Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  “Lin Ran, how dare you splash that cup of coffee at Jiaoyang! Aren’t you afraid of offending the Chu family, Haixing Corporation, and…”


  Without waiting for that friend of Chu Jiaoyang to finish her words, Lin Ran splashed the coffee right at her.

  Splashed with the steaming hot coffee, Chu Jiaoyang’s friend shrieked and stood up. “Lin Ran! Are you crazy?”


  Chu Jiaoyang and her other two friends watched with their mouths hanging open.

  “The morals of a country bumpkin are… if I can’t bully the rich and powerful one, I’ll vent my anger on the lackeys next to her! Have you heard of this before?”


  Lin Ran sneered, then slammed the coffee mug onto the table, watching the four of them with a disdainful look.

  Chu Jiaoyang’s petite face turned a little pale. She stood up and drew a napkin to hand to the friend opposite her. “Lin Ran, aren’t you afraid of affecting your Lin family’s business? The Lins are so eager to work with our Chu family, yet here you are…”


  “Jiaoyang, we’ll accompany Xiaoling to the washroom first!”


  Lin Ran’s friend took the napkin from her and put on her jacket… then frantically went to the washroom under the accompaniment of her other two friends to clean up.

  “Tsk tsk tsk… how interesting of the Chu family!” Bai Xiaonian laughed out loud, rapping inconsistently against the table. “The father already has a wife, yet he keeps a mistress in his house. His daughter eagerly threw herself at others and wanted to be a third party! When the guy refused to take her in as his mistress because of her ugly looks, she then scolded the wife, calling her a cheap slut. How amusing!”


  Lin Ran and Chu Jiaoyang turned to the source of the sound and saw that, from out of nowhere, Lin Nuan was standing next to a charger not far from them.

  Chu Jiaoyang clenched her fists by her sides, not trying to veil her hatred towards Lin Nuan at all. Yet, with Lin Ran and Bai Xiaonian with her, Chu Jiaoyang knew that she was no match for Lin Nuan… Her large eyes looked watery, making it seem as if she had suffered a great grievance. “You are all overboard!”


  Lin Nuan looked at Lin Ran, whose ears had reddened, unable to conceal her smile…


  There were plenty of people who scolded Lin Nuan, but she had never truly taken those words of insult to heart since she never minded those who were unimportant to her.

  But how could she not be angry at all when others scolded her? It wasn’t as if Lin Nuan was a block of wood!

  However, this time, Lin Ran standing out to defend her had a much greater impact on her than hearing Chu Jiaoyang scold her.

  Even Bai Xiaonian had once felt that anyone in the world could jump out to defend Lin Nuan, but Lin Ran wouldn’t!

  Lin Ran frowned and cursed silently. How could the world be so small, for her to run into Lin Nuan at a cafe! And what’s more, at a time like this…


  Lin Ran murmured in her heart that this felt so godd*mn awkward!

  Lin Nuan’s smile was purely for Lin Ran, yet in Chu Jiaoyang’s eyes, it had a different meaning. Chu Jiaoyang felt like she had suffered the greatest humiliation possible. With watery eyes, she threw the napkin she had drawn to wipe the coffee stains off her dress onto the table…


  “Lin Nuan, what’s the meaning of this! What are you smiling about? Isn’t it just getting married to Brother Huai’an? What’s there to gloat about?”


  Lin Nuan was rendered speechless.

  What an undeserved accusation!

  Chu Jiaoyang had scolded Lin Nuan, and Lin Nuan had yet to say a word, yet here Chu Jiaoyang was speaking to her in an aggrieved manner, asking what she was smiling about!

  Was Chu Jiaoyang trying to imply that in front of her, Lin Nuan couldn’t even smile as she pleased? What kind of logic was this?

  As Lin Nuan’s name was called out repeatedly, the customers and waiters in the cafe all looked in Lin Nuan’s direction.

  It just so happened that the news showing on the TV in the cafe was related to Lin Nuan!

  Now they were all looking at that tall and slim lady in a tweed cap, speculating whether she was indeed Lin Nuan.

  Lin Nuan was about to speak when the highly combative Bai Xiaonian spoke up before she had the chance to…


  “Is this young lady stupid? Can’t you tell who she’s smiling at? I think you must have been dropped on your head as a baby! She’s getting married soon, so should she be crying instead of smiling? Lin Nuan’s husband refused you and your older sister even though the two of you shamelessly threw yourselves at him. Lin Nuan has married such a good husband, so shouldn’t she be smiling?” Bai Xiaonian leisurely sat there, and each and every word she said pricked at Chu Jiaoyang’s heart like a nail.

  This made others more certain that the lady in the tweed cap was Lin Nuan. Everyone started speaking in hushed whispers…


  “You! Bai Xiaonian, you… who do you think you are? You are nothing but a lackey next to Lin Nuan!” Chu Jiaoyang no longer knew what words to use to retort, simply throwing back the same words Lin Ran had used on her friend earlier.

  Plenty of those who were drinking coffee and chatting had turned their gazes between their two tables. It wasn’t so bad for Lin Nuan, who was wearing a tweed cap…


  Chu Jiaoyang was born beautiful, and Bai Xiaonian was also striking and aggressively beautiful when she smiled, so naturally, the two of them attracted eyeballs.

  Bai Xiaonian propped up her petite face with one hand, a vibrant and imposing smile in her eyes as she opened her mouth. “Bark bark…”


  Chu Jiaoyang’s face turned white. She nearly vomited blood when she heard Bai Xiaonian mimic the barking of a puppy. She only managed to speak one word through her clenched teeth, “Shameless!”


  “Speaking of shameless, we bow in defeat to your Chu family! Both of you cousins shamelessly threw yourselves at someone else’s husband, but the main point is, her husband doesn’t even regard you as anything in his eyes. Yet here you are getting high by yourself, acting out some drama of the wife being intolerant of you even though you are willing to be the mistress despite how aggrieved it would make you feel!” Bai Xiaonian’s relaxed manner caused Chu Jiaoyang’s eyes to turn even redder.

  She glared at Bai Xiaonian with her watery eyes and a pale face. She gripped the clothing before her chest tightly with her petite and slim hand and bit her lower lip, acting as if Bai Xiaonian was a vicious stepmother bullying her, Snow White.

  “Lin Ran, come over and sit with us!” Lin Nuan smiled at Lin Ran as she extended the invitation.

  Lin Ran’s ears had turned awfully red by now. There was no way she would let Lin Nuan make fun of the way she was defending her!

  “I’ll pass, I’ve got something to do, so I need to leave now…” Lin Ran feigned seriousness as she spoke, then added after some thought, “The wedding will be in a few days, prepare well!”


  Lin Ran didn’t stop. She straightened her body and nodded at Bai Xiaonian to acknowledge her presence, then with reddened ears, announced to Lin Nuan that she would be leaving before proceeding to exit the cafe.

  Chu Jiaoyang listened as others gossiped about how a pretty young lady like her turned out to be Chu Xun’s cousin and how it was no wonder then that she insisted on becoming a mistress like Chu Xun, that the Chu family’s genetics were truly surprising…


  Chu Jiaoyang felt more and more aggrieved. It was as if she had suffered the greatest humiliation possible!

  Even at their home, Aunt Xia was highly respected!

  Other than formal functions, which Aunt Xia couldn’t attend with her father, Aunt Xia received the same treatment as her mother!

  Even when Aunt Xia went out, no one dared to speak like that to her. Those people outside… had to address Aunt Xia respectfully as Second Madam Chu!