Chapter 118: So What?
Time passed quickly.
A week later, Gu Hanling returned to the villa from work. As soon as he stepped inside, his eyes instinctively scanned the spacious living room, searching for a certain girl.
But the house was still as quiet and empty as before. Just like when she had left for filming.
At first, he didn’t think much of it. But as time went on, his patience started wearing thin.
Shen Xi had disappeared for an entire week.
It was as if she had vanished into thin air. No messages, no activity on Weibo, nothing.
His expression darkened.
Gu Hanling was always calm and composed, used to having everything under control, with his work and life neatly organized according to his plans.
Except for her.
She was the only one who could effortlessly throw his world into chaos.
For a brief moment, he had the sudden urge to lock that troublesome little thing up, somewhere she couldn’t escape.
Just then, Butler Wang approached. Seeing his master's cold expression, he hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Sir, Madam... still hasn’t come back.”
Upon hearing those words, Gu Hanling's grew even colder, and he slightly furrowed his brow.
Shen Xi usually avoided bothering him, knowing how busy he was. Instead, she would always contact Butler Wang if anything came up.
Gu Hanling was aware of this and had never paid much attention to it. But today...
He turned his gaze to the butler.
“Where did she go?”
“Madam mentioned she had something to take care of, but she didn’t say what exactly.”
Butler Wang answered truthfully, silently sighing to himself.
She’s your wife. Why don’t you just ask her yourself...?
Thinking for a moment, Butler Wang cautiously moved a little closer and carefully asked in a low voice,
“Uh… Sir, have you… already fallen for Madam? But in her heart…”
Gu Hanling’s brows furrowed slightly in displeasure. He didn’t answer right away. Instead, his deep, unreadable gaze drifted toward the distance through the floor-to-ceiling window.
“So what?”
The man sneered and glanced at Butler Wang,
“She’s already my wife.”
“She can just forget about getting a divorce.”
Butler Wang beamed, nodding in agreement. He secretly let out a sigh of relief. As long as Sir likes Madam, that’s all that matters.
With his charm, power, and status, winning over Madam shouldn’t be too difficult. If only he would take the initiative a bit more…
He quite liked that little girl too. If Shen Xi could truly settle into the role of Madam, the house would surely be filled with more laughter and warmth.
But… was it really that simple?
Meanwhile, on the other side…
For the past week, Shen Xi had rented a private driving practice lot and hired a highly paid female instructor. She was entirely focused on improving her driving skills.
The only downside was that the place was a bit far from the villa. But since the area had all the necessary services, she had been living and eating there with the instructor.
The original owner of this body technically had a driver’s license, but Shen Xi had never dared to drive, afraid of being exposed in front of Gu Hanling one day. Plus, for her own future convenience, she figured this was the perfect time to brush up on her skills.
She practiced from morning to night, starting with the basics like accelerating and parking. In just two days, she had already mastered reversing into a parking spot and parallel parking. After that, she spent all her time practicing on empty roads.
Her instructor praised her progress. “Miss Shen, not only are you beautiful, but you’re incredibly smart! With your skills, you could easily get a professional racing license!”
The woman let out an awkward chuckle. Her instructor was great in every way, never nosy about why she was practicing so much or why she wasn’t going through the usual process to get a license.
The only problem? She was way too fond of flattering, and the kind that was really awkward.
Feeling that she had practiced enough, Shen Xi said goodbye to her instructor and prepared to visit the Shen family. The fish had taken the bait. It was time to reel it in.
She pulled out her phone and instinctively glanced at her chat with Gu Hanling. The screen was completely silent. Not even a single red notification dot.
She scoffed lightly. Men really are all the same. Even Big Brother is no exception. If there’s a pretty woman at home, of course, he’d want to kiss her.
But after being away for so many days, aside from Butler Wang, Gu Hanling hadn’t even sent her a single message. Not even a casual greeting. It was as if her existence had nothing to do with him.
“See? I was just overthinking it. Now I can finally stop worrying.”
She forced out a self-mocking smile, but for some reason, her chest felt tight, like something was stuck there, making her uncomfortable.
Since he hadn’t messaged her, she naturally wouldn’t reach out first either.
One, she didn’t want to disturb him while he was busy making money.
Two… she wasn’t some pathetic lapdog. Why should she shamelessly beg her Big Boss for attention?
Shen Xi took a private car to the Shen family’s house.
This was her first time coming to this so-called “home.”
Compared to the grand and luxurious Gu family villa, the Shen family’s house looked downright shabby.
It was one of the last remnants of their wealth and reputation, but even so, it was barely bigger than the servant quarters at the Gu family estate.
Standing at the door were Liu Qiulan, Shen Wanru, Wang Lei, and Father Shen.
The four of them stood eagerly waiting, as if expecting someone important.
When they saw Shen Xi step out of the car, they all looked surprised.
Shen Wanru frowned and spoke in an unfriendly tone.
“What are you doing back here?”
Among the four, only Wang Lei couldn't hide his excitement. It had been a long time since he last saw his goddess. His gaze roamed over her, filled with undisguised desire.
Shen Xi smiled faintly, her eyes scanning their varied expressions.
“I’m the Susie representative you’ve been waiting for.”
As soon as she finished speaking, silence filled the room.
"What?! You’re the one?"
Father Shen's eyes widened in disbelief. He exchanged stunned looks with Liu Qiulan, both unable to process what they had just heard.
A moment later, Liu Qiulan’s expression quickly shifted into a delighted smile.
"Oh my, dear, if you’re Susie’s representative, then that makes things even easier! We’re all family, after all."
Shen Xi shot her a cold glance, her tone laced with mockery.
"Family? You, of all people, should know best whose daughter I really am."
The truth was, Shen Xi was never Liu Qiulan’s biological daughter. That explained why she had been treated as an outsider in the Shen family since childhood. That was also why, back then, she had been so easily drawn to even the smallest kindness from that scumbag Shi Jingyan, treating it as the only warmth in her life.
Liu Qiulan’s smile froze instantly. Her eyes flickered with unease, as if Shen Xi had just struck a nerve.
Father Shen’s expression darkened. The way Shen Xi spoke, it almost sounded like his wife had done something disgraceful.
Sensing the tension, Shen Wanru immediately stepped in to defend her mother, her voice sharp.
"Shen Xi, what kind of attitude is this? No matter what, Mom raised you! Now that you’ve made a name for yourself, you’re just going to turn your back on us?"
"Raised me?" Shen Xi let out a soft laugh, her icy gaze locking onto Shen Wanru.
"You and your family know exactly how you 'raised' me."
Her words sent a chill through the air. Then, without giving them a chance to respond, she added indifferently,
"Anyway, I didn’t come here today for small talk."
With that, she pulled a document from her bag and handed it to Wang Lei before walking straight into the house, ignoring the rest of them.
Wang Lei carefully flipped through the pages, his expression shifting to one of surprise. He turned to the three and confirmed,
"It’s real. This is indeed Miss Susie’s authorization letter."
Of course, it was real, because Shen Xi was Susie. There wasn’t a single document she couldn’t obtain.
Not long after everyone entered the house, a black Rolls Royce Cullinan slowly stopped not far from the Shen family's gate…