Chapter 37: Views on Choosing a Partner
“What did you talk about?” Su Nian whispered.
Returning from the hallway, the brothers were acting strangely; Shen Yuhuan wasn’t pestering her, and Shen Yuxi remained silent.
“I want you, and Xi wants you too. We couldn’t agree, neither willing to back down, so we ended up sulking.” Shen Yuhuan’s lips curled upward, his smile bold and teasing. “Xi, isn’t that right?”
“Mm.” Shen Yuxi, distracted and uneasy, responded automatically. It was only after the words left his mouth that he froze, realizing what he’d said.
Catching Su Nian’s peculiar glance, he fumbled nervously to explain: “No, I don’t—wait, that’s wrong. I didn’t mean… no, that’s not it either. I…”
“I understand.” Su Nian chuckled, her eyes curving into crescent moons that sparkled with starlight. “Don’t be nervous; I haven’t misunderstood anything.”
She took a closer look and, sure enough, the man’s ears had turned bright red again.
Recalling the scene in the elevator, Su Nian felt a fleeting tremor in her heartstrings and couldn’t help but laugh aloud.
The detective captain who faced criminals with fearless courage was so shy around a girl. What if a female criminal ever tried to ensnare him with a soul-stealing beauty trap? Wouldn’t he be done for right then and there?
“You’re far too easily flustered,” Shen Yuhuan sighed, as if exasperated by iron that refuses to become steel. “How can you possibly compete with the wolves and tigers surrounding Nian Nian?”
His meaningful gaze swept over Gu Yichen and Su Xingye. “Those who can’t compete for favor will be eliminated.”
“Stop teaching her nonsense,” Su Nian retorted, shooting him an annoyed glare. “Yu Xi is wonderful—better than all of you. He’s polite, well-mannered, and makes me feel secure.”
From the day they met until now, their interactions had been consistently pleasant and relaxed. Shen Yu Xi never made her feel pressured; in his presence, she never felt the slightest unease.
Shen Yuhuan raised an eyebrow, asking with a half-smile, “So, you like Xi the most? Brave and reassuring when he’s out in the world, yet shy and innocent with you, letting you take the lead. Is that Nian’s type?”
He had directly analyzed Su Nian’s state of mind.
“What nonsense are you spouting?” Su Nian, her thoughts exposed, could only mask her embarrassment with a fierce tone.
During her marriage to Gu Yichen, she had been the weaker party; even in her interactions with Shen Yuhuan, she remained subordinate. Only Su Xingye and Shen Yuxi treated her differently—one with gentle warmth, the other with bashful reserve in her presence.
Su Nian was no masochist; naturally, she preferred the latter two.
The gazes of the several men varied so distinctly that Su Nian felt utterly uneasy. Irritated, she simply took a seat beside Shen Yuxi.
Instantly, the focal point of their attention shifted from her to Shen Yuxi.
Su Nian exhaled in relief, her brows and eyes curving into a faint smile.
She realized that no matter the moment, Shen Yuhuan would never compete with Shen Yuxi; without him fanning the flames, the other two men, though displeased, could at least restrain themselves.
The flames of war have finally subsided, if only for a time.
News travels fast. The moment Su Nian stepped off the plane, she received a text from Tang Shi: “Nian Nian!!! Did Gu Yichen and Shen Yu Huan get into a fight over you?!”
Even through the screen, Tang Shi’s excitement was palpable.
Su Nian paused for a few seconds before calling back. “How did you find out?”
Good news travels slowly, but bad news spreads like wildfire. The tale of two men fighting over her, tearing apart a house in the United States, had somehow made its way all the way back to China.
“Weibo, Tianya, Zhihu… every platform is flooded with it. It started this morning when major news outlets reported that you were deported back home.” Tang Shi giggled. “Nian Nian, you’ve become famous overnight.”
Su Nian’s expression turned peculiar. “I’m afraid it’s infamy rather than fame,” she said gloomily. “Such an embarrassing incident, now known by the entire nation.”
She glared at the two culprits, who had just received the news and were already instructing their team to launch a public relations campaign and implement emergency damage control measures.
“Where’s the shame? It’s nothing short of sensational!” Tang Shi laughed uncontrollably, her voice brimming with satisfaction. “When Shen Wanrou sees this news at home, her heart will probably twist into knots. Let her taste some agony for once.”
In the past, Shen Wanrou had monopolized Gu Yichen, openly parading their affection and causing Su Nian no end of humiliation. Now, the tables had turned.
Su Nian couldn’t help but laugh either, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she said, “The best part is yet to come.”
