Shen Qingqing was at her wits' end.
With no other choice, she had to seek help from Lu Zheng.
Ever since he got together with Shen Qingqing, Lu Zheng had felt like he was intoxicated by love.
Although his millions-worth video game arcade was also very important to him, seeing his woman crying her heart out made him ache with sympathy. He hurried to console Shen Qingqing.
At this moment, the CEO's assistant came and told Lu Zheng, "Mr. Lu, Ms. Lin Rui is back."
Those words made Shen Qingqing's face turn pale.
Lu Zheng quickly frowned, because this Lin Rui was his fiancée.
In these wealthy families, arranged marriages were a necessity. So they would select a spouse at an early age.
But in recent years, things were different from before. Even for arranged marriages, the opinions of the two people involved had to be considered.
Lu Zheng and Lin Rui were childhood friends.
When they got engaged initially, they were both willing.
Later, Lu Zheng went abroad to study and returned a year earlier to take over the family business. Lin Rui was still studying abroad, and that's when they parted ways.
Little did they expect that Lu Zheng would encounter true love in the meantime.
He had long forgotten about his faraway fiancée.
Perhaps the fiancée had caught wind of something and rushed over.
Shen Qingqing had known about Lu Zheng and Lin Rui's situation all along.
But she didn't expect her to return so soon. "You should go find your fiancée," she said.
The domineering Lu Zheng blocked her waist. "What are you trying to say?"
Shen Qingqing's eyes turned red.
The CEO's assistant couldn't say anything else, as the person in question had already arrived downstairs. Even he, the chief assistant, was feeling tense.
The lovestruck couple in front of him was oblivious to everything else.
Indeed, a high salary wasn't easy to earn.
Actually, he had some reservations about Shen Qingqing. Although it was a business marriage, Lin Rui was still Lu Zheng's girlfriend in name.
Yet Shen Qingqing was shamelessly clinging to him. Wasn't she a third party?
Ever since Shen Qingqing became close to Lu Zheng, her arrogance had skyrocketed.
Little did she know, all this was being live-streamed by the system for Shen Wei to see.
Shen Wei sighed, Shen Qingqing's love life was quite dramatic.
When Lin Rui entered and saw the two embracing, her face turned pale as she said to Lu Zheng, "What is the meaning of this?"
Lin Rui had a stunning and elegant appearance, with curled hair and a windbreaker, exuding the aura of a fashionable beauty.
Combined with her overseas education, she was far more poised and beautiful than Shen Qingqing in every way.
Watching the live stream, Shen Wei found it hard to understand why this domineering CEO seemed blinded, letting go of such a beautiful fiancée and instead favoring the devious Shen Qingqing.
Ever since Shen Wei learned that her original life was a book, and witnessing the lack of affection between Shen Qingqing and Lu Zheng, she couldn't help but feel sympathetic toward Lin Rui.
After all, Lin Rui and Lu Zheng were childhood sweethearts.
Now that they were nearing marriageable age, this incident was a blow no one could bear.
Not only was it emotionally damaging, but it would also invite public ridicule.
True to his domineering nature, Lu Zheng immediately shielded Shen Qingqing behind him. "I'm sorry, but as you can see, this is the person I truly love. I will dissolve our marriage engagement. Please do not barge into my office again, it's impolite."
Lin Rui was angered to the point of laughter. "You really want to throw away our years of affection for this person?"
Seeing Lin Rui, Shen Qingqing felt like an ugly duckling confronted by a swan, filled with self-doubt and guilt.
But Lu Zheng insisted, "I have never had any romantic feelings for you. I've always seen you as a sister."
In an instant, Lin Rui was devastated.
Now he was trying to sound noble, but in high school, they had shared a passionate kiss under the moonlight.
What kind of "brother" would do that to a "sister"?
If he had simply admitted to not loving her, Lin Rui might have respected his courage.
But now, not only did he not love her, he wanted to erase their past. She could only see him as a shameless scoundrel.
