Since the phone call with Ye Songtao, Shang Xinglu hadn’t seen Li Xinyue in person, nor had she seen her on TV.

It was as if she had evaporated from the human world.

But the world was so big that it would be strange if they didn’t run into each other eventually.

Shang Xinglu didn’t dwell on it and didn’t want to think about it either.

After all, why would she bother thinking about someone like Li Xinyue?

BiChen had actually turned the crisis into an opportunity.

Thanks to the controversy, their new product line had received an unexpected amount of attention.

The previous online discussions about domestic products had prompted many beauty bloggers to endorse it, with many people following the trend to buy.

Indeed, celebrity endorsements were powerful, but these online influencers were just as influential.

Amid the public discussions, BiChen had been initially criticized but then cleared, causing their new line to sell out and making them one of the biggest winners.

However, this kind of internet heat could rise and fall quickly.

Today’s top trending topic might shift to another story by tomorrow.

BiChen’s promotional efforts were still moving forward steadily.

The new commercial had to be shot.

You can’t save money on commercials—good wine is really afraid of being hidden in a deep alley.

The team gathered for a meeting to discuss the commercial proposal.

And once again, Shang Xinglu was pushed to the forefront.

She crossed her arms, rested her chin on her hands, and looked deep in thought, her face full of shadows.

“Well, we have this big budget for the commercial. Since we have money now, can’t we afford to spend it?” she asked.

Accountant Xiao Zhang replied, “We do have money, but we still need to be a little frugal.”

Shang Xinglu glanced at her.

Xiao Zhang raised her head and puffed out her chest, looking righteous.

Shang Xinglu: “…”

How did I not notice how stingy you were when I hired you?

Le Hao, who was in charge of running the official Weibo account, chimed in: “President Lu, for the popularity of our official account, you really have to shoot it. Do you think they’re interested in the product itself?”

Shang Xinglu replied: “Why wouldn’t the consumers want to see the product?!”

Le Hao: “Cough… they do want to see the product, but they also want to see you! Why not show both the product and you? It’s a win-win.”

Shang Xinglu: “… I need some quiet.”

Designer Xiao Wu quickly raised her hand, saying, “President Lu, I’m here. Don’t ignore me!”

Her full name was Wu Jing, and it was pretty much the same as “Jing Jing” (quiet), which was perfect for the situation.

Shang Xinglu replied: “I think you all should go form a troupe for cross-talk!”

“But De Yun Society doesn’t accept female disciples!” Le Hao, Xiao Zhang, and Xiao Wu all said in unison.

Shang Xinglu: “…”

Wait, you guys have actually thought about this?!

At this moment, Yin Yao said: “Louise, there’s one reason why I chose you this time.”

Shang Xinglu sighed: “I’m doing it for free, I know.”

Yin Yao smiled warmly. “No, it’s because the last time you filmed so well, so we chose you again. Plus, it could become one of BiChen’s trademarks! Other company bosses can’t just pop up and film commercials themselves. Of course, if you really don’t want to, we can always find a celebrity.”

I filmed well…?

Wow, Yao Yao praised me!

Shang Xinglu immediately stood up, filled with determination: “I’m like a brick, wherever I’m needed, I’ll move there!”

Everyone: “…”

They all gave Yin Yao a thumbs-up. President Yin really knows how to handle President Lu, though they weren’t sure what President Lu’s ex-husband would think about it.

Yin Yao just smiled at Shang Xinglu.

Le Hao quietly covered her nose. “What is this perfect CP?! Lock it down, lock it down!”

So, Shang Xinglu went to shoot the commercial.

This time, they invited someone new, an idol who had debuted a couple of years ago from a talent show named Yue Xiaohan. She was versatile, with skills in singing, dancing, and acting.

The shoot went smoothly for the most part, except for a few initial missteps where Yue Xiaohan didn’t quite grasp the director’s requirements, leading to a few NG (No Good) shots. Apart from that, everything else went smoothly.

