Of course, Shen Yi'an harbored a sliver of hope. Song Jiaran was simple-minded and had liked him for so long; it was only seeing him intimate with Chen Yu that had angered her into calling off the engagement.
However, from his understanding of Song Jiaran, he knew she wouldn't give up on him so easily. She would surely come looking for him.
When Song Jiaran arrived, he would simply comfort her a few words, and she would happily throw herself into his arms.
Thus, Shen Yi'an had ignored Shen Zhexiong's advice to find Song Jiaran. He hadn't expected that after two months, Song Jiaran would still not have contacted him, not even a single message, as if he meant nothing to her.
This also made Shen Yi'an quite displeased, especially today at the banquet when he saw Yue Qing dressed up. She clearly saw him but ignored him and turned away.
Upon seeing Yue Qing, Shen Yi'an intended to approach and say a few nice words. He was sure Yue Qing would reconcile with him.
So, Shen Yi'an walked over and sat down opposite Yue Qing. "Ranran, how have you been lately?"
Yue Qing looked at Shen Yi'an and said coldly, "Mr. Shen, please call me Miss Song. We have no relationship anymore. Don't address me so familiarly."
Shen Yi'an's expression turned ugly, but he persisted, "Ranran, even though the engagement is off, I've always treated you like a younger sister. We've known each other since we were kids, and we have years of friendship between us."
"Mr. Shen, we have no friendship left. Please do not bother me again in the future." Yue Qing found the male lead incredibly annoying.
In Shen Yi'an's memory, Song Jiaran had always been the girl who followed him, showing her affection. As long as he turned back and gave her a smile, Song Jiaran would be happy all day.
Before the engagement, Shen Yi'an had dated her a few times, which made her fall deeply in love with him.
Shen Yi'an always thought Song Jiaran was easy to control, with her simple and gentle personality. This was why Shen Yi'an had agreed to the alliance with the Song family.
Once he married Song Jiaran, she would obediently listen to him, and he could find an excuse to divorce her later.
But now, Song Jiaran had become so cold and distant, so unapproachable.
"Song Jiaran, why have you become like this? You used to listen to me the most. How have you become so unreasonable?" Shen Yi'an said sternly.
A mocking smile curved Yue Qing's lips. "Shen Yi'an, you deceived me first. You already had a girlfriend yet you still planned to get engaged to me. You're a scumbag."
Yue Qing was not the original Song Jiaran. Song Jiaran had feelings for Shen Yi'an, and perhaps a few sweet words from him would make her surrender.
But Yue Qing despised men like Shen Yi'an the most.
Shen Yi'an was angered by her words. He had come to coax Yue Qing and reconcile with her, but he hadn't expected her to be so stubborn and indifferent, showing no regard for their past.
So, Shen Yi'an said angrily, "Song Jiaran, don't regret what you've said today."
"I won't regret it. Please stay away from me in the future." Yue Qing finished speaking, stood up, and left. She glanced at Chen Yu, who had just arrived behind Shen Yi'an, and walked away without so much as a greeting.
Chen Yu clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. She felt the pain but suppressed it, along with her anxiety and jealousy – anxiety about her relationship with Shen Yi'an and jealousy towards Song Jiaran herself.
"Yi'an, are you alright?" Chen Yu sat beside Shen Yi'an and asked gently and solicitously.
"I'm fine. Song Jiaran was just too much. I won't associate with her anymore," Shen Yi'an said.
"Yi'an, it's all because of me. You treated her like a sister, but because of me, your relationship has become so bad." Chen Yu's eyes reddened, and tears slowly dripped down.
Shen Yi'an looked at Chen Yu's tear-streaked face, wiped her tears with a tissue, and held her in his arms. "It's not your fault; Song Jiaran is just unappreciative. I won't pay attention to her anymore. Stop crying."
After the engagement incident, Chen Yu's love for Shen Yi'an had slowly transformed into obsession. Young love was happy, but in this circle filled with wealthy families, she was like duckweed, rootless.
As long as Shen Yi'an followed Shen Zhexiong's arrangements, he could marry anyone, just like this alliance with the Song family. Therefore, she had to find a way to hold onto Shen Yi'an; he could only be hers.
The deeper the obsession, the more irrational one's actions become. Chen Yu always worried that one day the relationship between Shen Yi'an and Song Jiaran would reignite, and they would get back together.
Chen Yu knew that Shen Zhexiong hadn't given up on the path involving Song Jiaran and often advised Shen Yi'an to hold onto her tightly.
Therefore, Chen Yu considered Song Jiaran a threat that had to be eliminated to prevent future trouble.
If Yue Qing knew Chen Yu's thoughts, she would only express her helplessness, stating that she truly had no feelings for Shen Yi'an anymore and would sigh at Chen Yu's convoluted thinking.
Whether in the original plot or now, Song Jiaran was an innocent victim, merely cannon fodder in their story. Yet, Chen Yu wanted to blame Song Jiaran for all the mistakes.
Once Chen Yu had an idea, she wanted to put it into action. After much thought, Chen Yu decided to ruin Song Jiaran.
However, Yue Qing was wary of both the male and female leads, so Chen Yu couldn't find an opportunity and had to suppress her thoughts.
After Yue Qing completed her university tests for the second semester of her third year, she officially began working at the Song Corporation.
Upon joining the company, she didn't immediately take on a high-ranking position just because she was Song's daughter. After discussing with her father, she decided to rotate through various departments, spending one to two months in each to learn and accumulate work experience.
Yue Qing worked diligently and performed excellently, earning the approval of the company's upper management and employees. Song's father was also very pleased with Yue Qing's performance and felt deeply gratified.
A year later, Yue Qing graduated from university and officially joined the Song Corporation as the Deputy Manager of the Project Development Department. Yue Qing knew that her father's arrangement was a sign of his trust and his desire for her to gain more experience to manage the company better in the future.
Of course, during this year, many things happened between the male lead Shen Yi'an and the female lead Chen Yu.
According to Xiao Jiu, the Shen family company had connected with the Wu family, one of the five great clans. The Wu family partnered with the Shen family, investing a large sum of capital and resolving the Shen family's financial problems. The Shen family company had developed steadily over the year.
Yue Qing was curious how the Shen family managed to connect with the Wu family, as the Wu family hadn't shown any inclination to help the Shen family before.
Xiao Jiu said it was because of the female lead Chen Yu. At a banquet, the fourth master of the Wu family, Wu Qianshan, took a liking to Chen Yu.