Chapter 35

There was no female host at the door—only Jiang Banxia, standing there quiet and cold, fixing Xu Chun with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Disappointed it's me and not some other female host?"

Xu Chun instinctively took a small step back. I didn't mean it. I didn't say that. Don't listen to that bastard Jiang Zhaolie stirring up trouble!

"How could I be? Actually, I already expected you to come—that's why I turned around so eagerly to welcome you." Xu Chun forced a dry smile, trying to salvage some dignity.

Jiang Banxia raised an eyebrow, her tone giving nothing away. "Is that so."

Xu Chun nodded vigorously, then said, "I swear on ten years of her life." She pointed at Jiang Zhaolie beside her. "Honest to a fault—genuine goods at a fair price."

Jiang Zhaolie, having just lost ten years of her lifespan on the spot, couldn't help but think: ? Please, just be a decent person for once.

Jiang Banxia's lips curved in a faint laugh; she didn't take the bait. She'd noticed that after several years apart, Xu Chun had indeed changed quite a bit. The old Xu Chun had been silent and reserved, sparing with words, like a dull bookworm who only knew how to study hard to surpass her and fight for first place. Where had all these tricks and outrageous moves come from?

Earlier, she'd wanted to reconnect with Xu Chun, to get close to her, but the closer she got to home, the more timid she became. She'd had countless chances to strike up a conversation on set, yet she'd never acted on a single one.

Jiang Banxia had wanted to sit down with Xu Chun over a cup of tea and have a proper talk, but years of barbed sparring had made it impossible for her to speak normally to Xu Chun. When it came to putting things into words—her feelings included—she hadn't meant it that way, but somehow the moment the words left her mouth, they changed meaning entirely, coming out full of fire, as if she and Xu Chun were irreconcilable enemies.

They were two equally proud people, like a pair of hedgehogs with every quill standing on end—the closer they got, the more they bloodied each other, hurting one another terribly, until in the end both sides suffered.

When Jiang Banxia was alone, she couldn't help thinking that rather than exhausting even their former friendship entirely, it would be better to keep a careful distance; at least they could still be friends.

But every late night after making that decision, she would toss and turn, unable to sleep.

She wasn't resigned to it.

If only she hadn't gone abroad back then; if only she'd been more forceful and directly defied her parents' wishes; if only she'd taken that first step herself—would they really have ended up like strangers?

Later, when she learned Jiang Zhaolie was going to break off her engagement to Xu Chun, Jiang Banxia had been overjoyed. In that instant, it felt as if thousands of fireworks had burst in her mind, leaving her dizzy and ringing in the ears. Had heaven heard her devout prayers and made Jiang Zhaolie lose her mind—to the point of discarding even someone this wonderful?

Yet at the same time, she ached terribly for Xu Chun, for having to suffer such humiliation from Jiang Zhaolie, and was furious that Yu Sui'an, a mere small-time star, dared to trample all over her. She'd rushed back home without delay and, while filming, laid net after net around Yu Sui'an, waiting for her to walk right in, step by step, into utter ruin.

Xu Chun was kindhearted and willing to let Yu Sui'an off the hook. Jiang Banxia was not.

So anyone who had bullied Xu Chun deserved retribution.

Xu Chun found Jiang Banxia's gaze strange and complicated. Without a word, she shifted two steps toward Jiang Zhaolie. "You came looking for Jiang Zhaolie because...?"

Jiang Banxia snapped back to herself. "Of course it's to report on work—what else could it be" was narrowly stopped at the tip of her tongue, and changed to: "There's a matter."

Xu Chun's face was full of question marks. "...I can't know?"

The other stared back expressionlessly, and Xu Chun instantly understood. "Then you two talk first—I won't disturb you." With that, as if afraid Jiang Banxia might change her mind, she immediately clicked away in her heels, dak dak dak.

Only when the sound of heels had completely faded did Jiang Banxia withdraw her gaze from Xu Chun, casually grab something to cover the camera, and say slowly, "From now on, be nicer to her. Otherwise I won't be mindful of the years of friendship between our elders."

