Chen Yuan walked up beside Shen Nanyue, looking down at her with obvious disgust and wariness in her eyes.
Shen Nanyue turned to look at her, her gaze indifferent—almost icy.
“I bought that painting. Twenty million went into your pockets. Don’t I at least have the right to know where it came from?”
Chen Yuan clearly hadn’t expected Shen Nanyue to be the buyer of the painting.
Her face darkened, the corners of her lips twitching as though she wanted to argue but couldn’t find the words.
Seeing his wife rendered speechless, Xiu Mingshi stepped in to smooth things over.
“Miss Shen, there’s no need to argue with my wife. That painting was a birthday gift from my niece. As for its true origin, my wife genuinely doesn’t know.”
He raised his hand, and Chen Yuan shot Shen Nanyue another cold glare before placing her hand in his.
Following his guidance, she sat down beside him.
Chen Yuan had never liked Shen Nanyue.
She believed Shen Nanyue was an ill-mannered, reckless woman with loose morals.
She firmly believed Shen Nanyue’s broken engagement with Chen Mu wasn’t because he cheated—Shen Nanyue had merely used that as an excuse.
“Shen Nanyue, stop causing trouble. You’re no longer the future daughter-in-law of the Zhou family. If you want to play your manipulative little games, go somewhere else!”
Zhu Yuan leaned against the stone table, smiling as she looked at Chen Yuan across from her.
“Aunt Chen, I heard Old Master Chen wants to sever ties with you. Your relationship with your natal family has already fallen apart, yet you’re still defending them?”
“How did you know that?”
The moment the words left her mouth, Chen Yuan tightly shut her lips.
A trace of regret flashed through her eyes.
The next second, as if angered from embarrassment, her voice rose several degrees.
“Zhu Yuan! Your parents raised you as an heir since childhood, yet you spend your days fooling around with someone as useless as Shen Nanyue. Even I worry for your parents!”
“Oh please, I don’t need your concern. You should worry about yourself instead. Is this winery about to go bankrupt?”
Shen Nanyue caught the flash of panic in Xiu Mingshi’s eyes.
Zhu Yuan continued mercilessly, “At the very least, Yueyue spent twenty million buying that painting and gave you emergency funds to keep things afloat. Even if you don’t know gratitude, how can you shamelessly badmouth her right to her face?”
Without hesitation, Zhu Yuan rolled her eyes at them.
Chen Yuan’s expression grew increasingly ugly.
Xiu Mingshi sighed deeply, opening his mouth as if to speak, yet saying nothing in the end.
Most of the winery’s raw materials were imported, and lately prices had soared while business declined sharply.
Their cash flow had collapsed, leaving them drowning in debt.
Even the twenty million they gathered recently from selling antiques hadn’t been enough to cover the gap.
Some time ago, he and Chen Yuan had gone to her father’s home asking for help.
Old Master Chen had already looked down on him, and seeing his desperate state only enraged him further, to the point where he demanded Chen Yuan divorce him.
Chen Yuan refused, and the two families fell into conflict.
Now the winery’s inventory was nearly empty, and suppliers refused to send more materials because of unpaid debts.
The enormous winery had become little more than an empty shell.
“Since we’re all businesspeople here, then let’s talk business.”
Shen Nanyue suddenly spoke, her eyes settling on Chen Yuan.
Chen Yuan looked at her warily.
“What are you plotting?”
“I want you to help me find out where that painting came from. If you do, I’ll cover every debt your winery owes.”
Chen Yuan stared at Shen Nanyue in confusion.
What kind of deal was this?
All for the sake of one painting?
Xiu Mingshi was equally stunned.
“That painting is really that important to you?”
“That’s none of your concern. You only need to tell me whether you’re taking the deal or not.”
Xiu Mingshi and Chen Yuan exchanged a glance.
Finally, Chen Yuan looked back at Shen Nanyue.
“We’re talking about twenty million. You’re really willing to spend that much just to buy information? Besides, do you even have that kind of money?”
“You already saw me spend twenty million on the painting itself, didn’t you? What’s there to hesitate about? And besides, do you think Shen Corporation is just sitting there for decoration?”
This time, it was Zhu Yuan who looked at Shen Nanyue in confusion.
What did she mean by that?
After a moment of silence, Chen Yuan finally nodded.
“Fine. I recorded everything just now, so don’t try to back out later.”
After leaving the winery, Zhu Yuan finally looked at Shen Nanyue.
She hesitated for a long time before asking softly,
“Yueyue… what did you mean by what you just said?”
Shen Nanyue turned toward her, the corners of her lips curving slightly upward.
“Zhu Yuan… I’ve compromised.”
…..
Soon, the fashion show competition officially began.
Zhou Yushen shamelessly pestered Shen Nanyue until she got him an invitation ticket so he could enter the venue.
While complaining about him the entire time, Shen Nanyue still got him a ticket in the end.
On the day of the fashion show— Shen Nanyue and her junior schoolmate Lu Sheng were heading backstage to prepare the models’ styling when they ran straight into Lin Siwan.
“Sis, I’m one of the judges for this competition too. What number are you performing at again? Want me to pull some strings for you?”
Shen Nanyue didn’t even spare her a glance.
She simply grabbed Lu Sheng and walked away.
Being ignored instantly made Lin Siwan furious.
But when she thought about what Shen Nanyue was about to suffer later, she forcibly suppressed her anger and glared venomously at Shen Nanyue’s back.
Just wait. You’ll look real good later.
With that thought, she followed the two of them.
Shen Nanyue and Lu Sheng entered the dressing room.
Lu Sheng skillfully walked over to the clothing rack and took down the outfit.
But when she unzipped the garment bag, she discovered that the originally completed dress had been maliciously cut apart around the skirt and waist.
The hanging tassels drooped down with shredded threads of fabric, making the entire piece look ruined.
Lu Sheng’s face turned pale instantly.
“Senior! This is bad!”
She carried the dress over, looking at Shen Nanyue in panic and anxiety.
“The outfit was perfectly fine during rehearsal two days ago, so how… how did it become like this at such a crucial moment? Someone definitely did this on purpose!”
Even the model who was getting her makeup done nearby was shocked.
She walked over to inspect the dress and frowned.
“What do we do now? We’re about to go on stage soon. Even though my slot is later, there still isn’t much time left. This outfit can’t be worn at all.”
Shen Nanyue’s expression was even uglier than theirs.
Seeing this, Lin Siwan quickly stepped forward and exaggeratedly widened her eyes.
“Sis! Who cut your dress? Who did you offend this time?”
She pretended to look flustered on the surface, but there was unmistakable amusement in her eyes.
When Shen Nanyue remained silent, Lin Siwan sighed, her tone dripping with mockery disguised as concern.
“I told you before, you’re way too reckless. It’s one thing to offend people, but causing something like this at such an important event…”
“This is an officially endorsed fashion show. If your segment can’t go on, it’ll throw off the entire schedule for the models afterward.”
Lin Siwan pretended to think for a moment, her eyes darting around before suddenly walking up to Shen Nanyue.
“Sis, I recently designed an outfit too. I saw it earlier—it’s beautiful. And it just so happens to be about the same size as this model. I even brought it with me. Why don’t you use it to save the situation for now?”
Shen Nanyue lifted her eyes and stared at her coldly.
What a coincidence.
The outfit designed by her studio had been destroyed, and Lin Siwan just happened to bring along a dress that perfectly fit the model.
Her malicious intentions couldn’t have been more obvious.
— The end of the Chapter–
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