Volume One, Chapter 17: The Daughter is the Second Female Lead in a CEO Domination Novel

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He still remembered what had happened the last time Ruoxue saw Chen Rui, and Shen Tingyu did not want to see anything like that happen again.

Even if Jiang Ruoxue now had the courage to face it, he still did not dare let her take the risk.

Zhao Ting and the other two had also noticed Shen Tingyu glance at Chen Rui when he said that. They assumed he felt uncomfortable because they had tried to match Chen Rui and Shen Tingyu earlier, which was why he had said it.

“I’m leaving first. Enjoy your meal.” Shen Tingyu patted Gao Tao on the shoulder and headed outside.

The moment he stepped out of the restaurant, the traffic light turned green. He hurried toward Jiang Ruoxue and Shen Tingzhuo.

When Shen Tingzhuo saw his older brother approaching, he opened his arms. The next second, Shen Tingyu swept Jiang Ruoxue into a tight embrace.

“Ruoxue, I missed you so much! We haven’t seen each other in two whole months.”

Resting his head on Jiang Ruoxue’s shoulder, Shen Tingyu began acting spoiled in her arms.

Jiang Ruoxue stroked her boyfriend’s head to comfort him. “That’s why I came to see you. Shen Tingyu, I missed you too.”

When a man needed comforting, one ought to indulge him a little. Besides, Jiang Ruoxue was not pretending—she really had missed Shen Tingyu while she was in Britain.

Shen Tingzhuo had long since grown accustomed to scenes like this. He naturally stepped forward and hugged both Shen Tingyu and Jiang Ruoxue.

“You two aren’t allowed to leave me behind.”

“All right.”

Shen Tingyu and Jiang Ruoxue could not help laughing.

After hugging for more than ten seconds, the three of them quickly let go.

“Didn’t you say you had a partnership to discuss and wouldn’t be able to come for a few more days?”

“The business partner wanted to celebrate Christmas, but we finalized the contract ahead of time,” Jiang Ruoxue explained.

“You must be hungry. Let’s go have lunch. I know a wonderful restaurant nearby.” Shen Tingyu naturally took hold of Jiang Ruoxue and Shen Tingzhuo’s suitcases.

He pushed one suitcase with each hand, walking ahead to lead the way while Jiang Ruoxue and Shen Tingzhuo followed behind.

The three of them looked very much like a family of three.

Inside the restaurant, Chen Rui glanced at Shen Tingyu and the other two several times. She had already recognized Jiang Ruoxue as the girl she had met once before.

Her again!

Could it be that she had sensed danger the last time and deliberately acted that way?

What a scheming woman!

Judging from that coat, it must have cost quite a lot of money, hadn’t it? Shen Tingyu was still a student! She actually had the nerve to let him buy her such an expensive coat. What a gold digger!

“Is that Student Shen’s girlfriend? She’s so beautiful! The clothes she’s wearing can’t be cheap, can they? I’ve never worn anything that nice before! Are they in a long-distance relationship? What’s his girlfriend’s name?” Chen Rui turned to Gao Tao and Wang Junhao.

Her voice was soft and fragile, but Gao Tao and Wang Junhao’s instincts told them that Chen Rui was harboring ill intentions toward Jiang Ruoxue.

Even two complete straight men like Gao Tao and Wang Junhao could hear the malice in her question. Naturally, Li Ning and the others could not have missed it either.

They frowned, their expressions turning unpleasant. Given the circumstances, they could not say anything. They could only swallow their words and plan to speak privately with Chen Rui after the two dormitories went their separate ways.

Chen Rui had indeed liked Shen Tingyu for a long time. Before coming, when they learned that Chen Kang’s roommate was Shen Tingyu, they had genuinely intended to match the two of them together.

But that had been on the condition that he was single!

Now that they all knew Shen Tingyu had a girlfriend, Chen Rui should have shown at least a little restraint.

Especially since this was the first time the two dormitories had dined together. If things went badly, it might even affect Zhao Ting and Chen Kang’s relationship.

“Why don’t we go play a murder mystery game after dinner? There happens to be a good place nearby,” Zhao Ting suggested, steering the conversation elsewhere.

“A murder mystery game? Sure!” Gao Tao was the first to agree.

Chen Kang failed to notice Chen Rui’s little scheme.

“Shen Tingyu’s girlfriend is from the same city as him. They were childhood sweethearts and have been together since kindergarten. They’re very close, and their families get along well too. The last time her father came to the capital on business, he even treated us to a meal. You have no idea how Shen Tingyu waits for his girlfriend’s calls every day—he’s practically grown roots staring at the phone.”

To be fair, Shen Tingyu’s girlfriend’s father was remarkably well-preserved. He looked only seven or eight years older than them, and his presence was incredibly imposing. The last time Uncle Jiang came to the capital to visit Shen Tingyu, they had even mistaken him for Shen Tingyu’s older brother.

“What’s Shen Tingyu’s girlfriend called? I’m from the same city. Maybe we know each other!”

“Jiang Ruoxue. Her name is Jiang Ruoxue.”

The instant she heard that name, Chen Rui shot to her feet. In the process, she accidentally knocked over her drink, and the cola spilled all over her clothes.

Jiang Ruoxue? So it really was her!

Why couldn’t she leave her alone?

Why did she have to be with the man Chen Rui loved?

Even now, Chen Rui still remembered the first time Li Yanhong had taken her to the Jiang family’s home when she was little, and the scene she had witnessed there.

Jiang Ruoxue had been wearing a princess dress and little leather shoes. Her hair had been tied into braids and decorated with tiny clips, and she had been holding a doll—the very one Chen Rui had always wanted, but which her family had refused to buy for her.

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And Chen Rui herself had been utterly ordinary, dressed in a little floral dress and canvas shoes.

Their birthdays were only about two months apart, yet their lives were worlds apart.

Back then, when her family was already suffering so terribly, why had the Jiang family still refused to let them go?

Her grandmother had merely felt sorry for her and taken home a few pieces of clothing Jiang Ruoxue no longer wanted for Chen Rui to wear. Yet the Jiang family had sent her grandmother to prison on charges of theft.

Did Shen Tingyu know nothing about this?

“Xiao Rui, are you all right?” Li Ning and Ding Mengjia were sitting closest to Chen Rui, and the two of them hurriedly used napkins to wipe the cola from her clothes.

No. She had to tell Shen Tingyu.

Chen Rui made up her mind to expose Jiang Ruoxue’s “true nature” in front of Shen Tingyu.

Without saying a word, Chen Rui headed toward the restaurant entrance.

“Xiao Rui!” Li Ning and Ding Mengjia called out. They both rose and followed her.

They were worried that Chen Rui might do something reckless.

If they had known things would turn out like this, they never should have tried to match Shen Tingyu and Chen Rui. Li Ning and Ding Mengjia were filled with regret.

“We’ll go see what’s happening too. The dishes will be served soon. Kangzi, you and your girlfriend stay here,” Gao Tao said as he and Wang Junhao hurried after them.

That girl named Chen Rui seemed strange, especially after hearing the name of Shen Tingyu’s girlfriend. It would be better to keep an eye on her.

What a mess! They had only come out for a meal. How had things turned into this?

“Jiang Ruoxue!” Chen Rui called out as she watched the backs of the three people ahead.

Hearing someone call her name, Jiang Ruoxue stopped and turned around.

When he saw Chen Rui running toward them, Shen Tingyu immediately stepped in front of Jiang Ruoxue to shield her.

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