Chapter 40

Wen Jiu pointed to Shen Xingzhou. “My boyfriend.”
Then she pointed to Ji Yujing. “Boyfriend’s cousin.”
Shen Xingzhou gripped Wen Jiu’s hand, a smile creeping onto his lips.
Ji Yujing couldn’t bear to look, his little cousin was smiling too cheaply.
Wen Jiu turned to Lin Yu. “What were you doing outside? Why did you suddenly come to Nancheng? Business?”
Lin Yu crossed her arms. “Business.”
She didn’t even want to look at Ji Yujing. “He came on his own. How old is he? Still playing detective?”
Ji Yujing exploded like a firecracker. “How can business take you here? What serious business can be done in a place like this?”
Shen Xingzhou didn’t plan to help his cousin; he immediately pulled Wen Jiu back. “Careful, don’t let him hit you.”
Wen Jiu couldn’t mediate this kind of situation.
Ji Yujing wasn’t like Chu Yan; their significance to the young lady was different. Qin Yao needed Chu Yan, but Lin Yu didn’t need Ji Yujing at all.
Who could have guessed, when the elevator doors opened, the young master Ji slid out, performing a sliding kneel in front of Lin Yu, giving her a formal greeting.
The elevator attendant froze. He’d seen many dramatic scenes, so wasn’t too surprised.
But seeing Ji Yujing’s face, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Young Master Ji was a regular.
Lin Yu noticed. “He knows you?”
“Ji Yujing, you wouldn’t let me come over, not because you’re a regular here, right?”
Ji Yujing could have lied. But under Lin Yu’s piercing gaze, he bit his lip and tearfully hugged her leg. “I was immature before, I won’t come again now.”
Wen Jiu was stunned. Shen Xingzhou took the opportunity to cover her eyes.
“He cries ugly, not as good-looking as me. Don’t look at him, sis.”
In the darkness behind his hands, Wen Jiu blinked, her curled lashes brushing lightly against his palm.
Ji Yujing was crying miserably, unaware of his cousin’s disparaging words.
Lin Yu wasn’t sympathetic, just embarrassed. “Stop crying. What’s a grown man crying?”
“Stand up, I’ll take you to meet the client. Isn’t that enough?” Not sympathetic, but conceding.
Without Wen Jiu, she probably wouldn’t have entered the club yet.
Clients and men weren’t important, her studio was.
Since there was room for further development, she was here, and Ji Yujing came along, might as well.
“Hurry up!”
Lin Yu barked, and Ji Yujing immediately stood, straightening his back and staying close to her side.
“Wen Jiu, I’m going to discuss business first, I’ll come find you later.” Lin Yu’s voice softened toward Wen Jiu.
Ji Yujing looked aggrieved but dared not speak.
Under Lin Yu’s gaze, his face tensed, displaying his looks along with clear hints of grievance, tear-streaked cheeks now more visually appealing than before.
Lin Yu pulled out a wet wipe from her bag. “Wipe it. You represent the studio, don’t embarrass yourself.”
Ji Yujing grabbed it like a wedding ring, his delight showing on his face.
Hee hee, she was praising him.
Wen Jiu glanced at Shen Xingzhou, thinking Lin Yu really knew how to “train” people like dogs.
She kept her eyes on the pair’s backs. Shen Xingzhou, a little jealous, hugged her. “Jiujiu, we should go find Qin Yao.”
He had overheard the previous call.
“Yes, let’s hurry to the young lady,” Wen Jiu said. The young lady was ahead; she had no time to watch Ji Yujing chase love.
The door opened, and Wen Jiu and the now-sober young lady met eyes.
The young lady wore a wine-red off-shoulder short dress, curls cascading down her back. In the light, her delicate face was enchanting like a forest spirit, stunningly beautiful, a stark contrast to the previous pale-blue-dress, delicate little princess.
She swirled a wine glass, turning her head, captivating in that instant.
