“Mr Lu, why don’t you keep me?” Shi Sheng was still leaning onto Lu Qingyun as she spoke in an even tone. Xia Man who just so happened to be walking past her, overheard this, causing her to nearly trip over herself.
Xia Man looked strangely at the woman who seemed to be plastered to the man’s chest right now. ‘Why is this Jiang Wan such a weirdo?’
“Go and eat more papayas[1] and maybe I’ll consider.”
‘Papayas?’ Shi Sheng looked at her chest before her expression turned sour. ‘This bitch just called my boobs small?! Imma kill him!!!’
Lu Qingyun pushed Shi Sheng aside as he smiled threateningly. “Stop following me or I’ll make sure you die a horrible death.”
“No way, Su Yixiu handed you over to me so I have to take care of you.If I promise something, I’ll carry it out and do it very well.” Shi Sheng caught him. If she let him run now, how was she going to find him again?
“Even if you do this he won’t like you. He likes men.”
‘Likes men? I hadn’t thought Su Yixiu was that kind of person!
…Wait, why would I want him to like me though?’
Shi Sheng was confused and by the time she reacted, Lu Qingyun had already escaped from her grasp and walked towards a crowded area. Shi Sheng’s face darkened as she chased after him.
“Lu Qingyun, at least consider it ah! Look I am very useful; I can manage stocks, I can open businesses, I can earn money, I can help you teach people lessons! If you keep me, you’ll be marrying over a winner in life! You wouldn’t be able to find such an awesome person like me even if you lit a lantern[2]! Once you pass this shop, there won’t be any more villages[3]!”
#When My Host Doesn’t Want Face, She’s Invincible#
Young Master Lu completely ignored Shi Sheng’s self-advertisement, though he didn’t chase her away at least. Those eyes however, were shining with a mischievous light, as if he was planning something.
Shi Sheng was still a bit guarded but for the sake of the ‘Toss A Thousand Gold’ mission, she had to harden her scalp. She felt like getting Lu Qingyun to spend money on her would be harder than earning her own money, giving it to him and having him spend it on her!
Lu Qingyun walked down the hotel corridor, followed closely by Shi Sheng. When he heard the voice from behind him, the laughter in his eyes thickened.
“Lu Qingyun, though my chest is a bit on the small side, but it can still grow. Even if it can’t, this is already not bad!”
“I’m poor, I can’t afford to keep you.” Lu Qingyun resisted the urge to laugh as he replied in a ‘serious’ voice.
Shi Sheng “…”
‘Like hell you’re poor!’
‘As the most OP villain, your background can’t get any more impressive okay?! How can you say you say you can’t do it[4]?! Ah no, say you’re poor!’
Just as Shi Sheng was stringing together a speech on how immoral it was for a tycoon to pretend to be poor, Lu Qingyun stopped suddenly as he pulled Shi Sheng into the emergency escape corridor.
“Lu-”
“Say one more word and I won’t keep you even if you beat Su Yixiu to death.”
The Su Yixiu who had been inexplicably pulled into this, “…”
‘The hell did it have to with me?!’
Shi Sheng weighed her options for a bit before choosing to obediently shut her mouth and look outside through the window in the door.
There were currently two people standing on the other side of the door. It was Xi Mo and Xia Man. Xia Man seemed like she wanted to leave but Xi Mo was preventing her from doing so. Their voices weren’t that loud so naturally they couldn’t be heard through the door.
But Xia Man quickly managed to free herself from his grasp and ran off. Xi Mo punched the wall in frustration and rage before stalking off angrily.
‘Oh right, I forgot. There was going to be a good show tonight.’ Shi Sheng thought before poking Xi Mo and asked him a question she clearly knew the answer to, “You’re enemies with Xi Mo?”
Lu Qingyun opened the door to leave while smiling brightly, “Isn’t he your boss? Are you helping your boss gather intelligence?”
“I don’t dare to have this kind of boss.” Shi Sheng spoke with distaste as her eyes rolled. “Why don’t you come and steal me over to your company?”
“What would I do that for? You don’t even have any aesthetic value as a flower vase[5].”
Shi Sheng, “…”
‘Why is this person’s mouth so offensive?’
