How was he supposed to call the police while tied up?
But Zhou Yushen gave him no time to think.
His gaze dropped to Chen Mu’s trembling legs.
A flash of disgust crossed his eyes.
He tossed the knife back to a bodyguard and calmly gave an order.
“Take off his pants. Get started.”
With that, he stood up and walked out of the room, unwilling even to look at him any longer.
“Get away from me! If any of you dare touch me, you’ll regret it!”
Chen Mu struggled like a trapped beast, but the ropes binding him were pulled so tight that he could barely move.
As he watched the dagger draw closer and closer, he quickly changed his tune.
“Don’t do anything! Once my father finds me, I’ll give you money, okay? Just don’t hurt me…”
Li Che followed Zhou Yushen out with an equally disgusted expression.
Behind them came a shriek that sounded like a pig being slaughtered.
Walking through the cold night breeze, Li Che stopped beside Zhou Yushen.
In the darkness, a tiny ember glowed between Zhou Yushen’s fingers as the scent of tobacco drifted away on the wind.
With his hands in his pockets, Li Che joked, “If that old shareholder Xu Ping found out about this, he’d nag you for months.”
Ever since the incident involving Gu Linlang, Zhou Yushen and Xu Ping had not been in contact.
Li Che, however, never felt caught in the middle.
No matter what happened between Zhou Yushen and Xu Ping, he would always stand firmly on Zhou Yushen’s side.
Zhou Yushen seemed not to hear him.
Instead, he asked quietly, “If I really hurt Chen Mu, do you think she’d blame me?”
She?
Li Che thought for a moment before realizing that “she” referred to Shen Nanyue.
He looked at Zhou Yushen helplessly.
“What are you talking about? You’re not actually going to hurt him.”
He knew Zhou Yushen wouldn’t do anything reckless.
He also knew this was all meant to scare Chen Mu.
The night wind was bitterly cold, chilling him to the bone.
The two men stood in silence for quite some time.
When the commotion inside finally died down, Li Che was about to drag Zhou Yushen back inside.
Then Zhou Yushen suddenly said, “But I really do want to kill him.”
Li Che froze.
Cold sweat instantly broke out across his back.
…
Shen Nanyue sent Zhou Yushen a message saying that she wanted to see Chen Mu.
Zhou Yushen rejected her outright with a simple reply:
“It’s not an appropriate time to meet him.”
She was dissatisfied.
What did he mean by “not an appropriate time”?
Just as she was about to call him, someone knocked on her office door.
A moment later, Assistant Xu squeezed his way inside.
Lowering his head respectfully, he reported, “President Shen, Mi Xin from Qianzhang Entertainment has arrived. She’s waiting for you in the studio lounge.”
Shen Nanyue frowned.
“What’s she here for?”
“She says she wants to fulfill the contract and begin the promotional shoot immediately because of scheduling arrangements.”
“The clothes haven’t even been made yet. What exactly are we supposed to shoot?”
Shen Nanyue immediately guessed that Mi Xin was here to stir up trouble.
Putting away her phone, she rose from her seat and left the office.
Waiting in the lounge with Mi Xin was the other spokesperson, Ming Zifan.
When Shen Nanyue first saw him, she was momentarily surprised.
As soon as she entered, Ming Zifan stood up and greeted her with a gentle smile.
“Hello, President Shen. I’m Ming Zifan. Sorry for dropping by so suddenly.”
He was even more handsome in person than he appeared in photographs and videos.
His features carried a heroic sharpness and a sense of uprightness, yet his mannerisms were refined and elegant, like a noble young gentleman stepping out of a painting.
Shen Nanyue’s first impression of him was excellent.
“Hello. I was actually planning to meet with you soon. I didn’t expect you to come to me first. Please, have a seat.”
After exchanging greetings, the two sat down.
Ming Zifan glanced at Mi Xin, who remained seated exactly where she was.
Ever since Shen Nanyue entered, Mi Xin hadn’t shown the slightest intention of greeting her.
