During this period, Su Ning, who was far away in Hai Cheng, was well aware of the matters concerning the Shen family.

Before Shen Mingzheng left, or rather, from the time when the fans of Glory dug up those explosive revelations, the two of them had planned and discussed what was going to happen in the future. However, in a place like the Shen household, in front of the furious old master and those relatives, “plans” couldn’t solve everything, and there were always unexpected occurrences.

Sometimes, Shen Mingzheng would call or video call him late at night. Sitting by the window, the camera would catch the antique eaves of the Shen family mansion, those sharp eaves seemed oppressive, and the whole environment looked suffocating, even the lighting seemed dim.

“It’s okay,” Shen Mingzheng would assure him while looking at him, “Trust me.”

It was only when Su Ning saw him that he felt he could breathe smoothly.

“Okay,” Su Ning nodded in response, “Everything’s fine here in Hai Cheng too, don’t worry.”

When the call ended, Su Ning sat on the edge of the bed and sighed deeply.

This was the world of a novel where the protagonist suffers; he always remembered that.

He was not new to the darkness within these circles; people would do anything for power, status, and money. In this world, things were even worse. The old master was certainly not easy to deal with, but that was why they couldn’t give in at all. It was destined to be a difficult journey, a true path through thorns and thistles.

Although he was prepared, Su Ning’s unease was apparent to anyone who saw him.

Recently, Liang Xiaoliang came to the company to discuss business, and happened to chat with Su Ning, surprised to find him distracted.

Su Ning, a person known for his focus, was actually zoning out while working!

That was big news!

He would be talking and suddenly freeze with his pen poised in mid-air, lost in thought until Liang Xiaoliang reminded him to sign his name and date the document.

“Ah, I wrote the wrong date, wrote yesterday’s,” Su Ning said as he glanced over the document again before feeding it to the shredder, asking his secretary to print another one.

As the secretary left, Liang Xiaoliang couldn’t help but ask, “Honestly, what are you worried about?”

He was well-informed and had no doubt about Shen Mingzheng’s capabilities; the news from the Shen household was all good.

Su Ning pondered for a moment, then shook his head, “I can’t quite say, maybe it’s just that a lot has happened recently.”

With Shen Mingzheng not around, Su Ning was also managing Shen Film Industry, constantly on the go and naturally weary.

He had never seen him like this when he was busy before. It was obviously because he was worried about someone but wouldn’t admit it.

Liang Xiaoliang muttered to himself but said nothing aloud, instead suggesting, “Looks like things at the Shen household will settle down soon, and there won’t be any issues here in Hai Cheng either. The company’s stable and there are enough people around,” he said, “Why don’t you follow along with Glory’s activities and get out for a bit, take a break.”

From the day he met Su Ning, it seemed like he had never really rested, not even on his wedding day.

Su Ning seriously considered his suggestion.

During this period, Glory had already launched two tour concerts. The premiere in Zhou Mountain had been a sell-out with an audience of ten thousand, receiving excellent feedback. The band was highly energetic, maintaining their vigor and enthusiasm throughout, resulting in high social media engagement and viral photos and videos. The second tour concert returned to Hai Cheng, filling up a fifteen-thousand-capacity venue to the brim.

A group that could hold a concert for ten thousand was indeed a solid accomplishment.

The third tour concert was scheduled for next week in Shenzhen and was already sold out. The band had just finished shooting two new advertisements and completed filming for the variety show “Heart of the Brave.”

The recent event was in Rong Cheng, where they were headlining a music festival. There were also two advertisements to be shot there. Su Ning didn’t typically think about vacations, but this trip was important, and he also thought of Ji Xue.

“Last time she returned to Rong Cheng, I wonder if she managed to negotiate with Lü Fei,” Su Ning said, “I heard some rumors that they might break up. If I get a chance, I’ll drop by to check.”

Liang Xiaoliang responded, “Alright, that’s just like you, always so caring.”

Couldn’t you just go and have fun?

But as Su Ning was on his way to Rong Cheng, he received a message from Shen Mingzheng saying he would return. Su Ning felt relieved and told him where he currently was.

“Why don’t you go home and wait for me,” Su Ning suggested, “I’ll be back in a couple of days.”

Although they couldn’t meet immediately, a day or two didn’t make much difference to him.

Shen Mingzheng couldn’t wait, unlike him.

“Chen Tao will return to Hai Cheng first to handle some company matters, and I’ll come find you,” Shen Mingzheng said, “I have some things I want to discuss with you in person.”

Su Ning nodded: “Okay, I’ll send you an address, let me know when you arrive.”

Everyone in Glory could see that his mood was completely different after this call.

Especially Li Chu, who noticeably sensed Su Ning’s change and sighed deeply, appearing somewhat melancholic.

…Is it really going to be him?

Arriving at the music festival venue, Li Chu still looked a bit melancholic.

