Chapter 8: My Best Friend, Zhuang Shufei
1368 Words
After a busy morning, Rosalina hadn’t even had a chance to drink a glass of water. Having once been obsessed with weight loss, her stomach was always sensitive, and today, having skipped breakfast, she felt a dull ache in her upper abdomen. It all started back at the Imperial Hotel in the capital city, where she had stood quietly by while Desmond ate breakfast. He hadn’t invited her to sit with him; after all, Rosalina was nothing more than his outlet for desires, not someone worthy of sharing a meal with him.
Her stomach rumbled again, but she shrugged it off. Su Rou, noticing her discomfort, asked with concern, “Rosalina, are you okay?”
“It’s nothing,” Rosalina replied nonchalantly, “Just a little hungry, my stomach hurts a bit.”
She continued working, still going over Desmond’s travel itinerary for the upcoming days. She was working herself to the bone during the day, only to be expected to accompany Desmond at night. There were no overtime bonuses, no worker’s compensation if she was worn out, and yet, she had foolishly returned the two million yuan to him. Why was she still going through all this?
Su Rou quietly passed her a packet of cookies under the desk. “Want one? These are really good, caramel-flavored.”
Rosalina gave her a sweet smile and took one. Just as she was about to take a bite, a tap on the desk interrupted her.
“Rosalina, caught you snacking during work hours, huh?”
She looked up to see a striking woman standing at her desk—long, wavy chestnut hair, delicate features, and sharp, painted red lips that seemed to glisten like they were dripping blood. Rosalina rolled her eyes at her. “What’s it to you?”
The woman was furious and took off her sunglasses. “Oh, so now you’ve got the guts to ignore me?”
At that moment, Su Rou’s eyes widened in recognition. “Zhuang Shufei?!” she gasped.
Indeed, it was the famous actress, Zhuang Shufei, currently one of the hottest stars in the industry. Rosalina flashed a playful smile at her. “When did you get back? What brings you to my office?”
Zhuang Shufei smacked her own face with the sunglasses. “I just flew in after a ten-hour flight. Came straight here to check on my little beauty.”
Rosalina turned to Su Rou and introduced her, “This is my best friend, Zhuang Shufei.”
Su Rou’s eyes were wide with surprise. “Your best friend is a big celebrity? Does she know that Qin Mengyan slapped you yesterday? She could totally get revenge for you!”
Zhuang Shufei’s eyes widened, and she practically shouted, “What? Qin Mengyan slapped my woman?!”
Rosalina quickly tugged at Zhuang Shufei’s arm. “Shh, keep it down. Don’t you fear Desmond?”
“I’m not one of his employees. Why should I be scared of him?” Zhuang Shufei laughed.
They made their way to a nearby western restaurant for lunch. Zhuang Shufei had been in the spotlight lately, with a new drama currently airing and breaking ratings records. To avoid unnecessary attention, they chose a secluded corner of the restaurant. After ordering, Zhuang Shufei turned her attention to Rosalina.
“Rosalina, what was that about with Qin Mengyan? Why did she slap you?”
Rosalina shrugged it off. “It’s nothing. She came looking for Desmond, and when I told her he was in a meeting, she thought I was blocking her and slapped me.”
Zhuang Shufei’s eyes flashed with anger. “That b*tch! Looks like she hasn’t learned her place after I stole all the good resources from her!” She pulled out her phone. “I’m going to call Wang Jie.”
Wang Jie was Zhuang Shufei’s manager, who had been with her for years and was always there for her. But Rosalina stopped her. “Don’t, I’m done dealing with her.”
Zhuang Shufei gave her a look, as if to say, “Why do you always back down?”
Zhuang Shufei had grown up abroad and only transferred to Rosalina’s prestigious school in her junior year of high school. By that time, Lin Xiao and Qin Mengyan had already graduated, but Zhuang Shufei knew exactly how they had treated Rosalina. Despite her being a famous heiress from the Zhuang family, she had become Rosalina’s close friend. It was perhaps because of her sense of justice, or maybe because she couldn’t bear seeing Rosalina eating alone in the cafeteria every day, that one afternoon, Zhuang Shufei had approached Rosalina and offered her a chocolate on Valentine’s Day.
From that moment on, their friendship had blossomed, and Zhuang Shufei had been a constant in Rosalina’s life.
As the food arrived, Zhuang Shufei began eating with the enthusiasm of a starving wolf. Rosalina couldn’t help but laugh. “Shufei, how many days have you been starving yourself?”
Zhuang Shufei mumbled through a mouthful of food, “I’ve been starving for two months for this drama! Now that it’s wrapped up, I’m gonna feast!”
Rosalina chuckled. “If the paparazzi catch this, you might end up trending on Weibo again.”
Zhuang Shufei waved her hand dismissively. “Let them. My dad can get it taken down if it becomes a problem.”
As they ate, Zhuang Shufei suddenly looked serious. “Guess who came to see my dad a few days ago?”
“Who?”
“Your Uncle Lin and that b*st*rd Lin Xiao.”
Rosalina was taken aback. “What did they want?”
“They wanted money, of course,” Zhuang Shufei said with a scoff.
Rosalina frowned. She had heard rumors about the Lin family’s financial troubles, but it was still a surprise to hear that they were asking for loans from other businesses. Zhuang Shufei knew everything about how the Lin family had treated Rosalina, and it pleased her to think of their current misfortune. She almost hoped they would fall even further.
“So, did your dad lend them the money?”
“Hell no. Lin Group is a bottomless pit. If my dad had lent them a single cent, I’d never speak to him again. I’d rather die than let him get away with it.”
Zhuang Shufei’s bluntness made Rosalina laugh. She liked her best friend for being so unrestrained.
“By the way,” Zhuang Shufei continued, “you know, the Lin family contacted me the other day.”
Rosalina looked up, surprised. “What did they want?”
“They wanted to borrow money, and they were asking for your dad’s inheritance.”
Rosalina nodded slowly. “Lin Xiao even asked me to get back together with him.”
Zhuang Shufei’s face turned livid. “That b*st*rd! Did you agree to that?”
“Of course not! Am I stupid? They treated me like dirt, and now they want me to come crawling back to them?”
Zhuang Shufei let out a long sigh of relief, but then her expression grew thoughtful. Rosalina had always been sharp and intelligent—never the type to fall for emotional manipulation.
“Well, eat up,” Zhuang Shufei said. “You should rest soon, you haven’t adjusted to the time zone yet, have you?”
Rosalina nodded, but as she gathered her long hair into a bun, she suddenly felt warm in the corner. Despite the cool autumn weather, she was starting to sweat lightly. As she tied her hair up, the marks on her neck became visible. They were unmistakable, bright red against her fair skin.
The fork Zhuang Shufei was holding fell with a loud clatter.
“Rosalina, your neck…” Zhuang Shufei’s voice trailed off.
Suddenly realizing what was happening, Rosalina quickly covered her neck, her face turning bright red. “You… with who?”
Rosalina hesitated, then gave her friend a warning look. “Shufei, don’t freak out. Don’t shout when you hear this.”
“What happened?”
“Desmond slept with me.”
With a crash, Zhuang Shufei fell from her seat, unable to believe what she had just heard.
- Writer