Jiang Zhaolie lowered her eyes. "Are you threatening me?"

"If that's how you want to take it, fine." The smile at Jiang Banxia's lips was ice-cold. "You've already gotten what you wanted and dissolved the marriage. What more do you want? To keep trampling her to please Yu Sui'an, or to grind her into the dirt to win Yu Sui'an back?"

"Yu Sui'an and I are already finished." Jiang Zhaolie frowned with a touch of impatience. "What's between me and Xu Chun has nothing to do with Yu Sui'an either."

"Best that it is," Jiang Banxia said mildly. She lifted her eyes, revealing a sliver of white beneath. "I don't care what's really going on between you and Yu Sui'an, but her—you'd best not provoke her again."

Jiang Zhaolie found it somewhat laughable and retorted sarcastically, "What does it have to do with you, how things are between me and Xu Chun? You don't actually think that ten-odd years of fighting with her gives you a shot at her?"

"Why wouldn't it?" Jiang Banxia raised an eyebrow, a brilliant smile spreading across her face. "Not only will I pursue her—I'll pursue her openly on the show, for all to see."

Hearing this, Jiang Zhaolie cut her off without a second thought. "Your parents are strict with you; surely they'd never agree to you and Xu Chun. If I'm not mistaken, they've long since picked out a marriage match for you..."

"Only the weak hesitate," Jiang Banxia shut Jiang Zhaolie down with a single sentence. "And the successful charge forward even if it means flying into the flames."

Jiang Zhaolie suddenly didn't know what to say. Her feelings were complicated; she couldn't tell whether she was angry at Jiang Banxia's provocation, or slightly bitter that after Xu Chun left her, so many people suddenly liked and pursued her one after another. After a long while, she coldly threw out, "Do whatever you want."

She didn't think Jiang Banxia would succeed, because Xu Chun's heart and eyes were now entirely fixed on how to latch onto her mother's golden thigh and become her own stepmother.

Jiang Banxia smiled. "Don't let me find out you're targeting her again." She pointed at the stack of documents Xu Chun had left on the desk. "Like this, for example."

Jiang Zhaolie followed her finger with a glance, and lazily lifted her eyelids. "That's her job."

Jiang Banxia's response was a slightly sardonic smile.

The thing covering the camera was pulled away again, and the pitch-black screen regained its colors, revealing a flood of question marks across the comments: 【Is there something we VIP members can't be allowed to hear?】

【What are those two whispering about? They're not plotting something, are they?】

【I think so. Knowing Director Guo's usual style, the current pace is way too bland, not interesting at all, so I suspect these two people surnamed Jiang are going to join forces to rebel and overthrow Qin Yao.】

【Oh? If they do that, it'll be way too exciting!】

Jiang Zhaolie stood tall and slender, leaning against the desk. Her suit was crisp and her features deep; even standing far off in the frame, she was extraordinarily good-looking. Unlike Qin Yao, Jiang Zhaolie had a reckless, youthful, headstrong aura, dangerous like opium yet impossible to resist.

The comments were all licking the screen, but the subject herself had no attention to spare.

Jiang Zhaolie's heart was a tangled mess of feelings. She couldn't say what exactly was off, but her whole body felt uncomfortable. She stood there for a long while, then finally forced down the surplus, useless emotions and prepared to sit down and work. Just then, a commotion broke out outside. It sounded like people were cheering and egging someone on. The noise faded into the distance until silence fell.

After a moment of blankness, Jiang Zhaolie called out to Bai Xianxian as she passed by. "What just happened outside?"

Bai Xianxian stopped, her smile sweet. "Assistant Xu received flowers—from Manager Jiang. Everyone's crowding around Assistant Xu's desk now. Would you like to go take a look, President Jiang?"

"What do you think." Jiang Zhaolie's expression was indifferent. "You seem to know quite a lot."

Bai Xianxian was momentarily taken aback, then her smile returned. "You jest, President Jiang. It's just that Manager Jiang's public display of affection was so high-profile, it'd be hard not to know." She tilted her head. "Aren't you going to do something about it? If a precedent is set, everyone might follow suit and copy her."

