For Shang Lu, nothing is more important now than ending the bad relationship between her and Jiang Yi.
Jiang Yi was also quite smart. Considering the causes and consequences of being blocked by Shang Lu, he immediately understood why she was angry.
Jiang Yi knew he was in the wrong this time, and he rarely spoke in a gentler tone when facing Shang Lu, explaining: "I didn't know what happened when you called me. I didn't arrange that comment. I just asked them to teach you a lesson. I didn't expect..."
"That's all?" Shang Lu interrupted Jiang Yi and repeated, "You mean you just wanted them to teach me a lesson? You mean you didn't expect them to humiliate me in that way, so this can't be all your fault, right?"
Under Shang Lu's questioning tone, Jiang Yi instinctively wanted to refute, but he opened his mouth but couldn't say anything, and finally could only nod: "... Yes."
Shang Lu closed her eyes, her hand on the door handle trembling slightly. She felt that the man in front of her was so disgusting that he seemed extremely unfamiliar to her.
It didn't matter whether he had expected such a thing to happen or not. The staff of the program were just following his instructions. In any case, his starting point was full of malice towards her.
What kind of attitude and words did he say to make others think that she was someone who could be looked down upon like that
After all, she and he had known each other for decades, but he didn't even give her this little respect in front of outsiders.
But Shang Lu didn't want to have any more meaningless arguments with Jiang Yi. She didn't have the time or energy for that. She just wanted to solve the problem.
But Jiang Yi didn't think that he was any worse than Chi Yan. The gap between them now was only due to their family background. He would catch up with him sooner or later.
She did seem to be in a good mood.
After saying this, he left, not wanting to waste any more time with Shang Lu.
He couldn't understand it, he just thought it was ridiculous.
Jiang Yi opened the car door, took out the cake that he had originally prepared to appease Shang Lu from the passenger seat, and threw it directly into the trash can on the side of the road.
Jiang Yi's car stopped in front of Shang Lu's apartment, but he still couldn't get through to Shang Lu on the phone, and no one answered when he knocked on the door.
Jiang Yi was a little surprised, because apart from the few years in high school when Chi Yan was quite enthusiastic towards him, the two of them didn't actually have much private interaction in recent years.
[Thank you, I will treat you to a meal if I have the chance]
The person who called Jiang Yi was his long-time friend, Chi Yan, the only son of the Chi family, one of the most wealthy families in the capital.
Shang Lu sat cross-legged on the sofa and sent a message to Chi Yan.
However, Jiang Yi was the opposite, his finger joints were slightly white.
Even though he had clearly stated that he wanted to take Shang Lu home, Shang Lu completely ignored his words and even went to a place where he would not be able to get back in time.
Jiang Yi's voice turned cold, and he said directly: "Shang Lu, don't be so naive. Our engagement was made by our parents, and it concerns the business interests of our two families. It can't be changed by a word from you or me. Even if you and I cancel the engagement, Uncle Shang will not agree easily."
Wasn’t Shang Lu’s statement yesterday about canceling the engagement just a spur of the moment angry statement
No, that's absolutely impossible.
Not knowing where Shang Lu had gone, Jiang Yi planned to wait for her here patiently for a while, just like he did yesterday.
As soon as this idea came out, it was rejected by Jiang Yi.
Soon, a screenshot of Shang Lu’s circle of friends was sent to Jiang Yi.
In the picture, Shang Lu is wearing a light blue halter dress, holding a glass of ice drink in her hand, smiling brightly at the camera.
The next night, five o'clock.
When the call was connected, the person on the other end asked directly: "There's a new racing track opened in South City, would you like to go and have some fun?"
Although he didn't understand why Shang Lu suddenly made such a decision, for Jiang Yi, Shang Lu's attitude of avoiding him as if he were a virus still made his face turn ugly.
Chi Yan asked slowly: "From the photos Shanglu posted on her Moments today, the bag she carried while traveling was quite nice. I want to give one to my mother. Can you help me ask where she bought it?"
"… send to me."
