CH 7.1

Hate Her 07 – Is there such a good thing in this world?

For Shang Lu now, nothing is more important than ending her terrible relationship with Jiang Yi.

Jiang Yi, being somewhat clever, immediately understood the reason for her anger when he considered the cause and effect of being blocked by Shang Lu.

Jiang Yi knew that he was in the wrong this time, and when facing Shang Lu, he rarely softened his tone and explained, “I didn’t know what happened when you called me. That comment was not arranged by me. I just wanted them to teach you a lesson, but I didn’t expect…”

“Just wanted them to teach me a lesson?” Shang Lu interrupted Jiang Yi’s words and repeated, “Are you trying to say that you just wanted them to teach me a lesson and it’s not entirely your fault that they humiliated me in that way, right?”

Under Shang Lu’s accusatory tone, Jiang Yi instinctively wanted to retort, but he couldn’t find the words, so he could only nod and say, “…Yes.”

Shang Lu closed her eyes, and her hand holding the doorknob trembled slightly. She felt that the man in front of her was disgustingly unfamiliar.

Whether he expected it or not was irrelevant. The program team’s staff were just following his instructions. Regardless, his intentions towards her were malicious.

What kind of attitude and words did he use to make others think that she was someone who could be demeaned like that?

She had known him for decades, but he didn’t even leave her with a bit of respect in front of others.

However, Shang Lu didn’t want to argue with Jiang Yi meaninglessly anymore. She didn’t have the time or energy for that. She just wanted to solve the problem.

So Shang Lu took a deep breath and tried to keep herself calm as he said directly, “No matter what you think, it doesn’t matter. My idea is just to cancel the engagement as soon as possible.”

Although Jiang Yi didn’t understand why Shang Lu suddenly made such a decision, Shang Lu’s attitude of avoiding him like a virus still made his face look ugly.

So Jiang Yi’s voice also turned cold, and he said directly, “Shang Lu, don’t be so immature. Our engagement was arranged by our parents, and it’s related to the business interests of both families behind the scenes. It’s not something that can be changed with just a few words from you and me. Even if we cancel the engagement, my father won’t easily agree.”

Jiang Yi has always been good at using the rhetoric of “for your own good” to persuade others. Seeing that Shang Lu didn’t argue back, he felt more and more that everything was still under his control, and he continued, “Take a good rest and calm down. I’ll come to pick you up tomorrow evening at five o’clock. My parents just came back from abroad and want to have dinner with you.”

After saying that, he left, not wanting to waste any more time with Shang Lu.

The next evening, five o’clock.

Jiang Yi’s car stopped in front of Shang Lu’s apartment, but he still couldn’t get through to Shang Lu’s phone, and no one answered the door.

Jiang Yi didn’t know where Shang Lu had gone again, so he decided to wait patiently here like yesterday.

Just at this moment, Jiang Yi’s phone rang.

The person calling Jiang Yi was his longtime friend and the only son of the Chi family, top wealthy family in the capital, Chi Yan.

The phone was connected, and the other end asked directly, “There’s a new racetrack in Nancheng, want to go and play?”

Jiang Yi was a bit surprised, because apart from the few years in high school when he and Chi Yan were quite close as friends, they hadn’t interacted much privately in recent years.

Especially after Chi Yan entered his family’s company and took over the business, Jiang Yi rarely heard about him. Chi Yan had quickly become the feared and respected young CEO at the negotiation table, and he was widely recognized as the top talent of their generation. He had created a significant gap between them in a short period of time.

But Jiang Yi didn’t think he was inferior to Chi Yan in any way. The difference between them was simply due to their family backgrounds, and he believed that he would catch up with Chi Yan sooner or later.

However, because of his title as Chi Yan’s good friend, it had brought convenience to Jiang Yi and his family. So Jiang Yi had always taken the initiative to maintain his relationship with Chi Yan.

When Chi Yan took the initiative to call him to ask him out, Jiang Yi naturally wanted to go, especially since Chi Yan had focused on projects in the entertainment industry this year. Some people who had initially wanted to collaborate with him to please Chi Yan had started to lose faith in him. This was a good opportunity to prove that his relationship with Chi Yan was still as strong as ever and to make those people believe that as long as they pleased Jiang’s family, they would have a chance to connect with Chi family.

