After Differentiating into an O, Pampered by an A - Chapter 6

In the afternoon.

At the Shen Group.

Inside a boardroom with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking half of Jiangcheng, Shen Yushu was presenting the South Factory project to the shareholders.

Just as Sun Xi had predicted, the moment they left the venue that morning, a call came in from Chairman Zhang. After a month-long battle against Shang Qing, Shen Yushu had successfully secured the project. When the news reached the company, everyone was invigorated.

After the meeting, Shen Yushu returned to her office alone. She held a stack of documents, but her mind was elsewhere.

If I hadn’t inexplicably believed Ye Xing’s nonsense today, would I have really lost to Shang Qing?

How did that Ye Xing know about the deal between Shang Qing and Liu Changhe? Shen Yushu was baffled. As for that rubbish about “fortune-telling,” she’d have to be a ghost to believe it.

The more she thought about it, the more restless she became.

Knock, knock—

Sun Xi entered after knocking, holding several sheets of paper. “President Shen, here is the information you requested.”

Shen Yushu looked up and gave a faint “Mm.”

Sun Xi closed the door softly, walked up to Shen Yushu, and handed over the documents. “President Shen, Ye Xing is 25 years old and an artist under Chuan’ai Entertainment. She has no special background—just a minor star who relies on her face. She did alright a few years ago, but she’s been a ‘flop’ in the industry recently.”

Sun Xi had spent the time after the meeting tirelessly digging up this information. She was a bit confused; Shen Yushu never cared about entertainment news, so why was she suddenly investigating this woman?

Shen Yushu kept her gaze lowered, appearing to listen intently.

Uh, President Shen couldn’t possibly be interested in a woman like that, could she? But the other party is an Alpha! Sun Xi quickly shook that thought out of her head and continued her report:

“This Ye Xing is an Alpha. She usually likes to hang out with the young masters of the Liu family. Reporters have caught her in scandals with other female stars quite often, but her company doesn’t seem to care, so…”

“That’s enough,” Shen Yushu interrupted with a hand gesture.

Sun Xi nodded and looked at her, asking in a low voice, “President Shen, that’s about all there is. Um… you already said you wouldn’t make things difficult for Ye Xing today. Do you need me to do anything else with this information?”

“Assistant Sun, besides this, did you find anything else? For example…” Shen Yushu laced her slender fingers together and paused for a moment. “For example, whether this woman can tell fortunes, perform divinations… that sort of thing?”

Sun Xi looked completely blank, her head shaking like a rattle. “No, President Shen. What you’re describing isn’t a celebrity, that’s a spirit medium!”

Seeing Sun Xi’s reaction, Shen Yushu realized she must be going crazy. She glanced at the clock on the wall, exhaled, and said slowly, “Alright, you can go now. That’s all.”

“Understood, President Shen.”

After Sun Xi left, Shen Yushu’s pinkish fingertips touched the white paper on her desk, making her cold, pale skin look almost translucent. She gripped the papers and leaned back in her chair, her gaze eventually landing on Ye Xing’s photo.

It was likely a photo from Ye Xing’s early debut—long, straight black hair, clean and innocent, with a sun-like smile that seemed to have the magic to infect others with joy.

Shen Yushu truly could not connect this woman with the Ye Xing from last night. Remembering how Ye Xing had hugged and clung to her, a small spark of anger began to flicker in Shen Yushu’s eyes. She set the files aside, composed herself, and picked up the reports Sun Xi had brought along.

Inside Chuan’ai Entertainment.

Ye Xing sat in the lounge, her eyes fixed on the office across from her. Ding Ling had been inside for two hours already.

Ye Xing felt that since she was the one who offended the “Big Boss,” the high-level leadership shouldn’t be chewing out Sister Ling all by herself. Just as she was about to rush in and take the blame, the door opened.

Seeing Ding Ling, Ye Xing ran up. “Sister Ling, are you okay? I thought the brands weren’t canceling; why are they still hounding you?”

Fearing Ye Xing’s words would be overheard, Ding Ling pulled her back into the lounge and shut the door. “Aiya, my little ancestor, pipe down! Do you have any idea how close you came to a disaster? After Shen Yushu said she’d blacklist you, those brands came straight for the contracts demanding compensation. If the company hadn’t protected you and if the Shen Group hadn’t backed off later, you wouldn’t be going home to farm—you’d be begging on the streets!”

“Holy crap, begging on the streets!” Ye Xing was shocked for a second, but mostly felt relieved that her quick wit had saved her.

Seeing Ye Xing silent, Ding Ling thought she was scared and comforted her instead. “Alright, it’s all settled now. Just keep a low profile for a while. The company has hired ‘water soldiers’ (hired internet commenters) to control the comments and try to wash away the previous backlash. Otherwise, how will you survive in this industry? Do you really want to go home and plant crops?”

“I’ll plant a caterpillar—”

Seeing Ye Xing could still joke, Ding Ling made a call. Shortly after, a young Beta girl walked in. She was wearing a simple, clean white T-shirt, had a round face full of collagen, and a bright, clever smile.

