That single remark was enough to make Jian Weining's expression shift again and again. The smug gloating from a moment ago vanished, leaving only a trace of humiliation frozen on her face.
She understood the implication: as Bo Jingzhou's wife and family, Shen Wanci would not need to be sent two invitations.
Jian Weining badly wanted to fire back, but noticing that Mr. Xu was still standing there, she ultimately swallowed the words she'd meant to say.
She turned to take her leave of Mr. Xu, not forgetting her purpose: "Mr. Xu, then I'll have to trouble you to keep an ear out for Wanwan's whereabouts. Even though she isn't part of any official roster, with your esteemed and respected standing in the circle, tracking down a folk restorer like her should surely be easy. As long as she's willing to take the job, I'll pay whatever it costs."
Mr. Xu glanced again at Shen Wanci's indifferent expression, gave an awkward nod, and then saw Jian Weining out…
After work, the moment Shen Wanci stepped out of the studio, she saw Bo Jingzhou's car parked at the entrance.
A custom Bentley with a flashy license plate—even in an affluent district crowded with luxury cars it was a rare sight, let alone in a place like this. Naturally, it drew quite a few stares from those nearby.
The phone clutched in her hand buzzed. It was a message from Bo Jingzhou: 【Come over.】
Shen Wanci ignored him entirely and headed straight in the direction of the residential compound where she lived.
She had no desire to become the center of attention right now, the subject of everyone's gossip tomorrow. Back at the Bo Group, those people had thought she had a rich second-generation boyfriend and had spent all day sniping at her with veiled mockery—she truly loathed that feeling!
Bo Jingzhou watched the woman fling her back at him as she walked off, his deep, dark eyes narrowing. Suddenly he let out a 'heh' of a laugh—but that laugh was genuinely enough to make one's hair stand on end…
Shen Wanci had taken only a few steps when the man's car caught up. The window rolled down, and Bo Jingzhou's cold voice rang out: "Are you trying to make me use force?"
Shen Wanci frowned, knowing this man was perfectly capable of doing exactly what he said.
"I'm going back to change clothes."
After a day's work, her hair and her whole body were covered in dust.
Bo Jingzhou said nothing more, only watching her with a pair of ink-dark eyes—eyes colder than ever before.
Shen Wanci didn't notice in the slightest, until the car suddenly lurched up beside her and braked to a hard stop. The door opened, and she was dragged into the car by a powerful arm.
Her ankle struck the door frame, a piercing pain shooting through her. Shen Wanci sucked in a breath, and her eyes instantly reddened.
In that moment, she truly wanted to curse him out—was Bo Jingzhou out of his mind or what!
"Change clothes?" Bo Jingzhou pinned her beneath him, his level tone utterly flat, yet anyone could tell he was angry. "Want to do your makeup too? Get your hair done?"
Shen Wanci had no idea how that remark of hers had provoked him.
She tilted her head away from the man's fingers resting on her cheek and replied indifferently, "If you don't care, I can go just like this."
The outfit she had on had been bought at a night market—the whole set for under five hundred yuan. Forget about a brand; even its quality reeked of the phrase 'barely passable.'
If people saw Mrs. Bo attending a banquet dressed like this, the one they'd talk about most would surely be Bo Jingzhou.
After a moment of silence and stillness, the man released her and instructed the person in the front seat, "Uncle Jiang, to Ximei."
Ximei was a distinctive styling studio, much sought after by the wealthy young ladies of the circle. Any look they did was worth a five-figure sum.
The gown was brought over by Chen Xu—a more everyday cut, but still haute couture from a certain brand.
By the time everything was done and they arrived at Xishan Court, it was already late.
Bo Jingzhou tossed his car keys to the valet and walked in with Shen Wanci. Just as they were about to enter, he placed the gift box he'd been holding into her hands.
In the hall, glasses clinked amid the revelry, with people gathered in twos and threes, laughing and chatting.
Shen Wanci's appearance drew most people's attention. Wary of Bo Jingzhou at her side, no one dared discuss her openly, but those mocking, disdainful glances said it plainly—she actually had the gall to show up?
