Chapter 46

“Boss, we found him.”
Professionals really did work fast. Following the trail step by step, they quickly dug out the person behind it all.
No one had taken leave today; everyone was in the company. Everyone had attended the morning meeting and knew the company had changed owners.
But no one taking leave didn’t mean no one was absent from work. There were still people blissfully sleeping at home, completely unaware of what was happening.
He thought the former bosses were still in charge and wouldn’t nitpick over such a small matter. He muted his WeChat notifications, rolled over, and fell back into deep sleep, trying to recover his body after being hollowed out by drink and excess.
“Who’s this?” Wen Jiu asked as she walked over, looking at the large headshot displayed on the computer screen.
The borrowed tech specialist pulled up the detailed interface and showed it to Wen Jiu, their temporary boss.
It turned out to be one of the rough-edged early shareholders who had accompanied the two former bosses from the very beginning. He had sold his shares back to them.
After selling his shares, he didn’t want to leave the company. Because of his seniority, he stayed on. Due to his status, no one made him clock in, he could come or go as he pleased, still collecting a generous salary.
People like this usually hoped the company would only grow better. After all, if Little Green River collapsed, he’d lose his stable source of income.
But perhaps because he no longer received dividends after selling his shares, once he spent the money he had, he gradually grew dissatisfied with a fixed salary. Using his ability to manipulate the backend, he frequently stole manuscripts from authors’ dashboards and sold them to piracy websites.
With the increased income, he returned to a life of indulgence. In Beicheng, spending money like water meant daily expenses easily exceeding six figures. He couldn’t quite reach that level, but he could burn through a month’s salary in a single day.
The platform had top authors and small pink rookies alike. Once he’d stolen and resold their works, he had to wait for them to update.
No matter how many authors there were, they couldn’t write nonstop. When the man ran out of money again, he came up with another method.
After all, he had helped the two former bosses build the novel platform from scratch. His other skills were mediocre, but his eye for spotting future Ziwei Star authors was frighteningly accurate.
He precisely identified early-stage “Ziwei Star” authors and stole their works outright. If they had draft boxes, he stole the drafts. If they didn’t, he stole their ideas, hired ghostwriters, and published the content on other platforms.
Many novice authors were students, lacking social experience, unable to withstand the blow, and clueless about protecting their rights. Some fell into depression and quit writing altogether; those less affected doubted themselves and switched genres.
Su Yaoyao’s success had come too fast, and her draft box was completely full. The man was money-mad, there was no way he’d let such a cash cow go.
Before, he’d at least “raise” his cash cows instead of destroying them outright. But Su Yaoyao had too many readers, and he wanted the money too badly. This time, he uprooted the cash cow entirely.
Who could have imagined that a twenty-one-year-old college student, someone who should still be in university by normal standards, would not only fight back, but actually track him down?
When the man was dragged out of his villa area and faced a room full of police, wailing in the interrogation room, he wasn’t remorseful about his crimes.
He only hated his bad luck, for targeting a small author with powerful backing.
As soon as the police announcement was released, Wen Jiu quickly reposted it using Su Yaoyao’s Weibo, responding to the unfounded plagiarism accusations.
Before switching back to Little Green River’s official account, Wen Jiu paused, thought for a moment, and then added a giveaway under Su Yaoyao’s post.
Although she was the one logged in now, it was still the young lady’s account. With that personality, there had to be a giveaway.
Mm. Fans who had unfollowed and turned against her were not allowed to participate. Wen Jiu directly limited the giveaway to existing followers only, returning fans and new readers were excluded.
New readers didn’t need to rush. Judging by things, the young lady would probably host giveaways frequently in the future anyway. And readers who followed today wouldn’t even know about the young lady’s long-standing habit of posting giveaway red packets.
Wen Jiu wasn’t as generous as the young lady, but thinking about it, her money had all come from young ladyes anyway. She gritted her teeth, added a large chunk more, and finally set the giveaway amount at 300,000.
Her vision went black. She took a deep breath before she recovered.
That morning in the meeting room, she’d had five hundred thousand. Now she was down to barely over a hundred thousand.
Either you didn’t spend money at all, or you spent it like water.
