CHAPTER 422: CHAPTER 422: INFERIORITY AND CONFIDENCE

On the second day, Cheng Lie went to the Meng Family as usual.

Meanwhile, Yun Shifei stayed home to continue working on the website. At this point, she had already uploaded the products one by one, and as soon as everything was completed and the webpage looked substantial, it would be time to start advertising.

Honestly, the method wasn’t much different from modern marketing—just transferring the focus from online to offline. The target audience was still college students and white-collar workers.

At this stage, only this demographic was likely to use the internet.

Yun Shifei decided to begin with college students who embraced new and novel things.

She worked while chatting with Sun Xiaoqi.

These days, the two mostly talked in the chatroom.

"Shi Fei, Ye Yi and I have made another breakthrough in our relationship!"

"How? Tell me how!" Upon hearing that Sun Xiaoqi’s romantic life was progressing, Yun Shifei couldn’t help but be curious.

"Remember that time I asked him to pretend to be my boyfriend? Well, the guy I went on a blind date with went and complained about it to my mom afterward. My mom got all worked up and interrogated me about having a boyfriend and why I hadn’t told her. So, I spilled the truth about Ye Yi."

Pfft... Yun Shifei couldn’t help but think that Sun Xiaoqi’s wits were quite sharp to come up with such a strategy.

"Then I figured out how to keep him involved and asked him to meet my mom."

"Did he agree?"

"Of course not! But I just kept at it. You know how boys have zero resistance to girls who act all cute and pouty."

Yun Shifei paused for a moment, reflecting that she herself hadn’t really tried acting coy or playful with Cheng Lie.

She couldn’t quite pinpoint whether such behavior would work on Cheng Lie.

Sun Xiaoqi continued, "Eventually, he agreed! I brought him to meet my parents."

"My parents were very pleased with him, so I treated him to a meal."

Even through the screen, Yun Shifei could sense Sun Xiaoqi’s excitement as she recounted her story.

She couldn’t help but feel happy for her. Honestly, she thought Ye Yi and Sun Xiaoqi were a great match; if they ended up together, it would be a wonderful thing.

In the middle of their conversation, the doorbell suddenly rang.

Yun Shifei froze for a second—Cheng Lie was back already? But it hadn’t even been half an hour yet.

He’d told her earlier that it typically took about an hour to travel back from the Meng Family’s place.

Zhao Pan went there with Cheng Lie, so it couldn’t possibly be him.

Yun Shifei went to the door and peered out through the peephole—it was Wen Lin.

Yun Shifei opened the door.

Wen Lin entered, carrying numerous parcels. These were items she had asked the housekeeper to buy, including some supplements and goodies purportedly good for the eyes.

Initially, Wen Lin thought it would be Cheng Lie answering the door, but as the door swung open, it turned out to be Yun Shifei.

Yun Shifei was dressed casually, wearing a loose white T-shirt paired with some relaxed shorts. Her legs were long and straight.

She looked so stunning that even with such simple attire and no makeup, her beauty seemed impossible to suppress—it was practically bursting forth.

For a moment, Wen Lin felt a pang of jealousy in her heart.

Why did she have to look this good?

Though others often praised her appearance, whenever Wen Lin went out, she still needed makeup to enhance her complexion.

But the girl standing before her needed none of that.

Yun Shifei smiled at Wen Lin. "Miss Wen."

Wen Lin snapped out of her daze and asked, "Where’s Cheng Lie?"

"He went to the doctor."

Wen Lin frowned slightly. "To the doctor? Why didn’t he tell me?"

The way she said it sounded as if she and Cheng Lie had an especially close relationship.

Yun Shifei replied, "Maybe he thought Miss Wen might be too busy."

Uncertain how to respond to Wen Lin, Yun Shifei opted for polite civility.

Wen Lin nodded. "These are some supplements I specially had brought in from overseas, for Cheng Lie. Additionally, I’ve arranged for an overseas doctor to come back and take a look at his eyes."

Wen Lin’s tone carried a condescending air.

Indeed, there seemed to be an undeniable superiority in the way she addressed Yun Shifei.

With her wealthy family background and personal capabilities, Wen Lin felt that Yun Shifei’s only claim to Cheng Lie’s side was her face.

She was determined to make Yun Shifei realize who was truly better suited to be with Cheng Lie.

Yun Shifei could sense Wen Lin’s aggression—it was evident in every barb and insinuation, targeting her self-worth as she stood next to Cheng Lie.

In the past, Yun Shifei might have believed Wen Lin’s words to be true.

But not anymore.

"Thank you so much! If Cheng Lie’s eyes can get better, he’ll be really happy," Yun Shifei said warmly, looking genuinely pleased.

Her casual response left Wen Lin startled.

Was that it?

Still, Wen Lin managed to suppress her surprise.

"No need to be so formal. By the way, which hospital did Cheng Lie go to? I have some business matters I’d like to discuss with him."

Again, Wen Lin’s words carried that implicit exclusionary tone, as if she and Cheng Lie shared a world Yun Shifei could never be part of—a world where intellectual conversations and meaningful cooperation were common currency.

Whereas Yun Shifei, in Wen Lin’s eyes, had nothing to offer Cheng Lie.

Yun Shifei thought Wen Lin was far more formidable than others she had encountered before.

Without even raising her voice, Wen Lin had made their differences clear, but Yun Shifei wasn’t interested in getting tangled in her mind games.

Still, Wen Lin’s aggressive attitude was hard to overlook.

"Miss Wen, there’s no need to rush. How about coming in for a while? I’ll call Cheng Lie and see if he’s available," Yun Shifei offered politely.

Wen Lin found herself momentarily thrown off balance.

The girl standing before her seemed unaffected by her attempts to undermine her, responding with poised simplicity that somehow reminded Wen Lin of the glaring truth:

Despite everything Wen Lin might offer Cheng Lie, it was Yun Shifei who held his heart.

Wen Lin suddenly felt uneasy, defeated even.

"No need," Wen Lin said. "I’ll look for him another day."

Cheng Lie loved Yun Shifei; they were in love.

At that moment, Wen Lin faced the unavoidable sadness of realization.

Meeting the right person at the wrong time—it was a scenario she simply couldn’t fix.

She often wondered if things would’ve been different had she met Cheng Lie earlier.

Would she have been the one standing at his side?

Instead of this girl with nothing but an attractive face, inferior in every other way.

Yun Shifei understood what Wen Lin was thinking. She wasn’t like Yun Sisi.

Yun Sisi was a spoiled girl, raised in luxury, someone who pretended to be sweet but had ulterior motives behind the surface.

But Wen Lin was different. She represented true class; bold, direct, and unapologetically honest in expressing dislike for someone. If others felt wrongly judged, they could only blame their inadequacies.

Reflecting on this, Yun Shifei couldn’t help but release a faint, amused scoff.

She would work hard too!

One day, when she stood beside Cheng Lie, no one would see her as just a trophy of his affection.

Instead, her own abilities would prove she was absolutely deserving of him.