Chapter 50 Tearing Off the Mask

Despite the pressure, Shen Shuangmiao finally appeared downstairs at the Zhu Group building.

What is self-esteem? Compared to the difficulties of real life, it seems utterly insignificant.

She couldn't just stand by and watch the studio collapse, and she couldn't let her employees be implicated or even face lawsuits because of this.

Shen Shuangmiao took a deep breath, walked into the lobby, and explained her purpose to the receptionist.

The receptionist seemed to have known she was coming, and her expression was somewhat subtle.

After making the call, she said politely but distantly, "Ms. Shen, please wait a moment. Mr. Zhu will reply shortly when we can meet."

Shen Shuangmiao nodded, said nothing more, turned around and walked to the sofa in the rest area to sit down, without disturbing the front desk staff.

However, the elevator doors opened very quickly.

The person who came over was not Zhu Jin, but Zhou Wu, who was wearing an elegant pink suit.

Zhou Wu walked gracefully over, a hint of concern on her face, and came to stand in front of Shen Shuangmiao.

"Miaomiao, what brings you here? Come here quickly."

She warmly took Shen Shuangmiao's hand and led her to the VIP lounge, her attitude natural, as if she were the undisputed mistress of the company.

Shen Shuangmiao paused, somewhat bewildered that she would come out to greet her.

Did Zhu Jin send her?

She was unsure of what to do, and when she followed Zhou Wu to the lounge, before she could even open her mouth, Zhou Wu turned around and looked her over carefully.

"I heard there seems to be some trouble at your studio?"

Shen Shuangmiao gripped the bag tightly in her hand.

"Yes, I need to speak with Zhu Jin. Did Zhu Jin send you here?"

"No, no." Zhou Wu chuckled softly. "He's still in a meeting upstairs. I heard the news here, so I came down to see you. I was worried about you too."

"Several employees from your studio have been taken away for investigation, right? Who exactly have you messed with? Or is there really something wrong with your studio?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Shuangmiao frowned, raised her head, and looked at her seriously.

She solemnly stated, "My studio is completely clean and would never have any problems with this kind of thing. Someone is deliberately framing me, which is why I came to find Zhu Jin."

Zhou Wu looked troubled, staring at her as if he had a lot to say but hesitated.

Shen Shuangmiao didn't understand what she meant and couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

Zhou Wu sighed: "Miaomiao, you and Ajin haven't finished the final procedures yet, and it's a sensitive time right now. If you come to him directly like this, it could cause unnecessary misunderstandings if someone takes pictures, which wouldn't be good for either of you."

She paused, her voice becoming even gentler: "Besides, Ah Jin has been incredibly busy lately, and he hasn't had a proper rest for days due to a headache. It's inconvenient for him to see guests right now. Since you've already decided to separate, wouldn't it be better for you to find a way to solve these kinds of problems yourselves? You have to learn to be independent, don't you?"

“Now you have basically no connection with Ah Jin anymore. He doesn’t have any shares in your studio. It’s not like the past when he helped you build things. You have to do everything yourself now.”

Her words, though seemingly tactful, were actually an accusation that Shen Shuangmiao was unable to stand on her own two feet and that she was being unreasonable by clinging to her ex-husband after their divorce.

Shen Shuangmiao felt a surge of anger and her face grew increasingly pale.

She thought it was Zhu Jin who had called Zhou Wu over, but she didn't expect that Zhou Wu had come on his own initiative and said so much to her.

Shen Shuangmiao raised her eyes, straightened her back, and looked at Zhou Wu.

“Ms. Zhou, I’m the owner of the studio, and I have a group of employees waiting to make a living. If there’s a problem, I have to do my best to solve it, no matter who I have to beg. I’m willing to put on a bad face.”

"This has nothing to do with whether I am independent or not; it is a responsibility that I should bear."

Zhou Wu's expression changed slightly.

Shen Shuang gave her a meaningful look.

“Ms. Zhou, you own your own studio, so you should be able to understand this feeling, right? No, I think you probably can’t understand it, since whatever project you get, the Zhu Group is backing you up.”

The people who have truly worked hard to secure orders through their own abilities are always her and her studio.

What about Zhou Wu?

Since starting her business, when has Zhu Jin not personally been there to protect and support her in every project, big or small?

She couldn't understand what gave Zhou Wu the right to lecture her so openly.

Is she capable of running her own studio independently, or has she already become Zhu Jin's wife?

Shen Shuangmiao is usually good-tempered, and she rarely says such harsh things unless she is offended.

Zhou Wu's smile froze for a moment, and displeasure flashed in his eyes.

She hadn't expected Shen Shuangmiao to be so direct, and even turn the tables on her.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Shen Shuangmiao said, "Since Zhu Jin is busy, I'll go out first..."

"Wait." Zhou Wu suddenly called out to her, but his voice was colder than usual, no longer feigning his usual gentleness.

She walked over.

"You keep saying you want a divorce, but now that you're in trouble, isn't Ah Jin the first person you think of? How long are you going to keep playing this game of playing hard to get! He doesn't want to get a marriage certificate now, is it because you're still harassing him behind his back?"

Shen Shuangmiao abruptly stopped, turned around, and laughed in exasperation.

She questioned, "Ms. Zhou, are you mistaken? I signed the divorce agreement, and I've been the one urging everyone to get the marriage certificate. Instead, you're the one who's been questioning me. Instead of doing this, you should go and persuade Zhu Jin to stop dragging his feet and get the certificate as soon as possible so everyone can have some peace and quiet."

She took a step closer, her eyes completely indifferent.

"After all, it's me, not Zhu Jin, who carries the marriage certificate with me all the time and can't wait to get the paperwork done. If you can't persuade him, that's your responsibility. Don't try to pin the blame on me."

"You..." Zhou Wu's expression turned ugly at her words.

She always considered herself someone close to Zhu Jin, and hated it most when others implied that she couldn't hold onto Zhu Jin's heart.

Her friends and people in her circle gradually began to gossip about her.

From the initial claim that she was Zhu Jin's true love, and that Zhu Jin was eager to divorce his wife to give her a proper status, to the current situation where everyone is secretly discussing what exactly happened between her and Zhu Jin, why Zhu Jin refuses to divorce his wife, and whether he can't forget his past feelings for Shen Shuangmiao.

Zhou Wu had had enough.

If the gossip continues, she really doesn't know what she might do.

The atmosphere between the two instantly became tense.

Just then, clear and steady footsteps came from outside the lounge, approaching from afar.

The two of them were stunned for a moment.

The standoff was broken, and Zhou Wu quickly suppressed the anger on his face.

The moment the lounge door was pushed open, Zhou Wu let out a brief gasp.

"ah!"

She felt as if she had been suddenly pushed, and staggered backward, bumping into the coffee table next to her.

The glass of water on the table was also knocked over, spilling all over her clothes.