The CEO's Substitute Ex-Wife-Chapter 168: A Friend in Need

"Xueru? Who?"

"An artist from Anning, Chen Xueru. She’s a really good person, her acting is better than mine, and she’s prettier than me. Just because of a ’sugar daddy’ scandal, does she need to be sidelined for this long?"

"That’s Anning Entertainment’s business. Why is this petty matter landing on my head?"

"Whose head would it land on if not yours? Anning still answers to you. Even if someone in the entertainment department is intentionally causing trouble, a word from you could turn the tide," Wen Nuan said. Gu Rui was now fighting Chen Xueru for their child, so she needed a stable job even more. Continuing to be sidelined would be detrimental to her.

"Are you begging me now?" Ye Feimo asked with a smile, crossing his arms.

"I guess so." Wen Nuan checked the time. "I’m not talking to you anymore. If I keep talking, I’ll only lose more. Capitalist, I’m leaving. See you tonight."

Wen Nuan waved dismissively and ran off.

Ye Feimo’s lips curved upward. He called Cheng Anya. "Mommy, are you free tonight?"

"What for?"

"Come with me to a birthday banquet."

"Oh, so you don’t have a woman to take out, and it’s your old mom’s turn?" Cheng Anya couldn’t help but retort.

"Yes, pity your son who has no woman to take out. Just endure it for one night."

...

After hanging up, Ye Feimo called Zhang Ling in. "Take all of Han Bi’s discs and magazines from the bookshelf. If you like them, take them for yourselves. If not, throw them away," Ye Feimo said lightly, lowering his head to resume work.

Zhang Ling glanced at him, secretly marveling. *It must be raining red. These items had been on the shelf for years, and he was actually willing to throw them away.*

But Zhang Ling didn’t dare to question him and quickly gathered the items and left.

Ye Feimo looked at the empty space and smiled faintly, thinking of Wen Nuan’s smiling face.

Next to the Huai River stood tall buildings, with several open-air cafes on the top floors. Sitting there and drinking coffee offered a view of all the scenery below the Huai River. When Wen Nuan arrived, Chen Xueru was already waiting for her.

After not seeing her for a few days, she looked much more haggard.

Chen Xueru wasn’t wearing makeup today, appearing bare-faced but still elegant. However, she looked sickly and lacked spirit. Wen Nuan thought of her situation with Gu Rui, and a pang of sorrow went through her heart.

"Sister Xueru, are you still upset about Gu Rui? Has that man not given up on the child yet?" In the past few days, she had been busy with the relentless promotion of **"Beauty’s Allure"** and the cold war with Ye Feimo. She was mentally and physically exhausted, with no extra energy to care about other matters.

Chen Xueru shook her head, ordered a coffee for Wen Nuan, and sighed softly. "Wen Nuan, I feel like my life is truly a joke."

"What happened?"

"The paternity test results for the child are out," Chen Xueru said with a bitter smile. Wen Nuan’s heart skipped a beat. From Chen Xueru’s expression, she knew it wasn’t good news. *Was it really Gu Rui’s?*

Chen Xueru saw through her thoughts. "Now, I almost wish it were Gu Rui’s. That way, perhaps I wouldn’t be the sinner in someone else’s relationship."

"What exactly happened?"

"The child is Tang Shuwen’s—Mandong’s brother."

"Ah..." Wen Nuan’s mouth dropped open in surprise. *How could such a coincidence happen? Brother Shuwen and Sister Xueru? No wonder Mandong was so hesitant that day, completely unlike her usual composed self. And no wonder she found Xiaonian so familiar.*

She had seen Tang Shuwen’s childhood photos at Mandong’s house and had even laughed with Tang Mandong, saying how Gentlemanly Brother Shuwen looked even as a child, no wonder he grew up so refined.

Xiaonian’s appearance wasn’t similar to the current Tang Shuwen, but it was like a spitting image of Tang Shuwen as a child.

Wen Nuan’s mind raced. She remembered Ye Feimo saying that Tang Shuwen had a beloved girlfriend named Zhao Yuning. Her heart sank. She wasn’t close to Zhao Yuning, so of course, she wouldn’t care about her. Now, she cared more about Chen Xueru.

"So, what now? Sister Xueru, are you sure?"

Chen Xueru nodded, her eyes welling up. Wen Nuan moved closer, gently patting her slender shoulder. For the past few years, she had endured the tragedy of losing her family, Gu Rui’s ruthless betrayal and cruel treatment, the stark drop from the peak of her career, and facing the birth and upbringing of her child all alone. She had been through so much hardship.

It was truly difficult for a woman to survive so strongly after enduring so much.

"So what are you going to do? Mandong told me a few days ago that Brother Shuwen is getting married. Is it you and him getting married?" Wen Nuan asked. With a child, marriage would probably be inevitable.

But Tang Shuwen also had a deeply loved girlfriend. What was to be done?

Chen Xueru pulled out a tissue and wiped away her tears. "These past few days have been hellish, more painful than anything I’ve endured before. A few years ago, Tang Shuwen was in America, making a deal with a gang. He accidentally drank some psychedelic alcohol at a bar, was set up, and stumbled into a hotel. Then he encountered me. I left in the middle of the night. I don’t know what happened in the latter half of the night, but Tang Shuwen accused me of being..." The humiliating word was hard for Chen Xueru to say. "Tang Shuwen lost a USB drive he had on him because of that night. That USB drive contained very important information for Dragon Gate. After it was exposed, Dragon Gate suffered heavy losses. He has held a grudge against me for years, believing I stole his USB drive and sold it to his opponent. Coincidentally, his opponent had a close relationship with Gu Rui, so Tang Shuwen thought I intentionally seduced him for Gu Rui’s sake and harmed him. He’s been holding onto this resentment for years. Although he didn’t know who I was, he always hated me. That night, when I stayed at Mandong’s house, Mandong showed me his childhood photos and compared them to Xiaonian’s. Our conversation was overheard by Mandong’s mother, and she was very happy. When Tang Shuwen came back and heard about it, he dragged me into a room and almost killed me. That night, he was supposed to tell his parents about his marriage to Zhao Yuning, but this incident happened, and he couldn’t bring himself to say it. His mother then accused him of being irresponsible and insisted he take responsibility. He took all his anger out on me, not believing the child was his, and said he had forgotten about that night. To clarify the matter, I had no choice but to bring Xiaonian back for a paternity test, which confirmed he is the father." Chen Xueru fought back tears. "I regret it so much. I regret going to Mandong’s house that day. I also regret taking out Xiaonian’s photo and letting Mandong see it. I truly regret it."

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