However, because the title of Chi Yan's good friend brought a lot of convenience to Jiang Yi and the Jiang family, Jiang Yi has always taken the initiative to maintain the relationship with Chi Yan.
The air seemed to become quiet in an instant.
Then he got back into the driving seat, stepped on the accelerator and left Shang Lu's apartment.
Shang Lu took a deep breath and tried to keep himself calm, then said directly: "It doesn't matter what you think. I just want to cancel the engagement, the sooner the better."
It was Shang Lu who had followed him since he was a child and had never left him no matter how coldly or harshly he treated her.
Chi Yan chuckled, but did not explicitly agree. He just said, "Let's talk about it later. By the way, I have another question for you."
That's Shanglu.
Jiang Yi grasped the key points of Chi Yan's words, but it took him a full half a minute to digest them. He asked, "What did you say? What did she post on WeChat Moments?"
At this moment, Jiang Yi's cell phone rang.
Especially after Chi Yan entered the Chi family's company and began to take over the business, when Jiang Yi heard Chi Yan's name again, he had quickly become the young Mr. Chi who made those old foxes at the negotiating table fear and dread. He was also the recognized top figure of their generation, leaving him far behind.
But he really couldn't leave, so he could only refuse: "I have something to do today, I'll arrange to contact you another day, and invite all the people from high school, we haven't been together for a long time."
Chi Yan's voice was still relaxed: "Didn't you see it? It was the one I sent at noon, the one about vacation at the beach."
The time shown was three hours ago, and the location was a well-known tourist city that took five hours to reach from the capital by high-speed rail.
When Chi Yan took the initiative to call him and ask him out, Jiang Yi naturally wanted to go, especially after he focused on projects in the entertainment industry this year. Some people who had originally approached him for cooperation with the idea of pleasing Chi Yan were almost distrusting him. This was a good opportunity to prove that his relationship with Chi Yan was the same as before, and to make those people believe that as long as they worked hard to please the Jiang family, they would have a chance to hook up with the Chi family.
Jiang Yi was always good at using the "this is for your own good" rhetoric to persuade people. Seeing Shang Lu didn't refute, he felt that everything was still under his control. He continued, "You should have a good rest and calm down. I'll pick you up at five o'clock tomorrow night. My parents just came back from abroad and want to have dinner with you."
"you say."
But no matter what Shang Lu thought, the fact was that she was avoiding him now.
At this moment, Shang Lu stood outside the window, watching Jiang Yi's car leave, and opened the curtains again.
The acquaintance between Chi Yan and Shang Lu was a fateful one.
That happened when I was in the first year of high school. There was a rumor going around in the school right after the school started that a senior student and a bad boy from the neighboring high school had a conflict over their liking for the same girl, and they decided to have a fight to compete for the right to pursue that girl.
Then Shang Lu and Chi Yan arrived earlier than those who were going to fight, and the two of them met at the back door of the high school next door in their school uniforms, very awkwardly.
At that time, Chi Yan frowned and asked Shang Lu: "Why are you here?"
Shang Lu answered honestly: "I want to watch the fun and take a look at the beauties. What about you?"
Chi Yan held his forehead with one hand, then stretched out his hand: "... Me too."
Then the two high-fived.
But more embarrassing things are yet to come.
When the two men were lying on the wall watching people from two schools fighting, and heard that the beautiful girl they were arguing about was named "Shang Lu", they fell silent together.
Shanglu: "..."
The hands that were holding onto the bricks to support the body were trembling slightly.
It was a waste of time.
The beauty turned out to be herself.
Chi Yan nearly fell off the wall from laughing so hard, and their eavesdropping was unfortunately exposed.
So the two groups of bad boys united and started chasing them.
Chi Yan dragged Shang Lu through more than a dozen alleys. He was obviously exhausted but still teased, "They really like you and are chasing you—"
True pursuit.
Shanglu: "..."
Just shut up :)
After finally getting rid of the two groups of people, Shang Lu was completely exhausted. Her legs were shaking even when she walked. It was Chi Yan who reluctantly carried her back home with a look of disgust on his face.
In fact, Shang Lu was a little worried at that time. It would be troublesome if he was harassed by those bad boys.
