Chapter 7

Chapter 7

That business about Rome was a lie. I didn’t have any friends in Italy.

Even if I did, I wouldn’t have missed this crucial moment.

In the past, I had tried every possible way to stop Gu Jingshen from going to the airport. I had begged, thrown tantrums, faked illnesses, slashed his tires, and even intentionally broken my own arm. Not once did it work.

This time, I would face it head-on. I was no longer the Shen Zhaoyi who only knew how to endure in silence.

I hired a team of professional stylists and put on my most expensive haute couture suit.

In the mirror, I looked polished to perfection, radiating every ounce of my beauty.

Even the stylist couldn’t stop praising me. “Miss Shen, you look just like a movie star.”

Since I was going to be a movie star, I had to go with the mindset of outshining everyone else. I stood at the arrival gate, clutching Gu Jingshen’s arm with my neck held straight, as if I were standing before the backdrop of an awards ceremony. My handsome leading man looked down at me, tucking a stray curl behind my ear.

[67.5%]

My confidence had never been higher, and neither had my heart rate.

From a distance, I spotted Jiang Wan at a glance. She was tall and stood out in the crowd. Her time living in the Americas had led her to cut her hair short, and her skin had tanned several shades. Her appearance was practically unkempt. She wore no makeup and was dressed extremely simply; her arms, exposed by her white T-shirt, were toned and firm, showing clear signs of exercise.

Seven years later, she was nothing like she had been in university.

Gu Jingshen disliked this type of woman the most.

He had always liked women who were delicate, charming, mature, and “feminine.” Like the Jiang Wan of seven years ago, and like me.

As Jiang Wan drew closer, her eyes shone brightly. For a moment, I felt as if she were an approaching comet.

Static electricity crackled inexplicably, making the hair on my arms stand on end.

She walked toward us.

The system text floated before my eyes.

-Marriage Reconciliation Success Rate.

I stared fixedly at that line of numbers, my heartbeat thundering in my ears. Change, change now. Prove my success, change!

The value flickered and shifted violently, leaving behind afterimages like a system glitch. After what felt like a century, it finally became readable again.

[33.5%]

Wait a minute.

Something must be wrong with the system.

My face turned deathly pale. In an instant, cold sweat soaked my temples, causing my makeup to clump and run down like leaden-white blood.

Gu Jingshen was staring intently at Jiang Wan. It seemed as if nothing else could ever make him look away again. My numbers jumped once more.

[3.5%]

It turned out that all it took was one look at her for me to meet utter defeat.