Only Wen Jiu, familiar with her, noticed the subtle twitch in her eyes.
When they met eyes, both thought they were seeing things.
“Ah, it’s you.”
Wen Jiu’s heart shattered a little at her words.
“Wrong number,” the young lady said, not even opening her phone; just looking at her, she knew.
The club attendant waiting nearby was waved off. “Forget it, not your fault. You can go.”
If it were before, the young lady would have been angry. Now, she was married to Chu Yan, fulfilled, nothing to be upset about.
“Young lady, what happened?” Wen Jiu asked, confused.
“Jiujiu, come sit here.” The young lady patted the space beside her, calling only Wen Jiu, not Shen Xingzhou.
After a second, she looked at Shen Xingzhou. “Shen Xingzhou, maybe you should step out?”
Shen Xingzhou only looked at Wen Jiu.
“The young lady wants to whisper something. You step out first. We’ll all go back together, then I’ll whisper to you too.”
Shen Xingzhou, easy to coax, instantly brightened, his posture radiating joy as he left.
Wen Jiu nervously pinched her earlobe.
She didn’t have a real secret to share yet.
“Wen Jiu, I suspect Chu Yan has a problem.”
Wen Jiu: ?
“Did he fall for someone else?” That shouldn’t be, even if the male lead wasn’t with the female lead, Chu Yan, a male lead from Little Green River, was always a model of integrity. How could there be talk of cheating?
“No,” the young lady whispered mysteriously to Wen Jiu. “Chu Yan is acting strangely. Since I returned from Haicheng, he hasn’t been the same with me.”
At first, Wen Jiu didn’t understand. “Which thing?”
“The… couple stuff.”
Fearing Wen Jiu wouldn’t get it, she added two more words for clarity: “In bed.”
Even though she was talking about herself, the young lady’s curiosity was piqued. “Could it be that you and Shen Xingzhou haven’t done it yet? You two are a proper little couple, after all.”
“Or do you mean Shen Xingzhou also-“
“Young lady, let’s analyze why Chu Yan suddenly became distant,” Wen Jiu hurriedly interrupted Qin Yao.
Shen Xingzhou usually didn’t assert his presence. Being with him meant enjoying his quiet, handsome, obedient demeanor. Nearly four months in, he was so calm that sometimes after she enjoyed her own alone time, she’d suddenly realize she even had a boyfriend.
Wen Jiu’s mind had wandered, but the young lady’s words brought her back. She listened carefully as the young lady described it.
“When I touched him, he immediately pressed me down with one hand. Just like that…” The young lady demonstrated for Wen Jiu.
She wrapped one of her own hands around Wen Jiu’s two hands, lifting them slightly.
Their palms were roughly the same size, nowhere near the gap between Chu Yan and Qin Yao. Wen Jiu had to cooperate on her own.
“There are plenty of things like that.
Basically, it’s like dealing with someone practicing the Path of Ruthlessness, no matter what I do, he’s indifferent.
Today I purposely wore a different style of dress, planning to call him out, pretending to be drunk. Didn’t expect the guy to call the wrong number.”
The young lady spread her hands helplessly.
Her makeup today was exquisite, unlike any other time Wen Jiu had seen her. Wen Jiu stole several glances, unable to look away.
“Don’t you suspect him of cheating?”
“I can feel it, he likes me. This time it’s really not narcissism! It’s true!”
Wen Jiu nodded repeatedly. “Mm-hm, I believe you.”
She believed the young lady, not the male lead.
“Wen Jiu, why don’t you go back to Chu Corp for a week, help me see what he’s really been up to. Since you’re here anyway, I thought you’d still be in Haicheng.”
“If you go, you’ll get a raise this month.”
Wen Jiu had just reluctantly spent 100,000 yuan on Xie Junyu, so here was a chance to make some money.
“I’ll go tomorrow morning.”
“Alright, I’ll have Li Xuan arrange your position.”
