Chapter 2: The Drunken Lament

Sleepy and sluggish, Richard lifted the glass in his hand, accidentally knocking it against the glossy black marble bar counter with a crisp clink. Just how many times had he done that tonight? Each time, the sharp sound echoed like a tiny alarm, jolting him back from the haze of exhaustion. Startled awake yet again, he stood up decisively, determined to save himself before the night dragged him under completely.

"Andy, I'm heading out."

The man beside him was drinking heavily, his eyes burning red—or was he crying? In the dim, amber-lit bar, it was impossible to tell. Richard couldn't be bothered to care. He had his own battles to fight, his own demons to outrun. But seeing that Richard was about to leave, Andy immediately reached out and grabbed his arm with desperate strength. "Don't go, Richard. You have to listen to me—"

"I'm flying to Shanghai tomorrow," Richard said, his voice flat, already mentally checking his flight details.

"Don't talk to me about Shanghai! That woman, that woman—" Andy's voice cracked, thick with self-pity and alcohol. "No way, you have to stay and drink with me until we drop tonight. You absolutely must!"

Although Richard was born abroad, his family had raised him with strict discipline since childhood, and his proficiency in Chinese was quite decent. He had grown up hearing stories from his grandparents, including the famous legend in China about a tragic, endlessly complaining woman named Xiang Lin's Wife—a figure so consumed by her own misfortunes that she drove everyone around her to madness. Right now, Andy was channeling that same energy.

Running a hand irritably through his hair, Richard hooked his finger at the young bartender, who approached with practiced efficiency.

"What would you like, sir?"

"Give me a glass of ice water." The bartender turned around immediately.

"Wait," Richard called him back, changing his mind in an instant. "Forget the ice water, bring me whiskey."

"A glass? On the rocks?"

"No need. The whole bottle." He patted Andy's shoulder, flashing a well-meaning smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Drink up, buddy. I'll drink you right into a stupor."

In the end, Andy went down. It took nearly an hour of relentless pouring, but eventually, his head slumped onto the table, his drunken sobs muffled by the polished wood. When they finally got him home, bundled into Richard's car and dragged up to his apartment, he was still sobbing miserably between hiccups. "Richard, I've had it so rough this time."

"She was with you for three years," Richard said, more statement than sympathy.

"Even half of the company's shares got split away—" Andy's voice trembled with financial panic.

"Didn't Cindy have your kid? She refused to divorce no matter what, and then suddenly..." Strangely enough, once Andy was drunk, he actually made a bit more sense than when he was sober. The alcohol seemed to strip away his usual pretenses, leaving only raw, unfiltered truth.

"How the hell should I know?" Andy slurred, clutching his chest in agony before his expression suddenly twisted into a ferocious glare. "I know who's behind this!"

Startled, Richard felt a wave of relief as Andy's apartment building finally came into view through the foggy windshield. "You're here."

Ignoring him entirely, Andy gritted his teeth and ranted on, his voice rising with each word. "It was that damn lawyer Victoria! Ever since Cindy met her, she became a totally different person. That woman, that woman—"

The legendary Xiang Lin's Wife had returned, reincarnated in Andy's drunken tirade. The car clock showed it was past midnight, and his flight was at 8:00 AM. Four hours of sleep, if he was lucky. Should he just knock him unconscious right now? Richard seriously considered it, weighing the pros and cons with sober calculation.

"Victoria, I curse you, I curse you—"

*Thud!*

The world went quiet.

Unfazed, Richard calmly put down the heavy object he had used as a blunt instrument—a decorative metal figurine from Andy's own shelf—and dragged his completely unconscious friend out of the car and up to his doorstep. It was all self-inflicted anyway. Why bother getting married? Staying single and carefree like him was way better than being an immortal tethered to another person's chaos. Some people just refused to see the light, no matter how many warnings flashed before their eyes. What was that other Chinese saying? Ah, yes: those who bring disaster upon themselves cannot survive.

