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After waiting for a long time, there was still no sign of Yan Xi coming out of the restroom.
Sun Qi was puzzled and had his assistant go into the women’s restroom to find her. After searching for a while, the assistant came back saying there was no one inside.
“Did she run off? She doesn’t want such a good opportunity to become a star?” Sun Qi couldn’t understand.
The assistant, recalling Yan Xi’s self-introduction at the front desk, cautiously spoke, “Is it possible that she isn’t a fan, doesn’t want to sign a contract, and just really came to deliver something to Teacher Zhou?”
.
Third floor of Tianhui Entertainment
Zhou Qingyu stepped out of the elevator and pushed open the door to the CEO’s office.
Her heart was fluttering with excitement, a smile playing on her face.
Pei Yubai rarely took the initiative to contact her, but even though she knew he had asked to meet her today for tomorrow’s variety show, Zhou Qingyu was still happy.
As soon as she entered the office, Pei Yubai immediately started scolding her. “Don’t you know Tianhui is at a critical juncture? Why are you bullying Luoyi in the crew? Luoyi is just one of my company’s artists, and you’re making things difficult for me!”
Zhou Qingyu felt like she had been doused with cold water. The smile on her face froze. “I just can’t stand her always being around you. Pei Yubai, don’t be angry…”
“How can I not be angry?!” Pei Yubai’s tone became even harsher. “I’ve already told you that Luoyi and I are just for marketing purposes! How can you be so clueless? Do you want me to lose to Pei Hanli? Do you want my competition with him to fail?”
“No, I don’t want that!” Zhou Qingyu was so anxious that she couldn’t speak coherently.
Today, during the filming of ” The Fall of Prosperity,” Zhou Qingyu had a scene with Ye Luoyi. The director requested that they actually hit each other for the sake of the scene’s visual effect. Zhou Qingyu was ecstatic, using all the frustration she had previously bottled up from Ye Luoyi and slapped her hard across the face. The slap left a red mark on Ye Luoyi’s cheek.
Nearby paparazzi caught the moment and posted it online, deliberately framing it as Zhou Qingyu slapping Ye Luoyi.
But the director had specifically asked for a real slap, and Zhou Qingyu felt that she had just applied some force. She didn’t understand why she was being blamed for it.
Pei Yubai, pinching the bridge of his nose in pain, said, “Let’s just let this go.”
Zhou Qingyu was still useful to him, and before he could fully gain control of the Pei family, Pei Yubai didn’t want to sour their relationship. “Because of the slap today, I’ll give the variety show spot to Luoyi. When you record tomorrow, make sure to apologize to her and get along well on the show.”
“You’re not going to record?” Zhou Qingyu widened her eyes in shock. She had been thinking about this for so long, wanting to travel with Pei Yubai. How could he not go?
What Pei Yubai said next made Zhou Qingyu’s face turn green with anger. “And why do I have to apologize to Ye Luoyi? I didn’t do anything wrong! If you’re not going, I’m not going either!”
Pei Yubai had anticipated that Zhou Qingyu would refuse, his tone becoming stern. “Why are you so unreasonable? If you like me, can’t you think more about me? If I can’t gain the Pei family, how can we be together?”
Zhou Qingyu felt wronged inside. “Even without the Pei family, you still have me…”
Pei Yubai interrupted her, “A man must have his own career. Do you want me to be a kept man? Zhou Qingyu, what’s the difference between you doing this and ruining me?!”
Pei Yubai’s face showed signs of irritation, and his tone carried a hint of anger.
Zhou Qingyu could tell that he was upset, so she carefully tried to appease him. “Yubai, please don’t be angry. I didn’t mean it like that…”
“I know you didn’t mean it badly,” Pei Yubai’s tone softened a little. “But Qingyu, you need to be more understanding. For my sake, for our future, please get along with Luoyi on the variety show. Apologize to her tomorrow for slapping her, okay?”
Zhou Qingyu still felt reluctant. She was usually proud and self-centered, but whenever it came to Pei Yubai, all her principles seemed to fade away.
As long as she looked at him, her heart softened.
She nodded. “Okay.”
Yan Xi pretended to have a stomachache and left. When she arrived on the third floor, she happened to see Zhou Qingyu stumbling out of the CEO’s office, looking despondent.
Her makeup was perfect, but her eyes were red and puffy, giving her a look as if she was on the verge of crying.
Upon seeing Yan Xi, Zhou Qingyu couldn’t hold it in anymore. She tightly hugged Yan Xi, and tears began to fall freely. Yan Xi didn’t ask any questions; instead, she embraced Zhou Qingyu and gently stroked her back.
Pei Yubai came out of the office, surprised to see Yan Xi, but he still greeted her politely.
“It’s been a long time.”
Yan Xi gave a light scoff, “It’s not really ‘long time no see.’ I seem to run into the second young master quite often!”
“Oh?” Pei Yubai was initially puzzled but quickly understood. “You watch financial programs too? I recently recorded an interview for one.”
Yan Xi smiled. “What’s so interesting about financial interviews? I watch entertainment news. I didn’t expect the second young master of Pei family to have a girlfriend in the entertainment industry and an unmarried fiancée in the wealthy circle. Quite impressive, huh?”
Pei Yubai’s expression froze.
The fact that he and Zhou Qingyu were engaged was only known to the Pei and Zhou families. Their elders never paid attention to entertainment news, so Pei Yubai didn’t feel the need to worry.
But now, Yan Xi had directly brought it up, and Pei Yubai was losing face.
Just as he was about to explain, Yan Xi very “graciously” interrupted him. “No need to explain, I understand. You and Ye Luoyi are just playing games, right?”
Pei Yubai breathed a sigh of relief, but the next moment, he heard Yan Xi’s sarcastic voice. “I’m just worried the second young master might mistake acting for real. If Old Master Pei finds out, breaking your leg would be considered lenient. Second young master, don’t you think I’m right?”
Yan Xi said it so casually, as though it were just a joke, but Pei Yubai felt uncomfortable, as if Yan Xi had seen through his secret.
Thankfully, Zhou Qingyu continued to defend him. “Xixi, don’t say that about Brother Yubai. He likes me. He’s doing this for our future.”
Yan Xi took a deep breath. She knew that these weren’t Zhou Qingyu’s true feelings. It was just something her love-stricken mind was saying under the influence of the situation. So, she wouldn’t hold it against Zhou Qingyu. Instead, she would simply stay by her side.
Yan Xi laughed lightly, her tone playful but sharp. “I was just joking,” she looked at Pei Yubai, “A person like the second young master, who would never do something so beastly as playing both sides, right?”
Pei Yubai felt the subtle implication but couldn’t refute it. His lips twitched as he forced a smile.
“Of course not.”