Volume One, Chapter 7: Have You Lost Your Mind?

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Shen Qingqing stood frozen as if under a spell, motionless. Behind her, Xiao Meimei nudged her gently and whispered, “Stop staring and find a seat quickly.”

At that moment, a cold snort came from beside the man.

Shen Qingqing glanced sideways—it was Xu Mingxuan.

Xu Mingxuan was seated to the right of the man, looking at her with a mocking glare.

The man in the main seat never once glanced her way.

The attendees took their seats: permanent staff sat at the conference table, probationary employees occupied chairs along the sides, except for Xu Minyu.

Xu Minyu sat beside Xu Mingxuan, exchanging occasional words with him, her smile bright and frequent as if the Mo Corporation belonged to her family.

Shen Qingqing couldn’t help but look again at the man in the main seat.

He calmly flipped through the documents on the table. Everyone around him held their breath cautiously, all intimidated by his powerful, icy aura.

No! It couldn’t be him.

Even if the man in the valley wasn’t a hallucination, it couldn't possibly be him.

No senior executive from Mo Corporation would appear in a wild mountain, let alone kill a wild boar in seconds…

It must be her hallucination, causing her memories to jumble.

“Let me introduce everyone—this is our president’s special assistant, Zhou Cong, Assistant Zhou,” the director of the technical department broke the silence.

“Ah?” Xiao Meimei beside her couldn’t help but express surprise.

Shen Qingqing looked at her in confusion.

Xiao Meimei quickly composed herself and smiled faintly, saying nothing.

Meetings at Mo Corporation were efficient and brisk; in just half an hour, the agenda for the coming week was set.

After the meeting, several middle managers gathered around “Assistant Zhou” speaking politely.

“Assistant Zhou” was courteous and answered every question.

Recalling the valley scene, the soldier’s cold words and sharp tongue seemed very different.

Shen Qingqing confirmed once more that most of the men in the valley were likely her illusions.

Perhaps she had seen Assistant Zhou’s face somewhere on a platform or magazine, which is why he appeared in her fantasies.

“Come out with me for a moment,” Xu Mingxuan suddenly approached Shen Qingqing, lowering his voice with an order.

Then he turned and walked away.

Shen Qingqing didn’t even bother to raise her head, nor did she plan to follow him.

“Do you know him?” Xiao Meimei, closest to Shen Qingqing, leaned in and asked.

“Once…” Shen Qingqing pondered briefly and answered lightly, “Classmate.”

She felt that admitting he was an ex-boyfriend would be an insult to her intelligence.

Following closely behind Xu Mingxuan, Xu Minyu heard Shen Qingqing’s words and curled the corners of her mouth into a smile.

In her eyes, Shen Qingqing didn’t dare to admit it, nor did she dare to compete with her.

At the same time, a sharp gaze landed on Shen Qingqing’s face.

Following the gaze, Shen Qingqing met the deep eyes of “Assistant Zhou.”

In that instant, his eyes burned like torches, as if trying to see through her entirely.

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Inexplicably, Shen Qingqing’s heart tightened sharply, debating whether she should respond with a smile.

“Assistant Zhou” nonchalantly looked away, as if that intense stare had been accidental.

“Between Assistant Zhou and the president, who’s more handsome?” Shen Qingqing suddenly threw the question to Xiao Meimei.

Xiao Meimei stammered, “I guess they’re about equal.”

Shen Qingqing nodded, reassuring herself:

Her attention to Assistant Zhou and her lingering thoughts about the valley incident must be because of their striking appearances—so exceptional that they left a deep impression on her.

“Are you… interested in Assistant Zhou?” Xiao Meimei asked almost with certainty.

Earlier, when Shen Qingqing entered, even Mo Lingcheng was stunned.

While tidying her things, Shen Qingqing joked, “Who doesn’t like a good-looking person?”

Xiao Meimei immediately grabbed Shen Qingqing’s arm, furrowing her brows with a serious expression:

“Qingqing, although you look good together, he is very difficult to get along with. And… his status is far out of reach…”

Shen Qingqing raised an eyebrow, draped her arm around Xiao Meimei’s shoulders, and teased her, “Never heard the saying ‘good men fear persistent pursuit’?”

Shen Qingqing understood what Xiao Meimei meant.

Even the president’s special assistant at Mo Corporation was a lofty figure.

She thought if Xiao Meimei knew that the person she truly intended to provoke was Mo Lingcheng, she’d be even more shocked.

Hearing Shen Qingqing’s reckless words, Xiao Meimei’s frown deepened.

Just as she was about to say more words of caution, she caught sight of a shadow behind Shen Qingqing.

Without a word, Xiao Meimei hurriedly pulled Shen Qingqing away from the meeting room.

Mo Lingcheng and the real Zhou Cong stood watching the two leave in a hurry.