Richard locked the door behind him, stepped into the cool night air, and headed back to his hotel. Tomorrow was Shanghai. Tomorrow was a fresh start.

Chapter 3: The Shanghai Headquarters

Returning from the factory straight to the Shanghai headquarters, his secretary was already waiting by the elevators holding a stack of files. Catching sight of him, she broke into a trot. "Mr. Richard, everyone is waiting for you in the boardroom."

Stepping into the meeting room and seeing the serious expressions on everyone's faces, Richard mentally sighed. Why did they have to be so afraid of him? He actually thought he was a pretty decent guy. Besides, the Asia-region performance had been great lately, and this was his first time visiting the Shanghai branch this month—couldn't they at least pretend to look like they missed him?

The reports began: A, B, C, D; one after another. Had Vice President Li spent all his time dealing with family drama back home while he was away? Why did his eyes look so puffy today? And now it was Xiao Sun's turn—sigh, every time he saw him speak, the guy would stumble over his words. Why was he wiping sweat already?

"Daisy, get Manager Sun a glass of ice water."

"Mr. Richard, we sent the shipment out, but the Japanese clients are refusing to accept the goods according to the original contract. Word is that some domestic supplier is undercutting us and negotiating with them at rock-bottom prices." Xiao Sun chugged the water like parched earth, finally managing to get the whole sentence out.

"Oh," Richard nodded. "Let me see that contract."

Total silence filled the boardroom. The crisp rustle of flipping pages sounded as if it were scraping directly across everyone's faces, and a few heavy smokers instinctively began patting their pockets. No choice—Mr. Richard didn't smoke, and whenever he was around, it was strictly a *no-smoking* zone. *Boo-hoo*, the pressure was always so intense whenever he showed up.

"Set up a meeting. I'll go talk to Yamada myself." Finally lifting his head, he flashed a smile. "As for you guys—"

A flash of white caught the corner of his mouth, causing everyone's skin to instantly tighten. "The historical pricing ranges for the other domestic suppliers have already been compiled. Would you like to review them, Mr. Richard? We're rushing to finish the rest of the related materials."

"As soon as possible." He stood up and headed for the door. "Daisy, schedule Yamada for tomorrow."

Another hurried trot. *Mr. Richard, you really walk too fast.*

"Should I invite Mr. Yamada to dinner?"

"In the boardroom. If the talks succeed, we eat; if they fail, he can walk home himself." His voice was crisp and decisive as he finally vanished beyond the doorway.

The atmosphere in the boardroom instantly collapsed. Vice President Li stepped up to rally the troops. "You all heard the man—tomorrow. Tonight, we finish everything, no exceptions."

Someone wailed, "We've already been pulling shifts until the middle of the night for two days straight, Mr. Li—"

A heavy slap landed on the back of the complainer's head, turning the wail into a shriek. "What was that for?"

"Didn't you see Mr. Richard was unhappy?"

"Seemed fine to me. Wasn't he smiling?"

*Must be new here.* Everyone else shot the newcomer a look of profound pity, turning in unison to walk out, leaving him with a silent, despairing back.

---

Lifting his head from a mountain of paperwork, Richard asked, "Daisy, what else is on my schedule for today?"

She cradled her planner, scanning it from top to bottom. "The celebration party for the new board member of Xinyang Group. The gift is already prepared. Tonight at 8:00 PM at the Ritz-Carlton."

"Zhu Yusheng?" He couldn't help it; his memory was just that good.

"No, the new board member is Mrs. Zhu—no, wait, the *former* Mrs. Zhu."

*Huh?* He had only been away from Shanghai for a little over a month; how was he already this out of the loop?

"What's the story?"

*Oh, oh.* The boss was raising his eyebrow—so handsome! Daisy instantly felt a bit dizzy and, before she knew it, started spilling the gossip. "You probably didn't know, Mr. Richard, but Mr. Zhu and his wife got a divorce last month. He lost the divorce suit miserably, and all of his domestic shares were awarded to his wife. That's why the new board member changed."