“I don’t care. If you don’t bring me over, I’ll tell Su Yixiu you slept with me and didn’t give me money.”
Lu Qingyun’s smile froze for a moment.
Shi Sheng raised her chin triumphantly. ‘To deal with people who make cheap shots, you have to make even cheaper shots!’
“Fine, I’ll do it.” Even though Lu Qingyun was all smiles, Shi Sheng couldn’t help but have a feeling of foreboding.
Well the good part was she’d get to leave Dongfang Entertainment. Xi Mo that bastard would definitely get back at her but Lu Qingyun’s Youjian Entertainment would be able to protect her. She’d be able to take care of everything else one at a time.
By the time Shi Sheng woke from her thoughts, Lu Qingyun had completely disappeared. She searched everywhere but didn’t find a single trace of him.
‘Fuck your dog, Lu Qingyun! With that base personality of his, Lu Qingyun probably won’t even admit to agreeing!’
……
When Shi Sheng returned to the party, she found Xi Mo drinking in a corner on his own while Xia Man was standing not too far off and casting occasional glances at Xi Mo. Xia Xuan, meanwhile, was nowhere to be seen. Shi Sheng’s eyes moved in their sockets as she pondered a bit before heading towards Xia Man.
Xia Man blanked out a bit when she saw Shi Sheng walking over as she couldn’t help but think of the scene of her asking that man to keep her.
“Ms Xia.” Shi Sheng stood in front of Xia Man, her face brimming with smiles but her eyes were calm and without a single ripple. This combination caused one to have a feeling of discordance.
“Ms Jiang.” Xia Man snapped out of it and gave a slight, polite smile. “I haven’t had the opportunity to thank you for last time yet.”
Had Jiang Wan not pushed her back then, she would have probably been shot by that bullet. Whether she would have been able to stand here or not would be much harder to say.
“I didn’t plan on saving you. It was only because you were falling towards Lu Qingyun that I pushed you.” Shi Sheng gave an evil grin. “It’s just that your luck was good otherwise we don’t know what would’ve happened.”
Xia Man stiffened. ‘Why is this person… so weird? I’m thanking you here okay?!’
“How about we make a deal?” Shi Sheng ignored Xia Man’s stiffened expression as she turned so that she was facing the same direction as Xia Man where Xi Mo could be seen.
“What deal?” Xia Man woke from her daze. This was only the third time they had met, what kind of deal could they make?
“Do you think this is the place to be discussing this?” Shi Sheng blinked, looking very innocent. Xia Man stared at Shi Sheng in suspicion but she couldn’t resist her curiosity to know what Shi Sheng was up to. By the time the two of them returned to the party, they both had smiles with indecipherable intentions behind them.
Shi Sheng looked at where Xi Mo had been idling and found him missing. ‘Very good, got rid of an opportunity for the leads to meet and entered a partnership with the female lead. I(bbb) didn’t come in vain tonight.’
Xia Man was feeling a bit lonely though, so she excused herself and left.
Shi Sheng was escorted by Tang Yin back to her apartment, having long since thrown any thoughts about Lu Qingyun somewhere in the clouds. After she had a shower, she lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. After a long while, she got up and pulled the notebook beside her over.
She recalled the storyline for a bit before finding the contact number for a studio online. Only after she had layered a few more layers of protection on her laptop did she send the studio an SMS.
The one who received the SMS was Hu Shuo. He was the boss of the studio, though the only one working there was him. He was a paparazzi who specialised in digging up dirt on celebrities. Those he had locked onto usually suffered quite a bit.
Hu Shuo wasn’t lacking any money. The only reason why he did what he did was out of interest. He just didn’t like how two-faced those celebrities could be. Those who hadn’t done anything immoral naturally wouldn’t be afraid of him. But those who had, feared him like the plague.
“Xia Xuan…” In the darkened room, Hu Shuo smoked a cigarette as he stared thoughtfully at the information from an anonymous sender. After a long while, he extinguished the cigarette before picking up the camera on the desk and leaving the room.
[1] Papayas allegedly help make your chest grow bigger. Not sure about the accuracy but… *goes off to eat papayas*
[2] I think this is an idiom. The meaning of it here is that he might not be able to find such an awesome person like her even if he searched the world or something.
