As soon as Su Banxia heard that voice, she had an ominous premonition.
In the novel, anything related to the protagonist never boded well. The protagonist, protected by a halo, wouldn’t die, but the same couldn’t be said for supporting characters, who might face misfortune or demise at any moment.
Su Banxia’s suspicious gaze fell on Mu Ruxue. In the original story, she married Shang Lu and lived a widow’s life in the past life. Her heart held both fear and hatred towards Shang Lu. Could it be her?
Tonight, Mu Ruxue was wearing an expensive white long dress, her hair done up, her face adorned with a crafty nude makeup, giving off a somewhat pitiable and innocent vibe.
However, Mu Ruxue was an adopted daughter of the Su family, and her status in the social circle was quite awkward. She wasn’t accepted by other young ladies of her status and could only mingle in such high-end banquets by following Shang Jingyao. She probably didn’t have the capability to do much.
At this time, the conflict between the two Shang brothers in the company hadn’t become evident. Shang Jingyao, as the male lead, had to be decent in character. It couldn’t be him plotting against his own brother.
Su Banxia’s gaze shifted back and forth between the two, not noticing Shang Lu beside her. His black eyes glanced at her, his sharp jawline tensing slightly as he saw her staring at Shang Jingyao.
Mu Ruxue’s face wore an ostensibly innocent smile, asking, “Sister, how have you been these days at the Shang’s?”
Su Banxia’s gaze returned to Mu Ruxue’s face, seeing her pretentious smile, she felt a strong malice.
Mu Ruxue’s words stirred emotions in many people, and she gained a lot of negative emotional value from those around her.
Everyone knew about Su Banxia’s elopement. She definitely didn’t want to come back and be forcibly married to a man with disabled legs.
For a man to be abandoned on his wedding day was a great humiliation. Despite Su Banxia’s glamorous appearance, she might be living worse than a servant in the Shang household.
Mu Ruxue stood beside Shang Jingyao, her lips curled in a faint smile.
Su Banxia, who had come to the banquet tonight, had specially styled herself. Her short black hair was done up, adorned with exquisite diamond hair accessories, and she wore a high-end custom black gown. Her pale complexion paired with red lips made her look like a proud black swan.
Just now, when Mu Ruxue saw Su Banxia from afar, she felt a moment of panic, almost as if she was seeing the previous Su Banxia, the arrogant and willful young lady.
As she approached, she noticed that Su Banxia still had a decadent and gloomy aura, only somewhat masked by makeup, making her look not too miserable.
“You didn’t bring your eyes?” Su Banxia asked with a smile.
Mu Ruxue’s face changed slightly, and she bit her lip, saying, “Sister, why are you insulting me?”
Shang Jingyao said coldly, “Su Banxia, do you know how to speak properly!”
Su Banxia pretended to be clueless, “Where did I insult her? I mean, if she had eyes, she would see how I am doing.”
Saying this, she stretched out her slender fingers to touch the exquisite gemstone necklace around her neck, “Isn’t this necklace pretty enough?”
Her other hand rested on Shang Lu’s shoulder, “My husband gave it to me.”
“……”
Nobody had noticed until she mentioned it, but Su Banxia was wearing a luxurious gemstone necklace around her neck, its dazzling and exquisite appearance indicating its high value.
This was a solid face-slapping moment.
“Pfft!” Someone chuckled, it was Qi Jiashu, not far from Shang Lu.
Holding a glass of red wine gracefully, he teased, “Lu, I didn’t realize, but you really spoil your little sister-in-law.”
Shang Lu’s handsome face remained impassive, seemingly acknowledging the comment.
Su Banxia winked at Qi Jiashu, thanking him for his support.
Shang Jingyao and Mu Ruxue’s faces inevitably turned ugly. After a moment of stiffness, Shang Jingyao changed the subject and started discussing other business matters with Shang Lu.
Su Banxia, having drunk a bit too much fruit wine earlier, was now feeling a bit tipsy and excited, but also somewhat tired and sleepy.
She found a place to sit not too far away, forcing herself to stay awake.
No, she couldn’t sleep; she had to catch the person responsible for causing Shang Lu to fall into the pool.
She picked up her phone and messaged Xiong Da and Xiong Er to ask if they had noticed any suspicious activity. Both replied that they hadn’t seen anyone suspicious.
Su Banxia propped her chin, staring at Shang Lu who was talking to Qi Jiashu. The man was wearing a tailor-made suit that fit him perfectly. The classic black color looked particularly good on him, even better than the models in promotional photos.
In the noisy crowd, he sat alone in a wheelchair, making him stand out. Therefore, people often looked at him with different eyes.
Shang Lu seemed to be used to the pity or shock in people’s eyes, or perhaps he didn’t care at all. His clear and handsome features always maintained an indifferent and cold expression.
He was like a god; even with a physical imperfection, his aura was incomparable.
Shang Lu felt the intense gaze and looked in its direction.
The girl was sitting on a beach chair near the pool, supporting her chin with one hand, slightly tilting her head and staring at him blankly. Her large eyes, hazy as if covered by a layer of mist, looked very obedient, somewhat like a lazy cat.
At the crowded banquet where many people mingled, the slightly tipsy girl attracted the attention of several unfamiliar men.
The banquet was already halfway through. It was acceptable to leave early if one wished to.
Shang Lu said, “Xiang Lei.”
Xiang Lei leaned in, “What’s up, Boss Shang?”
Shang Lu said indifferently, “Go get the car.”
