Chapter 13

Lin Shu was awakened by the wind outside the wedding dress shop.

She looked at the expensive wedding dress in Xu Shijia’s hand and felt dizzy:

“Although this is really satisfying, two hundred thousand is too much…” Lin Shu rubbed her temples, “I’ll come back tomorrow and ask the wedding dress shop to return it. If they charge a depreciation fee, I’ll pay it. I’ll also pay the fitting fee.”

“Why should you pay?”

Lin Shu was stunned, “Didn’t you buy it for me to support me?”

Although she didn’t need it, because people with strong inner strength don’t care about this kind of superficial comparison. But Xu Shijia was well-intentioned, even though he was impulsive, she couldn’t let him bear this expense.

Xu Shijia’s eyes widened, “Who said I bought it to support you?”

“Huh?”

“I bought it to support myself!” Xu Shijia looked away, his voice a little unnatural, “We pretended to be a couple when we went in. They attacked you, which is the same as attacking me. Besides, that woman also called me a broke kept man and slandered me.”

“The kept man attack is indeed…”

“Kept man isn’t an attack, it’s a kind of disguised affirmation. After all, if you can be a kept man, your face must be good.”

Xu Shijia said unhappily, “She can call me a kept man, because I can’t refute her about my own face. But she can’t call me broke, because I have plenty of money. That’s slander.”

“…”

“So you don’t need to feel like you owe me anything. You don’t have to give me money.” Xu Shijia looked at a distance, “I’m not short of money.”

After saying that, he turned back to Lin Shu, “But is that really your biological sister?”

Lin Shu didn’t want to answer, but Xu Shijia had been forced into this drama. He had the right to know.

“Yes. Half-sister. Her name is Lin Shiyao.”

Lin Shu felt a little self-deprecating, “My mother passed away when I was young. My father remarried and started a new family. That’s his daughter from his second marriage. I didn’t lie about that.”

“We’ve never gotten along. My mother was just diagnosed with cancer and was still undergoing treatment when my father got together with Lin Shiyao’s mother. To be precise, her mother was a homewrecker.”

That’s why Lin Shu hated homewreckers so much.

Even though it had been a long time, her mood was still heavy when she recalled those events, “My father and mother were college classmates. Both families were poor. They got married after graduation and both worked ordinary jobs in companies. Lin Shiyao’s mother was the only daughter of my father’s company’s boss.”

The story was very cliché, nothing new, but the same template was being played out all over the world, all the time.

“My father, although he’s a bad person, is actually quite good-looking. When my mother was sick, he got together with Lin Shiyao’s mother. In the end, he didn’t even visit my mother once before she died, because Lin Shiyao’s mother wouldn’t allow it.”

Lin Shu smiled sarcastically, “Lin Shiyao’s mother, although she was a homewrecker, was very sensitive about people digging up her past. My mother died, but I’m still alive. I’m a witness to her hidden history, so she hates me to the core. After my father remarried, he ignored me. I lived with my grandmother. Because Lin Shiyao’s mother was sensitive about it, he was reluctant to even give me living expenses. I had to go to his house to ask for money, and I would always be humiliated.”

“That’s why money is really important. I want to make a lot of money. I want to become a senior partner.”

Xu Shijia was stunned, then he said unnaturally, “That’s going to be difficult for you.”

He quickly glanced at Lin Shu, then looked away, “You know what kind of team this is.”

This team is indeed trash.

But giving up means losing everything.

Truly hardworking people can seize every opportunity.

Lin Shu looked at Xu Shijia seriously, her voice soft and full of trust, “But this team still has you. Can you help me?”

“…”

Xu Shijia’s face was filled with disbelief, “One second you look like you’re about to cry, and the next second you’re rolling up your sleeves and ready to work? And you want to drag me into it?”

“I was going to comfort you, but it turns out I need comfort myself!”

“…”

Lin Shu was originally going to use the tricks of a workplace villain, but Xu Shijia saw through her this time, so she didn’t bother to pretend anymore, “What else can I do? I don’t have money, so I have to make money. Are you going to help me?”

She sighed, her expression sorrowful, “Society is so cold these days. There are so few rich people who have a sense of social responsibility and are willing to help others. It’s truly a case of rich are feasting (Zhu Men Jiu Rou Chou Lu You Dong Si Gu, meaning “The rich feast while the poor freeze to death”)’…”

Xu Shijia couldn’t take it anymore. He looked troubled, “Stop, stop, stop! I’ll help! I’ll help, alright!”

“Then how did the evidence collection go at the wedding dress shop? Do you have any new leads?”

Xu Shijia said impatiently, “I pretended to take a selfie, and I managed to capture a photo of them looking at wedding dresses in the background. Also, I heard Zheng Xiaoxiao and Xin Li talking. They’re planning a proposal ceremony. I didn’t hear the date of the official ceremony, but I heard them say there will be a proposal rehearsal the day after tomorrow. The location is the backyard of the coffee shop in the street heart garden, at 1 pm.”