But for some reason, those bad boys who said they liked her would avoid her when they saw her at school. But Shang Lu didn't care about it for too long, after all, at that time, she only had Jiang Yi in her heart and eyes.
Later, Chi Yan somehow became Jiang Yi's friend, and he was also the only person in Jiang Yi's circle who liked Shang Lu.
He would speak out to stop Jiang Yi from saying nasty things to Shang Lu in public, and he would also rush over when Shang Lu was standing in the rain at the school gate waiting for Jiang Yi, who would never come, and scold her for having a mental problem while forcing her into the car and sending her home.
So even though Chi Yan has been a notorious troublemaker since he was a child, and his behavior is so arrogant that it is not an exaggeration to describe him as lawless, Shang Lu knows that he can barely be considered a good person.
So this time, after much thought, she decided to ask Chi Yan for help, at least to get Jiang Yi out of the way.
As expected, Chi Yan still had the same desire to watch the fun and take no trouble as before, and very easily agreed to help her.
At this moment, Chi Yan sent another voice message.
"The photos you sent are from last year. Are you not afraid that Jiang Yi will find out if you use them to deceive him?"
Shang Lu lowered his eyes and then typed a reply.
[He won’t remember.]
Looking down from the window, the cake thrown into the trash can can be seen at a glance as the most signature strawberry mousse of a certain Internet celebrity store. However, after so many years, Jiang Yi has not remembered or even knows that the fruit she hates most is strawberry.
Not to mention trivial things like where she has been, what clothes she has worn, and what photos she has posted.
If he cared about her a little bit, those photos would be full of loopholes.
For example, if her period comes and she has menstrual cramps, it is impossible for her to go to the beach and drink ice drinks on such a day.
For example, her shoulder was injured while filming at the beginning of the year, leaving an ugly scar, but her skin in the photo is fair and flawless.
Thinking of this, Shang Lu suddenly felt a little pathetic, or perhaps she was a little disgusted with herself now.
I keep saying that I don't care and that I'm consoling myself that it's all due to the influence of the plot in the book, but as someone who has followed me for so many years, how could I not have any feelings at all
Even though he disgusted her now, she would still think about the former Jiang Yi occasionally.
When she was seven years old, she was locked in a room full of groceries by her father for a whole week because she accidentally broke her mother's belongings.
Except for the servants who would deliver water and food to the door regularly, the young Shang Lu could only stay alone in the empty room during the long and boring time.
According to Shang's father, he wanted her to reflect on herself.
Shang Lu's mother lost her life when she gave birth to her. She was born with a debt and should know how to respect her mother and everything she left behind.
During that week, a little boy appeared and brought her milk and biscuits from the window every day, passed notes to her and chatted with her, and even left a doll to accompany her instead of himself.
He was her first friend in her life, and the first person who was kind to her and cared about her and worried about her every day.
Later, Shang's father finally let her go.
Shang Lu quietly asked the nanny at home, and found out that only the young master of the Jiang family lived in Shang's house that week, and studied calligraphy with Shang's father.
But on the day Shang Lu went out, she only had time to see Jiang Yi's back as he left. She hugged the doll tightly in her hands.
How could she understand what love was at that age? But Shang Lu knew from that moment on that she wanted to be closer to Jiang Yi.
However, Shang Lu's children were taught at home by private tutors in elementary school, so Shang Lu hardly ever saw Jiang Yi.
So when Shang's father asked her a few years later if she would like to marry Jiang Yi when she grew up, she felt like it was a dream and agreed with great joy.
But everything that happened afterwards was not good.
And at this moment, Chi Yan's call came directly, interrupting those memories that should have been put behind them long ago.
Chi Yan said lazily, "So, Miss, I helped you, so you should tell me what happened. Did Jiang Yi bully you again? Do you want me to teach you a lesson?"
"Nothing." Shang Lu's voice remained calm, and he said, "I'm just planning to cancel my engagement with Jiang Yi."
There was silence for a few seconds, and Chi Yan asked: "Where are you hiding and crying again?"
Shanglu: "?"
