"Did уоu take tо hеаrt whаt I tоld you last timе аbout Lu Sui's femаle seсrеtаrу?" Liǔ Lèwéi аskеd again.
Wu Мangmang replied impаtiеntly, "Тherе's nоthing gоing оn betwееn thеm. Lu Sui isn't thаt kind оf pеrson."
On this pоint, Wu Мangmаng was quite cоnfident, aftеr all, Mr. Lu wаs ехсерtiоnally diligеnt in fulfilling his mаrital dutiеs.
"Whаt dо yоu know? In this wоrld, thеre isn't a саt that dоesn't steal fish," sаid Ms. Liu, speаking frоm еxрeriencе аnd bеlieving shе hаd а thоrоugh undеrstanding оf mеn's inherеnt flaws.
Wu Мangmang tiltеd her hеаd hеlplеsslу. It wаsn't thаt she thought Lu Sui would nеver stray, but based оn her understanding оf him, if something rеallу wеre gоing on with that secretary, Lu Sui would tell her directly: you'll be the main wife, she'll be the concubine. If you don't agree, then we'll part ways.
Sneaking around was absolutely not Lu Sui's style.
But how could Wu Mangmang say such things directly to Ms. Liu?
However, Ms. Liu's words did make Wu Mangmang's imagination run wild.
What would she do if she really faced such a choice one day?
Given Miss Wu's temperament, of course she would just walk away without a second thought. But what about Boss Wu and Ms. Liu?
Wu Mangmang felt a headache coming on. She was somewhat afraid to think about her parents' reaction.
Having once enjoyed certain privileges, suddenly facing the possibility of losing them—no one could adapt to that quickly.
Back when Boss Wu and Ms. Liu were fighting so fiercely, didn't they still not divorce?
Marriage involves too many financial entanglements. When it's no longer just about two people, no one can claim they can walk away easily.
Wu Mangmang could almost foresee her own future.
Women whispering behind her back: Look, it's her. Her husband has someone on the outside.
Why doesn't she divorce him?
How dare she divorce? If she divorces, what will happen to the Wu family?
Wu Mangmang felt another headache coming on. Ms. Liu continued on her own, "But, what man doesn't put on an act sometimes? You shouldn't take it to heart and cause a scene with him. Some things are better left ignored."
Ms. Liu had an answer for everything.
When Wu Mangmang returned to the Lu residence, she caught a bit of a chill, and the next day she came down with a cold.
Perhaps stimulated by her meeting with Ms. Liu, Wu Mangmang's sense of responsibility had grown much stronger lately. Even with a severe cold, she still insisted on attending various classes every day and tried her best to show up for the schedule Cathy arranged.
"By the way, has He Yan contacted you?" Wu Mangmang asked Cathy while wiping her nose with a tissue.
"Miss He did reach out to me. I looked over the interview questions she drafted. They're too sharp and seem designed to pry into private matters. She wants a report that will make her famous. I don't think it's suitable to accept her interview," Cathy said.
"It's just the school newspaper, it shouldn't be a big deal. She's Shen Ting's girlfriend, after all. We have to consider an old friend's feelings," Wu Mangmang said.
Cathy was a very decisive assistant. She firmly disagreed, "Let's wait until Mr. Shen acknowledges Miss He in public first."
Wu Mangmang had no choice but to give up and personally called He Yan to apologize.
With a severe cold and heavy workload, Wu Mangmang's illness dragged on for nearly twenty days before she fully recovered.
"For someone so young, your immune system isn't all that great."
During breakfast, Lu Sui rarely made a sarcastic remark."It must have been infected by your immune system," Wu Mangmang declared shamelessly.
In reality, winning verbal battles was meaningless.
Lu Sui retaliated against Wu Mangmang with practical action.
Wu Mangmang was now required to be in bed by nine every night and up by six in the morning. Lu Sui had hired her a yoga instructor, a running coach, a martial arts trainer, and so on—rotating through them seven days a week, determined to reform her "infected immune system."
Even during her high school years, Wu Mangmang had never maintained such a disciplined routine.