“Youyou, come in,” Ding Ling beckoned.

“Let me introduce you. This is Ning Youyou, your new assistant,” Ding Ling told Ye Xing. Then she instructed Ning Youyou: “You’ll follow Ye Xing from now on. Don’t worry about anything else, just take good care of our big star.”

Ning Youyou looked at them both, her entire posture radiating nervousness. “Hello, Sister Ling. I’ll take good care of Sister Xing.”

Sister Xing? Ye Xing looked at Ning Youyou, who seemed to be about her own age. That “Sister Xing” made her feel ten years older.

She let out a shallow smile. “Um, Youyou, you can just call me by my name. ‘Sister Xing’ sounds a bit… tacky.”

Ding Ling: “…”

Ning Youyou reacted quickly, nodding and calling out in a sweet voice, “Okay, Sister Xing-xing!”

Well, “Sister Xing-xing” sounded better. Seeing Ye Xing’s tacit approval, the three shared a smile.

Ding Ling checked her watch and sighed. “Ye Xing, there’s another company meeting later. I’ll have Youyou take you home to rest. Take a good break; I’ll communicate with Youyou about all future work. You just go back and take care of that exhausted face of yours—Sister Ling is counting on it to make you famous again.”

Actually, once she mentioned it, Ye Xing really did feel tired. Ning Youyou immediately went into work mode, picking up Ye Xing’s bag. “Let’s go, Sister Xing-xing, I’ll take you back.”

“Okay.”

Outside the company, Ye Xing and Ning Youyou chatted the whole way. Since they were close in age, they hit it off quickly. However, Ye Xing didn’t go straight home. Instead, she had Ning Youyou take her to a styling salon frequented by celebrities.

She had to dye this eye-catching pink mess back to a normal color.

As twilight fell, Sun Xi sat outside the office. Seeing no sign of Shen Yushu leaving, she sent her boyfriend a text saying she’d be working overtime. But before she could put her phone down, a shadow suddenly fell over her.

She looked up; Shen Yushu was standing there.

“Assistant Sun,” Shen Yushu said while adjusting her clothes, looking surprised. “I told you to leave early. Why are you still here?”

Sun Xi tucked her phone away with a smile. “President Shen, you’re still working. As your assistant, how could I leave before you?”

Shen Yushu furrowed her brow with an “enough with the flattery” expression. “Go home. Don’t go picking fights with your boyfriend and blaming it on me for giving you too much pressure. The Shen Group isn’t a place that exploits people.”

Sun Xi’s lips curved into a grin, and she happily began packing her desk. “President Shen, then let me drive you back!”

“No need. I’m going to the old family mansion. Go home as soon as you’re done.” Shen Yushu turned and walked toward the elevator.

Actually, she hadn’t planned on leaving yet, but she’d received a call from the mansion asking her to come for dinner. Since taking over the company, Shen Yushu had moved out to live alone. She figured her father had heard about the South Factory project and wanted to discuss the follow-up. That was fine; she had some ideas she wanted to communicate as well.

Half an hour later, a black luxury car drove discreetly into the Shen family courtyard. The yard was filled with exotic plants behind layers of fencing, their fragrances filling the air. Swings, fish ponds, and rockeries spoke to the owners’ refined tastes.

As Shen Yushu stepped out, an old butler in his sixties greeted her. “Miss, you’re back. Master and Madam are waiting inside!”

“Thank you, Butler Wu.”

Shen Yushu handed the keys to him. She had just stepped through the villa’s front door when a figure dashed out and nearly collided with her.

“Ow—!” Shen Xiaoqian hissed in pain, rubbing her arm. Once she saw it was Shen Yushu, she immediately dove behind her to hide.

“Auntie, save me! Little Aunt is going to kill me!”

Before Shen Yushu could react, a woman in a white dress came running down the stairs from the second floor. She looked slightly younger than Shen Yushu, and a close look revealed a strong resemblance between the two.

The woman was clutching a rolled-up object, looking furious. She pointed at Shen Xiaoqian and yelled, “You little brat! Run all you want, see if I don’t tear these pieces of trash to shreds!”

With that, she unfurled the object, ready to rip it.

Seeing that the woman was serious, Shen Xiaoqian stood out and yelled back, “Shen Yuzhi! If you dare lay a finger on my wife, I’ll fight you to the death!”

Hearing Shen Xiaoqian call her by her full name, Shen Yuzhi’s beautiful features twisted with rage. Without a word—Rrip!—the corner of the poster in her hand tore away.

Shen Xiaoqian: “Ah… I don’t want to live anymore! You tore my wife! Give me back my wife!”

Shen Yushu crossed her arms, watching with a headache. Finally, she couldn’t help but say coldly, “Shen Yuzhi, is it really fun for you to bully an eighteen-year-old kid?”

Shen Yushu knelt to pick up a few posters scattered at her feet, intending to give them back to Shen Xiaoqian to end the fuss. But when she flipped them over and saw the person pictured, her movements froze.

A chilling voice suddenly rang out: “Shen Xiaoqian… who did you just say was your wife?”