Chapter 130: An Accidental Encounter with Shen Ying

Xu An’an collected herself. “Don’t come looking for me at the magazine again. Otherwise, my fist will definitely land on that punchable face of yours.”

“If you don’t believe me, you can try.”

Perhaps that single punch had completely overturned Jiang Yu’s understanding of Xu An’an. He stared at her for two seconds, then left without saying a word.

Xu An’an did not care what Jiang Yu was thinking.

If this made him stop bothering her, she would gladly celebrate.

“An’an.”

Xue Shengnan got out of the car beside them.

After the engagement banquet, Xue Shengnan had taken a week off from the magazine to compose herself and clear her mind.

Even so, she still looked utterly worn out, despite having applied heavy makeup.

But her eyes could not lie.

“Are you all right?”

After a long pause, Xu An’an finally asked. She truly felt sorry for Xue Shengnan. She had once been such a radiant woman, yet a scumbag had hurt her so deeply.

Why were good women never cherished? Was being a shameless bastard really that satisfying?

“It’s lunchtime. Let’s go eat first.” Thinking that everyone from the magazine would soon be coming out, Xue Shengnan instinctively wanted to avoid them.

Of the entire magazine staff, Xu An’an was the only one who genuinely cared about her.

The others were probably waiting to watch the spectacle.

“All right. Let’s go to our usual restaurant.” Xu An’an could guess how Xue Shengnan was feeling. Recently, she had overheard many colleagues discussing Xue Shengnan and Tang Jin.

Most of them mocked Xue Shengnan behind her back.

It was only because Xue Shengnan had always been strict with them at work.

“Tsk. She’s always so fond of bossing people around. How come she couldn’t even control her own man?”

“She looks pretty shrewd. Who would’ve thought she’d turn into a lovesick fool?”

Comments like these were infuriating.

After ordering, Xue Shengnan brought up what had just happened. “Is he one of your admirers?”

Xu An’an felt that she and Xue Shengnan were alike in certain ways. For instance, neither of them wanted to discuss things they could not bear to face with other people.

Since Xue Shengnan had seen and heard everything, Xu An’an briefly explained her relationship with Jiang Yu.

“If nothing unexpected happens, I’ll be ending my engagement with him soon.”

Learning that Xu An’an had also been hurt by a scumbag, Xue Shengnan gave a bitter smile. “We really are friends. Even our unfortunate experiences are so similar.”

Afraid that Xue Shengnan would bottle everything up until she made herself ill, Xu An’an suggested going to a bar that evening.

“Tomorrow’s the weekend, so we don’t have to work. Let’s drink to our hearts’ content.”

“It’s a promise.” Xue Shengnan had always considered herself a very rational person. No matter how heartbroken she was, she had never believed in drowning her sorrows in alcohol.

But when the moment actually came, she discovered that drinking was indeed a pretty good way to vent.

Just then, Xu An’an noticed a woman wearing sunglasses.

It was Shen Ying!

Xue Shengnan followed Xu An’an’s gaze and frowned. “So it’s him—the man called Fan Zheng, one of Tang Jin’s cronies. He helps people secretly transfer their assets.”

That man was shaking hands with Shen Ying.

Shen Ying looked displeased. “Why didn’t you get a private room?”

She was afraid of being seen by anyone she knew.

“There was nothing I could do. All the private rooms here have to be reserved in advance.” Fan Zheng loved bringing clients here to eat because he liked the food.

Since someone else was paying, he naturally wanted to eat what he liked.

Shen Ying’s expression darkened, but she had no other choice. After searching around, Fan Zheng was the most reliable and professional person she could find.

“You should know what I want done, right?”

“Mrs. Xu, rest assured. As long as the money is there, nothing is a problem.” Fan Zheng called over a waiter to order food, then asked Shen Ying to pay first.

Making her pay before the food had even arrived was rather disrespectful.

Shen Ying’s face grew even darker. She took out her card and handed it over. “No password.”

The waiter took the card to the front desk.

Not far away, Xu An’an held up the menu to cover her face so Shen Ying would not see her. She was shocked. She had never expected Shen Ying to be so vicious.

Still, using such a tactic against that scumbag of a father was fairly reasonable.

Since they had crossed paths, she would never let Shen Ying get her way.

Xu An’an excused herself to Xue Shengnan, then quietly moved closer. She wanted to hear what Shen Ying and Fan Zheng were discussing before deciding what to do.

“What’s your husband’s full name again? It would be best if you gave me detailed information. I can investigate how many properties he currently owns and how many bank accounts he has.” Fan Zheng continued, “If you want to know whether he has assets overseas, I can investigate that too, but it’ll cost extra.”

Shen Ying thought for a moment. “Investigate it all. Check everything. I want to know every last detail.”

She handed Fan Zheng the information she had prepared.

“My cheating husband is called Xu Fengnian. Sounds like a respectable man, doesn’t it? Ha! But he’s never done a respectable thing in his life. The woman he deceived most cruelly is still lying unconscious in the hospital. Tell me, how could I have been so blind as to fall for a man like that?”

With nowhere to vent her resentment, Shen Ying grabbed whoever happened to be nearby and poured out her grievances like beans from a split pod.

Xu An’an’s expression changed slightly.

The woman Shen Ying was referring to—the one who had been deceived most terribly—could only be her mother. Yet her mother had never mentioned that Xu Fengnian had deceived her.

What exactly had happened?

Fan Zheng was beginning to lose patience. “Mrs. Xu, the information you provided is excellent. Once I’ve finished eating, I’ll go back and get started.”

Shen Ying had not finished complaining, but she could only swallow the rest of her words.

She could not stay for too long.

“Then move quickly. I don’t want to spend another day beside that bastard.”

“Don’t worry. I’m a professional.” Fan Zheng thumped his chest in assurance.

After Shen Ying left, Fan Zheng called someone.

“Heh-heh, Brother Zeng, how have you been lately? Interested in doing some business? We’ll split the profit fifty-fifty once it’s done.”

“Meet me at the usual place tonight. This time, it’s definitely a big deal.”

…

Nightfall Bar.

Xu An’an and Xue Shengnan chose a relatively quiet booth, ordered a dozen bottles of beer and some snacks, and began drinking.

Both of them remained silent, as though certain things no longer needed to be said.

After Xue Shengnan had drunk more than eight bottles, she could not help speaking up. “An’an, why do I feel like you’re not all that sad?”

“I think you never really loved your fiancé enough.”

Drunk, Xue Shengnan was far too blunt.

Xu An’an did not take offense. But after Xue Shengnan asked the question, she thought about it seriously and realized that she truly was not all that heartbroken.

As for the reason?

She believed the problem lay with Jiang Li.

The day she discovered Jiang Yu and Ning Xiyue sneaking around behind her back, she had met Jiang Li and become entangled with him. On top of that, she had been extremely busy with work and had not had any time to feel sad.

It seemed that, without her realizing it, the stage of grieving had simply been skipped.

“Perhaps it’s because the new can’t come while the old remains?”

“What new and old?” Xue Shengnan was already drunk, yet she continued drinking bottle after bottle.

Xu An’an shrugged. “People are always saying that if you want to forget the pain of a breakup, you should find someone new and fall in love. That makes it easier to move on.”