"Copy?" Jiang Zhaolie didn't take it seriously. "You think every confession gets a response?"

Bai Xianxian said no more.

In the end, Jiang Zhaolie didn't go see how Jiang Banxia was making a spectacle of herself to please Xu Chun. Out of sight, out of mind—no need to go over and get annoyed. They'd already broken off the engagement; Xu Chun's affairs had nothing to do with her anymore. And if Jiang Banxia really went too far, Mother certainly wouldn't sit by and do nothing.

She raised her hands, lacing her fingers and resting them against her lips, unable to help wondering whether everything Jiang Banxia was doing was part of a script. As a variety show, what it needed most was to create hot topics and grab attention, so as to get higher ratings and greater profits. Director Guo, as a veteran director, couldn't possibly not understand that.

And she herself—someone once tangled up with Xu Chun—seemed to have become the perfect target. If she couldn't hold back upon hearing the news and rushed over to do something out of line, she'd no doubt be sent straight to the trending topics, used as a tool.

So Jiang Zhaolie, convinced she'd seen through the production team's tricks, sat motionless in her office no matter how fierce the commotion outside, turning a blind eye to it all.

Comments: 【Jiang Zhaolie really can endure. Her fiancée gets confessed to like that and she doesn't even twitch. If it were me, I'd have rushed out to declare sovereignty long ago.】

【You guys seem to forget Jiang Zhaolie and Xu Chun already broke off their engagement. Now Xu Chun is at most Jiang Zhaolie's ex-fiancée, so what does the ex-fiancée being confessed to have to do with her?】

【But still, having your ex-fiancée confessed to right in front of you—anyone would feel uncomfortable about that, no matter what.】

【Exactly. Don't you see Jiang Zhaolie's been staring at that piece of paper for over twenty minutes?】

【The sister above is a magnifying glass incarnate! I knew Jiang Zhaolie must still like Sister Xu. That's why she suddenly cut off all contact with Yu Sui'an and vowed never to see her again, and then deliberately, sneakily invited Sister Xu to film a variety show at her company. She definitely wants to use this chance to win her wife back.】

【Ships can be obscure, but they can't be cursed, friend.】

Xu Chun stood there holding a large bouquet of roses, at a loss. Jiang Banxia had left right after giving her the flowers, without lingering. Now, apart from the employees egging them on, there wasn't a single guest around.

Slowly setting the bouquet aside, Xu Chun was just wondering how to deal with it when Secretary Zhao walked over at a measured pace. "Assistant Xu, organize your things and come with me to the conference room."

Xu Chun perked up and hurriedly nodded and stood. "Okay."

Qin Group's conference room was enormous. Xu Chun and Bai Xianxian were seated together in the most cornered, most inconspicuous spot. After about ten minutes, Qin Group's executives arrived one after another, quickly filling the entire room. Xu Chun checked the time; at 1:59 on the dot, Qin Yao appeared—not a minute more, not a minute less.

The moment she arrived, the vast space, still murmuring with chatter, fell silent instantly, displaying the absolute authority and pressure of a person at the top.

Xu Chun stared fixedly at Qin Yao for a long while, until Assistant Bai nudged her with an elbow and whispered, "Quick, take the meeting minutes."

Because of Bai Xianxian's one sentence, over the next two full hours of meeting, Xu Chun gripped her pen and wrote until her hand was about to fall off, the paper beneath her pen nearly sparking. Just when she was about to give out, Qin Yao glanced at her and paused her speech. "Let's rest ten minutes before continuing."

Xu Chun immediately cast a grateful look—Sister still cares.

She once again began openly making eyes and sending secret signals at her mom in public. Jiang Zhaolie glanced at the camera, momentarily unsure whether to stop Xu Chun first or to think of a way to suppress the matter so it wouldn't be exposed.

After thinking for two seconds, Jiang Zhaolie couldn't help raising a hand to rub her brow, one head two sizes big.

