Chapter 1 I got dumped.

In December, a light snow fell in Edmonton, but the elegant English villa remained warm and cozy. The living room had warm brown oak floors, a thick wool blanket on the floor, and a soft sofa next to it.

A pot of hot soup was boiling on the stove, and a long-haired woman wearing an apron stood there, stirring the soup with a spoon.

"Gu Sui?" Shang Shu called out the woman's name in disbelief.

Hearing the sound, Gu Sui slowly turned her head, her eyes slightly red from the hot soup. She smiled and spoke gently to Shang Shu, "Why are you awake?"

Gu Sui had long black hair, which she had tied into a low ponytail while cooking, draping over one shoulder, making her look even more gentle and charming.

Shang Shu stood there dumbfounded, still unable to believe what she was seeing.

Seeing that she didn't answer, Gu Sui assumed that she was still asleep, so he put down the spoon in his hand, stepped forward and gently stroked her cheek: "The soup isn't ready yet, do you want to go back to sleep for a while?"

"You...you're back?" The touch of their skin against each other felt incredibly real, and Shang Shu couldn't help but tear up. She raised her hand to hold Gu Sui's hand, but Gu Sui nimbly pulled it back.

"Fool, what nonsense are you talking about?" Gu Sui walked back to the stove and mechanically stirred the soup in the pot.

Shang Shu noticed her unusual behavior, but her brain uncontrollably urged her to step forward and embrace the joy of regaining what she had lost.

"Gu Sui... Gu Sui..." Shang Shu rushed forward and hugged Gu Sui's back, calling her name repeatedly, tears streaming down her face like a burst dam.

"You're not leaving, are you... Please don't go? Do you know how much I miss you..."

Shang Shu cried out in grievance, but felt the body tightly embracing her gradually pulling away.

"A-Shu, don't cry." Gu Sui slowly backed away, his sorrowful eyes reflecting Shang Shu's shrinking figure.

"No...no!" Shang Shu frantically reached out to grab Gu Sui, as if that would keep her by her side.

"Goodbye, A-Shu."

"Gu Sui!" Shang Shu gasped for breath, waking up with a start, her face still streaked with tears.

She turned on her phone screen, the blinding white light making her feel a little disoriented. At 6:28 p.m., she squinted and turned off her 6:30 a.m. alarm clock. After calming herself down, she picked up the medicine bottle from her bedside, poured out a pill, and swallowed it.

This was the umpteenth time she had dreamed of Gu Sui. Counting it up, this year marked the third year since their breakup, or more accurately, the third year since Gu Sui unilaterally dumped and abandoned her.

Ever since he sent her a breakup message, Gu Sui has vanished as if he'd disappeared into thin air. Even with the connections and resources of the business community, they haven't been able to find a single trace of him over the years.

Shang Shu gave a self-deprecating bitter laugh, realizing that even a short nap couldn't save her. She then rolled out of bed, looked at her swollen eyes in the mirror, and skillfully applied ice to them.

A short while later, a few polite knocks came from outside the door.

"Come in." Shang Shu put down the ice pack in her hand and looked at her eyes in the mirror again, which had mostly subsided.

"Mr. Shang, here is the dress you requested. The celebration banquet will be held at the Scarlet Bar in the city center. The driver is already downstairs and can leave at any time." Secretary Song Lan stood beside him, reporting methodically.

Song Lan is the same age as Shang Shu. She is not a very experienced senior secretary, but she is very efficient and thoughtful. She has been with Shang Shu since she first returned to China and founded S&S. In the past three years, she has rarely made any mistakes. Shang Shu is very satisfied with her.

Upon hearing this, Shang Shu frowned: "Who chose this place?"

“This…” It was rare for a question that even Song Lan couldn’t answer fluently.

Scarlet is a high-end bar that opened three years ago. It usually only caters to wealthy and powerful guests. The environment and drinks suit Shang Shu's taste very well, so she is a regular at Scarlet in private. However, she has always kept her work and life very separate, but now she is somewhat unhappy.

"Never mind, we'll leave in half an hour." Shang Shu was too lazy to dwell on the issue anymore and started doing her makeup.

"Okay." Song Lan responded and then tactfully withdrew.

Shang Shu simply drew a few strokes on her face. She was extremely beautiful, perfectly inheriting half of her mother's mixed-race genes and her beautiful figure. She was a typical beauty with Eastern skin and Western bones, which was one of the main reasons why she had become a social butterfly in the industry without any effort.

