Chapter 8
Qinglan City is located in the north of China, where temperatures vary greatly from season to season. With the onset of winter, temperatures drop exceptionally quickly, plummeting from above zero to below zero in less than a week.
Chen Fengni took out a thick, long black down jacket from the closet and put it on. She then took a wool scarf and wrapped herself tightly.
She was most afraid of the cold. Even though she was fully armed, when she walked into the underground garage, she was still shivered by the cold air blowing in her face.
Shen Fengni exhaled a breath of white air, put his hands in his pockets, and walked quickly towards the car.
The car drove towards the destination. Chen Fengni held the phone and hesitated for a long time before sending a message to Zhezhi.
Feng Ni: What are you doing?
At this time, Shen Fengni was on her way to meet Sheng Xinyan. Although she had rehearsed the situation countless times in her mind, she still felt nervous when it came to the actual practice.
This was the most important decision in Shen Fengni's life so far. She lacked the courage to face it alone, but she didn't know who to talk to. After some thought, she found that Zhezhi was her only safe option.
The few close friends Shen Fengni could talk to were generally all restless and boisterous. For example, Song Manman, even if she only knew the slightest bit about her current situation, would become completely flustered and at a loss, asking her questions and then asking her what to do.
Zhezhi was calm and composed, with a stable mood, as if she regarded everything in the world as passing clouds, and no one and nothing could cause any waves in her heart.
But at the same time, Zhezhi does not lack the ability to empathize with others, otherwise he would not always be able to detect her emotional changes.
After Chen Fengni sent the message, he casually clicked into Zhezhi's circle of friends and took a look.
It was blank, nothing. At the top, it was marked that the friend settings only showed the three-day circle of friends, indicating that she had not been blocked.
Has Zhezhi never posted on WeChat Moments, or has he set up special groups for netizens?
Or maybe this isn't the WeChat she's used to using?
No matter which one it is, it is normal. Many people deliberately separate netizens from reality when using social software.
Shen Fengni thought carelessly.
The scenery outside the window changed, the playlist in the car player played to the fifth song, and Zhezhi replied to her message.
Zhezhi: I was working just now.
Broken branch: It’s empty now.
What this means is that you can chat with her.
"I'm about to start something very important." Shen Fengni carefully considered her words and typed slowly, "I'm not sure what to do."
Zhezhi: What are you worried about?
I didn't ask her directly what she wanted to do, but I paid attention to her emotions while leaving her enough space and room.
The choice of how much to say is hers.
Chen Fengni's eyes moved slightly, and she once again admired Zhezhi's thoughtfulness.
The light inside the car was dim, and the phone screen shone brightly, shrouding Shen Fengni's fair fingertips. Her fingers tightened slightly, and she typed slowly on the keyboard.
Feng Ni: I’m worried that if I fail, the situation will get worse.
Zhezhi: Just do it, don’t be afraid of things that haven’t happened yet.
Since she has already made up her mind, all she needs is a push from someone to give her the courage to move forward.
Shen Fengni's eyes flickered slightly, and before she could think of how to reply, another message popped up on the screen.
Zhezhi: I will accompany you.
***
"So what you're saying is that Yu Qian not only tricked you into signing an unequal contract, leaving you with almost no income from live streaming, but she's also been cheating on you during your marriage?"
Across the table, a dazzling beauty paled with astonishment, her voice rising an octave. She waved her hand against the wine glass beside her, causing the ice cubes in the glass to clink with a few crisp sounds.
Chen Fengni laughed. Fortunately, the sound insulation of the private rooms in this bar was good enough, so there was no need to worry about the walls having ears even if you spoke loudly.
She nodded and reached out to push the cocktail away from Sheng Xinyan to prevent him from knocking it over and staining her five-figure dress.
"Besides, her company and real estate have been notarized and counted as pre-marital property. They have nothing to do with you at all."
"No way, Shen Fengni? Are you telling the truth? Or am I dreaming?"
"It's not a dream." Shen Fengni had already expected Sheng Xinyan's reaction, so she wasn't surprised. She just calmly admitted, "Everything I said is true."
"Oh my god, I always thought you two had a good relationship. Isn't she really good at pretending?"
Sheng Xinyan felt like her CPU was about to burn out. She opened her red lips and spit out a curse, "Bah! You bastard, you scumbag!"
She leaned forward, her eyes blazing as she approached. "Feng Ni, you came to see me for some plan, right? I can help you with anything, so feel free to ask."
Such straightforward concern was like bright sunlight shining on her body, so warm that it made her eyes sore.
Shen Fengni was silent for a moment, then said softly, "I need money."
Although she came from a wealthy family, her parents did not buy any assets for her, and her living expenses during her student years were only slightly higher than those of ordinary families.
After attending university, her family, convinced that adults should be independent, completely abandoned her. Shen Fengni scraped by, relying on part-time jobs and her previous savings. As graduation neared, she began livestreaming, and things only improved slightly.
