Liu Keying sat down abruptly.

It wasn’t like this was a trap – did they think she wouldn’t dare eat?

Every cent spent on Xia Ziyu’s apartment came from Du Chengrong, so Liu Keying felt entitled to this meal.

“One should have self-awareness like Miss Vivi, knowing her relationship with Mr. Du is just a temporary affair. Second Sister, don’t you agree? This food is good, from Hong Restaurant, right? Mr. Du loves their cooking, Miss Vivi put thought into it.”

The Second Mistress nodded after a taste, “Indeed it’s from Hong Restaurant, but the Master prefers dishes personally prepared by their head chef. Miss Vivi, you should remember that next time.”

The two mocked Xia Ziyu’s insignificance – ordering from Hong Restaurant but not important enough to get special treatment, just dishes made by any random chef.

They coordinated their attacks, trying to make Xia Ziyu back down.

How long had Xia Ziyu been with Du Chengrong?

The Second Mistress had been with Du Chengrong for over 20 years, and Liu Keying, the latest arrival, for more than 10 years.

Over the years, both had learned to please Du Chengrong, knowing his preferences intimately. This newcomer Xia Ziyu fell far short!

These two hadn’t come to eat – they were using the meal as an excuse to insult her.

Xia Ziyu adjusted her robe:

“Thank you for the tip, Second Mistress. I’ll remember – next time I’ll make sure to tell Hong Restaurant it’s for Chairman Du. They might not give me face, but they’ll surely respect his.”

The Second Mistress dabbed her lips with a napkin.

“Miss Vivi, we just wanted to see you. Now that we have, we can rest easy. You’re so young – why get involved with our Master? Want money? You should earn it with your own hands. If you think you’ve caught a big fish, I suggest you take a cold shower and wake up. Don’t be too greedy – knowing when to stop is best, don’t you think?”

Liu Keying sneered, “Second Sister, why waste words on her? If she’s smart, she’ll take the money and leave. If not, those low-class brothels won’t mind having another worker!”

Xia Ziyu felt like she was watching a TVB drama about wealthy families.

The threats from Du Chengrong’s two mistresses were so dry, that she couldn’t muster any interest.

It seemed exciting on TV, but experiencing it firsthand made these verbal battles laughable.

So she laughed.

“I’ve noted everything you’ve said. Anything else?”

Liu Keying had never met such a shameless woman: “Who do you think you are? Just someone Mr. Du slept with on a whim, a former Chengrong Group employee – women like you are all over Central! Don’t be so smug. Even if you married in, you’d still have to kneel and serve us tea!”

This Vivi seemed polite but carried an arrogant air of disdain – Liu Keying found it infuriating.

Xia Ziyu smiled wider:

“Fourth Mistress! I said I was just having a casual affair with Chairman Du, not interested in becoming the Fifth Mistress. But you’re wrong about something I must correct. I’ve only heard of kneeling to serve tea to the first wife, never to concubines—”

Before Xia Ziyu could finish, Liu Keying grabbed a bowl of shark fin soup and threw it in her face.

The wet, thick soup slid down Xia Ziyu’s face, ruining her carefully applied two-hour makeup.

Xia Ziyu stood up, “Sister Sun, show our guests out!”

The maid was already terrified – Liu Keying had acted so quickly, what if the three women started fighting? She boldly moved to protect Xia Ziyu, but Liu Keying and the Second Mistress hadn’t planned to stay anyway.

Liu Keying wouldn’t break anything – everything in the apartment was bought with Du Chengrong’s money; breaking things would just mean spending more Du family money on replacements.

As Liu Keying and the Second Mistress left together, the arrogance instantly vanished from her face.

“Second Sister, you saw – nothing we said affected her. Young but deeply calculating.”

The Second Mistress looked at her disapprovingly, “Now that we’ve met her, throwing soup in her face will only make the Master sympathize with her more. She’s certainly cunning. I’ve had people inquire – lately, the Master only sees her. She’s his current favorite!”

Being able to push aside other women and hold Du Chengrong’s attention – the Second Mistress also found Vivi remarkable.

The last one so favored had been Liu Keying herself.

Liu Keying had been Du Zhaohui’s tutor back then, secretly getting involved with Du Chengrong. The thrill of their affair had Du Chengrong completely captivated until finally, Du Zhaohui caught them in the act… It had deeply traumatized Du Zhaohui then. The bastard couldn’t hide his emotions, calling Liu Keying cheap and threatening to kill her.

When the affair was exposed, the entire Du family knew. Liu Keying was pregnant, and Du Chengrong wanted to make her his Fourth Mistress. Du Zhaohui didn’t speak to Du Chengrong for a full year.

Then one day, Du Zhaohui seemed to have come to terms with it, suddenly calling Liu Keying “Fourth Mother” with a grin, even saying he liked her baby. It scared Liu Keying so much she couldn’t sleep at night.

The Second Mistress inadvertently recalled these old events and felt disgusted toward Liu Keying.

If this Vivi was cheap and calculating, what did that make Liu Keying?

The Second Mistress lost interest in talking, while Liu Keying twisted her ring lost in thought. Neither spoke for a moment.

The Second Mistress thought Xia Ziyu would complain to gain sympathy, but she’d misjudged her.

Not only did she not complain, she ordered the maid to stay quiet.

When Du Chengrong came again, she didn’t mention his missed appointment, acting as if the two mistresses’ visit had never happened.

This was partly why Du Chengrong enjoyed being with her – it was relaxed, and effortless. He found pleasure with Xia Ziyu, gave her money or gifts, and never had to worry about comforting her.

But Du Chengrong still learned about his two mistresses’ visit. After an intimate moment with Xia Ziyu, Du Chengrong lit a cigarette:

“Would you like official recognition?”

If the maid had been present to hear this, she would have fainted from excitement.

He was offering to make Xia Ziyu the Fifth Mistress!

Countless women in Hong Kong dreamed of becoming Du Chengrong’s Fifth Mistress.

Xia Ziyu yawned, “What’s the use of official status? You have three with official status at home, yet you’re not going back to them. I think things are fine as they are.”

Du Chengrong hadn’t expected Xia Ziyu to refuse.

Wasn’t being his Fifth Mistress better than a temporary affair?

But Xia Ziyu had refused!

This woman was clear-headed.

And completely heartless.

Du Chengrong couldn’t help but laugh: “You’re too young, you don’t know what you’re refusing.”

…

New York, USA.

Xia Xiaolan was packing her luggage. After GMP won the Wilson Hotel project, the design team needed to frequently visit Washington, and Xia Xiaolan was fortunate to become part of the business trip team.

Matthew wished he could go in Xia Xiaolan’s place.

Her roommate Daisy was also envious, “Xia, GMP must trust you now, or they won’t send you on business trips!”

“I suppose so.”

Who knew if GMP sent her on trips because they thought she could better “communicate” with Harold?

As Xia Xiaolan stuffed a T-shirt into her suitcase, the phone rang. Daisy picked it up and handed it to her:

“Xia, it’s for you.”

Xia Xiaolan took the receiver, “Hello?”

Ye Xiaoqiong’s voice came through:

“It’s me. I wanted to ask – does your previous proposal still stand?”