CHAPTER 53: CHAPTER 50: YOU WERE DECEIVED (8 UPDATES)

Shen Jianian felt a bit baffled because she had never met Qin Fan before, let alone dealt with him. She simply couldn’t comprehend why he suddenly stopped her.

She directly ignored him, picked up the phone on the table, and walked away, not wanting to engage at all.

Perhaps because she deeply disliked Qin Zhongtian, she had a poor impression of everyone in the Qin Family, especially this man whose frivolous gaze seemed particularly rakish.

"Hey, don’t leave, I haven’t finished talking."

Qin Fan, who had never been so unwelcome in front of any girl before, quickly stubbed out his half-smoked cigarette on the trash can lid and took a step to block Shen Jianian’s way.

Shen Jianian looked alert: "What do you want?"

She glanced around, mentally prepared to scream at the first sign of trouble.

"Whoa, don’t be like that, I mean you no harm," Qin Fan said innocently, touching his nose, unable to help but question his life; he wasn’t some monster, so why wouldn’t she utter a word with him?

"Mr. Qin, please step aside," Shen Jianian said unceremoniously.

Qin Fan seemed rooted to the ground, not moving an inch, continuing on his own: "That night, if you hadn’t failed to show up for the hotel appointment, I wouldn’t have ended up marrying your cousin. In a way, today’s wedding is half your responsibility."

Shen Jianian, upon hearing this, furrowed her brows: "What night? I don’t understand what you’re talking about."

"Stop pretending," Qin Fan looked at her, frustrated, "Your cousin arranged the meeting with me for you, which you agreed to, then backed out last minute. I waited for you at the hotel for a long time that night, and only ended up in bed with your cousin after drinking too much, which led to this engagement."

Shen Jianian was increasingly confused; what was all this about?

"The person I was supposed to marry was you," Qin Fan said.

The situation was irreversible, yet Qin Fan remained unwilling to give up hope on Shen Jianian.

He already knew who Shen Jianian was seeing—the future figurehead of the Beicheng Fu Family.

Someone not even his father dared to offend; he wouldn’t dare mess with his woman unless he no longer wanted to exist in his circles. But seeing Shen Jianian, he couldn’t hold back and just had to say what was on his mind.

Shen Jianian looked at him, not appearing to lie, pondered over what he was saying, and roughly guessed what had happened.

"You’ve been deceived," Shen Jianian said lightly.

"What do you mean?"

Confusion flashed across Qin Fan’s face.

"I’ve never heard of you from Yin Shuyao, nor would I casually agree to her invitation," Shen Jianian stated plainly. "In fact, we ended our relationship a long time ago."

Qin Fan was stunned, staring at her blankly.

Shen Jianian: "Could you please move aside?"

Instinctively, Qin Fan stepped aside, allowing Shen Jianian to pass by, leaving behind a faint elegant fragrance.

As she walked away, Qin Fan slowly turned his neck, glanced back at Shen Jianian’s departing back, and finally pieced together the truth of the whole matter in his mind.

He had been schemed against by Yin Shuyao.

The woman never intended to arrange a meeting between him and Shen Jianian. That night, he was alone when he first arrived at the hotel suite and saw the bottle of red wine set on the coffee table, likely specifically chosen by Yin Shuyao based on his interest in collecting and savoring fine wines, predicting he wouldn’t resist drinking it.

Perhaps something was added to the wine, which led to him getting drunk so quickly.

He knew something was off about that day, how could he, who handled his liquor well, get so drunk and mistake someone after just a few more drinks?

Moreover, the next morning, he just happened to bump into waiting reporters right outside the suite door, and they caught everything on camera. In just a few hours, his affair with Yin Shuyao spread like wildfire, trending heavily online...

It turned out, Yin Shuyao had planned everything from the beginning.

Like a fool, he walked step by step into her trap, creating today’s situation.

If his eyes could be materialized, they would be a pool of water slowly freezing into ice right at this moment; he clenched his fist and slammed it hard against the wall.

Yin Shuyao, truly remarkable, played this trap on him.

If he didn’t teach her a lesson, he didn’t deserve the name Qin!