When she kept apologizing after each NG, Shang Xinglu couldn’t help but comfort her, saying, “It’s fine, don’t be nervous. Would you like to have some tea and take a break?”

Yue Xiaohan repeatedly bowed, saying, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

Then, during a jump move, she NG’d again.

Yue Xiaohan had probably been dieting recently and was feeling a bit low on blood sugar, so her assistant quickly handed her a bottle of glucose water.

Shang Xinglu asked kindly, “I have some cookies here. Would you like to eat something?”

Yue Xiaohan hurriedly shoved the water bottle into her assistant’s arms. “I’ll be fine soon. I’m so sorry, so sorry…”

Shang Xinglu: “…”

Shang Xinglu felt something wasn’t right.

She quickly asked Jiang Lexuan, “What’s going on? Why is this girl so afraid of me today?”

Jiang Lexuan, although no longer in the industry, still kept up with the latest gossip, and her sources of information were top-notch.

Jiang Lexuan said, “She’s probably afraid of being blacklisted by you.”

Shang Xinglu: “???”

I’m not a tyrant!

Jiang Lexuan casually continued on the phone, “Oh, it’s not that you blacklisted her. You know how superstitious this industry can be, right? People say that big success is all about luck. Recently, BiChen has made a huge turnaround and things are going well. Everyone says you’re the lucky charm of BiChen—if they follow you, they’ll have good luck. If they go against you, it’s bad luck—like Li Xinyue.”

Shang Xinglu: “……”

Jiang Lexuan: “Yeah, yeah! I remember recently a fortune-teller posted a Weibo about worshiping the Koi God for good luck, but the picture in the middle was replaced with your photo.”

Then, Jiang Lexuan took a screenshot of that Weibo post and showed it to Shang Xinglu.

Shang Xinglu: “?????”

The next second—

Well… I might as well secretly repost it myself.

Jiang Lexuan, who was following Shang Xinglu’s alternate account: “……”

Shameless!

Then she immediately exposed Shang Xinglu in the group chat.

---

After finishing an advertisement shoot, Bi Chen’s main task before the New Year was just the annual company gala.

Although it was their first year hosting one, Bi Chen had done great business and made a lot of money, so the annual gala had to be up to standard.

The venue was chosen at a newly built hot spring resort in the outskirts of the city. The place had high standards and brand-new facilities.

As for the entertainment segment, everyone kept it a secret from Xiao Wu.

Because this year, they had invited Xiao Wu’s favorite celebrity.

The accountant, Xiao Zhang, couldn’t help but sigh at the finances, “Luckily, Xiao Wu’s idol isn’t super famous. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be her going crazy—it’d be me!”

Someone nearby quickly warned, “Xiao Wu is coming! Shut up! If she hears you say her idol isn’t popular, she’ll tear you apart!”

Xiao Zhang hugged himself and shivered.

The annual gala was a formal event this time.

Not only were company employees attending, but major clients were invited as well.

Since the venue was high-end, attendees were required to bring a plus-one and wear formal attire.

After the event, they could stay overnight at the resort and return the next day.

The “plus-one” rule wasn’t strictly enforced—it was mainly to give employees an excuse to bring their significant others.

This idea actually came from Yin Yao.

She said, “You could use this as a chance to ask President Lin out. It’s the end of the year, and everyone’s busy. Haven’t you two not seen each other for a while?”

That made sense.

Shang Xinglu did some mental calculations—she hadn’t seen President Lin for a whole month!

… No wonder today’s Lulu was a wilted Lulu.

Lulu without President Lin’s presence = dying…

Shang Xinglu hurriedly picked up her phone to call Lin Heng.

But before she could even dial, she turned off the screen.

… Forget it.

President Lin wasn’t some flaky guy. If he took a long time to reply to messages, it meant he was genuinely busy.

Her company was so small, yet even she was swamped with year-end work. Lin Heng’s massive corporation must be even crazier.

