Chapter 115

Chapter 115: Who Called Them Here? Fu Yuanzhou stood tall and lean, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs. He was dressed impeccably, had a very handsome face, and when he smiled, he looked completely harmless. As long as he wanted to put on an act, no one could connect him to the madman who carried half the criminal code on his back. Chu Tang had never met Fu Yuanzhou before. When she heard the man call out her name and saw his refined attire and designer labels, her first thought was that he might be a friend of one of her friends. Fu Yuanzhou didn't introduce himself. He only looked at Chu Tang with a meaningful gaze. "Indeed a beauty." The woman beside him, Jiang Xinya, furrowed her brows slightly, a flicker of jealousy flashing through her eyes before quickly disappearing. She didn't know about the grudges between Fu Yuanzhou and the Jiang or Ruan families, and she never asked about Fu Yuanzhou's other women. A qualified mistress knew to be obedient and sensible, never daring to pry into such matters. Jiang Xinya stood quietly at Fu Yuanzhou's side, discreetly sizing up Ruan Chutang. Hmm... she truly was a beauty. Clearly natural—fair skin, delicate features, no trace of surgical work on her face. She had a great figure too, with a slim waist and long legs. She looked slender, but her curves were all in the right places. Chu Tang didn't notice Jiang Xinya's gaze. She heard the man's frivolous remark and furrowed her brow. This man made her deeply uncomfortable. The way he looked at her was like a predator eyeing its prey—full of aggression and amusement. Chu Tang asked again, this time with a hint of offended irritation in her tone: "Who are you?" "Me?" Fu Yuanzhou smiled but didn't answer. "You'll find out soon enough, Miss Ruan. We'll meet again." How bizarre. Chu Tang stopped acknowledging him and walked around him to pay at the front counter. Yu Jiaojiao followed, and even as they were about to walk out of the store, she couldn't help but glance back. "Chu Tang, was that man your friend? He's so handsome! Top-tier handsome guys like that are really rare in real life!" For some reason, Chu Tang felt uneasy. That man just now was truly strange, but she couldn't quite put her finger on why. Chu Tang replied casually, "Don't know him. That guy's weird. Ignore him." "Oh, okay. I thought you two were friends." December 31st, New Year's Eve. Chen Yuanyuan had organized a gathering for the countdown. The Yuntian Linjiang Tower, eighty-eight stories tall, was a landmark building in Jiangcheng. The sixty-ninth floor had the best view, overlooking the entire nightscape of Jiangcheng. Inside the presidential suite, flowers, balloons, and ribbons created a festive atmosphere. Chen Yuanyuan tossed her mink coat onto the sofa carelessly, wearing only a champagne-colored fitted dress. She had done her full makeup today, looking dazzlingly beautiful. "I have to say, it was a smart decision for Qin Yan to buy this place and turn it into a hotel back then." Qin Yan snorted. "Do I need you to tell me that?" Chen Yuanyuan smiled and shot him a sidelong glance. "Can't tell, you actually have some brains in that pig head of yours." Floors fifty through sixty-nine of the tower all belonged to Qin Yan's hotel company. The sixty-ninth floor where they were was the presidential suite, priced at over a hundred thousand per night for outsiders. Qin Yan sneered. "Heh, who are you calling a pig head?" Chen Yuanyuan made a face at him. "You know damn well who I'm talking about." The heating in the room was sufficient, so Zhou Xueluo also took off her coat. She walked over to the sofa, picked up Chen Yuanyuan's coat, and with one coat in each hand, hung them both up. She turned back with a bright smile and said, "This place really is perfect for a New Year's party—watching fireworks and the night view." "Right, right? So, great choice for the countdown, right?" Chen Yuanyuan grinned. Zhou Xueluo nodded with a smile. "Mm-hmm!" "Hey? Why isn't Tangtang here yet?" Chen Yuanyuan looked toward the door, pulling out her phone. "Let me call and ask." Just as she spoke, the door opened. Chen Yuanyuan looked up with a smile. "I was just about to call you—what the hell?" It wasn't Chu Tang who walked in. It was Jiang Shixu. And Li Lanxi. The smile on Chen Yuanyuan's face froze instantly, then gave way to rising anger. She demanded, "Who called them here?" Zhou Xueluo shook her head, looking completely uninvolved. Zhou Zheng'an also indicated he had no idea. Qin Yan spoke up awkwardly. "Didn't you say we were celebrating New Year's? How can a New Year's celebration be complete without my bro?" "Are you seriously a pig brain?" Chen Yuanyuan exploded. "Don't you know he cheated on Tangtang? The guy already got a room with a female celebrity! Do you know the whole reason I set up this gathering today was to comfort Tangtang, to help her feel better? What the hell were you thinking bringing Jiang Shixu here?" "Huh?" Qin Yan looked completely bewildered. "You didn't tell me beforehand not to invite Shixu! He and I have been brothers for over a decade..." Qin Yan rubbed his nose and let out a sigh. "Don't be too upset. If they broke up, they broke up. We're all in the same circle—we'll run into each other all the time. It's not like we have to cut ties with one of them forever just because they split, right?" "Heh." Chen Yuanyuan let out a mocking laugh. "Why not? The young master of the Jiang family is way out of my league anyway. Cut ties, then!" Seeing that Chen Yuanyuan was serious, Qin Yan started to panic. "Hey, don't—it's not that serious, no need to cut ties over this. Listen to me..." "Shut up!" Chen Yuanyuan cut him off sharply before he could finish. "Make them leave. Either they go, or I go!" Zhou Xueluo wanted to persuade Chen Yuanyuan, but when her gaze shifted and she saw Jiang Shixu standing together with Li Lanxi, she felt uneasy too. Tangtang was her best friend, so of course she was on Tangtang's side. Even though Jiang Shixu was also her friend—and her brother's childhood buddy—a cheating scumbag was unforgivable! Zhou Xueluo stood united with Chen Yuanyuan in protest against Jiang Shixu and Li Lanxi's presence. "Come on, stop arguing. Young Master Jiang only got together with me after breaking up with Miss Ruan. There's no cheating or betrayal involved." Li Lanxi smiled with an air of amiability. "You shut up too!" Chen Yuanyuan gave her no face at all. Qin Yan sighed and yanked Chen Yuanyuan aside. "Please, just stay out of it. This is all a misunderstanding." Chen Yuanyuan didn't know about the relationship between Li Lanxi and Jiang Shixu, but Qin Yan knew perfectly well. When the rumor first broke, Jiang Shixu had already come clean to Qin Yan and Zhou Zheng'an. And that made sense—if the young master of Jiangcheng hadn't tacitly approved it, no media outlet would have dared to publish such gossip. Zhou Zheng'an had even warned Jiang Shixu back then to be careful, lest Chu Tang get hurt and never want to come back. Now, seeing Chen Yuanyuan's stance, Qin Yan almost couldn't hold back from telling her the truth—but a look from Jiang Shixu stopped him. Chen Yuanyuan was an open book, someone who couldn't keep a secret to save her life. If she found out, Tangtang would soon know too, and then all their efforts would be wasted. As the argument continued, the door opened again. "Sorry, something came up and I'm late." Chu Tang walked in and locked eyes with Jiang Shixu. Her heart suddenly stopped.