VIX Club represented the pinnacle of the capital’s nightlife. Unlike ordinary bars, this was an exclusive sanctuary reserved solely for the wealthy elite and high society.
The semi-open luxury booth on the third floor of VIX was the ultimate symbol of status for super-VIPs. From here, one could not only take in the breathtaking, vibrant colors of the entire venue, but also witness the three-dimensional dynamic beauties dancing suspended in mid-air. Sitting inside felt like stepping into a futuristic world of holographic imagery. Under the sway of alcohol, glittering lights, and pulsating beats, reality blurred into illusion, instantly plunging everyone into an intoxicating realm of luxury and decadence.
Only the man sitting right in the middle of the supreme booth—holding a strand of Qinan agarwood prayer beads—remained utterly detached. Though he had been here all evening, the eyes behind his frameless glasses remained clear, carrying a subtle air of indolence and apathy, as if he cared nothing for the world around him.
A couple of meters away on the plush sofa sat several exquisitely dressed, long-legged beauties. The women who could afford to party at VIX usually came from solid backgrounds themselves—either second-generation wealthy heiresses, starlets, or internet celebrities. Yet despite the frequent, longing glances they cast toward him throughout the night, not a single one dared to actually approach him.
The booth was relatively quiet at the moment, stemming from a conflict that had broken out twenty minutes ago between two adjacent booths next door. Following the sharp crash of shattering wine bottles, someone started making a scene, and the raucous commotion grew louder and louder.
Normally, it was none of their business, but a few minutes ago, a woman in the next booth suddenly shouted with arrogant bravado: "I belong to the Shen family! If you push me any further, I'll make sure you can't survive in this city anymore!"
That single line caused the man in the supreme booth, who had been lazily turning the agarwood beads in his hand, to raise an eyelid. Guan Ming, sitting beside him, turned his head in surprise and asked, "Someone from your family? Want to head over and take a look?"
Shen Zhi remained motionless, legs crossed, though he finally shifted his gaze toward the neighboring booth. A piece of hollowed glass separated the two areas, offering a clear view of the girl making the reckless threat.
Zhuang Siqian was wearing a sexy strapless tube dress. She had on heavy makeup; her features weren't ugly, but they leaned unmistakably vulgar. Shen Zhi set down his glass and gave a subtle, indifferent shake of his head, signaling that he had no intention of meddling in this petty drama.
Guan Ming, on the other hand, found his interest piqued. He pressed again to confirm, "Is that girl really from your family?"
From the depths of his memory, Shen Zhi dredged up that skinny, dark little girl and compared her with the woman outside. Neither the appearance nor the disposition matched up in the slightest. His voice was cool and detached as he said, "No."
"Damn, if she's not, how does she have the nerve to act so arrogant using your Shen family's name? That's pretty bold!"
Sure enough, just as Guan Ming finished speaking, the man in the next room who had just been doused in wine by Zhuang Siqian snapped back, "Don't brag without doing your homework first! I happen to know the Third Young Master, Shen Yu. Want me to give him a call and ask if he has a sister like you? Who doesn't know that the Shen family hasn't had a single daughter born to them in all these years?"
The moment he finished speaking, a trendy young man who had been standing in the corner quieted down for a moment, thought it over, and suddenly chimed in with hesitation, "Brother Huang, now that you mention it, I think I heard at a party last week that the Shen family really does have an unknown foster daughter. Word is the eldest grandson of the Shen family might marry her now that he's back."
Upon hearing this, Huang Huihong's face visibly changed in an instant. The aggressive aura he had just displayed vanished by more than half, and he asked tentatively, "Are you... Shen Zhi's fiancée?"
At the exact same time, in the adjoining booth, Shen Zhi's brows knitted together almost imperceptibly. Beside him, Guan Ming immediately smothered a smile. He had seen people try to clout-chase before, but he had never seen anyone dare to clout-chase the heir of the Shen family himself.
Everyone waited in silence for Zhuang Siqian's answer. The girl accompanying her grew so anxious that she tugged at her arm, pleading loudly, "Qianqian, just tell them!"
Hearing the name "Qianqian," Guan Ming's smile instantly froze on his face. He whipped his head around to look at Shen Zhi "Qianqian? Isn't that the name of your child bride? I remember her name had a 'Qian' in it, right?"