This festival had been running for many years, and bands were already performing up front. The audience was massive, a sea of people, and as Li Chu was getting his makeup done, he couldn’t help but say to Su Ning, “Actually, there are many people in this world.”

“What?” Su Ning hadn’t heard clearly; he looked out the window and nodded, “Indeed, there are a lot of people.”

He could also see fans wearing Glory’s signature sun logo headpieces among the crowd, which was particularly striking and uplifting.

“What I mean is, you definitely have other, better options.”

Although he couldn’t name anyone better than Shen Mingzheng, Li Chu thought the young master deserved the best. He whispered lowly, “Shen Mingzheng he…”

He thought for a long time but couldn’t think of anyone better than Shen Mingzheng. I’m still not famous enough, so I don’t know many people!

Li Chu internally beat his chest in frustration.

Su Ning laughed: “What are you talking about?”

He reached out to adjust Li Chu’s hair, seeing his furrowed brows, and rubbed them: “Don’t frown, we’ll finish shooting the advertisement tomorrow morning. Then, I’ll give you guys a break, a real break. You wanted to go to the amusement park but were afraid of being surrounded by people, right? I’ve booked the park for you for the evening, go have fun.”

Booking the park for the evening was manageable for Su Ning and a nice reward.

Li Chu was coaxed back into a good mood.

At that moment, Su Ning heard his phone ring. It was Ji Xue.

Li Chu also saw the name on the display.

He remembered this person.

The other members hadn’t figured out the big picture of the recent events, mostly feeling pity for their fans who were taken advantage of and indignantly condemning Liao Yuansi at home, but Li Chu, with his experience, had already guessed most of it.

Ji Xue must have started planning from the beginning, starting with that overly extravagant endorsement. But to some extent, such people were indeed suitable for the entertainment industry.

Guang Ying Entertainment had come this far, a few idols were not enough; the industry was too big and complex. Li Chu, despite being popular, always felt it wasn’t enough, and he needed to continuously accumulate and consolidate his power.

“There must be something urgent, go ahead and answer it,” Li Chu said, then firmly added, “Don’t worry, I’ll work even harder!”

Su Ning didn’t know how many thoughts had crossed Li Chu’s mind in this short period or how much he had psyched himself up.

For his first signed artist, whom he regarded differently, Su Ning naturally felt different. He reached out to tidy up the hair on Li Chu’s forehead, refraining from pinching his chubby cheeks because of the makeup, and then went to answer Ji Xue’s call.

The call was brief. After hanging up, Su Ning looked at the sky and replied, “…Okay.”

It was already evening by the time he received the call, and Glory’s performance was scheduled for the night. This area was brightly lit and bustling, probably the liveliest spot in Rong Cheng at the moment.

In contrast, a vacation village in the suburbs had its gates closed at night, with only the villa on the hilltop lit up, deserted elsewhere.

On the winding mountain road, dim streetlights illuminated the way as Ji Xue, wrapped in a large scarf and dressed in simple sweater and pants with flats, walked down alone. It was very cold in Rong Cheng in December. She came down from the most luxurious spot on the mountain, walking slowly but without stopping or looking back.

It was too quiet, she felt she had been walking for half an hour but hadn’t gone far, not even reaching the midway point of the mountain.

Then, she heard a car approaching.

Ji Xue stopped and moved to the side of the road.

She valued her life and was afraid of being hit. Then she saw the headlights approaching from afar, and eventually, the car stopped next to her. Su Ning, sitting in the driver’s seat, rolled down the window and looked at her, saying just two words: “Get in.”

Ji Xue got into the car and gave a slight smile, “President Su, you really came.”

“What else could I do?” Su Ning replied, “Let you walk down alone? You can’t hail a cab here.”

To pay for the evidence from someone else’s hands, Ji Xue had even sold her car. She had come down without bringing anything but her clothes and a mobile phone.

Ji Xue smiled, “President Su, you’re softer-hearted than I thought.”

Su Ning stopped at a small plateau by the road, fetched a coat from the back—it was from the costume department, unisex—then turned the car around and headed downhill, asking, “Lü Fei just let you walk down like that? It’s too unsafe.”

He felt that no matter how bad their fight was, safety should still be considered.

Ji Xue didn’t explain, but her phone suddenly rang. She glanced at it, then hung up, and after a while, turned it off completely. Soon after, Su Ning’s phone rang.

At that moment, they were parked at the entrance of the holiday villa. Beyond this was the main road.

Su Ning saw it was Lü Fei.

As soon as he answered, Lü Fei blurted out, “Is Ji Xue with you?”

Su Ning didn’t hide it and confirmed she was, then added, “President Lü, no matter what the situation, it was very dangerous for Ji Xue to walk down the mountain alone tonight. You may be angry, but you can’t…”

Relieved to hear Ji Xue was with him, Lü Fei then exclaimed angrily, “Who let her walk down alone? I just stepped away for a moment, told her to sit tight, and next thing she slips past the butler and runs off!”