Shang Xinglu knew how seriously Lin Heng took his work.

More importantly, if she were to ask him out, he wouldn’t say, “Sorry, I’m too busy, I can’t go.” Instead, he’d ask, “What time? Where? I’ll come find you.”

If that happened, his already packed schedule would be squeezed even tighter. Would he even get to rest?

Shang Xinglu gripped her phone tightly.

Today, I must be a thoughtful Lulu. I can’t trouble President Lin!

---

So, on the day of the annual gala, everyone in the company—especially the female employees—thought they would finally get to see their boss’s ex-husband’s legendary face.

It was true that their boss, Lulu, had a divine beauty, but they had seen her so often that her goddess aura had long faded.

But her ex-husband was different.

There were very few photos of him, and even the ones that did exist were from news interviews.

Yet, even in those, his looks were outstanding, and his demeanor was in a league of its own—far beyond what entertainment industry pretty boys could achieve.

Everyone was more excited than Shang Xinglu herself, feeling like they were about to see a giant panda at the zoo.

Most of the employees took the company-arranged bus to the venue.

Shang Xinglu drove herself since she had business meetings during the day and only arrived in the evening for the gala.

She did bring a male companion.

As soon as she sat down with him, everyone took a look.

Handsome. He was definitely handsome.

But then they noticed the obvious look of dislike on Lulu’s face…

An employee hesitantly asked, “Boss, this is…?”

Before Shang Xinglu could introduce him, the young man in a suit quickly introduced himself: “Hello, hello! I’m her younger brother, Shang Xingyu. By the way, you guys picked a great spot for the event! Oh, right, what did you just call her? Boss? Listen to me—call her dum—”

Shang Xinglu shot him a glare that looked like she was ready to commit murder.

Shang Xingyu immediately backed down: “… Just call her Boss.”

One second and he was already cowering.

The news that Lulu hadn’t brought her ex-husband but her younger brother spread quickly through the company.

At this moment, only Xiao Wu didn’t care.

Because she was busy screaming her lungs out at her idol’s performance, nearly getting carried away on a stretcher.

---

That night, Shang Xinglu’s best friends attended as clients.

Shi Rui bluntly asked, “Where’s your old Lin?”

Shang Xinglu: “He’s working… I think?”

Shi Rui: “‘I think’? Why is it ‘I think’? You don’t even know if he’s working?”

Shang Xinglu: “He’s definitely working!”

Shi Rui narrowed her eyes. “Are you sure? How long has it been since you last saw him? You two really aren’t worried about not seeing each other for so long? I mean, I don’t think Lin Heng is the type to mess around, but… what if?”

The company already had a relaxed atmosphere, and the gala was even livelier.

Especially after someone reminded everyone that Lulu had once vowed to quit drinking during a trip to Japan. Many employees challenged her with drinks, determined to test her resolve.

Shang Xinglu ended up drinking a bit too much.

Because of that, she didn’t really process what Shi Rui was saying.

But deep down, she felt uneasy. Not because she doubted Lin Heng’s loyalty, but because…

She missed him.

She missed him so much.

She missed him so much it hurt.

She missed him so much she wanted to drop everything and run straight to him.

The more she thought about it, the more miserable she felt. Her thoughts were a mess, and then—

With teary eyes, she pouted and mumbled, “He said we’d have plenty of time in the future… Liar.”

Then she hiccuped and mumbled, “Did Lin Heng… abandon me?”

Everyone—Yin Yao, Shang Xingyu, and her best friends—went silent.

And then they all pulled out their phones.

Text messages were sent out—

“Your wife says you abandoned her.”

“Your wife says she’s been abandoned.”

“I heard you abandoned your wife?”

Seeing the messages, Lin Heng: “……”

Then he immediately called Shang Xingyu. “Where is your sister?”

Shang Xingyu reported the location.

Lin Heng: “Keep an eye on her. I’m coming right now.”