Chapter Fifty-Two: Sinister and Ruthless

"Suxuan, after you go back this time, when will you have the chance to visit us again?" Ranyu held Suxuan’s hand and asked with a laugh.

"Very soon. The company is about to have some business collaborations with the mainland. We might see each other again before long," Chen Suxuan replied with a smile.

"Hehe, those guys are in for a treat. They'll get to admire Suxuan's unbeatable beautiful legs again!"

Chen Suxuan glanced at Qin Luo, who was walking behind the crowd, and said, "Don't be so wicked, alright? We're just working."

Her gesture was noticed by another woman, who burst out laughing and asked, "What’s the matter? Can't bear to part with our little handsome guy? It’s alright. Let Beauty Li lend him to you for a few days. Beauty Li, do you mind?"

"Of course I mind," Li Qingcheng retorted, turning around angrily. "If I lend him out, how am I supposed to get through these days?"

"Beauty Li, you’re so selfish! Sisters should be willing to sacrifice for each other. You can always use cucumbers or eggplants in the meantime."

"Ugh, you guys are disgusting. I won’t do anything like that. I want my little man. For him, I’d rather stab a sister twice."

"Drop dead!" A group of women rushed forward, swinging their handbags at Li Qingcheng for her outrageous remarks.

Only then did Qin Luo realize that Chen Suxuan was leaving. But he understood—her leg was healed, and she naturally had to return to work. These celebrities earn fortunes every day; who would willingly waste so much time?

He recalled how, earlier today, someone had come to invite Chen Suxuan to accompany them for drinks, offering a lavish price of ten thousand per glass. Qin Luo couldn't help but envy her.

Society is truly unfair. Why is it that women never invite men to accompany them for drinks?

But the greatest injustice was personal. Even if a beautiful woman offered him ten thousand a glass, he wouldn’t be destined to earn that money.

Life is but a dream!

Chen Suxuan slowed her pace deliberately, waiting for Qin Luo to catch up. Clearly, she had something private to say to him.

Just as she was about to speak, a black van suddenly charged toward them.

The door slid open, and a heavily made-up woman jumped out, shouting loudly, "Chen Suxuan! You wretched woman, how dare you show up in Yanjing? Have you no shame? Stealing someone’s man and brazenly coming here to seduce him. Why don’t you just die?"

She cursed furiously, rushing toward Chen Suxuan.

The others, busy chasing and teasing Li Qingcheng, had walked ahead. Chen Suxuan, lingering at the back for Qin Luo, had separated herself from the group.

Now, only Qin Luo stood beside her.

The black van halted abruptly, and the woman appeared so swiftly that no one could react in time.

Even Chen Suxuan herself stood there, mouth agape, incredulous at the scene unfolding before her.

"You filthy bitch, you slut, stealing someone’s man—watch me tear up your dirty mouth—" The woman was almost upon Chen Suxuan, swinging a slap at her stunned face.

"Suxuan, watch out!" Li Qingcheng shouted, running back.

But time was too short.

The woman’s slap was so close to Chen Suxuan’s face that a smug sneer appeared on her lips. In the van’s window, a camera lens protruded, clearly ready to capture this dramatic moment.

For celebrities, what is the most fatal threat? Scandal.

Some scandals can skyrocket fame and value, like certain infamous incidents.

As a stranger watching a beautiful young woman throw herself into art so passionately, every man no doubt feels a debt of gratitude.

Thus, afterward, they naturally pursue her familiar silhouette and pay for her various commercial events.

But some scandals can utterly destroy a thriving career, such as being branded a mistress.

Never underestimate a woman’s hatred for the other woman. Sharp-tongued, vicious, eager for the chance to spit in her face.

Even men, when watching films portraying the third party, carry a sense of hostility.

Such scandals are the most troublesome. Once public, the beloved star becomes a rat everyone wants to beat.

The camera poking out of the van window showed they’d anticipated this and prepared thoroughly.

Once they had this footage, they could either hand it to the media for sensational coverage or use it to make the celebrity sacrifice something. It all depended on their mood.

To devise such a scheme so quickly—these people were indeed cunning and ruthless.

As the woman’s hand was about to strike Chen Suxuan, Qin Luo suddenly intervened, grabbing her wrist mid-air.

