Contract Over: Heiress Unmasked

Chapter 12: Drooling with Envy

Ruan Chutang offered a non-committal shrug. "I suppose you're right. You don't really know me at all, do you?"

She turned her attention back to Chen Wan, a playful glint in her eyes. "Sure you don't want a photo, Ms. Chen? Last chance before I roll out."

Chen Wan’s face turned a mottled shade of green. She was dying for that photo, but with Chutang sitting right there, her pride wouldn't let her budge.

"I’m not interested in your cheap tricks," Chen Wan snapped, her voice tight.

"Suit yourself. Bye!" Chutang gave a casual wave, floored the accelerator, and the Bentley roared to life, vanishing in a blur of Glacier Blue.

As the dust settled, Chen Wan turned to Gu Zechuan, her voice dripping with venom. "Zechuan, how could you ever be with someone so shallow?"

Gu Zechuan rubbed his temples, a headache brewing. "She wasn't like this before. I don't know what’s gotten into her lately—first the marriage ultimatum, now the rental car."

"It’s obvious, isn't it?" Chen Wan crossed her arms, a look of faux-pity crossing her face. "She sees us together and she’s spiraling. She’s probably trying to prove she belongs in our world. Poor thing... all that money for a rental she’ll have to return tomorrow. It’s almost sad."

"Don't," Zechuan muttered, turning back toward the villa. "It’s embarrassing enough as it is."

***

Chutang didn't take the car back to the villa’s garage. Instead, she tucked it away in a high-end paid parking lot nearby. She wasn't ready to lay her cards on the table just yet. She had spent three years wanting to share her world with him, but now? Now, he didn't deserve the truth.

That evening, the dinner table was once again a sad display of steamed greens and bland tofu.

Chutang walked in carrying a takeout bag from an exclusive private kitchen. The moment she opened the containers, the room was hit with the intoxicating, spicy aroma of mala crawfish and chili crab.

Zechuan’s eyes darted toward her meal. The crawfish were bright red, glistening in oil, the scent sharp enough to make his mouth water instantly. He looked down at his own plate—watery soup and tasteless vegetables—and felt a wave of genuine resentment.

Chutang snapped on a pair of disposable gloves and began peeling a crawfish with focused intensity.

Zechuan loved crawfish. Back in the day, whenever they went out, Chutang would spend the whole meal peeling them for him, stacking the succulent meat on his plate. He waited, his throat tightening as he swallowed hard, expecting her to drop a piece into his bowl.

Instead, Chutang popped the meat into her own mouth, humming with satisfaction.

Feeling his gaze, she looked up. "What? Something on my face?"

Zechuan cleared his throat, trying to regain his dignity. "Do you have to eat something that smells that strong in here?"

Before Chutang could fire back, Chen Wan chimed in. "Honestly, Zechuan is right. It’s usually people from... less refined backgrounds who crave such heavy, oily food. It’s a bit overwhelming, Ms. Ruan. Maybe you should eat in the garden?"

Zechuan’s face soured. He was literally dying for a bite, and Chen Wan had just branded it "lower class."

Chutang licked a stray drop of spicy oil from her lip, a taunting smile playing on her face. "Sounds like you don't know Zechuan’s tastes as well as you think, Ms. Chen. Why don't you ask him if he likes it?"

Chen Wan blinked, turning to him. "Zechuan, you don't actually—"

"Forget it," Zechuan interrupted, shoving a piece of bok choy into his mouth. "Just eat."

Chutang spent the rest of the meal blissfully ignoring them, finishing every last bite of the crab and crawfish.

After dinner, Chen Wan began a slow lap of the living room, acting like a high-end interior designer. "Zechuan, these curtains are hideous. And that vase? It completely clashes with the room’s energy."

She stopped in front of a bouquet of fresh flowers, wrinkling her nose. "Actually, I’m deathly allergic to pollen. Can we get rid of these? They’re giving me a headache."

The curtains, the vase, the flowers—Chutang had picked them all. Chen Wan knew it, too. This wasn't about decor; it was a territorial marking.

"If you don't like them, change them," Zechuan said dismissively. He shot a glance at Chutang, looking for a reaction. "If she’s allergic, throw them out."

Chutang watched the little performance in silence. It wasn't her house anymore. She didn't give a damn.

Chen Wan took her silence for defeat, her eyes flashing with triumph. *You lost, Ruan Chutang.*

Zechuan called the housekeeper over. "Zhang Ma, get this vase and these flowers out of here. Throw them in the trash."

The housekeeper looked at Chutang, her expression pained. "But sir... Ms. Ruan bought these. She spent hours picking them out."

Zechuan’s voice rose, sharp and cold. "And? I’m the one who pays your salary, aren't I? I’m the master of this house. Do as I said."

"It’s fine, Zhang Ma," Chutang said calmly. "Toss them."

The housekeeper sighed and carried the flowers out, muttering under her breath about "insane people" and "divas who only eat grass."

Back in the living room, Chen Wan wrapped her arm around Zechuan’s, her voice a sugary purr. "Zechuan, come with me tomorrow to pick out new curtains, okay?"

Zechuan looked at Chutang again. She was perfectly still, her face a mask of indifference. Why wasn't she jealous? Why wasn't she fighting for her place?

A strange, restless irritation gnawed at him. He used to value her "sensible" nature above all else, but now, her lack of reaction felt like an insult.

"Zechuan? Are you even listening?" Chen Wan pouted, tugging on his arm.

"Yeah," he grunted, his eyes still fixed on Chutang’s retreating back.

The next morning, Chen Wan went on a scorched-earth renovation. She had delivery men swapping out curtains and hauling away decor, tossing Chutang’s belongings into the bins like they were trash.

When Chutang walked through the front door, Chen Wan met her with a smug, "I-won" grin.

Chutang didn't say a word. She surveyed the wreckage of the living room with an icy stare and headed straight upstairs.

She had already packed her suitcases. Most of her things were already boxed up and ready to go. She only had a few essentials left. She had hoped to spend her final days here in relative peace, but it seemed Chen Wan was determined to play dirty until the bitter end.