CHAPTER 6

Chi Shuang had a decent tolerance for alcohol. After entering this industry, her father had even trained her drinking capacity at home. There was no way around it—after all, the company wasn’t owned by her family, and her parents weren’t powerful figures. If she needed to attend business gatherings, there would definitely be alcohol at the table. Since she couldn’t avoid it, she might as well face it head-on. Her father didn’t want her to suffer losses in such situations, so every time she returned home, the three of them would have a little drink together. The next day, he would tell her exactly where her limit was—so she could keep it in mind.

Outsiders thought that she became arrogant only after getting involved with Liang Qian.

She pushed away all unnecessary social engagements, and when she couldn’t, she always found various excuses to avoid drinking.

In private, there were plenty of jealous rumors going around.

Saying she wasn’t even sure if she could marry into a wealthy family, yet here she was, already putting on airs like a rich wife and disgusting everyone.

But those who truly knew her understood—she was just fed up with this profession. Whatever job she did, she ended up resenting it. She had been in this industry for almost ten years, and as the environment became more and more superficial, she realized that with her mindset and qualifications, at best, she was just coasting along.

And coasting along wasn’t actually that enjoyable.

What really made her want to leave the industry was something that happened a few years ago. She had accidentally been dragged into a conflict. Before, people always said how cutthroat this industry was, how people flattered the powerful and stepped on the weak, but she had never truly experienced it firsthand. That time, she was genuinely terrified.

You should only take on what you’re capable of handling.

She had seriously thought about it—if she hadn’t entered this industry and had just been an ordinary office worker, even if she worked overtime her whole life, she wouldn’t have made this much money.

She was already incredibly lucky. Not only had she bought a comfortable villa for her parents to retire in back in her hometown, but she had also purchased several apartments in Beijing. In a way, she had already achieved financial freedom.

And once a person has the financial security to quit, they can’t even be bothered to deal with clients or bosses anymore.

So, to those watching, it seemed like she had gotten arrogant—acting all high and mighty just because she had found herself a rich boyfriend!

Chi Shuang never expected that the moment she stepped out of the private room to touch up her makeup in the restroom, she would overhear people gossiping about her—

“People who invite pity always have something hateful about them. That woman—she acts like the company belongs to her. She didn’t even bother showing up for the celebration party. With that kind of attitude, no wonder she’s still a nobody! Serves her right!”

“Ugh, don’t even mention it. Every time I saw her, she had that expression—like she was looking down on Qingqing because she used to be her junior, playing a supporting role to her. It made me sick. But thankfully, she’s gone now. I don’t have to see her fake face anymore…”

“Hah! You didn’t hear? She left thinking she had secured herself a rich husband, acting all superior. But then her boyfriend got into trouble! I nearly died laughing.”

“Seriously, what’s the point of being good-looking if you never really make it big? Do you think she’ll shamelessly try to crawl back?”

The moment she heard a voice she somewhat recognized, she instinctively pulled out her phone and hit record.

Leaning expressionlessly against the wall, she patiently waited for the conversation to end before returning to the private room.

Then, without hesitation, she sent the video to the group chat she had planned to leave two days ago.

She understood the saying: once a person leaves, their presence fades.

But right now, she just wanted to flip the entire damn table.

If the tea has gone cold, then no one should get to drink it.

That group chat included her manager and the higher-ups who used to handle her affairs.

[Ten minutes. If Wen Qing doesn’t personally come to my private room to apologize, I’ll post this video online.]

[Oh, and I’m at Chang-ge’s hot pot restaurant. Let her find me herself. She sure runs fast enough when she’s on variety shows.]

The moment she hit send, she felt her soul transcend.

Who could possibly understand the pure joy of quitting and retiring?

All those unbearable coworkers she had to tolerate with a forced smile for the sake of work… Now, they were finally at her mercy.

She had nothing to lose, while Wen Qing was still a public figure on the rise.

She had always hated those so-called words of wisdom—like, “If you harm the enemy by a thousand, you’ll suffer eight hundred in return.” “It’s not worth it.”

She didn’t care. If she had to take an eight-hundred-point loss, as long as she could make the other person lose a thousand, then it was worth it!

Not even a minute had passed before her phone started ringing.

She declined the call immediately.

Sorry, but no one’s reputation mattered to her anymore.

Her cousin cautiously asked, “You just stepped out for a moment… Did you pick a fight with someone?”

Chi Shuang smiled and nodded. “Sis, do you know what the smartest decision I’ve made in my life is?”

“…What?”

“Sis, start a ten-minute countdown for me.”

As she spoke, Chi Shuang removed the beaded bracelet from her wrist.

The jade-green beads contrasted beautifully against her pale skin. She had bought it casually while traveling with Liang Qian. It wasn’t expensive, but she liked it a lot.

Now that she had nothing better to do, she might as well use it like a meditation bead.

Her cousin asked curiously, “Are you chanting Amitabha or something?”

“I am,” Chi Shuang said. “I’m chanting: Drop dead, all of you.”

Her cousin: …I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear that.

Chi Shuang had always been willful and spoiled. Growing up, her family had pampered her, and her beauty was a rare asset. No matter where she went, both guys and girls liked being around her. It was only after entering the industry that she learned to restrain her temper somewhat.

Now that the restrictions were gone, the chains that had been keeping her in check had been completely thrown away.

At first, when she heard that Chi Shuang wanted to quit the industry, her cousin was baffled.

Why? Even in other high-profit industries, unless you were at the very top, there was no way to make as much money as in showbiz.

