Lin Shu had no idea how she stumbled back into the dressing room in a daze.
"Crash!"
Cosmetics, limited-edition lipsticks, perfumes, hairpins—anything within reach was violently swept to the floor in her frenzy.
Bottles and jars shattered, scattering shards everywhere. The pungent mix of spilled fragrances and her ragged breathing filled the room.
She was like a cornered beast, chest heaving violently, her meticulously styled hair now disheveled. Her once-glamorous face was twisted with fury, pale and ghastly.
"That bitch… that pretentious little bitch!" Lin Shu hissed through clenched teeth, her voice hoarse and sharp with venom.
Staggering backward, her high heels slipped on the sticky mess, adding to the chaos. Finally, she collapsed onto the plush sofa, drained of strength.
Closing her eyes, all she could see were the words she’d overheard outside the changing room earlier.
"She’s just a plaything! A distraction!"
"You’re the one who owns my heart!"
"Sweetheart, don’t bring her up—it’s a mood killer…"
"Darling, how can you be so soft… so tender…"
"I can’t get enough of you… can’t stop tasting you…"
"Thinking of you every day… you’ve bewitched Young Master Gu completely…"
Each word had seared into her heart like a branding iron.
That little tramp Su Qianqian—with her innocent, harmless face—had the audacity to seduce men so shamelessly behind the scenes! Playing the fragile, pitiful victim, coquettishly sulking in Gu Chengyu’s arms, wrapping him around her finger!
What right did she have?
Grief and resentment surged up Lin Shu’s throat. She bit down hard on her lip to stifle the scream of rage threatening to escape. But tears spilled uncontrollably, streaking her ruined makeup in pitiful trails.
She’d used every trick in the book to play hard-to-get with Gu Chengyu, but she genuinely loved him too!
From the first moment she saw him in that bar, surrounded by admirers, his arrogant charm radiating from every glance, she’d been lost.
She’d schemed relentlessly just to catch his attention, just to climb into his bed.
In the beginning, he barely spared her a second thought. She knew there were other women.
But it was her! She’d fought tooth and nail, even threatened suicide, just to make sure no one else in their circle dared lay a finger on her.
She’d stayed faithful, rejecting every backdoor offer, all for the faintest glimmer of his favor, the tiniest shred of tenderness!
And she’d succeeded.
For years, she believed she was the only woman who could stay by his side long-term.
She thought she, Lin Shu, was different from the others—those disposable playthings he summoned and dismissed at will.
She thought she held at least a sliver of space in his heart.
But…
Her eyes hollowed with despair.
But when had he ever looked at her with that kind of tender adoration?
When had he ever coaxed her like a precious treasure, whispering sweet nothings?
Let alone defend her, pamper her, indulge her the way he just had with that jealous little slut.
And for just a few whimpers from that bitch, he’d callously reduced Lin Shu to a mere plaything, tossing her aside like trash.
"Heh… hehe…" A broken, bitter laugh escaped her lips.
Struggling to her feet, she staggered toward the wrecked vanity.
The mirror reflected a face streaked with tears, twisted with malice.
Trembling, she reached out, tracing her reflection’s cheek.
Her fingers brushed over still-perfect brows, a delicate nose, finally pausing at the corner of her eye.
There, even the most expensive eye cream couldn’t fully hide the faint crease.
Beneath the makeup, her skin lacked that youthful suppleness.
She was twenty-five.
The same age as Gu Chengyu.
But Su Qianqian? Only eighteen.
No matter how flawlessly she painted this face, how meticulously she sculpted her beauty, it could never compete with the dewy, untouched freshness of an eighteen-year-old.
Lin Shu’s gaze locked onto her reflection, despair slowly warping into something darker—a venomous, frenzied hatred.
Just wait, you little bitch.
You think you’ve won?
You think a man like Gu Chengyu, a notorious libertine, would ever truly settle for you?
So what if you’re eighteen? So what if you’re fresh?
How long does a man’s fascination last?
Especially a man like him—perched at the pinnacle of society, surrounded by breathtaking beauties at every turn.
She’d wait.
She’d watch to see if that slut could stay eighteen forever.
See how long her "delicate charm" would hold.
See if she could keep Gu Chengyu spellbound indefinitely.
And more…
Didn’t Su Qianqian naively believe she was the only one in his life?
Didn’t she swoon over being called "the one who owns his heart"?
Perfect.
She’d find a way to shatter that delusion.
Force her to face reality.
Make her understand—if Lin Shu couldn’t have his genuine affection, neither would Su Qianqian.
Three days from now…
That private gathering at Yun Que—wasn’t it the perfect opportunity?
Gu Chengyu wanted her to publicly apologize and reconcile, didn’t he?
Fine.
She’d go.
Not just to apologize, but to drag that clueless little fool into the fray.
Let her see with her own eyes what her beloved Young Master Gu was really like in such settings—surrounded by alluring women, egged on by his friends.
Let her taste the agony of falling from grace.
"Su Qianqian…"
Lin Shu whispered to her reflection, voice dripping with malice.
"We’ll see… just you wait."
