Shi Sui sat in the car, one hand on the steering wheel, the other resting on the half-open car window.
“You really dislike her?”
“Not really.” There was a coldness in Jiang Ruoning’s words that she herself didn’t notice. “I just don’t like her anyway.”
Yeah, who would like a cowardly runaway?
A horn blared from behind. Shi Sui snapped back to attention, turned on the right blinker, gripped the steering wheel with one hand, and pressed the button to lower all the windows with the other. A wave of stifling heat rushed in.
Suffocating.
Shi Sui had just returned to the hotel when she received a call from Xu Qingqing. The other woman got straight to the point without any small talk. “Hand the Q4 project over to Weiwei. You go manage the physical stores.”
Less had a total of twenty-three stores in Shangjing, the most of any city, but they weren’t the highest earners. Logically, in a prime real estate market like Shangjing, with stores spread so widely, they should have been raking in profits hand over fist. But the reality was the opposite—the Shangjing stores always ranked dead last in sales.
That was why the stores were the focus of this reform, though Shi Sui hadn’t planned to tackle them so soon.
She asked Xu Qingqing, “Is this your order or the committee’s?”
Xu Qingqing replied, “Does it matter? It’s the company’s order.”
“Of course it matters,” Shi Sui said. “Mom, don’t forget—I’m currently under the committee’s authority.”
Xu Qingqing paused for two seconds at the word “Mom.”
It had been a long time since Shi Sui last called her that. The previous time was during Chinese New Year when she had called Shi Sui and asked her to come home. Shi Sui had said she was in a meeting and had no time. Her tone had been calm over the phone: “Happy New Year to Dad and Mom.”
She had done it on purpose.
She had deliberately said those words to stab at her heart.
And now, she was deliberately sending her to the East District.
Three years ago, the company had faced a turning point. Xu Qingqing had stubbornly insisted on sticking to the food business, but Shi Sui had pushed into a new track with apparel trade. The shareholders had been split fifty-fifty at the time. Later, Shi Sui signed an agreement with them, promising to launch the new brand Less within a year.
She succeeded.
The shareholders smelled the new opportunity and poured all their resources into Less. Shi Sui didn’t disappoint—one year’s profits surpassed the last, and Less’s reach grew wider and wider. Seeing she could no longer control Shi Sui, Xu Qingqing shoved Lin Wei into Less, placing her on equal footing.
After Lin Wei joined Less, she caused several not-small mishaps. Less was still in its startup phase and couldn’t afford such setbacks—the brand nearly collapsed. Shi Sui knew it was Xu Qingqing’s doing. She didn’t want Less to succeed at all.
She didn’t like that Shi Sui had escaped her control.
But Shi Sui was no longer the child she could butcher at will.
That was when the internal committee for Less was born.
Unlike the food business, where Xu Qingqing could call all the shots, everything in Less required committee approval. And Xu Qingqing? She only held one seat.
On the day the committee was established, Xu Qingqing came to her office and sat across from her. “You did this on purpose, didn’t you?”
Shi Sui feigned ignorance. “I don’t know what Director Xu is talking about.”
Xu Qingqing said, “You deliberately exposed Less’s vulnerabilities in front of Lin Wei, letting her seize the chance. You deliberately leaked those messages, letting her sabotage the orders. I couldn’t figure out why everything went so smoothly for Lin Wei after she joined Less. Turns out you orchestrated it all just to establish this committee?”
Shi Sui neither confirmed nor denied it, simply looking at her quietly.
Xu Qingqing met her gaze, emotions suppressed in her eyes. After a long moment, she said, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell the other committee members? You deliberately caused them so much financial loss!”
Shi Sui’s expression remained calm. “Director Xu, it was Lin Wei who lost the funds and botched the orders. I proposed the committee. Who do you think they’ll believe?”
That was when Xu Qingqing finally understood why Shi Sui hadn’t argued with her once since returning to the country. But in every Less meeting, she always debated fiercely with her, even turning red in the face. It was all just a show for the shareholders.
