Chapter 56: If It's Thrown Away, So Be It

Shang Yang had originally intended to let Lin Xianxian find out that very night whether he was truly "capable" or not, but Lin Xianxian did not give him the chance.

According to the plot, Lin Xianxian did indeed go shopping that day with Madam Shang, where she ran into the female protagonist, Qin Xinxia.

After mocking Qin Xinxia thoroughly, Shang Beiming went to comfort Qin Xinxia that very evening.

Furthermore, Shang Beiming spent the night outside with Qin Xinxia and did not return home.

Because of Madam Shang's attitude during the day, Lin Xianxian's hopes had been reignited.

She never expected to hear such "devastating news."

Furious and panicked, Lin Xianxian threw a tantrum at home, smashing things, and then headed over to Shang Feifei's room to drink her sorrows away.

Shang Yang returned home relatively early that evening and heard Ning Feng reporting on Lin Xianxian's afternoon actions and inner thoughts:

"President Shang, tonight Lin, um... Madam. Following the plot, after learning that Shang Beiming and Qin Xinxia were staying together, she smashed quite a few things at home."

"Oh? What did she smash?"

Shang Yang grew interested. After all, he was well aware of how much this little girl loved wealth.

Even the large amount of gold his sister-in-law had bought her had kept Lin Xianxian happy all afternoon.

"She smashed... the fake antique vase Madam Shang previously gave you, cut up a few clothes she claimed she disliked, and knocked over your coffee... In her mind, she muttered that if you kept drinking like that, you wouldn't be able to sleep, and ulcers would develop sooner or later."

"What else?"

"Finding it an eyesore, Madam also threw away the wedding gift Miss Qin gave you both."

"What gift was it?"

Shang Yang had never personally opened gifts from anyone outside the family, not even the one from Qin Xinxia, despite her being his future niece-in-law.

"Miss Qin sent tea. The card attached said it was personally picked and stir-fried by her and Young Master Shang."

"They put in some effort, it seems."

Given Qin Xinxia's income level, she couldn't afford to send him any expensive tea.

Therefore, she sent something she had made herself.

Knowing that she didn't yet hold enough weight in his heart, she sent a gift she had prepared together with his nephew.

It had to be said, Qin Xinxia was quite clever.

However, as for this gift...

Given Lin Xianxian's character setting, she naturally wouldn't like it.

A trace of a smile appeared in Shang Yang's eyes.

"If she threw it away, let her throw it away."

He had already accepted the thought behind it, and as for the tea, he probably would never have drunk it anyway; keeping it would only mean leaving it sitting around the house.

"Anything else?"

"Madam also pulled up all the flowers in the courtyard, leaving the gardener too angry to speak out. However... actually, Madam is allergic to pollen and dislikes a yard full of flowers. But judging by her intent... it probably wasn't Lin Xianxian who was allergic, but rather... the version of her from the other world."

"Since she doesn't like them, clear out all the flowers in the house."

Shang Yang said without hesitation:

"Madam can plant whatever she likes."

"Yes."

Hesitating for a moment, Ning Feng added:

"Madam's actions have caused the domestic staff to dislike her somewhat. They feel Madam has a rather large temper..."

Ning Feng couldn't help feeling fortunate that he had formed a good impression of Lin Xianxian earlier, which allowed him to hear her inner voice back then.

Otherwise, if he had only witnessed Lin Xianxian smashing things, pulling up flowers, and throwing away Qin Xinxia's gift today...

He would have reacted just like those servants, thinking Lin Xianxian was truly willful, spoiled, and rude.

Shang Yang did not hesitate at all:

"If they don't like it, they don't need to stay. Settle their wages and bring in a quiet batch of people."

"Yes."

Ning Feng acknowledged the order and turned to leave, but seemed to remember something else:

"Madam and Miss Shang are drinking at a bar, and she even took several bottles of your prized collection with her."

He hadn't expected that on just the second day of their marriage, she would run off to find Shang Feifei...

He had consumed rather too many restorative tonics today.

Shang Yang loosened his tie. "Go over and keep an eye on them. Don't let them run wild."

Ning Feng nodded. Truth be told, he was also quite worried about Shang Feifei.

Inside a booth at the bar, Shang Feifei with her eyes rimmed red poured her heart out to Lin Xianxian:

"I told him that tomorrow... tomorrow I'm going abroad, and I won't be able to see him for a long time. Do you know how he... how he reacted?"

Although she knew Yang Haoyu wasn't truly in love with her, after chasing him for three years, Shang Feifei had long since regarded Yang Haoyu as a part of her life.

She had originally planned to follow Lin Xianxian and the others' advice and leave for a while, thinking it might help her see her own heart clearly while also testing Yang Haoyu's reaction.

She never expected Yang Haoyu to have no reaction whatsoever, merely telling her to have fun.

"Do you think... do you think he really doesn't... doesn't like me at all?"

[You're just figuring that out now? Little fool, he's just using you!]

Lin Xianxian complained unceremoniously in her heart:

[That idiot is probably playing hard to get. Ultimately, he wants to marry you so he can use the Shang family to climb higher and become a son-in-law of the Shangs. He figures that if he marries you and Qin Xinxia marries Shang Beiming, they'll all be one family and get to see each other every single day for the rest of their lives. That's the true love he's after!]

Shang Feifei had still been grieving, but upon hearing this, her body trembled and she snapped back to her senses instantly.

How could she have forgotten, just after leaving Lin Xianxian for a few days and seeing Yang Haoyu again...

Shang Feifei forced herself to sober up and listened as Lin Xianxian continued to rant internally:

[In the plot, once you've given birth to three children for him and the old master and Shang Yang are both dead, his position in the Shang Corporation will finally be secure.]

[Shang Beiming is completely brainless when it comes to love. Although he's capable, after marriage his only goal in life is to cuddle, hug, and sleep with his wife... Because of this, he frequently claims he wants to use people according to their strengths, dragging the female lead off on honeymoons one, two, three, or even N times...]

[Following the standard tropes of a CEO romance novel, he and the female lead will have a genius son. When the son is still tiny, he'll be tortured by being thrown into company affairs, but since he and the female lead's children are still far too young, he ends up dumping a massive amount of work onto Yang Haoyu!]

Hearing this, Shang Feifei felt a sudden sense of foreboding in her heart.

Could it...

Really be true?!

[That blockhead Shang Beiming is capable, but because Yang Haoyu is his brother-in-law, he trusts Yang Haoyu far too much. As a result, because Yang Haoyu acts as his representative for long periods, he wins over the loyalty of many high-ranking executives in the company. Many people even start to feel that Shang Beiming lacks ability and that everything relies on Yang Haoyu. Some even secretly harbor grievances on Yang Haoyu's behalf.]

[Ten years pass, and Yang Haoyu builds up his own power base within the Shang Corporation, backed by a team that supports him wholeheartedly.]

[Then... he massively embezzles public funds, devours the Shang family's assets, and even hands projects over to others for money. By the time Shang Beiming discovers it, the Shang Corporation is practically an empty shell.]

Shang Feifei's heart sank all the way to the bottom.

[The one relatively logical thing about this world is: how could a CEO who is constantly on his Nth honeymoon possibly maintain such a tight grip on human hearts that everyone around him obeys his every command? In short, Yang Haoyu brings a massive crisis down upon Shang Beiming.]

[Shang Beiming faces the greatest trial of his entire storyline, and is even framed by Yang Haoyu under fabricated charges and thrown behind bars, while Yang Haoyu pins all the illegal activities committed by his own subordinates squarely onto Shang Beiming.]