[3] Another idiom. I think it means once you pass up this opportunity, you won’t get one like it ever again.
[4] (͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) She’s saying he can’t do ‘it’… you know… in bed…
[5] Refers to someone who’s useless and is just there for decoration.
Ever since the cocktail party, there wasn’t any movement on Lu Qingyun’s side but Xi Mo had started causing difficulties. Tang Yin hadn’t been aware of what happened at the party so he was confused by the company’s sudden 180˚ change in attitude.
When he finally learned what happened from Shi Sheng, he felt like finding a bathroom stall to cry in. ‘Nasty rumours? No problem, we can get rid of them. But the hell is with you offending the boss? You don’t want to stay in this circle anymore?!’
Tang Yin looked at Shi Sheng who still had an indifferent expression on. His lips twitched a bit. ‘You’ve already been buried; how can you be so calm?!’
“What are you planning on doing now?” She still had two and a half more years on the contract with Dongfang Entertainment after all.
If Dongfang Entertainment didn’t give them any acting roles then even if they searched for it themselves, who would dare to offend Dongfang Entertainment by giving it to them?
“We wait.”
“Wait?” ‘For what?! You want to wait till you’re past your prime?!’
After all, celebrities’ livelihoods were based on their youths. If they really had been buried for a year or two, wanting to continue in this circle would be hard. Shi Sheng’s eyes curved into crescents as she smiled insincerely. “Yep, we wait.”
Tang Yin fought back the urge to roar. ‘Are you sure this person really wasn’t sent to torment me?!’
Shi Sheng said to wait but she disappeared for most days, leaving her agent, Tang Yin, to die of boredom.
One month later, Shi Sheng heard quite a few people discussing Tang Yin just as she stepped into the company premises. Along the way, she put together roughly what happened while she was gone.
‘*clicks tongue* Looks like while I was gone for so long, Tang Yin hasn’t done too well.’
“I hadn’t expected Tang Yin to actually be the illegitimate child of the Tang family. He doesn’t look anything like them…”
“Which Tang family?”
“What other Tang family could it be-”
“If you want to hear gossip you should go inside and listen. What’s the meaning of just hiding outside and eavesdropping?”
“Are you crazy? The Eldest Young Miss of the Tang family is still inside…” The person who replied turned her head doubtfully. When she saw who was standing behind her, she immediately straightened her body and pulled on the people beside her. Shi Sheng shot them a wicked smile before pushing the door open and entering.
“What’s with that attitude? She’s just an actress who’s been buried by the company. Now her agent is like this too. She probably won’t manage to make a comeback in this lifetime.”
“Let’s go, let’s go, if that person sees us we’re going to be in trouble.”
The moment Shi Sheng entered the office, her eardrums were shocked by a sharp, high-pitched female voice, “Tang Yin, don’t even think about returning to the Tang family! The Tang family will never acknowledge you so you can just give up!”
‘That voice was a bit familiar.’ Shi Sheng looked towards the origin of the voice.
Tang Yin was sitting behind the desk of his office. Facing him was an exquisitely dressed-up woman.
“Tang-ge[1], are you having a meeting? Or a family reunion?”
When Tang Yin heard that accursed voice, he lifted his head as his temples throbbed. ‘Why is she here? Recently I couldn’t find her at all. It was like she just disappeared so why has she suddenly turned up here?’
“Jiang Wan don’t you have any manners? Don’t you know how to knock before entering?” The woman turned around and started to scold Shi Sheng too. This woman was the one Shi Sheng met when she had gone to the audition: Tang Yan.
“I’m entering my own agent’s office. Whether I knock or not, or know any manners at all, what’s it got to do with you?” Shi Sheng seemed like she was smiling as she looked at her. “Tang Yan, what are you yelling at my agent for?”
“He’s just a bastard. That I’m talking to him at all is the fortune he accumulated over eight lifetimes[2].” Tang Yan gave a contemptuous cold harrumph.
Tang Yin’s fists were tightly clenched as light reflected coldly off his glasses. He hadn’t chosen his birth. Who would be a bastard if they had the choice?
