Chapter 137: Bitch No.1

"What? He actually dared to do that? This is outrageous! We just got married!" Gu Yining played her role perfectly, displaying a mix of anger, shock, sorrow, and despair as if she had just discovered her husband's betrayal. 

"Heh, I thought you were supposed to be his beloved wife," Gu Wenxuan sneered, her face gleaming with satisfaction. "But with that face of yours, no man could bear to look at you for long. I bet sharing a bed with you would give him nightmares! Did you really think, by flashing your marriage certificate in front of the whole Gu family, that any of us would be upset that Fu Hannan married such an ugly woman like you?"

Her smile widened with self-satisfaction. "You're wrong. The Fu family, especially the elders, aren't easy to deal with. The reason he didn't marry one of the many refined ladies of high society and instead settled for you, this hideous shield, is simple: he's using you to fend off pressure from his family. Once he's had his fun, he'll marry a real socialite and have children. And you? You'll forever remain a wife in name only, living in the shadows, never seeing the light of day."

As Gu Wenxuan went on, Gu Yining started to feel a bit bored by her words. Her ears even began to itch from the endless droning. 

"Are you done yet?"

"You must be devastated right now. In fact, I almost feel a little sorry for you," Gu Wenxuan said with a smirk, though her eyes were filled with nothing but contempt for Gu Yining.

"I don't need your pity. Hannan would never treat me that way. You're lying," Gu Yining pretended to be in denial, her eyes growing red with a mix of fake frustration and disbelief.

The more Gu Yining acted as though she couldn't face the truth, the more Gu Wenxuan's delight grew. This was exactly the reaction she wanted. The higher Gu Wenxuan could elevate her, the harder she would fall when reality came crashing down.

"Lying? Why would I lie to you? I even have the little boy's phone number. Do you want me to give it to you?" Gu Wenxuan taunted.

"That won't be necessary. I don't believe a single word you say," Gu Yining replied, maintaining her angry, heartbroken facade before storming off.

Gu Wenxuan stood in place, her lips curling into a triumphant grin. She couldn't have been more pleased with herself.

After Gu Yining left, Gu Wenxuan pulled a piece of paper from her purse. On it was Gu Chen's phone number—the very number Gu Yining had given her as part of her ruse. Opening her phone, Gu Wenxuan inputted the number into WeChat's search bar, and sure enough, she found a matching account. She immediately sent a friend request for verification.

Meanwhile, Gu Yining headed to the cafeteria, grabbed a meal, and sat down, waiting for Xiaoxiao. She took out her phone and logged into a secondary WeChat account, one she rarely used anymore. This account had once been her main one, but she had abandoned it a year ago, ignoring all messages and contacts on it since then. The number she had given Gu Wenxuan belonged to this account. Knowing Gu Wenxuan's character, she figured the woman wouldn't let an opportunity for revenge slip by, and sure enough, she was right.

As soon as she logged in, she saw Gu Wenxuan's friend request waiting for her. Without hesitation, Gu Yining accepted it. She changed the contact's display name to "Bitch No.1."

Immediately after, a message came through from Bitch No.1: "Hello, do you remember me? Gu Wenxuan, your ex-girlfriend for a whole two minutes."

Gu Yining—now logged in as her alter ego, Gu Chen—quickly typed a playful response: "What's up, Miss Gu? Need something from me?"

"How about I treat you to lunch? After all, your school's just next door. I need to talk to you," came Gu Wenxuan's reply.

"Sorry, I'm in the music room practicing piano right now. I don't really have the time. How about we schedule something for another day? I'll treat you next time," Gu Yining typed swiftly, making it clear she wasn't interested in playing along today.

At least, not today.

"Fine, we'll do it another time," Gu Wenxuan responded, clearly displeased but hiding her frustration. She didn't message again after that.

Just as Gu Yining was about to log out of the account, another notification popped up.

Ding!

She stared at the message for a while, her finger hovering over the screen. For a long moment, she hesitated, unsure if she should open it.