Shang Lu was speechless: "You think too much. Don't mention the old things anymore."
"So what did he do this time?"
It was not a question, but an affirmative tone.
From Chi Yan's perspective, Jiang Yi had no idea how many excessive things he had done to Shang Lu over the years, but she still liked Jiang Yi so much.
So what kind of excessive things did Jiang Yi do this time to make Shang Lu give up on him
"I just suddenly figured it out." Shang Lu didn't want to explain too much. If she told Chi Yan that she found out that she was the vicious female supporting role in the book, he would probably hire a psychologist for her.
Then Shang Lu asked again: "Why are you still unhappy? Didn't you scold me before that I was mentally ill for liking Jiang Yi?"
"I feel so now. Let's not talk about this anymore. Just remember what you said now." Chi Yan's voice had an inexplicable sense of weirdness that he couldn't suppress. He didn't say anything more. He just said, "If things don't go well, you can use me as a shield," and hung up the phone in a hurry.
Shang Lu thought that Chi Yan might be a jinx.
Because this matter was really not going well.
Shang Lu was prepared for the difficulty of breaking off the engagement, but she never expected that Shang's father would put down his work abroad and rush back to China to ask her to go home to discuss the matter in person.
Jiang Yi and his parents also came together. It was obvious that they had discussed the result privately. This was a Hongmen Banquet.
Shang Lu washed her face, tied her hair into a ponytail, put on simple sportswear and went back to the merchant house without any makeup on.
The moment Shang Lu entered the room, the housekeeper followed her and whispered, "The master is in a bad mood, Miss, you must be patient, otherwise you will suffer if there is a quarrel."
"I understand." Shang Lu said this, but it was obvious that he was just perfunctory.
A full year had passed since she last saw her father.
However, this time, Shang's father rushed back to the country specifically for the engagement, which proved that as Jiang Yi said, it would be extremely difficult for her to cancel the engagement.
In the hall, everyone was sitting on the sofa, apparently chatting.
Mr. Shang, who was wearing a suit, had a stern face as usual. He took a sip of the tea in his hand when he saw Shang Lu walk in. On his left sat Jiang's parents and Jiang Yi.
Shang Lu lowered his eyes and called out, "Father."
After greeting Jiang's parents, she sat on the right side of Shang's father, directly opposite Jiang Yi.
Shang Lu was tired of meaningless and false polite words, so he pretended to be stupid and asked before the Jiang family's parents exchanged greetings: "Since everyone is here, can we cancel the engagement today?"
There was still no sign of emotion on Mr. Shang's face, but he glanced at Jiang Yi.
Jiang Yi stood up, his expression was obviously suppressed but still a little ugly, he said: "I'm sorry Lulu, I know there are some misunderstandings between us, but I still hope you won't make a decision so easily on such a big matter as an engagement, at least give me a chance to apologize and make amends."
"Oh?" Shang Lu curled his lips and asked innocently, "You don't want to cancel the engagement with me, which means you like me and want to marry me and have children, right?"
Jiang Yi was stunned, as if he didn't expect Shang Lu to ask him such a question.
The answer is no. He never thought that the person he would spend his life with would be Shang Lu.
But it was precisely because of Jiang Yi's hesitation that the atmosphere on the scene became more subtle.
"Of course." Jiang Yi's mother was a gentle-looking woman, and she quickly came out to smooth things over, saying, "Your engagement has been around for so many years, and it's time to finalize it earlier."
"Is that so? Thank you, auntie. I'm so happy." Shang Lu looked at Jiang Yi's mother with a smile, and then said, "Then I'm very confused. Since I'm Jiang Yi's fiancée, why do people say that I'm the third person in his relationship with someone else?"
"Shang Lu!" Jiang Yi stood up directly, with a warning in his voice: "This matter has nothing to do with her."
Shang Lu also stood up and looked at Jiang Yi, and asked: "But what does your love have to do with me? You hate me, but you need me, Shang Yi, so you can continue to use me shamelessly.
Jiang Yi, I can't let you take all the advantages by yourself, right? There is no such good thing in the world."
(End of this chapter)