TFS Chapter 18

Zhou Song leaned over, ready to get out of the car and invite Qin Man to leave, but Gu Shiqing patted his shoulder, signaling that it was okay. In fact, she was also surprised by Qin Man’s presumptuous visit, but seeing Qin Man’s meticulously glamorous attire, she was also very interested to hear what Qin Man wanted to say.

Seeing this, Zhou Song had no choice but to get out of the car with the driver, leaving the space inside the car completely for the two to talk. Gu Shiqing naturally took out a powder compact from her bag and gently patted it on her face with a puff, her peripheral vision seeming to catch Qin Man’s scorching gaze. “Miss Qin, you don’t visit a temple without a reason.”

Qin Man clasped her hands together, slightly turning her body. She was brewing the words she wanted to say, but now that she was actually in front of Gu Shiqing, her thoughts seemed extremely chaotic. “You know about Rui Yichen and me. Is it meaningful to continue as a mistress? You’ve made a lot of money over the years. Even without him, you can live well.”

Her blurted words made Gu Shiqing’s hand, which was applying makeup, pause slightly, then continued as if she hadn’t heard, applying makeup while asking, “I imagine Rui Yichen doesn’t know you’ve come to me. This should be a personal matter.”

Qin Man didn’t deny it, trying hard to control her emotions. “With your qualities, you could completely find a good rich businessman, or simply immigrate abroad. You’d live a wonderful life no matter what. You’re already a winner in life, aren’t you?”

Gu Shiqing’s red lips curved slightly, a faint hint of mockery flashing in the corner of her eyes. “Miss Qin, do you know how many years I’ve been with CEO Rui? Miss Qin, do you know that Huafeng Group, as you see it now, was initially just an office in an ordinary office building? You ask me why I don’t leave? The things I’ve worked so hard for all these years, can they just be transferred to someone else so easily?” She changed her tone, “Miss Qin, your qualities are naturally superior, you’re really beautiful, but you’re not the most beautiful I’ve ever seen.”

Qin Man stared intently at her, which made Gu Shiqing’s posture even more relaxed. She chuckled, seemingly mocking and self-deprecating at the same time. “Why aren’t I surprised, right? Because before you, there have been several others like you who suddenly came looking for me. The first time, I might have felt a little threatened, but after a few more… I’ve gotten used to it. I know CEO Rui won’t have only one woman, so I’ll just play my role well. You know that there’s no animosity between you and me, we’re just different.”

She looked at Qin Man, Qin Man’s face becoming even paler because of her words. What an exquisite face, fair almost to the point of transparency. She continued, “You want to possess all of him, including the title of Mrs. Rui, but unfortunately, I’ve witnessed the failures of too many people before you. CEO Rui has always been unable to leave me, perhaps precisely because I know my place and don’t demand things that don’t belong to me. In your eyes, my current success and fame might make me your competitor.” She waved her hand with a smile. “Don’t flatter me so much, you have quite a few competitors. But I believe that flowers don’t bloom for a hundred days, and beauty fades easily. When you grow old, will CEO Rui still cherish you so much? But I’m different, I’m just an ornamental addition. In the end, he’ll only keep the useful ones by his side.”

A trace of unwillingness flashed in Qin Man’s eyes. “It’s because of women like you that men are indulged and don’t know when to stop. I really didn’t expect Miss Gu to be such a humble person at heart.”

Gu Shiqing didn’t show a trace of displeasure. Her tone was kind and gentle, as if she had summoned the patience to treat a child. “Everyone has a different way of dying. What’s important in life is not knowing your own limitations. Knowing that you’re like an ant might be the very thing that makes him see you favorably. Miss Qin, if I want to stay by his side longer, then I really need to learn from you how to lower my head and bow down to others.”

“I won’t live like you. You and Rui Yichen both disgust me!” Qin Man’s eyes were bloodshot.

Gu Shiqing sighed heavily. “It must not be easy for me either, but I’m already his person, so what else can I do? Return to my entertainment career? Is that possible? Maybe it’s because you’ve seen everything that you don’t want to make things difficult for me. The issues between you men are actually not that big, it’s nothing more than revolving around a woman. How Miss Qin acts is your freedom, but I’ve been with CEO Rui since I was twenty years old. I’m extremely familiar with his temperament, his joys and his anger. Others can’t change him.”

Qin Man bit her lip, not feeling the slightest pain. “Then I should thank you for sharing a man with me?” Her words were full of sarcasm.

“If anger could solve problems, people wouldn’t have so many disputes.” Gu Shiqing remained amiable from beginning to end.

