In the affluent district of River City, every inch of land is worth its weight in gold.
On the spacious and tranquil Love City Road, two side-by-side luxurious European-style villas sit enclosed within a black, intricately carved iron gate. Parked at the entrance is a sleek, brand-new Maybach, adding a touch of grandeur to the manor.
This is the Qin Mansion, residence of the famous magnate of River City, Qin Suiying.
Legend has it that Qin Suiying deeply cherishes his lady, having bought this old mansion from the Republican era as their domicile when they were newly married.
From the rumors circulating among outsiders, Mrs. Qin is seen as unimaginably fortunate, inducing nothing but envy.
However, in Lu Xiaoxiao’s eyes, it's all bullsh*t!
The so-called 'deep affection and heavy sentiment' was nonsense. Qin Suiying had long been fed up with her. If it weren't for the Qin family reputation, he would have kicked her out already.
Despite everything, she continued to strive for redemption.
In the afternoon, Lu Xiaoxiao sat at the European-style white vanity adorned with carved roses, putting on her makeup. She was to accompany Qin Suiying to a charity gala that evening - an opportunity she could not miss.
Early enough, she took a ride to Sheng Ying Corporate Headquarters. Upon entering the doors of the conglomerate, and ignoring the astonished gazes from everyone, she rode the exclusive elevator used by the higher ups, led by the front desk lady.
Lu Xiaowen held a smile on her face, her heart filled with a hint of sweetness. Although Qin Suiying’s heart was no longer with her, he would still save her some face as Mrs. Qin in public.
The elevator let out a ding. Lu Xiaowen took a deep breath, stepped off with her high heels onto the grey office carpet.
Unexpectedly, she was met with an unwelcome guest.
Xiang Wanching, a renowned jewelry designer, showcased her delicately ovoid face and long hair tied in a ponytail. She looked agile and capable in her professional suit.
"Ms. Lu, what brings you to the headquarters today?"
Xiang Wanqing was the first to speak, a suitable surprise on her face: "Didn't Sui Ying notify you? For tonight's banquet, I’m going with him.”
Lu Wanwan frowned at Xiang Wanqing: "Miss Xiang, are you mistaken? For such charity banquets, it's customary to bring family along."
She said it confidently, but her heart was uncertain.
Lu Wanwan knew very well that Xiang Wanqing and Qin Suiying had been childhood sweethearts and she’d had a long-standing affection for him. These years, the women in Qin Suiying's life had come and gone, but this woman who stayed by his side in the name of friendship had never been pushed away.
Xiang Wanqing forced a smile, tugging at the corner of her mouth: "Suiying is in a meeting now. You should wait in the guest room.”
Having said that, she walked away without looking back. Lu Wanwan followed behind, watching as she entered Qin Suiying's office.
A sudden flame of anger ignited in her heart, and she too headed toward Qin Suiying's office.
As a result, she was stopped.
The one who stopped her was Qin Suiying's secretary: "Mrs. Qin, please wait in the guest room first. You are not allowed to enter Director Qin's office at will."
Lu Wanwan glared at him, raising her voice slightly: "Then why can Xiang Wanqing enter?"
Before the secretary could answer, the door of the nearby small meeting room was opened, and the office elites in suits and leather shoes exited in a line. Qin Suiying was the last to leave.
It had been a month since Lu Wanwan saw him. Meeting him again, she still found him as mesmerizing as he was years ago. The tailored three-piece suit outlined his good physique. The firm pecs and abs, hidden under his suit, nonetheless made his attire look appealing.
A man in his thirties, his face full of mature charm, combined with the vigor granted by talent and ability. It was only a pity that his long, deep, peach-blossom eyes did not harbor any so-called adoration or warmth for her, but only…
Lu Wanwan accurately deciphered two words from his gaze: disgrace.
Qin Suiying looked up and down at Lu Wanwan, his eyebrows deeply furrowed, and his low voice resonated: "What are you doing coming to the company dressed like this?"
Lu Wanwan feels a bit awkward.
Although Qin Suiying treats her with extreme indifference in private, besides them, there are also the secretary and Xiang Wanching present.
She doesn't want to lose face in front of so many people.
"Wasn't it you who asked Secretary Bai to notify me to accompany you to the charity dinner tonight?"
Qin Suiying's brows furrowed even tighter.
He glared fiercely at Lu Wanwan and said to the secretary, "You, go prepare the car."