Thinking about Su Yaoyao, who might or might not have cried in Haicheng, Wen Jiu clenched her fist. This giveaway had to happen. The money had to be spent.
Once Su Yaoyao logged on and saw a screen full of laughter and celebration, she’d definitely be happy. Even if she later saw posts accusing her of plagiarism again, it wouldn’t hurt as much.
Thinking it through like that, Wen Jiu felt the money was well spent.
She logged out of Su Yaoyao’s account and switched to Little Green River’s official account.
Afraid she might post from the wrong account, mixing up Su Yaoyao’s, the official account, and her own main Weibo, she entered the profile page and double-checked several times before editing anything.
The company’s internal adjustments weren’t finished yet, so for now she could only post as the new boss on the official account.
First, she explained the background of the shareholding changes and leadership transition. Then she quoted the police announcement, stating that they had only just learned of the matter themselves and were cooperating fully with the investigation. She emphasized that starting today, anti-piracy methods would be revised, enforcement would be strengthened, and affected authors would receive compensation.
As for the platform’s long-criticized ranking system issues, those would also be changed, though they definitely couldn’t be fixed in a short time.
These were all problems Wen Jiu had discovered while helping Su Yaoyao apply to leave the rankings, issues many authors had complained were ineffective.
Wen Jiu felt that a long-term survey was necessary. She wasn’t an author herself; without reading surveys, she couldn’t truly consider things from authors’ perspectives.
Departments needed restructuring. The legal department needed new hires, capable, energetic people, since there was a mountain of mess left behind. The publicity department needed fresh blood too; there were countless film and TV rights deals, yet netizens barely knew Little Green River was an original fiction platform. The art department also needed tidying up, the ancient, paper-paste-like aesthetic was eye-searing…
Wen Jiu put down her phone. After staying up all night until now, her head began throbbing in waves.
She called Lan Mingyan.
At the moment, Lan Mingyan was working at the Chu Group’s CEO office. Receiving Wen Jiu’s blatant poaching call almost made her scream.
Her face instantly bloomed with bright, radiant excitement, her eyes sparkling.
“Little Green River? That Little Green River where you read novels? I read on it back when I was studying, I know that platform! I didn’t expect its headquarters to be in Beicheng!”
“Wow, Wen Jiujiu, you cross into the New Year and suddenly own a company. Don’t tell me this was another gift from the young lady!”
“Oh, your boyfriend gave it to you…” Since Wen Jiu rarely mentioned Shen Xingzhou in front of her, Lan Mingyan abruptly stalled and couldn’t continue the topic.
Fortunately, Wen Jiu cut straight to the point.
“What? You want me to be the acting CEO?! I, I really can?”
Lan Mingyan was a little worried about her own ability, but even more excited.
Little Green River was already a leading company in the web-novel industry. Compared to the massive Chu Group, it wasn’t even one-tenth the size of a Chu subsidiary.
But opportunities like this didn’t come twice. The CEO office was a great place to learn, yes, but no matter how good it was, it couldn’t guarantee she’d someday become “Boss Lan” of a Chu subsidiary.
Accepting Wen Jiu’s offer was different.
Tomorrow, she’d be the newly appointed Boss Lan.
Lan Mingyan had already started imagining herself in a sharp women’s suit, waving a hand as employees responded in unison.
Hearing the barely contained laughter from the other end of the call, Wen Jiu felt herself infected by it, her temples no longer aching as badly.
She said, “Ability can be cultivated. You graduated from Beicheng University, you’ve got a solid foundation. What you’re missing is just an opportunity.”
Besides, no matter how bad Lan Mingyan was, she wouldn’t be like the two former bosses, having their house robbed from under them without noticing a thing.
“When do I start? I’ll resign and head over immediately.” If her best friend wasn’t afraid, then neither was she.
Lan Mingyan had never been afraid of challenges.
After confirming the timing and leaving Little Green River staff to coordinate, Wen Jiu finally let out a breath.
When Lan Mingyan encountered setbacks, she only grew stronger, there was no need to worry about her collapsing. After following Li Xuan for several months, she’d probably absorbed all his essence in secret. Being a CEO was mostly about coordination, and Wen Jiu believed Lan Mingyan could handle it.