Since following the young lady, Wen Jiu found entering and leaving a big company incredibly easy. No need to worry about interviews or resignations. Most importantly, she didn’t occupy anyone else’s position, her role was extra, beyond normal work duties.
Today, the young lady had a driver, so Wen Jiu didn’t need to take her home.
Before leaving the club, Wen Jiu deliberately checked on Lin Yu and Ji Yujing.
The room door was tightly closed; she had no idea what was happening inside.
Wen Jiu didn’t go in directly; she sent Lin Yu a message.
Wen Jiu: Lin Yu, how’s your business going? Want to head back together? I’m ready on my side.
After a while, Lin Yu replied: Let’s go back together. Wait for me.
Lin Yu: Your boyfriend and Ji Yujing are cousins, so he can take Ji Yujing back. I don’t want to drag a drunk along.
Lin Yu: Even though I didn’t pay him, I’m the boss. The boss doesn’t take care of employees.
Wen Jiu: “……”
That answer was so Lin Yu.
Suddenly, she remembered something and tapped Shen Xingzhou. “I almost forgot, I haven’t asked, why are you here?”
“Shen Xingzhou, have you been partying and playing around while I’m not in Nancheng?”
Shen Xingzhou pulled her into his arms. His body was firm and muscular, radiating heat that could burn her. In the narrow hallway corner, his refreshing scent enveloped Wen Jiu, more enticing than the winter plum fragrance in the coldest months.
Wen Jiu’s mind immediately recalled the young lady’s earlier question.
Had she and Shen Xingzhou… not done that yet?
They were adults, but truly hadn’t.
Her thoughts drifted again, and she didn’t pay attention to Shen Xingzhou’s explanation.
“My cousin said you were here. I don’t know why he suddenly messaged me, but I still came.”
Shen Xingzhou’s cousin = Ji Yanting.
When Wen Jiu answered the phone, Yue Ling and Ji Yanting were nearby.
She wondered if the call volume was too loud, how could someone nearby hear the conversation?
But if it was Ji Yanting passing on the info, it made sense. He probably figured she wouldn’t return to the filming city.
Comparatively, the young master’s scheming failed again against his older brother. The brother was calculating, the young master was naive and sweet.
Wen Jiu stood on her tiptoes and ruffled Shen Xingzhou’s soft hair. “I shouldn’t have doubted you.”
His hair was so fine that she didn’t pull out a single strand. He kept his clear, warm-sun-like eyes on her, filled with her reflection.
To avoid Wen Jiu’s toes being uncomfortable, he let her step on his shoe. Bending smoothly, his voice remained crisp as ever: “It’s not your fault, Jiujiu. I haven’t done well enough, so you can’t trust me completely.”
If anyone else said this, Wen Jiu might have ignored it. Shen Xingzhou saying it, though, it felt ticklish in her ears and very pleasant. She opened her hands, wrapping around his waist.
Shen Xingzhou’s waist was slim, his thin muscles felt firm through his sweater, giving her a sense of comfort and security.
Wen Jiu felt a little tempted to push him away.
Just then, her phone lit up, casting light in the dim hallway.
She’d forgotten something very important!!
Pushing Shen Xingzhou gently away from her neck, she took his hands. “Behave.”
Shen Xingzhou, slightly reluctant, stayed by her side, just holding her, no more fidgeting.
Wen Jiu typed on her phone, the clear tapping audible.
Wen Jiu: Yaoyao, what’s happening over there? Any links? Send me one.
Wen Jiu: Don’t panic, take a deep breath. If it’s hard, I’ll have someone bring you to Nancheng.
Tomorrow, Wen Jiu would need to return to Chu Corp, so she couldn’t rush to Haicheng.
But Haicheng wasn’t far from Nancheng, Shen Xingzhou could fetch her.
Raising a boyfriend for a hundred days, finally a chance to put it to use.
Su Yaoyao: Link.