“Jiang Wan, you’re already in deep trouble and you still want to stick your nose into other people’s business?” Tang Yan arrogantly smiled.
“Xiaowan…” Tang Yin spoke too. Her current situation already wasn’t looking too hot. If she offended Tang Yan because of him too…
Shi Sheng interrupted Tang Yin with curved eyes and a shallow smile, “Because I’m idling, why wouldn’t I[3]?”
Tang Yan looked at Shi Sheng with a gaze one would use to look at an idiot. ‘Is this woman crazy? I don’t believe she’s not aware of my background. She still dares to argue with me, isn’t she afraid she won’t be able to stay in this circle anymore?’
“Tang Yan, I’m not going to die just from your gaze alone. Most importantly, I feel like I’m going to develop a psychological shadow from being stared at by such an ugly person.”
‘The hell you looking at? I’m(bbb) very noble[4] okay?!’
“You-” Tang Yan’s face was red from rage. She pointed at Shi Sheng but was unable to say anything. ‘Ugly? How am I ugly?’
Tang Yan had never met a person so good at pulling aggro. She felt like the moves she had learned from her 20 or so years in the Tang family were completely useless against this woman. ‘She’s not reacting like a normal person ah!!!’
The phone in Shi Sheng’s hand vibrated. Shi Sheng took a look before shooting Tang Yan a smile. That smile was like a March spring wind, warm and gentle, but those eyes were completely calm and without the slightest ripple.
“Ms Tang, Tang Yin and I have matters to attend to so we shan’t accompany you any longer.” After a slight pause, she continued, “I know a few skilled plastic surgeons. If Ms Tang wishes to, I could help you out, you know.”
‘You’re the ugly one! Your whole family is ugly!!! How am I ugly?! This bitch!’
Tang Yan’s face was twisted as she glared at Shi Sheng. The edges of her eyes were reddened and a vein had popped up on her temple. Her originally good-looking face now really was a bit ugly.
“Tang-ge, still not going? You want me to send you an invite?” Shi Sheng looked at Tang Yin.
Tang Yin didn’t want to remain here any longer so he immediately got up and followed Shi Sheng out. When they left the office, Shi Sheng brought him upstairs. Along the way, they met many people who pointed at him and spoke unpleasant words. Tang Yin’s back was tensed the entire time as he fought to control himself.
Shi Sheng looked at the changing numbers above the elevator doors. When it changed to ‘30’, she suddenly turned to face Tang Yin and spoke, “Tang Yin, don’t let inconsequential people affect you. All you need to do is continue moving forward and while they’re still struggling at the bottom, you’ll be at the top. At that point, you will be the one in charge.”
The numbers changed to ‘32’ and the elevator doors opened with a ding!
Tang Yin looked at the dainty figure in front of him and the gaze under those glasses changed quickly. He felt like he suddenly understood why he agreed to her back then. There was an undisguised confidence on her that no one could measure up to.
In the CEO’s office, Xia Man and a few men dressed in suits faced Xi Mo. Her expression was calm. She didn’t reveal any hints of retreat just because she was facing Xi Mo.
The door to the office was opened and a pretty woman walked inside. She was wearing simple workout clothes and a pair of normal shoes. Her expression was indifferent but she had an aura that was impossible to ignore.
It was clearly the most simple and normal of outfits yet she made the people looking feel like they were watching her stride down a red carpet.
[1] This refers to elder brother but I thought it sounds better like this. Like how I left Milan-jie as is.
[2] This is like saying “He’s lucky I’m even talking to him.” Only it’s exaggerated a bit.
[3] So I couldn’t find a word that would fit the literal meaning of ‘管闲事’, which means something like managing idle matters. She’s basically saying that since she’s idle, why wouldn’t she go and manage idle matter? But since it sounds off, I’ll just put it here.
[4] The word for noble can also mean expensive which is like how some people are really paranoid with their precious items and won’t allow you to look at them? I think it’s something like that.
Author’s note:
Mini-Theater:
Shi Sheng grabbed onto Lu Qingyun excitedly. “I feel like I can open a training class for CEOs. Thinking about a bunch of CEOs all calling me teacher makes me very excited!”
