Fu Yunzhou’s earlier question seemed to have raised Yuan Xi’s guard. From that point on, Yuan Xi approached everything with an unusual seriousness, even cutting down on his visits downstairs.

Fu Yunzhou pretended not to notice but secretly began gathering information about Yuan Xi’s interests.

Life at Xingyao Entertainment had become so relaxed that Yuan Xi nearly forgot it was the male protagonist’s domain. Not only that, but the female lead was also the company’s star performer.

Qi Yunrou was an actress. After coming into contact with Fu Yushen, she was scouted by him and signed as an actor under Xingyao Entertainment.

Her agent was one of the best in the company, and she always received priority for resources.

Because of this, Qi Yunrou transformed from a barely-known minor actress into a red-hot sensation and one of the top trending stars.

As the female lead, Qi Yunrou’s beauty was unquestionable. Her pure appearance and gentle demeanor earned her a strong reputation in the entertainment industry and endeared her to fans and colleagues alike.

Qi Yunrou had solid acting skills and was approachable, without the arrogance that fame often brings. Even as her status stabilized, no scandals or negative news ever emerged about her.

As a busy actress, Qi Yunrou’s schedule kept her on the move, but that didn’t mean she never came to the company.

For the past couple of weeks, Qi Yunrou had been out of sight. Yuan Xi had started to forget about the troublesome woman altogether.

Noticing that Fu Yunzhou had dropped the earlier topic, Yuan Xi gradually relaxed.

Once he felt sure Fu Yunzhou wasn’t paying attention, Yuan Xi couldn’t help but sneak back down to the training room to secretly watch the trainees’ acting classes.

Qi Yunrou had just wrapped up filming a drama and returned to the company, planning to invite Fu Yushen out for a meal. As she passed the training room, she caught sight of Yuan Xi’s silhouette and instinctively frowned.

Ever since Yuan Xi had been brought to the Fu family’s main residence, Qi Yunrou had done her research on him, and the two had crossed paths more than a few times since.

Even from behind, Qi Yunrou recognized the figure as Yuan Xi.

Her steps toward the elevator paused as she stood at the doorway, staring at the figure peeking through the doorframe. Her expression darkened.

“What’s wrong, Sister Rou?” Anna, Qi Yunrou’s assistant, noticed her sudden stop after leaving the staircase and couldn’t help but ask curiously. “Weren’t you planning to check in on the trainees?”

Qi Yunrou snapped out of her thoughts and glanced at Anna before redirecting her gaze toward Yuan Xi in the distance. “It’s nothing. Who is that? As far as I know, our company doesn’t allow strangers to lurk around and spy.”

Anna, who had always stayed by Qi Yunrou’s side, didn’t know anything about Yuan Xi.

Following Qi Yunrou’s line of sight, Anna looked toward the figure in question with a puzzled expression. “Could it be a new trainee? But they’re supposed to be training right now. Should we go take a look, Sister Rou?”

Qi Yunrou took a few steps toward Yuan Xi but quickly stopped, standing still as she pondered for a moment. Then she turned to Anna and said, “Go find Director Li and ask him what’s going on. If it’s an outsider, have them removed immediately.”

Anna glanced at Qi Yunrou, slightly curious why she didn’t handle it herself.

After a brief moment of thought, she concluded that Qi Yunrou probably felt it wasn’t worth her time to deal with someone like that.

Anna nodded. “Got it, Sister Yunrou. Wait here, and I’ll go find Director Li.”

Qi Yunrou gave a slight nod, her gaze fixed intently on Yuan Xi’s back. Her mind was in turmoil, swirling with suspicion.

She kept wondering if Yuan Xi had somehow bewitched Fu Yushen into assigning him a task at Xingyao Entertainment. Otherwise, how could someone like Yuan Xi possibly appear here!

The more she thought about it, the more irritated she became. Qi Yunrou clenched her teeth tightly, her fingernails digging into her palms as frustration built within her.

Finally, her curiosity and jealousy got the better of her. She pulled out her phone and called Fu Yushen.

After several weeks of intense training, Fu Yushen had at least progressed to the point where he no longer fell asleep in front of his documents.

However, his pace at handling them remained frustratingly slow. Hearing the tone he glanced at the caller ID.

It was only then that he remembered Qi Yuanrou’s recent drama had wrapped up filming. They had agreed to have dinner together, but it seemed that plan wasn’t happening now.

“Yuanrou, the drama’s wrapped up?”

Answering the call, Fu Yushen’s tone softened immediately.

He enjoyed being with Qi Yunrou. Unlike other women, she didn’t cling to him constantly or demand baseless promises.

When Qi Yunrou heard him pick up the call, her expression softened instantly, and her voice became as gentle as a breeze. “Ah Shen, are you at the office? We agreed to have dinner together. Do you have time tonight? I’ve already booked a restaurant. Let’s go together.”