The brush swept across her high, straight nose, grazing her almost sharp facial features. She stared at the mirror, her amber eyes bright and deep, when an untimely message popped up on her phone.

[Shang Wei: Xiao Shu, come home when you have time.]

Shang Shu remained unmoved, expertly deleting the message in a few swift movements. She lost her mother at the age of six, and Shang Wei immediately welcomed her stepmother into the family. When she was eighteen, he abandoned her overseas and never looked back. Both were her biological daughters, but the treatment of her twin stepsisters was worlds apart from hers. You could tell just from their names: Shang Shiqing and Shang Zhiyi.

Earlier, Shang Shu laughed in anger, thinking that she might as well change her name to Shang Shu, as "Shu" means distant, because she really had no feelings for this father or the so-called family.

Moreover, she later learned that the Shang Group contained assets left by her mother, and she became even more determined not to let them benefit for nothing. Thus, she made the groundbreaking move of "the eldest daughter of the Shang family returning to China to restart her late mother's jewelry brand and rebranding it as S&S".

S&S has become a rising star in Macau's jewelry scene, and tonight's event is a celebration of its collaboration with renowned director Li Xian. For the brand, this is undoubtedly a significant boost to its cross-industry influence and artistic standing.

After changing their clothes, the driver took Shang Shu and her companion to the Scarlet Bar.

In early winter, as the chill deepens outside, the constant temperature inside the bar creates a pleasant atmosphere. Crystal chandeliers reflect a dazzling, decadent glow, and the air is filled with an ambiguous aroma of alcohol. People sit around leather sofas surrounding a marble table, and the bartender mixes rare and exquisite drinks under the enchanting light. Gold leaf liquid flows between their lips and teeth, and every smile and gesture exudes extravagance.

"Mr. Shang."

"Hello, Mr. Shang."

Upon seeing Shang Shu arrive, everyone stood up to greet her.

Shang Shu nodded slightly and took the wine glass that Song Lanye handed her: "Everyone has worked hard these past few days. I won't say much more. Let's all enjoy ourselves tonight."

After speaking, Shang Shu downed her drink in one gulp, and the crowd cheered and laughed, no longer as reserved as before, and gradually started to have fun.

It was called a celebration banquet, but it was more like a small party. The guests were all members of the company's core design team. Although Shang Shu was very strict with her work, she was usually very kind to her employees. So, everyone took advantage of the festive occasion to start having fun.

"Come on, let's play Truth or Dare!"

"Who was it transferred to?"

"Secretary Song! Truth or Dare?"

"Let me ask you!"

…………

The spinning wheel kept turning, and Shang Shu was sitting in the middle with a smile on her face, but unexpectedly, it pointed to her the next second.

"Oh, it's President Shang!"

"Mr. Shang, you can't have special privileges!"

"Choose one! Choose one!"

Shang Shu thought about the embarrassing dares she had just experienced and sighed helplessly, "I'll choose truth."

Everyone became interested upon hearing this. The group consisted mostly of young people, at an age where they loved to play and wanted to hear things they wouldn't normally know. So, the most boisterous of them spoke up:

"As far as I know, our CEO is currently single. So, I'd like to ask... when was your last relationship?"

"Wow, they're going all out!" The people around them cheered.

Shang Shu remained calm and replied casually, seemingly unconcerned, "Three years ago."

The crowd immediately stirred, and someone asked, "Then why did you break up?"

Although Shang Shu was slightly tipsy, she wasn't completely fooled. She crossed her arms, tilted her head, and smiled: "That's the second question."

Seeing that she wasn't falling for the trap, everyone urged them to start the next round. As if it were really just a coincidence, the ball landed on Shang Shu twice more.

"Let's continue with the previous question. Mr. Shang, please tell us why you broke up?"

"I got dumped."

"ah????"

A chorus of groans erupted as everyone expressed their doubts, with some pressing their advantage: "No, no, that answer is too hasty. You need to give us the specific reasons."

Everyone started echoing the sentiment of "when the wall is down, everyone kicks it."

"Heh." Shang Shu chuckled softly, her head lowered, and muttered a few words: "I don't know either."

Although what she said was indeed the truth, no one present believed her. They all thought that Shang Shu was unwilling to speak, so they urged her to drink.

Shang Shu had no words to express her suffering; she had lost both her wife and her army.

There was one question left. Now that everyone had finally caught Shang Shu's weakness, they all put all their effort into making a fuss about her ex: "Does President Shang still love her ex?"

Do you love me?

