Shi Nuan frowned for just a second before her smile returned. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Shu,” she uttered, sticking her hand out for a handshake. Instead of reciprocating her actions, Shu Qing merely continued to stare at her.
Shi Nuan’s hand hovered in mid-air, her smile still plastered on her face.
It caused Shu Qing to shiver, and she suddenly found herself at a loss for words.
It’s Shi Nuan! It’s that…
Shu Qing turned around and tried to leave, only to be dragged back by her manager. “What the hell are you doing?” he growled into Shu Qing’s ear. “This is the lady boss of Shengyuan Group, the largest shareholder of Xinhuang! Can’t you keep it down?”
Shu Qing’s face paled. “It’s you!” she gasped.
Shengyuan Group… Xinhuang Entertainment… Why are they under Shi Nuan’s control now?
Oh, wait… Isn’t Fu Chengyan the CEO of Shengyuan Group? He was the one that Shen Qianan was supposed to marry…
With that, the fear in her eyes was gone, replaced by a chilling coldness. “Ms. Shi,” she responded.
Instead of addressing her as Mrs. Fu, she went ahead and referred to Shi Nuan by her maiden name.
Everyone gasped in surprise, confused by Shu Qing’s attitude toward Shi Nuan. They had already noticed how the two of them resembled each other, but they could not figure out why Shu Qing was acting in such a manner in Shi Nuan’s presence.
Shi Nuan, on the other hand, knew everything. She was still smiling, but Shu Qing’s glare sent shivers down her spine. “It’s fine. You may call me whatever you wish. Please take a seat, Ms. Shu.”
You’d better sit down, or I’ll take it as an insult toward myself and my companies.
The executives from Xinhuang trembled in their seats. Since when did Shi Nuan become the top shareholder? Isn’t she the wife of Fu Chengyan?
Everyone had been bewildered when they found Shi Nuan and Zhou Zheng in the CEO’s office that morning. They had anticipated an announcement from Zhou Zheng, but none of them had expected to witness Shi Nuan being sworn into office.
The truth was, most of them had questioned her identity before, but they were still shocked to find out about her new post in the company.
Everyone respected Shi Nuan, but Shu Qing did not seem to care at all.
Shi Nuan seemed unfazed by Shu Qing’s rudeness. Upon placing her orders with the waiter, she smiled at everyone present and urged, “No need to feel uncomfortable around me. I’m a newbie in the entertainment industry, so I’ll need all of your help from now on.”
Her words sounded like music to everyone’s ears, which was a breath of fresh air from the CEO and Zhou Zheng’s way of speaking.
Shu Qing, however, simply huffed and glanced away in silence.
Shi Nuan smirked. “I’ve heard that you’ve come from Jiang City, Ms. Shu. What a coincidence! Any comments on its recent development?”
“Comments?” Shu Qing scoffed. “I have none. There’s nothing for me to comment on after being away for so long.”
Shi Nuan’s heart sank. “Did you miss anyone when you were away, Ms. Shu?”
She stared into Shu Qing’s eyes as she spoke, to keep track of every little change in her expression.
Pursing her lips, painful memories flooded through Shu Qing’s mind.
Shi Nuan gripped her teacup so tightly that her fingers turned white. The bespectacled woman who had held the door open for her earlier on, who was one of Fu Chengyan’s secretaries by the name of Xu Yue, rushed forward and urged, “Mrs. Fu, Mr. Fu has said that you shouldn’t be drinking tea during your pregnancy!”
Shi Nuan was jolted out of her trance. “Alright. Can you get me some warm water then?” she requested with a smile.
Xu Yue scurried off to carry out her request, while Shu Qing snickered coldly. “It looks like he’s treating you well!”
Shi Nuan looked up. “Of course. He’s my husband, and I’m his wife. He has the obligation to treat me well, doesn’t he?”
Her smile was gentle, yet it felt jarring to Shu Qing’s eyes. There was nothing she could do about it, and it made her uncomfortable.
Shu Qing lowered her gaze. “I don’t miss anyone or anything. Who hasn’t made mistakes or gone through some hardships in their youth? I don’t think there’s a need to dwell on the past,” she uttered, looking up at Shi Nuan. “What about you, Ms. Shi?”
“Not false. Reminiscing about the past should be done in moderation,” Shi Nuan admitted, taking the cup of warm water that Xu Yue offered her and sipping from it to moisten her lips. The food arrived at that moment, and each dish looked incredibly appetizing.
The guests at the table bantered, but there was still a heavy sense of awkwardness hanging in the air. After all, Shu Qing did not seem too happy about Shi Nuan’s presence.
