An Eye for an Eye

Qin You caught up with Xia Anran at the end of the corridor, near the restroom.

At that moment, Xia Anran was in utter disarray, her hair unkempt, overcome with hysterics. She was sobbing as if the world were ending, lashing out at Qin You with kicks and punches.

“That damn Wen Shuang! Never in my life have I suffered such humiliation! That wretch actually made me apologize to her in front of everyone—who does she think she is?!”

At first, Qin You tried to soothe her, but soon grew irritated by her outburst.

Xia Anran only grew more frenzied. “Qin You, go tell your uncle right now—Wen Shuang is nothing but a tramp! Don’t fall for her seductive tricks; she’s just a worthless woman used up by men!”

“Enough!” Qin You’s patience finally snapped.

Startled by his sudden outburst, Xia Anran stared at him in shock. “Brother Qin, you’re shouting at me! You’d actually yell at me for that woman!”

Qin You turned his face away. “We’re still in public. Stop this, Anran. Let’s go home.”

But Xia Anran’s hysteria only intensified. “Qin You! I’ve been wanting to say this for a long time—have you never gotten over Wen Shuang? From the moment we entered the banquet, you couldn’t take your eyes off her. I don’t get it! What’s so special about her? Why do all men keep pining for her?”

She started hitting him again, scratching at his face with her nails.

Qin You, spoiled and cherished since childhood by the Qin family, had never been subjected to such treatment. He could endure no more; with one swift motion, he dragged the frenzied Xia Anran away.

Meanwhile, He Luo’s face turned ashen when she saw Director Lin.

She hadn’t told him about this gathering—how had he shown up?

“Who…who are you?” she stammered.

Director Lin strode over and, in front of everyone, caressed He Luo’s cheek. “My darling Luo Luo, are you playing games with me? Just a few nights ago you were in my bed, calling me ‘husband’ again and again. And now you pretend you don’t know me?”

The entire room was stunned.

It turned out the one involved with Director Lin wasn’t Wen Shuang, but He Luo!

He Luo kept backing away, her face pale as paper. “Sir, I really don’t know you. Please don’t make things up!”

Director Lin, publicly denied by a woman, couldn’t bear the embarrassment. “Luo Luo, this isn’t funny. I have videos and photos of you. If you refuse to admit it, why don’t I play them for everyone here?”

He Luo was left speechless.

Forced to save face, she took Director Lin’s arm and introduced him as her boyfriend.

“Well done, He Luo!” Yao Qianqian led the applause. “So your boyfriend is Director Lin. Why didn’t you clear things up before? We all thought Director Lin was Wen Shuang’s boyfriend. You really are something!”

He Luo’s face was ghostly pale; she could not bring herself to explain.

Suddenly, Wen Shuang spoke up, curious. “Director Lin, are you in the pharmaceutical business?”

Director Lin had always had a soft spot for Wen Shuang and had wanted to win her over. But seeing Ji Shen standing beside her now, he dared not make any advances. Still, he responded enthusiastically, “No, I’m in real estate. Why, Miss Wen, are you interested?”

Wen Shuang gasped in surprise, covering her mouth and turning to Yao Qianqian. “Qianqian, didn’t you tell me earlier that Luo Luo’s boyfriend was in pharmaceuticals? Then who is this…?”

Yao Qianqian’s eyes widened. “He Luo, you’re two-timing!”

He Luo’s face turned even paler.

She tried to explain, but Director Lin slapped her hard. “Wretched woman! Didn’t you say you were single when you were with me? You called me ‘husband’ every day and bragged about how good you were! How dare you cheat on me!”

He then turned on the theater director, questioning how a woman of such questionable character could be in the troupe, claiming she was a disgrace to his eyes.

As one of the theater’s main investors, Director Lin was not someone the director dared offend. After such a public scandal, there was no way he could keep He Luo on.

He fired her on the spot.

He Luo trembled from head to toe, her eyes squeezed shut. She knew her life was ruined. Not only had she lost Director Lin, but the pharmaceutical company executive would never forgive her either.

Having witnessed such a farce, Wen Shuang found it hard to keep a straight face.

She had always known about He Luo’s affair with Director Lin. When Director Lin left his number on her dressing table last time, Wen Shuang had used an anonymous number to invite him to the gathering, catching He Luo completely off guard.

Ji Shen, observing the triumphant look on his woman’s face, couldn’t help but smile. “Satisfied?”

Wen Shuang rested her head on his shoulder. “Very much.”

Ji Shen glanced at his watch, then rose, his arm slipping around Wen Shuang’s slender waist. “I have something to attend to. Let’s go.”

With the crowd watching, the two of them disappeared from the banquet together.

That night, Wen Shuang truly experienced what it meant to go from one extreme to another.

Before Ji Shen arrived, she had been the object of ridicule. After he appeared, she was the center of attention. Even handling Xia Anran and He Luo became effortless.

Clinging coyly to his arm, she teased, “Aren’t you worried that being so public about me will affect your work?”

Ji Shen was both the captain of the Criminal Investigation Unit and the sole heir to the Ji family. By rights, someone of his status would never make his relationship public so casually.

“My woman—why should I be afraid?” Ji Shen declared possessively, holding her close. “Besides, you’re a renowned dancer at the provincial theater. If you’re mine, shouldn’t others envy me?”

Wen Shuang laughed.

“You’re wonderful.”

That night, once again, she was moved by Ji Shen’s timely arrival. She had thought he was too busy with work to show up, and had braced herself to deal with those two troublemakers alone. She hadn’t expected him to support her so thoroughly.

“If you really want to thank me, show it with action,” he murmured, leading her to his car.

They had never tried it in the underground parking lot before.

Wen Shuang was bold and eager. “How about giving myself to you, body and soul?”

“I couldn’t ask for more.”

He leaned over and pressed her down...

———

The next day, Yao Qianqian was beaming. “Shuang Shuang, you were amazing! Why didn’t you tell me your boyfriend was Captain Ji? I worried for nothing. Last night was so satisfying! Xia Anran looked absolutely livid and He Luo was fired right after the banquet!”

That morning, He Luo came to clean out her things. Those who once called her friend now avoided her, afraid to be associated with her.

He Luo, her face ashen, kept her head down as she was ridiculed by several people.

The theater was always quick to flatter the powerful and despise the weak. When He Luo had played the lead, everyone fawned over her. Now that she’d fallen from grace, her enemies were lining up to settle old scores.

Wen Shuang stood at a distance, watching He Luo being humiliated—watched as she wept, as she was slapped.

She remembered when they first started university. Though He Luo came from a poor family, she had been a cheerful, innocent girl who loved to laugh.

But in the blink of an eye, she’d become like this.

Still, Wen Shuang was no saint. He Luo’s downfall was her own doing, and no matter how tough it got, she’d have to endure it herself.

He Luo was viciously tripped by someone and fell hard—right in front of Wen Shuang.