Chapter 33: The Ultimate Goddess

Liang Jinshang truly managed to leave “before dawn.”

She ordered a snow-topped coffee at KFC, paired it with fries, and, reading her textbooks, sat there until seven in the morning.

Then she made a trip back to Mi’an Alley.

As expected, Shang Yucheng’s bodyguards were consummate professionals; at this hour, they were already stationed outside his house.

In a little while, Shang Yucheng and Hu Zhinan would likely see that explosive news. However, Shang Yucheng’s main focus would certainly be crisis management—he wouldn't have time to worry about recalling his bodyguards over such a minor detail. Meanwhile, Hu Zhinan would rush to Mi’an Alley to catch someone.

Once Hu Zhinan saw Shang Yucheng’s bodyguards, together with that official account’s video, it would be clear as day that she and Shang Yucheng were in league. After that, he would have to think twice before daring to touch her.

Even if he acted recklessly and barged into the house—

The Liang family would not be home.

The moment she left Pink Hair’s hospital room yesterday, her first move had been to swiftly rent a small apartment in the busiest, safest neighborhood near the hospital. Using the excuse of having booked Director Chao’s specialist appointment for convenient rehabilitation, she had Liang Xizhou and his mother move in.

This was her double insurance for the Liang family.

As for Pink Hair, a separate group of bodyguards would help him slip out of the hospital. Given his slippery nature, she was confident he would have no trouble dodging the worst of the storm.

Besides, whether He Xiaoque himself was present or not, his underlings still commanded some respect in Jin City.

…

At nine in the morning, Liang Jinshang changed into business attire and appeared at Lehai Construction’s recruitment site.

Nantian, Qingcheng, and Lehai were the three giants of the construction industry in Province A. While the first two were currently mired in chaos, Lehai continued its annual campus recruitment as if nothing had happened.

In the interview room, Liang Jinshang met up with Le Quan.

“Why is the heiress of the Le family showing up for interviews in person?” Liang Jinshang asked in her usual tone.

Le Quan, in no mood to joke about being “raised by a stepmother,” grabbed her with a look of eager gossip. “Did you see it? The internet’s on fire! You remember Gong Xueyuan—the one who tripped you up? She’s in trouble!”

Liang Jinshang, tidying her interview papers, replied offhandedly that her phone was off.

Le Quan handed her own phone over. “Check it out, it’s scorching! Didn’t you always love raunchy stuff? This one’s the real deal!”

Liang Jinshang shot her a helpless look. “I really don’t.”

Perhaps gossip feels even more thrilling when it involves someone you know. With growing excitement, Le Quan filled her in on how arrogant and domineering Gong Xueyuan usually was. At last, she exclaimed, “I still can’t figure out why she sabotaged your thesis—what’s wrong with her, going after someone who’s got nothing to do with her? Bad people always meet their match, and now she’s getting what she deserves. Honestly, you—”

She’d been performing a one-woman show for quite a while and noticed Liang Jinshang hadn’t responded. Suddenly, as she caught sight of Liang Jinshang’s unusually calm expression, realization dawned on her. She finally found her voice, “Wait, you—?!”

Liang Jinshang kept her head down, the corners of her lips faintly upturned.

A risky move, but she did not regret it.

Le Quan, unable to find a cold Coke to steady herself, pinched Liang Jinshang’s leg. “Tell me this isn’t true.”

“Ouch, that hurts!” Liang Jinshang gasped. Under their gaze, the patch of skin turned from white to red, then blue, finally blossoming into a dark bruise.

Le Quan protested, “I swear I didn’t use much force! Liang Jinshang, your legs… Tsk, if you ever get a boyfriend, he’ll be obsessed!”

Pale, straight, and slender—like the finest rice paper. Who wouldn’t want to leave a mark?

“Hey, seriously! Tell me what’s going on!”

Of course, Liang Jinshang wouldn’t say.

Le Quan was a good person—her looks and manner were androgynous, bold, and unrestrained. In her own words, she was “every girl’s dream.” To Liang Jinshang, she was as pure-hearted as her name suggested.

But Liang Jinshang was used to solitude; no matter how good someone was, she kept her distance.

She reminded, “It’s your turn.”

Le Quan went in for her interview, then it was Liang Jinshang’s turn.

Today, she wore a white blouse with a mist-blue pencil skirt, her medium-length black hair pulled into a high ponytail. She looked fresh and striking, yet also professional. The moment she entered the interview room, one of the male interviewers sat up straighter.

Handing over her elegant résumé, Liang Jinshang could tell by their expressions she had the job in the bag.

Of course, apart from her own abilities, she suspected Le Quan’s influence had helped as well.

Given their back-to-back interview slots, Liang Jinshang had already guessed as much.

Le Quan was certainly more than just a wildflower raised outside the Le family.

…

After the interview, Le Quan insisted they celebrate their joint success with a meal.

But even during the meal, Le Quan was glued to her phone, surfing the web. Finally, Liang Jinshang couldn’t stand it. “Are you eating or not?”

Le Quan replied innocently, “You know the inside story but won’t tell me, so I have to read online sleuths’ theories! Right now, the trending topics on Weibo have all been deleted, tons of video-sharing accounts shut down—this is real capital at work, nothing left standing! Luckily, I downloaded early! Really, you don’t want to see?”

Liang Jinshang looked at her, amused, and finally offered a sliver of truth. “Yours is the edited version. I have the full.”

Le Quan inhaled sharply, only to have Liang Jinshang stuff a piece of sushi in her mouth. “Enough questions. Eat.”

After finishing their meal, the two walked outside, only to find the street jammed with cars.

A red Mercedes was stuck in the mess. Le Quan tugged Liang Jinshang to a halt. “Look, that’s Gong Xueyuan’s car!”

A crowd of reporters with cameras surrounded the vehicle.

At last, Gong Xueyuan clambered out, disheveled and desperate, shielded by a tall figure at her side.

Chao Jingyu used his suit jacket to cover Gong Xueyuan’s head, leading her away.

Chao Jingyu, likely never having lost his composure in public before, wore a thunderous expression as he smashed two cameras, warning coldly, “Anyone else dares to film, and I’ll shut your company down.”

But there were still countless people around with phones raised, live-streaming everything.

Official media could be handled with PR, but the independent streamers would do anything for views.

The buzzing voices were like flies drawn to the stench of blood—nowhere to hide, nowhere to escape...

Liang Jinshang watched as Gong Xueyuan stumbled and fell several times while fleeing her car, cowering in disgrace, utterly stripped of her former arrogance.

If not for Chao Jingyu’s strong support, she would probably have fainted by now.

Is this all it takes to break her?

But eight years ago, how old had she been?

When Gong Xueyuan incited the whole school to attack her, to mock and ostracize her, calling her “the criminal’s daughter,” “homewrecker”—had she ever wondered how a child could bear it?