She didn’t even remove her sunglasses, carrying herself with an air of arrogance and disrespect.
Since they worked for the same company, Ming Zifan couldn’t help nudging her.
“Don’t touch me. If they tell you to sit, then sit.”
Her tone was extremely unpleasant.
Having been rebuffed, Ming Zifan chose not to interfere further.
Shen Nanyue cared even less.
Looking at the two of them, she asked, “So, what important matter brings you here today?”
“Can we only come see you if it’s something important?”
The speaker was Mi Xin, her tone openly hostile.
No anger appeared on Shen Nanyue’s face.
Her voice remained perfectly calm.
“Of course. I’m very busy and don’t have time to chat with irrelevant people.”
Mi Xin was infuriated by Shen Nanyue’s attitude and couldn’t help sitting up straighter as she looked at her.
She was wearing sunglasses that concealed the upper half of her face, but even from her tense expression, it was obvious how dissatisfied she was with Shen Nanyue.
“You’re calling me an irrelevant person? We signed a contract! I’m your spokesperson!”
A faint smile appeared on Shen Nanyue’s lips, but it never reached her eyes.
“Miss Mi, have you been a celebrity for so long, basking in the adoration of countless fans, that you’ve started taking yourself a little too seriously?”
Her words were completely unrestrained.
In fact, her gaze lingered on Mi Xin for no more than two seconds before moving away.
Looking at her any longer felt unlucky.
“I signed a contract with Qianzhang Entertainment. You’re merely an employee of Qianzhang Entertainment and a spokesperson for one of my company’s brands. You’re not indispensable.”
In other words, if she wanted to replace her, she could do so at any time.
Mi Xin was so furious that her face tightened, and her entire body trembled.
Yet Shen Nanyue remained seated calmly, her expression cold and detached.
“Fine! Then let’s not cooperate! Do you think I’m afraid of you?”
“A friendly reminder,” Shen Nanyue replied evenly.
“If you’re the one choosing to breach the contract, you’ll still be responsible for paying the penalty fee. Of course, Qianzhang Entertainment may decide to cover it for you. Think carefully before you speak.”
Mi Xin was immediately rendered speechless.
Her career had only just begun.
There was no way she could afford to recklessly gamble her future out of spite.
Pressing her lips together, she looked thoroughly frustrated.
Shen Nanyue then shifted her gaze to Ming Zifan.
Her expression remained neutral, but Ming Zifan immediately understood what she meant.
With a gentle smile, he said,
“Don’t worry, President Shen. I’ll fully cooperate with your company’s shoot.”
Shen Nanyue nodded.
She found herself rather appreciative of this sensible young man.
Rising to leave, she was suddenly stopped by Mi Xin.
“If you want me to continue cooperating, then listen. My schedule is extremely packed. Since I’m already staying in Fengcheng, we should prioritize my work first. Once the shoot is finished, I won’t be coming back to Fengcheng again!”
“Our new seasonal clothing collection hasn’t even been released yet. Are you planning to model thin air?”
Shen Nanyue showed no mercy.
Mi Xin’s face reddened.
“I don’t care! You have to move my work up!”
“Miss Mi,” Shen Nanyue replied coolly, “every minute of my time is valuable. I don’t intend to waste it on you. If you truly don’t want to cooperate, I’ll discuss it properly with President Zhou.”
Her indifferent gaze swept across Mi Xin’s face.
Then she stood up and walked out of the meeting room without another word.
Mi Xin yanked off her sunglasses and slammed them onto the conference table.
“So what she’s saying is that her time is precious, but mine isn’t? What an arrogant, rude woman! She doesn’t have even a fraction of Sister Linlang’s gentleness!”
Ming Zifan frowned at her.
“If you’re determined to cause trouble, don’t drag me down with you.”
With that, he ignored her completely, stood up, and left the meeting room, hurrying after Shen Nanyue.
— The end of the Chapter–
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