After Going Bankrupt, I Got Clung To By A Canary Omega - Chapter 8

Shen Chaomu’s eyes were fixed tightly on the rim of the coffee cup. She moved in tiny, careful steps, terrified she would spill it.

Once she came closer and lifted her eyes, she saw the phone Fu Qingli was holding to her ear and suddenly reacted.

A little hesitant, she asked, “Are you on the phone with someone?”

Fu Qingli said, “My mom.”

Shen Chaomu pressed her lips together, holding her breath. Her eyes quickly signaled for Fu Qingli to take the coffee cup from her hands. She was about to lose her grip!

Watching Shen Chaomu flee in defeat, not forgetting to carefully close the door behind her, Fu Qingli could not help giving a soft laugh.

Remembering that Fu Qiqin was still listening on the other end, Fu Qingli restrained her expression and walked to the chair on the balcony to sit down.

After Shen Chaomu’s interruption, Fu Qingli suddenly realized that when facing Fu Qiqin, she actually did not need to be so tense.

The original body’s identity as Fu Qiqin’s daughter was her best cover. Whether good or bad, Fu Qiqin would only actively or passively accept any change in her.

And Fu Qingli’s goal was only to maintain the situation on her side, repay Fu Qiqin’s money as soon as possible, and not drag her down. With Fu Qiqin’s abilities, Ri’an Group going public was only a matter of time.

Fu Qingli took a sip of coffee. Her brows furrowed. She lowered her eyes to look at it, then decisively placed it on the small tea table beside her and did not touch it again.

“I’ll transfer two million to you first later. You… Never mind. I still have things to do on my end. That’s all.”

The call was disconnected.

Fu Qingli held the phone as Fu Qiqin’s earlier hesitation echoed again by her ear.

In that moment, she suddenly felt a little sorry for the other woman.

And pity for the original body too.

After washing up and getting properly dressed, Fu Qingli carried the coffee cup downstairs.

Looking at the black pepper pasta on the dining table… Fu Qingli was a little surprised. Shen Chaomu had improved far too quickly in matters of worldly conduct.

Although one could tell from the food container that it was takeout.

Thinking that she still had to talk to Shen Chaomu later about breaking up and going on the variety show by contract, Fu Qingli decided it was better to accept this olive branch.

On the villa lawn.

Jinzi had eaten and drunk his fill and was running around wildly.

By the lake, the rocking chair’s movements grew smaller and smaller until it gradually stopped.

Shen Chaomu hung up the phone and opened the link Tang Lin had sent her. Her expression gradually turned solemn.

She had not expected Fu Qingli to truly not be joking. The marketing account article Tang Lin sent had clearly been written by someone with some financial and film-industry background. It was quite in-depth, listing out the number of times and amounts Fu Qiqin had moved around cash flow over the past few years to support Fu Qingli’s adventures in the entertainment industry. Added together, the figure was frightening, yet every film had flopped miserably at the box office, losing everything invested.

Once this article was posted, Ri’an’s listing prospects were completely no longer favored. Countless investors had already begun half-publicly calling out Fu Qiqin, making a fuss about withdrawing their shares.

Shen Chaomu downloaded Vibo, logged into her long-unused account, and opened the trending searches.

Unsurprisingly, from top to bottom, the top three all had her name attached, and several entries below were related as well.

For a long time before the past six months, this had been the normal state of her life: everything laid bare for people to judge, whether slander or praise. Gradually, she had grown used to all those words taken out of context, all those woven fabrications, all that flattering the high and trampling the low…

Occasionally, there were times when she wanted to escape and catch her breath. She had used Fu Qingli. She was very clear what Fu Qingli coveted, and she had indulged it too.

She told herself that the two of them had made an equal exchange, each taking what they needed. It was very fair.

She had not expected Fu Qingli to be the first to violate the agreement.

She was not surprised that this person had suddenly become fickle. She had seen far too many people like that.

She had not thought too much about it and had refused.

What was face worth? She only wanted to live a little more comfortably.

The past half year or so had seemed to pass without much feeling, yet after spending only one day together yesterday, she suddenly found herself unable to bear it.

Shen Chaomu opened the camera and curved the corners of her mouth. She was a little rusty. After changing angles a few times, she finally found the feeling of business mode.

She took the photo, uploaded it, added text, and posted it.