But now, she was starting to understand.

Chi Shuang simply didn’t want to endure it anymore. She didn’t want to do this job.

When a person stops caring about money, they naturally become fearless.

During these ten minutes, Chi Shuang remained eerily calm.

Meanwhile, outside, chaos erupted.

Wen Qing’s two assistants were on the verge of tears. Who would’ve thought that casually chatting in the restroom would get them caught by the very person they were gossiping about? And worse, that person was utterly ruthless!

“What does she even want?” Wen Qing was fuming. “Why should I personally go and apologize? I wasn’t even the one who said those things! Why is she coming for me?”

Wen Qing’s manager was beyond stressed, trying to talk her down over the phone. “Just let it go. She’s just in a bad mood, and she happened to overhear. Qingqing, be the bigger person, be professional. Just go apologize, okay?”

“She’s in a bad mood?” Wen Qing snapped. “I’M in a bad mood! What did I do to deserve this? Just because I’m supposed to be the bigger person, I have to take this crap? Sister Sun, back when she was still with Xingqi, you all made me yield to her. Now she’s left, and I STILL have to yield? Fine! Just tell me outright—does our CEO secretly have her as his daughter? No—maybe SHE is the CEO’s father!”

The manager gritted her teeth, trying to stay patient. “It was YOUR assistants who were gossiping. And both of them are your relatives. They spoke without thinking—shouldn’t YOU be the one to take responsibility for this mess?”

Wen Qing was trembling with anger.

The manager softened their tone slightly and lowered their voice. “Just fire those two assistants. They were fine when talking about other things, but when they mentioned Chi Shuang’s boyfriend… If that video gets out, you won’t just be provoking Chi Shuang. Do you understand? Let me ask you one thing—are you planning to quit like Chi Shuang and retire early? If that’s the case, I won’t stop you. You two can tear each other apart online however you want.”

…

When there were only thirty seconds left before the ten-minute deadline, someone knocked on the private room door.

Cousin: “…”

She rolled her eyes at Chi Shuang before walking over to open the door.

Seeing Wen Qing, who had recently gained a bit of popularity, standing at the entrance, she was momentarily stunned.

Wen Qing hadn’t brought her two assistants. As soon as she entered, she enthusiastically approached Chi Shuang. “Shuang-jie, what a coincidence! If I’d known you were here, we could have shared a room—wouldn’t that be fun? How have you been lately, Jie?”

“Do you need something?” Chi Shuang asked, feigning confusion.

Wen Qing bit her lip and forced a smile. “Shuang-jie, I’ve always had the utmost respect for you. Maybe there’s been some misunderstanding between us, but I don’t think it’s anything serious. Don’t worry, I’ve already fired those two people.”

Chi Shuang looked at her thoughtfully and pressed play on the video, turning the volume to the maximum.

The video repeatedly played those lines, like a haunting refrain. Wen Qing’s face turned green.

“You mean these two?” Chi Shuang asked.

Wen Qing’s expression was unpleasant as she nodded. “They were just temporary workers. I didn’t have much interaction with them.”

Chi Shuang countered, “Temporary workers? What, I’ve only been gone for four months, and Xingqi started handing out full-time contracts now?”

Her cousin struggled to hold back her laughter from the side.

She had heard about the tension between Chi Shuang and Wen Qing.

It could only be said that Wen Qing was unlucky, running into Chi Shuang when she was in her worst mood.

If Liang Qian were still fine today, Chi Shuang would’ve just rolled her eyes and sashayed away with disdain.

Wen Qing: “…”

Chi Shuang waved her hand dismissively. “Alright, I may have left the industry, but I’m still your senior. I wouldn’t bother holding onto something this trivial—no need for a special visit to explain.”

Wen Qing was seething—then delete the video already!

“Shuang-jie…” Wen Qing could only hint at her, “If this video gets out, it won’t be good for Xingqi either… Sister Zhong is already having a headache. She used to be so happy when you were around. I even asked her about it once, and she said none of her current artists are as considerate as you.”

Chi Shuang impatiently cut her off. “Relax, it won’t get out. My hands aren’t crippled—I don’t have the bad habit of ‘accidental likes.’”

Wen Qing got the message loud and clear.

Last year, she had “accidentally” liked a post slandering Chi Shuang.

More than once, she had wanted to flip the table and go all out against Chi Shuang.

She had tolerated this for too long!

She, too, wanted to quit already!

As she watched Wen Qing’s heavy, leaden steps leaving, Chi Shuang secretly delighted in it for a long while.

Satisfying!

Indeed, happiness comes from others’ suffering.

But immediately following that satisfaction was an overwhelming sense of loneliness, like a tide engulfing her.

When she returned home alone, she looked at the photos hanging on the wall. The flowers in the vase on the table had long since withered, but she hadn’t let the housekeeper throw them away. Liang Qian had given them to her before his accident.

She thought she should turn them into dried flowers.

But now, it was too late.

Chi Shuang and Liang Qian’s “love nest” was a standalone villa. Outside, a black sedan had been parked there for over half a month. Three drivers worked in eight-hour shifts. The one currently dozing off was startled awake by a sound, hurriedly tapping on the car window to alert the others. The other two, like startled birds, got out of the car.

The three burly men listened intently for a while, confirming that Chi Shuang was crying. One of them, with practiced ease, dialed a number.

“President Meng.”

“Miss Chi seems to have had another emotional breakdown.”

Looks like President Meng is in for it again.

After all, right now, Miss Chi’s tears were basically sulfuric acid to him.