Marry the domineering CEO first.
"You first tried to lure me out of the country, and after that failed, you brought me here to see a jewelry exhibition."
I remember you weren't interested in these things before either.
Faced with her best friend's questioning, Lin Zhen'er became a little guilty and stammered. The jewelry exhibition she came to today was held in a museum. There were countless crowns worth tens of millions and beautiful high-quality pearls. If you don't like colored gemstones and diamonds, there are jade and jadeite display cases further ahead.
Behind the glossy Hetian jade was a pair of jade bracelets in Longyang green. With so many fine things piled up in front of them, Xu Bing didn't know how to appreciate them. Instead, she felt that her behavior was suspicious. She tried everything she could, but neither of them bought anything. Now they didn't know what to do.
"Could you take a picture for me at that crown display case, the kind that's popular online?"
I crouched behind the glass case, as if putting on a...
The person immediately squatted down by the glass, posed, and waited for their friend across from them to take many photos in a row, changing poses several times, before pretending to strictly check the photos. Having almost seen the exhibition, and with the other person refusing to accept anything and offering nothing in return, it became difficult to figure out how to stall for time.
"Yesterday I heard someone say that Xie Wen is pursuing Jiang Chengjing."
Have you heard anything? This news must be fake. Their backgrounds are so different, how could they possibly get together?
If she is guilty, she should be arrested and punished properly, instead of staying here, listening to her best friend ask her the question she fears most. She swallowed hard several times, not knowing how to respond.
Unfortunately, the person opposite her had grown up with her since childhood and quickly noticed something amiss from Mrs. Jin's unnatural expression. She snorted coldly, took out her phone, and walked towards the door; Xie Wen's name flashed repeatedly on the screen.
The woman chasing behind was on tenterhooks.
"Tell me, are you pursuing Jiang Chengjing?"
What is it about me that makes you go to such lengths to avoid me and chase after someone else behind my back?
The man on the other end of the phone was clearly unprepared for these questions and hesitated for a while before answering.
"There's nothing wrong with you, but we were just drunk that day, so it wasn't really a formal relationship."
I know Jiang Chengjing is bad. I've been following Yan Zhi for over ten years and have seen her. She's vain, mean, and full of aggression, but I just can't help falling in love with her.
Just like when your friend married into the Jin family, how much sincerity did she have for my brother? But he still fell for her without hesitation. Men aren't as rational as you think. Jin Yanzhi was willing to be a lifeline for Lin Zhen'er, who was drowning in the trough of her career.
"I've been unfaithful for so many years, and only recently have I realized my own feelings. I've started to hate myself for being incompetent, unable to provide Chengjing with the value she wants, and only able to suffer this painful internal conflict."
Xie Wen didn't have a chance to finish his sentence before Xu Bing hung up the phone. Lin Zhen'er didn't know what to say either. Her childhood friend had been raised in a pampered environment, possessing everything most girls could only dream of.
The Xu family, a scholarly family, is probably still far less wealthy than the Jiang family, who have mountains of gold and silver to spend.
But he was more than a match for that handsome driver. Unfortunately, the world of love doesn't care about such things. Everyone who is adrift in the sea of love will desperately try to reach for the first bright moon they see, no matter how far apart they are.
My friend's eyes were red, but she was still trying her best to hold back her tears, stubbornly pursing her lips. They were the closest of friends, sharing everything from childhood to adulthood, yet they couldn't lend a helping hand to each other in times like this, and could only watch each other struggle and suffer.
"Mrs. Jin, Mr. Jin has ordered the crown you photographed at the exhibition hall as a gift for you. He has also chosen a bracelet for Miss Xu. If you have time, would you like to come with me to the VIP room to confirm it?"
The staff member's voice broke their silence. Xu Bing turned around and walked inside first, trying her best to pretend that nothing had happened. She strode into the innermost room, and Mrs. Jin jogged after her, secretly thanking her husband for his superpower.
I don't even remember exactly what the crown that I was forced to take a photo with was like, but the bracelet my husband chose must have good taste. I hope it will make my friend feel a little better after receiving it.
The seamlessly set diamonds on the velvet tray neatly encircled a beautiful ring of pigeon-blood red gemstones in the center. The red and white gems complemented her childhood friend's fair hand perfectly. Lin Zhen'er, clapping and praising it incessantly, stopped the person next to her from taking it off, insisting that they wear it.
Beneath the crown in the glass case, a large pear-shaped diamond shimmered on her forehead; the jewelry was magnificent, its details flawless. But remembering what had happened a few minutes earlier, she lost interest. After trying it on for a while, she took it off and left with her friend.
“I shouldn’t have called that jerk. I should have let him go. You got dragged into this and got a few words of criticism too.”
The woman driving towards the spa was grumbling, while Lin Zhen'er, sitting in the passenger seat, seemed lost in thought. Xie Wen's words were harsh, but every single one of them was true. She had accepted Jin Yanzhi's marriage proposal after knowing him for only a few days; to say she truly loved her husband would be laughable to anyone.
At that time, her boyfriend cheated on her, and the whole city knew about it. Her opportunistic boss gave her a dismissal notice that same day. The lease on her old, dilapidated house was also about to expire. When she met love, it was the darkest moment of her life.
