2. Gold diggers

She is now my wife.

Xue Lu watched Song Qinggui walk into the hospital, his gaze lingering on her. They had only been married for a year, but had known each other for almost ten years.

This acquaintance was not respectable. Song Qinggui's two ex-boyfriends were both Xue Lu's childhood friends—Cheng Wuliang and Yan Fengqian.

There are many wealthy people in the world, but very few of these wealthy families can truly be called "elite families".

There are four prominent families in Lancheng. The Meng family invests in art and antiques, making them somewhat aloof and isolated among these old money families. The remaining Xue, Cheng, and Yan families have business dealings with each other, forming a vast commercial network based in Lancheng and extending throughout the country and even the world.

These four powerful families are known as the Four Clans of Lancheng.

Before Xue Lu, Song Qinggui was able to manipulate the sons of two prominent families. Everyone who saw her would say a few words: first, Song Qinggui was capable; second, she was an excessively shrewd woman who specialized in picking the best to marry into wealth.

For a long time, Xue Lu, who witnessed these two relationships, held Song Qinggui in contempt.

Extreme beauty is certainly a woman's trump card; with a few other qualities added on, she can dominate in this mundane world. These qualities include family background, talent, and hard work. However, relying solely on beauty is a dead end.

In Xue Lu's eyes at the time, Song Qinggui was a woman who was courting death.

In youth, one trades physical beauty for desire; but what happens when one grows old? Beauty fades and love wanes, fate takes back all its gifts, leaving one to wither and die more ugly and wretched than any ordinary girl.

Xue Lu looked down on Song Qinggui, and even when they were in the same room, he remained indifferent to her.

So almost no one knows that he knew Song Qinggui earlier than Cheng Wuliang and Yan Fengqian.

Unlike other wealthy young men, Xue Lu did not go abroad to "gild his resume," but instead relied on the college entrance examination to choose the eight-year undergraduate-doctoral program at Lancheng University's School of Medicine. Song Qinggui was his junior, two years his junior.

They had heard of each other's reputation long ago.

Xue Lu, the top scorer in the college entrance examination in Lancheng, comes from a distinguished family.

Song Qinggui, a genius girl who was admitted to Lanzhou University Medical School at the age of sixteen.

Their appearance was once their least noteworthy advantage, yet Song Qinggui used this seemingly insignificant asset to its fullest extent.

According to Xue Lu alone, there were at least eighty or a hundred boys at Lan University who had pursued Song Qinggui.

Xue Lu had seen her eating with many boys in the cafeteria. She looked dignified, but the boys opposite her were willing to offer her flowers and gifts under her cool and innocent gaze.

The quality that Xue Lu hated most in his life was that of getting something for nothing.

So after seeing through Song Qinggui's true colors, no matter how the boys around him talked about this amazing junior behind her back, he never showed the slightest interest in her.

However, fate is fickle, and Xue Lü and Song Qinggui always seem to end up in the same places.

For example, Xue Lu is the president of the student council, and Song Qinggui is the president of the external relations club. Whenever the student council has an event, the two of them will inevitably meet.

For example, Xue Lv can play the piano and is a regular at Lanzhou University's arts events, while Song Qinggui has a great voice and is often paired with Xue Lv by the teachers to perform.

For example, the Lanzhou University debate team only had two students from the medical school, who happened to be Xue Lu and Song Qinggui. During the days when she was the first speaker and he was the fourth speaker, the Lanzhou University debate team was considered to be hard-pressed to defeat.

Occasionally, some clueless classmates would try to match them up, but Xue Lu would always keep a cold look in his eyes, so cold that his classmates couldn't help but understand his attitude.

As for whether Song Qinggui had been falsely paired with someone else, Xue Lu didn't know and didn't care.

But the cruel twists of fate go far beyond this.

The fact that Song Qinggui's two ex-boyfriends were able to date her was somewhat related to Xue Lu.

Song Qinggui's first boyfriend in college, Cheng Wuliang, met her when he came to Lanzhou University to watch Xue Lu play basketball.

At the time, Song Qinggui was a member of the External Liaison Office. He was holding up a sponsor's banner in the stands at a basketball game when Cheng Wuliang fell in love with him at first sight.

When they were dating, Cheng Wuliang would shower Song Qinggui with gifts, from Chanel to LV, spoiling her rotten. Their romance was so extravagant that it caused quite a stir in the medical school.

Once, when Xue Lu was applying for a research project and went to the dean for a signature, he happened to overhear the dean and the department head talking to Song Qinggui. He vaguely heard some of their conversation, which included things like, "You should be careful about the impact of your relationship," and "You are a very outstanding girl, there are some shortcuts you don't need to take."

Song Qinggui responded, "Teacher, I am worthy of any path I choose to take."

Xue Lu's lips curled into a mocking smile. In his eyes, such an attitude was tantamount to a gold digger trying to maintain a virtuous image.

