Chapter 48

After Shen Youwei informed Guan Shanyan, Chen Qing was quiet for a few days, maybe Mrs. Chen had intervened.
Chen Qing had always resisted family discipline, or he wouldn’t have turned out like this. This time, the Chen family took things seriously, locked him at home for three days, and confiscated his phone. Realizing brute force didn’t work, he appeased his parents, promising to reform, and was released.
During the day, he pretended to work seriously at the company, but at night he went to Qingnan Alley with friends, drinking and venting.
“Shen Youwei must’ve complained to my mom. Xu Qairan and I ending up like this is all thanks to her!” Xu Qairan had heard him badmouth Shen Youwei countless times. They had fought on the phone before, and he had been insulted in every possible way.
Thinking this, Chen Qing downed another glass of wine, yet his anger didn’t subside.
Jiang Peipei came to the same drinking session. He and Chen Qing had met through roommates and didn’t expect they shared a common enemy. “Shen Youwei is two-faced. I said she was clinging to Guan Shanyan, and she tried to sue me. Now what? Isn’t she really with him?”
Jiang Peipei cursed and, like Chen Qing, finished his drink.
“How’s your lawsuit with Shen Youwei? Is she really suing you?” Chen Qing asked. Jiang Peipei nodded, looking frustrated: “I got the court summons. The trial’s coming soon.”
“Hah, this woman, she specifically targets us, huh?”
Jiang Peipei gripped his cup, still furious: “Chen, after all she did to us, are we just going to let her go?”
He couldn’t get any work, had lost money to partners, while Shen Youwei’s studio was thriving, rumor even had it they’d landed Zheng Baozhu’s contract.
Why??
“Let’s find some people to smash her studio!” Jiang Peipei slammed his cup on the table, suggesting it to Chen Qing.
Chen Qing, having just been humiliated at Shen Youwei’s studio, shook his head: “Her studio has many capable guards. Even if we send people, we might gain nothing.”
Jiang Peipei snorted: “She knows she’s made enemies, right? Remember that Mocha Complex attacker, why wasn’t it her getting stabbed?”
Chen Qing said nothing, drinking silently. Jiang Peipei poured himself another glass and proposed: “Why don’t we lure her out alone?”
“Then what? You’re not actually going to kill her, right?”
Jiang Peipei might have wanted to, but risking his life for it wasn’t worth it: “We could lure her to some remote mountain. If she dies there, it’s not technically our fault.”
“Do you think she’d go willingly?” Chen Qing groaned, taking another gulp. “I’ll think about it.”
He hadn’t figured out how to deal with Shen Youwei yet, but upon learning Xu Qairan and her mother had moved into Shen Youwei’s old apartment, he went to Mocha Complex to look for them.
The security guards had a photo of Chen Qing and blocked him at the entrance.
At that moment, Shen Youwei and Guan Shanyan were at Starlight Park checking a property. When she got a message from the property management, her brows furrowed.
Guan Shanyan had just brought out some cooked shrimp. Seeing her frown, he set down the plate and rubbed her forehead: “What’s wrong? Is there an issue with Zheng Baozhu’s styling again?”
The only thing troubling Shen Youwei recently was Zheng Baozhu’s event styling. Chen Qing was long forgotten: “The Mocha Complex management said Chen Qing went looking for Xu Qairan.”
Guan Shanyan froze slightly, clearly had almost forgotten about him: “He hasn’t shown up for days. I thought he’d settled down.”
He had heard from Mrs. Chen that Chen Qing was locked at home, but clearly, they couldn’t confine him forever. As soon as he had freedom, he went straight to Xu Qairan.
“Looks like he’s still not giving up. I’ll call Xu Qairan first.”
“Okay.” Guan Shanyan peeled all the shrimp while she made the call and placed them in her bowl.
Shen Youwei returned to see a bowl full of shrimp, blinking in surprise: “You peeled all these already?”
“I’ve mastered the technique.” Guan Shanyan said proudly. “Eat some first. It might lift your mood.”
Shen Youwei picked up her chopsticks and ate a few shrimp in silence, feeling slightly better: “Delicious. My boyfriend is so thoughtful.”
Guan Shanyan’s ears turned slightly red. He cleared his throat and asked: “What did Xu Qairan say?”
“She said she’s blocked all of Chen Qing’s contacts and will stay home today. But this isn’t a long-term solution. Can’t anything be done about him?” Shen Youwei frowned.
