In the end, the Dean agreed to let Ming Li stay.
Ming Li bowed to her. “I won’t let you down.”
“The Gu family…” The Dean hesitated. “Are you sure they know?”
“I will tell them,” Ming Li said. “Rest assured.”
It seemed this matter had to be addressed immediately.
After the Dean left, Zhu Hanxing looked at Ming Li with concern. “What are you going to do about the Gu family?”
When Gu Xueqiang had handed Xingwan over to Ming Li, Ming Li had promised she wouldn’t return to the stage until after her divorce from Gu Qingshuang. She was supposed to be finished with the stage for these two years.
But she had broken her word.
These past few days, she had felt a pang of guilt whenever she faced Gu Xueqiang. But avoiding it wasn’t the answer. Ming Li took a deep breath. “I’ll face the storm. At worst…”
Ming Li hesitated, and Sun Xihan spoke up flatly, “Get a divorce.”
Sun Xihan was nonchalant. “A place like that clearly devours people. Why stay if you don’t divorce?”
Ming Li was slightly stunned. “It’s complicated. It’s not as simple as doing whatever I want.”
“How complicated?” Sun Xihan asked. “Did they catch you committing a murder?”
Ming Li was shocked. “What?”
Zhu Hanxing explained, “She means, does the Gu family have some kind of leverage over you?”
Ming Li’s face flushed slightly, but she feigned composure. “You two certainly have chemistry.”
“Tch. Please.” Sun Xihan looked disdainful. “I don’t want chemistry with her.”
Zhu Hanxing snorted. “As if I want it with you.”
Ming Li didn’t speak; she was thinking about how to tell Gu Xueqiang. The official performance was in two days. She had originally planned to confess and beg for forgiveness after the show.
But now…
Ming Li thought that, at worst, she would return Xingwan to Gu Xueqiang and admit she had failed her expectations. She wanted to make money and be a boss, but over the last few days, she realized she loved dancing more.
Ming Li knew she was being “ungrateful.” Before she had agreed to Sun Xihan’s request, she had condemned herself every time the thought arose. But now, she was committed to being “ungrateful.” She didn’t want to lie to herself anymore.
If possible, she wanted both. She wanted to be able to dance after handling company business. But Gu Xueqiang would likely find it embarrassing.
Ming Li sighed. The arrow was on the string; there was no turning back. As she considered how to explain it that evening, Sun Xihan suddenly asked, “Which Gu family are you talking about?”
“Is there any other Gu family in Jing’an?” Zhu Hanxing said. “Of course it’s that Gu family.”
“The Gu Group?” Sun Xihan wasn’t interested in high society and didn’t know the specifics. She only knew that after the Ming family went bankrupt, Ming Li had married into a wealthy family, but she didn’t know who.
“Yes,” Ming Li said. “The Gu Group you’re thinking of.”
Sun Xihan frowned. “Isn’t that a matriarchal group? The heirs are almost all women. Who did Ming Li marry?”
Sun Xihan pulled out her phone to search. Finally, her eyes landed on the Second General Manager of the Gu Group. Her brow furrowed deeply enough to crush a fly. “Your husband isn’t Gu Zhengbo, is he?”
The man was in his fifties and had three children. If Ming Li had married him…
Sun Xihan’s expression was an unspoken curse, but remembering it was Ming Li’s choice and likely a desperate move, she tried to control her face.
Zhu Hanxing barked, “What are you talking about?! Gu Zhengbo has one foot in the grave. How could he be worthy of Sister Li?”
Ming Li was taken aback, then said, “That’s my uncle-in-law.”
Sun Xihan paused for a few seconds. Once she processed the information, she asked, “So you married Gu Xueqiang’s child?”
Gu Xueqiang had a public profile, but Gu Qingshuang’s information was never shared online; only those within the inner circle knew her identity.
Ming Li nodded. “Yes. Though ‘married’ is a bit of a loose term.”
At this point, Sun Xihan looked at the bio which stated Gu Xueqiang and Gu Liufu only had one daughter. After a long silence, she asked, “So… you like women?”
Ming Li: “…”
Zhu Hanxing mocked her. “You didn’t think our Sister Li was straight, did you? She’s as bent as a paperclip.”
Sun Xihan shook her head and gave Ming Li a meaningful look. Ming Li didn’t understand the look, nor did she have time to ask.
Chun Liuyi had arrived.
She had other events, so she was late. Zhu Hanxing’s eyes didn’t leave Chun Liuyi from the moment she appeared. It was the first time they had seen each other since their last dinner.
Ming Li couldn’t stand it and pinched the distracted Zhu Hanxing. “Work is work. Focus.”
Zhu Hanxing sighed and whispered to Ming Li, “How can someone be so heartless? She won’t even look at me.”
Ming Li patted her shoulder. “Then don’t look at her either.”
Zhu Hanxing: “%￥#“
That night, Sun Xihan drove Ming Li home. It was midnight by the time they finished rehearsing.
Ming Li said she could take a taxi, but Sun Xihan insisted on seeing her home. Although they had become much closer over the past few days, Ming Li still felt a bit awkward. She thought about asking Zhu Hanxing to take her, but one look showed Zhu Hanxing had already cornered Chun Liuyi.
Zhu Hanxing stood in Chun Liuyi’s path, her face flushed as she spoke animatedly. She clearly had a lot to say.
No help there.
Ming Li couldn’t win against Sun Xihan and got into her car.
There was no traffic, and the car moved quickly. Midway through the trip, Ming Li spoke sincerely. “Thank you.”
She was thinking of Sun Xihan’s defense of her tonight and her persistence in convincing her to dance again.
Sun Xihan was stunned. “What is there to thank me for?” She said coldly, “I did it for myself.”
Ming Li smiled. “But it helped me a lot. So, thank you.”
Sun Xihan’s brow knit, then she said, “I’m sorry.”
Ming Li was puzzled. “Why are you apologizing?”
“Back in university, I didn’t know you liked girls,” Sun Xihan said.
Ming Li was even more confused. Back in university, she hadn’t known she liked girls herself. If she hadn’t met and married Gu Qingshuang, she might never have realized.
“What does that have to do with an apology?” Ming Li asked.
“At the time, I thought you were looking down on me,” Sun Xihan said. “Wealthy daughters like you don’t know the hardships of the world. A casual bit of charity is supposed to make us grovel in gratitude. I hated that. So, I hated you by extension.”
Sun Xihan stared straight ahead. Fortunately, since she was driving, she didn’t have to look Ming Li in the eye, making it easier to speak her mind.
![Saving the Paranoid Villainess Boss [Quick Transmigration]](https://i0.wp.com/dobytranslations.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/transmigra.png?resize=151,215 "Saving the Paranoid Villainess Boss [Quick Transmigration]")
