Chapter 1 Childhood Best Friend Turns into Enemy
Everyone in Lincheng knew that Shang Wu was lucky; her looks, figure, and family background were all top-notch.
Even though her family fell into poverty and her brother was imprisoned, her childhood sweetheart, the young master, remained devoted to her, pampering and protecting her for the three years since their engagement, and she never suffered a single day of hardship.
This winter marks their third engagement anniversary.
People from all walks of life are gossiping about when the two will get married.
...
Late at night, Shang Wu came out of the underground parking garage, bypassed the reporters at the south gate, and went upstairs.
Only the CEO's office on the top floor of the entire building was lit up, which was why they persisted in their stakeout.
If she hadn't seen Zhou Yanci leave important documents in the study, she wouldn't have risked being harassed by reporters to come over.
The customer service representative on duty at the front desk was dozing off, but upon seeing Shang Wu, she immediately woke up, stood up straight, and bowed respectfully.
"Good evening, Director Shang."
Shang Wu smiled at her and went straight to the top floor.
When she arrived at the CEO's office, she was about to knock on the door when she suddenly heard a familiar female voice.
"Yanci, when exactly are you going to confront Shang Wu?"
Shang Wu's hand, which was pushing the door open, froze in mid-air.
It was her best friend, Ji Yu.
Why is she here so late?
Through the blinds, she could vaguely see Ji Yu and her fiancé sitting opposite each other, drinking tea and chatting.
Ji Yu chuckled: "You're really something. Back then, you orchestrated the bankruptcy of the business, took away their mainstay business, and even staged a hero-saves-the-damsel-in-distress drama to take Shang Wu away, making her grateful to you. Only you could pull off such an operation."
She was talking enthusiastically and didn't expect anyone to come in from outside.
Shang Wu stood outside the window, her mind blank, and the color drained from her slightly reddened cheeks.
These words echoed in my ears like thunderclaps.
Was the business's bankruptcy orchestrated by Zhou Yanci?
Was it all an act—that the debt collectors wanted to disfigure her, and Zhou Yanci was injured while saving her?
Ji Yu knew about this.
Ji Yu, who had been her best friend for ten years, actually knew all along!
Shang Wu trembled uncontrollably.
Inside the office, Ji Yu was still covering her mouth and laughing: "Now that your dream girl is about to return to the country, and Shang Wu has helped you build up the jewelry department, you're no longer of any use to her, so why not just kick her aside?"
Zhou Yanci had his back to the window, so Shang Wu couldn't see his expression.
Two hours ago, he gently said goodnight, and now he was lounging on the sofa, holding a water glass in one hand as if he were choking her.
Zhou Yanci's tone was cold and indifferent: "No rush. Shang Wu is still somewhat useful. Mianmian left without saying goodbye, causing me three years of heartbreak. I want to use her to make Mianmian angry."
Three years.
She and Zhou Yanci had been engaged for a full three years...
It turns out that for the past few years, Zhou Yanci has always harbored feelings for his ex-girlfriend.
Shang Wu trembled more and more violently, almost unable to stand.
Zhou Yanci leaned down and put down her water glass, her voice low: "Besides, Shang Wu's brother's lawyer is still trying to get a reduced sentence for him, so I have to take care of him."
"Pfft... Haha! I can't help but laugh whenever I think of that idiot Shang Yunshen!" Ji Yu became increasingly smug.
She laughed so hard she slapped the sofa: "The person you arranged deliberately flirted with Shang Wu in front of him, and he rushed up to beat her up. He deserved the heavy eight-year sentence!"
Ji Yu hesitated again and said, "However, should we tell Shang Wu about the old man Shang's serious illness?"
Shang Wu's breathing suddenly became rapid.
Is Dad sick?
"I can't say it now! I'll tell her everything in person two months from now and resolve the issue."
Zhou Yanci's tone turned stern: "Don't forget, the jewelry department is launching a limited-edition new product, and everyone has high expectations for her. Your work also needs her help, so we can't let her get distracted. Anyway, the old man isn't going to die anytime soon..."
The noise in the office gradually subsided.
Shang Wu felt ice-cold all over; the cold wind of the entire city seemed to be blowing into her flesh and blood.
Her inseparable fiancé and best friend of ten years turned out to be evil spirits who were climbing up the ladder by stepping on their businesses!
She lunged forward, trying to push the door open, but bit her tongue and tasted the blood before she stopped herself.
Shang Wu's eyes were red as she quickly went downstairs and handed the documents to the front desk.
"Don't tell anyone I was here tonight!"
