HBWMA -Chapter 2 Trending Search

After leaving the hospital, Jiang Huashan went straight back to Xiao Shen Garden.

This estate had originally been a wedding gift from Shen Zhuang when she and Shen Lanxi got married. The old master had once joked with her that if Shen Lanxi ever dared to mistreat her or make her suffer any grievance, she should move back to Xiao Shen Garden and ignore him—drive him crazy with worry.

In the end, the old master had overestimated her importance. She had already been living here for three years, and Shen Lanxi had shown no reaction at all.

Most of the servants in the estate had already left. Those who remained were only Aunt Zhang, the driver, and a few gardeners who tended the flower beds.

“Madam, you’re back?” Aunt Zhang was simmering soup in the kitchen. Hearing the movement, she immediately came out to greet her.

“Mm.” Jiang Huashan looked listless.

Aunt Zhang took her bag and asked worriedly, “How was it? What did the doctor say?”

The response was flat. “That quack said I’m not sick.”

Aunt Zhang only knew Jiang Huashan had gone to the hospital, not that it was a psychiatric clinic. Hearing that she was fine, she let out a long sigh of relief. “Good, good, no illness is good. I heard Miss Sui’er was also at Jinghe Hospital. Did you see her? Did you run into Young Master Lanxi?”

Jiang Huashan couldn’t be bothered to explain. She was already numb—no matter what she said, no one believed her. Everyone assumed she was scheming to attract Shen Lanxi’s attention.

Seeing her silence, Aunt Zhang quickly shut her mouth and gave an awkward laugh. She crouched down to help her change shoes, but when she saw the champagne-colored, diamond-studded high heels on Jiang Huashan’s feet, she froze slightly.

Jiang Huashan looked down at her and said listlessly, “Aunt Zhang, you should leave too.”

Aunt Zhang panicked. Looking up helplessly, she said, “Young Madam, did I do something wrong? I…”

Jiang Huashan shook her head. “No, you didn’t do anything wrong. I’m just tired of this world. I might die soon anyway. Keeping you here would only be a burden. Don’t worry, I’ll give you a sum of money—enough for you to live comfortably for the rest of your life.”

“Madam…” Aunt Zhang had been on the verge of tears, but after hearing this, she froze. “Then… I should call Secretary Gao and tell him you might be going to die?!”

Jiang Huashan: “……”

That’s not the point.

Aunt Zhang scratched her head, suddenly understanding—but then looked troubled. “But I don’t have Young Master Lanxi’s private number.”

Jiang Huashan pressed a hand to her forehead and walked past her weakly, muttering under her breath, “Who on earth came up with this damn character setup…”

The back garden of Xiao Shen Garden had a sea of flowers.

Three years ago, it had been filled with rare roses from around the world, but after Old Master Shen passed away, they were replaced with peonies.

In April, with a light drizzle in the air, it was the season when peonies bloomed at their fullest. The garden was overflowing with layers of red, pink, and purple blossoms.

Jiang Huashan walked into the greenhouse, took off her high heels, and lay back on a rattan chair.

This had become her favorite thing to do—rocking gently in the chair while watching the peonies sway in the spring breeze, merging into a sea of flowers. At times like this, she felt especially relaxed, with a strangely comforting sense that she could simply die here without resistance.

“Ding-dong—ding-dong—ding-dong—”

Her phone on the tea table suddenly kept buzzing with notifications, shattering the quiet atmosphere.

She frowned slightly. She hadn’t used her phone in a long time; she only turned it on and charged it when she left the hospital earlier, and had forgotten to turn it off again.

She was about to shut it down when her finger paused.

Three trending headlines stood out sharply.

#Shocking! Shen Group’s heir’s secret relationship exposed!!! New national goddess Su Yun spotted overnight at Barun Hotel—intimate stay, never leaving all night!

#New national goddess accused of being a mistress—flooded with online abuse overnight!

#Hotel scandal explodes! Shen family “cover-up” torn apart; stock plunges over 10%, market value evaporates 130 billion in a night!

Su Yun?

Jiang Huashan tapped open the image. Although it was only a blurry shot of a man and woman leaning against each other from behind, anyone with eyes could tell their closeness was beyond ordinary friendship. The light in her eyes dimmed slightly as she quickly zoomed in on another figure.

The woman in the picture had long hair draped over her shoulders, wearing a jade-green qipao. With elegant shoulders and a slender waist, even under her harsh scrutiny, she couldn’t find a single flaw.

“Su Yun… when did someone like this appear in the circle?”

【Ding! New character unlocked! Su Yun—true heiress of the Su family conglomerate, Shen Lanxi’s destined partner.】

Jiang Huashan closed her eyes and tapped her forehead lightly. “Did I ask you to speak?”

“……”

After a pause, she tapped again. “If she’s Shen Lanxi’s destined partner, then what am I?”

【You are Shen Lanxi’s cannon-fodder ex-wife. You are more beautiful than anyone else, yet he remains unmoved, clinging to his original intentions—until the heroine Su Yun appears, causing the untouchable “high mountain flower” to fall from the altar. As a contrast to the heroine, your role is to highlight the emotional shift. Your foolish and malicious character traits are an essential part of pushing the male and female leads’ relationship forward.】

“……”

Jiang Huashan let out a cold laugh. No wonder, back when they first got married, no matter how much she tried to please or seduce Shen Lanxi, he refused to touch her. So she was just a clown in someone else’s love story.

“Ding-dong—”

Another notification.

#Trending: Shen family’s eldest young madam Jiang Huashan suspected of mental breakdown, photo attached of her leaving VIP psychological clinic.

The image was slightly blurry and unfocused, but her striking beauty still made her easily recognizable.

Jiang Huashan frowned. When did Jinghe Hospital’s confidentiality become so poor?

#Trending: Young madam obsessed with Young Master Shen, no true love in wealthy families—beauty fades, affection dies.

Attached photo: Jiang Huashan leaving the hospital; the reporter even zoomed in on her shoes.

Caption: “Young madam wears wedding shoes to hospital, love so deep she refuses to let go!”

“……”

What kind of brain-dead headline was that?!

Jiang Huashan looked disgustedly at the high heels she had casually placed beside the rattan chair.

She had just grabbed a pair from her wardrobe in the morning because Aunt Zhang was busy—and somehow, by coincidence, they turned out to be the wedding shoes she once wore when marrying Shen Lanxi.

No wonder Aunt Zhang had looked so strange earlier. So she was like everyone else, thinking she was still hopelessly obsessed with Shen Lanxi.

How could she tell them—her obsession had already ended. From the moment she moved into Xiao Shen Garden, from the moment she began hearing more and more voices, she had already let go of that feeling.

After thinking for a second, Jiang Huashan downloaded a second-hand trading app and listed those wedding shoes for one cent.

Since everything in this world could be priced, then she would put a price on this feeling too.