Chapter 36

Xu Zhuwen quietly observed for a while, then took out her phone to take pictures and send them to the group chat.

Audrey: Wow—it arrived!

Audrey: This photo makes me look really handsome!

Li Chi'an had just finished showering and came out of the bathroom. Seeing the photo his cousin had sent, he replied:

"Qi An Yi Chi: Great shot! It doesn't even need editing, a natural master of saturation!"

"Its value is easily maintained; where should it be displayed?"

Xu Zhuwen's gaze slowly swept across the snow-white walls of the living room, finally landing on the brightest spot directly above the sofa.

There was a spot there that had been carefully covered up, leaving a few small holes, but now it has been smoothed out with paint.

She got up, examined the wall for a while, turned around and rummaged through her toolbox for a hammer. Then, she pulled over a chair, positioned it against the wall, and hung the painting up.

After posting the photos, I realized I couldn't find any trace of the past, so I took a picture and posted it in the group chat, feeling satisfied.

Gao Yinxi and Li Chian could roughly imagine what the photo looked like in Xu Zhuwen's home, even through the photo itself, and both gave it a thumbs up.

Xu Zhuwen recalled the few days she stayed at Li Chian's house, when the two sisters lay on the same bed and talked.

Li Chi'an said, "There are three keys to life: acceptance, change, and leaving. Change what you can't accept, and leave what you can't change. Worrying about your lover's infidelity is the worst investment. Instead of wasting time and energy, focus on yourself, on inner growth, and on becoming healthier, wiser, and more joyful and free. Such a person is loved by everyone. If your partner doesn't appreciate your worth and leaves, you will definitely have other opportunities. After all, no one likes a victim mentality, while healthy, happy, and wise people are welcomed everywhere."

The sun was shining warmly, and dust particles silently swirled in the beams of light.

The brand-new picture frame was raised and aimed at the pure white that symbolized new life.

The tiny hole drilled for the diamond ring was completely covered behind the vast landscape, like a shipwreck disappearing into the boundless blue sea, utterly submerged.

The future, like this empty, white wall before us, is being filled with bright colors bit by bit by our own hands.

There are three turning points in one's destiny: one's family of origin, one's spouse/partner, and one's awakened self.

If you don't have a privileged family or a suitable partner, then you must awaken that powerful self within yourself.

If she doesn't read, doesn't exercise, doesn't control her spending, doesn't reflect on herself and be self-disciplined, and has no interests, goals, or expectations, her life won't get better.

It wasn't life that got better, but herself.

...

Yueyantang, a well-known beauty chain brand in Xianghai City.

When Xu Zhuwen stepped into this pure white space, filled with a soft fragrance and the gentle sound of flowing water, she almost felt as if she wanted to immerse herself in the exhilarating feeling of a cruel reckoning with the future.

Warm water enveloped my body, and the light felt like soft feathers.

With her eyes closed, she felt the gentle pressure of the massage therapist's warm hands spreading the essential oil on her back, while silently reciting the verdict she was about to deliver to Qian Song.

Those words and phrases arranged themselves in my mind, sharp and decisive, like a meticulously sharpened blade, each one meant to precisely sever the already dead and suffocating bond between us.

"Hey, Wenwen, let's get the latest ice-clear cat-eye makeup done later, and pair it with that new dress we just bought. Tsk tsk, I guarantee it'll blind Qian Song's eyes and let him know that you can still live a dazzling life without him!" Gao Yinxi teased with a smile from the massage bed next to her. "Men, you can always find another one if you lose one!"

"Yes, you've chosen the right new dress too." Li Chi'an's tone was soft, with a hint of pandering to the atmosphere. "A clean and refreshing white spaghetti strap dress, sis, it looks best on you."

Xu Zhuwen smiled, her face covered by a hot towel, but the smile only touched the surface of her skin and never reached the cold abyss in her eyes.

This meticulously prepared "dazzling" performance had to match her long-planned "breakup proposal."

As her fingertips tapped the phone screen, they pierced the bubble of false warmth like icicles.

After the spa treatment, the staff carried the essential oils out of the rooms one by one. Gao Yinxi, wrapped in a blanket, walked barefoot to the door and locked it. Then, she took a shopping bag from the clothes rack in the room and placed it on Xu Zhuwen's bed. "Wenwen, quick, change into this! Wear this and make Qian Song's eyes pop out, then watch him shatter!"

