Volume 1, Chapter 28: She Is a Hundred Times Better Than You

"Let's not talk about this," Jiang Shuwei said, forcing a smile. "Let's eat. I need to get back to the studio once I'm done."

Seeing her deliberately avoiding the subject, Yan Chengze decided not to press further. He placed some food on her plate and said, "Eat more. You're too thin."

After the meal, Jiang Shuwei rushed to pay the bill, only to be told it had already been settled. She turned and glared at Yan Chengze. "We agreed that I would pay, didn't we?"

Yan Chengze walked over and patted her hair gently. "It's fine. If our teacher found out I let you pay for a meal I invited you to, he’d lecture me again."

As he patted her head, Jiang Shuwei felt a sting in her eyes, as if she had been transported back to her time in school. She had entered university at thirteen, still just a child, and when she joined the research team at eighteen, everyone still treated her as the youngest. The habit of Yan Chengze patting her hair had started back then. Everyone around her was much older, even Yan Chengze, who was her senior by six years.

"Thank you, Senior," Jiang Shuwei said, curling her lips into a grateful smile.

"When you have some free time, let's go visit our teacher together. He’s been asking about you," Yan Chengze said softly at the door.

Jiang Shuwei nodded. "All right. When I’m free, call me."

After leaving the restaurant, Jiang Shuwei sat in her car and made a phone call. "Could you please look into Han Li’s social circle? Check her relatives as well."

She hung up and leaned back against the seat. It seemed someone really was targeting her. Thinking of those she had offended recently, she naturally suspected Su Mian. Su Mian’s family was in the pharmaceutical industry, and Han Li worked in the medical sector; perhaps there was a connection.

Su Mian’s character was truly despicable. Not only had she stolen her husband, but she was also trying to ruin her career. She was clearly trying to block every path Jiang Shuwei had. Jiang Shuwei wished she could bite back like a vicious dog, but unfortunately, she lacked the strength for that right now.

However, Su Mian’s previous theft of her research paper could be exploited.

Jiang Shuwei posted a message on her Weibo and the university’s internal website, attaching her revised paper for comparison. She openly announced that her original work had been stolen, expressing her frustration at having to revise it, and even highlighted the specific sections that had been altered.

Jiang Shuwei was a rare talent in the medical field—not only were her grades excellent, but she was also beautiful and highly admired by her peers. Her reputation at school had always been prominent. Every move she made on Weibo drew public attention.

At that moment, the medical school’s intranet was in an uproar. The "talented girl" had posted, implying that a certain pharmaceutical heiress was a thief. The comment sections were flooded with discourse. Su Mian, who had been forced to issue a public apology previously, woke up to find that her world had collapsed. Jiang Shuwei’s post had been up since the early morning, giving it twelve hours to ferment, leading to countless reposts and comments.

***

Su Mian was famous in school solely for being the young lady of the Su family; she had no claim to genius. Now, Jiang Shuwei’s label of "thief" had elevated her fame, though only as a stain on her reputation.

"Jiang Shuwei, I’m going to kill you!" Su Mian was on the verge of exploding. Clenching her fists, she immediately dialed He Jingcheng’s number.

He Jingcheng was jogging in the garden. He turned on his Bluetooth headset and heard Su Mian’s sobbing, aggrieved voice. "What’s wrong?" he asked with concern.

Su Mian immediately told him about Jiang Shuwei’s Weibo post from the night before, which pointed the finger at her as a thief. Now, the entire school and the medical community were buzzing about it. As the heiress of a pharmaceutical company, Su Mian had lost all face; everyone would view her as an empty shell without real skills, someone who only knew how to steal the achievements of others.

"Brother Jingcheng, I’m so sad. I really didn’t mean to do it."

"Why is Jiang Shuwei targeting me? I already apologized to her."

"Did I do something wrong to anger her again? Brother Jingcheng, maybe we should see each other less often."

He Jingcheng stopped in his tracks, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "Leave this to me." He turned back to the villa, hurried upstairs, and changed into a suit.

Huang Yujie was serving porridge to He Tingting. Seeing him come downstairs, she asked, "Breakfast is ready. Won't you eat before you leave?"