After all,
She was the original novel’s female lead.
She had ability.
And even more luck.
She had spent the entire afternoon at the police station, solving yet another major issue. By the time she finally relaxed, her head was buzzing like a hive of bees.
Luckily, muscle memory was still intact. Dining with Shen Xingzhou, she didn’t end up face-first in her plate.
Eyes closed, she forced herself not to fall asleep, chewing steadily.
Shen Xingzhou’s physical stamina was far superior to hers. Propping his chin in his hand, he watched her eat with her eyes closed, a corner of his mouth twitching into a small smile.
Curious little Jiujiu, so cute.
His hands were always ready, prepared to catch her immediately if she dozed off and toppled.
By the time Wen Jiu finished her meal, Shen Xingzhou hadn’t touched his at all.
His eyes were fixed solely on her; there was no room left for dinner.
Su Yaoyao and Song Qin had gone to Haicheng. In the suite where Wen Jiu stayed, she was alone.
Shen Xingzhou lifted her horizontally in his arms and carried her back. Watching Wen Jiu’s drowsy, peaceful face, warmth bloomed in his chest in waves, weaving a dense, almost tangible thread of serenity, as if falling through clouds.
He laid her on the bed, placed her phone on the side to charge, and went to get a towel to wipe her face.
Even though he had stayed up, he didn’t sleep.
Winter nights came early. Snow had fallen today, casting a gray gloom outside. Inside, without the lights on, it was almost pitch-black.
Shen Xingzhou leaned on the edge of the bed, didn’t climb in, and instead found a chair to quietly watch Wen Jiu.
The emptiness in his heart was slowly being filled, somehow, it made him feel even more awake than a full night’s sleep.
At nine o’clock that night, Wen Jiu stirred awake.
Seeing Shen Xingzhou in that instant nearly scared her to death.
The room was dark, but his eyes shone, like two lamps suspended in the blackness.
“Sleep together?” Her voice was still hoarse from just waking up, a spontaneous question that hadn’t passed through her brain.
By the time she processed it, Shen Xingzhou, blushing, had already climbed into bed.
Wen Jiu: “...”
Fine. She decided to go along with it.
She had intended to wrap her arms around him, but due to the height difference, she ended up rolling straight into his embrace.
The impact of the moment made even Wen Jiu blush.
She tried to massage his chest, but her hand was immediately caught.
His chin rested on her head, and the first thing her eyes fell on was the front of his chest, revealed as she’d accidentally tugged at it.
The room was dark, she could see nothing, but touch did not lie.
Her hands were pinned, but mischievously she nipped at his chest.
Huh? His pecs… are soft?! Weren’t they supposed to be rock hard?
In the darkness, she heard a muffled groan from Shen Xingzhou. Immediately, the chest muscles tensed, becoming exactly as she had imagined.
Exhausted, Wen Jiu gave in and pressed herself into him. Her arms circled his waist, her cheek pressed to his chest, nose and mouth facing upward as she breathed, and she fell asleep again.
Shen Xingzhou’s waist was lean and strong, perfectly shaped like an inverted triangle. She fit snugly in the gap between his waist and the bed, not being pressed uncomfortably.
The one in his arms slept soundly, while Shen Xingzhou, frozen in the dark, remained motionless for a long while. Then he smiled softly, a low, husky sound Wen Jiu had never heard before.
Too bad she was in too deep a sleep to hear it.
Meanwhile, the newly appointed acting CEO, Lan Mingyan, was wide awake.
She had enrolled in several expensive management courses overnight, and at midnight, she started reading the books she had just bought from the bookstore, taking meticulous notes.
Being somewhere between top student and academic prodigy, once she got into a high school senior mindset, her learning efficiency was unmatched.
Lan Mingyan studied until 3 a.m., reading with Little Green River’s current situation in mind, browsing internal forums for the needs of contracted authors and readers’ suggestions. She took comprehensive notes and planned strategically.
By 5 a.m., she finally felt ready for sleep.
After a rushed two-hour nap, she woke refreshed. For the sake of her new journey, she got up, listened to financial news, and prepared breakfast.
Before Little Green River employees even arrived, she had already entered her office.