Xu Zhuwen took the dress out of the bag, her fingertips brushing against the cool, smooth fabric. The faint courage in her heart was scalded by the touch of red.

Li Chi'an took off his blindfold and added casually, "The visual impact is off the charts, the perfect backdrop for a breakup announcement."

Her words didn't sound like encouragement; they sounded more like a director giving instructions.

Two hours later, Xu Zhuwen stood in front of the mirror and could hardly recognize the person in it.

Her long, slightly wavy hair was styled by a hairstylist, her face was radiant and glowing after a beauty salon treatment, and her new dress accentuated her long-lost curves.

Gao Yinxi surrounded her, clicking his tongue in admiration, as if admiring a perfect weapon about to be sent to the battlefield.

But the weapon made my heart feel empty, and my new eight-centimeter shoes felt like I was walking on stilts, every step was precarious.

"These shoes are too high, I'm not used to wearing them." She didn't expect that when she was getting her hair done, Gao Yinxi would take Li Chian to the shopping mall next door and buy her a new pair of high heels.

"You have to wear it even if you're not used to it," Gao Yinxi said. "A person who dumps a jerk has to have an aura of confidence!"

Xu Zhuwen took two more steps, looked at her graceful figure in the mirror, and squinted her eyes. "Shall we get our nails done? I have a membership at 'Joyful Fingers,' so please come along."

Gao Yinxi and Li Chian agreed without much hesitation.

The three of them got back into the car.

Gao Yinxi personally drove her red Porsche, carrying Xu Zhuwen and Li Chian, to the store she designated.

Unexpectedly, upon entering the store, the usually quiet and elegant customer area was now in complete disarray.

Several staff members in uniforms were explaining things to the customers.

The terms "bankruptcy liquidation," "filing claims," ​​and "creditors' meeting" are the most frequently used by staff members.

Xu Zhuwen frowned slightly and grabbed a staff member who had just finished serving other customers, saying, "We want to get our nails done, is that alright now?"

The staff member, looking exhausted, said, "I'm sorry, we've closed down and are no longer accepting reservations."

Xu Zhuwen narrowed her eyes, her anger instantly flaring up. "I just sent a WeChat message to your boss before I came here, and she told me to come directly to the store."

"Sorry, beautiful lady, we really apologize. We just received a notice this afternoon that our services are being suspended," the staff member replied with a forced smile. "We have terminated our cooperation."

Xu Zhuwen slowly sank into the depths. The whole trip had gone smoothly, but she didn't expect that at the last moment, when she wanted to get her nails done, the store would refuse to do it.

"What's going on with you? Why didn't you send a notice in the group beforehand if you're closing your store?" She had compared several nail salons beforehand and this one had the best service and design, which is why she became a member. "I still have several thousand yuan on my card. How are you going to handle this if your store just closes down like this?"

She finally understood why all the other guests looked unhappy when they were talking to the staff.

"Miss, we're just staff members. All the store's notices are issued by our superiors, and we can only follow their instructions." Perhaps noticing that Xu Zhuwen was getting upset, another staff member came to speak with her.

Gao Yinxi and Li Chi'an looked around and found that the store was in complete chaos. Even if they managed to get a few people to do their nails, they probably wouldn't have the patience to do it properly. So they went to Xu Zhuwen's side and asked the staff, "Can we at least get a refund for the balance on our card?"

One of the staff members fell silent, while the other said he would go and ask the team leader.

"How long?" Gao Yinxi asked.

"Ladies, please have a seat here. We'll let you know as soon as we have the results," the silent employee spoke up again.

Gao Yinxi gave her a deep look, then gently took Xu Zhuwen's arm and followed her to an empty seat.

"What a disappointment!" Xu Zhuwen said unhappily.

Gao Yinxi remained calm and composed, saying, "Let me get your balance back first."

Li Chi'an laughed, "Once we get the money, we'll switch to another company."

Although this experience wasted some time.

“I used to think they were pretty good.” Xu Zhuwen’s face puffed up with anger. “Now I don’t think they’re that great.”

"Let's wait and see what they say." Gao Yinxi had a premonition that the situation might be worse than she imagined.

Sure enough, after waiting a while, the employee who claimed he was going to ask his superiors returned.

"Miss, we've checked for you, and your membership card can be transferred to one of our other stores."

This means no refund.