Shen Zhi cast his gaze back toward the girl. Zhuang Siqian was visibly much more flustered than before. She stood there with a look of complete helplessness, not daring to admit it, yet not daring to deny it either—trapped in a sticky predicament of her own making.
Shen Zhi's expression darkened slightly, leaving Guan Ming thoroughly perplexed. He asked him once more, "Are you going to step in or not?"
Shen Zhi withdrew his gaze and said coldly, "No need."
Guan Ming's expression turned nuanced. He and Shen Zhi had grown up together as childhood friends and later went abroad to study together. Although he had returned to the country a few years earlier than Shen Zhi, he understood his brother better than anyone else. If an irrelevant stranger knelt in front of Shen Zhi begging for help, he wouldn't even bat an eye. But if someone was even remotely connected to him, he would at least save them face in front of a crowd. The only logical explanation was that this girl was indeed just spouting complete nonsense.
In a flash, the guy named Huang Huihong—who had claimed to know Shen Yu—dialed Shen Yu on a video call, shoved the camera right into Zhuang Siqian’s face, and demanded, "Third Young Master, sorry to disturb you, but this chick says she's from your family. Take a look and see if you recognize her."
Shen Yu’s slender, seductive eyes narrowed slightly on the screen, and a mocking curl touched his lips as he dropped two words: "Never met her."
"..." Zhuang Siqian opened her mouth to speak, but the video call was abruptly cut off.
Huang Huihong raised his hand and swung a heavy slap straight toward Zhuang Siqian's face. But just as the blow was about to connect, his arm was suddenly intercepted by a surge of overwhelming force. His vision spun, a sharp pain flared in his waist, and his entire body was slammed heavily onto the coffee table.
It all happened in the blink of an eye. By the time Huang Huihong clutched his waist and regained his bearings, what met his eyes was a petite young woman dressed in a khaki one-piece utility jumpsuit, wearing a backpack with her hair cut in an ear-length bob. A pair of perfectly round eyes radiated an unapproachable, commanding aura, striking and effortlessly fierce.
He couldn't even fathom how this girl had just hoisted him up as if she were a tiny fulcrum leveraging the entire earth.
At the same time, the shrieks of other women pierced the air. Zhuang Siqian’s alcohol-fogged vision suddenly cleared up a fraction, and she lunged straight toward Xie Qianqian, grabbing onto her arm and crying aggrievedly, "Quick, contact Housekeeper Tao! Make the Shen family send someone over!"
Xie Qianqian expressionlessly shook her off. Thoroughly enraged now, Huang Huihong glared at them both and barked, "So you really were addicted to blowing hot air, huh? Forget people from the Shen family—today, even if you called down the King of Heaven himself, you wouldn't be walking out of here!"
He shot a sideways glance toward the entrance. Almost simultaneously, that petite figure flashed behind him with terrifying speed, snatched up a wine bottle, and smashed it against the coffee table. Gripping the bottleneck, she pressed the jagged, razor-sharp shards of the broken glass directly against Huang Huihong's cheek.
In an instant, every single one of the dozens of people across both booths froze completely. Even Huang Huihong, who had been roaring defiantly just a second before, went utterly rigid, his blood running cold. He cast a terrified glance out of the corner of his eye at the young woman, his voice trembling with suppressed fury: "Y-you... what are you doing?"
Facing the men who were still instinctively surging forward, Xie Qianqian showed not a flicker of panic. The shifting lights flickered across her face like ghostly shadows. A scornful curve touched the corner of her lips, and a single look was enough to cow the entire room.
The visual impact was bizarrely surreal. Despite her slight frame, the weapon in her hand and that fearless, utterly contemptuous gaze effortlessly conjured an invisible field of oppressive dominance around her, stopping the men who had been preparing to close in dead in their tracks outside the perimeter of the sofa.
Only when Xie Qianqian saw that they had stopped advancing did she lower her gaze slightly. Her voice remained so level that not a trace of emotion could be detected as she addressed Huang Huihong: "I'll give you two choices. First, crawl out of here. Second, get your face ruined and then crawl out of here."
"???"
