The queen of fake innocence

So far, Chen Xiwan had presented herself as a gentle older sister figure, which should hardly have made anyone dislike her.

Chen Xiwan was very confident in the persona she had cultivated. She felt that after everything she had said, Lu Xiaoxiao would surely stop pressing the issue.

To her surprise, however, Lu Xiaoxiao answered with a firm no.

There was only one reason: Lu Xiaoxiao knew what Chen Xiwan was really like.

In the original novel, this woman was an Oscar-worthy manipulator, the queen of fake innocence.

Her eldest brother was reliable in other matters, but when it came to romance, he was hopelessly lovesick. The drop in his intelligence was staggering.

Chen Xiwan was Lu Xunli's first love, as well as his subordinate.

The way they got together was actually quite clichéd. After a business dinner, Chen Xiwan pretended to be drunk and had Lu Xunli drive her home. When they arrived and it was time to get out, she feigned drunken confusion and kissed him, then told him in a dazed voice that she had always liked him, but had never dared confess because of the huge gap in their status.

When they met the next day, sober, Lu Xunli wanted to clear things up with her. Chen Xiwan, however, acted utterly terrified, insisting that last night had been an accident and that she had inadvertently blurted out the truth while drunk. But she knew someone of her standing was no match for Lu Xunli, so she asked him not to take it to heart.

Who knew whether all CEOs fell for this playing-hard-to-get routine? In any case, Lu Xunli, who had been single his entire life, failed to resist her advances and began pursuing her instead after that day.

One thing led to another, and the two became a couple.

The image Chen Xiwan presented to the world was that of an outstanding graduate from a prestigious university. Although she came from an ordinary family, she was hardworking and ambitious, gentle and understanding toward others, and certainly had not approached Lu Xunli for his money.

Of course, one look at all the designer labels she wore told Lu Xiaoxiao that every bit of that was bullshit.

As far as Lu Xiaoxiao knew, Chen Xiwan was not only a vain, materialistic woman, but also had a whole pack of awful relatives who shared her values, all waiting to bleed Lu Xunli dry and reap the benefits.

The cousin at the reception desk just now was one of them.

Actually, judging by the current point in the timeline, she probably had not been with Lu Xunli for very long-perhaps around three months.

Yet in that short time, she was already scrambling to secure benefits for her family, wasting no time in getting a relative into the Lu Corporation.

Lu Xunli was currently head over heels for her, and whatever Chen Xiwan asked for, he readily agreed to as long as it was not too outrageous.

The Lu Family's rules were not particularly strict, and they had no special requirements regarding their children's relationships or marriages. As long as the other person came from a respectable background and had no particularly objectionable habits, they would not interfere.

Perhaps it was because Lu Yuan and Song Zhilan felt they had suffered through a business marriage themselves and did not want their children to follow in their footsteps.

But this permissiveness also planted a seed for the Lu Family's eventual decline. Later, when the Lu Family's businesses were on the brink of collapse, Lu Xunli's new strategy might still have turned things around.

Who could have expected that confidential documents would be stolen at the most critical moment, allowing a rival company to use his idea first and hold its launch ahead of them? That was how the Lu Family lost its last chance at a comeback.

The person who stole those confidential documents was none other than Chen Xiwan, who had been bought off by the rival company.

She made such a shortsighted decision because she did not believe in Lu Xunli's abilities and wanted to grab one last payout before the Lu Family fell, then run.

And lovesick Lu Xunli had never dreamed that the girlfriend who had always shown complete trust and admiration for him would kick him while he was down at a time like that. The blow left him utterly crushed, and he never believed in love again.

Chen Xiwan really was something. Even after hearing Lu Xiaoxiao's decisive refusal, her expression did not sour. She still smiled understandingly and said to Lu Xiaoxiao:

"All right, then. She really was in the wrong this time, so it's only fair that she should be punished."

When they reached the floor where Lu Xunli worked, Lu Xiaoxiao handed the documents straight to his secretary, who then took them inside to him.

It was already nearly dinnertime, so Lu Xiaoxiao simply stayed to wait for Lu Xunli's meeting to finish, planning to go home with him for dinner.

Chen Xiwan brought Lu Xiaoxiao to the lounge, showed her to a seat, and began chatting with her in an exceedingly gentle voice. "Your eldest brother mentions you to me all the time. He says you're a very pretty, adorable girl, and now that I've met you, I can see he was right. We're not that far apart in age, so perhaps we could become good friends. What do you think?"

Lu Xiaoxiao felt terribly sorry for how her eldest brother's story ended, so no matter how much Chen Xiwan tried to please her, she could not bring herself to like the woman.

But in the original novel, the original Lu Xiaoxiao and Chen Xiwan had actually been on good terms early on, and later colluded in quite a few nasty deeds. In theory, to keep the plot moving, she should not make her hostility too obvious.

At that thought, Lu Xiaoxiao nodded and said, "You're right, but I think there's still a pretty big age gap between us, isn't there?"

Chen Xiwan was stunned by the bizarre angle from which she had approached the conversation and instinctively said, "What?"

"I'm only twenty, and you're already twenty-five. Round that up, and you're practically thirty. Isn't that a big gap?"

Chen Xiwan: "..."

Who taught you to round numbers like that?!

There was no obvious malice in Lu Xiaoxiao's tone. She even sounded quite friendly, wearing an expression that said she was merely stating the facts, but every word clearly implied that the other woman was old compared to her.

Chen Xiwan could barely maintain her expression now, but recalling Lu Xiaoxiao's earlier exchange with her cousin, she assumed that Lu Xiaoxiao was simply the sort of blunt person who spoke without thinking.

People like that might have low emotional intelligence, but they could also be used as pawns at crucial moments.

Weighing the benefits of befriending Lu Xiaoxiao, Chen Xiwan swallowed her displeasure and tried to change the subject.

"Ah... yes. Now that you put it that way, I suppose you're right."

"Oh, these are all your favorite snacks. I also made sure to prepare some freshly squeezed juice, all made with fresh fruit. Try some and see if you like it."

Lu Xiaoxiao shook her head. "I don't want juice."

"Then what would you like to drink?"

Lu Xiaoxiao thought for a few seconds, then said sincerely, "Do you have any vodka? I'll have some of that."

Chen Xiwan froze and repeated uncertainly, "Vodka?"

"Yes."

Chen Xiwan looked a little troubled. "Well... there isn't any in the break room. If you really want it, I can go buy some now."

Anyone with a little tact would have said there was no need to go to the trouble and that something else would do.

Unfortunately, Lu Xiaoxiao was deliberately trying to make trouble for her. Ideally, she would send her away for a good long while, so she could spend some time alone instead of constantly having to deal with Chen Xiwan's conversation.

"Okay, then. Sorry for the trouble, sis."

Chen Xiwan forced a smile and said it was no trouble.

But after turning and walking out, she clenched the hand at her side into a fist, her freshly manicured nails digging into her palm and leaving marks.

It's fine. Until Lu Xiaoxiao outlives her usefulness, I can put up with it all.