A show of Shi Sui toiling tirelessly for Less, while she obstructed at every turn.
She had done it on purpose.
From the day she proposed the brand, everything she did was deliberate.
Xu Qingqing should have been happy. Shi Sui was only in her twenties, yet her schemes ran so deep, her vision so far-sighted, her plans so meticulous. She would surely achieve even greater success.
But Xu Qingqing couldn’t be happy.
Because now, all that scheming was turned against her.
Xu Qingqing suppressed her displeasure, her voice laced with anger. “Shi Sui, don’t forget—I’m still the company’s largest shareholder.”
“How could I forget?” Shi Sui looked at Xu Qingqing, her gaze as cold and piercing as a thorn jabbing into her heart. Shi Sui said, “I’ll never forget, Mom.”
Those last two words were laced with sarcasm.
Xu Qingqing suddenly recalled that year when Shi Sui had knelt before her, begging. The final glance Shi Sui gave her as she stood up.
Just like now.
Ice-cold and stinging.
Xu Qingqing finally threw out, “You’re such an ungrateful wretch.”
Shi Sui didn’t care about her judgment.
Just as she didn’t care about this transfer order now. She told Xu Qingqing, “Mom, without official notice from the committee, I’ll continue following up on the Q4 project.”
Xu Qingqing seemed infuriated. “You—!”
Shi Sui hung up.
Xu Qingqing stared at the contact name on her phone: Ms. Xu’s precious daughter.
That was what Shi Sui had changed it to when Xu Qingqing got a new phone.
Back then, Shi Sui was in her senior year of high school. Despite the heavy workload, she never complained about being tired when she came home. Instead, she often shared fun school stories—about her new deskmate who was great at studies, a friend she’d made, a classmate in her class who was pitiful because her family favored sons over daughters and treated her like nothing. Shi Sui had gritted her teeth talking about it, then looked at her obediently. “Mom, I’m really so happy.”
Yes, they had been truly happy back then.
But that girl had ruined everything.
She ruined Shi Sui, shattered the Shi Family’s peace, destroyed their mother-daughter bond.
Xu Qingqing’s gaze dropped to the contact name.
Over the years, she had changed everything— even the villa twice. But she never changed this outdated phone.
Because she knew.
No one would change the contact name for her anymore.
It was all that woman’s fault.
All her fault!
Xu Qingqing ground her teeth, took a deep breath, her chest heaving. She grabbed her phone, raised it high, but in the end, didn’t smash it. She calmed herself and called Lin Wei instead.
Lin Wei was staring at her computer when she saw the incoming call. She pondered for two seconds before answering. “Auntie.”
Xu Qingqing said, “Weiwei, did Shi Sui go to the company today?”
Lin Wei gripped her phone tighter and glanced at Jiang Ruoning on her screen, her tone steady. “She came to the company this afternoon. What’s wrong, Auntie?”
Xu Qingqing asked, “Did she—did she go anywhere else?”
Lin Wei said, “I don’t think so. I heard her assistant say she came straight to the company after dropping her luggage.”
Xu Qingqing relaxed a bit. “Keep a close eye on her. How’s your prep for Q4 going?”
Q4 was Less’s winter show.
Though the committee had assigned two lead agents this time, there was only one East District GM position. Q4 was the litmus test to see who was capable of taking it. Lin Wei knew Xu Qingqing wanted her to stay as East District GM and send Shi Sui packing.
Just what she wanted.
Lin Wei said, “Going pretty smoothly. It’s just that Ying Jinan is a bit hard to schedule.”
Xu Qingqing said, “Figure something out.”
Lin Wei replied, “I know, Auntie. Don’t worry.”
Xu Qingqing gave a small “mm.”
Lin Wei’s fingers hovered over the keyboard. She didn’t mention Shi Sui’s plan to invite Jiang Ruoning as a model. She was waiting—for them to sign the deal. Once her aunt found out, she wouldn’t sit idly by. Then Shi Sui would clash with her aunt over the model.