She rushed out of the company, her thin coat instantly filled with a cold wind.
Shang Wu walked into the garage in a daze, Zhou Yanci and Ji Yu's words echoing in her ears.
Shang Wu got into the car and recalled what happened three years ago.
The business used to be thriving, but three years ago it was discovered that the father was involved in illegal projects, and his gang was arrested and imprisoned.
The parents spent all their savings to compensate the victims involved.
Competitors from all sides came out to kick him while he was down.
She went to ask for help on behalf of her parents, but was harassed by the vice president of a rival company. Her brother appeared in time to save her, but accidentally injured the man, and was sentenced to eight years in prison.
It turns out that none of this was an accident; it was all arranged by Zhou Yanci!
What was Zhou Yanci doing before the chaos erupted among merchants?
She remembered.
That year, Zhou Yanci defeated several competitive cousins in the Zhou family and was favored by the Zhou family patriarch, becoming the heir to Chengzhou.
At this point, he urgently needed to do something to prove his strength and reassure the shareholders.
He chose to target the merchants, then pretended to be deeply in love with her and willing to do everything he could to help her.
Sending people to help her clean up the mess was actually a way to clear up evidence of her actions.
Taking in the unemployed technical backbone of the merchants and integrating the few remaining businesses of the merchants into Chengzhou is essentially recruiting for Chengzhou and acquiring the merchants' businesses.
Hiring a lawyer to represent his brother and reduce his sentence from twelve years to eight years was a way to keep him in prison and prevent the investigation into the key to the business's bankruptcy.
Next, Zhou Yanci arranged for her parents, who were exhausted and had turned gray overnight, to retire in the countryside. He then brought her to his side and proposed to her in a grand ceremony. In order to better control her, he wanted her to focus on running the jewelry business.
Shang Wu's eyes were filled with blood-red hatred. He clenched his fist and slammed it hard against the steering wheel.
Blood trickled from her knuckles, but she felt no pain whatsoever.
After these things happened to the merchant, she was extremely grateful and wished she could give her life for Zhou Yanci.
She was willing to give up her status as a design master simply because Zhou Yanci asked her to work behind the scenes and manage the jewelry department.
Over the course of three years, she entrusted her design work to her best friend Ji Yu, nurturing Ji Yu into a design genius and pouring her heart and soul into generating countless revenues for Chengzhou.
But in the end, fate played a cruel joke on her!
Her boyfriend and best friend, whom she thought she could rely on, turned out to be her enemies who were plotting against her family, scheming to squeeze every last drop of value out of her and then kick her aside.
She hated the two men for their ruthlessness and cold-bloodedness, and even more so for her own poor judgment in recognizing people, mistaking her enemy for her benefactor, and even planning to marry Zhou Yanci, who had harmed her entire family, and have children with him!
As Shang Wu reviewed everything, her heart ached more and more, so much so that she could hardly breathe.
She cried silently in the car, venting her emotions, until her tears ran dry, her head throbbed, and her heart, liver, spleen, and lungs felt like they were being cooked in a frying pan...
Until the dawn light shone on the Chengzhou Building.
Zhou Yanci appeared before the reporters, dressed in a suit and tie, looking very confident.
Reporters rushed forward and raised their microphones to interview Zhou Yanci.
"Mr. Zhou, was the design of this highly anticipated new product also personally handled by your fiancée, Shang Wu?"
"Designer Ji's work is selling very well, and she publicly thanked Shang Wu for her support. Is this another collaboration between the two best friends? Everyone is really looking forward to it!"
Zhou Yanci raised an eyebrow, and her assistant, Xiao Dong, behind her raised her hand to signal everyone to be quiet.
"President Zhou would like to say a few words to you."
Zhou Yanci smiled and said, "Chengzhou Group has invested 20 million more in budget than last year for the promotion of the winter limited edition products. This is Awu's hard work, and I will definitely give it my full support. Of course, designer Ji will also participate in the design as always."
Someone asked, "When will you and Miss Shang get married? We're all waiting to congratulate you!"
Zhou Yanci's smile faltered slightly, then her tone softened: "Well... it mainly depends on when A-Wu is willing to marry me."
"I won't marry."
A slightly hoarse voice rang out, tinged with barely perceptible hatred.
Zhou Yanci glanced sideways and saw the person who had arrived, then froze: "Awu."
Shang Wu touched up her makeup, casually tied her long black hair up, and wore large sunglasses to cover her eyes, making her look even more aloof.
She took the microphone from a reporter.
"Thank you for your concern, but I have no plans to marry Zhou Yanci."
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