It was supposed to be a fine comeback plan. Her biggest obstacle now was Hua Xiangrong, a dead person.
Lu Huanong had pushed Hua Xiangrong too much before her death. Especially the time when Hua Xiangrong almost split her head over Lu Huanong’s scoldings.
She finally got through the trial of giving birth, but the company had sidelined her. She was already in her thirties; her youth was starting to exit its twilight.
She couldn’t afford to fight a war of attrition. She put a lot of effort into making her comeback today a success during the furore’s slight recession over the past two years.
All she had to do was look disconsolable in front of the camera. She had prepared some marketing accounts[1] that would create the momentum for her by promoting her stories with Hua Xiangrong in the past. They had numerous scenes where they showed their affection toward each other in public.
When the time came, she would write an apology statement on Weibo as if she was forced to. That statement would allude to Hua Xiangrong’s oversensitivity and her breakdown from the breakup. Lu Huanong’s fans would then stand up for her as the finale. She might not make an instant comeback, but at least she could muddy the waters to gain some ground for herself.
Almost three years had passed since Hua Xiangrong’s death. Everything had changed since then. Only some fans who were loyal to her were left. Even if they wanted to fight, they could not win against her.
She did not expect Yun Xiangxiang to go against her and immediately destroy the advantage she created.
“Huanong, I know about the little tricks you use behind my back. This is the cruelty of the circle. If Bo Yan and her colleague fails to see through your tricks, I won’t use them for anything important either.”
Wen Lan continued with a slight hint of warning, “Except for using you as training for Bo Yan and the other one, there is no other reason for me to not expose you and give you a second chance on top of that. Don’t blame me for not showing mercy if you dare to use Hua Xiangrong as your comeback chip again.”
Wen Lan would never reemploy Lu Huanong if it were not because of her newbies being too naive and needing training.
If they were trained by their own colleague, they wouldn’t be hurt too much even if they would be exhausted. But if they faced an obstacle in the outside world, one blow might be all it took to take them out.
“Sister Lan, listen to me. I didn’t…”
The women’s voices drifted further and farther away before Yun Xiangxiang turned around to enter her waiting room.
During the peak of her career in the past, Lu Huanong talked to Wen Lan in a near-commanding attitude. Now she could only humble herself to grab at any straws she could.
Yun Xiangxiang admired her adaptability. If she wasn’t too competitive, she would have a bright future ahead of her.
It is fine to have one’s guard up against excellent people. But if one does not improve oneself to gain victory, only thinking about how to eliminate the competition, such a person would be no different to a rat.
The rest time only lasted for two performances from the performing guests. Yun Xiangxiang quickly returned to the stage.
Lu Huanong’s makeup was still exquisite. Her smile looked how it usually would. It was as if nothing happened.
She might have learned her lesson. After all, she never mentioned Hua Xiangrong anymore.
Evil will be punished by the heavens eventually. Yun Xiangxiang didn’t have that much time to waste on Lu Huanong. She only needed Lu Huanong to avoid using Hua Xiangrong to stage her comeback.
And to never provoke her. Aside from those, Yun Xiangxiang would let her do whatever she wanted. She would eventually crash her head against a wall anyway.
When the results of the rookie selection was revealed, Liang Xinrong didn’t manage to be the champion, but she entered Huan Yu as one of the top five.
After the exciting selection, Yun Xiangxiang had the most gains. Because of Yun Xiangxiang, Liang Xinrong enjoyed the most popularity among the top five, even if she was not the champion.
They had a welcoming banquet in a hotel the company reserved. Yun Xiangxiang had a few glasses of wine, without taking the medicine Song Mian prescribed to her earlier.
Yun Xiangxiang’s body couldn’t take too much liquor. In her past life, her capacity was quite frightening. She wouldn’t fall no matter how much she drank.
When she recalled the embarrassment last time, Yun Xiangxiang stopped drinking after she felt dizzy. She was surprised Song Mian would come to pick her up himself.
Sitting in the co-driver seat, she looked at the side of his perfectly chiseled face. She felt her sight becoming dizzy, and everything was becoming hazy.
Something was bewitching her, enticing her to inch closer to Song Mian.
When Song Mian felt her passionate gaze, his gaze deepened. He turned off the air conditioning and rolled down the windows. He wanted to sober up Yun Xiangxiang with some natural breeze.
The car’s window was only slightly rolled down. Even so, when the chilly breeze swept through her hair, Yun Xiangxiang still sobered up, even if by a little. Noticing her body that was already leaning toward Song Mian, she quickly sat straight and looked outside the window.
She closed her eyes and tried to not think about anything. But Song Mian was affecting her too much. Especially when he sat so near, and she could smell the scent that belonged to him. It lingered around her nose, refusing to leave.
When they returned, Yun Xiangxiang disembarked, but she leaned against the car as support. She lost her strength. The heat of the alcohol was burning up her lungs, upsetting her system.
Song Mian came over to help her walk. When he did, she twirled around him like a snake in an instant.
When they entered the elevator, the limited space inside made Yun Xiangxiang who was leaning on Song Mian’s shoulder lick his chin.
“Your… jaw has tempted me for a long time…,” there was the smell of alcohol between Yun Xiangxiang’s lines.
Song Mian worked hard to control himself. With his long limbs, he restrained Yun Xiangxiang’s limbs. It was a shame that Yun Xiangxiang did not understand that he was doing this for her own good. When she couldn’t move her limbs, she started rubbing her body against his.
As she did that, Song Mian had the urge to pin down this insolent woman and do her right there in the elevator.
Song Mian was not someone like Liu Xiahui, but doing it in a place like this was indecent.
Song Mian was still unmoving after she rubbed against him for a long time. Yun Xiangxiang who could not see the reddening of the corners of Song Mian’s eyes asked insolently, “Do you have erectile dysfunction?!”
Any healthy man would never accept any doubt about that part of him, especially if that doubt came from the woman he loved.
That question Yun Xiangxiang hitting was where it hurt. Song Mian turned around and pushed Yun Xiangxiang so her back was against the elevator’s wall. Leaning forward, he gave her a strong kiss.
The flames of passion ignited after the sparks flew. The more they kissed, the more Yun Xiangxiang wanted. She needed more. Somewhere during their scuffle, her hands regained their freedom and started fanning the flames on Song Mian’s body.
Song Mian let her touch him all over. He pressed the button where his floor was, but unbeknownst to him, someone also pushed the button outside of Yun Xiangxiang’s story. When Song Mian saw that it was Yun Xiangxiang’s story when the elevator stopped, he arched his eyebrows.
He immediately restrained Yun Xiangxiang. When the elevator door opened, Song Mian was met with the gaze he did not want to meet the most.
The gaze came from Yun Zhibin, Yun Xiangxiang’s father.
Yun Zhibin never expected to be greeted with a scene like this. His daughter, who was his pride, had her back against the elevator’s wall with her cheeks red, eyes unfocused, and her lips swollen. Within her arms, she was embracing a stranger.
One of her arms even slid into that man’s shirt. On top of that, this man wrapped his arms around her waist, and clenched her feet with his…
“Yun Xiangxiang!” This was the harshest way Yun Zhibin called Yun Xiangxiang in his life.
Yun Xiangxiang turned her head around stupidly. When she squinted and found out it was her father, she said in a daze, “Daddy…daddy, you are here. Let me introduce you…my boyfriend, my most beloved. His name is Song Mian!”