But he was really busy and couldn’t get away, so he had to refuse: “I have something to do today. Let me make arrangements and contact you. I’ll invite all the high school friends as well. We haven’t had a gathering for a long time.”

Chi Yan chuckled lightly, without explicitly agreeing, just saying, “Let’s see about that. Oh, and there’s something else I wanted to ask you.”

“What is it?” Jiang Yi asked.

Chi Yan leisurely asked, “It’s about the bag that Shang Lu carried in the travelling photo she posted on her WeChat Moments today. It looks nice. I want to buy one for my mom. Can you ask her where she bought it?”

The air seemed to quiet down in an instant.

Jiang Yi grasped the key point in Chi Yan’s words, but it took him a full half minute to digest it before asking, “What did you say? What did she post on her Moments?”

Chi Yan’s voice remained casual, “Didn’t you see it? She posted it at noon, the one where she’s on vacation by the seaside.”

“…Show me.”

Soon, screenshots of Shang Lu’s Moments were sent to Jiang Yi.

The timestamp showed that it was posted three hours ago, and the location was a famous tourist city that would take five hours by high-speed train from the imperial capital.

In the picture, Shang Lu was wearing a light blue spaghetti strap dress, holding a cup of iced drink, and smiling brightly at the camera.

She seemed to be in a good mood.

However, Jiang Yi felt the opposite. His knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists.

He couldn’t understand. He just found it absurd.

Despite his clear statement that he would pick up Shang Lu and go home together, she completely ignored his words and went to a place that she wouldn’t have time to come back from in time.

Could it be that Shang Lu’s words about canceling the engagement yesterday weren’t just a momentary impulse?

No, this is absolutely impossible.

This idea was immediately denied by Jiang Yi.

After all, she was Shang Lu.

She was the Shang Lu who had always followed him since childhood, no matter how cold and hurtful he was to her, and had never left him once.

But no matter what Shang Lu was thinking now, the fact was that she was avoiding him.

Jiang Yi opened the car door, took out the cake he had prepared to coax Shang Lu with from the passenger seat, and threw it directly into the roadside garbage bin.

Then he got back in the driver’s seat, stepped on the accelerator, and left Shang Lu’s apartment.

At this moment, Shang Lu stood by the window, watching Jiang Yi’s car leave, and pulled the curtains back.

She sat cross-legged on the sofa and sent a message to Chi Yan.

[Thank you, I’ll treat you to a meal when we have the chance.]

The acquaintance between Chi Yan and Shang Lu could be described as a fateful coincidence.

It happened in their first year of high school. At that time, there were rumors spreading about a conflict between senior students and delinquent boys from the neighboring high school over a girl they both liked, and they decided to have a fight to compete for the right to pursue the girl.

Then Shang Lu and Chi Yan arrived at the scene earlier than the others who were about to fight, and they awkwardly ran into each other at the back door of the neighboring high school, both still wearing their school uniforms.

Chi Yan frowned and asked Shang Lu, “What are you doing here?”

Shang Lu honestly replied, “I wanted to watch the excitement and see who the pretty girl is. How about you?”

Cai Yan placed a hand on his forehead and then extended his hand, saying, “… Me too.”

Then the two of them high-fived.

But the more awkward part came next.

When they were leaning against the wall, watching the students from the two schools fight, they heard the name of the pretty girl they were fighting for as “Shang Lu,” the two fell silent together.

Shang Lu : “…”

Her hand supporting her body against the brick wall trembled slightly.

It turned out that the beauty they were fighting over was herself.

Meanwhile, Chi Yan was laughing so hard that he almost fell off the wall, exposing the fact that they had been eavesdropping.

So, the delinquent boys from both sides unanimously turned their attention to them and started chasing after them.

Chi Yan pulled Shang Lu and they ran through a dozen alleys. Even though they were exhausted, Chi Yan kept teasing, “They really like you, they’re all chasing after you, huh?”

Really being chased.

Shang Lu : “…”

—Could you just shut up? 

After finally shaking off those two groups of people, Shang Lu was completely exhausted, her legs trembling even as she walked. It was Chi Yan who reluctantly carried her back home on his back, despite having a disgusted expression on his face.