Lan Mingyan had started from the bottom herself. She pushed herself hard but wouldn’t force her employees to overwork. As long as everyone completed their own tasks, she wouldn’t interfere in their free time, or after work.
Wen Jiu had told her to take charge, so she planned to completely revamp every department!
She worked diligently in her office, while Wen Jiu slept on.
Wen Jiu had gone to bed at eight the previous night. When she awoke at 9 a.m., she felt completely rested. With such abundant sleep, she didn’t even feel like lingering in bed, the day lifted her mood like a blooming flower.
She walked out of her room and saw Shen Xingzhou in the kitchen preparing breakfast.
“Keep it simple,” he said, placing two plates on the table.
Golden fried eggs, fragrant salmon, and plump little cherry tomatoes to cut the richness.
Wen Jiu wasn’t used to knives and forks. Shen Xingzhou helped cut the food so she could eat directly with a fork.
She took a bite and squinted her eyes in delight.
This was probably what happiness felt like.
“Today I’m going to try on the bridesmaid dress. Want to come?” Wen Jiu asked.
The young lady’s wedding was approaching, and she had promised to be a bridesmaid. Alongside her were Su Yaoyao, Lin Yu, Yue Ling, and a few of the young lady’s friends Wen Jiu didn’t know.
Song Qin hadn’t joined as a bridesmaid, she wanted to monitor anyone who might cause trouble at the wedding, ensuring no one interfered with the young lady or her son’s big day.
Shen Xingzhou: “I’m the groomsman.”
Wen Jiu: ???
She looked up. “You’re not on the list the young lady gave me.”
Shen Xingzhou’s clear eyes reflected her puzzled expression. His face remained calm, but the hint of a smile threatened to overflow.
“Because I want to stand next to you.”
He had heard that if a bridesmaid and groomsman caught the bride’s bouquet, they would stay together forever.
Even without doing much, Wen Jiu had already considered Shen Xingzhou one of her own.
She didn’t shy away, smiling warmly at him in return.
At this moment, her eyes were full of Shen Xingzhou’s reflection.
It was morning, snowflakes dancing outside, slowly falling, but inside, the atmosphere was like a heap of melting cotton candy, overwhelmingly sweet.
Wen Jiu cupped her face and asked seriously, “Shen Xingzhou, I know your family is wealthy, but I don’t know to what extent. We’re just dating now. If we were to be together seriously, what if your parents opposed it?”
After all, if necessary, she might elope with him, but it wouldn’t be like a novel where someone runs off with a child in tow.
Wen Jiu had grown up without parental love. So if she ever had a child, she wanted to first provide a happy family environment and ample material support.
She couldn’t control others, but her own child would deserve to be born into happiness.
If her in-laws disliked her, the child would be caught between mother and grandparents, how could they grow up happily?
Before meeting Shen Xingzhou, having a child had never been on her mind.
She had purely wanted to save money and live comfortably on her own.
But love was about two people, it had to consider the other side. Maybe Shen Xingzhou wanted children too.
Even better if he could provide them himself.
So many considerations… yet being alone wasn’t so bad…
Just dating, without marriage, seemed ideal.
Warmth and responsibility passed briefly through Wen Jiu’s mind, three seconds, before her thoughts wandered to her own peaceful, solitary happiness.
Yesterday’s emotion from Shen Xingzhou delivering Little Green River had stayed in the past. Today, she was a new Wen Jiu.
Shen Xingzhou knew exactly what she was thinking.
Meeting her hopeful gaze, he said the truth, “My parents like you very much. On the day we got together, they knew immediately. They wanted to visit you, but were afraid of startling you, they’re still abroad.”
“Our family is different from the Chu family. Fewer children, no quarrels. They’ll treat you like the Qin family treats Qin Yao.”
Wen Jiu: “...”
Shen Xingzhou had gone rogue, he actually threw shade at the Chu family.
She hadn’t expected the topic to transition so quickly to meeting the parents.
Wen Jiu continued eating the salmon on her plate, smiling awkwardly. “Let’s finish quickly. After trying on the bridesmaid dress, we need to have lunch with everyone.”
She had expected many people today, but not so many familiar faces.