Huang Huihong caught the glint of the glass bottle pressed directly against his cheek out of the corner of his eye. He clenched his jaw, burning with humiliation, and instinctively reached his right hand back to grope for a wine bottle. Before he could even lift his arm, a crisp snap echoed out—he heard the unmistakable, chilling sound of his own bone shifting, and the bottle he had just grabbed slipped from his fingers and shattered against the floor.
An eerie, dark luster flickered through Xie Qianqian’s eyes, carrying a hint of mischief as she drawled lightly, "Oh, looks like you've chosen to get your face ruined."
Huang Huihong let out a terrified shriek. "I'm leaving! I'm leaving!" After all, he still relied on his face to pick up girls; limbs could heal, but his face couldn't afford to be slashed.
With a cold contraction of her gaze, Xie Qianqian loosened her grip. Huang Huihong bolted out of the booth as if he had just miraculously cheated death from beneath a lion's claws, not even daring to look back as he dragged his crew away.
In the next booth, Guan Ming had watched the entire spectacle unfold in stunned silence. After staring blankly for a moment, he slapped his thigh and burst out laughing. "Interesting. This girl is interesting. I'm going over to introduce myself."
With that, he picked up his wine glass and made to stand. Finally, the man beside him made a move. Shen Zhi raised a hand and slowly pressed it down onto Guan Ming's shoulder. Guan Ming felt the sudden, crushing weight of that hand force him right back down into the sofa. Turning his head in mild surprise, he watched as Shen Zhi leisurely picked up his own wine glass, a half-smile playing on his lips as he murmured, "Drink."
Seeing Huang Huihong and his gang finally gone, Zhuang Siqian instantly collapsed back against the sofa like a deflated balloon. The bravado she had forced out earlier by invoking the Shen family completely evaporated, leaving behind a picture of utter dejection.
Xie Qianqian walked over and nudged her with her foot. "Are you moving or not?"
The moment the words left her mouth, Zhuang Siqian burst into heavy tears. She was far gone in drunkenness; every time Xie Qianqian hauled her up, she simply slumped right back down.
Zhuang Siqian was the distant niece of Zhuang Xian, the woman Shen's second uncle had taken as his second wife. Ever since Zhuang Xian married into the family, she had remained childless. Then, out of the blue, she brought Zhuang Siqian over to the Shen family to study in the capital.
She never faced her studies, instead spending her days squandering money everywhere with groups of wealthy socialites. Though this girl was two years older than Xie Qianqian, she essentially suffered from a severe, late-stage case of adolescent rebellion.
Not long after arriving at the Shen family, she had secretly taken Second Young Master Shen Cixian's Lamborghini out for a joyride and completely destroyed it in a tunnel. Miraculously, she had a cat's nine lives and walked away without a single scratch, even briefly triggering a local news headline that the Shen family had to urgently suppress.
Not long after that, she caused another massive uproar at a KTV. In the end, the Shen family had to step in personally to clean up the mess, warning her sternly that if she pulled a stunt like that again, the family wouldn't lift a finger to cover for her.
That was why, when tonight's disaster struck, she hadn't dared to alert the elders of the Shen family, knowing full well that Shen Cixian and Shen Yu wouldn't give her the time of day. Driven to desperation half an hour ago, she had resorted to bombarding Xie Qianqian with panicked phone call after phone call.
Zhuang Siqian had lived under the Shen family's roof for a full year without ever once taking Xie Qianqian seriously. After all, Xie Qianqian was just an elusive outsider with a different surname, who on earth knew why the Shen family insisted on raising her?
Yet ever since Xie Qianqian had smoothly entered the top-tier Q University a few months prior as the city's top science scorer in the college entrance exams, Zhuang Siqian's mindset had undergone a subtle shift.
Before Xie Qianqian entered university, the various members of the Shen family had showered her with extravagant gifts. Zhuang Siqian had casually tossed her a landscape painting by Li Aiqing—one she had pocketed from the home of one of her fair-weather friends, only to be chewed out by Shen Yu for being cheap and tacky. She hadn't cared back then, anyway; she and Xie Qianqian had never had any real rapport.
Who could have guessed that this exact landscape painting would end up saving her life today? Otherwise, Xie Qianqian wouldn't have bothered coming to fish her out at all.