Lu Qingyun coldly pushed Shi Sheng away. “Are you sure you aren’t going to end up with a group of CEOs with anti-society sentiments?”
Shi Sheng’s eyes darted guiltily. “…That’s not possible, I’m not that kind of person! Hahaha, I’m not that kind of person. That’s right, I’m not.”
Lu Qingyun laughed coldly. “What’s with that suspicious pause at the beginning?”
Shi Sheng still attempted to deny it, “Hahaha… You heard wrong.”
#Little Sunflower CEO Class Has Opened For Business#
Everyone knew that the President went into a rage just after Shi Sheng and Co. left. No one knew what they had talked about, all they knew was that the company had dissolved the contract with Shi Sheng. Even Tang Yin had resigned.
Xia Man drove while Shi Sheng sat in the passenger’s seat and Tang Yin sat in the back.
Even now he was still in a stunned state. He hadn’t said a single word since entering the CEO’s office and had instead listened to his artist and Xia Man team up to deal with Xi Mo. Not only had the contract been dissolved, even he had been ‘dug’[1] away?
“I’ve already picked out the company address. All the funds are in place and ready.” Shi Sheng ignored what Tang Yin was going through mentally as she lowered her head to quickly type in some words on her notebook. “All that’s left are the artists.”
“En, we’ll have to invite a professional for this.” Xia Man was sighing inwardly. A month ago, she had handed over the assets she had inherited from her mother to Shi Sheng. Just the liquid cash alone was a hefty sum. When added to the fixed assets as well as some hard[2] assets, it amounted to $50 million.
That was $50 million, not $5 million. Back then she herself wasn’t sure why she believed Jiang Wan. She had clearly spoken in such an exaggerated and careless manner but her expression had been too sincere… sincere to the point of making others subconsciously want to believe her.
But when she saw how many folds her assets had multiplied by a month later, all that was left was stunned shock. ‘This money-making speed… is simply godly!’
“I’m leaving some of the liquid assets. After all, we’ll need a lot of funds in the future. I’ll need to earn more. For the early stages, $50 million should be enough.”
Xia Man had no objections. After all, though she had contributed the start-up capital, it would have been impossible if she had wanted to make it increase by a few folds.
“Wait, wait a second…” Tang Yin finally reacted. “You guys want to open a company?”
“Yep, the company is already registered.” Shi Sheng turned to look at Tang Yin. “You’re in charge of all the matters relating to our company’s artists. I want the sort of… pretty and cute kind. The ones that can be stared at for hours even if they don’t do anything.”
Xia Man “…” ‘How is that an artist? That’s actually a national treasure, right?’
Tang Yin “…” ‘What has she been up to in the past month?! Are all artists nowadays this indecipherable? Those words in the elevator just now were all a set up just for this moment, right? They definitely were!
…Why do I keep feeling like I’ve boarded a pirate ship[3]?’
With Tang Yin joining in, some of the problems that had been overlooked by the two were pointed out, avoiding the process of trial-and-error. Tang Yin had received the same education as a child born of a rich family so he was able to catch quite a lot of problems. However, Tang Yin discovered that his artist wasn’t any worse than he was at this.
As her agent, he had naturally researched her ancestry to the 18th generation[4] but in the materials he had on her, she hadn’t even gone to University, so how did she know all these?
Even if he held doubts, Shi Sheng had no intention of telling him. If he asked, she’d just say she was a natural talent. And when the company really started, he was simply too busy and had no time to continue investigating this matter in greater depth.
……
Shi Sheng had recently been worked to the point she probably couldn’t remember the four cardinal directions anymore. After much effort, she finally managed to squeeze some time out to relax. She exited the private room she was in, and having drunk quite a bit, she was a bit dizzy. She patted her face as she made her way towards the restrooms.
The path to the restrooms required one to walk through a long, curved corridor. Just as Shi Sheng was about to go over, her eyes caught a familiar silhouette.
The man was wearing an inky-black workout outfit. Both his hands were stuck in his pockets. Since he was facing away from Shi Sheng, she couldn’t see what expression he had on right now.
