Chapter 176 We Can’t Be Friends

Chapter 176: We Can’t Be Friends

Tao Wangxi looked at her. "If it weren’t for Master Jue’s swift and decisive actions, they wouldn’t have been so desperate that they gave me a bargain."

"I came today to say that the Tao family is on its last legs. If Master Jue wants to take over the Tao family, he doesn’t need to exert much effort—just wait. Tao Yusheng is making one foolish mistake after another in his attempt to salvage the crisis."

A dying camel is still bigger than a horse. The Tao family, after all, has accumulated wealth over generations and still holds considerable resources.

Rather than letting Tao Yusheng squander them, it’s better for her to sell it to Ling Jue.

Qin Shuyi looked at her. "You're hoping Ling Jue crushes the Tao family, aren't you?"

Tao Wangxi gave a faint smile. "What? They're my family."

Truth is: yeah.

Just as Tang Wei had once mentioned that Tao Wangxi would dare to use her own life as a trap to drive away the women around Ling Jue, Tao Wangxi had a wild streak buried deep inside her.

Once she gave up on being Mrs. Ling, Tao Yusheng pressured her relentlessly, trying to squeeze her dry.

Now that she had gotten what she wanted, she wasn't scared to flip the table and drag the entire Tao family down with her.

"I don't meddle in Ling Jue's business. How he handles the Tao family is his own judgment."

Qin Shuyi had no interest in her grudges or her motives; she just laid it out flat.

A flicker of regret crossed Tao Wangxi's eyes, but she nodded.

They fell silent for a moment. Tao Wangxi glanced at the front desk clerk, who kept looking over, and gave a faint smile.

"Master Jue's bent a lot of rules for you."

"I never figured he'd go this far for a woman. Taking down the He and Tao families was totally unnecessary for him."

She studied Qin Shuyi's calm, expressionless face with genuine curiosity.

"He's done so much for you, but you don't seem that touched."

"I just don't get you."

Tao Wangxi felt she truly didn't get Qin Shuyi.

Was she really that chill, or just better at faking it?

The warm winter sun poured in through the tall windows of the office building, lighting up Qin Shuyi's black hair with a soft gold as she sat on the sofa. She lifted her face, radiant and stunning.

Tao Wangxi heard her voice, steady and strong.

"Because you've got cause and effect backwards." Her dark, clear eyes met Tao Wangxi's. "If your logic's off, no wonder you're lost in the fog."

"You all think Ling Jue's done so much for me, but the truth is, he does this stuff more for himself than for me.

He likes me and wants me, so he gets rid of anyone in his way.

He knows I hate drama, and he knows that I'm with him because he makes me happy and treats me well. If he couldn't do that, we'd be done. So he busts his ass to keep his love alive.

Everything he does, strip away the sweet talk, is really just about pleasing himself.

If he'd fallen for someone else, he'd still have to put in the work.

So should I be all grateful and weighed down by some debt for what he does?

I think being all in and making him happy too is enough payback.

You all tend to put the stronger, flashier giver on a pedestal, but truth is, Ling Jue and I don't owe each other a thing.

I'm not cold, and I'm not unhappy—I'm just not grateful."

Ling Jue's great, and he's a top-notch boyfriend.

But because of his big moves, everyone thinks he's sacrificed more.

Some people subconsciously think Qin Shuyi should worship him, putting herself in a 'spoiled' or 'owed' spot.

But status, money, and personality just shape the different hurdles they face in love and the different ways they express that love.

Sure, Ling Jue went all out on the He family, the Tao family, and some troublemakers. But if we're being fair, couldn't Qin Shuyi say she's carried the weight of unfair stares and the heavy load of all those rumors?

From the moment she chose to start over, this was a challenge they both took on.

…

Tao Wangxi was floored by her words.

She had to admit, Qin Shuyi's comeback was spot-on.

Tao Wangxi had subconsciously put Ling Jue's love on a pedestal, thinking the sincerity of someone so blessed was worth more.