Secretary Bai immediately turned around and left. As Qin Suiying's number one secretary, he was well aware that there was always a special car waiting for Qin Suiying's trips. He didn't need to arrange it on the spot. Qin Suiying's order was merely to send him away.
After all, having a wife like Lu Wanwan, who was mindlessly clueless and disgraceful wasn't an honorable thing.
After Secretary Bai left, Xiang Wanching smiled and said to Qin Suiying: "Alright, I get it, I'll go sit on the couch for a while and wait for you there."
After she finished speaking, she walked away gracefully to the guest sofa.
Qin Suiying grabbed Lu Wanwan's wrist and dragged her into the president's office.
Lu Wanwan seldom entered this office, so she couldn't help but look around curiously.
Looking at her like this, Qin Suiying felt even more annoyed. "Can you not always…” He softened his tone as if he was afraid of being overheard. "Act like you've never seen the world before?”
Astonished, Lu Wanwan didn't know how to respond. She pursed her lips, feeling embarrassed as she looked at Qin Suiying.
Qin Suiying remained silent. This made Lu Wanwan a little nervous. She was most afraid of Qin Suiying's scrutinizing gaze when he was silent.
She apologized in a low voice: "Sui Ying, I'm sorry. I just rarely come to your office...."
Although, she didn't know why she was apologizing, she just looked around at her husband's office a bit more....
Qin Sui Ying took a deep breath and waved her off weakly: "You should go home for now."
Lu Wanwan's lips trembled slightly, her hands clenched together, struggling to hold back the boiling emotions, and suddenly asked him, "Are you going to let Xiang Wanching accompany you to the charity banquet? What about me?"
Qin Sui Ying sat on the sofa, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose, a flash of fatigue in his eyes, he had no energy to deal to Lu Wanwan's difficult situation.
Hearing Lu Wanwan's words, his eyes filled with impatience: "Take you? What can you do?”
"Dressed like this, you're going to accompany me to a charity banquet? Lu Wanwan, can you be a little self-aware?"
"You are Mrs. Qin Sui Ying, not some nouveau riche man’s tender model or starlet!" He looked at her bare shoulders with disdain: "It's just a charity banquet, you can just wear anything casual. Why are you dressed up like this? What are you trying to do?"
Lu Wanwan's face turned flaming red, and she finally remembered the way Xiang Wanching was dressed when she walked in. The black and white ladies' suit, the neat and delicate ponytail, the only signifier of her status was the necklace around her neck, and the distinctive ring on her hand.
This was the confidence and taste of a woman born into a prestigious family in Ye City that she, Lu Wanwan, could never catch up to.
"I...... I understand...."
Lu Wanwan's voice trembled as she quickly turned around, wanting to leave the suffocating office.
However, as if Qin Sui Ying hadn't had enough, his voice was heard from behind her, cold and mocking, "Your brother-in-law who was previously assigned to the subsidiary company in Ning City is on the verge of ruining all the projects. I had someone get rid of him. I'm telling you this in advance, don't call my secretary later. I don't have time to deal with your family's mess."
"My brother-in-law...." Lu Wanwan subconsciously wanted to say more, but when she turned her head and saw Qin Sui Ying's impatient expression, she didn't dare to say anything else and walked out straight.
Xiang Wanching seemed to have been waiting at the door for a long time. Seeing her come out, she gave her a triumphant smirk and went into Qin Sui Ying's office.
In this instant, Lu Wanwan couldn't help but feel ridiculous.
She was nothing more than an ordinary girl with no knowledge of high society etiquette or networking, no understanding of what an asset auction was about, unable to comprehend an asset evaluation sheet, her marriage to Qin Suiying was like a country girl mistakenly straying into the high society. And her parents and siblings were still hoping that she could bring some benefits from this high society, unknowingly she was already trembling and struggling just by standing in this banquet hall.
As Lu Wanwan took the elevator down and returned to the first-floor lobby of Sheng Ying Group, she still wore a smile on her face.
In reality, she was on the verge of crying.
Reaching the company entrance, decked out in a brilliant evening dress, she awkwardly stood not far from the Sheng Ying company's front gate, dialing the driver's number.
Little did she know, at that very moment, disaster struck. A cash transport vehicle suddenly had a steering malfunction and collided with a passing sedan on its side, pushing the sedan towards the roadside.
And Lu Wanwan just happened to be standing there on the roadside. Right before her death, other than the excruciating pain, she had only one thought in her mind: being hit by a car might result in a gruesome death.
What a pity, he probably won't come to see her one last time.