The more Zhuang Siqian cried, the more aggrieved she felt. "I called my auntie, and she said she wouldn't care about me... she even said she was going to ship me back to our hometown! I'm her own niece, how could she be so heartless? Doesn't she care what happens to me out there being bullied..."
Zhuang Siqian felt utterly wronged, but Xie Qianqian could not summon a single shred of sympathy for her. If Siqian kept throwing tantrums like this, she might even end up dragging her aunt down with her. After all, the Shen family was a prominent, highly respectable household in the capital—they wouldn't tolerate this kind of public embarrassment happening over and over. Still, Xie Qianqian held her tongue.
Zhuang Siqian suddenly sat bolt upright. Her makeup was ruined from crying, and she began to complain incessantly.
Next door, Guan Ming took a phone call and headed downstairs to greet a friend. After he left, Shen Zhi idly toyed with the Kinam agarwood prayer beads in his hand, a thoughtful glint in his eyes.
Listening to her whine gave Xie Qianqian a pounding headache. Sitting down beside Zhuang Siqian, she asked, "Do you know what the biggest difference between the two of us is?"
"???" Zhuang Siqian tilted her neck and stared at her.
Xie Qianqian replied casually, "You always think of yourself as part of the Shen family, whereas I've never considered myself a Shen."
The difference was simple: Zhuang Siqian was always hurt by how the Sems treated her, whereas Xie Qianqian was never bothered by it in the first place.
Having drunk way too much, Zhuang Siqian found Xie Qianqian's logic a bit too convoluted to grasp. She sneered, "I heard that before Grandpa Shen passed away, he set up a marriage contract between you and one of the Shen grandsons. The eldest grandson returned days ago, yet he hasn't even bothered to visit you. If you get dumped, what respectable family would ever want you?"
Xie Qianqian turned her head, looking at Zhuang Siqian quietly for a few seconds. Suddenly, she broke into a smile—a smile so sudden it sent a shiver down Zhuang Siqian's spine.
Then, the corner of Xie Qianqian's lips curved up into a nonchalant arc. "I can cook, I can fight, and I can earn my own money. What do I need a man for?"
Reputation—the thing women cared about most—seemed entirely beneath her notice. Zhuang Siqian choked on her own frustration, feeling more humiliated than ever.
In the neighboring private booth, the man holding the Kinam prayer beads idly looped them around his palm once. Unfathomable depths stirred within his dark eyes.
Zhuang Siqian had wanted to mock Xie Qianqian a bit more to regain her sense of balance, but she had clearly failed yet again.
Before she even had a chance to vent, several staff members wearing VIX uniforms stepped inside the booth. They maintained a relatively polite demeanor as they discussed compensation with them. After all, the coffee table, alcohol, and sofas were an absolute wreck; after the recent chaotic scene, the entire VIP lounge area was damaged beyond recognition.
Zhuang Siqian asked grandly, "Tally it up. How much is it?"
One of the VIX managers offered a professional, practiced smile. "Including the drinks, the total comes to 3.6 million yuan."
Zhuang Siqian instantly bounced off the sofa. "Three point... Do you think this is my first time here? What kind of absurd price are you pulling out of thin air?"
The manager's smile remained fixed. "The alcohol totals 320,000 yuan. The sofa set and coffee table behind you are custom-designed pieces from Armani/Casa. We can provide the receipts."
Zhuang Siqian's face turned pale instantly. Rumor had it that every single glass on the third floor of VIX was pure crystal; only such opulent furnishings could match the astronomical spending of super VIPs. But for Zhuang Siqian—whose allowance had just been capped by her aunt—3.6 million was genuinely an amount she couldn't produce.
Unwilling to lose face in front of her fair-weather friends, Zhuang Siqian turned to Xie Qianqian and whispered, "Do you have that much? Can you spot me first?"
Xie Qianqian stood off to the side with her arms crossed, looking entirely uninvolved. "Do I look like I have that kind of money?"
"Could you ask Shen Yu or Shen Ciqian for an emergency bail-out?"
Xie Qianqian remained completely unmoved. Clearly, given their flimsy friendship, she had no intention of asking the Shens for money on Zhuang Siqian's behalf.