Su Yaoyao: Someone said I bought my own collections. According to Little Green River, that’s buying fans, basically.
Su Yaoyao: I already applied for a self-check on collections, but it’ll take some time. Even before results were out, my comment section was already filled with people scolding me.
Su Yaoyao: They didn’t just scold me, they scolded my readers. My readers just came to read my books, they did nothing wrong.
Su Yaoyao’s personality was different from the other three young ladyes. She had been bullied before, was sensitive and moody, easily feeling guilt toward others.
To her, unfamiliar readers online were like a faint light in the dark, a form of salvation. Their hunger gave her purpose and steadied her steps.
But Su Yaoyao couldn’t break through the darkness in a day or two, it was a gradual process. Any setbacks could easily push her back into reticent behavior.
Yesterday, she told Wen Ling: ordinary people can’t handle a little malice at work; public figures face multiplied malice. Protect yourself, don’t lose much over little things.
Wen Jiu hadn’t expected the young lady’s first book of only 30,000 words to attract so much attention.
Indeed, malicious posts appeared.
She examined the post. It essentially said: Su Yaoyao is a new author. Even if her writing is commendable, it’s impossible to get thousands of collections after only 30,000 words in today’s low-traffic environment.
Also, her Weibo giveaway to attract traffic was considered improper, potentially harming the ecosystem for Little Green River authors. If uncorrected, everyone would do it, and mid-level authors would never succeed.
Besides the giveaway, Su Yaoyao sent red envelopes to previous commenters, obvious buying of collections. Once she becomes VIP, giving cash back to every buyer would exploit the system.
The poster was manipulative. Even if Su Yaoyao’s self-check was correct, the poster framed her.
If Su Yaoyao didn’t explicitly promise or describe cash-back, it didn’t count. And she hadn’t bought fans; the Weibo giveaway was her idea.
Wen Jiu felt this could safely be handled by the system.
Wen Jiu: Keep writing. Screenshot the self-check in your author notes. Send the link to the editor. Malicious posts will be investigated. Don’t get hurt by strangers’ malice, it’s not worth it.
Wen Jiu: Yaoyao, if you want to reward real fans, update 20,000 more words, turn the giveaway into VIP. Real fans won’t mind; they’ll be happy with the red envelope.
Wen Jiu: Though the innocent are vindicated, we also must learn to protect ourselves with legal tools. If she keeps pursuing, I’ll have legal handle her, she’s already affecting public opinion.
No joke, Wen Jiu could enlist the young lady’s legal team from the Qin family, Lin Yu’s studio legal team, or even the Su family’s legal team if necessary.
Wen Jiu wouldn’t contact Su Heng unless it was necessary.
He seemed to give his sister freedom, but if he knew she was being bullied online, it would probably cause a big storm.
Lin Yu ran a gaming company, and the legal team was top-notch. She had personally selected the lawyers, so with two hundred million backing them, there would be no problem with lawsuits.
In truth, Wen Jiu’s words earlier were mainly to comfort Su Yaoyao; she didn’t know all the details herself.
Professional matters should be left to professionals. She immediately asked Butler Qin to contact the legal department and select someone competent for her.
This allowed Su Yaoyao to focus on writing without any conflict.
The opponent had indeed hit Su Yaoyao, but it was like kicking cotton, with a steel plate hidden inside.
It was late, and Su Yaoyao had only written 6,000 words that day.
Following Wen Jiu’s advice, she stayed up that night to write 20,000 words, submitted it, applied for VIP status, and went to sleep with red, tear-filled eyes.
Su Yaoyao: Jiujiu, I’m going to sleep. Goodnight.
Wen Jiu: Goodnight. Sleep well and make sure to eat properly tomorrow morning.
At this point, Wen Jiu was on her way back, having already dropped Ji Yujing off at the Ji residence.
He had refused to return home, and Shen Xingzhou had left him at the front gate.
