The next day.
After waking up, Xiang Wanniao reached out to feel the space beside her, only to find it empty. Slowly, she opened her eyes.
She looked around every corner of the bedroom, but Gu Jingzhan was nowhere to be seen.
Finally, she picked up her phone from the bedside table and checked the time. It was already ten o'clock in the morning.
Xiang Wanniao collected her thoughts, opened WeChat, and sent Gu Jingzhan a sticker that read "Love You," showing her affection at every moment.
Meanwhile.
Gu Jingzhan sat right in the middle of the boardroom, his gaze sharp and piercing, exuding the oppressive aura of someone in power.
Because the previous quarter's performance reports were less than ideal, the department managers seated around the table felt immense pressure, cold sweat soaking their backs.
Suddenly, the phone on the table buzzed, and the screen lit up.
Gu Jingzhan glanced at it casually. Seeing that the WeChat message was from Xiang Wanniao, the ice in the depths of his eyes instantly melted.
Upon seeing the "Love You" sticker, the corners of his pale, thin lips curved upward of their own accord, a look of unmistakable delight spreading across his face.
Xiang Yuan, sitting slightly behind him to the side, noticed the change in Gu Jingzhan's mood and curiously glanced at his phone screen.
He wouldn't have looked if he didn't want to be startled.
Xiang Wanniao had actually taken the initiative to message Lord Zhan, and what's more...
For a fraction of a second, Xiang Yuan thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.
He gave a light cough and whispered a reminder, "President, the Project Department's quarterly report is finished."
Gu Jingzhan reined in his thoughts, turned off his phone screen, and instantly switched back to his usual stern, unsmiling demeanor.
Xiang Wanniao tossed and turned in bed, waiting for a long time without receiving a reply from Gu Jingzhan. She felt a twinge of disappointment.
Pouting her cherry lips, she tossed her phone aside, a stifled feeling welling up inside her.
This scumbag of a man was truly as fickle as the weather.
Everything had been fine last night, but after waking up today, he was ignoring her again.
How come she had never noticed this man was so capricious?
On second thought, though, she had never really put any thought into Gu Jingzhan, nor had she ever gone out of her way to please him like she was doing now. It was always he who had loved her with a humble heart, yielding to her in every way.
At this thought, Xiang Wanniao instantly perked up.
She picked up her phone again, opened Baidu, and typed into the search bar: "How to please a man," "Tactics and tips for pursuing men"...
After studying for about half an hour, she bounced straight out of bed and headed into the bathroom to wash up and put on makeup.
Xiang Wanniao changed into a light purple gradient knee-length slip dress, took the time to apply makeup that made her naturally pretty face look even more exquisite, and finished off by spraying on a perfume that smelled slightly intoxicating yet sexy.
She walked over to the full-length mirror, checked herself out from left to right, and once she was satisfied, stepped out of the bedroom and went downstairs.
Xiang Xingyu was sitting on the living room sofa watching TV. Hearing footsteps coming down the stairs, she looked up in the direction of the sound.
Seeing Xiang Wanniao dressed up so stunningly, she froze for a moment and asked, "Sis, where are you going all dressed up like this?"
"To see your brother-in-law!" Xiang Wanniao walked up to Xiang Xingyu and spun around. "Well? How do I look?"
"Gorgeous! Drop-dead gorgeous!"
Hearing Xiang Xingyu's affirmation, Xiang Wanniao smiled happily.
"I think so too. I'm definitely going to drive your brother-in-law wild later." She tossed her hair back and said full of confidence.
Xiang Xingyu bit her lip and murmured softly, "Even if you didn't dress up, you'd still drive him wild."
"What did you say?" Xiang Wanniao didn't catch it clearly.
Xiang Xingyu shook her head and changed the subject. "Sis, how come you've changed so much after this suicide stunt? Do you really not like Xiao Xu'an anymore?"
At the mere mention of the name "Xiao Xu'an," the smile on Xiang Wanniao's face vanished instantly. Her eyes no longer held the fondness of the past, replaced instead by a heavy dose of hatred.
Her voice turned icy. "Never mention Xiao Xu'an in front of me again. Not only do I not like him anymore, but I also wish he were dead!"
She added heavy emphasis to the final sentence, through which a deep, burning resentment could be sensed.
Xiang Xingyu was somewhat startled by Xiang Wanniao's current appearance and asked stammeringly, "W... why?"
Xiang Wanniao fell silent.
Why?
Because in her past life, Xiao Xu'an had driven her entire family to their deaths and usurped the Xiang Family's business, leaving none of them to a good end.
"Sis?" Xiang Xingyu called out when she saw her staying silent.
Regaining her senses, Xiang Wanniao kept the secret of her rebirth to herself and merely said, "Because Xiao Xu'an hooked up with Lü Siwei and is even plotting to take over the Xiang Family business."
At this, Xiang Xingyu grew instantly indignant.
"I've always said that Xiao Xu'an is a wolf with wild ambitions and can't be trusted. And then there's that so-called good friend of yours, Lü Siwei. You treated her like a real friend, but look how she treated you."
She continued resentfully, "Putting everything else aside, just the fact that Lü Siwei egged you on to commit suicide proves she's not someone worth trusting with your whole heart. Who knows, in her heart she's probably dying for you to drop dead!"
Xiang Wanniao gave a light, bitter laugh. "Yeah, every single one of them is dying for me to die."
Xiang Xingyu reached out and took her hand, offering her strength and comfort.
"Sis, it's not too late to turn back now. As long as you know they're all out to harm you and keep your guard up against them, just make sure you don't get tricked by their sweet talk ever again."
Listening to Xiang Xingyu's admonition, Xiang Wanniao felt a stinging sensation in her nose.
In her past life, Xiang Xingyu had said these very words more than once, but she had never listened.
Well, naturally—had she listened, the ending of her past life wouldn't have been so tragic.
Xiang Wanniao looked up and took a deep breath, holding back the tears swirling constantly in her eyes.
After calming her emotions slightly, she looked down at Xiang Xingyu and reached out to stroke the top of her head. "Mm, I know. From now on, never again."
"Sis, I'm really glad you can see things clearly now." Xiang Xingyu was happy from the bottom of her heart.
Xiang Wanniao gave her forehead a poke with her finger and said with feigned annoyance, "You little rascal, you always love poking your nose into other people's business."
"What do you mean, other people?! You're my sister, my own flesh and blood," Xiang Xingyu said sincerely. "Sis, Brother-in-law truly loves you. You need to treat him well from now on."
"I know."
"All right, hurry up and go find Brother-in-law!"
Checking the time and cutting the chat short, Xiang Wanniao grabbed her handbag and headed for the door.
"I'm heading out."
"Bye-bye!" Xiang Xingyu waved at her with a cheeky smile and encouraged, "Go get him!"
Xiang Wanniao gave Xiang Xingyu a playful sideways glance. Though she didn't reply, a bashful smile unconsciously bloomed on her face.
After leaving the Xiang Family, she drove straight to the Gu Corporation.