A woman wearing an exquisite slim skirt which showed off her curves was standing in front of him. Her fair neck and a shoulder were exposed. She raised her head to look at the man, loving admiration written all over her face. Shi Sheng didn’t announce her presence, instead, she leaned against the wall and watched them.
“Big brother Qingyun, you’ve already been back for so long, why haven’t you gone home yet? Grandpa really misses you. I… I miss you too.” Tang Yan’s voice was full of bashfulness. Where was the domineeringness now?
“Why should I go?”
Lu Qingyun’s face was full of smiles, making that already handsome face of his even better looking. His ink-like eyes sparkled as they reflected light. His image was clearly that of a noble and elegant young master but somehow, he seemed full of spite and animosity.
“We…” Tang Yan was a bit stumped about what to do, but she gritted her teeth. “We have an engagement.”
“Engagement?” Lu Qingyun’s pure voice was exceptionally clear in the silent corridor. “If I remember correctly, you were the one who didn’t admit to this engagement back then. Why are you trying to get back with me now[5]?”
Tang Yan’s expression changed as her pupils contracted. However, she calmed down quickly. “Big brother Qingyun, I can explain.”
“Don’t.” Lu Qingyun’s eyes had curved into crescents by now. He opened his lips and spoke, “There’s no need to.”
It was like someone had hit the pause button on Tang Yan. Even though she was wearing makeup, her face appeared to have an ashen pallor. She stared at Lu Qingyun in a daze. In her eyes was regret, unwillingness, as well as loving admiration. All sorts of complicated feelings were mixed together.
Lu Qingyun didn’t even look at her as he turned to walk towards Shi Sheng. He didn’t seem surprised to see her, as if he had already known she’d be there.
Shi Sheng remained leaning against the wall, her posture very casual and languid. Seeing him, she gave a superficial smile and spoke, “Patr- Mr Lu, what a coincidence. I guess the saying that two people who are fated to be together will meet even if they are miles apart[6] is true. It seems like our destinies are intertwined, won’t you consider keeping me?”
Lu Qingyun’s smiling gaze travelled down her face and slowly landed on her chest. Ripples formed in his eyes but one could tell he was feeling contempt.
Shi Sheng followed Lu Qingyun’s gaze before her expression darkened. ‘This bitch is scorning my chest again? Come on, it’s at least a B-cup, right? Ah pei! Pervert! Looking at my chest the moment you come up to me!’
“Big brother Qingyun…” Tang Yan caught up from behind. She blanked out a bit when she saw Shi Sheng but it quickly changed into a look of jealous hatred. “Jiang Wan, why are you here?”
‘Was she speaking with big brother Qingyun just now? How did big brother Qingyun get to know her?’ In these few seconds, Tang Yan’s mind was already churning.
Shi Sheng looked at her. “My legs are on my body so I can go anywhere I like.”
This woman actually had such a relationship with Lu Qingyun. It hadn’t been mentioned in the story.
Though, now that she thought about it, Tang Yan hadn’t even shown up more than a couple of times in the story. ‘Have I activated side-story mode?’
Tang Yan probably wanted to curse at her right now but refrained from doing so because Lu Qingyun was present. She could only angrily warn her off, “Jiang Wan, I’m telling you, don’t pester big brother Qingyun. He’s not someone your type can fantasize about.”
“Uh, I’m not fantasizing.” Shi Sheng spoke very sincerely, “I just want him to keep me.”
‘I’m not that shallow! Especially not if it’s Lu Qingyun this scumbag…’
Shi Sheng suddenly felt a chill which interrupted her inner cursing. She looked up to see Lu Qingyun’s smiling eyes. Those eyes that seemed as warm and gentle as water were, in truth, full of ill-intent. ‘I(bbb)didn’t… seem to have said anything though?’
“You-” Tang Yan pointed at Shi Sheng, her face reddened, whether from rage or shame we do not know. “How can you be so shameless?”
‘You already want big brother Qingyun to keep you and you call that not fantasizing?!’
‘You still dare to look at big brother Qingyun! You despicable bitch, I’ll make you pay!’ Madness flashed in Tang Yan’s eyes. ‘Big brother Qingyun is mine, no one can take him from me!’
[1] This means scouted/poached. I only left it in because it had the single apostrophes around that word in the raws.
