Chapter 89
The dirty little schemes Ye Chen harbored towards her, though disgusting to even think about, could still be used to her advantage.
“What’s the matter, Aunt? Why did you come back?” Ye Chen’s eyes brightened; he knew his cold-on-the-outside but warm-on-the-inside aunt had a soft spot, and now he had found it.
Could he use this to his advantage in the future?
“It’s nothing. You’re new here, so let me introduce you to some people. After all, father told me to look after you.” Suppressing her disgust, Chen Ya managed to smile slightly at Ye Chen.
“Really? Aunt, you’re so kind.” Ye Chen’s attempt to sound grateful was so oily it could disgust anyone. As he spoke, he even tried to grab Chen Ya’s hand.
Chen Ya smoothly evaded Ye Chen’s hand, her heart filled with disdain for his pretentious act. A flash of killing intent passed through her eyes – did this guy really take her for a fool, thinking he could use his status this way? Did he really think she couldn’t see through his act, similar to those scumbags pretending to be pitiable to arouse her maternal instincts? Having been pursued by countless men, Chen Ya had seen all sorts of tricks. Ye Chen couldn’t possibly play any new tricks on her.
It was only in her previous life that she was fooled by the ‘nephew’ title. Although Ye Chen had never physically harassed her, she had indeed felt a bit of pity for him. Upon reflection, Ye Chen’s intentions were blatantly obvious; she was just too naive.
In her previous life, every time Lu Li targeted Ye Chen, it seemed as if he was targeting her as well. But now, looking back, Lu Li must have seen through Ye Chen’s vile intentions and tried to warn her in various ways. Unfortunately, she was too foolish to understand Lu Li’s intentions.
Lu Li had seen through Ye Chen early on and tried repeatedly to pull her out of the mire. Yet, she misunderstood him, pushing Lu Li away time and again, until Ye Chen, unable to maintain his facade under Lu Li’s pressure, was forced to kill him to preserve his disguise.
Only after Lu Li’s death did she realize the depth of the actions Lu Li took against Ye Chen. He was trying to help her see Ye Chen’s true face, to warn her! Lu Li himself was the one who was hurt the most! His own sister, Lu Ya, and Zhang Ziqin, whom he pursued for eight years, foolishly pushed away his helping hand, choosing instead to believe the deceitful and lowly Ye Chen. Even though nothing happened between them and Ye Chen, it was still a shameful betrayal.
Lu Li saw through everything and wanted to help them recognize Ye Chen’s true nature, but both Lu Ya and Zhang Ziqin harshly rejected him. These two women, the closest to Lu Li, chose to believe an outsider over Lu Li, who genuinely cared for them. It was sad, pitiful, and hateful!
Even after joining forces with them to deal with Ye Chen, Chen Ya felt no fondness for those two women. Lu Li was too kind. He was the most hurt by Lu Ya and Zhang Ziqin’s actions, yet he repeatedly tried to help her.
She thought about how unnecessary Lu Li’s kindness was; he could have just let those ungrateful women fend for themselves, including herself. Without Lu Li, she might have already fallen victim to Ye Chen’s schemes. The thought was terrifying.
To Lu Li, she was just a stranger, and yet he chose to help her despite her being related to Ye Chen. Lu Li could have just watched her self-destruct due to her own foolishness.
Having suffered from Lu Ya and Zhang Ziqin’s betrayal—his own family and the woman he liked—it’s unimaginable how much pain Lu Li must have felt. Yet, he still chose to help her see Ye Chen’s true nature. It was just that she was too foolish in her previous life to realize it until after Lu Li’s death.
“Let’s go!” she said coldly, turning away. She couldn’t show her murderous intent just yet.
Having lived this life again, many things had changed. One of those foolish women had been expelled from the Lu family and disappeared, while the other had her company go bankrupt due to her own stupidity. But that wasn’t enough. Chen Ya was searching for Lu Ya’s whereabouts. Once found, she wouldn’t hesitate to ensure Lu Ya’s death comes first, followed by Zhang Ziqin.
And then there was Ye Chen, the man who had personally killed Lu Li. She would never let him go.
Disappointed at not having been able to grab Chen Ya’s hand, Ye Chen sighed. He realized his aunt’s conservative personality, which he saw as advantageous for him. His gaze towards Chen Ya’s retreating back was filled with dark thoughts.
Chen Ya led him to the notorious prodigals of the Wang and Lin families.
These wastrels were famous in Modu for their appalling characters, hardly respected by anyone. Their families, unbothered by their behavior since neither was set to inherit the family business, had indulged them.
Sending these two to the Chen family banquet was a clear sign of disdain from their families towards the Chen family. Initially, Chen Ya was somewhat offended, but now, she saw them as tools to use against Ye Chen.
Spotting the two surrounded by people in a corner, Chen Ya scoffed internally but greeted them with a charming smile, “Wang Gongzi, Lin Gongzi gracing my Chen family’s banquet is truly an honor. Thank you for coming.”
Her enchanting face and every smile were enough to drive any man wild, especially with her deliberately lowering her stance.
Ye Chen could feel the gaze of every man turning towards them, even hearing some gulp.
He felt displeased, knowing his aunt was helping him make connections, something he needed. But seeing Chen Ya, the woman he had set his sights on, acting ‘subservient’ in front of other men made him uncomfortable.
Wang and Lin Gongzi exchanged looks, smirks of triumph on their faces.
“Originally, my father thought this gathering would be boring and didn’t want to come. But I figured we should at least give Miss Chen some face,” Wang Gongzi said, his eyes roving over Chen Ya lasciviously, licking his lips with desire.
“Yes, Miss Chen’s face is definitely something we should give respect to,” Lin Gongzi chimed in, their eyes filled with lewd thoughts.
Chen Ya internally despised them. If not for needing to use them, she would’ve taught them a lesson right then.
Maintaining a composed smile, she said, “Then I’m truly flattered by your kindness.”
Their simple minds were already overheated, thinking Chen Ya was flattering them out of fear of their families’ power. Chen Ya knew how to stir people’s emotions. With just a few words, she made them feel on top of the world.
“This is a family member of mine. I brought him here today to meet you both. I hope you can offer him your support in the future!” Seeing them pumped up, Chen Ya timely introduced Ye Chen.