Taking the chance to step out for air, Jiang Zhaolie deliberately passed by Xu Chun and dropped an inexplicable line: "Come out with me for a moment." Seeing Xu Chun sitting there as if glued to the bench, motionless, watching her warily, Jiang Zhaolie's eyelid twitched violently twice, and she said stiffly, "I'm not going to do anything to you."

"Then you...?" Xu Chun leaned her ear a little closer.

"There's a few things I want to say to you."

Xu Chun mulled it over, then rose and swaggered after Jiang Zhaolie to an empty corner. Someone's gaze followed the two as they disappeared one after the other, probing.

There was no one around now. Jiang Zhaolie stopped and had meant to remind the other not to go too far in front of the cameras and everyone else, but when she saw Xu Chun's lightly made-up face, she suddenly couldn't say anything at all.

She didn't know what was wrong with her. Ever since that day of the engagement-breaking banquet, after completely severing ties with Xu Chun, she'd felt a vague, persistent sense of loss, as if some part of her heart had been hollowed out. But she hadn't thought much of it, assuming she was still stuck in Yu Sui'an's abandonment of her and hadn't gotten over it.

But ever since Jiang Banxia had flaunted her power in front of her today, she'd realized. Perhaps that wasn't it.

Perhaps the one affecting her mood, leaving her slightly low, wasn't Yu Sui'an at all, but Xu Chun. She couldn't put into words what she felt for Xu Chun now, but it seemed it wasn't the indifference she'd assumed. Some things in her chest couldn't be expressed in a thousand words, and in the end all she managed was, "Now every word and action of yours is exposed to the cameras. Don't make some things too obvious."

Xu Chun: "?"

She frowned in confusion. "What things?" She paused, then looked Jiang Zhaolie up and down in disbelief. "No, seriously, aren't you meddling a bit too much? Whatever I do now seems to have nothing whatsoever to do with you."

Jiang Zhaolie was inexplicably at a loss for words. "If your personal behavior affects Qin Group..."

"I can affect Qin Group?" Xu Chun thought this was the funniest joke she'd ever heard. "If someone who's only here to film two episodes of a variety show could affect Qin Group, then I think you should first reflect on how you've been doing your job all these years—to let Qin Group become so fragile and easily broken."

As she spoke, she raised a hand to pat Jiang Zhaolie's shoulder with the air of a patient elder, then after staring at the other for two seconds, decisively gave up. "You stare at me all day long, your eyes glued to me every minute—if it happens too many times, I'll start to think you really do still have some ideas about me."

Xu Chun had expected Jiang Zhaolie to retort furiously as usual, but the other just stayed silent, impossible to read.

She couldn't help but feel a chill of horror, staring at Jiang Zhaolie in disbelief.

Jiang Zhaolie finally reacted. "What are you thinking." Her face was expressionless, her hands slowly clenching into fists. "Stop flattering yourself over there. You think I'd be bewitched by you like Jiang Banxia?"

Xu Chun's fist immediately hardened. "You'd better sleep with your eyes open tonight."

The talk ended on bad terms. After Xu Chun left, Jiang Zhaolie slowly unclenched her fists, her deep, refined face unreadable.

...

Because Jiang Banxia had publicly confessed to Xu Chun on the show, her identity was quickly dug up. Earlier, on set, someone had leaked that Jiang Banxia was the daughter of some family, but at the time most people were more concerned with the love-hate drama between Yu Sui'an and Xu Chun, so few had paid her excessive attention.

Today was different. She'd made her move on a live variety show in front of so many people, instantly igniting the audience's gossipy souls, and everyone was digging around for her background.

At the same time her identity became familiar to the audience, Jiang Banxia's parents also learned of their daughter's deep confession on the show, and that the person was none other than Xu Chun, who'd recently been the talk of the town after being publicly dumped by Jiang Zhaolie. Jiang Banxia's parents were profit-driven, bent on expanding the family business ever larger, and had long since picked out a marriage match for Jiang Banxia.

The other party was beautiful and gentle, virtuous and capable, and most importantly, also the only daughter in her family—so once married, the in-laws would spare no effort in supporting the Jiang family, helping them go further. These past few days, they'd even settled on a date for the engagement, only for their daughter to pull something like this on television. Jiang Banxia's parents' expressions immediately turned sour.