Now it was just the two of them in the car. Wen Jiu raised her index finger to Shen Xingzhou’s lips. “No. Tomorrow we have work.”
The car heater was on, and their jackets were in the back. Shen Xingzhou gently grabbed Wen Jiu’s wrists, looped her hands around his waist, and pulled her close. “Jiujiu, can we stay in the same room tonight? I won’t do anything.”
Wen Jiu coldly refused. “No.”
Under his moist, heartbreakingly vulnerable eyes, she kissed his eyes and traced circles on his lower back with her fingertips.
The moment her fingers touched, she clearly felt Shen Xingzhou stiffen. He froze, and a soft moan escaped his throat.
Wen Jiu widened her eyes.
She had known Shen Xingzhou was sensitive, but a week apart had made him even more so.
“I’m afraid I won’t be able to control myself.”
Wen Jiu’s words were a bit flirtatious, yet Shen Xingzhou fell for it.
“If you can’t resist, Jiujiu, I can-”
“No, you can’t.” Wen Jiu interrupted him.
Her words were too fast for any explanation to follow.
“...I have work tomorrow. I need to get up early. I can’t stay up late.”
Somehow, this sentence triggered Shen Xingzhou. His mood visibly lifted, and he seemed strangely shy.
Wen Jiu didn’t understand.
She could help the young lady find her ideal partner, but when it came to her own feelings, she was a little lost. She seemed to have everything under control, yet also felt like she was falling into a trap.
Thankfully, Shen Xingzhou was easy to manage.
The next day, Wen Jiu went to Chu Corp for work.
The familiar office, familiar faces, all greeted her politely, no one surprised by her arrival.
Only Lan Mingyan jumped up from her seat. “Wen Jiu!”
“You’re back to work?”
Wen Jiu shushed her mysteriously. “Not really.”
Lan Mingyan immediately understood, leaning in conspiratorially. “Did the young lady send you?”
Everyone else called Qin Yao “Mrs. President,” but only Lan Mingyan, having received gifts from Qin Yao, always called her “young lady.”
“Yes.”
Wen Jiu’s workstation was again beside Lan Mingyan, convenient for communication.
Assistant Li pretended not to notice, half-closing his eyes, and returned to his office.
“Has Chu Yan had any unusual behavior recently?” Wen Jiu whispered with Lan Mingyan, their chairs pushed together.
Unless necessary, the president’s office handled their own business. Li was strict and wouldn’t eavesdrop; everyone kept their distance.
Lan Mingyan thought carefully and finally found something odd. “Yes.”
“One day after a dinner, Chu Yan was stopped by a girl. I happened to follow Assistant Li and saw the first part. I left after work, but the girl got into the car with Chu Yan.
From his expression, it didn’t look like love at first sight. And the girl… maybe due to lighting, looked a bit like the young lady.”
Wen Jiu had just returned from Haicheng, from Su Yaoyao’s novel Everyone Loves the Popular Female Supporting Character. Her mind whirred, imagination running wild. “Could it be that the young lady also has a fake-and-real daughter situation?”
Lan Mingyan understood. “So Chu Yan wants to handle the girl privately, so she won’t appear in front of the young lady?”
At that glance,
Wen Jiu: “……”
Lan Mingyan: “……”
“This is too one-sided,” Wen Jiu decided they needed to revive the previous surveillance plan.
“Who has the schedule? Any upcoming outings for Chu Yan?”
Lan Mingyan pointed to herself. “What luck, it’s with me.”
“Chu Yan has an event the day after tomorrow, going abroad. Tomorrow afternoon is free. I thought he might return to see the young lady, but now my imagination runs wild.”
Lan Mingyan usually didn’t speculate about her boss, but today was different, today she was working for the young lady.
Wen Jiu and Lan Mingyan exchanged a glance, instantly understanding each other without words.
“Also, Chu Yan has a drinking engagement tonight.”
“Let’s follow him today first.”