She just needed to bide her time and then drop the dirt at the right moment.
The committee would never accept Jiang Ruoning as the lead model for Less’s winter show.
Even if Shi Sui tried to protect her, she couldn’t.
Lin Wei hadn’t seen it with her own eyes back then, when Shi Sui broke ties with her aunt over that woman. But now, she could watch Shi Sui break with the company over that woman.
It felt great!
So damn satisfying!
Lin Wei laughed out loud in her office.
When her secretary knocked and entered, she noticed Lin Wei’s expression and cautiously asked, “Director Lin, good news?”
Lin Wei turned to her, thought for two seconds. “Yes, the best news imaginable.”
The secretary assumed Ying Jinan had agreed to collaborate and asked about it in their little group chat after leaving the office.
The secretary department had been one work group before, but after Jiang Nuan joined, she pulled her in too. Jiang Nuan had just showered and saw the message. She video-called Shi Sui.
Shi Sui stood by the window, looking down. The Liming Grand Hotel was in the city center. From here, the view was a dazzling sea of lights, stars everywhere. In the quiet room, a “ding ding ding” suddenly rang out.
She glanced at the coffee table. Her laptop was there, work account logged in, with incoming video requests.
Shi Sui walked over, sat on the sofa, and clicked accept casually.
Jiang Nuan’s face popped up. She immediately asked, “Did you meet Ying Jinan tonight?”
Shi Sui didn’t know when she’d become so impatient, asking about Ying Jinan twice in one night. She countered, “Are you that afraid of losing to Lin Wei?”
Jiang Nuan choked, her goal seen through. She gave a dry laugh. “I can lose to anyone but her!”
Shi Sui was distracted. “Got it. I won’t let you lose.”
Jiang Nuan pressed, “Did you meet Ying Jinan?”
Shi Sui said, “No.”
If she had, she wouldn’t be back at the hotel tonight.
Jiang Nuan let out a disappointed “oh” and was about to speak when she heard a phone vibrate. She thought it was hers at first, but it wasn’t. On the video, Shi Sui had already looked at her screen.
It was Jiang Ruoning calling.
Shi Sui’s brows softened instantly.
Jiang Nuan wanted to ask who was calling so late, but seeing that tender expression, her jaw nearly dropped.
Shi Sui ignored her shock and tossed out, “Hanging up.”
Without giving Jiang Nuan a chance to respond, she ended the video and picked up the call. Her voice changed abruptly, soft enough to kill. “Jiang Ruoning.”
Even through the phone.
How could someone say her own name so beautifully!
Jiang Ruoning huddled on the sofa, one hand holding the phone, the fingers of the other digging into the armrest edge. Shi Sui had been gone nearly an hour, and it was the middle of the night with no word—she’d impulsively called out of worry.
Hearing Shi Sui’s voice, she bit her lip.
Suddenly at a loss for words.
Shi Sui asked her first, “What are you doing?”
“Nothing.” Jiang Ruoning lowered her eyes; her lower lip bore a mark from her teeth. She asked Shi Sui, “Did you get to the hotel?”
“Just arrived,” Shi Sui said. “I was just about to call you.”
Jiang Ruoning caught those two “just”s.
Her lips curved up.
Shi Sui added, as if casually or by way of explanation, “There was a bit of traffic.”
Ambiguity crackled through the line like static. Jiang Ruoning said “oh.” “No wonder.”
Shi Sui’s tone was light yet enticing. “Hm?”
Jiang Ruoning rolled over to face the sofa back, speaking quickly. “As long as you got there safely. I’m hanging up.”
She moved to end the call, but Shi Sui habitually said, “Ruoning.”
Jiang Ruoning’s earlobes burned; the one pressed to the phone turned blood-red. She froze, unable to move. Shi Sui’s voice came through, as if right by her ear, nibbling on it softly. “Goodnight.”