But she didn't even know if she was dead or alive.

Don't you love me anymore?

Even Shang Shu herself couldn't believe it when she said it. She really wished she could have a quick end, but the endless recurring nightmares tormented her relentlessly, and she didn't know when it would end.

The marigold tattoo on her wrist tingled slightly. Without uttering a word, she raised her hand and gulped down another glass. The answer to this question was already obvious.

After a few drinks, Shang Shu's mind became increasingly muddled. She swayed as she got up, wanting to go outside for some fresh air.

Seeing this, Song Lan also got up and walked behind her.

She hadn't taken more than a few steps when Shang Shu noticed her presence and couldn't help but chuckle: "So dedicated."

"Go have fun, you don't need to come with me."

"President Shang..."

"Go."

Song Lan knew that the president had a good alcohol tolerance, but she had seen her drunk before. Although she was worried, she couldn't refuse her, and soon she was sent back into the crowd to be surrounded and made a ruckus.

Shang Shu leaned against the wall and walked slowly, thinking that she might as well go to her private room and get drunk. But the place was too big, and Shang Shu even felt that it was as winding and twisting as a maze.

Just as she was feeling dizzy and disoriented, she suddenly heard a familiar voice: "This place is nice, it's a pity we didn't come here before."

Shang Shu turned her head and saw Shang Zhiyi swaying her hips as she walked out of a private room, followed by several rich girls she recognized but didn't quite recognize.

Their eyes met and the air froze. Shang Shu secretly grumbled to herself, "Didn't I order the whole place to be booked? Why are there other people here?" She rolled her eyes at Shang Zhiyi and turned back, already thinking about how to make trouble for the bar owner.

"Hey, Dad's calling you home." Shang Zhiyi's shout drew everyone's attention to Shang Shu.

Shang Shu ignored it and continued walking forward, pretending not to hear.

Shang Zhi couldn't stand Shang Shu embarrassing her in front of so many people, so she quickly walked up to Shang Shu and blocked her way.

"Get lost." Shang Shu had no interest in arguing with her and didn't even bother to lift her eyelids.

Shang Zhiyi was startled by her aura, but she straightened her back under the gaze of everyone: "Don't think you're so great just because you've started your own business. You were still using Dad's money back then..."

"Smack!"

A crisp slap rang out, and a red handprint quickly appeared on Shang Zhiyi's usually pampered face.

"Watch your mouth, or I'll beat you every time I see you." Shang Shu didn't want to pay attention, but Shang Zhiyi was asking for trouble and insisted on walking right into her line of fire.

"What's wrong?" Shang Shiqing, who arrived late from the restroom, saw her sister covering her cheek and then looked up to see Shang Shu across from her.

"Sister..." Shang Shiqing called softly to Shang Shu. Although they were siblings from the same mother, she was not as domineering as Shang Zhiyi, and she always treated her half-sister Shang Shu with respect.

"Sister, she actually hit me!" Shang Zhiyi covered her slightly swollen face and hid behind Shang Shiqing, sobbing.

When the wealthy young ladies who were standing nearby saw that Shang Zhiyi had arrived, they thought that she would definitely support her sister, so they took advantage of their numbers and pledged their loyalty to Shang Zhiyi.

"Yes, why would they resort to violence?"

"That's right, that's right, it's all because the sisters are so ruthless."

Shang Shu was dizzy from their constant chatter, and the strong scent of their perfumes made her feel nauseous. She didn't want to get entangled any longer and just wanted to get to the bottom of things quickly.

"Keep an eye on your sister," Shang Shu said coldly.

Shang Shiqing bit her lip and agreed, while Shang Zhi felt even more aggrieved seeing her sister so weak: "She hit me, and we just let it go like that?"

"That's enough, Zhiyi. We'll talk about it when we get home." Shang Shiqing said sternly, knowing how formidable Shang Shu was and not wanting to get herself into trouble.

"Also, don't let me see her at Scarlet Bar again." Shang Shu was annoyed at the thought of running into this shrew when she came to drink in the future. After all, there are so many high-end bars in Macau, and she figured Shang Zhiyi wouldn't be short of one. But there might not be many that suited her taste.

"Why should I!" Upon hearing this, Shang Zhiyi became angry again and unexpectedly stepped forward from behind Shang Shiqing, pushing Shang Shu.

Shang Shu was already enduring the discomfort, and with this push, her body tilted uncontrollably. Just when she thought she was about to have intimate contact with the hard marble floor, she fell into a warm embrace.

A note from the author:

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