“Don’t you resent him?” Qin Man was like a deflated ball. She originally wanted to take control of the situation and make Gu Shiqing feel ashamed, understanding that she was the only obstacle between them. But Gu Shiqing’s gentle persuasion completely emptied her confidence. She even scrutinized Gu Shiqing’s every move, elegant and appropriate. In contrast, she was completely outmatched. This realization made her heart ache.

Hearing these words, Gu Shiqing’s eyes flickered. These words were insincere, but she knew Qin Man wouldn’t believe it, because the difference in their family backgrounds was too great. How could Qin Man understand the shackles of the family that Gu Shiqing, a sparrow, had broken free from? “I don’t resent him.”

Qin Man laughed frantically. She opened the car door with one hand, leaving only a slender figure behind. She said faintly, “I’m not with him because he’s named Rui.”

Followed by the crisp sound of the car door opening and closing, she didn’t wait for Gu Shiqing’s response, leaving on her own, leaving Gu Shiqing alone mumbling in the car in a daze, “Of course I know, I wasn’t willing either.”

*

Qin Man’s tears rolled down her cheeks, but she didn’t notice. She walked down the street in a daze, as if the surrounding noise had nothing to do with her. She was just a shadow walking alone, unable to find any place to belong.

Her eye makeup was smeared from crying. She opened her phone, but couldn’t even find someone to contact. She wanted to call her parents, but she only had a heart that reported good news and not bad to her parents. She stared blankly at the sky. Her parents were honest and hardworking teachers, and they had been upright all their lives. If one day she was no longer in this world, and someone told them that their daughter was a wealthy businessman’s mistress, it was likely that her father’s upright personality wouldn’t even allow him to erect a tombstone for her.

This painful realization permeated her brain, and she vaguely returned to the flat suite arranged by Rui Yichen. Before even changing her clothes, she poured herself another glass of red wine, hugging the wine bottle and crying loudly. She looked at herself in the full-length mirror. When hatred and love were intertwined in the same person, it could actually make another person become scarred and lose themselves.

She frantically beat the mirror, letting the mirror reveal faint cracks, hurting her slender hands. Two minutes later, she saw her shattered self and blood mixed together in the layers of mirror fragments. She abruptly looked at the flowing blood flowers, as if they were the tears of her heart. The blood flowers in front of her seemed to stimulate her nerves, making her become moody. She seemed to have gained an unprecedented courage. “Rui Yichen, you want to avoid problems, you want to deal with it coldly, then what are you afraid of? I’ll do whatever you’re afraid of. I’ll be with you, until death do us part.” She said word by word, speaking to herself, but also seemingly speaking to Rui Yichen through the broken mirror, as if a demon was whispering in her ear, each word weeping blood.

*

Municipal Party Committee Office, Rui House.

In the empty hall, a sudden burst of a landline phone ringing echoed. The nanny came out of the kitchen and took the receiver of the landline, “Hello? Who are you looking for?”

The guard at the gate looked at Qin Man’s graceful figure, and then connected to the phone of Mayor Rui’s residence, asking if there were any visitors. The nanny had never heard of Qin Man. At this time, Qin Man took a few steps forward, trying to take the receiver. Although she was stopped by the guard, she said loudly, “I am Rui Yichen’s girlfriend, Qin Man. I specially came to visit Mayor Rui today. Maybe Yichen forgot to tell his family. Should I give him a call now?”

Her words were transmitted through the receiver. The nanny had worked in the Rui family for many years, and after hearing what the other party said, she didn’t think any further. “Let her in.”

The guard still followed the usual practice and had Qin Man register as a visitor before arranging for someone to lead her to the Rui residence.

The Municipal Party Committee courtyard was quiet and peaceful. Passing through the simple gate, what came into view were the carefully trimmed green plants and lawns in the yard. The houses had red tiles and black walls, and were extraordinarily imposing. She sorted out her thoughts, constantly reminding herself that as long as the result was what she wanted, it didn’t matter if the process was a bit tortuous.

When she was still some distance away from the Rui residence, a neatly dressed middle-aged woman came up to her. She saw Qin Man from afar. As expected of a celebrity beauty on TV, she was really a stunningly beautiful person. She secretly thought that CEO Rui was lucky.

“Miss Qin, hello, I am the live-in nanny of the Rui family, you can just call me Li Jie. Mayor Rui happens to be home today, please come with me.”

Qin Man nodded lightly, showing a natural and generous manner. She followed the nanny around the fountain and stepped up a few steps. The Rui residence was right in front of her.

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