Fu Yushen felt a wave of guilt wash over him the moment he heard her request. His tone softened as he replied. “Yunrou, I’ve been swamped lately. Can we reschedule dinner for another day? Is that okay?”

Qi Yunrou, who had harbored a glimmer of hope, felt her patience snap at his refusal.

She was now certain that Yuan Xi’s presence at Xingyao Entertainment had everything to do with Fu Yushen. And his rejection of their dinner plans? He was probably planning to spend the evening with that little wretch, Yuan Xi!

Though her heart burned with fury and jealousy, Qi Yunrou knew she couldn’t let it show.

She had to feign ignorance and continue acting sweet.

“Ah Shen, what’s keeping you so busy?” she asked, her voice tinged with a hint of grievance. “We agreed on this a long time ago. And we haven’t seen each other in so long. Don’t you miss me?”

Hearing her pitiful tone, Fu Yushen’s resolve wavered immediately, his heart softening at once. He was on the verge of agreeing when his eyes fell on the pile of documents before him.

The sight nearly brought tears to his eyes.

He had never wished for his elder brother’s return to work as much as he did now. After over half a month of grueling experience, Fu Yushen had come to a definitive conclusion: handling documents at the headquarters was pure torture.

Every day, stacks of paperwork reached up to his waist, and each one demanded immediate attention, leaving no room for procrastination.

This intense period of training had given Fu Yushen a newfound appreciation for his elder brother’s dedication and capability.

To face such a monumental workload daily and still finish everything before the end of the day? To Fu Yushen, this was nothing short of superhuman.

“Yunrou, I really am swamped right now,” he said earnestly. “I still have more than ten documents to process today, and they all need to be completed by tonight. Once I’m done with everything, I’ll set up a time for us, okay?”

While Fu Yushen’s words were true, they sounded utterly unconvincing to Qi Yunrou.

She was well aware of Fu Yushen’s usual work habits.

Having been to his office numerous times, she knew he never approached paperwork with such diligence.

In fact, he often let files pile up and would only deal with them at the last minute.

Now, hearing him claim to have over ten urgent documents that required same-day completion felt like a flimsy and lazy excuse. To Qi Yunrou, it was nothing more than a perfunctory brush-off.

Qi Yunrou’s anger churned within her, but she forced herself to suppress it, carefully maintaining a composed tone.

“Alright then, Ah Shen, you go ahead and focus on your work. As for me… oh, right, are you at the office? Do you need me to come keep you company?”

Initially, Qi Yunrou had intended to say she’d head straight home, but on second thought, since she was already at the company, she might as well go up and take a look.

The moment Fu Yushen heard her suggestion, he immediately declined. “I’m not at Xingyao Entertainment. I’m working at another company right now. I won’t be back for a while, but once I’m done, I’ll reach out to you.”

After saying this, Fu Yushen, worried that Qi Yunrou might still head to the top floor and disturb his elder brother, quickly added,

“Oh, and for the time being, don’t go to the top floor. My office is currently being used by someone else, and I’m not at Xingyao Entertainment these days. Since I won’t be around, just head home once you’ve finished up.”

As soon as Fu Yushen finished speaking, he noticed Secretary Zhang glancing at their watch with a disapproving expression.

Taking a deep breath to suppress his irritation, Fu Yushen continued. “Alright, I have more work to deal with here. I’ll hang up now and call you back when I have time.”

Without giving Qi Yunrou any chance to respond, Fu Yushen ended the call.

Hearing the disconnected tone from the other end, Qi Yunrou’s face turned dark with displeasure, but she had no choice but to hold back her anger.

Every corner of Xingyao Entertainment was under surveillance, and to maintain her carefully crafted image, Qi Yunrou would never give anyone the opportunity to catch her slipping.

Just as she hung up the call, Anna returned, this time with Director Li in tow.

When Director Li saw that the person at the door was Yuan Xi, an awkward expression crossed his face. He quickly walked over to Qi Yunrou and explained in a hushed tone,

“Miss Qi, Yuan Xi is the company’s newly hired assistant, so he’s not an outsider. Moreover, Manager Fu has already instructed that Yuan Xi is free to move around anywhere within the company.”

Qi Yunrou’s expression nearly slipped.

Manager Fu, Fu… who else could it be in this company besides Fu Yushen? This “Manager Fu” title was likely fabricated just to appease Yuan Xi!

=^_^=

The Author has something to say: under the heroine’s fierce glare:

Yuan Xi: What did I do?

Male lead: She misunderstood

Big Brother: Hmm? What did you say?

Male lead (immediately cowering): Nothing, nothing! I can’t say a word—she’s just losing it!