A Heartless, Cheating Scumbag in a Matriarchal World (Eighteen)

Jiang Xuefu held her forehead, unable to understand how things had turned out this way.

Hadn't she been with Xie Ning? How had he turned into Xie Jinhua when she switched on the light?

It really was a shock.

Both had slept with her without her knowledge, but Xie Jinhua's reaction was completely different from Xie Ning's.

Xie Ning had been embarrassed, angry, and excited. Xie Jinhua was happy too, but more than that, he was apprehensive and uneasy.

"Fufu, what's done is done. Whatever you want to do, I'll go along with it. But I hope you can give me a chance to stay by your side, all right?"

He humbly wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin on her snow-white shoulder. He sounded almost pleading, with a note of coquettishness he had never shown before.

Jiang Xuefu, however, remained utterly unmoved.

The father and son really were alike, each more calculating than the other.

She could let Xie Ning off, putting it down to his youth and ignorance for the time being.

But what about Xie Jinhua? He had discovered her affair with Xie Ning long ago, yet he had sent Xie Ning away and pretended to be him to seduce her?

Jiang Xuefu was always more forgiving of beautiful people, but she didn't like being schemed against either.

"President Xie, let's both calm down first."

She pushed aside the arms clasped around her waist, got up, and left. The indifference in her cool voice drove Xie Jinhua to despair.

Sitting alone on the bed, the man stared blankly as he clutched the quilt. His pale face was reflected in the vanity mirror, and tears fell without warning onto the back of his hand, splashing into shattered droplets.

Why was she so heartless toward him?

Did she find him too old?

Why was she so gentle with Xie Ning, yet so cold to him?

Although Jiang Xuefu had rejected Xie Jinhua, she wasn't worried that he would play any tricks at work.

Xie Jinhua had always kept business and personal matters separate at the company. Apart from occasionally calling her into his office to sit with him for a while, he was practically a perfect boss in every other respect.

Still, Jiang Xuefu thought distractedly in front of her computer, her chin propped on her hand, the vulnerable way he had looked last night really had been unexpected.

The sight of a beauty in tears was still a little thrilling to think about.

What had angered her was Xie Jinhua's scheming. She hated things slipping beyond her control, and she hated it when others went against her wishes.

But if Xie Jinhua could mend his ways in the future and obediently listen to her, it wasn't as if she couldn't accept him.

After all, the Xie Family was far wealthier than the Rong Family. If Xie Jinhua became hers, wouldn't the entire Xie Family be hers too?

She could take issue with anyone, but she couldn't take issue with money.

At the thought, Jiang Xuefu felt another pang of regret. Why hadn't she thought of that yesterday?

Knock, knock.

A knock at the door interrupted Jiang Xuefu's thoughts.

"Come in."

The office door opened, and an unexpected visitor entered: Xu Zhu, the Xu Family's young mistress.

Jiang Xuefu had seen her twice at drinking parties, but aside from knowing her name, she had no other impression of her.

"President Xu?"

Looking at the woman's breathtakingly beautiful face, then thinking of Rong Chao, who still hadn't slept with her, Xu Zhu's eyes flickered with complicated feelings.

But that wasn't why she had come today. She was here for something else that was more important for the time being.

"President Jiang, I hear you went to Enchanting Colors some time ago?"

Jiang Xuefu's eyes flickered, and she sneered inwardly. Now she knew what Xu Zhu had come for: she was here to demand an explanation on Xu Yi's behalf.

"President Xu, let's speak plainly. I did send someone to break Xu Yi's leg."

Seeing her admit it so readily, almost as if in provocation, Xu Zhu narrowed her eyes and said in a low voice, "President Jiang, you humiliated a member of the Xu Family in public. Shouldn't you give us an explanation?"

"An explanation?" As if she had thought of something amusing, Jiang Xuefu curved her lips, though her beautiful eyes were full of coldness. "Shouldn't you have looked into what your dear little brother did before coming here, President Xu?"

"He dared to sell a banned drug like Arousal to the Xie Family's young master behind everyone's backs. If the Xie Family found out, he'd get off with a lot worse than a broken leg." She folded her arms and leaned lazily against her office chair, chin raised and eyebrows slightly arched, looking infuriatingly as if to say, I did it, but I have the Xie Family backing me. What can you do about it?

Since Jiang Xuefu had dared to touch a member of the Xu Family, she had certainly prepared her reasons. Beating someone up herself and doing it for the Xie Family were two entirely different matters.

Xu Zhu could make things difficult for her in minutes, but if she wanted to take on the Xie Family, she would have to think carefully.

Seeing how Jiang Xuefu was acting like a veritable scoundrel, Xu Zhu, who was usually good-tempered, let out a cold laugh. "Xu Yi will apologize to Young Master Xie himself for what he did wrong. It's hardly President Jiang's place to take matters into her own hands, is it? Much less do something as vicious as breaking a man's leg."

Xu Zhu wanted to say more, but Jiang Xuefu was already tired of listening. She had never liked wasting time on such boring matters.

"President Xu, say whatever you like. If you have a complaint, go to President Xie. Goodbye, I won't see you out."

"You... you're impossible! If you bear a grudge against me because of Rong Chao, then come at me. There's no need to go after the people around me."

Xu Zhu had investigated Jiang Xuefu before. As she saw it, Jiang Xuefu was selfish, hypocritical, vicious, full of lies, and promiscuous and fickle. Why would a woman like that stand up for Xie Ning?

The only reasonable explanation had to be Rong Chao.

"Rong Chao?" Jiang Xuefu gave her a skeptical look. "Why would I bear a grudge against you because of him?"

"Stop pretending. Don't you know he's my husband now?" Xu Zhu frowned, convinced that the woman was putting on an act.

"You're married?" Jiang Xuefu sounded surprised. That really was a little unexpected.

But-

"So what? What are you trying to say? That Rong Chao still has feelings for me?"

By now, Jiang Xuefu was growing faintly impatient. Xu Zhu had spouted a whole lot of useless nonsense, and when Jiang Xuefu told her to go straight to Xie Jinhua, she acted as if she hadn't heard.

"Heh." Xu Zhu smiled mockingly, as if laughing at her wishful thinking. "Xiao Chao loves me very much, and I love him very much too. Still has feelings for you? You're just his ex-wife. Please remember your place."

"What nonsense are you spouting? If you don't leave, I'll have to call security in."

After being told to leave again and again, Xu Zhu's face darkened as if a black cloud had passed over it. No one in business had ever dared treat her like this.

"Jiang Xuefu, just you wait."

Having delivered her threat, the woman turned and left the office without hesitation, her lips pressed tightly together as if she were holding back her anger.

Jiang Xuefu couldn't have cared less what was going on with her. Her mind had returned to what she had been thinking about before Xu Zhu arrived.

Ah, why had she rejected Xie Jinhua? He was a walking god of wealth!

She lamented a few more times, growing more and more regretful.

But soon Jiang Xuefu had no time to dwell on it, because Chen Yu called her.