On the plane, she fell asleep and dreamed of being surrounded by a group of obedient young heartthrobs; upon waking, she immediately set her goal.
With only one billion in startup capital, shaking the foundations held by Qiao Yajing, Shen Wanrou, and even Gu Yichen would be an incredibly difficult task. Even as a business prodigy, she would need time to build her empire.
It could take a few years, or even decades, and there was always the risk of failure and bankruptcy.
Su Nian couldn’t wait that long. Her only option was to become the queen of capital in the entertainment industry, nurturing Best Actor and Best Actress winners, controlling the narrative, and dominating public opinion. Only then could she restrain the Gu, Qiao, Su, and Shen families.
“Are you making a move?” Tang Shi perked up, asking gleefully, “Spill the whole plan; let’s do this together.”
She had long found those people unbearable, but unfortunately, the Tang family lacked the influence to confront them head-on.
With Gu Yichen and the others present, Su Nian felt constrained and could only speak vaguely: “I’ll tell you when I get back. For now, there’s only the general outline; we still need to discuss the details.”
She recalled that the Tang family held stakes in parts of the entertainment industry, presenting a perfect opportunity for collaboration.
*
On the leather sofa, Shen Wanrou sat expressionless, her lips pressed together until they turned pale.
The news flooding the internet felt like a surging flood, battering her thoughts and leaving her gasping for air.
Gu Yichen had blocked her phone number; unable to reach him, she could only wait at home, trembling with fear, while desperately searching for a way to resolve the situation.
She had considered weeping and apologizing, or even seeking someone to intercede on her behalf, convinced that matters had not yet reached an irreparable point.
Even if she had deceived him—that it wasn’t she who saved him that day at Qihuang Mountain—they had known each other for four years. Given how kindly he had always treated her, surely some bond of affection still remained between them.
All those beautiful memories were still vividly preserved in her mind.
“Wanrou, what are you just standing there for like a fool?” Father Shen snapped, his voice thick with anxiety and anger. “Yichen has gotten into a fight over Su Nian; it’s a massive incident. How could you not have known about it beforehand?”
Over these past years, with Gu Yichen’s support, Runfeng Company has steadily risen. He had been counting on becoming Yichen’s father-in-law to propel the Shen family into the ranks of the true elite.
—Jintai’s CEO Gu returns to his family: True love for his original wife.
—Shocking! Two tycoons engage in a cross-border battle for a wife…
On the headlines, those words seemed to carry thorns, piercing Shen Wanrou’s heart until it ached fiercely, her palm clenched tightly in pain.
For four years, she had wrapped everything in the most beautiful stickers, letting everyone see that she and Gu Yichen were truly in love, only helplessly torn apart; her fans had been crying out injustice on her behalf.
Even on Weibo, there were numerous related tags, such as “Is President Gu single again?” and “Have Gu and Su divorced yet today?”
Shen Wanrou lied so often that she almost began to believe it herself.
But life is always a series of dramatic ups and downs. Pushed to her limit by repeated provocations, Su Nian couldn’t help but propose divorce, only to suffer a devastating blow just as everything seemed poised for a bright future.
“Dad, rest assured,” Shen Wanrou steadied her emotions, her pretty face turning slightly cold. “I won’t give up so easily. I will have both Yichen and the title of Mrs. Gu!”
She had endured for so long, meticulously plotting for so long—four entire years devoted entirely to Gu Yichen. How could she possibly let go so easily?
Shen’s father nodded with satisfaction. “Good! For your sake, Yichen has abandoned Su Nian countless times; there is genuine affection between you two. It’s merely that, now that the truth has come to light, he cannot accept it and feels guilty toward Su Nian. However, since Su Nian remains his wife in name, you must remain vigilant.”
“Aren’t you on good terms with that girl from the Gu family?” he suddenly asked.
Mentioning Gu Ziyan, Shen Wanrou felt a surge of irritation, her brows knitting together.
After Gu Yichen blocked her, she had reached out to Gu Ziyan as well, but for some reason, that pretentious young lady had suddenly grown distant, dodging and delaying every request she made.
Frustrated and stifled, Shen Wanrou racked her brain before forcing herself to be patient and dialing Gu Ziyan’s number again. “Ziyan, did I do something to upset you?”
Her heart sank as she realized that despite knowing Gu Yichen for four years, she had never truly entered his inner circle. When trouble struck and she desperately needed help, the only person she could think to turn to was Gu Ziyan.
