The Hidden Heiress Is a Secret Big Shot

Chapter 386: Chapter 386: Shen Jishi, You Lowly Man

After Jin Qianqian was taken away for stabbing Jin Qingzhou’s mother, she managed to find a lawyer on her own and got released.

Returning home, she wanted to pick a fight but found that Jin Qingzhou was nowhere to be seen, so she called to verbally abuse her instead.

“Get back home right now! Out alone in the middle of the night—you must be out seducing some random men!”

“I’m the only one in this world who truly cares about you, do you hear me?”

Jin Qingzhou had heard these words so many times that she was almost numb to them.

She took a deep breath, her hands trembling.

“Your so-called care for me means marrying me off to a man who’s shorter, fatter, poorer, weaker than me? Oh, and he’s also drowning in debt—and I have to pay it off?”

“Your care for me is hurting Qianqian?”

“You only approve of men you can control, as long as they’re inferior to you in every way, so you can guarantee they won’t leave you for the rest of your life! And if Qianqian ever obeyed, you wouldn’t have hit her! A mother has every right to hit her own child—that’s the natural order of things!”

Jin Qingzhou laughed sarcastically.

“Oh, no problem. Just be crazy like you, and no one would need to get divorced. Except Dad didn’t want you anymore.”

“A husband abandoning his wife for someone else—that’s also the natural order of things.”

Her words pierced Jin Qingzhou’s mother deeply.

On the other end of the phone, she instantly exploded into a string of curses, saying things so vile and vulgar it was hard to believe they came from a mother speaking to her daughter.

Jin Qingzhou gripped the edge of the balcony railing, her entire body shaking uncontrollably.

Downstairs, Xu Xiaoru heard the commotion, decisively climbed up the balcony with one quick leap, and landed on the upper balcony!

She snatched the phone directly from Jin Qingzhou’s hand.

“What’s wrong with you? Should I help you book a bed in a psychiatric hospital? Who talks to their own child like this?”

Narcissistic personality disorder patients are usually very skilled at disguising themselves in front of outsiders!

Upon hearing someone else’s voice, Jin Qingzhou’s mother instantly switched tones.

Her voice became gentle and loving, “Is this a friend of our Zhouzhou? Ah, this child—her personality is so withdrawn and cold, truly strange. She doesn’t have many friends. Be careful while spending time with her, alright?”

Xu Xiaoru sneered, “You’re the one who should be careful. If you love controlling men so much, why don’t you go scrub backs in a bathhouse? You could control dozens every day.”

“…Why are you talking like this? I’m still your elder, you know.”

Xu Xiaoru rolled her eyes.

“Oh, please. Anyone who calls you their elder is doomed to go speed-dating with potato heads!”

Jin Qingzhou’s mother dropped her vulgar attitude, replacing it with icy disdain: “Jin Qingzhou, if you don’t come home tonight, then don’t bother coming back ever again!”

“Who wants to come back? Just go hug your precious husband’s portrait and cry your eyes out!”

Xu Xiaoru finished cursing her out and hung up decisively, not giving Jin Qingzhou the chance to react.

After handing the phone back to her, Xu Xiaoru apologized, “Sorry, I’ve got a short temper.”

“It’s fine, thank you.”

Jin Qingzhou had long since given up hope on her mother.

After a brief silence, Xu Xiaoru hesitated before saying, “Not to be nosy… but with someone like her, you’d be better off cutting ties altogether.”

“Yeah, I know. But Qianqian was still in school. I’m worried she might do something to hurt Qianqian.”

Jin Qingzhou’s family was a tangled mess.

A father who cheated, a controlling mother with severe psychological issues, and a childhood scarred by constant suppression and abuse—all of it pressed down on her like a crushing weight!

“Once I blocked her out and moved Qianqian with me, she called the police on me.”

Jin Qingzhou laughed bitterly and lightly patted Xu Xiaoru’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry. I’ve got this. Worst comes to worst, I’ll leave the country and never come back. Just some growing pains!”

Xu Xiaoru blinked.

“But we’re not that close, are we? If I did some sort of boundary-stomping thing, you wouldn’t have any way to stop me, right?”

If she casually told Shen Boyi about everything that happened just now—maybe even used it to ask him for some cooperation—wouldn’t that be fair?

After all, this is the Shen Family. Anything happening here is something they should know anyway!

Xu Xiaoru thought it made perfect sense.

Jin Qingzhou: “Huh? What are you planning to do?”

Xu Xiaoru acted as though she hadn’t said a word and prepared to vault down again. That’s when she heard Qingwu’s cold voice.

“Go back to your own room. Get lost.”

“Waaah, Master just got herself a male Masteress and is already so heartless to me!”

Male Masteress?

And she could actually say something like that with a straight face!

Qingwu rubbed her forehead helplessly. As her gaze met Pei Jue’s amused eyes, she had to fight the urge to slap Xu Xiaoru with both hands…

“Your disciple’s a real piece of work. I heard last month she handed all the Xu Family’s dockside casino licenses over to the authorities. Looks like she’s trying to semi-legitimize some of their business operations.”

Back in the day, the Xu Family had made their fortune through gambling.

If she truly shook the casinos, she’d be stepping on more toes than she could count!

It was easy to imagine how much chaos Xu Xiaoru was stirring within the Xu Family at this very moment!

Qingwu raised her eyebrow and asked, “Why are you here?”

“I missed you. Came to see you.”

“You could’ve just video-called.”

Pei Jue waved his phone, “I called you a bunch of times, but you didn’t answer. I got worried something might’ve happened to you. When I saw your light on, I decided to come up and check myself.”

With that explanation, it suddenly seemed like Qingwu was the one being unreasonable.

“…Sorry, I didn’t check my phone.”

Pei Jue gently wrapped his arms around Qingwu’s waist, leaning into her, “Then be good and let me hold you for a bit. I’ll leave soon.”

Qingwu glanced down at him. The sense of unwavering devotion in his eyes had always been plainly displayed for her.

This straightforward and resolute disposition made Qingwu’s lips curve into a slight smile. She didn’t push him away.

…

In the deep of night, Xu Xiaoru emerged from Shen Boyi’s study, successfully walking away with several signed contracts.

Just as she stepped out, she ran into Shen Jishi passing by with a water cup.

Shen Jishi clutched his mouth, trembling slightly. “Y-you-you—why are you coming out of my brother’s study? Someone like you… my brother would never like you!”

Xu Xiaoru looked at him like he was speaking nonsense.

All she did was discuss business with Shen Boyi—a proper business negotiation between professionals, with a few harmless terms for barter thrown in.

“Shen Young Master, in your world, does every woman coming out of a man’s study automatically imply something shady? Even if they’re cured, dolts like you still drool! Idiot!”

Shen Jishi was bewildered by her sudden insult and flustered.

Xu Xiaoru waved the contracts in her hand and rolled her eyes again.

“Shen Young Master, I’m a businesswoman—not some dimwit whose head is filled with indecent thoughts like yours.”

Shen Jishi froze, a bit embarrassed. “Sorry, that’s not what I meant.”

“I don’t care what you meant! Bottom-rung man!”

Xu Xiaoru smugly stomped on Shen Jishi’s barefooted toes and stormed off in fury.

“Ow—”

Hopping around clutching his foot, Shen Jishi’s face grew increasingly distressed.

He had no idea what was happening to him.

Despite knowing full well that Xu Xiaoru wasn’t that kind of person, the sight of her coming out of his brother’s study inexplicably left him feeling… uneasy?