Unfortunately, she soon signed an unequal treaty with Yu Qian. Although the account was established, all the income from the live broadcast went into Yu Qian's pocket. So after all these years of hard work, she had almost no savings.
When Yu Qian was coaxing her, she was very generous in transferring money and giving her gifts, but she had never been treated so well before, and she felt very guilty. She always gave her expensive gifts of equal value in return, and basically her income and expenditure offset each other.
"It's to pay the penalty, right?" Sheng Xinyan understood immediately, "How much do you need?"
Shen Fengni said: "Three million."
She tightened her grip on the cup nervously, feeling the coolness spread along the skin of her palm. "Xinyan, my family really can't help me. I don't have anyone else..."
"I understand. You don't need to say more." Sheng Xinyan slammed the table, full of pride. "Don't I understand you? Can you talk to me unless you have no other choice?"
The heart seemed to be wrapped in a warm current, and all the coldness disappeared in an instant.
Shen Fengni pursed her lips and said, "Thank you. I will return it to you as soon as possible."
"Don't worry, I'm not short of money." Sheng Xinyan smiled brightly. "After you terminate your contract, without the guild's support, your traffic will definitely drop. It will take a while to earn three million. But it will be much better than now. By the way, I have a few lawyers I know who are very capable. They can help you with divorce and contract termination..."
Sheng Xinyan's straightforwardness was like a shot of tranquilizer, calming Shen Fengni's uneasy heart a lot.
The two chatted for more than an hour. Finally, Chen Fengni took out a pen and paper from her bag and planned to calculate the interest with Sheng Xinyan.
But before she could finish, Sheng Xinyan interrupted her, "What's the point of talking about interest between friends? Haven't you and Zhezhi helped me a lot? When this is resolved, just treat me to a nice meal."
Hearing Zhezhi's name, Shen Fengni paused.
Knowing that she and Sheng Xinyan were good friends who often worked together on the live broadcast, Zhezhi always treated Sheng Xinyan very well. On important occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries, he would go to Sheng Xinyan's live broadcast room to give her a generous gift, the amount of which attracted the envy of countless people.
Meeting Zhezhi was probably the luckiest thing that happened to her in such a miserable life.
Chen Fengni let out a breath and smiled, "Okay, you can eat whatever you want then."
"Then I'll have to think carefully before asking you for money." Sheng Xinyan smiled, then frowned again, "But I'm still losing weight. I can't have a big meal until I reach my target weight. If not, I'll just owe you money for now."
I chatted with Sheng Xinyan for a while, and it was already midnight when I got home.
With both mental and physical strength drained, Shen Fengni rubbed his eyes sleepily, planning to take a shower and go to bed immediately.
Before entering the bathroom, she habitually took out her cell phone and took a look at it.
As if by telepathy, Zhezhi's message popped up, "Is everything going well?"
These four short words were enough to bring a smile to Shen Fengni's eyes.
Feng Ni: Everything is fine at the moment.
Feng Ni: I hope everything will go smoothly in the future.
Zhezhi: Yes.
Zhezhi: If you need anything, you can come to me.
Feng Ni: Thank you, but I can still handle it.
Chatting with Zhezhi was always pleasant. He was as tactful as ever. After confirming that she didn't need help, he told her to go to bed early and ended the topic naturally.
Just as Shen Fengni was about to put down her phone, the screen suddenly flickered and switched to an incoming call notification.
Her heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and her first reaction was that Zhezhi remembered something important, so she simply made a phone call.
But after seeing the name on the screen clearly, her eyes cooled down again.
Shen Fengni picked up the phone and said coldly, "Hello?"
"The answer was pretty quick today." Yu Qian's voice came through the microphone. Just a few words were enough to make people unhappy. "Chen Fengni, who are you chatting with?"
Shen Fengni's back tensed unconsciously, like a sword drawn from its sheath, and he instantly entered a tit-for-tat combat mode.
The cold white light reflected her expressionless face. "If you have something to say, just say it."
"I'm here to remind you not to forget the dinner tomorrow."
Fortunately, Yu Qian was too lazy to talk nonsense with her and didn't care about her attitude. "You're going to take a day off tomorrow, right? Someone will deliver your clothes and jewelry early in the morning. You should pack up early. I'll pick you up at six in the evening."
When it comes to socializing like this, Yu Qian always does her best to save face. There seems to be an unwritten rule in her circle that no matter how extravagant a person is, they still have to bring their legal partner to formal events.
Shen Fengni simply said okay.
I thought the conversation was over, but Yu Qian added, "I'm meeting a very important person tomorrow, and I don't want any mistakes."
This time, his tone was not as casual as before, but rather had a hint of seriousness.
Shen Fengni's curiosity was piqued, and she asked, "Who is it?"
"Jiang Zhuoyan." Hearing Yu Qian say this slightly familiar name, she felt a strange feeling. "You should have heard of Mr. Jiang from 'Yi Meng'."
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