Everyone chose to ignore it since Shi Nuan did not seem bothered by it. However, they could not help but feel rather annoyed with Shu Qing.
It was common knowledge that artists would tend to act differently onscreen and offscreen, but Shu Qing’s recent scandals made her appear like she was a complete hypocrite.
“Even so, we have to stay rooted, am I right?”
Shu Qing paled at Shi Nuan’s comment. She stood up abruptly and uttered, “Apologies, Ms. Shi. I need to use the bathroom.”
She was genuinely frightened by Shi Nuan’s words, and they baffled her.
She had felt nothing but remorse in front of Shen Qianan, but Shi Nuan terrified her.
How could she be so resilient?
Shu Qing stood before the mirror in the bathroom and stared at her reflection. She was getting on in her years, and the wrinkles were getting harder to conceal. She had forced herself to take medications for that, over the past few years, but late nights alone continued to frighten her.
Splashing her face with water, she tried to pull herself together. Unfortunately, it was to no avail.
Suddenly, a shadow emerged from behind, and she whipped her head around to see Shi Nuan standing there and staring at her. Her legs turned to jelly in an instant, and she staggered backward while keeping her eyes trained on Shi Nuan.
Shi Nuan advanced, that chilling smile of hers still plastered on her face. Her footsteps were light but also careful.
She was already three months pregnant, and it was starting to show. Walking over to the sink, she started to rinse her hands underneath the tap. “You don’t seem to like me that much, Ms. Shu,” she commented.
Shu Qing bit her lip and remained silent, refusing to avert her gaze. She tried to figure out what Shi Nuan had been thinking, but she found herself unable to do so.
As a veteran in Shengyuan Entertainment, Shi Nuan knew the unwritten rules of the industry like the back of her hand. She had more control over her facial expressions than Shu Qing, despite the latter being an actress.
Shi Nuan grinned. “Don’t you think that we kind of… Resemble each other?”
Shu Qing’s eyes widened as she bolted out of the bathroom. Shi Nuan, on the other hand, stayed put. Her smile melted off her face slowly as time passed.
After a few minutes, Xu Yue hurried into the bathroom, worried that something had happened to Shi Nuan. “Mrs. Fu?”
Shi Nuan blinked and grinned at Xu Yue. “Why are you here?”
“I’m worried about you!” Xu Yue exclaimed. “Mr. Fu had instructed me to follow you around at all times.”
“There’s no need to be worried about me,” Shi Nuan proclaimed. “Let’s go!”
“Mrs. Fu…” Xu Yue called out as she jogged over to catch up with Shi Nuan.
“Hm?” Shi Nuan hummed, focused on putting one foot in front of the other.
Xu Yue trailed behind her and pondered over her words. “Why are you being so tolerant toward Shu Qing?”
That was something that she could not understand.
Everyone respected Shi Nuan, but Shu Qing did not seem to care. In fact, she looked as though she hated Shi Nuan from the bottom of her heart.
Xu Yue despised women like that, and she had heard of those scandals that Shu Qing had gotten tangled up in recently. She was not impressed with how Shu Qing acted toward Shi Nuan during the banquet as well.
Shi Nuan screeched to a halt all of a sudden. “Is there anyone that you particularly care about?”
Xu Yue froze, a little confused by her question. She nodded and replied, “Of course. I’m sure that everyone has someone whom they deeply care about.”
“That’s right,” Shi Nuan agreed.
“So… Are you saying that you care about Shu Qing?” Xu Yue asked.
Shi Nuan shook her head. “That is incorrect.”
“Then…”
“Let’s go back. We shouldn’t keep them waiting,” Shi Nuan urged, cutting her off. Realizing that she might have overstepped her boundaries as a secretary, Xu Yue pursed her lips and followed Shi Nuan back to the room.
When Shi Nuan returned to the private room, she took note of the tension in the air. Shu Qing was nowhere to be found, and neither was her manager. The producer, Qin Hong, stood up the moment she entered. “Mrs. Fu…”
“No worries. Let’s carry on with the banquet, shall we?” Shi Nuan announced.
“Mrs. Fu, Ms. Shu is unwell, so she’s taken her leave. She says that she would like to apologize to you for the earlier mishaps,” Qin Hong explained.
Shi Nuan merely smirked. “Alright.”
Shi Nuan saw Shu Qing’s early departure coming, but she would never have guessed just how much Shu Qing hated her. Her heart sank as a million questions flurried through her mind.
Are you my mother, Shu Qing?
What’s the deal with you, Shen Qianan and the entire Shen family?
