Ji Shileng made no further attempt to stop Su Ke. He sighed and said to Shang Jianli, “Take the money and leave”
He knew perfectly well who mattered more: his best friend or his “current colleague.”
Shang Jianli’s hand slowly clenched, his heart aching until he could barely breathe.
Beside him, Chu Wan looked positively horrified.
Her attention, however, was on something entirely different.
Oh my God. How much money must there be on all those cards?
Once again, she had gained a new understanding of just how thoroughly Ji Shileng was spoiled within his own circle.
The moment his friend offered money, he had pulled out every card he carried.
Ji Shileng had not even flinched. He had simply told Shang Jianli to take the money and leave.
What staggering wealth.
But Shang Jianli did not accept it.
Then again, the general hardly lacked money himself.
Chu Wan’s thoughts stalled. A moment later, she began feeling sorry for herself.
Of course. She was the only poor person here.
Shang Jianli slowly crouched down and picked the bank cards up one by one from the hard marble floor. He stacked them neatly and held them out to Ji Shileng.
He heard himself say, “If you insist on paying, the price of one shirt will be enough”
“I’ll transfer you the money for the necklace”
“Oh, so now he insists on paying?” Su Ke was much calmer now. “And what do you mean, you’ll transfer Shi the money?”
He had seen plenty of people who clung as stubbornly as Shang Jianli, yet he still had no way of dealing with him.
Shang Jianli did not need money. Paying him to disappear would never work.
“Consider this me begging you. Please stop bothering my friend”
Shang Jianli’s eyes were very dark. With his mouth set in a straight line, it was impossible to tell whether he was pleased or angry.
“I’m sorry”
He could not grant Su Ke’s request.
He could not lose Ji Shileng a second time.
“You fucking—”
Su Ke could no longer contain his anger. Chu Wan reacted at once, stepping in front of Shang Jianli.
“Su Ke”
Ji Shileng’s cool voice stopped him immediately.
Without looking at Chu Wan, Ji Shileng lowered his eyes and took the stack of bank cards from Shang Jianli’s hand.
“There’s no need to pay for the necklace. My intentions weren’t exactly kind when I gave it to you”
“Just throw it away for me”
After all, that delicate diamond necklace from VEKAL was also known as a “dog collar.”
Whichever way one looked at it, the name did sound rather insulting.
He spoke of throwing away a necklace worth several million without the slightest trace of regret.
After forcing the cards into Su Ke’s hand, Ji Shileng opened his communicator to make a transfer.
“62170015…”
He quietly recited the familiar account number from memory, then looked up uncertainly.
“That’s the number for your supplementary card, right?”
Shang Jianli did not know the supplementary card number at all. He was about to explain when Ji Shileng’s soft laugh broke the heavy silence.
“I forgot. I can’t use that card anymore”
He deleted the string of numbers.
“What’s your account number? Let’s stop wasting time. The sooner you give it to me, the sooner I can go back and rest”
Shang Jianli frowned. “I never canceled your supplementary card”
Ji Shileng raised his eyebrows in surprise, looking genuinely puzzled.
“What does whether you canceled it have to do with me?”
“I’m not the one using it”
The words struck Shang Jianli like a bolt from a clear sky. His expression darkened.
“You’re not using it?”
He remembered opening that supplementary card specifically for Ji Shileng.
Ji Shileng bore the title of the general’s spouse, yet his reputation was in ruins. Who would dare employ him?
He had no source of income at all.
Afraid Ji Shileng would have no spending money at home, Shang Jianli had arranged a supplementary card for him.
There was no spending limit.
Assuming he was merely pretending to be surprised, Ji Shileng yawned and explained briefly, “Your mother came over and accused me of wasting money all the time. In the end, she simply took the card”
Shang Jianli stared blankly. Only after a long moment did he ask, “When did that happen?”
Ji Shileng had never mentioned it to him.
In the past, Ji Shileng had handled all the holiday gifts and monetary presents, always giving generously and never falling short.
He had never told Shang Jianli he lacked money, either, so Shang Jianli had always assumed he was using the card.
Even the occasional pang of guilt had been soothed by the thought of that card.
Back then, Shang Jianli would casually tell himself: I’m so busy with work, but I’ve still given him a comfortable life. He should be satisfied.
Ji Shileng narrowed his eyes slightly, studying Shang Jianli’s expression. Unfortunately, he could read nothing from it.
“She took it a long time ago. I’ve forgotten exactly when”
He shrugged, entirely unconcerned.
“If you really want the date, check when the first transaction was made on that card”
At this point, Ji Shileng found the whole thing rather funny.
When he first received the card, he had treasured it, thinking of how hard Shang Jianli worked.
And so he had always used his own bank cards instead.
Then one day, Shang Jianli’s mother had stormed into the villa, loudly calling him shameless. She accused him of forgetting his lowly origins the moment he rose from a sparrow into a phoenix.
Still standing on the stairs, Ji Shileng had been subjected to a torrent of abuse before he even understood what was happening. He remained stunned for quite some time.
Forcing a smile, he asked politely, “Mother, has something happened?”
Lately, he had barely set foot outside the villa. Surely there could not be another rumor or scandal about him already?
With her arms folded, Shang Jianli’s mother gave him several contemptuous looks.
“Don’t you know what you’ve been doing lately?”
Ji Shileng was utterly bewildered.
“Has my son given you that much money? All you ever do is squander it”
With a cold snort, she ordered him to hand over the card.
Though thoroughly confused, Ji Shileng obediently retrieved it from the safe.
The card itself did not matter. What mattered was that if he refused, she might go on berating him for days.
Frankly, it was exhausting.
Even after taking the card, she remained dissatisfied.
“He even gave you an unlimited supplementary card. You little temptress. What on earth have you done to bewitch my son?”
Ji Shileng merely smiled, unwilling to say another word.
After delivering a few more words of “instruction,” she turned and left, looking thoroughly pleased with herself.
Less than two days later, Ji Shileng finally learned the full story on the Imperial Capital forum.
During an interview with Shang Jianli, a reporter had moved from discussing the general’s everyday attire to asking who bought the household’s clothing. Shang Jianli had explicitly stated that Ji Shileng handled everything at home, including the outfit he was wearing that day.
For the interview, Shang Jianli had worn VEKAL from head to toe. Understated yet luxurious, he was practically a walking fortune.
The gossipmongers on the Imperial Capital forum had mocked his mother, saying even Ji Shileng enjoyed a better life than she did.
According to an inside source, she still did not qualify to purchase VEKAL clothing.
Naturally, the status-conscious socialites had seized the opportunity to make her a laughingstock.
Humiliated and furious, Shang Jianli’s mother had gone straight to the villa and confiscated Ji Shileng’s supplementary card.
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