Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

Chapter 80: Chapter 75: Disdain

Your ex is fighting with another woman over you, and instead of running for the hills, you’re just standing here waiting for the show to start.

’She can’t even be a proper bystander, unable to tell that *she* is the drama everyone is gossiping about. For someone so clueless, she has the gall to call herself clever. Wei Shuojie was truly impressed.’

’Now another psycho shows up. Not only is he two-faced in his pursuit, but the moment he opens his mouth, he’s talking about a year-end wedding. Wei Shuojie couldn’t deal. Can’t Afford to Offend! Can’t Afford to Offend!’

’It’s the end of November, for crying out loud. Even bandits kidnapping a bride aren’t in this much of a hurry!’

’Just look at his sour expression, like he just caught her cheating!’

’Are we just going to stay here in the eye of the storm?’

’Oh, my silly goose!’

Sister Wei was worried sick.

"Bingbing, let’s go! We have a lot to do! And, uh, Miss Bai, we’ll be in touch!"

Before Sang Yuan could get any closer, an impatient Wei Shuojie grabbed Ni Bingyan and started pulling her toward the other end of the path.

Even as she was leaving, she couldn’t forget about Bai Jian’s supposed compensation. She was truly a professional.

Ni Bingyan was in high heels on a tiled garden path. Caught completely off guard by the sudden pull, she stumbled badly.

Sang Yuan quickened his pace to catch her, and Jiang Sheng, no longer caring about his entanglement with Bai Jian, reached out to steady her as well.

After wobbling for a moment, Ni Bingyan steadied herself. She gave an embarrassed smile and said self-deprecatingly, "Good thing I haven’t lost my basic training, haha!"

’The original owner of this body practiced classical dance for years, and I’ve kept it up from time to time. With all that practice, my sense of balance has improved a lot.’

’I’ll definitely look great on camera doing wire-work for fight scenes in the future!’

Right now, all Wei Shuojie wanted to do was flee with her. Seeing that Bingyan was steady, she immediately pulled her into a light jog. "Oh, my bad! We’re really in a hurry, so we’ll be on our way!"

Seeing how frantic she was, Ni Bingyan realized something was off. She thought Sang Yuan and Jiang Sheng must have some secret feud. Forgetting all about enjoying the drama, she ran along with Wei Shuojie.

The two of them vanished in a flash, as if a dog were nipping at their heels. Sang Yuan couldn’t help but chuckle.

But when his gaze landed on Jiang Sheng, the smile vanished from his eyes.

As Sang Yuan slowed his approach, Jiang Sheng pulled back his hand.

Their eyes met.

There are always a few things men are unwilling to talk about.

For instance, their own shortcomings, or falling for the same woman as someone they know.

The air suddenly grew tense.

The circle of Beijing’s elite wasn’t that large. Jiang Sheng was only a year older than Sang Yuan, and the two had known each other since they were children; their lives were quite intertwined.

In the same social circles, children of similar ages are always compared to one another.

Logically, being a year older, Jiang Sheng should have had the upper hand, but he lost miserably every time.

When ordinary families compare their children, they mostly ask things like, "Which university did you graduate from? What’s your monthly salary? When are you finding a girlfriend, getting married, and having kids?"

But in wealthy business families like theirs, what mattered more was business acumen.

To an ordinary person, there might be no difference between them—both were just incredibly wealthy bosses. But within the circles of the truly rich, their statuses were completely different.

Jiang Sheng had a good reputation, a good education, and a good temperament; he was considered a top-tier catch. But he relied on his inheritance to get by, unlike Sang Yuan, who could build an empire of his own.

No matter the occasion, whenever the two of them appeared together, the difference in their standing was immediately obvious.

Speaking of Jiang Sheng’s career, it had been quite a winding road.

He tried his hand at entrepreneurship after graduation but failed several times. The last attempt nearly bankrupted him, and it was his older brother who had to bail him out.

In the end, he gave up on starting his own business and became a senior executive at his family’s corporation. But less than two years later, his father passed away. He split the family assets with his older brother according to the will, receiving a portion of the inheritance. Afterward, with his brother’s support, he managed to live quite comfortably.

Because of all this, even though he was already thirty, people in their circle still called him "Second Young Master Jiang" whenever he went out.

Sang Yuan was a different story.

