You're already divorced, why are you so anxious about him becoming a succubus?

"Pfft, cough cough cough!"

Li Hao, who was drinking, was choked and started coughing violently.

Everyone at the table widened their eyes instantly, staring at Lu Ci as if he were a monster.

Divorced?! How is that possible?!

Everyone present knew that Lu Ci had married Shen Man, the heiress of Jiangcheng's top wealthy family, back then! She was a female CEO with hundreds of millions in assets!

Lu Ci had been a son-in-law of a wealthy family for four whole years, and then he just quietly left?

Combined with Chen Feng's earlier statement that he saw Shen Man entering the venue intimately with a man, everyone's minds instantly conjured up a melodramatic scene:

It must be that President Shen has found a new love and kicked Lu Ci, this spineless gigolo, out the door!

Sitting in the corner, Lin Wan and the carefree Zhang Xiaofei exchanged a quick glance.

A hint of surprise flashed in their eyes, but they quickly looked at each other with relief.

No wonder... no wonder Lu Ci, who always knows his limits, agreed so readily to that obviously inappropriate and ambiguous card game just now.

It turns out he's single again.

Thinking of this, Lin Wan's heart, which had been feeling somewhat guilty, suddenly began to pound uncontrollably.

"brother……"

Chen Feng was also stunned, but he quickly realized that Lu Ci was forcing a smile.

He patted Lu Ci's shoulder forcefully, his face showing a regretful expression that said, "I understand your pain," and said loudly, "It's okay! Out with the old, in with the new! What are women anyway? You still have your brothers!"

As he spoke, Chen Feng hurriedly grabbed the bottle and shouted loudly to change the subject: "Come on! Let's drink! We won't leave until we're drunk!"

Everyone present was shrewd enough to quickly and tacitly agree by raising their glasses, never mentioning Shen Man's name again.

Lu Ci looked at his old classmates who were trying their best to hide their embarrassment, shook his head helplessly, and was too lazy to explain.

Does he have to say that he initiated the divorce?

Who would believe that? They'd probably just think he was bragging.

"There are plenty of fish in the sea, brother." Chen Feng finished his drink, leaned close to Lu Ci's ear, and raised an eyebrow mischievously. "Let me tell you, I spent a fortune to poach a really beautiful singer from somewhere else for this place. When she comes on stage later, I'll introduce you two."

……

At this moment, another booth in the bar.

Shen Man sat on the sofa, holding a pink cocktail in her hand.

Beside her sat a woman dressed in an extremely alluring manner.

This is Shen Man's best friend, Su Li.

Su Li wore a sequined deep-V tight-fitting short dress, showing off her hot figure, but the heavy, futuristic look on her face ultimately paled in comparison to Shen Man's natural, beautiful bone structure.

Shen Man was actually in a very bad state today.

Although she wore extremely elaborate makeup in an attempt to conceal the dark circles under her eyes, the weariness and irritability that emanated from her very being were still clearly visible.

She has barely had a good night's sleep these past few days.

Whenever I close my eyes, the scene of Lu Ci and Shen Nian embracing on the bed flashes wildly through my mind.

She couldn't help but think about how the two of them used to be at night, and then unconsciously photoshopped her image in her mind, replacing her own position with her younger sister Shen Nian.

He was burning with jealousy, which was driving her almost insane.

She even set alarms to video call Lu Ci every night at 9 or 11 pm, just to see if they were sleeping together. However, this method hasn't been working these past few days because he simply won't answer...

Gu Mingxuan had just gotten up and gone to the bathroom.

Shen Man put down her wine glass, glanced at the lobby on the first floor, and suddenly lowered her voice to Su Li next to her and said, "Li Li, let's go, let's drink somewhere else."

"Why did you just arrive?" Su Li asked, puzzled.

"The owner who greeted us at the door when we came in is Lu Ci's childhood friend." Shen Man frowned, her eyes revealing a complex sense of irritation. "He definitely recognized me. If Lu Ci finds out that Mingxuan and I came to a place like this, with his petty personality, who knows what kind of crazy things he'll imagine."

After hearing this, Su Li rolled her eyes dramatically and poked Shen Man's forehead with her finger in exasperation:

"My dear CEO Shen, have you lost your mind? Why do you care about him! He's just a gigolo who can only cook. What good is he besides being good-looking? So what if he knows? You're already divorced!"

Su Li picked up her wine glass, took a sip, and continued to rave about it: "Isn't Young Master Gu good enough for you? He's your childhood sweetheart, looks no worse than that guy surnamed Lu, and his social status and wealth are a perfect match. Besides, I've noticed he's been incredibly attentive to you these past few days."

"Manman, divorcing him was absolutely the right choice. I told you long ago, the gap between your social classes is too big, it's impossible for it to last, he's not good enough for you! Now see, wasn't I right?"

Su Li leaned closer, staring into Shen Man's eyes: "Dare you say that your sudden insistence on divorce wasn't because Gu Mingxuan returned to the country? Do you dare say that you don't like him at all? Young Master Gu is so good to you, you can't keep stringing him along like this, at least give him some response."

Shen Man didn't speak, but just looked down at the dice cup on the table.

She stretched out her long, slender, fair fingers and casually flipped all six dice in the dice cup, one by one, to the red "1" side.

"To be honest, I don't know either..." Shen Man's voice was filled with a deep sense of confusion and helplessness: "I've been really confused lately."

She admitted that Gu Mingxuan's appearance had indeed disrupted her peaceful life.

Deep down, she did have feelings for this outstanding childhood sweetheart.

But now, the subconscious competitive mentality of "I can't lose to Lu Ci" makes her try to find a sense of balance with Gu Mingxuan.

"Oh, what's all this fuss about?" Su Li held Shen Man's hand. "No matter what happened before, now that you're divorced, you have to look forward. Gu Mingxuan is a rare find; you need to plan for your future."

Just then, Gu Mingxuan returned from the restroom.

He had just sat down when his eyes met Su Li's for a moment in the air. Su Li subtly gave him a look that said, "Don't worry, I'm trying to persuade you."

Gu Mingxuan understood immediately and smiled as he looked away.

He picked up a bottle of expensive champagne and, with utmost gentlemanly manners, filled the two ladies' glasses: "Manman, I've noticed you haven't been feeling too well these past few days. This bar just opened; the ambiance and music are great. Let's not think about anything today and just relax."

As he spoke, Gu Mingxuan picked up his wine glass and looked at Shen Man with deep and sincere eyes.

Listening to her best friend's extremely realistic words, and looking at the man in front of her who was so attentive and exuded the dignity of the elite class, Shen Man felt a strange stirring in her heart.

Yes, in terms of family background, education, and ability, Gu Mingxuan is a hundred times better than Lu Ci.

Why should I waste my energy on a man who left with nothing?

Shen Man took a deep breath, and her previously aloof and resistant attitude finally softened noticeably.

She raised her glass, looked at Gu Mingxuan, and smiled gently. "Mingxuan, thank you for being there for me all this time."

……