Qin Mo had always understood his younger sister well. Once Qin Cha made a decision, no one could change her mind.
He sighed deeply, his eyes full of worry for her. Qin Mo gave in and said in a low voice, "Okay, I'll respect your decision, but please don't overwork yourself."
"Mm," Qin Cha replied softly with a faint smile.
At that moment, a restless feeling started growing in Shang Jue's heart, especially after seeing the man who left with Qin Cha give him a warning glare.
Who was that man?
When had Qin Cha met him?
She used to tell him about everyone she met, but he had never heard of her being around any man before.
She always knew her limits and wouldn't do anything to hurt him.
But thinking back to her firm attitude today, Shang Jue couldn't help but wonder if she had planned to leave him a long time ago.
At the One Product Mansion, the servants respectfully bowed as they greeted their master home.
"Master is back. I'll go arrange dinner now," Zhang Ma said as she skillfully took his coat.
"No need," Shang Jue replied coldly, his face looking annoyed. He then headed straight to the third floor.
He pushed open the door to the master bedroom.
Inside, he saw Shen Mingyue sitting on the bed in a limited-edition Chanel dress, acting like she was the lady of the house.
"Ajue!" Shen Mingyue was surprised by his sudden return. She walked toward him nervously, fiddling with her fingers as she tried to explain.
"I... I just came to see if you were home. Have you eaten yet, Ajue?" Shen Mingyue tried to act sweet, gently linking arms with him as she asked in a soft voice.
But Shang Jue's eyes were cold as he stared at her clothes, which were clearly from Qin Cha's wardrobe.
His brows furrowed.
"Take it off," he said coldly.
"Ajue, what did you say?" Shen Mingyue froze, then got flustered. She finally realized Shang Jue had noticed she'd worn Qin Cha's clothes without asking.
Seeing that he looked like he was about to lose his temper, could it be that he still cared about Qin Cha?
A flicker of irritation flashed in her eyes, but she quickly acted pitiful, her eyes turning red as she pretended to be hurt.
"Ajue, I didn't mean anything by it. I just thought the clothes were really pretty, so I wanted to try them on. I didn't have any other intentions, really."
Shang Jue's expression stayed ice cold, and not even her tears moved him.
"Get out," he said without mercy.
Shen Mingyue wanted to say something, but she could see that he was running out of patience.
She was scared that if she kept pushing, he'd blow up. Even though she was full of resentment, she had to hold it in.
Shen Mingyue walked out of the master bedroom looking crushed, and as soon as she left, Shang Jue told the servants to clean the whole room again.
He couldn't stand the strong, artificial perfume left behind. The light, fresh scent that Qin Cha wore had always made him feel calm and at ease.
Just thinking about Qin Cha made the restlessness in his chest get worse.
Shang Jue walked into the study, picked up a few documents, and forced himself to calm down.
The next morning, as usual, Shang Jue went to the company. Li, his assistant, was already waiting for him downstairs.
Shen Mingyue had made a loving breakfast for him and was waiting in the dining room. She wanted to see if Shang Jue was still mad about what happened yesterday.
"Jue, I made breakfast. Want to eat before heading to the company?" Shen Mingyue looked at him hopefully, wishing to see even a little warmth in his expression.
For a second, Shang Jue seemed to mistake her for Qin Cha.
During the three years of their marriage, Qin Cha had made breakfast for him every single day. But he had never appreciated it.
Thinking about that now made Shang Jue feel even more frustrated. He didn't want to stay.
"Let Zhang Ma handle these things," Shang Jue said, ignoring Shen Mingyue.
He didn't even glance at the breakfast she had carefully made. Shen Mingyue became even more sure that he was angry.
Her resentment grew. She blamed Qin Cha for stealing Shang Jue's heart for the past three years. If it weren't for her showing up again, Shen Mingyue wouldn't have ended up in such an embarrassing position.
"Mr. Shang," Li called out as he followed behind, and they both got into the luxury car to head to the company.
"How's the investigation going?" Shang Jue asked in a low voice as he reviewed the company's financial report.
Li sat up straight and answered seriously, "Mr. Shang, we still can't find out the identity of the man who suddenly appeared by your wife's side. We don't even know if he's a local."
It was like this person appeared out of nowhere, and no one knew who he really was.
How did Mrs. Qin meet someone so mysterious? It was seriously confusing.
Upon hearing this, Mr. Shang's face grew even darker. His gut feeling told him that the man next to Qin Cha wasn't just some ordinary guy.
"And what about her?"
"Mrs. Qin is filming on set today."
Mr. Li, the assistant, answered Mr. Shang's question right away.
Filming?
Was Qin Cha really trying to get into the entertainment industry?
How desperate for money was she?
If she needed it that badly, why didn't she take a single penny during the divorce?
"Mr. Shang, from what I know, Mrs. Qin is working really hard. Her filming schedule is packed without any rest time. Isn't that too much for her?"
Mr. Li couldn't help but feel bad for Mrs. Qin.
It wasn't easy supporting herself through hard work, especially since back when she was Mrs. Shang, she didn't even have to worry about her daily meals.
Mr. Shang stayed cold, not even lifting his eyelids. "Don't worry about her. Let's see how long she wants to stay stubborn."
Meanwhile, Qin Cha had gotten a minor role as a bodyguard.
She couldn't even wear the tight black outfit with the protective gear because it would be too noticeable.
"Scene 30, action!"
The director gave the signal.
Without hesitating, Qin Cha flipped and landed smoothly on her side. Then, with one clean and decisive move, she knocked down her opponent.
Her movements were so smooth that even the director couldn't help but look impressed.
"The young girl who played the bodyguard, what company is she from? Her acting and martial arts are actually really good," the assistant director asked as he looked at Qin Cha's file.
When he found out she was signed under a small company with basically no reputation, the assistant director's eyes widened in disbelief. "She's so talented and hardworking, but she's with a company that has zero future."
The director sighed and said, "Her acting is great, but her choice in company is so bad. With her skills and looks, she could've signed with a way better agency and gotten so many more chances."
But they didn't know that Qin Cha had chosen to grow her own subsidiary company from the ground up.
"Cut!"
"Qin, you did a great job," the director complimented her acting without hesitation.
Qin Cha nodded humbly and said, "Thank you, director. I'll keep working hard."
Back in her trailer, Qin Cha barely gave herself any time to rest.
She checked on her company's current development status and knew that just working hard wasn't enough.
She needed to move faster and boost the value of her media company in the industry.