At that time, she accepted the marriage proposal of the head of the Jin family, and gritted her teeth to marry into the Jin family despite the heavy burden of public opinion. Both sides knew why.
Whether it was career, money, or resources, that man, whose conditions were impeccable, never uttered a word of refusal. He stood there, letting her take whatever she wanted, reaching for everything that she had rarely even dreamed of before, standing on his shoulders.
She was always on guard, carefully avoiding becoming a pawn abandoned after the passion faded, returning to the previous vortex. But Jin Yanzhi lifted her up step by step, elevating his lover to a position where she could live well without him. His love was never guarded.
The tragic scenario of those in power lifting the hem of their robes to reveal a glimpse of their wealth, driving women from the lower classes to the brink of despair, did not unfold during the most helpless stage of their lives. Instead, he slowly built a wall to protect his lover's self-conscious and fragile heart.
"It has to be my best friend. Drinking such expensive red wine and looking at such a beautiful river view makes me feel much better."
In the large bathtub in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, two women who had just finished a spa treatment were toasting each other while soaking in the tub. The towering buildings outside the window and the quietly flowing river below seemed to have washed away much of their previous unhappiness, making the childhood friend, who had just been hurt by a man, feel much better.
"Let's not talk about those things between us. Do you remember the princess dress brand we liked when we were little?"
Back then, I didn't even dare to look at it for long, but you insisted on getting your mom to buy two identical ones so that I would have new clothes to wear on my birthday, and we could even go to your house to cut the cake and blow out the candles together.
You have no idea, back then I thought, when will I be able to give my best friend some surprises too? Look, now I can finally give back to my dearest friend. We will both eventually stand in happiness, the happiest kind of happiness.”
The crystal glasses clinked crisply, and a knowing smile appeared on the two faces pressed together.
After seeing her best friend off after her spa treatment and lavish meal, it was already completely dark. She sat alone in the car waiting for her husband, who was secretly playing with a small, well-worn gold earring. When he saw her, he reluctantly slipped the little thing into his pocket.
Lin Zhen'er guessed that Xie Wen wouldn't come today, but she still couldn't help but look curiously at the empty cup on the center console. It was Xie Wen's favorite Americano. Sure enough, he was really in love. He was usually so meticulous, but today he actually forgot to take away the beverage bottle.
The car skillfully zigzagged around several corners before suddenly stopping on a small road some distance from home.
The somewhat puzzled woman looked in the direction her husband was pointing. The restaurant on the side of the road was the best restaurant in Pingyang. The private room on the second floor had a fully transparent arched floor-to-ceiling window. The brightly lit private room had no curtains drawn. Jiang Chengjing, who was standing by the table, holding a wine glass and laughing coquettishly, was accompanied by a new woman. The man's specific identity was not important; the luxury goods he was wearing were enough to show his wealth.
Not far ahead, in front of a small bar, Xie Wen, surrounded by scattered bottles, was completely drunk and did not recognize them sitting in the car.
"Your projects are all going very well, and your children are absolutely adorable."
Jiang Chengjing, please don't give me a headache just thinking about you! You're like a crazy canary, constantly changing cages. Think about our loved ones who have left us, think about Chengxu! Would he want to see you drinking until dawn every day, getting hurt by different men?
Jin Yanzhi, unable to contain himself any longer, yelled out the hiccuping voice coming from his phone screen.
Miss Jiang on the other end of the phone, unusually quiet today, hadn't been acting like a fighting cock. After a moment of silence, she gave a completely unrelated answer:
Has Xie Wen left?
So this is what "hateful sea and passionate sky" and "acting for you to see" mean.
"No."
Watching the woman at the dinner party pick up her bag, put on her coat, and gracefully walk downstairs, the man left at the table suddenly brightened up, then quickly dimmed, awkwardly turning his head away. How ridiculous! He had been comforting his best friend who had been hurt by that Xiao Xie during the day, and now he was sitting in his car watching this new love drama unfold, with a bad man drunk and crying.
Jiang Chengjing went downstairs without greeting Xie Wen, and only glanced at the couple sitting in the car before quickly getting into the van, closing the door, and driving away.
"He told me today that he hates himself for being incompetent and for falling in love with the eldest daughter of the Jiang family."
All the money he's earned over the years has gone to drinking and traveling; what's left isn't even enough to buy a toilet in the Jiang family home. But if he could stay by Jiang Chengjing's side like this, regardless of their status, it would be better than him staying with someone else, sharing a bed but not a dream.
The engine started again, and her husband's words seemed to be addressed to her, yet also to the endless night outside.
The fleeting emotions and ambiguous love between those adult men and women were once again demonstrated tonight, highlighting the helplessness of love in the face of reality.
“I often think, what if I had been a little worse back then, and had run off with your money like a madman?”
Will you still love me like this?
As usual, Lin Zhen'er's hand was held tightly by her husband. The lights of thousands of homes outside the window flashed by quickly, and there was a sense of unease in her voice that she hadn't felt in a long time.
"Yes, I can. I have so much money, I'm just afraid you're asking for too little."
After all, your plan is to marry the domineering CEO first. What if I'm not good enough, and you find someone else?"
The man's voice was steady and strong, just like the day they first met.
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