Jiang Niansheng added, “Before this, I thought I was supposed to resemble Xia Caiwei but it looks like that is not the case!”
Which was strange. She was not Xia Caiwei’s substitute, so whose substitute was she? Xia Caiwei was not Sheng Hanye’s most important woman and she didn’t cause him the trauma.
The atmosphere was tense. Si Cang laughed dryly. “You are you, you are not anyone’s substitute. You are unique and irreplaceable. Don’t let your imagination take you over. I’ll get the driver to send you back to Sheng Manor.”
Before Jiang Niansheng got into the car, she turned around to ask, “Does Sheng Hanye’s behavior tonight count as cheating?”
“…”
“He’s the one cheating on me. Will I get more during the divorce?”
“Jiang Niansheng,” Gu Yanzhou adjusted the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose. “My warning is still the same, don’t mess with Xia Caiwei.”
Jiang Niansheng chuckled, “Then I promise you that is the only thing I’ll devote my life to.”
Sheng Hanye ruined her family and entrapped her to marry him. She would have to take revenge! But since she couldn’t touch him, then Xia Caiwei was her best punching bag!
If she had to suffer, then Xia Caiwei had to suffer with her and ultimately, so did Sheng Hanye!
‘So he cares about Xia Caiwei? She’s the woman on his heart? Fine, I’ll make sure they will have a wonderful life together!’
…
At the villa, after Sheng Hanye treated the wound on Xia Caiwei’s shoulder, he said plainly, “Rest early.”
“Hanye,” She pulled on his sleeve, “You’re leaving already?”
“Yes.”
“Aren’t you going to stay with me?” Xia Caiwei said, “We haven’t seen each other for three years already.”
Sheng Hanye stood rooted to the ground.
‘Yes, it has already been three years!’ He still hadn’t gotten out of his nightmare. That fire still burned in his nightmare!
“You said on the phone that you didn’t want to marry Ye Ziya because it will topple the balance of the two families so you married an unknown woman to deal with your grandfather.” Xia Caiwei looked at him with twinkling eyes. “Are those words still true?”
“Of course.”
“Will the position of Mrs. Sheng still be mine?”
Sheng Hanye replied with a nod.
Xia Caiwei smiled sadly, “You know I would have believed you if I didn’t come back today and see Jiang Niansheng. I can’t help but suspect that…”
“Jiang Niansheng is nobody.”
“Yet, you are going to leave me to accompany that nobody.”
Sheng Hanye pursed his thin lips. “It’s not convenient for me to spend the night. It’s not good for your reputation.”
Xia Caiwei shook her head. “I don’t care!”
“But I can’t do that to you.” He brushed her hand away. “Caiwei, after my divorce, I will fulfill my promises to you one by one.”
Xia Caiwei’s back slowly bent. She curled up and covered her face. A soft sob escaped from her lips.
“Jiang Niansheng looks just like Wen Wan.” She murmured, “You married her for that reason, right?”
Only Xia Caiwei dared to mention this name in front of Sheng Hanye. Wen Wan was Sheng Hanye’s landmine!
Sheng Hanye admitted, “Yes.”
“In your heart, no one can replace Wen Wan, not even me.” Xia Caiwei cried louder. “Hanye, Wen Wan is no longer with us. I beg you to walk out of it already…”
Sheng Hanye asked, “Are you telling me you’ve forgotten Wan Wan?”
“Of course not. But the dead should be laid to rest and the living needs to move forward.”
“I used to dream about her every night.” Sheng Hanye closed his eyes. “But after Jiang Niansheng appeared, I don’t have nightmares about her anymore.”
Xia Caiwei suddenly raised her head and looked at him. There was shock and panic in her eyes. She knew Jiang Niansheng’s existence posed a great threat to her!
‘I have gotten rid of Wen Wan and now there’s Jiang Niansheng! Why is it so difficult for me to have Sheng Hanye?’
“Hanye.” Xia Caiwei grabbed his hand. “Can’t you marry someone else? You can’t keep Jiang Niansheng around, she’ll only make you sink deeper and deeper into the past!”
“Why do you dislike her so much?” Sheng Hanye frowned. “You were Wan Wan’s best friend. Didn’t you feel a sense of familiarity when you saw Jiang Niansheng?”
“I-I… It’s because I know she’s not Wan Wan.”
He turned around and walked out. “You’re right. No one can replace her.”
The door closed with a bang.
After Sheng Hanye left, Xia Caiwei collapsed like a deflated balloon.
She thought her return to Nan City would be the beginning of her true ownership of Sheng Hanye. She did not expect Jiang Niansheng to come out of nowhere.
Xia Caiwei slowly rolled up her pants, revealing the shallow scars on her skin. She had narrowly escaped death in the fire three years ago, but Wen Wan remained in the fire forever.
As they say, winners take all. And she was alive, thus the winner.
“Wen Wan failed to take Sheng Hanye away from me and neither will you Jiang Niansheng!” Xia Caiwei muttered to herself. “You’re nothing but my stepping stone.”
…
The Rolls-Royce stopped at Sheng Manor and Sheng Hanye got out. He had a cigarette between his fingers. He hadn’t heard the name Wen Wan in a long time already. He knew he was going to have a sleepless night.
“Where is she?”
The butler answered, “Madam went to bed after she came back.”
Sheng Hanye threw away his cigarette butt and went up to the second floor. He pushed open the door of the master bedroom.
A gust of fierce wind came at him. He dodged and grabbed her wrist. “Jiang Niansheng!”
Jiang Niansheng reacted quickly and used a backflip to escape from his grasp.
She stood firm and clapped her hands. “I’m surprised that a man can be so alert after coming back from a woman’s arms…”
Sheng Hanye’s expression changed drastically. His eyes deepened with an inquiry. “Who taught you your fighting skills?”
“Huh? Why do you care?”
“Answer me!” Sheng Hanye grabbed her shoulders with both hands.
Jiang Niansheng looked baffled. “Of course it’s my teacher.”
He asked again, “Which teacher?”
“It’s not like I have a fixed teacher. I know both Taekwondo and freestyle combat. How would I answer you?”
The light in Sheng Hanye’s eyes slowly extinguished.
Jiang Niansheng’s moves reminded him of Wen Wan. The perfect backflip was exactly the same as Wen Wan’s.
‘I am overthinking. It’s probably because I’ve been thinking Wen Wan all night. Jiang Niansheng is not Wen Wan. Jiang Niansheng is not Wen Wan. Jiang Niansheng is not Wen Wan.’
“Okay.” He tugged his tie and turned to the bathroom.
Seeing the loneliness in his eyes, Jiang Niansheng knew that he was missing the woman she was substituting again. For some reason, her heart ached as if there were fine needles poking her heart.
Jiang Niansheng clutched her chest. The pain was so real. ‘This is strange, why does my heart pain? What does this have to do with me? I should be happy seeing Sheng Hanye in pain!’
Jiang Niansheng sat by the bed, wondering if she should go to the hospital tomorrow for an electrocardiogram when a phone rang. The phone was inside Sheng Hanye’s suit jacket. He didn’t hear it over the sound of running water.
Jiang Niansheng reached in to take out his phone. She answered the call and placed the phone by her ear. She did not say anything.
The voice on the other end said, “CEO Sheng, there’s a new update from Flying Feather.”