Oblivious to Lin Rui's thoughts, Lu Zheng continued to lecture her self-righteously, "Please do not harbor any inappropriate thoughts about me."
In that moment, Lin Rui was utterly humiliated.
For them to engage in such a shameless act, only to be mocked by high society.
Did they really think she was some kind of prize to be won?
True, the Lu family had an impressive pedigree. But the Lin family was no pushover either.
Lin Rui said, "Fine. From today onwards, we are severing all ties! I will inform everyone that our engagement is off."
Lu Zheng hadn't expected Lin Rui's reaction to be so intense, and for a moment, he felt uneasy.
He didn't like arranged marriages.
But he hadn't intended to completely burn bridges either.
After Lin Rui left, Shen Qingqing suggested, "Shouldn't we go and explain things to her?"
Lu Zheng replied curtly, "No need." His expression remained cold, as if someone owed him millions.
Lu Zheng was handsome, and with his family background, he had been showered with love letters since childhood.
Lin Rui's departure didn't make him reflective. Instead, he felt a sense of humiliation.
He was truly furious.
...
After successfully witnessing this dramatic scene, Shen Wei received a message from the system: "The enemy of your enemy is your friend. Issuing a new system quest - recruit Lin Rui into your team, and successfully complete it to earn a 15% reward for reversing the storyline."
Shen Wei sighed, realizing the system always had an ulterior motive. No wonder it had revealed this information to her - it was to issue a new quest. But this aligned with her own intentions.
After accepting the quest, she immediately contacted Lin Rui.
Before coming, Lin Rui had already learned about the relationships between Shen Qingqing, Shen Wei, and others.
Now, receiving Shen Wei's call, she was a little surprised, not expecting Shen Wei to act so quickly.
Although they moved in the same wealthy circles, Shen Wei was previously considered a nouveau riche, not highly regarded by the wealthy elite.
But Lin Rui had a decent impression of Shen Wei from their previous encounters at social events.
In this moment, with Shen Wei's invitation, Lin Rui accepted after some thought.
They met at a bustling café in the city.
When meeting Shen Wei, Lin Rui intentionally wore sky-high heels and red lipstick.
The necklace she wore cost over a hundred thousand yuan.
With a hint of wariness in her eyes, she regarded Shen Wei, "Why did you call me here?"
Lin Rui knew about the conflict between Shen Qingqing and Shen Wei, and while she hoped Shen Wei would win, she didn't want to become a target herself.
"I'm very sorry about what happened between you and Mr. Lu. I didn't expect my own cousin to stoop so low. But don't be too heartbroken, there will be better opportunities in the future."
A look of gloom crossed Lin Rui's eyes.
In the business world, where comparisons were rife, she had been cast aside.
Lu Zheng would rather have a woman of poor character than her, and she could only imagine the mockery she would face.
Seeing that Shen Wei didn't continue, Lin Rui took the initiative, "If you're trying to get me to go after Shen Qingqing, I'm not interested."
Shen Wei said, "Have you heard of the kindergarten I run?"
Lin Rui nodded.
She had heard about it even when she was abroad.
It was truly remarkable. Shen Wei had gained tremendous reputation and attention through it, far exceeding the subsidies she received.
As long as people trusted her, she could succeed in whatever she did.
The pop-up store was an example.
Lin Rui studied economics and was very interested in the kindergarten.
Shen Wei said, "If you join our team, even if you don't do anything, it would still make them feel deeply hurt and resentful."
The feud between Shen Wei and Shen Qingqing was destined from the beginning.
Previously, Shen Wei had spread rumors online under a pseudonym, and now she had allied with Lu Zheng to undermine Shen Qingqing's business.
Although Shen Wei was laid-back, she still had her bottom line.
This time, Shen Wei was determined to teach them a lesson.
Lin Rui was moved by Shen Wei's words.
"Let me think about it!"
She couldn't respond immediately. Shen Wei invited her to visit the kindergarten.