As expected, Song Qinggui's love was not as strong as gold. A year later, Cheng Wuliang was arranged by his family to go abroad and broke up with Song Qinggui. Song Qinggui did not refuse, nor did he show any reluctance to end the relationship. He even attended Cheng Wuliang's farewell party.

Xue Lu was also there that day. Cheng Wuliang drank and wept bitterly. He held Song Qinggui's shoulder and said, "Sometimes I feel that you have me in your heart, but sometimes I feel that you only have money in your heart. Song Qinggui, have you ever loved me? Even for a second, have you ever truly loved me without reservation?"

Song Qinggui's expression was indifferent. She broke free from Cheng Wuliang's restraint, and a cold smile appeared on her lips. Xue Lu even saw contempt for Cheng Wuliang in that smile: "You're just playing around, why should I get carried away?"

"What?" Cheng Wuliang was stunned.

"Given the choice between going abroad and me, you chose going abroad without hesitation. Gived the choice between your family and me, you also chose your family without hesitation. You never thought about building a long-term intimate relationship with me, let alone getting married. So why should I invest my heart and soul in you?"

At this point, Song Qinggui's smile deepened, her beauty almost frightening under the flashing lights of the bar: "A Liang, let's part ways amicably and go our separate ways. I wish you a bright future, and so do I."

Song Qinggui's words silenced Cheng Wuliang completely.

Xue Lu observed all of this from the sidelines. He was a man himself, and he knew that men were more primitive creatures.

When Cheng Wuliang was pursuing Song Qinggui, Xue Lu was his confidant…or rather, his object of boasting. Therefore, Xue Lu was well aware that Cheng Wuliang's affection for Song Qinggui was lust at first sight. Even after they got together, what he enjoyed most was not Song Qinggui's love, but the thrill of victory that came from Song Qinggui abandoning other suitors and submitting to him.

Because of this primitiveness, it is difficult for men to experience emotional growth.

At that very moment, Xue Lu clearly heard the sound of Cheng Wuliang's bones sprouting.

It is true that Cheng Wuliang's motives were impure, but feelings can develop over time, and his later affection for Song Qinggui was not fake.

His initial sincerity, his youth, was ruined by this woman, Song Qinggui.

This regret remained fresh over time, so much so that last year, after Cheng Wuliang heard that Xue Lü and Song Qinggui had gotten married, he invited Xue Lü for drinks.

Before they could exchange more than a few words, Cheng Wuliang downed three glasses of whiskey, then patted Xue Lu on the shoulder: "Treat her well."

Compared to Cheng Wuliang, Yan Fengqian's attitude was much less pleasant.

Although they had known each other since childhood, Yan Fengqian and Cheng Wuliang had never gotten along. The two managed to live peacefully together, playing together as children and even doing business together as adults, thanks to Xue Lu's mediation.

Yan Fengqian didn't want to go to Cheng Wuliang's farewell party. He had just bought a sports car and wanted to take his girlfriend for a drive that day, but Xue Lu dragged him there.

It was at this farewell party that Yan Fengqian fell in love with Song Qinggui at first sight. That very night, he dumped his girlfriend and pursued Song Qinggui relentlessly for half a year before finally winning the heart of his goddess.

This relationship was not well-regarded.

Song Qinggui raises many fish and has dated two rich second-generation heirs in succession, causing rumors to circulate in the medical school and giving him a bad reputation; Yan Fengqian is even more of a playboy in Lancheng...

These two people actually dated for four years...

During this time, Xue Lu saw Yan Fengqian dating other girls and advised him: "Song Qinggui is not stupid. You have seen with your own eyes how she manipulated Cheng Wuliang. If you are tired of her, break up with her. Being good to her is even better for you."

To everyone's surprise, Yan Fengqian replied very solemnly: "I will not break up with Song Qinggui. I only date other people for novelty, but I will only marry Song Qinggui."

...

As Xue Lu recalled this, his eyes darkened, even revealing a hint of barely perceptible ruthlessness.

He is currently driving on his way to Yan Fengqian's house.

Yan Fengqian works in the medical device industry, and he has close cooperation with the three hospitals under Lawyer Xue's management. A couple of days ago, he caused trouble at a KTV, and he and Song Qinggui were trending on social media—it attracted too much attention. If the media keeps pressing him, it won't be good for either of their businesses, so he needs to discuss a public relations strategy with him.

Xue Lu's car drove into the Fuhai International residential community.

He doesn't like sports cars, not because he's afraid of them being flashy, but because he thinks they're impractical.

Fuhai International is an affluent area, and the Cayenne that Lawyer Xue is currently driving, which costs just over seven figures, is hardly worthy of the attention of the security guards. As a result, he was questioned quite a bit by the security guards before entering the community.

Finally, Xue Lu, unable to bear the nagging any longer, glared coldly at the security guard: "What, do I need to show my credentials to visit friends in your community?"

Seeing that Xue Lu was getting agitated, the security guard was afraid that further questioning would cause trouble, so he registered him and let him pass.