Bo Jingzhou led her toward Nie Yucheng—
Tonight's welcome banquet was not a formal business affair. Nie Yucheng wasn't wearing a suit, only a white shirt and black trousers, which, paired with his refined features, made him look all the more cultured and gentle.
Seeing Bo Jingzhou, he smiled. "You really took your time getting here. I thought I wouldn't catch sight of you all the way until the party broke up."
Having said this, he glanced lightly at the wife beside Bo Jingzhou and gave Shen Wanci a slight nod, which counted as a greeting.
Bo Jingzhou said, "Got held up by something. Where's Chenye?"
"Not here yet."
Shen Wanci stood off to the side, her red lips pressed tightly together, her gaze trained the whole time on the floor.
She had no interest whatsoever in what the two of them were discussing; she only wanted to wrap this up and leave quickly.
Back when she'd been cornered with nowhere to turn, the first person she'd actually sought out was Nie Yucheng, but at the time he'd given her no clear answer. And then later on…
The recording of her proposing to him was posted online, and released along with it was the video of her and Bo Jingzhou going in and out of a hotel. In an instant, she became the 'fallen socialite' on everyone's lips—shameless, seducing men left and right.
Shen Wanci had meant to slip away while they were talking, but the moment she moved, Bo Jingzhou stopped her by wrapping an arm around her waist.
The man turned his head to look at her, wearing a near-smile. "Tired? Then give the gift to Yucheng, and I'll keep you company in the lounge for a bit."
Shen Wanci's eyelid twitched, and she had an ominous premonition.
Although she didn't know what Bo Jingzhou was planning, when had he ever spoken to her with such a doting manner?
When something went so against the grain, he was certainly up to no good.
The gift was right there in her hand, and Nie Yucheng's attention had been successfully drawn to her, along with all the gossipy gazes from around them now turning her way.
Shen Wanci stayed quiet for a few seconds, then held out the gift box that felt like a hot potato in her hands.
Nie Yucheng took it, his expression unchanged. "Thank you."
His gaze shifted back to Bo Jingzhou. "Jingzhou, you shouldn't have gone to the trouble."
Bo Jingzhou lifted his chin. "Open it and take a look now."
Nie Yucheng didn't think much of it and opened it as told.
Inside the box was a wristwatch—a custom piece from a certain top-tier luxury brand.
Bo Jingzhou's voice was even. "Didn't you say before that you'd lost this watch of yours? On my last business trip, I had the original designer make a new one while I was at it."
And the moment Shen Wanci saw that watch, her face turned ghastly pale!
No one else noticed, but Bo Jingzhou, his arm around her, distinctly felt the woman trembling as she fought desperately to control it.
She forced herself to look away, and with a stony face she removed the man's hand from her waist, her voice quivering slightly. "I'm going to the restroom."
Bo Jingzhou watched the woman's flustered, fleeing back with darkened eyes, propped his cheek, and the curve of his lips set into something cold.
Nie Yucheng took in the interaction between the two of them, baffled. "What is it—something wrong with this watch?"
"No," Bo Jingzhou said coldly, flicking a crease from his shirt with little interest. "You go ahead and mingle."
With that, he started off in the direction Shen Wanci had gone.
In the restroom, Shen Wanci slammed the stall door shut and slumped against the panel, drained, as though every ounce of her strength had been sapped away.
She and Bo Jingzhou had been married for three years, and since their wedding she had never once seen him wear that watch.
That night back then, if not for that watch, she never would have gotten into the wrong bed…
And there never would have been these three years of a tormenting marriage.
She had no idea how much time passed before the quiet restroom filled with the sound of conversation—
"Shen Wanci actually had the nerve to show up? If I were her, the moment Nie Yucheng put that recording online, I'd have found a basin of water and drowned myself in it."
"Back then her reputation was in tatters—who knows what dumb luck she ran into afterward, that she didn't marry Nie Yucheng but actually married the even more outstanding Young Master Bo!" The woman let out a sneering laugh. "Who in the circle doesn't know about her sordid little history? I can't imagine what Young Master Bo was thinking, actually marrying her!"
The person beside her chimed in: "Maybe she's especially good in bed—skilled with her hands, say, and also…"
Before that person could finish, the restroom door was pushed open…