In the car, Chen Yang drove seriously while Li Si stared silently out the window, lost in thought. The atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive.
After a long while, Li Si broke the silence. "Yang, Qin Qiu is a good woman. Not only is she beautiful, but she's also kind-hearted and incredibly considerate, always mindful of your dignity."
"I'm very impressed."
A flash of tenderness passed through Chen Yang's eyes. "In my heart, she's perfect."
"No wonder she has captured your heart so completely," Li Si said, shaking her head with a smile. "Of course, you're also a very responsible man, Yang."
If it weren't for that sense of responsibility, with so many beautiful won around him, he probably would have had countless lovers by now. Such a man was admirable.
Chen Yang didn't reply, changing the subject instead. "Sisi, why did you pinch earlier? You pinched so hard you left a mark."
"Who asked you to call Qin Qiu 'darling' so loudly in front of ?" Li Si turned her head and pouted, though her tone softened slightly. "Is it that bad? Let see."
Chen Yang held out his hand; indeed, there was a faint red mark on the back of it.
Li Si grabbed his hand, brought it to her lips for a quick kiss, and smiled. "There, all better."
Chen Yang was speechless.
Seeing him staring at her in astonishnt, Li Si feigned a look of grievance, pouting as she extended her own fair, delicate hand to him. "Fine, then you can pinch back."
Chen Yang's expression darkened, and he ignored her.
"Yang, thank you so much for helping this ti. Otherwise, I would have truly beco that cheap woman in everyone's eyes, the one who sold her body for money," Li Si said gratefully, clinging to his arm.
Chen Yang pulled his arm away and sighed. "Unfortunately, your reputation has still taken a hit."
"It doesn't matter. I'm planning to leave this industry after my concert tour ends anyway," Li Si said nonchalantly.
"I'm worried that they won't even let this final concert tour go smoothly for you."
Chen Yang was, of course, referring to Li Si's company. Because of the scandal, not only had Li Si been thrust into the harsh spotlight, but X Film Entertainnt had as well, causing its stock to plumt. The losses were in the billions. Moreover, a female artist with a tarnished reputation was no longer worth the major investnt to promote.
"The company is holding a reception tomorrow, and I wasn't invited," Li Si said with a bitter smile. "It looks like they're planning to promote that bitch Peng Xiaoqian to replace ."
"But when it cos to the concert, I will absolutely not back down. This concert is my only way to thank my fans and say goodbye to them."
Finally, she stated with determination, "I will fight them to the end on this."
"You're also a big star with a strong sense of responsibility," Chen Yang said with a smile.
If it had been anyone else, they wouldn't have bothered so much. Self-preservation would have been their top priority.
"They are the ones who made who I am," Li Si replied. "I can't let them down."
Chen Yang smiled and said no more.
After dropping Li Si off at her hotel, Chen Yang called Yang Hu and had him look into the reception X Film Entertainnt was holding the next day.
Following the series of events involving Li Si and the explosion of the Zou Wendong scandal, X Film Entertainnt's market value had plumted by ten percent. After detailed discussions, the senior executives decided to hold the reception. The purpose was twofold: to introduce Peng Xiaoqian as Li Si's replacent and to invite a host of celebrities from Lingjin City to show their support. This would not only announce that X Film Entertainnt had a successor but also showcase the corporation's powerful network. Whether it was a fragile, superficial prosperity or not, it was intended to inject so much-needed confidence into the market and help the evaporated market value recover.
Compared to capital, who really cared about Li Si's fate? This national goddess would likely just fade into the river of ti, becoming a mory for a generation.
Before long, Yang Hu forwarded a news article to him about the detailed arrangents for the X Film Group reception. At the end of the article, after comparing Li Si and Peng Xiaoqian, the writer ca to a direct conclusion:
'In summary, whether in terms of talent, fundantal singing skills, character, or even appearance, Peng Xiaoqian is far superior to Li Si.'
The article even included a promotional photo of Peng Xiaoqian. The reception hadn't even begun, but the campaign to build her up was already in full swing, and it was formidable. It seed the replacent of the old with the new was now set in stone.
「anwhile.」
Peng Xiaoqian's social dia account completely blew up. She herself was shalessly self-promoting while dragging Li Si through the mud, deaning her rival at every turn. She felt no sha for climbing the ladder by stepping on others. Instead, she was proud, attributing it all to her own strength.
"You're not even worthy to carry Sisi's shoes."
Chen Yang dismissed the article with a sneer. "At best, she's just a pathetic clown."
Just then, his phone rang. It was Yang Hu, who explained in detail, "This X Film Entertainnt has been up to no good ever since we withdrew our investnt. They've been evading taxes, manipulating stock prices, all sorts of dirty business."
"Here's what I want you to do. Notify the relevant authorities, submit the evidence to them, and have them go to the reception tomorrow to make the arrests directly," Chen Yang instructed, lighting a cigarette. His voice was calm as he continued, "Then, release more negative press. I want you to tank their market value by ninety percent in a single day. After that, you can go in and bottom-fish."
The capital market was just like that. If you were clean, you had a natural defense, like a Vajra Body Shield. But if you were covered in filth, a single spark was enough to send you crashing down from heaven to hell.
As for why he wanted to take over X Film Entertainnt, it was for Qin Mo's future career and to ensure Li Si's concert happened. Besides, it was a surefire money-making venture.
"Okay, Boss!"
"Tomorrow, you'll co with to the reception," Chen Yang added as a final instruction. "I want to ask that Peng Xiaoqian in person what gives her the right to belittle Sisi like that."
"Got it. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning."
After hanging up, Chen Yang returned ho.
Seeing Qin Qiu still sitting on the sofa, Chen Yang said playfully, "Darling, were you waiting for ?"
"Don't flatter yourself." Qin Qiu set down her magazine. As she walked upstairs, she said, "Go wash up, then co to my room and give a shoulder massage."
"You got it! Wait for , darling!"
Overjoyed, Chen Yang bolted straight for the bathroom.
Less than ten minutes later, a pajama-clad Chen Yang arrived at Qin Qiu's room, humming a little tune.
"Darling, I'm here!" Seeing Qin Qiu lying on the bed in a silk slip dress that fully displayed her exquisite curves, Chen Yang practically started drooling.
Qin Qiu smoothly turned onto her stomach. "Co on."
Chen Yang happily walked over, sat on the edge of the bed, and began to gently knead her shoulders and neck. "Darling," he said softly, "you've worked so hard lately."
"It's been manageable with your help. I couldn't have done it all alone," Qin Qiu responded.
"You're my wife. Who else would I help?"
As he spoke, a sly glint appeared in his eyes. He asked tentatively, "Darling, can... can I sleep here tonight?"
Qin Qiu snapped her head around, but after her eyes t his, she quickly looked away again and said nothing.
Chen Yang's face lit up with joy. Her silence was tantamount to agreent, wasn't it? Haha! At long last, the clouds had parted to reveal the clear sky!
With that thought, Chen Yang leaped onto the bed, and a pleasant fragrance imdiately enveloped him.
...
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