The two elders called furiously to demand an explanation. "Jiang Banxia, do you have any idea what you're doing right now? What face does this leave our Jiang family—and the Zheng family?"

"That child Yanran is devoted to you, waited for you for over a decade, even followed you abroad—and you're willing to hurt her like this?!"

Jiang Banxia held the phone, her eyes dark. "You like Zheng Yanran that much?"

Jiang Banxia's mother answered without hesitation. "That child is obedient and sensible and so deeply devoted to you—how could we not like her?"

"Since you like her so much, then marry her yourselves." Jiang Banxia curved a thin, cool smile. "I don't mind having one more stepmother."

The person on the other end was instantly enraged and hung up on the spot, no doubt furious.

Jiang Banxia slowly lowered her hand. The only time in her life she'd compromised with her parents, the price had been losing Xu Chun. Having already suffered that loss once, how could she possibly trip over the same stone twice?

She'd obeyed her parents' arrangements and gone abroad precisely so she could become completely independent and control her own life, rather than being used like a chess piece by her parents. She'd already lost so much—how could she let herself be manipulated again?

Jiang Banxia calmly put away her phone, her lashes slowly lowering. Since she couldn't escape her parents, then she'd replace them—supplant their standing and say within the family and out.

When the break ended, Xu Chun resumed her life of nearly setting the paper on fire with her pen, but thankfully this time the notes ended quickly. After a brief review, Qin Yao crisply declared the meeting over, saving Xu Chun's life in the nick of time.

After Assistant Bai submitted the meeting minutes, it was about time for dinner. "Together?"

Xu Chun craned her neck to look at Qin Yao's retreating figure. "Sure."

During the meal, Bai Xianxian subtly probed into the matter between Xu Chun and Jiang Zhaolie. Xu Chun swallowed a bite of rice. "We've been nothing to each other for a long time. She's her, I'm me. Even though we're temporarily working together, seeing each other just makes us enemies."

Xu Chun shook her head. "I won't forget the things she did to me."

Jiang Zhaolie's footsteps paused.

Bai Xianxian agreed. "President Jiang really was a bit out of line in that matter, but she's still young, and it's understandable that she isn't mature enough in handling things." She comforted Xu Chun. "Once she's been through more, maybe she'll have a change of heart."

"As if I could count on her apologizing to me someday." Xu Chun raised an eyebrow, utterly without expectation. "I'd be thanking the heavens if she just stops pestering me from now on." She leaned closer to Bai Xianxian. "And about her and Yu Sui'an—let me tell you in secret, even though they've cut ties now, one day, those two will absolutely make up."

"Want to bet?"

Bai Xianxian laughed. "Bet what?"

"Let's bet..." Before Xu Chun could finish, her wrist was suddenly seized. The other gave a slight pull, and she was yanked to her feet. After a whirl of dizziness, Xu Chun finally made out the other's face, but the other gave her no chance to speak, gripping her fingers tightly and, ignoring her resistance, dragged her away.

Xu Chun struggled for a long while without breaking free of Jiang Zhaolie. She was shocked by the other's grip strength, and couldn't resist needling her: "You tell me to watch my words and actions in public so I don't give Qin Group a bad image, but is it appropriate for you to be openly dragging me by the hand down the street right now?"

Jiang Zhaolie ignored her, just kept walking forward, until after a long while she finally let go. She stared at Xu Chun without moving, until Xu Chun's skin crawled and she warily backed off half a step. "If you've got something to say, say it fast; if you've got to fart, let it out."

The person before her seemed angered for an instant, half-blocking her into the corner so there was no escape.

Xu Chun's eyes widened slightly, a hint of undisguised interest in her gaze. "Oh? You want to cuckold your own mother today?"

The muscles at the corner of Jiang Zhaolie's lips twitched. She couldn't help but kindly remind her, "Xu Chun." She spoke softly, her voice pressed very low: "You're not my stepmother yet."