She'd missed that it was Ling Jue who wanted more.

Qin Shuyi wasn't short on money or love. She was with Ling Jue just because she liked him and he made her happy.

Someone so straightforward would naturally seem like a fog to complicated minds.

"I was wrong," Tao Wangxi said.

She'd been judging Qin Shuyi by her own standards.

"If it weren't for Master Jue, maybe we could've been friends." She looked at Qin Shuyi, a rare calm in her eyes.

"Or maybe, it's not too late to start now."

She extended a friendly gesture.

Qin Shuyi didn't avoid her gaze, but her tone was firm as she rejected the olive branch.

"We can't be friends."

Tao Wangxi's hands on her lap tightened unconsciously, her face holding its usual fixed smile.

"Why?"

Qin Shuyi smiled slightly. "Let's just say I have a strong sense of possessiveness, and I don't get along with my boyfriend's rumored love interests?"

The two sat on separate sofas, exchanging a glance across the coffee table and the light filtering through the glass window.

After a long moment, Tao Wangxi put on her smile again, this time a little more genuine than before.

"That's a shame," she said.

Neither of them said a word about it.

The possessiveness was just a front; the real issue was that their paths were too different.

Tao Wangxi wasn't genuinely seeking friendship with Qin Shuyi.

Her sudden friendliness was just a strategic move, playing the situation to her advantage.

Being friends with the woman Ling Jue deeply loved and planned to marry was better than clashing with her in conflict.

But she still hated Qin Shuyi.

A rat scraping by in a filthy gutter could never turn into a bright, sunny flower.

Zhao Jinyu had once said that she and Tao Wangxi had never gotten along since childhood—one hated the other's two-faced act, while the other couldn't stand her aggressive, sharp-tongued nature.

Even if each person's character was shaped by various factors and hardships, the facts were what they were; at most, they'd understand each other and then keep sneering.

The same thing went for Qin Shuyi and Tao Wangxi.

Qin Shuyi could get along with the equally ambitious Zhao Jinyu, because Zhao Jinyu played things straight and strategic without hurting people, while Tao Wangxi was all about scheming and backstabbing.

Tao Wangxi acted harmless around her, but she'd hurt innocent people before and would stab anyone in the back for profit down the line.

That was her—no scruples, hating everyone in the world equally.

She could never be a person of high moral standing.

Back at the welcome banquet, if Ling Jue hadn't firmly backed Qin Shuyi, if he had shown even a hint of hesitation, Tao Wangxi would've seized the chance to make Qin Shuyi end up even worse than the others.

A smile to let bygones be bygones, a handshake to make peace—that was all a fake fantasy.

They both stood up, knowing this might be their last talk.

From here on out, they'd each go their own way.

One went upstairs to drop off food, the other headed for the main door. As their paths crossed, Tao Wangxi stopped.

She eyed the cute lunchbox in Qin Shuyi's hands.

"It just hit me," she said. "A few days ago, I went to the hospital for a checkup and heard an interesting story from a friend. I heard Mingli Second Hospital suddenly hooked up with a top hospital in Country M this year, and even sent a top orthopedic surgeon abroad for training. That doctor was specifically pushed by some bigwig to get on the list. People say fate's gifts always come out of nowhere."

With that, Tao Wangxi glided out with an elegant stride, a smile on her face.

She couldn't help it—she was just too jealous of Ling Jue.

How could one person be so lucky?

...

Upstairs.

After checking his watch all morning and staring at the door nonstop, Ling Jue frowned hard.

Didn't his baby say she was on her way?

She should be here by now.

Could something have happened? Maybe he should go get her?

With that in mind, he couldn't wait anymore and got up.

Just as he was about to open the CEO office door, it swung open from the other side.

It was his girlfriend, finally showing up.

"Baby!"

The man's lips curled up in delight, only to meet her inexplicably chilly, beautiful eyes.

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