Her gaze seemed to question him: who had he called Miss Qin just moments ago?
Chen Ling felt a bit awkward. She glanced at the man.
Shang Sheng remained silent, taking the shoe box from her hand and opening it to reveal a pair of high heels.
She had no choice but to nod and say, "I apologize, Mrs. Shang."
The high heels were dark blue, and their style and color made them look rather old-fashioned for a girl in her early twenties.
"Go change," Shang Sheng said flatly.
Qin Yige lifted the hem of her skirt with one hand and followed him to the side.
A waiter brought a chair, and Qin Yige sat down.
Only then did she get a clear look at the shoes' style, her brow furrowing slightly as she complained, "So ugly!"
"Although these kinds of high heels aren't very attractive, they are quite comfortable to wear," Chen Ling explained.
Qin Yige: "There are plenty of high heels that are both good-looking and comfortable. Shang Sheng, is this how your secretary handles things?"
"I'm truly sorry, I didn't mean to. I'll be more careful in the future."
Shang Sheng knelt before the young woman, appearing as if he were going to change her shoes.
Realizing his intention, Chen Ling immediately knelt down beside him, saying urgently, "President Shang, let me handle this!"
"No need."
Shang Sheng directly removed the sandals from the girl's feet.
Qin Yige petulantly pulled back her fair feet. "I won't wear them. Shang Sheng, didn't you hear me? They're hideous!"
"President Shang has already deigned to put on shoes for you. Why are you still being so willful?" Chen Ling asked, feeling sympathetic towards Shang Sheng.
"What does my willfulness have to do with you? Aren't you saying a bit too much?"
"Secretary Chen!" Shang Sheng said calmly.
Sensing the warning in his tone, Chen Ling immediately shut her mouth, swallowed her hurt, and took a step back.
The man stood up, bent down, and picked up Qin Yige, striding towards the hotel exit.
"Where are you taking me?" Qin Yige asked, her cheeks flushing.
Why was he acting like this now? Picking her up so readily. She wasn't disabled, was she?
"Since your feet are uncomfortable, you should go back and rest first."
"What about here?"
"I'm here."
Shang Sheng carried Qin Yige to a Bentley. Once she was seated, he instructed the driver, "Take Miss Qin home."
"Yes, President Shang."
The car started slowly, and Shang Sheng's figure gradually disappeared from Qin Yige's sight.
She withdrew her gaze, feeling a little lost. Shang Sheng seemed a bit better than before. She wondered if it was just her imagination...
Inside the hotel.
Shang Sheng, who had already seen off the guests, stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. He listened to Chen Ling's work report without any particular reaction.
He simply said, "Don't ruin my plans."
Chen Ling was taken aback for a moment, then understood what he meant. "President Shang, Qin Yige is completely unworthy of you. She wasn't the person you originally intended to marry. Why do you keep indulging her and letting her act so presumptuously in front of you?"
"I have my own plans," the man replied in a deep voice.
"Alright, President Shang." Chen Ling dared not say more and could only agree for now.
"Avoid provoking her in the future. That girl will complain!"
Otherwise, why would he have personally come downstairs to pick her up that day?
This wasn't the first time she had complained. Previously, Qin Yige always reported to his mother. Now, with his grandmother as an even stronger and more powerful backer, she was indeed becoming more and more audacious.
And he, who detested trouble the most, had no choice but to tolerate her temporarily to avoid trouble and his elders' nagging.
Upon arriving home, Qin Yige surprisingly received a greeting from President Shang.
"You're here?"
"Oh, I'm here." She tossed herself and her bag onto the sofa, her posture half-sitting, half-lying with no regard for decorum.
"Mm-hmm, get some rest early. Goodbye."
"Wait!" Qin Yige quickly stopped him.
The other side remained silent.
"Are you calling me just to ask if I'm home?" she asked him seriously to confirm.
"Otherwise?"
Right, otherwise what? What else could there be?
After ending the call, Qin Yige stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.
Had she lost her mind? To actually think that Shang Sheng was treating her well.
No, Shang Sheng was indulging her in everything. There must be a trick to it. She had to be wary of him and not fall into the trap he had set.
Her phone rang again, pulling her back to reality. The caller ID showed Tang Anruo.
"Hello, Anruo."
Half an hour later, Qin Yige's figure appeared at the largest bar in Port City—Rock.
She had changed out of her long dress into a sexy black slip dress and a knee-length skirt, wearing strappy sandals.
However, in the next moment, her eyes met with a man she knew incredibly well.
Qin Yige blinked.
The person was none other than Shang Sheng, the one she had spoken to on the phone just half an hour ago, the one she had told was home, and the one who had told her to get some rest early.
Beside him were Chu Rang and a few other friends.
Chu Rang raised an eyebrow. "Yige, are you looking for Shang Sheng?"
Qin Yige: "No!"
Shang Sheng walked towards her with long strides, stopping in front of her. He glanced at her attire and frowned slightly. "Didn't I tell you to get some rest early?"
"Mr. Shang, we're just engaged, not married. You have no right to tell me what to do or where to be."
Hearing this, Shang Sheng gave her a cold glance and said no more, leading his friends towards the VIP room upstairs.
Before leaving, Chu Rang patted her shoulder. "If you want to drink, have some. We'll be upstairs."
Qin Yige understood his meaning. "Thanks!"
"Why be so formal with your brother? Let's go!"
Qin Yige watched them leave, then sat down beside Tang Anruo and nudged her. "Tang Anruo, I'm here!"
The drunken woman saw her and suddenly burst into loud sobs.
Fortunately, the bar was deafeningly noisy, so even with Tang Anruo's high decibels, few people could hear her.
"We've been sisters for years. Why are you stealing my man? Tell me!"
Qin Yige: "Sister, wake up. He's not your man."
Tang Anruo's delusional obsession with him was getting worse. If she continued, Qin Yige would feel like she was the mistress.
"He is! How could he betray our love? Marrying my best sister! What a scumbag!" Tang Anruo picked up a glass of wine and gulped it down.
Qin Yige wanted to persuade her not to drink anymore, but to her surprise, Tang Anruo poured her a glass of wine. "Qin Yige, do you really consider me a good sister?"
"No, we're plastic sisters," Qin Yige rolled her eyes.
"If you truly consider me a sister, then drink this! Cheers!"
Looking at the glass of white wine, Qin Yige didn't hesitate for too long. She picked it up, clinked glasses with her, and drank a third of it in one go.
Tang Anruo, crying and laughing, slung an arm around her shoulder. "Yige, I knew you considered me a good sister. Sister won't pursue the matter of you stealing my man."
Qin Yige smiled; her head felt a little dizzy, and she felt a bit lightheaded.
Before long, she too became drunk.
The two women's conversation, which had initially revolved around their university days, somehow shifted to Shang Sheng.
Tang Anruo tilted her head, lost in her own fabricated fantasy. "The night before your engagement, Shang Sheng found me and told me that he didn't actually love you. He loved me, but he had to marry you for the sake of the family business."
Qin Yige: "I believe you. How could Shang Sheng possibly love me?"
"I knew it! He loves me, sob sob sob." Tang Anruo was a mess of tears.
Qin Yige swayed and leaned towards her ear, trying desperately to lower her voice. "I'll tell you a secret..."
"Shang Sheng is just a... weakling!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the two women burst into laughter.
"Qin Yige." A steady male voice suddenly rang out.