Just then, a young guy came over from the adjacent booth and whispered a few words to the manager. The manager nodded, turned to Xie Qianqian, and said politely, "Mr. Huang says that if you can down three bottles of vodka within ten minutes, today's tab is on him. Or..."
The manager shifted his gaze to Zhuang Siqian. "...you let her go with him."
Xie Qianqian's brows knit together tightly. In an instant, Zhuang Siqian grabbed her arm, pleading frantically, "I'm not going with him! He was trying to grope me earlier—that's the only reason I got into a fight with him! If I go with him, I'm finished. I like to party, but I'm still a virgin! I don't want to get slept with by that bastard. Consider it a huge favor—please help me out!"
Xie Qianqian pondered for half a minute before suddenly turning her head to stare straight at Zhuang Siqian. Zhuang Siqian felt her skin crawl under that icy gaze, only to hear her say next:
"I can help you, but you have to introduce me to that friend of yours who owns the painting by Li Aiqing."
"Done! Say no more!" At this point, Zhuang Siqian would agree to anything Xie Qianqian asked for.
Soon, three unopened bottles of vodka were brought over. Huang Huihong and his group of wealthy playboys sauntered over from the neighboring booth, staring provocatively at Xie Qianqian.
VIX was owned by Young Master Guan, the heir of the prominent Guan family in the capital, so naturally they didn't dare start a physical brawl on his turf. Still, they needed to find another way to vent their malice.
When Xie Qianqian's eyes landed on Huang Huihong, his heart actually skipped a nervous beat. But remembering that they were the ones begging him for help, he puffed up his courage and said, "Open the liquor for the young lady."
Three bottles of neat vodka were placed in front of Xie Qianqian. Before her mouth even touched the rim of the first bottle, the harsh, concentrated smell of alcohol made her hold her breath. Hiding behind Xie Qianqian, Zhuang Siqian kept muttering under her breath, "Come on, you can do it!"
Xie Qianqian took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and tipped the liquid straight down her throat. Though it bypassed her taste buds, the searing liquid instantly scorched her throat, making her almost retch. Her delicate brows furrowed tightly in obvious agony as she struggled to swallow.
Everyone's eyes were glued to Xie Qianqian. No one noticed that the man who had been sitting quietly in the supreme VIP booth all evening had suddenly stood up. Tall and clad in white, he slowly walked into the crowd, his gaze locking onto the petite figure surrounded by the onlookers.
From behind the glass wall, he hadn't seen her clearly. Now that he was close, Shen Zhi focused his eyes on that small face. She stood beneath an elegant halo of light; her upturned neck was long and fair. The harsh alcohol rushed down her throat, but despite her features being pinched together in pain—looking like she was swallowing poison—there was a unique, ethereal grace to her delicate face. Her sheer stubbornness made Shen Zhi lose himself in thought for a brief moment.
TRANSLATOR'S NOTES
Glossary Additions & Adaptations:
奇楠手串 (Qīnán Shǒuchuàn): Translated as "Kinam agarwood prayer beads." Kinam (奇楠) is the highest, rarest tier of agarwood in Chinese culture, often associated with ultra-wealthy individuals or collectors.
沈致 (Shen Zhi): Identified in Chapter 2 as the male lead / eldest grandson returning to the Shen family.
黄恢弘 (Huang Huihong): Introduced as one of the rich playboys in the adjacent booth.
李艾青 (Li Aiqing): Mentioned as an artist whose painting Xie Qianqian is trying to track down/acquire.
ESTABLISHED GLOSSARY & TRANSLATION CONVENTIONS
Title Choice: I'm Done Being the Tycoon Family's Little Bride (confirmed and maintained for market alignment)
Names (Surname Given-name order):
谢钱浅 → Xie Qianqian
沈致 → Shen Zhi
莊絲茜 → Zhuang Siqian
關銘 → Guan Ming
黃恢弘 → Huang Huihong
沈鈺 → Shen Yu
沈辭謙 → Shen Ciqian
李艾青 → Li Aiqing
Titles & Kinship Terms:
沈家 → the Shen family
豪门 → wealthy, high-society family / powerful clan
小媳妇 → little bride
沈爷爷 → Grandpa Shen
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