Chapter 296: I Treated Him as a Brother, but He Wants to Marry My Wife

Xia Yangyang fell silent. Then she said, “Tomorrow, the media will announce today's events at the film and television festival as a staged performance. Your sudden announcement of leaving the industry won't just hurt me; it will cause even more chaos. Even if I jumped into the Yellow River, I couldn't clear my name. Therefore, you cannot quit show business. Everything must remain the same.”

Shen Manbing was stunned.

Xia Yangyang turned to Shen Shichuan. “I planned to sign with Time, but with these scandals, Time is finished, and so is my future. This matter cannot be exposed.”

Shen Shichuan looked at Xia Yangyang silently.

“Third,” Xia Yangyang continued, “since I hit your car and you falsely accused me of extortion, please return my two thousand yuan.”

Shen Shichuan was taken aback. “Yangyang, you…?”

Xia Yangyang feigned arrogance. “Okay, I've said what I needed to say. All this acting has tired me out. I need to rest.”

Xia Yangyang and Gu Qichen left, leaving Shen Shichuan and Shen Manbing alone.

Gu Qichen's car was parked outside. After Xia Yangyang got in, she reclined, feeling extremely tired but also relieved.

Gu Qichen gently patted her face and smiled. “Good acting skills.”

Xia Yangyang smiled. “You too.”

She recalled the moment onstage, feeling as if she had fallen into an abyss. Gu Qichen had said, “You've really disappointed me,” his voice cold and devoid of warmth. Although she knew it was fake, it had felt like needles pricking her heart.

Seeing her tired look, Gu Qichen felt distressed. “I told you to let me handle it, but you insisted on this, tiring yourself out.”

Xia Yangyang sighed. “My real goal wasn't to catch Shen Shichuan. I suspected him for a long time. I wanted Shen Manbing to see this with her own eyes; otherwise, she wouldn't believe me.”

“So, this act with Shen Manbing wasn't for Shen Shichuan, but for Shen Manbing? Since when is she so important to you?”

Xia Yangyang was startled. “Is she?”

“Otherwise, why go to such lengths? You practically dug your own grave. What if it went wrong, or if Shen Manbing betrayed you?”

“She wouldn't,” Xia Yangyang replied.

“How do you know?”

“Intuition.”

Xia Yangyang didn't sympathize with Shen Manbing, but she remembered Shen Manbing's humiliation at the hospital at the hands of Luo Meixin. She saw herself in Shen Manbing's situation. For years, hadn't she endured similar treatment from Liu Ruyan, who pretended to be kind while driving a wedge between her and her father? They had both lost loved ones young. Xia Yangyang related to Shen Manbing and didn't want to make an enemy of someone like her.

Gu Qichen started the car. “But, forgiving Shen Shichuan so easily… He sabotaged you so many times.”

“I believe he won't do it again. Shen Shichuan is smart, and Shen Manbing won't allow it. She's his only weakness. They both owe me a favor now, and I can likely do as I please at Time.”

Gu Qichen was annoyed. “That Shen Shichuan! I treated him like a brother, and he wanted to marry my wife! I won't let him off easily. I'll give him a good beating when I get the chance.”