Lu Qingqing messaged her to complain, "Just how old are you now? You can’t take calls or reply to messages after nine?"
Last year’s Wu Mangmang would have responded to a message sent at three in the morning without delay.
Thanks to this healthy schedule, Wu Mangmang missed out on a lot of breaking news.
After finishing her morning yoga by the lake, Wu Mangmang habitually picked up her phone to scroll through her social media feeds. The day’s top local headline was Ning Zheng and Shěn Yuànzǐ calling off their engagement.
Wu Mangmang’s entire social circle was flooded with the news.
Without a second thought, she sprinted back toward the villa. "Lu Sui, why did Ning Zheng and Shěn Yuànzǐ break off their engagement?"
Out of breath and visibly annoyed, she couldn’t believe she’d learned about it so late—she was completely out of the loop.
"How could they call it off?" Wu Mangmang wondered aloud. "Did Old Mr. Ning have a heart attack from the shock?"
"He was admitted to the hospital last night," Lu Sui replied.
Wu Mangmang made an "as expected" face.
"Does this news make you happy?" Lu Sui asked.
"Huh?" Wu Mangmang thought Lu Sui must have supernatural perception. She’d hidden her feelings well, yet he still picked up on them.
Awkwardly ruffling her hair, she sat down beside him and admitted frankly, "A little, yeah. You know Shěn Yuànzǐ and I have never gotten along."
That’s just how people are—sometimes you don’t even need to exchange words to know someone isn’t your type from the first glance.
Lu Sui raised an eyebrow but said nothing more.
Wu Mangmang’s curiosity was burning fiercely. Lu Qingqing and the others had already messaged her last night, probing for insider details and begging for the full scoop.
Given her current status and connections, failing to deliver some juicy tidbits would be letting her girlfriends down.
"If Ning Zheng broke off the engagement with Shěn Yuànzǐ, does he not want to stay with the Ning family anymore?" Wu Mangmang asked Lu Sui. "Wouldn’t that just benefit his younger brother?"
"He’ll have his own ventures," Lu Sui said.
"I just didn’t expect Ning Zheng to have that kind of guts," Wu Mangmang mused, tapping her chin. She’d assumed all his brains were located south of the border.
The turmoil in the Ning family was only just beginning.
The next day, Ning Zheng announced the launch of his new company—clearly long in the planning. The business focused on daily chemical products, a highly profitable industry.
He also made a high-profile debut on Weibo.
On his first day, he gained three million followers—a testament to some seriously effective PR.
Ning Zheng was one of the most eligible bachelors in their circles, and ditching Shěn Yuànzǐ only boosted his appeal. Countless women were already flocking to him, declaring themselves the future Mrs. Ning.
Whether genuine or not, Ning Zheng’s Weibo account was undeniably a hit.Wu Mangmang's life had been particularly fulfilling lately—a life filled with gossip was always full of vitality.
"Aren't you all about keeping a low profile? What's gotten into Ning Zheng this time? What kind of stimu|lation did he receive?" Wu Mangmang asked Lu Sui while sipping her milk, puzzled.
Lu Sui looked at Wu Mangmang, thought for a moment, and replied, "It's probably his new company's PR team's idea—just a promotional tactic."
It had to be admitted that Ning Zheng's Weibo promotion had a remarkably broad impact.
Ning Zheng was already handsome, and even after leaving the Ning family, he remained a shareholder in several major companies—money was no issue. He was also smooth-talking and understood women's hearts well. Coupled with his sharp and humorous Weibo posts, he had gained countless fans in just a month.
With numerous female celebrities from the entertainment industry liking his posts one after another, the name of Ning Zheng's new company had now gained significant recognition.
It saved an enormous amount on advertising costs.
Later, when Wu Mangmang ran into Ning Zheng, he explained with a bitter smile, "I had no choice. The company is just starting up, and every penny has to be spent wisely. Sacrificing a bit of my privacy and looks is nothing."
Originally, the story of Ning Zheng and Shen Yuanzi was a typical tale of a heartless man and a "devoted woman." Wu Mangmang and her circle of close friends had all strongly supported Shen Yuanzi.
But the Ning family's drama was truly one wave after another.