*Another divorce.* Hearing that word over and over again these past two days, Richard couldn't help but shake his head.

Chapter 4: The Celebration Party

At gatherings like this, it was always the same familiar faces. Holding a glass of wine, Richard was chatting with a few old acquaintances when the stage lights suddenly flared up. "We warmly invite our new board member, Ms. Rachel, to come up and say a few words."

He looked up toward the stage. The radiant, high-spirited woman standing up there was an entirely different person from the one he remembered—always timidly cowering behind her husband. He raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Thank you all. Standing here today, the very first person I want to thank is my dear friend and brilliant attorney, Victoria. Victoria, please come up here."

*Victoria*—that name sounded awfully familiar.

A sudden, low murmur rippled through the crowd. What was wrong with these people? They were acting like fans at a celebrity concert. On stage, Rachel gestured invitingly with an excited expression, prompting everyone in the audience to turn in unison toward the same direction. Being tall gave Richard a clear advantage; looking over the heads of the crowd, he saw a slender figure rise where the spotlight converged.

*What is she up to?* As she walked up the steps in a few brisk strides, Rachel rushed forward to embrace her.

"This is way too dramatic. You know I hate this sort of thing; we agreed I was only going to stay for a little while," Victoria murmured softly into her ear.

"I just couldn't help it, Victoria! I wouldn't be where I am today without you." Overcome with emotion, Rachel was practically on the verge of tears.

*Sigh, go on and wipe them.* There really was no reasoning with her.

A camera flash went off in the audience, followed by a female reporter's voice ringing out, "Ms. Rachel, may I ask you and your legal counsel a question?"

*How did a reporter manage to sneak into an event like this?* Richard cast a cold glance at the corporate executives standing nearby. *Did you guys pull this on purpose?*

Sure enough, those executives all looked away, the atmosphere growing slightly awkward.

The female reporter pressed on regardless. "Yesterday, in Hong Kong, Mr. Zhu accepted a media interview claiming that after all these years, he only recently realized how much of a stranger his wife was to him. He said that while he originally still had hopes of reconciliation, he has now completely given up. He also stated that to this day, he still can't figure out whether the outcome was due to Ms. Rachel being too clever or himself being too foolish. May I ask what your thoughts are on his statement?"

"I—" With tears still shimmering in her eyes, Rachel turned pale.

"Miss," unable to bear it any longer, Victoria gave a slight nod in the direction of the voice. "Are you married?"

"Not yet," came a wary, defensive reply.

"A woman doesn't have many states to choose from after getting married: either she pretends to be clever, or she pretends to be foolish. Pretending to be clever and getting deceived, or pretending to be accepting of deception while acting foolish—both are miserable fates. Now that the other party can't even be bothered to keep up the polite facade of deception anymore, are people really going to turn around and blame her for it?"

As soon as she finished speaking, dead silence filled the room. The lights cast their glow directly onto Victoria. Despite the formal nature of the party, she wore a tailored pantsuit; the tailored blazer had a sleek, slender waist, and a delicate, intricate lace collar peeked out from beneath the formal lapels. Her fair, slender neck was held high like a swan's, completely bare of any jewelry, yet her sheer presence effortlessly overshadowed all the wealthy wives and socialites draped in designer gowns and heavy gems.

A smattering of applause broke out—an elderly matron who ignored the annoyed glare of the man standing beside her. Moments later, applause swept through the hall like a tidal wave, with several young women even excitedly pushing their way toward the front of the stage.

*Victoria...*

As the scene threatened to slip out of control, Richard, standing quietly in the corner, finally remembered where he had heard that name. Andy's miserable wails echoed once more in his mind: *"Victoria, I curse you, I curse you—"*

He chuckled softly. *Victoria, you really are something else. No wonder everyone remembers you so vividly.*