Then she logged out of the account and turned off the app notifications.

Thinking of Tang Lin’s reaction, Shen Chaomu simply turned off her phone.

In any case, gaming was even more satisfying on the computer.

After finishing all this, her mood improved by a few degrees. She pressed a hand over her faintly aching stomach and only then remembered that she had been so focused on answering Tang Lin’s call that she had not eaten the breakfast she had ordered.

After Fu Qingli finished breakfast, she lifted her eyes and glanced at Shen Chaomu, who had probably just returned from walking the dog. “You don’t need to prepare coffee or breakfast for me in the future. I prefer Chinese food and will make it myself.”

After saying this, Fu Qingli felt that her words sounded a little like criticism, as if she had accepted the benefit and was still acting ungrateful. She was just about to thank her more tactfully when she saw Shen Chaomu’s delicate brows furrow slightly. Her eyes were fixed on the empty food box on the table, seemingly dissatisfied, yet she forcibly endured it.

Fu Qingli swallowed back the words that had reached her lips. At the same time, a suspicious rumbling sound, like intestinal movement, rang by her ear, confirming her guess.

She had eaten someone else’s breakfast and then criticized it for not being to her taste.

Fu Qingli stood up awkwardly. “Play one round first. Give me fifteen minutes.”

After saying that, she put the empty food container into the bag, wiped the table, which had no crumbs at all, with a tissue, then walked quickly into the kitchen.

Shen Chaomu sat in the dining chair, her arm propped on the table, her chin resting on her hand as her gaze followed Fu Qingli.

In the semi-open kitchen, Fu Qingli’s movements were almost fully visible.

Shen Chaomu watched her find a box of pasta, open the fridge and take out ingredients, wash and cut everything, her movements smooth and flowing…

Shen Chaomu could not help thinking: Fu Qingli after bankruptcy, in the kitchen, was truly very heart-stirring.

Not long after, a wavy-edged white porcelain plate was placed in front of Shen Chaomu.

Bright red tomato meat sauce coated pasta cooked to the perfect springy firmness. A little chopped parsley was sprinkled on top, with white sesame seeds dotted over it. The sweet-and-sour, tempting fragrance of tomato rushed toward her.

Shen Chaomu could not help swallowing. She picked up the fork, rolled up a full bite, and put it into her mouth, closing her eyes in satisfaction.

With her stomach starving and the pasta far too delicious, Shen Chaomu’s mouth did not stop.

Fu Qingli placed a glass of lemon soda water in front of her. “Eat slower. I have something to say to you after you’re done.”

Shen Chaomu choked. After a violent bout of coughing, she took the glass and drank a mouthful, soothing her sore, itchy throat.

She lifted her moist, glistening eyes. “Fu Qingli, next time you say something like that, can you wait until after I finish eating?”

Fu Qingli gritted her teeth and endured it, once again wanting to greet the original body and ask exactly how, in an entertainment industry full of beauties, she had managed to accurately pick out Shen Chaomu, this fussy eldest miss.

“Then eat. Call me when you’re done.”

Fu Qingli already had an idea for the source of the variety show investment funds. Since Tang Lin had settled things on her end, it was better to get everything finalized and start filming as soon as possible.

Shen Chaomu said, “No need. Say it now.”

Fu Qingli glanced at the food left on Shen Chaomu’s plate and insisted, “Finish eating first.”

I’m afraid you won’t be able to eat in a moment, or that you’ll flip the plate altogether.

Shen Chaomu nearly lost it. She tapped her fork against the edge of the plate. “Fu Qingli, as a person, your cooking is decent, but the way you talk really kills people’s appetite.”

“Then you can record it. I’ll give you free use of it as weight-loss medicine.”

Fu Qingli did not care at all. If this eldest miss wanted someone to serve her, she could find whoever she liked. Fu Qingli had no desire to keep cooking for Shen Chaomu.

If things moved quickly, the variety show would begin filming next week. After two months of recording, the two of them could completely cut ties.

Shen Chaomu reacted violently. “Are you saying I got fat?”

As she spoke, she quickly touched her cheeks and chin, then swept a glance over her exposed legs. Still not reassured, she stood up and pinched her waist, inhaling deeply. She tried hard to push the middle fingers of both hands toward each other, but there still seemed to be an entire galaxy between them, nowhere near touching.