One month after Shen Yuanzi and Ning Zheng called off their engagement, the Ning and Shen families once again announced a high-profile alliance through marriage. The bride remained the same, but the groom was replaced by Ning Zheng's half-brother, Ning Heng.
When Wu Mangmang saw the invitation, she could hardly believe her eyes.
In Wu Mangmang's view, the relationship between the Ning and Shen families had always been quite harmonious, with no absolute necessity for an alliance through marriage. The engagement between Ning Zheng and Shen Yuanzi had largely been Shen Yuanzi's insistence.
Although Wu Mangmang had heard Shen Yuanzi's explanation for the alliance at Lu Sui's grassland villa, women were emotional creatures. Shen Yuanzi wasn't as detached as she claimed—it was just an excuse.
Looking back on this relationship now, Wu Mangmang couldn't help but feel that Shen Yuanzi was somewhat courting disaster.
Getting engaged to Ning Heng was clearly Shen Yuanzi's way of getting back at Ning Zheng.
If the Ning and Shen families joined forces to suppress Ning Zheng, it was no wonder he had to resort to selling his "face" for advertising.
Fortunately, Ning Zheng was quite capable himself, and he had the covert support of Lu Sui and Shen Ting.
However, these two could only help in secret. After all, the three families were old friends, and their relationships were intricate. Shen Yuanzi was also Shen Ting's sister, so many things couldn't be discussed openly.
For the renewed alliance between the Shen and Ning families, those within their circle still showed full respect, all attending to offer congratulations and carefully avoiding any mention of Ning Zheng.
But unexpectedly, when the engagement ceremony began, Ning Zheng actually appeared at the banquet. Walking through the path cleared by the crowd, he approached the happy couple and generously offered his blessings.
Shen Yuanzi's expression turned extremely awkward, while Ning Heng accepted Ning Zheng's congratulations with grace. On the surface, they truly looked like a pair of loving brothers.
Wu Mangmang thought Ning Zheng would leave after offering his blessings, but to her surprise, he stayed behind, mingling and socializing openly, completely ignoring the murderous glare from the Ning family patriarch.
While getting food, Wu Mangmang happened to run into Ning Zheng and couldn't help asking, "Why did you break off the engagement with Shen Yuanzi so suddenly?"Even if Wu Mangmang wasn’t scheming, seeing how difficult it was for Ning Zheng to get his new company and bookstore up and running made it clear that he had rashly broken off the engagement without proper preparation.
“Because I didn’t want to keep licking shit anymore,” Ning Zheng said with a laugh.
Wu Mangmang hadn’t expected Ning Zheng to remember that phrase. She glanced at him and awkwardly replied, “I didn’t mean it that way at the time.”
Ning Zheng nodded and smiled. “I know. You’re not that charming.”
Wu Mangmang inexplicably felt a wave of relief, only to hear Ning Zheng add self-mockingly, “An old man like me needs to work hard, or I’ll end up regretting it in my old age.”
Wu Mangmang rolled her eyes. Ning Zheng, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, wouldn’t have anything to regret even if he didn’t lift a finger.
“Alright, the truth is, one day I woke up in a strange woman’s bed. She’d forgotten to remove her makeup, and by morning, she nearly scared me to death. That’s when I thought, I can’t keep living this aimless life anymore. I should build my own career, find a decent woman, and settle down properly.”
Listening to Ning Zheng’s words, Wu Mangmang found herself lost in thought. She actually admired his courage.
“What, don’t believe me?” Ning Zheng leaned closer to Wu Mangmang and asked.
Wu Mangmang shook her head. “Should I give a thumbs-up to Young Master Ning for turning over a new leaf?”
Ning Zheng laughed. “No need for that. When you and Lu Sui get married, I’ll release a limited-edition gift box series for your wedding as a favor to your guests. How does that sound?”
“You really know how to do business. When your new company goes public, I’ll definitely buy your stocks,” Wu Mangmang said.
“I heard you got into graduate school?” Ning Zheng changed the subject.
Wu Mangmang nodded.
“What’s the point of you studying for a master’s degree?” Ning Zheng asked.
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