Xu Shijia paused, feeling a little contemptuous, “This Xin Li is really something. Zheng Xiaoxiao’s account is so popular. He must know that Zheng Xiaoxiao is still pretending to be in love with Zhong Peng in public, and that’s how she makes money. He can even tolerate this, his appetite is really disgusting.”

He glanced at Lin Shu and scoffed, “Zheng Xiaoxiao’s taste in men is just like yours, not good at all.”

“Was that four-eyes your ex-boyfriend?”

“No.”

Lin Shu rubbed her temples, “Don’t call him four-eyes. His name is Tao Lei. He was a neighbor of Lin Shiyao’s family. Whenever I went to ask for money and was treated badly, he would help me out. He’s a good person.”

“Haven’t you heard the saying? You can’t sleep in the same bed with two different people. If he’s such a good person, how could he be with your sister?”

For some reason, Xu Shijia seemed to care more about Lin Shu’s affairs than she did: “Your sister’s genes are bad. Her temperament is terrible. She’s got a sharp mouth and a pointed chin, like a defective fox spirit. That four-eyes is even worse. With those thick glasses, he and your sister together are sure to produce a nest of four-eyed weasels.”

“Besides, four-eyes isn’t tall either. I can see the top of his head! Oh, and he doesn’t have much hair on top. But four-eyes is quite cunning. He knows how to play to his strengths and hide his weaknesses. He got a perm, and his hair is fluffy, making it look thicker, covering up the scalp that was originally exposed.”

Xu Shijia sneered, “A man so cunning, you really shouldn’t want him. Look at me, do I need to rely on a hairstyle like that to look good? He can use his cunning on his hair today, tomorrow he can use it to manipulate you.”

“He’s got his hands in the cookie jar while eating from the bowl. He was with your sister to look at wedding dresses, but he kept staring at you. He’s clearly a potential scumbag, a future cheater.”

Xu Shijia scoffed, “Your sister said he still has feelings for you. So, did you two have something going on? Did you like him? He’s a good one, enjoying the best of both worlds. He’s with your sister, but he doesn’t let go of her sister either…”

Lin Shu thought back to those hazy years of her youth. She studied hard to get scholarships. The lights at her grandmother’s house were old and dim, and her eyes had been short-sighted since she was young. But at that time, Lin Shu didn’t have money for MEDICAL surgery. She couldn’t even see clearly without her glasses, so she wore thick, old-fashioned glasses and cheap clothes. She was like a dusty background character.

Poverty, hardship, and awkwardness were the colors of her youth.

Tao Lei was the only one who was kind to her at that time, the only one who would help her out. No matter what happened later, he was the only light in Lin Shu’s life at that time.

“Don’t talk about Tao Lei like that.” She was a little unhappy, and she rolled her eyes at Xu Shijia, “He’s a good person. He was my first love.”

Lin Shu confessed her feelings to Tao Lei when she went to university. At that time, Lin Shu’s grandmother had just passed away. She was alone and in a bad mental state. She was desperate and almost pathologically in need of someone to accompany her.

But just a week after they started dating, Lin Shu had only just held hands with Tao Lei, and she had just begun to look forward to the future, when Tao Lei broke up with her, saying he still saw her as a sister.

But three days later, he was with Lin Shiyao.

Lin Shu learned about this from Lin Shiyao, who tricked her into going to her birthday party to get her allowance.

It was also at that birthday party that she was severely humiliated by Lin Shiyao. In a moment of impulsiveness, she drank too much alcohol with a strong aftertaste, and then made the biggest mistake of her life.

Thinking about it, she didn’t want to think about it anymore. She just wanted to end the topic.

But Xu Shijia was like a lit firecracker. He just kept talking, more and more sarcastically, “First love? Lin Shu, eat something good. What’s so good about a first love like that? Wasn’t he good to you? Why didn’t he choose you in the end, why did he break up with you?”

Lin Shu had long since moved on, and she said calmly, “I wasn’t pretty at that time. I was also a four-eyes with bad eyesight.”

Xu Shijia was very certain, “Because you weren’t pretty enough, he chose someone with a worse temper and personality, but a better appearance. I don’t think he’s a good person either.”

Lin Shu chuckled, “Judging people by their appearance is human nature. Would you choose a girlfriend who isn’t good-looking?”

“I would.”

To Lin Shu’s surprise, Xu Shijia didn’t hesitate for a second. He glared fiercely at Lin Shu, “It’s not because she’s pretty that I like her, it’s because I like her that I think she’s pretty. The person I like is the prettiest in my eyes.”

Alright, alright, you want to brag, go ahead. Why are you glaring at me?

Lin Shu was speechless.

But Xu Shijia was still pushing his luck, “Anyway, your first love isn’t good. He’s pretty bad. You should forget about him.”

Lin Shu had already moved on from Tao Lei, but why did Xu Shijia care so much? Lin Shu was a little annoyed.

