“Where’s your sister?” Shang Xinglu couldn’t help but ask.

Xiao Zai raised an eyebrow, “I don’t have a sister.”

Shang Xinglu said, “Didn’t you always call me sister before?”

At first, when he called her that, she always felt something was off. Now, suddenly not calling her that anymore, she still felt something was off.

Habits are truly scary.

Xiao Zai, as if it was only natural, replied, “I realized you weren’t really my sister, so I corrected myself.”

Shang Xinglu: “…”

She stared at Xiao Zai for a while.

The young man, with a handsome face, smiled innocently, giving off an air of purity, without any trace of any “hidden meaning.”

Yet, Shang Xinglu felt that switching from “sister” to “Louise” seemed… possibly… somewhat… different, maybe…?

She quickly shook her head.

No, as a married woman, there was absolutely no other meaning! No way!

Shang Xinglu decided to throw that thought out of her mind as if it were a baseball pitched at 160 km/h—throw it as far as possible!

Out of sight, out of mind!

“Through my inquiries and comparisons, these two law firms are more experienced in handling cases like yours. Among them, XX’s success rate is…” Shang Xinglu shifted to more serious topics, fully believing that Xiao Zai would be far more interested in matters related to his personal interests, like the lawsuit, than in the meaningless titles.

Xiao Zai’s father had been in the hospital for some time now, neither awake nor deceased.

This had brought the various conflicts between Xiao Zai and his stepmother into the open.

The outcome was simple—win, and everything is yours; lose, and you’re kicked out.

They chatted for a while, then Xiao Zai suddenly said, “I heard that you and Shang Xingyu caught the rat stealing food from Yun Shi Li?”

It wasn’t exactly a secret.

Shang Xinglu smiled, “Yes.”

“So, what happened to the rat?” Xiao Zai asked half-jokingly, half-seriously.

What happened to the rat, of course, was…

Shang Xinglu had her own thoughts but shrugged and said, “Do you think someone like me, who spends all day eating, sleeping, and playing, and is seen as a high-society wife but actually a useless one, would know what to do?”

“I don’t know, I don’t handle business, ask Shang Xingyu,” Shang Xinglu directly passed the responsibility.

Xiao Zai glanced at her again, took a sip of coffee, and seemed to want to say something but stopped.

The two casually chatted about other things, had a simple lunch at the coffee shop, and then headed back to their respective offices.

Shang Xinglu had just left when she suddenly remembered that her phone was still on the table, so she immediately turned back to grab it.

The staff had already collected her phone, and when she entered, they quickly handed it to her. Shang Xinglu thanked them repeatedly, but just as she was about to leave, a group of girlfriends called out to her.

One of them, especially tall and slim, used to be a globally famous supermodel. Now, just like Shang Xinglu, she was a high-society wife.

Her name was Jiang Lexuan, and while she wasn’t as close to Shang Xinglu as Shi Rui or Xue Shaoying, they got along well.

During Shang Xinglu’s hospitalization for the flu… er, I mean, a fever, Jiang Lexuan had come to visit her.

This friend was particularly sensitive to news (gossip) and cameras, possibly due to her past in the entertainment industry.

She pulled Shang Xinglu down to sit, winking at her, “Come on, tell me, what’s your relationship with that young man? I have to say, with those looks and legs… Tsk, tsk… Louise, you’ve got it! If you can’t, I can!”

Shang Xinglu, however, remained calm. “He’s a friend of my little brother. I’m just helping out.”

“… You could be a bit more serious. You’re starting to sound like Lin Heng now. How boring.” Jiang Lexuan slouched in disappointment. “I know, he’s that Xiao Zai from the Xiao family, right? The one whose father is in the hospital, with unclear asset distribution, and he’s fighting a lawsuit with his stepmother?”

“Yeah, he grew up with my silly little brother,” Shang Xinglu replied. She wasn’t entirely sure if Xiao Zai and Shang Xingyu had actually grown up together, but she assumed their relationship was pretty good. “With his family in this situation, of course, he’ll help out a little.”

She made it sound like Xiao Zai was the one in a tough spot.

Jiang Lexuan froze for a moment. She had heard that Xiao Zai was quite crafty at a young age. Could his stepmother really not beat him?

No, no, the gossip from the girlfriends had to be true—trust the sisters.

Jiang Lexuan quickly shook her head.

Then she suddenly remembered, “Speaking of the Xiao family, I just remembered something about his stepmother.”

“Quick, spill it. Don’t leave me hanging,” Shang Xinglu urged.

“Xiao Zai’s stepmother… she’s been cheating on Xiao Zai’s father! And the other man is… someone from next door…”

“Old Wang!”

It was time for Old Wang to make an appearance! Shang Xinglu was sure of it!

Jiang Lexuan rolled her eyes, “What Old Wang? It’s someone from the next door who also has the surname Xiao. Though their connection to Xiao Zai’s father is distant, the identity of the male lover—well, you know.”

Shang Xinglu clapped her hands. “Impressive, Mrs. Xiao.”

Jiang Lexuan responded, “Isn’t it impressive?! The best part is, we’ve got the proof. Want to see?”

The “proof” referred to a video of Xiao Zai’s stepmother and her lover acting intimately at a restaurant.

