Ning Qiuxiu’s ability to adapt and be flexible deeply impressed Zhan Qingyue.

As a man who takes his image very seriously, Zhan Qingyue could not imagine coming up with such shameless lines.

Yet, Ning Qiuxiu persistently asked, “How about it, are you satisfied?”

“Qiuxiu,” Zhan Qingyue, seeing her smug face, couldn’t resist teasing her, “that’s not how you call me ‘daddy’.”

Ning Qiuxiu thought to herself how shameless he was for making her say that, but on the surface, she pretended to be curious and asked, “Then how should I call you?”

Zhan Qingyue gave a mysterious smile, leaned close to her ear, and whispered something.

“You!!!” Qiuxiu immediately jumped up from the sofa, her face turning red as she pointed at him, “You’re shameless!”

Zhan Qingyue raised an eyebrow and said, “Weren’t you shameless first? I’m just treating you the same way.”

Why did she ever think she could outdo Zhan Qingyue in shamelessness?

He was a master at it, honed over a thousand years, while she was just a mere mortal.

After teasing Ning Qiuxiu enough, Zhan Qingyue turned serious and made a phone call to use his connections to help her out.

The situation had become complicated because Xiaoqin had been too clever this time.

She posted on Weibo, waiting for Quhua and the others to negotiate with her for a settlement. She didn’t ask for money outright, putting the ball in Ning Qiuxiu’s court.

Although Xiaoqin’s post violated company contracts by exposing the employer’s secrets, for which she would be legally responsible, posting it on Weibo wasn’t illegal—it was her right to free speech.

To some extent, it could even be seen as protecting her rights.

Therefore, the proactive and passive relationship here meant that this situation did not constitute extortion.

This was what Qu Hua meant by the rules of the circle.

Entertainment reporters often used this tactic to extort money from celebrities, and it worked every time.

“I really underestimated her. She’s quite capable,” Ning Qiuxiu said, scrolling through the documents sent from Xiaoqin’s company on her phone, feeling a bit headache. “Hmm? She resigned.”

The housekeeper responded, “Yes, she resigned after leaving us. However, the legal effects of the contract are still in place. It depends on whether you and Mr. Zhan want to pursue it.”

It must be pursued!

After leaving her side, Xiao Qin didn’t file any complaints with the company.

Ning Qiuxiu decided to let her off the hook, hoping she would be grateful.

However, Xiaoqin didn’t appreciate it and dared to cause more trouble.

People like this only learn their lesson when they’re deep in trouble. They should be thrown into a pit so they can’t get out and thus stop being a threat.

Since this is the housekeeping industry, the company has detailed records on Xiao Qin, including information about her family, her work history, and reviews from previous employers.

Ning Qiuxiu went through Xiao Qin’s personal file and her customer reviews, which were all positive.

She then commented, “Mr. Zhan, it seems you were wrong. Xiao Qin really had feelings for you because you’re handsome.”

“Really?” Zhan Qingyue, who was also reviewing her materials, responded, “She has been in this industry for two years and has changed employers five times. The longest was six months, the shortest was two months. Do you think such a frequency is normal for housekeeping?”

That actually makes sense.

Unless the employers were difficult, in general, stability is crucial in housekeeping.

The more stable someone is, the higher their value and the more they are liked by employers.

If she frequently changes employers, it would suggest there’s something wrong with her, and new employers would be cautious.

They chose Xiaoqin this time partly because there was a shortage of staff and partly because they would only be staying here for about six months, so they didn’t pay much attention to the stability of the servant.

“But,” Zhan Qingyue continued, “since all the reviews were positive, it means that whatever happened, it was consensual.

The former employer won’t come forward to criticize her, so this idea isn’t good enough.”

Ning Qiuxiu was intrigued.

She didn’t expect Zhan Qingyue to have such a humble moment.

Since this approach wouldn’t work, the only option left was to resort to threats.

Ning Qiuxiu thought Zhan Qingyue’s so-called threats would be something like sending someone to warn her: if you dare to do anything, you’ll face consequences.

After all, although Zhan Qingyue might act recklessly in front of her, he usually conducted himself properly and lawfully—a good, law-abiding citizen.

However, what she didn’t expect was that Zhan Qingyue’s threats were real and serious.

His people directly found a local gang of burly men who had been in and out of prison.

They cornered Xiaoqin and carried out a live threat right on the spot.

It was intense.

Ning Qiuxiu didn’t directly participate, but they were given a live broadcast and watched the whole thing.

Simply scaring someone isn’t always effective.

Zhan Qingyue’s people dug up that Xiaoqin’s brother, who had just become a civil servant, had a criminal record from when he was thirteen or fourteen due to bad influence.

His family had used their connections to cover it up.

Although this was well-hidden, Zhan Qingyue’s people still uncovered it.

If this matter were exposed, her brother would lose his position.

Coming from a regular family, becoming a civil servant was a big deal.

Already mentally distressed, Xiaoqin immediately backed down when threatened with this.

Under the threat, Xiaoqin broke down. Hearing the matter brought up, she collapsed, crying and shouting, “I won’t dare anymore, I won’t dare anymore, I’ll delete the Weibo right away.”

