A Beijing socialite stole my boyfriend; she went crazy after I got married.

The sun is setting in the eastern suburbs of Beijing.

In the private garden left behind by a prominent Beiyang government official in his early years.

There are seven courtyards here, each connected by a blue stone corridor with old-fashioned copper palace lanterns hanging under the corridor.

The lights flickered slightly in the cold wind after dusk, casting circles of dim, ambiguous glow.

Tonight's event is a private gathering for art appreciation and collection.

The organizer is a highly respected veteran collector who invites personally selected guests every few years to hold a private viewing and exchange of his collection here, which is not open to the public.

There was no auction or bidding during the meal; instead, there were only a few top-quality ancient paintings that were never shown to the public, and a table with a very carefully selected guest list.

There are no more than thirty people in the entire club tonight.

But the wealth and power these people represent are enough to stir up any waves they want in the business world of Beijing.

Xie Jing stood in the main hall of the east courtyard.

The highlight of the evening's exhibition is displayed on the wall facing the main hall.

A landscape painting in the Song Dynasty court style, painted on silk with colors, with ancient and profound brushwork, exudes a unique, tranquil and breathtaking atmosphere under professional lighting, as if it has been washed by time.

He stood before the painting, holding a glass of golden-brown aged Shaoxing wine, his gaze fixed on the clump of reeds in the lower right corner of the painting, outlined with extremely fine brushstrokes.

The man's expression was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger.

Assistant Wang was half a step behind him, looking down at his tablet.

Of the thirty or so people in the hall, more than half were glancing in this direction, some openly, some secretly.

after all--

In this room, which is filled with the top capital in Beijing, everyone knows one thing.

The Xie family patriarch and the others were not on the same level.

Even if he does nothing but stand quietly in front of that ancient painting, the subtle center of power in the entire room will involuntarily tilt towards him.

"Thank you, Chairman Xie."

A man in his fifties, with gray hair but still full of energy, walked over.

He held his wine glass, bowed slightly, and asked in a warm but measured tone, "What do you think of this painting?"

This is our host for tonight, Song Ling, the eldest son of the collector Song.

The Song family's businesses span two major sectors: cultural investment and financial funds.

Song Ling himself was a true connoisseur of painting.

"Not bad," Xie Jing nodded, his gaze never leaving the painting. "The ink layering in the middle ground is very interesting, but the blank space in the upper right corner is closed too abruptly, which makes it slightly lacking in spirit."

Song Ling was taken aback for a moment, then laughed heartily, his eyes revealing genuine amazement: "Chairman Xie is absolutely right. My father said the same thing when he saw this."

He turned slightly to the side and began introducing two other small pieces on display that evening to Xie Jing, his words clearly revealing his intention to prolong the conversation.

Xie Jing didn't answer much, but every word he uttered was extremely accurate, hitting the nail on the head in just a few words.

Song Ling nodded repeatedly, his smile growing increasingly genuine.

Seeing that Song Ling and Xie Jing were getting along well, the other guests in the hall naturally took the opportunity to join them.

A northern businessman who made his fortune in the energy sector loudly praised the choice of drinks for the evening, then abruptly changed the subject to mention a recent resource development project in Northwest China, clearly trying to attract Xie Jing's attention.

Xie Jing simply nodded.

The man swallowed back the rest of his prepared speech, chuckled dryly, and took two steps back.

A wealthy second-generation heir who had just completed a large-scale acquisition in Southeast Asia approached Xie Jing under the pretext of refilling his wine, speaking in a tone that tried to appear calm.

"Chairman Xie, my father has always said that the businessman he admires most in his life is you..."

"Your father is too kind."

Xie Jing raised his hand, indicating that he did not need his cup refilled.

The man's hand froze in mid-air.

The atmosphere in the hall remained subtle.

Xie Jing had almost finished looking at the Song Dynasty landscape painting.

He held his wine glass and slowly moved toward the rosewood armchair under the eaves.

As soon as he sat down, Assistant Wang handed him the tablet and whispered two internal company matters to him.

He listened while casually glancing at the documents.

"Oh, Mr. Xie!"

A slightly plump man, dressed in a custom-made Chinese-style double-breasted suit, stepped out from the crowd in the hall, holding a wine glass, and walked over here.

Xie Jing glanced at it.

Lin Chonghe.

The head of the Lin Group owns businesses spanning three major sectors: medical devices, high-end real estate, and chain hotels, with net assets conservatively estimated at tens of billions.

In this room, he is considered one of the most respectable people.

But compared to the chairman of Tianyu Group, this level of influence is simply insignificant.

As Lin Chonghe approached, a smile spread across his face. "Long time no see."

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, his tone carrying a hint of long-held admiration.

Xie Jing nodded, "Chairman Lin."

Lin Chonghe sat down on the chair next to him, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then casually mentioned it.

"By the way, Mr. Xie, my wife told me that my youngest daughter and Qingyang are quite close, and the two girls often play together. Speaking of your child, she's really growing up to be very accomplished. I saw her at the awards ceremony last time, and her every move exuded such poise..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

Xie Jing put the cup down.

The movement was very light; the sound of the bottom of the cup contacting the several surfaces of the rosewood was almost inaudible.

Lin Chonghe immediately shut up.

Xie Jing looked thoughtfully at the man beside her.

He still remembered Jiang Chu's previous "complaint".

Of course, more likely than complaining, they want to ask for help.

Because of her temper, she definitely wouldn't want to be put in a bad mood, but she'd be afraid of retaliation if she talked back.

Normally, Xie Jing wouldn't remember a character like Lin Yuwei, but things are different when Jiang Chu is involved.

Xie Jing spoke calmly, "...Your daughter?"

