Chapter 31

Chapter 31: 031 – Was Beauty Qiao a Tool?

“Yo, Brother Shi. Isn’t that the beauty we ran into at the entrance earlier?”

The young man sprawled across the sofa like he owned the room—one leg bent, the other propped up on the coffee table. He scrolled lazily, then raised his eyes only after seeing the newest post blowing up online.

Fu Yan Shi sat opposite him, a script open in his hands. At the mention of “the beauty,” an image flashed through his mind without permission: slim figure, shimmering silver, a waist that looked like it would disappear under a single palm.

“Tsk, tsk. I heard this afternoon the Wang family’s Third Young Master is already getting bailed out,” the Xie family’s young lord said, grinning. “So that beauty’s the one helping him, huh?”

The Wang family’s mess had been kept quiet in wealthy circles—but to someone like him, “quiet” only meant “not public.”

Fu Yan Shi lifted his gaze, expression unreadable.

Seeing even a flicker of interest, the Xie young lord sat up a fraction and launched into it, smug as ever.

“A few days ago, the Wang family’s Third Young Master got arrested. At the scene? Not only were there a few pretty underage girls, they also found… that stuff.”

He didn’t need to spell it out. The implication alone was enough.

“Madam Wang blocked the news in time, so it never got out. If it leaked, Old Master Wang would rip the heir position right out of his hands.”

Fu Yan Shi’s eyes stayed calm, but the air in the room tightened.

“I heard there was also a woman there,” the Xie young lord continued. “She went to the bathroom, so she didn’t get taken in with them. Madam Wang claimed she was his girlfriend, but the police couldn’t find her. And Third Young Master Wang’s urine test came back clean—no banned substances.”

He spread his hands. “Now all they need is that woman to show up and swear she’s the girlfriend, swear she just happened to be there with him, and boom—he walks out clean.”

This kind of maneuver wasn’t rare in their world. Money could polish almost anything until it gleamed.

“Even if the Wang family kept it under wraps, inside the family it’s basically public,” the Xie young lord said. “They have to turn the act into something real. Since Madam Wang said it out loud, she has to find a fiancée for her son.”

“That Third Young Master Wang is a famous playboy,” he added, voice full of mock sympathy. “But telling him to give up the whole forest and marry one person? Not that easy.”

He leaned forward, eyes bright. “So Madam Wang thought of someone especially suitable.”

The agent beside them, A Lang, stiffened as understanding clicked into place. He’d heard that old rumor years ago—about a wealthy family’s young master chasing Qiao Qing Yan like he was determined to stamp his name on her.

“So that rumor back then,” A Lang said slowly, “the one about a rich young master pursuing Qiao Qing Yan… that was the Wang family?”

The Xie young lord snapped his fingers. “Bingo.”

“No wonder.” He scrolled again, amused. “Yesterday morning, Yan Di and I even overheard Madam Wang talking to her. I was wondering how she got the connections to latch onto the Capital’s Wang family, with a reputation like hers.”

So there had always been a Wang young master in the middle of it.

The Xie young lord nodded, more convinced by the second. “Then it’s settled. What the internet’s saying is probably true.”

He smirked. “In our circle, what happened with Third Young Master Wang isn’t even a secret. He goes around bragging that his future girlfriend is that… minor celebrity.”

“She’s not a minor celebrity.”

The words were low and even, but there was a softness in Fu Yan Shi’s voice that didn’t belong there.

The Xie young lord paused. Then his mouth twisted. “Right. Not a minor celebrity. A washed-up little Best Actress.”

He stared at Fu Yan Shi for a beat, then pushed himself up and leaned in, eyes narrowing with sudden suspicion.

“Old Fu… something’s not right with you. Since when do you pay attention to a washed-up actress?”