Chapter 18: The Chaebol Heir’s Canary — The Homewrecker Who Destroyed Someone’s Relationship!

The surroundings erupted in a commotion, but Shi Yu couldn’t hear a thing. Coffee slid down her cheeks. A large stain spread across her dress, and a few half-melted ice cubes clung to her chest.

She looked up. The person who had thrown the coffee stood with arms crossed, radiating arrogance and disdain.

Shi Yu had a vague impression of her, but not much. She only knew her name was Pei Yuan, Pei Shuyu’s older cousin.

Back at the Pei household, Pei Yuan had always looked down on her as an illegitimate daughter, but it had only ever shown in her expressions. She’d never gotten physical before.

Jiang Qiuyan shielded Shi Yu behind her, glaring at Pei Yuan with cold, razor-sharp eyes.

“If you’re sick, go to the hospital. Don’t come to public places throwing tantrums.”

Hesitant to talk back given Jiang Qiuyan’s status, Pei Yuan turned her attack on Shi Yu.

“Shi Yu is clearly the homewrecker who destroyed your relationship with Yuyu, and you’re still protecting her? In what way is Yuyu inferior to her? You actually broke off your engagement with Yuyu for her?”

Shi Yu looked at Jiang Qiuyan’s back and pressed her lips together with complicated emotions.

She’d thought Jiang Qiuyan had only said that before to provoke Shi Huaixin. She hadn’t expected she’d actually called off the engagement.

Carrying a secret crush on Pei Shuyu while swiftly breaking off their engagement. Shi Yu couldn’t quite figure her out.

“This is between us. Since when does it concern an outsider like you?” Jiang Qiuyan’s face was dark, radiating pressure. “Miss Pei, do you know the consequences of needlessly inserting yourself into someone else’s business?”

Pei Yuan’s expression shifted, but she refused to back down.

“I’m doing the right thing! Everyone, look! This omega knew she was the other woman and still went for it. She deliberately ruined someone’s relationship! She’s a shameless, money-grubbing schemer!”

Shi Yu opened her mouth but found she had no rebuttal.

Even if Pei Shuyu had someone else she loved, it was still a fact that Shi Yu had gone to Jiang Qiuyan during the engagement. And it was also a fact that she’d taken two hundred thousand from Jiang Qiuyan.

In other words, what Pei Yuan said was true.

Though the restaurant staff had come out to intervene, plenty of people were still filming with their phones. Scandalous stories like this were catnip to the public.

Jiang Qiuyan kept shielding Shi Yu, keeping her out of those cameras. She didn’t waste words on Pei Yuan. She called the police directly. Within half an hour, officers arrived, along with Jiang Qiunian.

Shi Yu stood silently beside Jiang Qiuyan, wearing her coat. Judging by her disheveled state, she’d been through something unpleasant.

The police needed to take statements. Jiang Qiuyan took Shi Yu’s hand and whispered: “Don’t be afraid. Everything’s fine.”

Shi Yu nodded and followed her steps forward.

Jiang Qiunian stayed behind to clean up, using threats and bribes to get the people who’d filmed to delete their videos. Only after confirming no one had slipped through did she leave.

After she left, a server slipped out of the kitchen furtively and, in a deserted corner, opened the video with a sinister, malicious smile.

Since Pei Yuan had been the sole instigator, the blame fell almost entirely on her. Jiang Qiuyan pressured the police to press for criminal detention.

One officer said: “It’s just a cup of coffee thrown. It’s not that serious, is it?”

“Not that serious?” Jiang Qiuyan’s eyes narrowed, her entire being radiating cold. “We were in the middle of dinner. She came charging out in a frenzy and scared this sweet child half to death. You think that’s fine?”

The officer glanced at the shut-down Shi Yu behind her and was left speechless.

Jiang Qiuyan clenched her fists, barely restraining the fury churning inside. Had there not been so many onlookers, she wouldn’t have bothered calling the police. And if the police didn’t detain Pei Yuan, she’d handle things her own way.

Shi Yu tugged at her sleeve and whispered: “Forget it. Let’s go home.”

