Shen Meiyan's face appeared pale and stiff under the light. She tried hard to remain calm, but the panic in her eyes was unmistakable. Her eyes widened as she stared intently at Gu Qingyan and Xiao Wanrou in the distance.
She had seen Xiao Wanqing before; the face in the distance looked so much like hers.
“Meiyan, I don’t think President Gu is just putting on an act, is he?” Song Shiyao carefully observed Shen Meiyan and, seeing her unusual reaction, roughly understood what was going on. “I think President Gu seems to really like this girl. Otherwise, given his status, why would he risk exposure by taking this girl out to eat and shop? If the media takes pictures of them, it will cause a huge uproar.”
"Don't overthink it. I'm sure I can marry Gu Qingyan smoothly. If my sister can do it, I definitely can too." Shen Meiyan pursed her lips and said somewhat reluctantly, trying to reassure Song Shiyao.
However, Song Shiyao was not comforted by her words. Looking at Shen Meiyan's pale and stiff face, and the panic and anger in her eyes, a chill ran through her. She began to doubt whether what Shen Meiyan had said before was true, and she also began to doubt whether she could really get anything from her.
"Your sister was able to marry Gu Qingyan because she's one of the most beautiful women in Nancheng! You won't find another woman like her in Nancheng!" The implication was clear: how could you possibly compare to your sister!
"What did you say?! You mean I'm not as good as Shen Zhi Qiu?" Shen Mei Yan was also a little annoyed. She hated it when people compared her to Shen Zhi Qiu. In her mind, Shen Zhi Qiu was nothing, just an empty shell.
"Meiyan, to be honest, you can go look in the mirror yourself. You don't need me to answer you." Song Shiyao pouted and simply stopped giving Shen Meiyan face.
Shen Meiyan was stung by Song Shiyao's words, and her face turned even paler. She knew Song Shiyao was right; her appearance could not compare to Shen Zhi Qiu's. However, she was unwilling to give up so easily. She racked her brains to marry into the Gu family, become Mrs. Gu, and enjoy wealth and luxury.
“Mr. Gu isn’t such a superficial person. He wouldn’t choose Mrs. Gu based solely on looks,” Shen Meiyan retorted.
"Really? I think the girl next to President Gu is quite a beauty too." Song Shiyao relentlessly exposed Shen Meiyan's true colors. Since Shen Meiyan had no chance anyway, she didn't want to flatter her anymore.
"Then there's something wrong with your eyes! I'm not shopping today, you can go now." Shen Meiyan said this and left unhappily, following the two at a distance.
Song Shiyao snorted coldly, her face also darkening. She secretly observed from behind, trying to see what Shen Meiyan was up to.
The scene inside the store was completely different from usual. The usually bustling customers had all vanished, leaving only the shop assistants standing neatly to one side. Xiao Wanrou looked around in confusion, but before she could ask anything, a shop assistant in uniform approached her, bowed respectfully to Gu Qingyan, and said, "Hello, Mr. Gu, we have cleared the store as you instructed. You can take your time shopping with this young lady."
Gu Qingyan nodded, gesturing for the shop assistant to lead the way. He turned to look at Xiao Wanrou, his eyes full of tenderness, and said gently, "Wanrou, take a look and see what you like. We'll buy it all and have it delivered to your home."
Xiao Wanrou nodded obediently, her face beaming with a happy and content smile. She followed the shop assistant inside, her figure slender and elegant.
The shop assistant glanced at the girl in front of her, and couldn't help but sigh at her natural beauty, like a lotus emerging from clear water. She thought to herself, "Sure enough, wealthy families still prefer this kind of naturally beautiful woman."
Watching the shop assistant lead Xiao Wanrou through the glamorous clothing section, carefully selecting items, Gu Qingyan sat leisurely on a nearby sofa, his gaze constantly following Xiao Wanrou, his focused eyes filled with tenderness. This scene deeply hurt Shen Meiyan, who stood opposite the shop.
She clenched her fists so tightly she could feel the pain in her knuckles from the excessive force. Looking at Xiao Wanrou, she was seething with hatred.
Just then, a familiar voice rang in her ear, "Oh, you're here to watch too?" It was Song Shiyao, her tone full of disdain and mockery. Shen Meiyan didn't need to look to know that Song Shiyao's expression must be extremely smug at that moment.
Shen Meiyan didn't answer. She simply turned around and stared coldly at Song Shiyao, her eyes blazing with anger that seemed to consume her. She knew in her heart that Song Shiyao's appearance at this moment was definitely not a coincidence, but rather a deliberate attempt to mock her.
"I think some people's dreams of marrying into a wealthy family have been completely shattered!" Song Shiyao continued to provoke, her words like needles piercing Shen Meiyan.
Shen Meiyan could no longer hold back. She stepped forward, lowered her voice, and glared fiercely at Song Shiyao, "What are you doing here?"
"Does this mall belong to your family? Can't I come?" Song Shiyao retorted without backing down. She stood tall and met Shen Meiyan's gaze without fear. "Shen Meiyan, you lied to me before, saying you were going to marry into the Gu family. That's why I treated you with such courtesy. Otherwise, with your Shen family in such a sorry state, why would I still be respectful to you?"
"Let me tell you, if you upset me, I'll go back and make it clear to my dad that your family can forget about getting that project in the western suburbs!"
Song Shiyao's words caused her a suffocating pain; she knew she was telling the truth.
When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. This is the lesson she learned from Shen Zhi Qiu.
After a long while, she slowly raised her eyes to look at Song Shiyao. "Shiyao, I'm sorry. My tone was not good just now. I was really blinded by anger. I apologize to you."
"Heh," Song Shiyao curled her lips into a mocking smile, "Miss Shen, so you can apologize after all. I thought you were always aloof and arrogant, always thinking of yourself as a real rich heiress."
Shen Meiyan didn't refute; she simply lowered her head silently. She knew that her past arrogance and conceit had made many people dislike her. Now, she had to humble herself.
Song Shiyao continued, her tone full of disdain and sarcasm, "Shen Meiyan, when your sister was in the Gu family, people would still give your Shen family some face out of respect for President Gu. Later, it was you who spread rumors outside and loudly proclaimed that you were going to marry into the Gu family, and only then did people fawn over you."
Now that your dream of marrying into a wealthy family has ended, you'd better behave yourself and keep a low profile! Understand?
"Hmm." Shen Meiyan lowered her posture, clenching her teeth as she looked down.
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