“Alright, Boss Shang,” Xiang Lei turned and left.
Soon after he left, for some reason, the atmosphere among the people drinking and chatting suddenly heated up, becoming noisy and cheerful.
Waiters carrying drinks hurriedly weaved through the crowd. Suddenly, one of them, as if tripped by someone, accidentally bumped into a woman in a white dress standing by the pool.
“Ah—!” A scream pierced the night sky.
Su Banxia had already sprung up from her beach chair the moment she saw the waiter bump into Mu Ruxue. She dashed towards Shang Lu almost like a sprinter.
She saw the waiter bump into Mu Ruxue and, amidst the chaos, pushed Shang Lu’s wheelchair with a secret force.
The incident happened so fast that many people couldn’t react in time.
Mu Ruxue, thrown off balance, stumbled towards the pool. Without thinking, she reached out to grab something beside her, hoping to stabilize herself by holding onto the wheelchair, so she wouldn’t fall in.
She didn’t care about the possibility of the wheelchair’s momentum carrying it forward into the pool.
But just at the critical moment—
A figure rushed over from the side, knocking her hand away and desperately reaching out to grab the wheelchair. They pulled back with all their strength, not hesitating even if it meant falling into the nearly three-meter-deep pool.
“Splash!” Two figures fell into the cold water of the pool.
“Ah, ah, someone fell into the pool! Hurry, call someone over!”
“Oh my god, who can swim? Jump in quickly and save them!”
While shouting this, everyone just stood around watching, hesitant to jump into the pool to save anyone. They secretly felt relieved that they weren’t the ones in trouble, wondering who the unfortunate soul was that fell into the pool.
Once Shang Jingyao realized what had happened, he immediately took off his jacket and jumped into the pool.
Shang Lu’s handsome face turned gloomy in an instant. He turned his head towards Qi Jiashu and ordered coldly, “Go down and save them!”
Qi Jiashu, however, didn’t seem to be in a hurry at all. Standing beside him, he said with a smile, “Both Mu Ruxue and Su Banxia have fallen in. Aren’t you curious about who he will save first?”
As Shang Lu’s friend, Qi Jiashu naturally had a bias against Su Banxia, the woman who had abandoned Shang Lu on their wedding day, causing him to lose face in Haicheng.
Lifeguards from the hotel ran over. Falling into the pool wouldn’t be fatal.
Shang Lu gripped the armrests of his wheelchair tightly, his arms tensed and veins bulging, his eyes fixed on the rippling water of the pool.
…
When Su Banxia went to save Shang Lu, she was mentally prepared and had considered various scenarios.
Still, when the cold water engulfed her, she panicked, unable to move. Her body felt as heavy as lead, continuously sinking, as if uncontrollably falling into an abyss.
Her blood felt ice cold, unable to open her eyes, with cold water pouring into her mouth, she couldn’t even cry for help.
Not far away, another woman who had fallen into the pool was floundering in a disheveled state, calling for help, “Save me—! Jingyao, save me! Hurry!”
Shang Jingyao had witnessed both Mu Ruxue and Su Banxia falling into the pool and acted faster than he could think, immediately taking off his jacket and diving into the water.
When he entered the water, his first instinct was to save Mu Ruxue, as she was the girl he currently had some feelings for.
He hurriedly swam towards Mu Ruxue, but noticed that nearby, a black figure, like a black lotus blooming in water, was sinking deeply.
Ordinarily, people flounder and call for help when they fall into water. What was happening with Su Banxia?
Shang Jingyao hesitated for a moment, realizing the urgency of a human life at stake, and turned to swim towards Su Banxia.
Mu Ruxue, who had swallowed a few mouthfuls of water in her panic, was both moved and happy to see Shang Jingyao dive in to save someone. However, he changed direction halfway to save Su Banxia.
Mu Ruxue watched in disbelief, her eyes red with anger.
The hotel’s lifeguards were quick to respond, several of them jumping into the water. Before Shang Jingyao could reach Su Banxia, the lifeguards had already swiftly rescued her.
Mu Ruxue was also lifted out of the pool by the lifeguards. Shang Jingyao, having dived in to save someone, ended up alone and had to swim back to the shore.
With everyone rescued, the onlookers breathed a sigh of relief.
Mu Ruxue was in a better state than Su Banxia, sitting on the ground, covering her chest, and coughing in a disheveled manner. Gone was her previous graceful demeanor, now she looked like a wilted flower beaten by hail and frost.
“Make way, make way!” The lifeguards placed the unconscious Su Banxia on the shore.
Shang Lun activated his wheelchair, and Qi Jiaju raised an eyebrow, following him over.
Su Banxia’s makeup was partially washed away by the water, and her soaked body lay on the shore, unconscious and pale, looking somewhat pitiful.
The lifeguards swiftly administered first aid for drowning. The girl coughed a few times, spat out water, and slowly opened her eyes.
After waking up, Su Banxia continued to cough violently, feeling a sharp pain in her chest. Her vision was still blurry as she searched through the crowd.
“I’m here,” a cold voice sounded.
Su Banxia blinked her eyes, and water droplets slid down her long eyelashes. She sat on the ground, looking up at the man in front of her.
Shang Lun was safe, which was a huge relief for her. She relaxed.
After falling into the water, the girl’s hair was disheveled, and her black dress clung to her wet body. Her fair and slender waistline was exposed, making her look particularly enticing. Su Banxia was about to speak when suddenly her vision darkened, and her head was covered by clothing.
Leave a Reply