“What does my first love have to do with you?” Lin Shu frowned, returning the insult, “My first love’s level can’t compare to yours. Your first love is the best, right?”

Lin Shu originally wanted to end the topic with this, but she didn’t expect Xu Shijia, who had been so eloquent when attacking Tao Lei, to fall silent.

He stared at Lin Shu with a hateful look.

“No first love.”

Huh?

Now Lin Shu was bewildered.

Xu Shijia looked like this, and he had money, but he didn’t have a first love?

So… he’s a virgin?

It’s the modern age, not a pure teenage romance. He’s this old, and he’s still a virgin?

That’s not scientific…

What kind of endangered species is this? Could it be… that he’s… sick?

Perhaps the suspicion in Lin Shu’s eyes was too strong, and Xu Shijia became angry:

“I’m perfectly fine!”

He glared at Lin Shu, his eyes blazing with anger.

Then Lin Shu heard Xu Shijia say through gritted teeth, “That woman ran away after sleeping with me. She wouldn’t be my girlfriend.”

!!!

No first love, only a first night.

That’s too tragic!

Lin Shu was stunned for a moment.

He didn’t even have a first love, and he was abandoned after sleeping with her!!!

Lin Shu felt sorry for Xu Shijia all of a sudden, “There are scummy women everywhere. You have to be open-minded.”

Xu Shijia stared at Lin Shu’s face, “The worst part is, she completely forgot about me.”

Lin Shu thought for a moment and tried to comfort him, “These are all your guesses. Maybe she still remembers you.”

Unfortunately, Xu Shijia’s tone was very certain. He still stared at Lin Shu’s face: “No, she just forgot.”

“…” Lin Shu really couldn’t think of any comfort, but Xu Shijia stared at her, as if he was determined to hear comfort from her.

Lin Shu really had no choice but to say through gritted teeth, “Think about it this way, if you performed exceptionally well or exceptionally poorly that night, then the other party would definitely remember it for a lifetime. But since she forgot you, it means your performance that night was mediocre, an average level. Although it’s unremarkable, at least it’s not bad, it’s passing!”

“…”

Unfortunately, after saying this, Xu Shijia was clearly not comforted. His face turned even darker: “You think so?”

It doesn’t matter what I think, what matters is what your scumbag ex-girlfriend thinks…

But that’s not something Lin Shu should be concerned about.

Lin Shu only cares about work.

What is a painful past for Xu Shijia is a huge opportunity for Lin Shu.

Lin Shu was originally worried that Xu Shijia lacked nothing and it would be difficult to stimulate his ambition for a long time, but now, this opportunity is right at his doorstep!

She patted Xu Shijia’s shoulder with a heavy heart: “It’s okay if she forgot.”

“Then make her remember you again.”

Xu Shijia finally showed interest. He raised his eyebrows and looked at Lin Shu: “How?”

“Become a famous lawyer! A successful person! In the future, when she sees you on the news and television, she will know she regrets it, she will know what she lost in the past!”

“A man being abandoned means he’s not charming enough!”

Lin Shu said sincerely: “Xu Shijia, after hearing about this, I feel very sympathetic and I’m willing to help you. So I’ve decided to call you in for overtime from now on, double your training, from stress resistance to logical analysis and interpersonal skills, I will train you comprehensively, striving to make you grow into a charming, mature, and successful man in a short period of time!”

“You also know an old saying, right? A man who focuses on his work is the most handsome. Nowadays, people value intellectual love, so if you work with me and become an excellent lawyer, your charm value will naturally increase.”

“Xu Shijia, I know you don’t care about a small salary, but what you lack is not money, but the elite temperament and mature charm that comes with a decent job!”

“Modern women are very rational when looking for partners. Your parents’ money is still your parents’, they will give it to you, but will they give it to your future wife? If you marry her, you’ll only have a few thousand dollars a month, and your wife will only be able to control your small joint income after marriage! If you cheat on her in the future and she divorces you, she will only be able to get your annual salary of tens of thousands of dollars! But if you earn hundreds of thousands a month, then it’s a completely different story! How much a man earns is a symbol of his ability, it’s the real wealth that women value!”

“No, why would I cheat, why would I get divorced…”

Lin Shu stopped Xu Shijia: “Don’t talk, let me finish my analysis.”

“Earning your own money can also boost your confidence. A man who can earn his own money has social status, he is a real man! He will have a sense of family responsibility and he will be able to realize his own value!”

“…”

“I don’t usually give this kind of opportunity to others, I really feel genuinely sympathetic towards you.” Lin Shu said sincerely, “Now the opportunity is in your hands, it’s up to you to grab it or let it slip away.”

“…”

Lin Shu cleared her throat: “Do you have any other questions?”

“Yes.”

“What?”

Xu Shijia looked at Lin Shu expressionlessly:

“Lin Shu, are you a devil?”

“For others, all roads lead to Rome, but for you, all roads lead to work.”