Both Ji brothers were there as groomsmen? Probably because Lin Yu and Yue Ling were present.
Su Heng didn’t come, but Su Tan did.
Eighteen… New Year passed, now nineteen.
It was Wen Jiu’s first time seeing a nineteen-year-old groomsman.
Su Tan hadn’t had a good first impression of Wen Jiu.
But young people remembered vividly. Limited experience meant many images remained in their mind.
Last winter, under Haicheng’s fog and drizzle, she had walked up to him with words of caution. And yesterday, his ridiculous suspicion of her was resolved in the afternoon.
He had to admit, this woman was remarkable.
Su Tan decided to temporarily set aside his ill will.
Mainly because his sister now only listened to her. He didn’t want to be sidelined immediately upon return.
The friendly thought lasted only a second. Shen Xingzhou noticed Su Tan staring at Wen Jiu and positioned himself between them.
Su Tan: ?
He hadn’t grown as tall as Shen Xingzhou yet and had to tilt his head up. Confusion in his eyes. Shen Xingzhou generously clarified:
“Don’t think ill of Wen Jiu.”
Su Tan: “...”
He knew this man was Wen Jiu’s boyfriend, but didn’t know he was from the Shen family in Beicheng.
Su Heng knew, but hadn’t told his own younger brother.
The boy was full of youthful pride and couldn’t withstand this silent provocation. Even though he had been severely scolded on the island, his inherently superior temperament hadn’t been fully erased.
At most, he might acknowledge Wen Jiu’s worth, but her unknown boyfriend? He didn’t even register. With a sneer, he said, “How could I ever care about Wen Jiu? You treat her like a treasure, but in my eyes, she’s just grass.”
Shen Xingzhou: “...”
Shen Xingzhou didn’t mind being despised. What surprised him was Su Tan’s logic.
“I mean, don’t target Wen Jiu because of Su Yaoyao.”
The angry boy shot back, “Just because you say don’t, I won’t?”
He turned to leave. Before reaching the changing room, he was yanked into a corner.
“Shen Xingzhou, are you insane? You hit me? I’m Su Tan, you know!”
When it came to family prestige, Shen Xingzhou had never lost.
He cared only about Su Tan’s hostility toward Wen Jiu.
As for hitting him, he had permission. Su Heng had told him: this younger brother wouldn’t listen, a small punishment would make him obedient, and no need to worry about him complaining, Shu Heng would stop it.
Ten minutes later, nineteen-year-old Su Tan raised his hand. “I was wrong, Brother Shen Ge. I was angry just now. I had no intention of giving Wen Jiu trouble.”
“And, brother Shen… can you stop slapping my face? My sister only likes this one face of mine.”
Shen Xingzhou: “...”
Even teaching him a lesson was embarrassing.
Su Heng truly understood his younger brother.
“Why are you standing there like fools? Go change clothes!” Ji Yujing exclaimed, entering with a suit, pulling back the curtain, eyes wide. “What are you doing?”
Shen Xingzhou felt even more embarrassed. He shouldn’t have listened to Su Heng.
The Su brothers’ minds were truly devious.
Ji Yujing had wanted to take a photo, but a look from Shen Xingzhou made him sheepishly put away his phone. “Cousin, don’t be so harsh to me.” Clearly, he looked like a timid little rabbit next to Wen Jiu.
Back when he first returned to the country, he hadn’t been this mischievous…
Ji Yujing tilted his clever little head, understanding.
His obedient cousin clearly wasn’t faking, it was picking up bad habits from Wen Jiu!
Behind Ji Yujing was Ji Yanting.
He saw the scene and said nothing, seeming to understand everything.
Across the two families, only his foolish younger brother was petty enough to be this way.
“Stop staring and go change clothes,” Ji Yanting called to Ji Yujing.
Since Ji Yujing stopped chasing Yue Ling, he had become giddy and silly, both fearful and obedient like a little shadow of his elder brother.
“I’m going to change now!” he declared, slipping out in front of the three.
Su Tan instantly felt like he wasn’t the most embarrassing one.
Shen Xingzhou rolled the curtain closed, out of sight, out of mind.
Ji Yanting said nothing. He didn’t even want to acknowledge this brother.