Jiang Qiuyan looked at the little cat who couldn’t even lift her head. Her heart felt gripped by a giant hand, sour and aching. She softly said “okay” and cast a long, cold look at Pei Yuan not far away.

Pei Yuan shuddered and ducked behind an officer.

Once home, Shi Yu went straight to the bathroom. The bath was unusually long. After more than half an hour, she still hadn’t come out. After waiting a long while, worried Shi Yu might be overthinking again, Jiang Qiuyan reluctantly pushed the door open.

Shi Yu was staring into space, not even noticing Jiang Qiuyan come in.

Jiang Qiuyan walked to the tub and crouched down. “What’s our Little Yu thinking about?” she asked gently.

Shi Yu turned to look at her. Her big, round eyes were dim and lifeless.

“Miss Jiang, please buy me a ticket to North City.”

Jiang Qiuyan’s expression shifted sharply. Her hand on the rim of the tub clenched instinctively. She tried to keep her tone calm: “A ticket for what? Want to go there for fun?”

Shi Yu said nothing more. She buried her face between her knees.

Unable to get the answer she wanted, Jiang Qiuyan grew restless. She lifted Shi Yu out of the tub and went through the same routine as before, but Shi Yu wasn’t lively like usual. She was listless, like a doll without a soul.

“Little Yu, look at me.”

Shi Yu looked up. When the kiss came, she obediently opened her mouth to meet it. Jiang Qiuyan had never been this gentle, so careful and deliberate, as if handling a fragile treasure.

When the long, tender kiss ended, Jiang Qiuyan pressed her into her arms. She wanted to bare her heart, to lay herself completely open for Shi Yu to see. But the little cat had been frightened today. Better to let her recover a bit first.

The person was right there in her arms. She could even feel the little cat’s breathing and heartbeat. And yet there was this irrational sense that she could lose her at any moment, filling her with inexplicable dread.

For the next month, Jiang Qiuyan stayed by Shi Yu’s side.

As for Shi Yu, after one sleep she seemed to have forgotten the incident. The next day she was fine, eating and drinking as usual, curling up with Jiang Qiuyan every day, reading books, watching movies, going for walks, doing everything couples do.

During this time, Jiang Qiuyan ignored calls from others and confiscated Shi Yu’s phone. The two lived a primitive life free of electronics.

Shi Yu loved these days. There was something simple and honest about them.

She grew more and more dependent on Jiang Qiuyan, more and more used to having her around. As long as they were together, even doing nothing but sitting and daydreaming was bliss.

But happy times never lasted. Jiang Qiuyan couldn’t be with her forever.

Jiang Qiuyan was called back to work. Jiang Qiunian and Lu Tong came in person to fetch her.

She hadn’t wanted to go, but there were problems at the company, and as president, she couldn’t shirk the responsibility.

After seeing Jiang Qiuyan off, Shi Yu found the phone she’d hidden. She didn’t even need to search to know what had happened.

The video from that day had been posted online. It was going viral at an alarming rate, clearly with someone stoking the flames behind the scenes.

Since taking over the company, Jiang Qiuyan had never had a single piece of bad press. This scandal was fermenting at an unnatural speed, and with certain people adding fuel to the fire and smearing her, it had directly hit the company’s stock price.

Shi Yu tried searching hashtags like #JiangQiuyanHomewrecker and #HomewreckerVideo, but they’d already been scrubbed. Not a trace left on the entire internet.

Shi Yu set down her phone and said to the housekeeper busy in the kitchen: “Auntie, I’m really sorry, but I’m afraid I can’t go to work after all. Could you let the boss know?”

The housekeeper could tell something was off and quickly told her not to worry.

The cashier job she’d had before had fallen through, and the housekeeper had found her a new one, starting in a few days. Now it looked like that wasn’t happening either.

The moment she made up her mind, she actually felt lighter. Her phone buzzed, and Pei Shuyu’s name danced on the screen.

Shi Yu hesitated for a moment, then pressed the answer button.

“Little Yu, let’s meet up. With things the way they are, don’t you think we should come up with a plan?”