*

Shen Jianian returned to the ballroom and saw, from a distance, three or four men in formal wear gathered around Fu Jichen, engaging him with reserved smiles.

Shen Jianian halted her steps, opting not to disturb him.

Today’s events further enlightened her about Fu Jichen’s standing in high society.

Everyone in the ballroom looked to him for cues; his words were commands, like imperial edicts that required no explanation. As long as he said something, no one dared to question him, only comply.

An elbow bumped her, pulling Shen Jianian out of her thoughts, realizing it was Yin Shuyao who just came from the lounge.

She had already changed into a new dress, with makeup and hair freshly done, leaving no trace of earlier chaos, as if the drama from moments ago had never happened.

Having suffered at Shen Jianian’s hands multiple times, Yin Shuyao dared not confront her directly but uttered a soul-piercing line as they brushed past each other.

"Does Pei Che know you’re this cheap?"

Yin Shuyao had a smile on her face, toasting a group of elders at a nearby table with a highball glass, as if she hadn’t just spoken those words.

But she knew Shen Jianian heard every word.

"Why did it take you so long?"

Fu Jichen’s voice sounded in her ear, bringing Shen Jianian to turn back; her vision blurred, and she took a while to focus.

At this moment, a man over fifty years old approached with a drink to greet them: "Mr. Fu, good to finally see you. I heard you arrived in Yicheng six months ago but never had the opportunity to meet. I hope today I have the honor to share a drink with you."

"Mr. Qiu, you jest."

Fu Jichen casually took a drink from the server’s tray, clinking glasses with the man and taking a light sip.

The man then directed his gaze toward Shen Jianian, who was embraced by Fu Jichen, smiling and complimenting, "Mr. Fu, your girlfriend is truly beautiful. You two make such a perfect match. I originally intended to introduce my daughter to you, but it seems it’s not meant to be, haha."

Fu Jichen’s stern face showed a slight smile, "Mr. Qiu, you flatter us."

Shen Jianian understood social etiquette. With the man being an elder and mentioning her, even if she didn’t exactly consider herself Fu Jichen’s girlfriend, she had to smile in response.

Mr. Qiu, being a straightforward character, said, "Today might not be the right timing, but I’ll surely set a date to chat well with Mr. Fu."

Fu Jichen, following the flow, said: "It’s a deal then."

Mr. Qiu: "Come, have another drink."

He clinked his glass with Fu Jichen, then turned to Shen Jianian, intending to clink glasses with her too, only to realize she didn’t have a glass.

The person in front of her was different from Yin Shuyao; she could afford not to give face to Yin Shuyao but not to others, especially given that her current identity was that of Fu Jichen’s companion. Thinking of this, Shen Jianian halted a passing server and took a glass of wine from the tray, initiating a clink with Mr. Qiu.

Fu Jichen’s lips parted slightly; he was about to say she didn’t have to drink if she didn’t want to, but then he watched as Shen Jianian tilted her head back, downing the drink with a sense of bravado, as if it were plain water.

The alcohol’s passage down her throat made Shen Jianian furrow her brow, and she quickly raised her hand to cover her mouth, coughing softly to avoid losing composure in front of others.

Fu Jichen kept his eyes on Mr. Qiu, conversing with him while his hand, pressed at Shen Jianian’s lower back, slid upwards gently to soothe her.

Shen Jianian admitted that this drink was a bit impulsive; given her low alcohol tolerance, she would likely get drunk.

Yin Shuyao’s words had, to some extent, affected her...

After Mr. Qiu left, others eager to seize the opportunity seemed to find the right way to connect; rather than directly pleasing Fu Jichen, they opted for engaging with the woman beside him.

The words offered by those coming to toast were increasingly flattering. Shen Jianian accompanied Fu Jichen in drinking several glasses consecutively, and her steps started to turn unsteady.

Struggling to stand, Shen Jianian’s weight slowly leaned toward Fu Jichen, until eventually, she almost entirely leaned into him.

While Fu Jichen was talking, he suddenly felt a weight on his chest, as a head nestled into his embrace.