[2] Gold/jewellery etc. Basically, stuff that’ll be likely to retain its value over a long period of time.
[3] Figure of speech for entering a venture of dubious merit.
[4] Not literal in this case. I think. It means he researched her background thoroughly.
[5] This sounded harsher in the raws. He was nearly outright accusing her of being a gold-digger, though for status instead of money.
[6] I actually took some liberties here. In the original it was that if there was fate then two people will meet even if they are separated by a thousand li, or 500km.
Lu Qingyun ignored the imaginary sparks flying between the two women as he walked off.
“Mr Lu, you’re welcome to come keep me any time!” Shi Sheng calmly shouted this at Lu Qingyun.
Lu Qingyun’s footsteps paused for half a second before continuing on like usual and disappearing from their sights.
With Lu Qingyun gone, Tang Yan finally spoke freely, “Are you eyeing big brother Qingyun’s money? I’m telling you, big brother Qingyun will never like you. With your background, you aren’t even fit to carry his shoes!”
Without waiting for a reply, Tang Yan glared at Shi Sheng before running off to chase after Lu Qingyun. Shi Sheng rubbed her temples. ‘I just knew getting close to a villain was going to be a demanding yet thankless task.’
Shi Sheng felt like she shouldn’t have come out today. This feeling was reinforced when she came back from going to the restroom to find the private room she had been in surrounded by people who were making a lot of noise.
When she finally managed to squeeze in, she found the room in shambles as pieces of shattered porcelain lay scattered on the ground with their contents spilled out on the floor. Xia Man was sitting on the floor and clutching her head with a single hand. Blood trickled between her fingers and dripped onto the floor.
“Xiaoman, I’m really sorry. I didn’t do it on purpose.” Xia Xuan made to help Xia Man up, an apologetic expression on her face. “I didn’t expect you to lose your balance. Xiaoman, you’re bleeding. Let me take you to the hospital. Sorry, it’s all my fault.”
Xia Man’s face was frosty as she smacked Xia Xuan’s hand away. Her voice was low and raspy as she spoke, “Xia Xuan, if you’re done acting you can get lost now.”
“Hey, why is this person so rude? Just now I saw that it was her who was pushing the other lady but she lost her balance and fell. Now she’s even blaming the person she was trying to push!”
“Isn’t that Xia Xuan?”
“Who’s Xia Xuan?”
“Heavens, I actually saw the national goddess! My goddess is so gentle. Who’s that other woman? She even dares to treat my goddess this way.”
The surrounding onlookers pointed at Xia Man. They were both excited to see their ‘goddess’ as well as angry on her behalf. Fortunately, those who came to eat here usually had some status so they wouldn’t do anything extreme like actually hitting people.
“Xiaoman, it’s my fault, okay? Don’t be angry, please? Let’s go to the hospital first, it won’t be good to leave behind a scar.” Xia Xuan put forth the image of a good big sister as she gazed in worry and bewilderment at Xia Man. Her expression was just right, as expected of someone just a step away from being a Queen of Acting.
Just as Shi Sheng was about to go over, Tang Yin emerged from the crowd and helped Xia Man up. He blocked off the lines of sight of the people in the crowd. His face was expressionless but his eyes were icy-cold. “Ms Xia, as a public figure, shouldn’t you pay more attention to the surroundings? This place is private property, what is the meaning of you attracting the attentions of others?”
Tang Yin’s words were not masked in the slightest. How would the people who could afford to eat here not be sharp? In that short amount of time, their thoughts had already gone through several possibilities.
Xia Xuan could clearly feel the gazes of the onlookers changing. Though she was hating inside her heart, she couldn’t help but put forth a kind and gentle exterior. “This sir here… I am Xiaoman’s big sister. All I want to do is to bring her to the hospital to have her injury treated. I don’t have any other motives. After all, it’s not good for a scar to be left on a girl’s face.”
Xia Man laughed coldly inside. This woman couldn’t wait for her to die yet now she put on such a pretence. ‘How disgusting.’
Xia Man held herself back from slapping Xia Xuan when she saw Shi Sheng in the crowd. She simply spoke to Tang Yin, “Let’s go.”
