shen Mingyou and Jiang Chen were in an arranged marriage? But they seem to have a good relationship.”

Lin Jing rubbed her forehead. This was the drunkest she had been in years, and her head was pounding.

Hearing Tang Qian’s question, Lin Jing reacted slowly.

In her opinion, Shen Mingyou’s agreement to the marriage was just an excuse.

For a woman like Shen Mingyou, who inherited enough wealth to last a lifetime and didn’t need to please anyone, there was no reason for her to agree to an arranged marriage.

If Shen Mingyou had a close relationship with the Zhao family, it might make sense, but their relationship was just average. She wouldn’t sacrifice her happiness for them.

With Shen Mingyou’s personality, no one could force her to do anything she didn’t want.

Lin Jing, normally cold and quiet, rarely spoke much. When she was with Tang Qian, it was usually him doing most of the talking.

Now, drunk, she thought she was just thinking these things to herself, not realizing she had said them aloud.

Tang Qian actually enjoyed hearing Lin Jing speak so openly. She seemed much softer than her usual strong, distant self.

Seeing her sit a little unsteadily, Tang Qian reached out to support her and asked, “So why did she agree to the marriage?”

Lin Jing tried to sit up straight. She snorted. What other reason could there be?

Obviously, she liked him!

After Tang Qian took Lin Jing away, Jiang Chen carried Shen Mingyou on his back and left.

Shen Mingyou lay on his back. As they left the hotel, the cool night breeze made her feel worse.

“Don’t move,” Jiang Chen said, patting her butt to get her to settle down.

But after hearing his words, Shen Mingyou became more restless. She buried her head in his neck and asked, “Why did you spank me?”

Jiang Chen replied, “I didn’t hit you.”

“You didn’t?” Shen Mingyou’s voice grew louder. “Then you touched me!”

Jiang Chen quickly glanced around and, seeing no one, sighed in relief. His wife was now a big star, and if tomorrow’s headlines read, *Shen Mingyou accuses husband of touching her butt,* she might actually divorce him when she sobered up.

Finally reaching the parking lot, Jiang Chen placed her in the car. As they drove, Shen Mingyou calmed down for a bit.

But soon, she started feeling uneasy again, leaning onto Jiang Chen. He held her in his arms as she found a comfortable position to rest.

Jiang Chen could feel her breath on his chest. He took a deep breath, trying to remain calm.

But he couldn’t.

He was tempted to steal a kiss. After all, they hadn’t kissed in five or six months. Even Nian Nian might start to suspect they were getting divorced if they didn’t kiss soon.

Jiang Chen gently pulled Shen Mingyou up and was about to kiss her when she suddenly slapped him in the face.

Jiang Chen: “…”

Shen Mingyou grabbed his face and said fiercely, “Who are you? Where are you taking me? Trafficking women and children is illegal! You’ll go to jail!”

Jiang Chen held her hands and said through gritted teeth, “I’m your husband!”

“Husband?” Shen Mingyou mumbled, her eyes confused. “My husband’s dead.”

Jiang Chen: “…”

He was very much alive! How could he be dead?

Jiang Chen saw her calm down and let go of her arm, brushing her messy hair behind her ears. He couldn’t help but ask, “How did I die?”

Shen Mingyou replied, “I scolded him to death.”

“…What did you scold him for?” Jiang Chen wondered, suspecting she was cursing him in her drunken state. He had never seen her curse anyone, but if her words could “kill” someone, they must have been harsh.

“Because he’s a filthy scoundrel!” she muttered. “He never comes home for years, and when he does, he acts like a hooligan before leaving again. What else could he be but a filthy scoundrel?”

Shen Mingyou leaned against Jiang Chen’s chest, saying sleepily, “Jiang Chen is a filthy scoundrel!”

Jiang Chen, who just wanted to steal a kiss: “……!!!”