Chapter 102: Chapter 72: There’s Always a Little Bitch Who Loves to Act Cute and Play the Victim

On the straight, wide road, cars whizzed past, kicking up a cold wind in their ceaseless stream.

A beauty clinic in downtown Lanjing City occupied a large, brightly-lit space. At its entrance stood a pair of meticulously trimmed, lush Japanese stone pines, their needles stretching out to bask in the sunlight.

On an upper floor of the clinic, several women with the distinct air of married life sat together, chattering away with green face masks on.

Jiangg Ning was among them. Her social circle was completely different from Jiangg Yao’s; she was mostly surrounded by successful career women or dedicated wives and mothers.

Their daily recreational activities were also vastly different.

This beauty clinic was owned by Ms. Qin. Ever since the hair-pulling incident, it had become clear her marriage could no longer continue. Ms. Qin had been discussing the divorce recently, planning to end a relationship that had seen both bitterness and joy.

“So what have you two decided? It’s a good thing you found out early and took precautions against him transferring assets. Otherwise, wouldn’t all your years of hard work just be lining someone else’s pockets?” a young woman with short hair asked worriedly.

“We haven’t decided much of anything. We tried to have a proper conversation a few times, but we always start arguing after just a few sentences. Then it just devolves into trading insults and throwing things. We can’t talk at all.”

“Sigh.” A woman let out a soft sigh.

Her sigh perfectly captured the mood of all the women there.

No one wanted to see something like this happen. They had all been quite envious of Ms. Qin’s marriage. Whenever they gathered for a meal, they would always say things like, “I’d be so content if I could marry as well as she did.” But who would have thought that even a relationship where they treated each other with such respect wasn’t unbreakable? All it took was for one person’s heart to stray, and the marriage could crumble from within all too easily.

Ms. Qin was nearly forty. Getting a divorce at this age, even with money, would make it difficult to find someone who met all her standards.

In a few more years, she’d be past her prime. How could she compete with those young girls?

Jiangg Ning pressed her lips together. She caught sight of Ms. Qin’s dim eyes and felt a pang of sympathy. In the two years since she had come to Lanjing, this “big sister,” Qin Ting, had always looked after her. She would spare no effort to help if asked and was always full of praise for her.

To give so much to a friend without asking for anything in return—such genuine affection was truly rare.

“Is there really no chance to save it? If not, I can call my brother. You two could sit down and have a proper talk, sister-in-law. You’ve been married for over ten years; your love has become like family. I really don’t want to see this family torn apart by someone else,” the petite woman urged.

“I understand how you feel, Ke, but please don’t try to persuade me about the divorce anymore,” Qin Ting said dejectedly, waving her hand. “I’ll still see you as a little sister in the future. My relationship with him doesn’t conflict with ours.”

“Sister-in-law… It’s all that Gao Min’s fault! She’s a total green tea bitch, with the face of a home-wrecking fox! And after all of us were so good to him, too! That slut who seduces men!”

She cursed bitterly, seeming even angrier than Qin Ting herself.

“Yeah, I noticed it too. Gao Min is really good at playing the victim. She’s so calculating. Now that this is out in the open, looking back, I realize some of her behavior was so ’green tea’! The way she talks in that cloying voice, always acting cute around men, pouting at the drop of a hat, putting on an act to make people feel sorry for her!”

“Yes, yes! We should have seen it sooner. Now I see something’s not right with her too.”

Jiangg Ning hadn’t had much contact with Gao Min, but after hearing so much from her friends recently, a vague image of her had formed in her mind.

She deeply agreed.

’Green tea’ types are just naturally better than other girls at knowing how to please people. They pretend to put themselves in a vulnerable position to lower their target’s defenses, making him mistakenly believe he’s the hunter.

’But what happens in the end?’

’By the time he realizes it’s a trap, it’s already too late.’

’Pouting, acting cute, playing the victim—they’ll stop at nothing. Such detestable little bitches.’

’Hmph!’

…

“ACHOO!”

At the anime convention, Jiangg Yao suddenly sneezed. She was standing in a long line with Chen Yuan, and it looked like it would be at least half an hour before they could get the merchandise personally autographed by the Neon voice actor.

She had wanted this merchandise for a long time.

“Are you catching a cold?” Chen Yuan asked with concern.

“Nah, my nose was just a little itchy.”

“That’s good. It’s probably just the change in temperature from the cold outside to the warm room. The body reacts like that sometimes.”

“Probably… You’re so good at taking care of people, Little Master,” Jiangg Yao said, puffing out her cheeks and deliberately acting cute. She made a kissing face, winked at him, and said, “Mwah! A kiss for you.”

“You’re crazy…”

“Don’t be shy.”

