A thought flashed through Lin Siwan’s mind.
She released Chen Mu’s arm and stepped forward to hold Zhao Qingqing’s hand.
Her brows were filled with worry as she hurriedly spoke up for Shen Nanyue.
“Qingqing, you grew up under strict family education, so of course your abilities are stronger than my sister’s. You also know my sister has been mischievous since childhood, and her interests are different from yours. You both excel in different fields, so please don’t keep criticizing her.”
At first glance, it sounded like she was defending Shen Nanyue.
But on closer thought, every sentence belittled her.
She first praised Zhao Qingqing for receiving a strict upbringing, while saying Shen Nanyue had been unruly since childhood and disliked studying—essentially implying she lacked manners and education.
Shen Nanyue was famous as a spoiled rich girl with no ambition, someone who only cared about pleasure and living in the moment, completely opposite to the outstanding Zhao Qingqing.
Lin Siwan was practically saying Shen Nanyue only knew how to flirt with men and had no drive to improve herself.
Sure enough, laughter immediately broke out among the surrounding crowd.
“High emotional intelligence version: ‘They each excel in different fields.’ Low emotional intelligence version: ‘My sister’s just an uncultured pretty vase.’ Is Lin Siwan really defending her sister? Hahaha!”
“Whether she’s helping Shen Nanyue or not, she’s telling the truth. Shen Nanyue really is a freak among the social elite! Useless and vicious too—she’s ruthless even toward her own family.”
“You mean when she broke her own uncle’s leg?”
“You forgot about the birthday banquet she ruined for her mother recently. She sent her own mother to the hospital from anger! I was shocked when I heard about it.”
“My mom told me about that too. She said Shen Nanyue’s words were incredibly harsh, and she even offended the Meng family. The Shen family must be cursed to have a daughter like her!”
“…”
More and more people in the bar were drawn toward the commotion.
The wealthy young heirs who frequented the place already knew plenty about Shen Nanyue’s reputation.
As for the ordinary customers, after hearing the gossip spreading around them, they quickly pieced together the situation as well.
The chance to witness a real-life clash between a notorious rich playgirl and an outstanding heiress thrilled them.
Some people even dragged chairs over and sat down to watch.
In an instant, Shen Nanyue’s booth became surrounded by a wide semicircle of spectators.
The noisy bar suddenly quieted down as everyone gathered there to enjoy the spectacle.
Having achieved her goal of embarrassing Shen Nanyue, Zhao Qingqing turned toward Lin Siwan and raised a brow.
“Fine then. For your sake, I’ll stop talking.”
Lin Siwan was one of the rare people Zhao Qingqing actually respected.
Although Lin Siwan hadn’t inherited a family business, she worked hard, constantly sought advice from Zhao Qingqing, and always spoke pleasantly.
Because of that, Zhao Qingqing treated her fairly well.
“Come on, let’s keep drinking. Show’s over, everyone disperse!”
Zhao Qingqing waved her hand, about to leave with Lin Siwan.
Lin Siwan secretly glanced at Shen Nanyue, her eyes filled with provocation.
Whether it was men or reputation, she believed she had already surpassed Shen Nanyue.
Just when everyone thought the drama was over, Shen Nanyue met Lin Siwan’s gaze and spoke lazily.
“What’s the hurry? I’m not finished talking yet.”
Zhao Qingqing and Lin Siwan both stopped walking, confusion appearing in everyone’s eyes.
At a moment like this, Shen Nanyue still wanted to stir up trouble?
They had already decided to let her off, yet she insisted on making herself suffer further.
Even though they mocked her inwardly, they were more than happy to continue watching.
After all, when people watched drama unfold, who actually cared about the people involved?
Shen Nanyue slowly stood up.
Her long legs were perfectly straight, the flawless curves of her body faintly visible beneath the dim lighting, impossible to look away from.
A faint smile rested on her face.
Her fiery red lips curved slightly upward as she walked toward Zhao Qingqing and Lin Siwan.
The sharp heels of her stilettos clicked rhythmically against the polished floor.
Everyone stared in a daze.
They despised Shen Nanyue’s character, yet at the same time were helplessly captivated by her beauty, their senses unconsciously bewitched by the allure she radiated.
Shen Nanyue walked up to Zhao Qingqing and spoke slowly,
“What I praised just now was the you from last year. But this year, you’ve completely disappointed people.”
“What did you say?!”
The moment Zhao Qingqing was questioned, it was as if someone had stepped on her tail. She nearly jumped in anger.
“The artists under your company have mediocre acting skills. Every so-called hit drama relies on fan vote manipulation to boost rankings. Over the past two years, your celebrities have appeared nonstop before the public eye—whether in TV dramas or variety shows—to the point audiences are already visually exhausted.”
“Especially this first half of the year, when Xingji Entertainment’s carefully produced historical drama received phenomenal reviews and raised viewers’ standards. Meanwhile, almost every drama released by your artists this year flopped.”
“And on top of that, several of your top stars committed serious scandals and got banned. Honestly, it’s already impressive that Zhou Group hasn’t collapsed under your management this year.”
Shen Nanyue’s tone remained perfectly calm, yet her words shocked everyone around them.
Smiling slightly, she bent closer toward Zhao Qingqing.
“You don’t even understand the core rules behind long-term success in the entertainment industry. You only rode the wave of the past two years’ trends to achieve success, without considering sustainable development at all, and now your company’s fallen into crisis.”
“So tell me—what exactly are you acting so arrogant about in front of me?”
Her gaze was as sharp as blades, locking directly onto Zhao Qingqing’s eyes.
Zhao Qingqing’s face instantly flushed red, her chest heaving violently from anger.
No one had ever dared speak to her like this before!
Especially not some useless rich girl who only knew how to eat, drink, and have fun!
“At least I’m better than some spoiled parasite living off family money! Shen Nanyue, do you even know how to manage a company? What qualifications do you have to lecture me?”
Lin Siwan also looked at Shen Nanyue disapprovingly and tried to persuade her earnestly.
“Sister, you’ve never managed a company before, so you shouldn’t speak recklessly. Qingqing has far more experience than you…”
“That’s why you follow behind her all day, thinking you’ve learned business management skills so you can go back and run your family’s little workshop?”
“Pfft!”
Zhu Yuan finally lost control and burst out laughing loudly.
“You really should stop ruining the Lin family’s tiny workshop. Your dad worked so hard climbing his way into the Shen family just to build that little company. If you bankrupt it, he’ll probably kick you out of the house!”
Zhu Yuan mocked her loudly, causing the surrounding crowd to laugh as well.
“Hahaha! Everyone knows Lin Siwan’s father basically married into the Shen family. Old Master Shen pitied the fact that his son died young, so when Shen Nanyue’s mother remarried, he openly declared that marrying her was equivalent to marrying into the Shen family.”
“Who would’ve thought Shen Nanyue’s mother would fall for Lin Li, a man who already had a daughter? Father and daughter both entered the Shen family together. Then Lin Li used the Shen family’s connections to start a tiny media company outside and became ‘independent,’ moving out with his wife and daughter.”
“I know that company! It’s in an office building on Tianhui Street, and it only occupies half a floor. Calling it a workshop is already flattering—it’s not even as big as an actual factory! Hahaha!”
“So that’s how it is. Since the Lin family runs a media company, it makes sense that Lin Siwan keeps seeking advice from Zhao Qingqing, who works in entertainment.”
“…”
One informed person after another chimed in, fully exposing Lin Siwan’s background.
For years, Lin Siwan had desperately tried to avoid the topic of her father marrying into the Shen family.
Yet now it had been dragged into the open so publicly.
Her face instantly lost all color.
Trembling, she lifted her eyes and glared viciously at Shen Nanyue.
— The end of the Chapter–
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