Lin Chonghe immediately perked up, bowed slightly forward, and said, "Yes, it's my youngest daughter..."

"I heard," Xie Jing calmly picked up the teacup beside him, "that she studies at Peking University?"

"Yes, yes, I'm in a science and engineering field, and my grades are passable."

Lin Chonghe smiled, as if encouraged, his tone carrying the unique pride of a father.

"Of course," he quickly added, "not as good as Miss Xie, who is only eighteen years old but has already won so many awards..."

Xie Jing neither agreed nor disagreed, saying, "Good scholarship is a good thing."

Lin Chonghe was startled, sensing something else in that tone. Feeling a little uneasy, he smiled and nodded, "Yes, yes—"

"But in the end, a person's life," Xie Jing's gaze remained fixed on the painting in the distance, "still comes down to the word 'character'."

He glanced down at the teacup in his hand.

"No matter how learned one is, if one's moral character is flawed, one will still be disliked. What do you say, Chairman Lin?"

He turned back to look at Lin Chonghe one last time, a faint, emotionless smile playing on his lips.

Lin Chonghe stood there, stunned.

He was still smiling on the surface, but in reality he felt like a deflated ball, his original enthusiasm suddenly vanishing.

He wanted to respond, but found himself completely clueless about how to do so.

What's going on?

Every word Xie Jing said was correct nonsense, flawless, and without any clear target.

But as long as you consider the context, you'll know that this is definitely a pointed remark.

"What Chairman Xie said is... absolutely right."

Lin Chonghe forced out the sentence, his voice almost a tone lower than before, with a twitch at the corner of his mouth.

Xie Jing had already turned his head back to look at the ancient painting in the distance, as if what he had just said was just a casual, weightless chatter at the dinner table.

A few seconds later, he picked up his phone again.

Lin Chonghe didn't know what he was looking at, nor did he dare to peek at the screen, but he did see that the man's expression seemed to have relaxed a bit.

Xie Jing started replying to messages.

Lin Chonghe, holding his wine glass, stood frozen for more than ten seconds, feeling extremely uncomfortable. He then found an excuse to stand up, cupped his hands in farewell to Xie Jing, and left.

Xie Jing was indifferent, and barely reacted at all.

His attention was completely focused on his phone.

A few seconds later, someone sent a thank you message.

I'm driving!

[The car you sent me! It's awesome! It drives so well!]

[Kitten kissing.jpg]

Xie Jing suppressed the urge to smile, feeling much better, and replied with a cat-patting emoji.

Lin Chonghe walked back into the crowd, still smiling, though the back of his shirt was completely soaked with cold sweat.

"Boss," the assistant greeted him quickly, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Lin Chonghe shook his head, pulled his assistant away, and stood in a relatively quiet corridor, his hand holding the wine glass trembling slightly.

"What has Xiaowei been doing lately?"

He said in a deep voice.

The assistant quickly turned on the tablet.

"Young lady's itinerary for the past month..."

Although Lin Yuwei has her own personal assistant, some important public events are still coordinated through this agency.

Lin Chonghe listened to his assistant's report but didn't make sense of anything serious. "Is it related to the Xie family?"

"Yes," the assistant continued scrolling down, "Last week, Miss Xie organized a small private party at the holiday villa, and Miss was invited. I remember you asked me to prepare a gift before I went..."

Lin Chonghe took a breath.

He certainly knows his youngest daughter.

Lin Yuwei's academic performance is indeed outstanding; she has won awards in various competitions since she was a child.

But to say she's very smart is definitely not an option.

In terms of interpersonal relationships, Lin Yuwei has done many foolish things. If it weren't for her family backing her up, she might have been beaten to death long ago.

Lin Chonghe was getting old and had seen many people, so he knew that his youngest daughter was just like that.

They are jealous, impulsive, and don't know how to restrain themselves.

They can't accomplish anything significant.

but--

Lin Yuwei was lucky; she got together with Xie Qingyang at school.

Although Lin Yuwei was secretly jealous of Xie Qingyang's family background.

But Lin Chonghe felt this was a good opportunity, and repeatedly instructed his daughter to befriend Miss Xie, and even gave Lin Yuwei many benefits for it.

If I could arrange for one of my sons to marry into the Xie family, that would be incredibly auspicious.

He didn't even dare to imagine how much benefit the Lin family could gain.

Even if I can't do that, just making friends is enough.

but--

Despite her father's repeated warnings and the many benefits of associating with Xie Qingyang, Lin Yuwei was willing to be friends with Miss Xie.

But that doesn't mean Lin Yuwei won't do something stupid.

If Xie Jing happened to witness the gathering at the Xie family's villa, things would get very serious.

"Let's go first."

Lin Chonghe raised his hand and nodded to Song Ling in the distance, as if to give a prior greeting.

"go home."

It was nearly nine o'clock at night when Lin Chonghe finally arrived home.

The warm lighting in the main living room illuminated the entire house, making it appear incredibly luxurious.

The atmosphere, however, was very tense.

As Lin Chonghe stepped inside, he bumped into Lin Yuwei, who was coming down the stairs.

Lin Yuwei had already removed her base makeup and was wearing a custom-made velvet nightgown, but she still looked angry.

As soon as she saw Lin Chonghe enter, she immediately jumped down the steps.

"Dad! I was bullied by a bitch at school today! She kept picking on me!"

Lin Yuwei gritted her teeth and said, "And she's shameless, kept by an old man—"

Before he could finish speaking...

Snapped!

Lin Chonghe swung his arm and slapped her across the face.

Caught off guard, Lin Yuwei's cheek instantly burned and swelled up. She lost control and stumbled to the right, crashing heavily onto the sofa.

She was so badly beaten that her vision blurred and the world spun around her; warm blood immediately gushed from her nose.