"No, I have something urgent to attend to." He Jingcheng hurried toward the door.

"Uncle, you didn't kiss me yet!" He Tingting pouted.

A gentle smile appeared on He Jingcheng’s face as he turned back to kiss her on the forehead before leaving.

When He Jingcheng arrived at Jiang Shuwei’s apartment, he was wearing a mask and sunglasses to hide his identity. The front door was pounded so loudly it shook. Jiang Shuwei opened the door in her pajamas, her hair disheveled. She wasn't surprised to see him standing there.

"Mr. He certainly has been looking for me quite frequently lately," Jiang Shuwei said with a smirk.

"Delete those things on the internet," He Jingcheng commanded, his tone leaving no room for discussion.

"Why? Can't I seek justice for being wronged? Where is the logic in that?" Jiang Shuwei turned and headed to the bathroom to wash up.

He Jingcheng followed her to the bathroom door. "Jiang Shuwei, I asked you to consider the big picture. Did you treat my words as wind? I invested three billion into Su’s Pharmaceuticals last year. Your few words are enough to make half of my money evaporate."

Jiang Shuwei’s eyes flickered as she turned to look at him. "Your money… isn't my money."

"Jiang Shuwei…" He Jingcheng looked as if he wanted to strangle her.

Jiang Shuwei squeezed out some toothpaste, began brushing her teeth, and took the opportunity to tuck her long hair behind her ears. "I’ve already deleted it. Now, it depends on whether your PR team has the capability to handle the rest."

***

"Why did you do this?" He Jingcheng was extremely annoyed; Jiang Shuwei was clearly just here to cause trouble.

"I wasn't happy. Is that allowed?" Jiang Shuwei’s mouth was full of foam, but her eyes were exceptionally bright.

He Jingcheng sneered, "You’re targeting Su Mian because of me, aren't you?"

Jiang Shuwei paused her brushing and stared at him.

He Jingcheng crossed his arms and continued to sneer, "Look at how petty you are. Just because I showed Su Mian a little more concern, you’re so jealous that you want to ruin her reputation?"

Jiang Shuwei lowered her head to rinse, spitting out the water before saying, "He Jingcheng, you criticize me every day, but have you ever reflected on your own faults?"

"What fault do I have?" He Jingcheng asked, his expression cold and arrogant.

The corners of Jiang Shuwei’s eyes turned red as she stared at him in accusation. "If you don't love me, why did you propose?"

He Jingcheng gave a cold, mocking laugh. "Isn't that exactly what you wanted? You charmed the elders and won them over. I was simply following orders."

"You were clearly just playing with me. This is retaliation." Jiang Shuwei tightened her fists, then slowly relaxed them. "It doesn't matter. Now that I know you were playing with me, waking up to the truth isn't too late."

He Jingcheng looked at her, his eyes devoid of any warmth. "Jiang Shuwei, you’re jumping around like a clown just to prove your existence? Save it. What you’re doing is just nauseating."

Jiang Shuwei shoved past him, left the bathroom, and headed for her bedroom. He Jingcheng followed her inside.

"Get out. I need to change," Jiang Shuwei said coldly.

"We’re a married couple. What is there that I can't see?" He Jingcheng acted willfully, sitting on the nearby sofa and crossing his legs.

Jiang Shuwei looked at him with annoyance. Did this man really think everything she did was out of jealousy? She grabbed her clothes, went into the bathroom, and locked the door.

"Doing things unnecessarily," He Jingcheng mocked, finding it absurd that she was only now pretending to be a lady. He remembered the day of their wedding, when they toasted with intertwined arms; the shyness and anticipation in her eyes made it seem as if she couldn't wait to devour him that very night. Now she was acting like this?

Jiang Shuwei walked out after changing and said to him, "I’ve deleted the posts online. Aren't you going to go handle the fallout?"

He Jingcheng stood up, hands in his pockets, and brushed past her coldly. "Don't do such disgusting things again. Su Mian might not be as good as you academically, but she is a hundred times better than you at being a person."

With that, he opened the door and walked out.