Before he was even twenty, he had built up Yuan Yan Venture Capital, striking out on his own instead of relying on Jiacheng Electronics, the company his parents founded. No matter where he went, even when he was with his father or meeting his elders, people would politely address him as "Little Sang."

If his father weren’t still alive and well, they would probably just call him "President Sang."

For many years now, Sang Yuan had been invited alongside his father to high-profile official events. Jiang Sheng, on the other hand, could only trail behind his own father, carrying his bag—an experience colloquially known as "gaining exposure."

Their relationship had been poor since childhood, largely due to Jiang Sheng’s resentment. In truth, Sang Yuan never paid him any mind.

But by the time they got to high school, Sang Yuan had started to take a disliking to him, occasionally playing dirty tricks on him for reasons Jiang Sheng himself never understood.

’Now, seeing Sang Yuan’s behavior, he felt a sense of destiny.’

’See? They really were fated to be rivals!’

’The woman he liked, Sang Yuan liked too.’

’This whole scene was like two wealthy socialites spotting the same limited-edition handbag at the same time!’

’I have to crush him!’

As if someone had stepped on his tail, Jiang Sheng’s demeanor immediately turned vicious.

He might not be able to compete in business, but when it came to fighting over a woman, he wouldn’t back down.

Unlike a workaholic like Sang Yuan, he knew how to enjoy the finer things in life. When it came to art and culture, he considered himself superior to a man whose head was filled with nothing but numbers.

He knew Ni Bingyan too well; he knew what she liked.

Besides, they had a three-year history. He knew better than anyone how much Ni Bingyan loved him.

’Sang Yuan, this time, I’m going to watch you lose!’

"Are you and my Bingbing very close, President Sang?"

Jiang Sheng did his best to keep his breathing steady, affecting a suave, charming demeanor. His tone was light and lilting, but held a clear note of provocation.

Bai Jian, who had been standing to the side enjoying the show, couldn’t help but let out a snort.

She was a year younger than Jiang Sheng and had been classmates with Sang Yuan. She knew Sang Yuan never bothered with girls, so she didn’t push her luck. "What nerve," she muttered, "She dumped you ages ago, and you still have the gall to call her ’yours’? Pfft." With that, she sauntered away.

Sang Yuan knew perfectly well that his wife and the original Ni Bingyan were two different souls. The one who had been head-over-heels in love with Second Young Master Jiang was not *his* wife. Still, he couldn’t help the sour feeling of jealousy bubbling up inside him at the sight of the man.

But he disdained to say anything to Jiang Sheng. He knew his wife was a pragmatic person; she would never fall for a pampered peacock like Jiang Sheng.

No matter how many years he pestered her, the result would be the same. She would only ever see him as some other woman’s ex; there was no way she would ever get together with him.

So Sang Yuan just gave him an indifferent glance and prepared to go after Ni Bingyan.

He had only rushed over because he was afraid Jiang Sheng would harass his wife.

In his past life, Ni Bingyan had often complained to him about Jiang Sheng’s constant pestering, which drove her up the wall.

His love rival was right in front of him, yet the man was acting as if he didn’t even exist. Jiang Sheng’s chest heaved with anger, his hands clenched into fists, and he wished he could just go up and punch him.

’But then he remembered that this guy apparently practiced boxing. I might be better at playing the piano and painting, but in a fight, even two of me probably couldn’t take him.’ He could only force himself to hold back.

"She’s loved me for so many years! She’ll never like you!"

Seeing Sang Yuan walking away, Jiang Sheng couldn’t stomach it and shouted at his retreating back.

Sang Yuan didn’t even turn around, treating him as if he were thin air.

’Why would I bother with a fool who doesn’t know how to cherish what he has?’

’The main reason is that if I engage with him, I’m afraid I won’t be able to resist punching him. And if I get into a fight and get dirt on this expensive coat I picked out... I finally get to see my wife, what if my image isn’t perfect and she finds me distasteful?’

’Still, this feels awful!’

He had already walked some distance, but he couldn’t resist running back to toss a parting shot at Jiang Sheng. "You should hurry home and put a compress on that face! Don’t want it to swell up and stay that way. After all, your face is the only thing you’ve got going for you."

Sang Yuan was not known for being magnanimous. When he decided to verbally destroy someone, he was infuriating enough to make anyone want to hit him.

And right now was a perfect example, as Jiang Sheng, looking like a madman, chased after him, ready for a fight.