Chapter 14: Madam Made Me Wear It

Knowing her brother was a staunch materialist, An Ling rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on.

"Brother, I'm not lying to you. My body really was possessed by a system for the past two years."

An Zhou frowned, looking her up and down suspiciously before turning to Jiang Mai. "Do you believe what she's saying?"

Jiang Mai nodded. "I do. Otherwise, it's really hard to explain."

An Zhou leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. "...True."

But this whole "vicious supporting female character" thing was just too absurd.

He thought for a moment, then looked up and asked, "That day I called you, had you already come back by then?"

"Yeah." An Ling nodded. "I was in a rush to find Shen Linyan to clarify the situation. You should have seen the news about the clarification, right?"

No wonder he had felt her tone was so familiar.

An Zhou stared at her for a moment, confirming that there was no sadness on An Ling's face.

At least she had just woken up to find herself two years in the future, rather than watching helplessly as her body was occupied for two years.

It was a good thing this girl had always been carefree and easygoing.

His tense body relaxed slightly, and he gave a small nod. "Alright, I'll believe you for now. If that's the case, what about your marriage with Shen Linyan? Are you going to divorce him? It might be a bit troublesome."

An Ling leaned against the back of her chair, the scene in the kitchen last night and that phone call flashing through her mind.

She pursed her lips and nodded lightly. "We will divorce, but not right now. Shen Linyan's status is quite special. Brother, if you can give him a heads-up in business in the future, please do so. It's best not to let Shen Linyan take a loss."

An Zhou's eyelid twitched, almost doubting his own ears.

Huh???

What the heck? Shen Linyan... taking a loss??

"...Are you serious?"

That man could ruthlessly devour other people's companies. How could he possibly be the one taking a loss?

An Ling thought An Zhou was worried about her siding with an outsider, so she explained, "We're not divorced yet, so if something happens to him, it'll be very troublesome for our side too. Once the An family is doing well again, I'll discuss an amicable divorce with Shen Linyan."

Anyway, Shen Linyan had no feelings for her, so talking about divorce shouldn't be difficult.

Perhaps, for the sake of their business ties, he would even give her a few houses and cars, and conveniently let her keep that whole room full of luxury goods.

At this thought, An Ling raised a hand to cover her rising smile. "Anyway, that's how it is. Just listen to me for now, there's no harm in it."

An Zhou took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Alright, I get it. As long as you don't cause trouble, I'll thank my lucky stars. I have a meeting later. Are you coming home for dinner tonight?"

"Jiang Mai and I ate at home for lunch, so we won't go back for dinner. I also told Mom and Dad about this."

Speaking of this, she leaned in slightly and whispered, "But I didn't tell them it was a novel. I used another excuse. Don't let it slip and make them worry."

An Zhou paused and raised an eyebrow, taking another look at her.

Now, he was starting to believe a little more that An Ling was really back.

When the two were about to leave, An Zhou suddenly asked as if remembering something, "Since you were the vicious supporting female character, what was your ending like?"

An Ling blinked thoughtfully, then smiled.

"I don't know either."

Night fell, streetlights illuminated the streets, and neon lights spread across the city like a spiderweb.

Men and women gathered in front of the clubhouse. It was a magnificent and prosperous golden building. The scent of alcohol and perfume permeated the air, exuding an aura of luxurious wealth in the night.

Golden Palace Clubhouse was the largest clubhouse in Jing City. The first floor was used to entertain ordinary guests, while the second floor exclusively served wealthy young masters and ladies.

A black Rolls-Royce pulled up steadily at the entrance. The Spirit of Ecstasy ornament on the hood reflected a cold gleam, and a security guard hurried forward to open the car door.

The man wore a crisp, custom-made suit. His deep-set eyes and brows were cold and aloof, and his nose was tall and straight. A brown watch strap was faintly visible at his cuffs, and an innate aura of aristocratic privilege emanated from his very bones.

The manager bowed and smiled respectfully, "Young Master Shen, Young Master Wang asked me to take you to the second floor."

Wang Yihong was the youngest son of the Wang family and also the largest shareholder of the Golden Palace.

He was the one who organized this gathering, and Gu Xiaochi and Liang Chen were also present.

An attendant pushed open the door to the private room. Inside, Gu Xiaochi saw the newcomer, let out a "Ha," and leaned back smugly on the sofa.

"I told you he agreed, didn't I? You guys didn't believe me, so you two are treating today!"

Liang Chen shrugged. "Well, Shen Linyan has already turned us down several times. It was hard to believe."

Shen Linyan ignored them. After he sat down, an attendant poured him a glass of wine.

Once the service was done, Wang Yihong waved his hand, signaling the attendant to leave.

As the door to the private room closed, he smiled and said, "Eldest Young Master Shen took over the company right after returning to the country, so naturally, he's incredibly busy. How could we compare?"

Shen Linyan took a light sip of his wine. "It seems there's no need for me to come next time either."

The three of them immediately turned their heads and changed the subject.

"Oh, this wine is pretty good."

"Right? It's from my private collection. You couldn't buy it even if you had the money."

"Then I'll have to drink a bit more."

Gu Xiaochi rested his arm on the back of the sofa, took a sip of wine, and looked at Shen Linyan. "But seriously, your mom has been playing so many petty tricks. When are you going to do something about it?"

Ever since he returned to the country to inherit the company, Mother Shen had been secretly tripping him up, desperate for her second son to take over.

With such blatant favoritism, Gu Xiaochi sometimes wondered if Shen Linyan was even her biological son.

Beside them, Liang Chen suddenly scoffed, raising an eyebrow and clicking his tongue. "Come on, it's not like you don't know him. He's just playing around. He knows that woman values the Shen Corporation more than her own life, so he deliberately came back to inherit it."

The man sat on the leather sofa with his long legs crossed. Hearing this, he didn't deny it. A faint smile simply spilled from the corners of his lips as he lowered his head and took a slow, deliberate sip of his wine.

He looked like a calm and gentle person, but in reality, he just enjoyed watching people slowly be played to their ruin.

Because of this, bosses who wanted to secure investments from Shen Linyan in the past would initially treat him like an easy mark, trying to trick him out of some benefits, completely unaware that they had already fallen into his trap.

By the time they realized it, the largest shareholder on their project proposals had already become Shen Linyan.

Wang Yihong poured himself another glass of wine. Just as he picked it up, he noticed the ring on the man's finger from the corner of his eye.

The lighting in the private room was rather dim, so he hadn't seen it clearly at first. Only now did he notice that Shen Linyan was wearing a ring on his left hand.

The news over the past few days had been the talk of the town, so naturally, they had seen it too.

Wang Yihong stared for a few seconds, then lifted his chin, smiling meaningfully. "Hey, Shen Linyan, that clarification wasn't fake after all? The hand in the picture is really yours?"

His voice instantly attracted the attention of the other two.

Gu Xiaochi leaned on the table and leaned over in shock. "Really? Is he wearing a wedding ring?"

Liang Chen took out his phone to compare it with the photo. "It really is exactly the same. You actually cooperated to take that picture? We all said it was definitely fake at the time."

The man didn't hide it either. He looked down at the ring on his hand and said in an unhurried tone:

"My wife told me to wear it."

The three people beside him: ?