Xu Zhuwen's face darkened. "I don't want the transfer, I want a refund directly."

"Sorry, beautiful lady, thank you so much for your support over the years, but all our members who transfer to other stores must top up their cards to activate the remaining balance. Starting August 1st, all member information and balances have been transferred to our new partner organization. Please add the customer service WeChat account below, and they will help you with follow-up services."

Xu Zhuwen was so angry she almost laughed. "Are you deaf? I said I don't want to be passed around like this anymore. It's unstable, unreliable, and too far away. Please just give me a refund."

The staff member maintained the same attitude, like a cold, impersonal AI customer service robot: "Miss, we really can't refund your money, we're sorry. Our store is undergoing legally mandated bankruptcy liquidation proceedings. In your case, it falls under the category of unpaid service fees for prepaid consumption, which legally falls under our store's ordinary claims. You need to file a claim first, wait for the court-appointed bankruptcy administrator to issue a public notice, and then wait for the creditors' meeting to participate in the distribution proportionally. We are very sorry."

This set of flowing legal terminology blocked all avenues of attack like an impregnable fortress.

Every word exuded a mocking "don't bother" attitude.

Wasn't it just what they overheard when they first entered the store, what they were saying to the other customers?!

Gao Yinxi and Li Chian, who were standing nearby, were speechless at the shop's thieving behavior.

Xu Zhuwen's fingertips were slightly cool. "I still have at least three thousand yuan in my card. You're just saying you won't refund it?!"

"Sorry, we really can't offer a refund!"

The meticulously planned scheme encountered unexpected complications.

Apart from the staff, no manager came out to deal with the situation.

The words "bankruptcy liquidation" strike with the chilling weight unique to legal provisions, capable of crushing all personal emotions.

Gao Yinxi exploded first, her voice rising, "What do you mean? If you've run away with the money, just say you've run away, why pretend to be a legal entity!"

"Beautiful lady, we've already offered a solution, but if you don't accept it, there's nothing we can do." The woman's expression instantly lost all warmth, and she uttered even colder words in a businesslike manner.

There were other customers making noise around, but all the staff were indifferent.

Arguing here won't get you anywhere.

Li Chi'an thought for a moment and said to Xu Zhuwen, "Don't you know their boss? Why don't you ask their boss to handle this matter personally?"

Xu Zhuwen then picked up her phone and sent a message to the store owner.

Seeing that they didn't say anything more unpleasant, the staff exchanged a few more polite words and then turned to serve other customers.

Li Chi'an turned to look at Gao Yinxi, "Yinxi, that 'InNail' store you joined before, was it also ripped off like this? I heard that all the stores in Shanghai have closed down, and they won't refund a single penny? Is that boss also clearly going to be a complete scoundrel?"

Gao Yinxi's habitually curved smile suddenly froze, like a piece of lime thrown into cold water, silently sinking down.

Her bright little face was instantly covered by an indescribable gloom.

“…Yes.” She paused for a moment before finally answering, her voice low and hoarse, as if it had been sanded down. “Not only is BJ’s closed. I… listened to my cousin’s encouragement and invested a lot of my savings in that Sichuan-Chongqing regional agency, which also… went bankrupt a long time ago. The store sign has been changed several times.”

She gave a self-deprecating "ha," as if there was a hard object stuck in her throat that was difficult to swallow, "a complete mess."

She finally uttered four words, short and abrupt, carrying a sense of despondency and despair.

Xu Zhuwen's heart sank: "Then what happened to all the money you invested? Is there any way to get some of it back?"

He pressed on almost urgently, his fingers unconsciously digging into the cold metal ring of the phone case.

Gao Yinxi turned her head, her carefully drawn eyeliner slightly upturned in the light and shadow flowing outside the window. In those eyes that had seen through countless consumer traps and bluffs, there was only calm indifference now. "It's been a few years. Money? It's long gone. The dust blown away by the wind is more tangible than that money."

"Didn't you try to get it back?" Li Chian asked.

"Demand? Demand from whom? Those contracts, those beautiful promises, have long since become empty words, worthless. I..." Gao Yinxi paused, her lips twitching very slightly, "...and I was even a loyal member of their store. The money in my card has also gone down the drain."

"Sigh..." An uncontrollable sigh rolled out from deep in Li Chi'an's throat, landing heavily on the surrounding oppressive atmosphere.