“I’m angry? Ask her, have I been angry at her these past days? Have I intentionally restricted her freedom?” Lü Fei’s voice grew louder, “She offended the Shen family by herself, if I don’t take her away now, what would the Shen family do to her if they caught her outside?”

“Ji Xue, you take the call! How did I not see before that you had so many ideas? Who else has the guts you do?!”

Ji Xue turned her head to look out the window, ignoring him.

Failing to get a response, Lü Fei then addressed Su Ning, “And you! Why didn’t you mention anything about her situation before?”

Su Ning replied, “…You two are fiancés, if Ji Xue doesn’t want to talk about it, what can I say?”

Perhaps the term “fiancés” somewhat placated Lü Fei, and he calmed down a bit, muttering again, “That’s true, you and Shen Mingzheng are even married, and you might not even know how ruthless he can be.”

Su Ning asked, “…What about Shen Mingzheng?”

He only knew that in the Shen household Shen Mingzheng had managed to convince the old master and cleared his own name, escaping unscathed. But the other details hadn’t been discussed with him yet.

“You don’t know? The fate of those few from the Shen family,” Lü Fei found some comfort in sharing, “One locked in the hospital, one sent to the island, sheesh, worse than dead, the issue with Ji Xue is considered settled.”

This incident concluded with the Shen family cleaning their internal ranks, a way of handling their scandal. There are no winners in such scandals, but from Lü Fei’s perspective, the one who benefited the most was definitely Shen Mingzheng.

Su Ning was sleeping beside such a person, he felt Ji Xue was quite alright, she hadn’t done much, and after all, this ending was even benefiting Liao Yuansi.

Tonight, after hearing the outcome, Ji Xue was clearly in a much better mood. The two had dinner, and when Lü Fei saw her smiling at him, he thought of letting bygones be bygones. He didn’t mind that she had secretly sold things to seek revenge; it was just money.

As long as Ji Xue said a few kind words, he still wanted to be with her.

The Lü family wasn’t unreasonable; he had even discussed this incident with his family and had no plans to call off the engagement. He was even thinking about moving up the wedding.

Then, tonight, Ji Xue ran away.

“…Have you never liked me?” Lü Fei’s voice sounded sad, “But you sold so many things, yet you didn’t sell our engagement ring, I thought you were…”

Ji Xue was silent for a while, then honestly said, “I was going to sell it. The girl originally thought I wanted to destroy evidence that’s why she demanded so much money, later, when she found out what I planned, she reduced the amount, saying I didn’t need so much money to go abroad.”

That was the only reason she kept the ring, but when she left the mountain, she left the ring on the bedside table, not taking it with her.

Lying was exhausting, Ji Xue didn’t intend to lie to Lü Fei any longer.

She felt his silence, then straightforwardly said, “Let’s break up.”

“In fact, before I met you, I had already investigated what kind of person you are, what you like and want to do, I know everything clearly. But Brother Fei, maybe you never really knew what kind of person I am.”

“We are not suitable, let’s just end this.”

The phone was hung up by Ji Xue, and Su Ning later heard the phone ring again, but Ji Xue didn’t want to answer. Su Ning could only send a message to remind him, “Let her cool down a bit.”

“She really doesn’t want to talk to you right now, there’s no use coming to me about it.”

The other party finally quieted down.

But Lü Fei’s last voice sounded a bit choked up, like he was crying.

Other people’s romantic lives weren’t something Su Ning liked to meddle in. He restarted the car, got on the main road, and after a while, said to Ji Xue, “Did you really never like him?”

Ji Xue didn’t deny it, flipping her hair back, “I did like him, he’s a good person.”

“But I’ve said before, I don’t care.”

Not everyone considers liking someone very important; there are always other things that are more important.

Su Ning didn’t understand matters of the heart very well, frowning with a look of confusion.

Ji Xue seemed to see what he was thinking and added, “What’s there to be confused about, isn’t it the same with you and Shen Mingzheng? Everyone is the same, why single me out.”

Su Ning: “…”

He was silent for a while before retorting, “We are partners, I trust him, that’s all, it has nothing to do with liking or not liking.”

“Ah,” Ji Xue propped her chin up looking at him, amused, “So that’s how you deceive yourself.”

“Do you believe that yourself?”

Su Ning didn’t know how the conversation about someone else’s romantic life had suddenly turned to his own.

Perhaps human nature is inherently gossipy, Ji Xue wasn’t planning to let him off the hook, continuing to probe, “Be honest, President Su, have you never been in a relationship? I think anyone with eyes can see, President Shen really, really likes you.”

Su Ning: “…”

He was silent for a long while, then said, “You, don’t talk nonsense, we are just, just…”

He was not only a bit stammering but also couldn’t get the words out.

This period was the first time he and Shen Mingzheng had been apart for so long. When they lived together before, he didn’t feel any difference, but once they were apart for a while and someone poked it like bursting a bubble, Su Ning couldn’t completely deny it.