“It’s difficult,” Guan Shanyan replied. “Even calling the police won’t help much.”
Shen Youwei had heard of similar cases and realized, as Guan Shanyan said, it would be tough. Chen Qing, a trashy person like him, might even escalate things.
After lunch, Guan Shanyan received a call from Gu Fei saying something had come up at the company and he needed to return to handle it. His fashion brand was about to launch, so he had been busy lately. He glanced at Shen Youwei, who was sitting on the sofa playing with her phone, and said, “I need to go back to the company. Do you want to stay here or head home?”
Shen Youwei thought for a moment. With Guan Shanyan not around, staying here wasn’t very meaningful. “Let’s go home. If I’d known you had something to do today, we would have picked another day.”
Well, nothing had been accomplished today anyway.
“Then I’ll drive you.”
“It’s fine, we’re not going the same way. I’ll just take a taxi.”
Guan Shanyan thought for a moment and nodded: “Alright, send me a message when you get home.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Shen Youwei had planned to head straight home, but just then the property management told her Chen Qing had already left. She changed her plans on the spot, deciding to check on Xu Qairan and Aunt Xu.
As the car approached the community, she saw Chen Qing and Xu Qairan standing by the roadside talking. She quickly asked the driver to stop. When she ran over, Xu Qairan was bending down, getting into Chen Qing’s car.
“Xu Qairan!” Shen Youwei wanted to pull her out, but Chen Qing blocked her. With no guards around, he wasn’t afraid at all: “Shen Youwei, what business is it of yours whether I’m with Xu Qairan? I advise you to mind your own business!”
Shen Youwei didn’t waste words. She took out her phone to call the police, but Chen Qing snatched it from her hand and threw it into a nearby trash bin.
Before she could react, he shoved her into the car as well, locked the doors, and drove off at high speed.
“Chen Qing, are you crazy? Stop the car!” Shen Youwei instinctively fastened the seatbelt beside her. Chen Qing glanced at her in the rearview mirror, a mix of anger and shame on his face: “This is your own fault! You’d better behave, or don’t blame me if we crash!”
Shen Youwei, truly afraid of an accident, sat quietly in her seat. She glanced at Xu Qairan beside her, trying to suppress her anger: “I thought you weren’t going out today? Didn’t you block him?”
Xu Qairan had just recovered from the shock and looked at Shen Youwei, her voice trembling: “He sent me photos from a fake account. He said if I don’t go down to see him, he’ll post them online.”
Shen Youwei frowned: “What photos?”
Chen Qing, driving ahead, laughed suddenly: “What else could they be but the juiciest ones! Want to see?”
Shen Youwei snapped: “Chen Qing, be a human! Calling you trash is an insult, you’re worse than a beast!”
“Fine, keep yelling. Let’s see how long your arrogance lasts!”
Shen Youwei stayed silent. Chen Qing’s mental state was clearly unstable, and they were trapped without even a phone, wait, Xu Qairan still had hers.
She glanced at Xu Qairan and gestured for the phone. Xu Qairan understood and just as she reached for it, Chen Qing noticed: “What are you doing? Trying to call the police?”
He stretched out his hand and shouted: “Give me the phone!”
Xu Qairan hesitated, so Chen Qing became more agitated: “If you don’t, I’ll crash into a car on purpose. Then it’s fish or cut bait!”
With no other option, Xu Qairan handed him the phone. Chen Qing turned it off and, at the next intersection, threw it out the window.
Shen Youwei clenched her fists. She didn’t know where Chen Qing was taking them or when he might snap. The only hope was Guan Shanyan!
She had promised to message him, so when he couldn’t reach her, he would suspect something.
Guan Shanyan had indeed been waiting for Shen Youwei’s message. Judging by the distance, she should have arrived, but there was no message. He checked his phone again and sent a simple text: “Arrived?”
No response.
A bad feeling gnawed at him. He cut off his conversation with Gu Fei and called Shen Youwei directly.
The call went through but no one answered, he tried twice.
The unease in his heart intensified. He gripped the phone and tried to use the in-phone recording.
The scene before him blurred. When he opened his eyes again, he was standing in front of a dressing mirror, changing clothes.
Guan Shanyan froze. Turning, he saw Shen Youwei at the door, secretly taking pictures of him.