“Boss, do you think she really doesn’t remember you, or is she pretending?

When she said she wanted to cling to you, was it because she likes you, or because of your assistant identity?” Zhou Cong stroked his chin, firing off questions.

Mo Lingcheng didn’t answer but instead looked coldly at Zhou Cong and countered, “Am I really that hard to get along with?”

Zhou Cong’s face paled and flushed in quick succession.

—

Just as Shen Qingqing stepped out of the meeting room, Xu Mingxuan caught her by the wrist.

He gritted his teeth and hissed, “You’re so arrogant, making me wait so long.”

“What are you doing, Young Master Xu?” Shen Qingqing calmly lifted her eyes, looking at him coolly.

“What did you call me?” Xu Mingxuan’s palm tightened abruptly.

In all these years, Shen Qingqing had never called him Young Master Xu.

But soon, the surprise on his face turned to sarcasm:

“You’re still angry, huh? Come with me; let’s talk properly.”

By calling him that, Shen Qingqing was clearly signaling her anger.

Women often do things out of character when upset to attract a man’s attention.

Ignoring her resistance, Xu Mingxuan dragged her forward.

“Let me go!” Shen Qingqing struggled repeatedly, her fair wrist turning red under his grip.

Once they reached the sparsely populated back garden, Xu Mingxuan finally released her and frowned at her.

He truly couldn’t understand why Shen Qingqing, who usually obeyed him, was so angry this time.

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“Ten days in a row, not a single call or message from you? Are you really planning to break off the engagement?” Xu Mingxuan rubbed his temples and snapped impatiently.

Shen Qingqing slowly massaged her wrist, glaring at him with reddened eyes.

Seeing the bruises on her wrist, Xu Mingxuan involuntarily restrained his anger and continued, “Shen Qingqing, do you have to be so melodramatic? Isn’t love a matter of mutual consent? It’s not a crime if I don’t love you.

You almost got me and Minyu killed, and I didn’t plan to hold it against you. Can’t you just respect the years we’ve shared and be a good Mrs. Xu?”

A fierce surge of blood coursed through Shen Qingqing’s body.

“You don’t hold it against me because you originally planned to push me off the cliff.

You’re right! You don’t love me, that’s not a crime. But you deceive me, hide things from me, betray me—am I supposed to be grateful, keep licking your wounds, and be a shield for your thrilling brother-sister romance?”

Without mercy, Shen Qingqing exposed the truth, leaving Xu Mingxuan utterly speechless.

He stood there, gritting his teeth and angrily denying, “Shen Qingqing, don’t make things up!”

Following closely was Xu Minyu, whose eyes darkened.

She quickly stepped forward, feigning heartbreak as she grabbed Shen Qingqing’s arm and pretended to advise, “Qingqing, forced love never tastes sweet. We’ve known each other for so many years—whether or not you have love with him, it shouldn’t affect our long friendship, right?”

Xu Minyu’s words implied that Shen Qingqing was the homewrecker, clinging to years of friendship to block Xu Mingxuan’s pursuit of true love.

Just as Shen Qingqing prepared to curse, she noticed a group gathering in the garden corridor.

Xu Minyu was clearly staging a public scene.

If Shen Qingqing lost her temper, she’d appear hot-tempered and capricious.

If she didn’t, it would mean she accepted Xu Minyu’s accusations.

Seeing Shen Qingqing hesitate, Xu Minyu’s lips curled into a smile.

She lowered her voice and whispered into Shen Qingqing’s ear:

“Qingqing, you keep saying we wanted to push you off the cliff, but in reality, you pushed us off.

If you wanted to press charges, attempted murder might not get you jailed, but it would ruin your reputation…”

Shen Qingqing’s pupils contracted sharply, staring at Xu Minyu in shock.

Was this woman still the once shy, dependent best friend she had protected?

“Xu Minyu, why have you become like this?” Shen Qingqing found it hard to comprehend.

Xu Minyu gently brushed Shen Qingqing’s hair aside, leaning close to whisper with an intimate expression words that shattered her worldview:

“Because things won through skill give a sense of security—especially things stolen… from you.”

A wave of disgust surged in Shen Qingqing’s heart.

She pushed Xu Minyu away forcefully, refusing to be near her even an inch.

Having achieved her goal, Xu Minyu collapsed accordingly.

Seeing this, Xu Mingxuan immediately rushed over, helping Xu Minyu up and shouting at Shen Qingqing:

“Shen Qingqing, are you crazy?”

The crowd in the corridor began to murmur:

“Look at Shen Qingqing’s face—she’s obviously a temptress…”

“No matter how pretty, she lost. Throwing a tantrum now only makes her look worse.”

“In love, the unloved one is the real third party.”

Shen Qingqing ignored the gossip, calmly took out her phone, and dialed Xu Mingxuan’s mother’s number.