Tang Yin supported Xia Man as they walked towards the door.
“Xiaoman…” Xia Xuan pulled on Xia Man. “I heard you wanted to be an actress. I have a few scripts on hand so if you want…”
Xia Man unceremoniously shook her hand off before smiling coldly and saying, “Is this charity? Well aren’t you just thoughtful? A pity, I have no need for it.”
“Xia Man, is that how you speak to your elder sister?” A deep voice rose from behind.
Xi Mo’s tall and broad frame walked out from the crowd, his handsome face dark. Especially when he saw Xia Man being helped by Tang Yin, a thin veneer of killing intent surrounded him, causing the people who had planned on greeting him to back away.
The moment Xia Man saw Xi Mo, her already pallid face paled even further but she forced herself to meet Xi Mo’s gaze. It was as if whoever looked away first would lose.
“Apologise to your sister.” Xi Mo spoke with a hardened face.
“Apologise? Why should I?” Xia Man’s voice was a bit cracked.
“Ah Mo, it’s fine. She’s my little sister.” Xia Xuan went forth to pull Xi Mo’s back while saying very ‘big-heartedly’.
But weren’t her words indirectly saying that Xia Man was the one at fault while Xia Xuan herself was blameless? Because she was the elder sister so she put up with her younger sister’s troublemaking, look at how big-hearted she was!
“If you keep spoiling her like this she won’t know how high the heavens are and how deep the earth is[1]. Xi Mo’s cold gaze swept across Tang Yin. He had underestimated this man, he actually hooked up with Xia Man…
Tang Yin was a bit worried. Their company hadn’t even started. If they offended Xi Mo, how would they be able to run it smoothly in Qing City?
“Ah Mo, she’s my only little sister. If I don’t spoil her, who will?” Xia Xuan protested coquettishly. In her heart, she was feeling triumphant. ‘Xia Man, what can you use to fight me now? As long as I can get the shares in your hands, I’ll be able to completely have you beneath my feet…’
Xi Mo was clear about how Xia Xuan really felt about Xia Man but right now, Xia Man had pissed him off so he didn’t mind acting together with Xia Xuan to give her a punishment.
“Even if you have good intentions, certain people won’t be able to realise it.”
Xia Xuan looked at Xia Man with an aggrieved expression. “Xiaoman… go to the hospital with me. I’m not reassured leaving you alone with this stranger.”
These words were hinting both subtly and openly that Xia Man and this man’s relationship was not pure.
As expected, Xi Mo’s gaze at Tang Yin turned colder.
“Tang Yin, do you want to see Xia Man die due to blood loss?” Shi Sheng turned off spectator mode and shouted at Tang Yin.
Everyone’s attention was attracted by Shi Sheng’s shout. Xia Xuan still remembered from last time that this woman didn’t know where her limits were, and now she teamed up with this Xia Man bitch. Xi Mo didn’t have a pleasant face on either. He didn’t know what methods she had used to get Xia Man to pay the compensation fee for breaking the contract but in his eyes, Shi Sheng had betrayed him.
And he was never merciful to traitors. He had been planning on teaching her a lesson, but after she dissolved the contract, she simply hadn’t shown herself. If she wasn’t in the entertainment circle, even if he wanted to teach her a lesson, there was nothing he could do.
“Hurry up, are you planning on becoming a flower vase? Even if you do, you’re not getting paid for it!” Shi Sheng urged the two when she saw they still weren’t budging.
Xia Man knew Shi Sheng didn’t mean any ill will so she didn’t kick up a fuss over her choice of words. She pulled Tang Yin and walked towards Shi Sheng. Xia Xuan was about to block her again.
“Ms Xia, your sister is currently bleeding to death. If you still want to block her, I’ll just take it that you want her to die, right?” Shi Sheng spoke before Xia Xuan could do so.
The onlooking audience, “…” ‘Are you guys really on the same side? Why does that tone sound so obnoxious?’
Xia Xuan didn’t dare to stop them anymore, she could only watch as the three of them walked off. Her heart was filled with hatred as she thought, ‘It’s this woman again! How despicable!’
Xi Mo silently watched, his thoughts unreadable.