"Madam, please, let’s talk calmly. Perhaps this is just a misunderstanding," Qin Luo said with a gentle smile.

He was a kind and innocent young man, not realizing that this was a revenge plot from the earlier group.

It was also because he didn’t know Chen Suxuan’s character well; they’d only met twice. If it had been Lin Wanxi by his side, he’d have slapped back without hesitation.

"You’re the mistress! Your whole family are mistresses!"

The woman hadn’t expected a sudden interloper, and hated him thoroughly. She was a lady who lived by selling her body; though today's job was odd, it wasn’t unexpected.

The client had set the price. One slap: one thousand yuan. She’d thought the money was in the bag, but Qin Luo’s intervention had snatched it away.

"You bastard, let me go! Who are you? What’s it to you if I slap that vixen? Where’s your sense of sympathy?" The woman struggled desperately, but Qin Luo held her wrist too tightly for her to break free.

"Madam, perhaps you’ve mistaken her for someone else? I really don’t know you, and I’ve never taken anyone’s boyfriend," Chen Suxuan finally recovered and explained sincerely.

"Are you Chen Suxuan?"

"Yes."

"You slut. You’re the one I’m here to slap." With that, the woman swung her left hand at Chen Suxuan.

Qin Luo intervened again, blocking her attack. Chen Suxuan screamed and dodged, narrowly escaping disaster.

"Madam, please, don’t be impulsive. Let’s talk this through. Violence isn’t the answer—I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding. Suxuan isn’t that kind of person—" Qin Luo gripped both her wrists, their posture oddly resembling tango dancers.

Of course, if you ignored their facial expressions.

"Misunderstanding, my ass! Idiot, let go of me!" The woman grew frantic, lifting her foot to kick at Chen Suxuan’s stomach.

A kick was worth two thousand. The price rose.

Smack!

Qin Luo quickly lifted his leg, kicking the woman’s calf. She cried out, her face twisted in pain.

"You can insult me, but not my mother," Qin Luo warned. This woman had no manners, always attacking other people’s parents.

After three blocks by Qin Luo, the woman’s attacks were all thwarted. Meanwhile, Chen Suxuan had moved to a safe distance, and Li Qingcheng and the others arrived, surrounding the woman.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Li Qingcheng barked.

"Who am I? Do you need to know? Chen Suxuan stole someone’s man—I’m here to slap her. Slut. Bitch."

The woman, seasoned in the nightlife, was unfazed by being pinned by a man, her leg aching, and surrounded by a dozen women. Instead of panic, she grew even fiercer.

"Who’s your man? What makes you say Suxuan seduced your husband?" Ranyu demanded angrily. Was this woman insane?

"Who my man is, is none of your business! Who are you people, anyway? Hmph, looking at you lot, I can tell you’re all mistresses. Stealing other people’s men—you should be ashamed!" Unable to name her man, the woman deliberately changed the subject.

As expected, her words incited the whole group.

"You’re the mistress! Open your damn eyes, I’m a pure virgin!"

"This woman deserves a beating. No wonder she can’t keep her man."

"If I were her husband, I’d get a mistress too. Is this even a woman? Is she even human?"

Li Qingcheng pondered carefully and sensed something was off. She signaled everyone to quiet down, then stared into the woman’s eyes and asked, "Do you have a grudge against Suxuan?"

"Of course I do. If your man was stolen, you’d hate her too," the woman replied, but she avoided meeting Li Qingcheng’s gaze, as if afraid those beguiling eyes would see through her disguise.

"I’ll speak plainly, and I expect you to do the same. If you keep lying, when I start talking back, you won’t have a chance to reply," Li Qingcheng said coldly, noticing the hesitation and avoidance in the woman’s eyes.

When a woman won’t meet your gaze, it means she’s concealing something.

Of course, if you’re confessing your feelings, it could just be embarrassment or pretense.

"I don’t understand what you’re saying." The woman glanced back stealthily, only to see that the van had moved forward, no longer in its original spot. This made her anxious.

"I’m asking: who sent you to smear Suxuan’s reputation?" Li Qingcheng’s smile faded into something far more menacing.

"I came on my own. No one put me up to it," the woman insisted stubbornly.

"It seems you’re beyond help," Li Qingcheng sneered. "Ranyu, call the police. Let them investigate thoroughly. I refuse to believe she’ll keep lying forever."