On the other end of the line, Gu Ziyan held back her frustration as long as she could, but her impatient nature finally got the better of her. She asked bluntly, “You remember Su Nian’s phone number, don’t you? When Su Nian tumbled down the stairs and called my brother just before losing consciousness, you deliberately answered it, intentionally making her misunderstand!”
This matter had been weighing on her mind for two days, leaving her feeling suffocated and deeply unsettled.
Shen Wanrou’s expression shifted slightly; she finally understood why Gu Ziyan had begun to distance herself from her.
She felt a throbbing headache; her gaze was sharp, yet her voice remained gentle and innocent. “What are you talking about? How could I possibly remember Nian Nian’s phone number? Ziyan, how can you misunderstand me like this?”
By the end, Shen Wanrou sounded slightly aggrieved, playing the emotional card. “We’ve known each other for so long; when have I ever lied to you? The fact remains that Yichen never saved Nian Nian’s number in his contacts. When he asked who it was, I naturally replied, ‘No name saved.’ What else could I have said?”
With just a few sentences, she cleared herself of any blame. Gu Ziyan couldn’t tell truth from fabrication. “But your words truly broke Su Nian’s heart. Whether intentional or not, you achieved your goal.”
In that moment, Su Nian had dialed that lifeline number filled with hope, only to have Shen Wanrou answer. Learning that she wasn’t even saved as a contact in her own husband’s phone—what kind of despair must that have been?
From Xu Qing’s words, Gu Ziyan learned that Su Nian had divorced. After a brief moment of surprise, she accepted the fact.
The woman who had chased after her brother for eight years, loving him all that time, was now forever left behind at the bottom of those stairs, consigned to the past.
“Stop contacting me. I may not like Su Nian, but I despise someone as scheming as you even more.” Gu Ziyan hung up the phone, finally releasing the pent-up frustration that had weighed on her heart for two days.
She sat in the café, where the soft glow of the afternoon sun filtered into her dazed eyes.
Gu Ziyan never liked Su Nian, because Xu Qing was biased; although she was her own mother, she treated Su Nian better.
But in the beginning, Gu Ziyan admired her. Back then, Su Nian was arrogant and radiant, like a dazzling sun, making Gu Ziyan envious and longing to live with the same unrestrained freedom.
Unfortunately, Su Nian changed later on. Ever since Su Xingye disappeared, the liveliness gradually faded from her eyes and brows. She retracted all her sharp edges and became a dull, decorative vase.
Yet Xu Qing continued to treat Su Nian well, which fueled Gu Ziyan’s discontent and rage. Whenever she found an opportunity, she would give Su Nian the cold shoulder, even deliberately growing close to Shen Wanrou, using her words and actions to provoke and hurt Su Nian.
The night before last, Su Nian, dressed in full splendor for the Chen family banquet, radiated the same dazzling brilliance she once possessed.
Gu Ziyan’s emotions were a tangled mess. After long deliberation, she suppressed her guilt toward her brother and muttered discontentedly, “She should have taken a fall ages ago. That pathetic demeanor of hers is utterly infuriating to witness.”
Unlike Gu Ziyan’s lighthearted amusement, Shen Wanrou was seething with rage, her pretty face clouded with gloom.
The relationship she had so painstakingly cultivated seemed to have crumbled entirely overnight.
The soothing piano melody signaled an incoming call. Shen Wanrou’s heart skipped a beat as she saw the unfamiliar number with no saved name.
She took her phone upstairs and asked coldly, “What is it?”
“I miss you. Let’s meet up?” came a frivolous voice, laced with laughter.
Shen Wanrou’s expression grew icy, her suppressed anger finally erupting. “All you care about is having fun! Have you ignored all the huge news out there? After how badly you bullied Su Nian back then, aren’t you afraid she’ll seek revenge now that she’s gained power?”
“Aren’t you looking for me to discuss this?” Su Cheng asked with a casual smile, grabbing his coat as he prepared to leave, only to come face-to-face with Su Nian.
He froze instantly, his expression shifting from shock to grim dismay.
Standing beside Su Nian was Su Xingye—the man who, five years ago, should have perished in the accident Su Cheng had orchestrated!
“Nian Nian,” Su Cheng greeted stiffly, “Is this Brother Xingye?”
Accompanying Su Nian were not only Su Xingye and the duo Shen Yuhuan and Shen Yuxi, but also Gu Yichen, who had shamelessly tagged along.
“Long time no see,” Su Xingye said coldly.
Su Cheng’s face instantly turned pale.
Author: Niannian: The debt collectors have arrived at your doorstep~