Seeing Xiaoqin cornered, trembling and crying, Ning Qiuxiu turned to the calm and indifferent Zhan Qingyue and asked, “You knew her weak spot. Why did you go through such a big scene?”

In her view, directly threatening Xiaoqin by saying, “If you don’t clarify and delete the post, I’ll expose your brother’s past,” would have been more straightforward.

This level of intimidation seemed a bit excessive.

But it was truly satisfying and got rid of her anger!

Zhan Qingyue didn’t answer her but instead asked, “Do you have competitors or enemies, Qiuxiu?”

“Competitors are plenty. As for enemies, does Yixing, who had a big fallout with me, count?”

Zhan Qingyue nodded. “If you had threatened Xiaoqin in your way, made her stay silent, and then someone wanting to take you down collaborated with her, assuring her they’d protect her brother, what do you think she’d do?”

“…” Ning Qiuxiu hadn’t considered that possibility.

Zhan Qingyue smiled, “When dealing with a snake, you should strike at its most vulnerable spot. If you don’t deliver a fatal blow, the snake will always look for a chance to bite you back.”

Ning Qiuxiu shivered upon hearing this, feeling that Zhan Qingyue was both handsome and intimidating.

Even her flattery seemed awkward now: “You… really thought of everything. You’re amazing!”

She was glad that she and Zhan Qingyue were on the same side; otherwise, she wouldn’t even know how she might have ended up.

It seemed that Zhan Qingyue’s teasing and mockery of her were actually quite mild compared to what he could do.

Just as Ning Qiuxiu was lost in thought, she suddenly felt a pat on her head—Zhan Qingyue had reached out and patted her.

“I only handle external matters, not internal ones.”

Ning Qiuxiu was moved to tears by this. Zhan Qingyue was really good at comforting people; his words felt like a warm current flowing into her heart, spreading through her entire body, making her feel a bit overwhelmed.

However, just as her emotional moment was building up, Zhan Qingyue said, “Little bamboo rats are so cute. We should fatten them up before eating them.”

Ning Qiuxiu: “…………..”

If she were a bamboo rat, she would be the first to give him a hard time!

Meanwhile, the other side of the video call was still throwing threats.

Seeing that it was almost time, Zhan Qingyue ended the call and said, “Let her go. She might report us to the police. Remember to clean up the scene and leave no evidence.”

…

Xiao Qin realized she had really met her match this time.

That evening, she posted a Weibo admitting that she had fabricated accusations against Ning Qiuxiu and only wanted to blackmail her.

The post was deleted and her account was closed within an hour.

But that hour was enough for everyone to take screenshots and gossip.

Qu Hua had several marketing accounts post the screenshots of the clarification, bought trending search spots, and made sure the public knew about the false accusations.

This also gave Ning Qiuxiu a bit of sympathy from her fans, ending this drama for now.

Although there were still some voices suggesting that Xiao Qin was threatened or manipulated, this kind of speculation depends on what people choose to believe.

Xiao Qin admitted her mistake, and those who believed her would continue to do so, while the critics would always find reasons to complain.

What mattered was that Ning Qiuxiu’s reputation was not harmed.

Of course, Xiao Qin’s disclosure of her employer’s private life violated the contract and she would face legal consequences.

Lin Xitian and others stayed for two days. With work and classes resuming, they all went back.

Although “My Daily Life with a Pretty Bamboo Rat” wasn’t particularly outstanding, Fang Jinran’s popularity and Ning Qiuxiu’s performance managed to save the show.

They secured reliable sponsors, and the production team quickly arranged the filming for the second season.

Ning Qiuxiu’s popularity soared with the recent trending topics, and her endorsements began to rise in quality and price.

Seeing the increasing number of zeroes in her paychecks, she was energized and felt she could work for another hundred years!

Seeing how much Ning Qiuxiu needed money, Qu Hua arranged a few more gigs for her.

One of them was a chocolate commercial shot in City A.

Her sweet appearance made her popular for advertisements featuring products like milk tea and chocolate.

The male lead in the commercial was a model with poor acting skills.

The client was demanding and perfectionistic. A short 10-second ad took an entire day to shoot and was still not finished by dusk.

“Too much,” Ning Qiuxiu muttered during a break.

The director was reprimanding the male model under the supervision of the client.

The model had been scolded all day and looked on the verge of tears.

Qiuxiu’s friend Qu Hua, who accompanied her for the shoot, whispered, “This client must have been a needle in their past life.”

Super picky and critical.

Qiuxiu had hoped to finish the shoot early and have dinner with her parents.

Now, it seemed she’d be lucky to make it home to say goodnight to them.

Qu Hua laughed at her analogy, patted her shoulder with a flamboyant gesture, and comforted her, “Just one more scene. Hang in there, Qiuqiu, you got this!”

Qiuxiu sighed dramatically, “Making money is so hard.”

Qu Hua winked at her, “I’ve got some news that’ll perk you right up~”

“What news?”

“Have you heard of Director Xiao Sheng?”

“I think so,” Qiuxiu’s heart skipped a beat. “What’s up?”

“He’s planning a new IP campus drama and invited you to audition for the lead role. How about that? Isn’t it exciting and delightful? It’s a big production~”

Ning Qiuxiu was a bit surprised, “An audition?”