Shen Chaomu refused to give up. It had to be because her clothes were too thick.

She lifted her shirt, bit the hem between her teeth, and continued bending over to pinch her waist, trying to bring her middle fingers together.

Her snow-white, warm jade-like skin gradually flushed pink with the effort, making the small red mole above her navel look even more bewitching.

Fu Qingli’s throat bobbed. She abruptly came back to herself and hurriedly turned her head away. She took the water glass on the table and drank to cover it up.

What entered her mouth was slightly sour, appetizing soda water. Fu Qingli quietly put the glass back in its original place, the roots of her ears faintly red.

Seeing that Shen Chaomu was still fussing over it, Fu Qingli picked up her phone and swiped a couple of times. Looking at the phone wallpaper, she said, “I was just making an analogy. You’re not fat. You’re already skinny as the White Bone Demon.”

“You look three times fatter on camera. If I had your height, I wouldn’t be worried.”

Shen Chaomu looked with envy and jealousy at Fu Qingli’s height and proportions. She had a small frame that did not hide flesh, her height was only so-so, and she loved eating and easily gained weight. In the past, when she was filming, she had suffered plenty to control her weight.

Fu Qingli caught the key words. Originally, she had still been worried about how to convince Shen Chaomu to partner with her on the variety show.

At a glance, Shen Chaomu clearly was not someone ambitious. She was a complete salted fish. As long as she had internet, a computer, and her phone, she could live in decadent bliss without ever leaving the house.

Fu Qingli followed her words. “Whether you look fat on camera actually depends on the lens and lighting. For variety shows, most scenes are filmed outdoors, so the lighting conditions are good. Add in a good cinematographer, and it isn’t hard to make someone look thinner.”

Fu Qingli finished speaking with a completely serious expression. Her gaze searched around for Shen Chaomu’s phone. When she did not see it, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Shen Chaomu glanced at Fu Qingli suspiciously. “You know so much.”

Fu Qingli took the opportunity. “So do you want to consider it? Recently, the company has a pretty rare variety show. Traveling through mountains and rivers, experiencing the local customs and cultures of different places, tasting all kinds of good food.”

Fu Qingli thought through Shen Chaomu’s living habits and added, “The variety show has plenty of funding. The accommodations will be good, the internet will be stable, and there will be quite a lot of logistics staff. You don’t need to worry about daily care.”

“Are you participating?”

Fu Qingli froze, then lifted her eyes to look at Shen Chaomu, unable to understand her logic for a moment.

Did Shen Chaomu not want to participate with her? Was she afraid that if the two of them appeared on camera at the same time, it would confirm her identity as Fu Qingli’s canary? Or did she feel that the two of them did not get along well and that it would affect her public image?

Fu Qingli did have concerns in that area too. Judging only from these short two days, Fu Qingli felt that both of them could barely stand each other. What made her even more unable to understand was why Shen Chaomu refused to break up.

Oh. The latter was because of money. One million US dollars, right.

Fu Qingli secretly reminded herself that after discussing the variety-show cooperation, she would bring up breaking up. The sooner they broke up, the sooner she would be free. Once the variety show exploded in popularity and she earned money, she feared Shen Chaomu would directly open her lion’s mouth and demand one billion from her.

Fu Qingli could not be sure, so she simply handed the initiative to Shen Chaomu. “It depends on what you think.”

Shen Chaomu answered readily, “If you participate, I’ll participate.”

Fu Qingli’s spine stiffened. Her throat inexplicably tightened, and a dry, parched feeling rose up. She lifted her hand, took the water glass, and drank it empty in one breath before she felt her brain begin to function again.

Fu Qingli cleared her throat. “Shen Chaomu, don’t talk like that in the future.”

It had made her inexplicably think of floating ice at sea and that famous line, “You jump, I jump.”

Shen Chaomu’s gaze fixed on the empty glass, then moved to Fu Qingli’s slightly parted lips. Those rouge-red lips, a little darker than pink, had been soaked glossy and translucent by the water. With each breath, they rose and fell slightly.

Fu Qingli also reacted. This time, by mistake, she had drunk Shen Chaomu’s water again and had been caught red-handed. She could only pretend not to know. “Shen Chaomu, what are you looking at?”

Shen Chaomu lifted her eyes toward the sky.

“There’s a black pepper flake on your front tooth.”