Chapter 2: Three Years of Disgrace

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After ending the call with her aunt, Wen Jin lowered her arm and leaned against the wall to steady her emotions.

She had been in a relationship with Sheng Yang for three years and had never dared to hope for much; she had always been obedient.

The differences in their social status and her upbringing had conditioned Wen Jin to be quiet and compliant.

She recalled a word Sheng Yang once used to describe her:

Docile.

Because she was so well-behaved and temperate, Sheng Yang felt free to bully her without restraint.

Suddenly, her phone vibrated—it was a message from her aunt containing detailed information about a certain company.

Just as she was about to look it over carefully, a mocking voice rang out: “Little mute, what are you hiding here all alone for?”

Wen Jin looked up to see Sheng Yang’s two brothers.

One of them made a beckoning gesture toward her, though his face was more amused than inviting. “Sheng Yang asked us to bring you back. Come on, let’s go.”

Wen Jin didn’t want to return at all, but in front of these people, she never had the right to make decisions.

So she followed them back to the private room.

The lights were fully on now. Sheng Yang sat on the sofa, busily peeling an orange without even raising his eyelids.

Beside him, Wen You lifted her chin, her delicate features tinged with a superior sneer. “Long time no see, Wen Jin.”

Habits could be terrifying, especially when it involved those who had once inflicted real pain on you.

Wen Jin’s pupils suddenly contracted, her right ring finger curled tightly into her palm.

She remained silent, refusing to respond to Wen You’s words. Wen You, however, was in no hurry and continued smiling mockingly at her.

Only Wen Jin herself knew how much malice lay behind that smile.

“Wen Jin, even if you hadn’t come today, I would have found you.”

“I know everything about you and Sheng Yang. I don’t mind what happened between you two before, and I understand your background—that you want to climb up in the world.”

“But Sheng Yang and I are getting married. I don’t want any disgraceful incidents. Do you understand what I mean?”

Wen You’s tone was cool, her expression haughty—like a wife lecturing a rival.

Wen Jin pressed her lips tight, her heart pounding fiercely as if it might burst from her chest.

Her nails almost dug into her flesh, yet the pain growing from deep within her bones was far worse.

She stood there, a complete and utter joke.

Those three years of hers were nothing but a shameful failure in the eyes of others.

So utterly “indecent.”

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“Wen You—” She struggled to control her emotions, wanting to argue about the true nature of her relationship with Sheng Yang.

But before she could utter a word, an orange peel was thrown and slapped against her face.

It didn’t hurt, but it carried a bone-chilling coldness.

Sheng Yang glanced at her briefly, then lowered his lashes.

Calmly, he reminded her, “You’re no longer a child. You have to take responsibility for what you say and do.”

Clearly, this was a warning not to provoke Wen You’s displeasure.

His fingers, defined and precise, methodically stripped the orange peel clean before placing the fruit on a plate and pushing it toward Wen You.

Only then did he lift his gaze back to Wen Jin.

After a moment, he spoke slowly, “If I’m not mistaken, your father should be getting out of prison soon?”

Wen Jin’s expression faltered, disbelief clouding her eyes. “Sheng Yang, what are you trying to do?”

He didn’t answer but instead pulled Wen You close, a faint upward curve at the corner of his mouth as he casually played the part to perfection.

Wen Jin felt a cold chill spread through her entire body.

Her father had once been the Sheng family’s driver and was sent to prison for drunk driving after crashing the family car.

Her thoughts were a tangled mess.

Just then, Wen You spoke again, her eyes smiling but brimming with undisguised malice: “No matter what your status is, once Sheng Yang and I marry, we’ll be your elders. Wen Jin, could you get me a glass of water?”

Someone nearby immediately chimed in, “Hey, didn’t you see? In dramas, a concubine has to serve tea and water to the main wife.”

“Wen Jin, shouldn’t you be thanking Wen You for her generosity?”

The taunts echoed relentlessly in her ears. Wen Jin had to summon every ounce of strength just to keep her back straight.

But she finally understood why Sheng Yang wanted her to stay, why he had someone fetch her back.

Because he wanted to make a statement to Wen You.

To clearly tell Wen You that she was more important.

Yet—

Hearing Sheng Yang mention her father’s impending release sent a deep knot tightening in her chest.

Her father had been imprisoned for drunk driving, a sudden and chaotic ordeal.

Her mother, on her deathbed, had held her hand tightly, insisting her father was innocent and had been wrongfully accused.

She had sworn to clear his name.

Ignoring Wen You and the others, Wen Jin fixed her clear, pure gaze on Sheng Yang, speaking slowly and earnestly: “Sheng Yang, if you do anything bad to my family, I will never forgive you.”

Her words were sincere, though to outsiders, they might have sounded like a joke.

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Sheng Yang looked at her, his pale eyes cold and ruthless. “Where do you get the confidence to say something like that?”

“Or are you planning to imitate those domineering CEO novels and play the runaway golden canary, making me regret it endlessly?”

He sneered, arrogance radiating from every line of his face. “Wen Jin, if you still have any sense, you wouldn’t see yourself as that important.”

“You’re just one insignificant person. I could find a hundred more like you in a crowd.”

Then he glanced at his phone. “By the way, I just learned you’re interning at Crescent Design Studio now? Conveniently, Wen You said she wants Crescent to design our wedding. You can help handle this project.”

He didn’t wait for Wen Jin’s response before summoning her away: “You can leave now.”

The atmosphere in the room was already suffocating, and Wen Jin no longer wished to stay. She turned and left immediately.

Just before stepping out, she heard Wen You ask, “Sheng Yang, isn’t this a bit too much bullying Wen Jin?”

Sheng Yang replied, “She has no choice.”

Friends burst into laughter. “Wen You, Sheng Yang is just setting the rules for you, so Wen Jin won’t get too full of herself and come hopping in front of you.”

They said more, but Wen Jin didn’t listen.

Once out of the private room, all that remained was a haze of confusion.

She knew very well that there would be no future for her and Sheng Yang.

She just hadn’t expected it to end in such humiliation.

Suddenly, she recalled her aunt’s words about returning to Yangcheng.

With cold fingers, she opened the link her aunt had sent. The words blurred before her eyes, but her restless, numb heart settled a little.

***

Wen Jin had not taken Sheng Yang’s mention of the wedding planning seriously at first.

Yet the next morning, Sister Shuang called her into the office.

Sister Shuang handed her a proposal. “You’re going to help organize this wedding.”

After a pause, she added, “The client requested it.”

Wen Jin flipped open the first page. The groom’s name—Sheng Yang—was glaringly obvious.

Her fingers tightened slowly around the document. There was probably no one in the world more miserable than she was.

After three years of dating, she was not only branded the “other woman” but was now tasked with arranging their wedding.

She lowered her gaze and suppressed all her emotions before placing the file back in front of Sister Shuang.

Then she pulled another document from her bag. “Sorry, Sister Shuang. I’m here to resign today.”