This restaurant happened to be run by one of Jiang Lexuan’s old friends from the entertainment industry, so the footage had landed in her hands.

“Let me see! Send it to me!” Shang Xinglu eagerly leaned in, her face full of curiosity. After watching the video, she silently saved a copy.

Shang Xinglu hesitated for a moment.

Should she show the video to Xiao Zai?

After chatting with Jiang Lexuan, Shang Xinglu returned to her office, only to realize it was very late.

… Too late.

Given that she was just a nominal director or whatever, Shang Xinglu didn’t even remember the exact title anymore. And since she was about to quit anyway, no one paid attention to her.

Shang Xinglu returned home and made herself a cup of red tea.

She felt the video in her hand was a bit too hot to handle.

She hadn’t figured out how to deal with it yet, when unexpectedly, Shang Xingyu came to find her.

Perhaps it was this crisis that fully awakened Shang Xingyu’s sense of responsibility. Recently, he had been very motivated, growing from a fledgling president to a towering one.

Shang Xinglu was deeply gratified.

…Her yearly dividends were saved! Saved!

Shang Xingyu entered her small office, which, besides office supplies, had everything else.

He first gave her a look of disdain.

Then he said, “Sis, the situation at Bu Zheng Financial… isn’t good. They did something scandalous, and people in the industry are speaking out against them. Entrepreneurs who had been harmed by them before are seizing the opportunity to denounce them. Also, recently, little uncle is in the hospital, and there’s no one holding things down at the company. He can’t come out and handle the connections… So the situation is not great.”

“So what?” Shang Xinglu glanced at him.

“I don’t really have any ‘so’ to say, but mainly, it’s about Dad.” At this point, Shang Xingyu frowned with disapproval. “Little Aunt has been shamelessly asking Dad for help. You know Dad’s temper—he’s quick to get angry but also quick to let it go. Little Aunt has been pleading hard. Originally, Dad was firmly opposed, but today, he softened a bit during the meeting.”

“So what did you say?” Shang Xinglu asked.

“Me?” Shang Xingyu’s expression was neutral. “Of course, I’m not helping. It’s not about whether I forgive them or not, but when it comes to company matters, didn’t little aunt and uncle think about what would happen if they took this path? They’ve burned their bridges, so why should I care about their survival now?”

Shang Xingyu spoke in a calm, rational tone, as if it were completely justified.

But Shang Xinglu knew that there was no such thing as “justified” here.

She realized that it was easy for him to make this decision because he didn’t have any affection for “little aunt.”

Just a few days ago, Shang Xingyu was still a boy, sulking and reluctant to accept reality, yet now he could make such a “justified” decision with a cold attitude.

It was a justified cruelty.

Shang Xinglu lightly chuckled.

She patted Shang Xingyu on the shoulder. “I’m proud of you!”

Shang Xingyu was confused. “Huh?”

Shang Xinglu: “Just take Dad and Mom’s phones, whether they’re for work or personal use, and put little aunt’s number on the blacklist. Also, tell the security at home and the company not to let them in. That’ll solve most of the problem!”

“Oh, oh, oh! Sis, you’re brilliant!” Shang Xingyu said, trying to flatter her.

Shang Xinglu thought to herself, even if they block her everywhere, little aunt would still find a way to track them down.

This could solve the surface problem but not the root cause.

Looks like she’d need to take stronger action.

…

Shang Xinglu returned home early in the afternoon because she heard that Gu Wanyu and Lin Mao were likely coming back to attend the unveiling ceremony of the resort.

To make it easier for Gu Wanyu to criticize her, Shang Xinglu needed to prepare properly.

With the weather being so hot recently, every time she gets home, the first thing she does is head straight for the bathroom for a shower.

Today, she went straight to the bathroom.

As soon as she entered, amidst the misty steam, a half-naked man wrapped in a towel walked out from under the shower, wiping his hair.

Shang Xinglu: “…”

Huh?

The half-naked man—none other than Lin Heng—looked up and saw her.

Because Lin Heng had learned his lesson, he was wearing contact lenses today!!!

Shang Xinglu: “…”

Huh?

Why is the money printer back so early?

Lin Heng froze for a moment but quickly regained his composure.

He went on doing what he was doing, wiping his hair, wiping his hair, and more hair-wiping…

Shang Xinglu: “…”

This face, and those half-wet abs, and the post-shower effect…

Huh???

Shang Xinglu stood frozen, her mind blank. All she could do was react instinctively. “Why are you back so early?”

“Mom and Dad’s flight arrives tonight. Shall we go pick them up?” Lin Heng said.

“Mm, okay.”

Lin Heng: “You’re home early.”

Shang Xinglu: “There’s nothing for me to do there.”

As she spoke, her gaze slowly drifted from Lin Heng’s exposed skin to his lips… the ones she had kissed, the ones she had touched, the ones she had held…

Boom—!

A rush of heat flooded Shang Xinglu’s head, and her face turned crimson. Her mind was on fire.

Shang Xinglu rushed out of the room, “Sorry! Hubby! I’m going to take a cold shower!!!”

But the bathroom was right there.

Lin Heng: “…………”

No, you ran in the wrong direction.