Before arriving, Xue Lu had already informed Yan Fengqian, and the door opened as soon as he rang the doorbell.

When Xue Lu entered Yan Fengqian's house, he first smelled the strong smell of alcohol on him, and then he saw Yan Fengqian in his pajamas, with a scruffy beard, drinking cold water on the island.

"Sit down." Yan Fengqian didn't look at Xue Lu.

Xue Lu crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe: "When are you going to stop making a scene?"

*Smack!!!*

No sooner had Xue Lu finished speaking than a glass shattered at his feet.

When Xue Lu looked up again, he saw Yan Fengqian's bloodshot, angry eyes.

Xue Lu's expression remained unchanged; he merely tilted his head slightly, his expression one of utter provocation: "Haven't you had enough fun at the KTV yet?"

Yan Fengqian looked just like a trapped beast, his chest heaving, clearly trying his best to suppress his anger.

After a long pause, Yan Fengqian walked to the other side of the broken glass and looked at Xue Lu: "When did you start having designs on Song Qinggui?"

Xue Lu laughed. The playboy's performance of deep affection was somewhat comical.

Xue Lu looked directly at Yan Fengqian, his expression extremely calm: "Now that things have come to this, does it still matter?"

"Of course she's important!" Yan Fengqian said resentfully, "She's my girlfriend!"

Xue Lu said helplessly, "She's my wife."

"But she should have been my wife!"

"Yan Fengqian!" Xue Lu's voice finally carried a hint of emotion, but it quickly regained its composure: "She is already my wife, and she will be for life."

Yan Fengqian tightened his jaw muscles, and tears gradually welled up in his eyes.

Xue Lu sighed: "Fengqian, I, Xue Lu, am not a gentleman, but I would never be a mistress. I only got together with her after I was sure you had broken up with Qinggui. As for why you broke up back then, whether it was because you were still a womanizer or because your parents interfered, that's between the two of you, and I have no right to ask. Similarly, you have no right to know about what happened between Qinggui and me."

Yan Fengqian sneered, "You're lying. You've been planning this for a long time. Don't think I can't see through you."

Xue Lu lowered his eyes, suppressing his aggression: "Whether it was premeditated or a spur-of-the-moment decision, the die is cast now. Fengqian, we are both smart people."

After he finished speaking, Yan Fengqian finally fell silent.

Xue Lu replied with his usual warm and friendly tone towards friends: "What you did at the KTV this time had a bad impact."

The fight in the KTV wasn't started by Yan Fengqian; it was caused by two men in the next room.

That day, Yan Fengqian was drinking and singing when he suddenly had a craving for a cigarette. There were several girls in the private room, one of whom was trying to conceive. He felt embarrassed to smoke in public, so he went to the restroom to take care of his craving. Two drunk men stumbled out of the room and bumped into Yan Fengqian.

Yan Fengqian blurted out, "Can you walk with your eyes open?" As a result, the two older brothers got carried away with their masculinity, felt that Yan Fengqian had spoken rudely, and raised their hands to hit him.

Yan Fengqian had never suffered such a loss before. He called for reinforcements and fought them. As a result, the two older brothers were left with bloodied heads, and he was also injured.

When Yan Fengqian's female companion saw that even the security guards couldn't stop him, fearing something might happen, she first called the police and then used Yan Fengqian's phone to make an emergency call. Yan Fengqian's emergency contact was still Song Qinggui, which led to the subsequent sex scandal.

Although the matter did not originate with Yan Fengqian, public attention tends to focus on those with greater prestige. Ultimately, it was Yan Fengqian who had to pay for the deal, but Song Qinggui was inexplicably dragged into it, and Lawyer Xue also got involved.

If not handled properly, the bullying by the wealthy family is secondary; if Song Qinggui's fish-raising past before marriage is exposed, the consequences will be endless. Lawyer Xue doesn't want to wear a cyber cuckold's hat.

Yan Fengqian may be a scoundrel, but he's clear-headed when it comes to important matters.

He suppressed his emotions and said, "I'll have the public relations department draft a statement and send it to you later. I, Yan Fengqian, will take full responsibility for my actions, so you can rest assured."

Xue Lu raised an eyebrow and nodded. That was enough.

He turned around and said, "I'm leaving."

"etc."

Yan Fengqian called out to Xue Lu, who turned around and saw a hint of struggle in his old friend's eyes.

After a long silence, Yan Fengqian finally asked, "Did you sleep with Song Qinggui?"

Xue Lu frowned: "You've crossed the line."

"I asked you, did you sleep with her?!"

Xue Lu's face darkened. He stared at Yan Fengqian's trembling cheek muscles due to his anger and couldn't help but feel puzzled.

"Fong-kyum, Qing-gui and I are a legally married couple."

This was the final answer given by Xue Lu.

Yan Fengqian was defeated by this answer. Yes, they are a legally married couple, so what can't they do?