…

「Back at the beauty clinic.」

Jiangg Ning only had to put herself in Ms. Qin’s shoes for a moment to feel incredibly angry. Who could accept a beautiful marriage of more than ten years being shattered by a complete outsider?

There’s no such thing as truly feeling another’s pain in this world. Jiangg Ning could hardly imagine the full extent of Qin Ting’s suffering.

She did a simple thought experiment: what if, in the future, she and Chen Yuan were married, and their relationship of over a decade ended in such a ridiculous farce?

’To put it bluntly, she would lose her mind.’

“Ms. Qin, you’re so capable and such a good person. Maybe after this setback is over, you’ll see the sun again and reach a new turning point. You never know with fate,” she said in a soft voice.

“Ningning… Hearing you say that makes me feel much better.”

“Yes, and at least we’ll always be by your side,” the short-haired woman beside her added.

RING-RING-RING—

As they were talking, the alarm they had set for their face masks went off. Jiangg Ning peeled the mask from her face, revealing her delicate, smooth skin. She got up and walked to the mirror, gazing at her reflection.

’Fortunately, Jiangg Ning had enough confidence in Chen Yuan. This was where her mindset differed from Ms. Qin’s.’

’Jiangg Ning believed the boy she had chosen wouldn’t be so terrible. She could tell that Chen Yuan was the type of guy who sought pure love, who had firm principles in relationships and wouldn’t fall into the abyss over a moment of desire.’

’At the same time, she also had confidence in herself.’

’Ever since she was young, Jiangg Ning had always been a standout among her peers. Being pretty wasn’t exactly rare for a girl, and she wasn’t arrogant about it. Having a good figure was simply the result of some effort. She didn’t think either of these was the most important trait that attracted Chen Yuan.’

’To become a more formidable person, to be worthy of the partner she would one day choose…’

’Jiangg Ning had studied hard all these years, earning a full scholarship to Yale University every year.’

’That was what she was proud of.’

Men cheat for one of two reasons.

The first is lust. This usually happens when his partner at home isn’t considered pretty enough, combined with his own lack of resolve, weak willpower, and an underdeveloped concept of marriage. He makes a mistake because of a fleeting desire.

A scumbag like that is irredeemable.

The other situation is like Qin Ting’s. She wasn’t unattractive at all. For a woman approaching forty, she took great care of herself, maintained her figure, and exuded the charm of a mature woman, making her extremely attractive to men.

So why did her husband still cheat?

Jiangg Ning had heard a few things.

It was probably because Ms. Qin didn’t provide her husband with enough emotional value. She was engrossed in her work, building her career, and projecting the image of a strong, independent woman, which was what she strived for. But her husband wanted someone more demure and dependent, someone who would dote on him and find more joy and excitement in life amidst their busy work schedules.

Since Ms. Qin couldn’t satisfy those needs, it was only natural that he would be so fond of the little green tea, Gao Min.

As Jiangg Ning calmly analyzed the situation, she felt she had actually learned a lesson from it. She secretly resolved to always provide Chen Yuan with plenty of appeal in the future, and to be a little more considerate and gentle.

’She absolutely couldn’t go back to being cold-faced like before.’

…

“By the way, there was something else I came for today.”

Just as she was lost in thought, the voice of the short-haired woman suddenly rang out, capturing the attention of the other women.

“What is it?”

“Just a little thing. Come here, Ningning.” She turned around and enthusiastically beckoned to Jiangg Ning.

“Me?”

Jiangg Ning was confused, but she moved her long legs and sat on the edge of the treatment bed, wondering why she had been called over so suddenly.

“Here’s the thing, Ningning. You’re single, right? I have a cousin whose family is very well-off, and he has a great personality. You two are the perfect age for each other,” the short-haired woman said with a wide smile, taking Jiangg Ning’s hand. “He saw a group photo of us last time and thought you were incredibly beautiful. He insisted that I introduce you. What do you think?”

“Your cousin who started a company? I remember him!” Qin Ting said, thinking.

“Yes, that’s him.”

’Here we go again… a blind date setup.’

’In the past, Jiangg Ning hated this sort of thing the most, but she could never refuse her friends’ good intentions, so she would usually save face and just go along with it.’

’But things were different now!’

Jiangg Ning’s beautiful eyes curved with a smile. She lowered her head, pursed her lips, and said shyly, “Never mind. I already have someone I like.”

“?”

“?”

“?”

“?”

As soon as she said this, all the women were stunned.

They stared blankly for a moment.

Then, the quiet room instantly erupted as if a bomb had gone off, and a clamor of voices filled the air.

“For real?!”

“Ningning, you’re saying you have someone you like?”

“Did I hear that right?! Who is it? Do I know him?”

“Hurry up and tell us!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep