Chapter 7

Although Zhu Xinyue had anticipated it, seeing Ji Linyu’s reply of “No need” still made her grit her teeth in frustration.
This big boss was really hard to get close to.
Talking about money hurts feelings, and besides, they didn’t even have any feelings to speak of. There was no point in thinking about adjusting the profit split.
Zhu Xinyue pouted and glanced at the room filled with luxury shopping bags, on the bed, the bench at the foot of the bed, the sofa, all trophies from her shopping spree that day.
Maybe it was because she had been poor for so long, but now that she had money, she acted like a nouveau riche, buying things frantically. Yet, every time she swiped her card, she was overwhelmed with guilt.
Zhu Xinyue waited for Zhu Shilang to come and “interrogate” her about why she had spent so much money, but Zhu Shilang didn’t say a word and even revised her contract for her.
Money… feelings…
Zhu Xinyue closed her eyes, placed her phone on the nearby dressing table, leaned her head back against the chair, and took a deep breath.
A profound sense of emptiness and loneliness engulfed her.
It felt as though a bottomless void had opened up in her heart. She couldn’t explain how it had formed or when it had appeared, it was just there. When the wind blew through it, it seemed to whimper, as if someone were crying.
Her phone vibrated on the table, emitting a low hum.
Zhu Xinyue opened her eyes and picked up the phone.
[Influencer - Li Zi: I heard you’re signing with Jin Huan Group?]
[Influencer - Li Zi: (video)]
[Influencer - Li Zi: I assume you don’t want this video to go public, right?]
[Influencer - Li Zi: I’ll be waiting for you at Bai Wu.]
Zhu Xinyue opened the video. It was the footage from Ji Qingyuan’s celebration party where she had mistaken her target and confessed to Ji Linyu.
The camera’s resolution was quite good, the woman in the red dress was unmistakably her.
She slowly approached Ji Linyu. Before confessing, she stood dumbly behind him, as if psyching herself up and gathering courage. Seeing that he was about to leave, she finally mustered the nerve to confess to Ji Linyu, portraying the infatuated young girl to perfection.
Honestly, the shaky handheld footage, with its nervous, trembling lens language, and the two attractive people at the center of the screen, made it look like a scene straight out of an idol drama at first glance.
Zhu Xinyue watched the video with interest a few times before remembering that this “Li Zi” was the smoky-eyed influencer who had encouraged her to confess to Ji Qingyuan that day.
After arriving in Tianze City, the original host would introduce herself to the minor actors and influencers she interacted with as, "Ji Qingyuan and I grew up together as childhood friends." But when others asked for proof, she realized she didn’t even have a single intimate photo with him.
People she knew would laugh behind her back, mocking her for trying to ride on Ji Qingyuan’s fame. At that celebration party, when they called out Zhu Xinyue’s name, it was always with a teasing tone, followed by, "Oh, isn’t this Qingyuan’s little childhood sweetheart?"
The original host didn’t see anything wrong with it, but Ji Qingyuan would always correct them with a smile, saying, "We’re just friends who grew up together."
After all, the term "childhood sweethearts" carried a certain ambiguity.
Zhu Xinyue remembered that in the novel, after the confession video was exposed, it caused quite a bit of trouble for both of them.
But there shouldn’t have been a part where Li Zi used the video to threaten the original host, it was directly leaked instead.
According to Zhu Xinyue’s analysis, the Li Zi in the novel probably sold the video to paparazzi or one of Ji Qingyuan’s rivals.
Now that Zhu Xinyue had confessed to the wrong person, it wouldn’t harm Ji Qingyuan, but a scandal between a big boss and an employee about to debut was still eye-catching enough.
Zhu Xinyue forwarded the chat history to Ji Linyu.
[Zhu Xinyue: Linyu, I don’t think I can debut anymore. I’m sorry for causing you trouble...]
[Zhu Xinyue: Crying cat.jpg]
Ji Linyu was on a plane, about to switch his phone to airplane mode, when he received Zhu Xinyue’s message, someone was threatening her with the video of her confessing to him.
He opened the chat input box, replied to the message, then turned off his phone and waited for the plane to take off.
In truth, Zhu Xinyue’s move was just to inform the boss so he could prepare for crisis management, since he was also one of the people involved in the confession video. She didn’t actually expect any useful response from Ji Linyu.
When Zhu Xinyue received Ji Linyu’s reply, she raised her eyebrows in surprise.
[Ji Linyu: If you’re being bullied, bully them back.]
His words... gave her even more confidence. Zhu Xinyue smiled, got up to change her clothes, and headed out to her appointment: Bai Wu Club.
By the time Zhu Xinyue arrived, an hour had already passed.
A light rain was falling outside, but fortunately, she had brought a long-handled umbrella with her.
The staff at the entrance noticed Zhu Xinyue looking up at the club’s signboard, recognized her, and stepped forward. "Miss Zhu, this way. Would you like me to take your umbrella?"
"No need," Zhu Xinyue replied with a polite smile. "I’ll only be saying a few words before I leave."
The staff dutifully led the way.
Finally, they stopped in front of a private room.
The staff opened the door for her. From the entrance to the dining table, there was still a screen separating them, and the voices inside spilled out through the open door.
"Jin Huan Group signs anyone these days. I could talk about her scandals all day and still not finish."
"That's right! Why does she get to sign with Jin Huan Group? Is it just because of her face?"
"Her nose is so high, it must be plastic surgery!"
"Her chin is augmented!"
Zhu Xinyue stood in the hallway without entering. Instead, she took out her phone and called Li Zi.
A phone ringtone sounded from inside the room.
The chatter from behind the screen suddenly fell silent.
Li Zi, wearing heavy smoky eye makeup, answered the call.
Zhu Xinyue: "I'm at the door."
Her voice came from both the phone and the doorway simultaneously. The people inside the room froze, exchanging uneasy glances.
Li Zi hung up the phone, stood up, and walked out. As she rounded the screen, she met Zhu Xinyue's calm, unreadable eyes, she looked at her as if she were a stranger.
Li Zi gritted her teeth inwardly. She admitted she was jealous of Zhu Xinyue. Who would have thought she was truly Ji Qingyuan's childhood friend and had actually leveraged that connection to get in with the Jin Huan Group?
Her own failure was painful enough, but a friend's success was even more unbearable!
"What do you plan to do with that video?" Zhu Xinyue asked her calmly.
Li Zi tightened her grip on her phone and said, "As long as you don't sign with Jin Huan Group and don't debut, I will never release that video."
"So that's what this is about." As long as she wasn't here for money, it was fine.
Zhu Xinyue gave her a deep look. The girl in front of her wore heavy makeup, making it hard to discern her true age, but her eyes, lined with sharp winged eyeliner, were filled with resentment and envy.
Li Zi was puzzled. Shouldn't she be furious, showing an ugly expression, and starting a fight with her?
Zhu Xinyue lowered her head and sighed. "After I came to Tianze City, you were the one who introduced me to the industry and helped me find work as an extra. I've always been grateful to you. Our paths are different, your achievements in social media are impressive, and your future prospects are no worse than entering the entertainment industry. I thought that after I debuted, we could still be as close as we are now.
If I become popular, you become popular too. Interacting on social media could excite fans and even attract some shippers. They might dig up how you helped me when I was struggling before my debut, which would boost your visibility and solidify your image."
Li Zi was taken aback. Her tense posture gradually relaxed, and the sharpness in her eyes softened.
"I..."
"To be honest, I came here not because I care whether you release the video or not. I'm just worried you're being used as a pawn. After all, besides me, the other person in the video is Ji Linyu, the head of the Jin Huan Group. Netizens have sharp eyes, even if you blur someone's face, someone will recognize them.
"I don't care much about reputation. Once I disconnect from the internet, who can insult me to my face? I just like someone, it's not illegal. But Ji Linyu is different. His image represents the Jin Huan Group. If you provoke him, you're provoking Jin Huan Group."
Zhu Xinyue patted Li Zi's shoulder.
He told her to "bully" back and use his name to scare the girl a little, it should be fine, right?
The rain outside grew heavier, and cold raindrops drifted into the hallway, landing on Li Zi's face and bare arms. It was as if she had suddenly been jolted awake.
Yes, having a falling out with Zhu Xinyue would bring her no benefits at all. Cooperation and mutual benefit were the only ways to achieve a win-win situation. How could she have let jealousy cloud her judgment like that?
"Xinyue, I only sent this video to you." Li Zi immediately changed her attitude, trying to prove her loyalty.
Zhu Xinyue pinched her palm to keep herself from laughing out loud.
She lowered her head to adjust her expression.
"I know. You don’t need to explain it to me." Zhu Xinyue repeated the words Ji Linyu had once said to her.
This sentence effectively eased Li Zi’s anxiety, but at the same time, it made her heart race again, as if she were on a roller coaster.
Why didn’t she need an explanation?!
Could it be...?
"I trust you." Zhu Xinyue lifted her head, a gentle smile playing on her lips. "Do you remember that lipstick I once gave you?"
Li Zi nodded and said with a bitter smile, "At the time, I accidentally used your lipstick by mistake. I only swatched it on my hand, but you gave it to me anyway. I thought you were disgusted by me."
No need for "thought", that was exactly the case.
The original owner disliked using things that others had touched, especially makeup.
But Zhu Xinyue wouldn’t say that.
"No, that’s not it." Zhu Xinyue shook her head gently. "I only share my makeup with people I consider friends. I see you as my friend, so I trust you. As long as you say you haven’t sent it to anyone else, then you haven’t. That’s why you don’t need to explain it to me."
Li Zi’s heart ached sharply.
How could she have been so awful! Zhu Xinyue trusted her so much, yet she had almost betrayed her friend! She had nearly listened to others and sold the video to the paparazzi!
"I, I’ll delete the video right now." Li Zi took out her phone and deleted the video from everywhere, including all backups.
She pulled out a memory card and handed it to Zhu Xinyue.
"Now, this memory card is the only place in the world where that video exists." Without waiting for a response, Li Zi pressed the memory card firmly into Zhu Xinyue’s palm.
Zhu Xinyue clutched the memory card and said softly, "You’re such an innocent girl."
Li Zi glanced at the tightly closed door of the private room and said indignantly, "Yeah. But I won’t be fooled by them again!"
Zhu Xinyue smiled, her expression a mix of sincerity and the polite facade of an adult.
"It’s just about time for a late-night snack. Want to join me for some crayfish at the food stall? My treat."
Looking at Zhu Xinyue’s gentle and forgiving smile, Li Zi felt a pang of guilt. Even after how she had treated her, Zhu Xinyue was still willing to be friends without holding a grudge.
She really was a good person!
After finishing her social outing with Li Zi at the food stall, Zhu Xinyue noticed it was getting late. Taking advantage of the fact that the rain outside hadn’t picked up, only a few cool, light droplets were falling, she decided to head home.
Li Zi had drunk a bit too much at the food stall. Zhu Xinyue took a taxi and dropped her off at the residential complex, waiting until her family came to pick her up before leaving, this was something she had learned from Ji Linyu.
If you're going to be a good person, you have to see it through to the end.
Her phone’s map showed that Linshan was only a few kilometers away.
The night had deepened slightly, and there were hardly any vehicles on the road. At this time and location, it was difficult to hail a taxi. The nearest available ride would take ten minutes to arrive, and she also had to consider the safety of riding alone.
Zhu Xinyue simply scanned a shared bike by the roadside and pedaled back slowly, treating it as a way to digest her meal.
A black long-handled umbrella hung from the front of the bike, occasionally bumping against her knees. The streetlights resembled golden birds, sweeping past her head. In the quiet night, only the sound of the wind whistled by.
Zhu Xinyue savored this moment of tranquility. As her bike rounded a corner, she caught sight of a familiar black car with its hazard lights on, parked by the roadside.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a man standing beside the car. Unconsciously, she took a second look, his tall figure left an imprint in her vision like an afterimage.
She quickly averted her gaze as her bike swiftly turned the corner, leaving the man and the car behind. She hadn’t clearly seen his face, but her heart inexplicably fluttered.
Plop.
A raindrop fell on the back of her hand, splashing into a tiny spray.
Bean-sized raindrops began to patter down noisily.
On his way back to Linshan, Ji Linyu’s car had broken down halfway. He stood beside the vehicle, one hand in his pocket, replying to messages on his phone.
The drizzle turned into raindrops, trickling across the screen of his phone.
Ji Linyu wiped his thumb across the wet screen, causing the phone to return to the previous interface and accidentally open his chat window with Zhu Xinyue.
It lingered on the last message he had sent her.
He wondered if she had stood up for herself yet.
“Mr. Ji, the rain seems to be getting heavier. Why don’t you wait inside the car?” The driver, who was checking the car’s issue, leaned out to speak to Ji Linyu.
Instead of getting into the car, Ji Linyu took an umbrella from inside and stood outside, holding it over the driver.
“Thank you for your hard work.” The umbrella tilted just enough to cover the driver’s body.
Ji Linyu expected to get wet while holding the umbrella for the driver, but just as the rain was about to land on his shoulder, it stopped.
In the quiet rainy night, only the sound of raindrops hitting the umbrella could be heard.
Ji Linyu sensed something and turned around to see a girl straining to hold the umbrella high, her eyes filled entirely with him.
Zhu Xinyue curved her eyes into a smile, sweet and clear.
“Brother Linyu, what a coincidence.”