After Transmigrating into the Role of the Villain Forced to Pamper the Heroine of an Angsty Novel - Chapter 16

Meng Qiuran’s resignation letter allowed the various leaders of the investment department to breathe a collective sigh of relief. They had finally seen this “great deity” off; now, the department’s operations could finally return to normal.

However, as the head of the department, Zhang Hen’an had to perform the necessary social niceties. Looking at the resignation request waiting for his signature, his face was full of feigned regret and reluctance.

“Qiuran, leaving so soon? Won’t you reconsider?”

Meng Qiuran curled her lips perfunctorily. “I’ve learned quite a lot. I’m satisfied.”

On the surface, those words sounded fine, but one couldn’t look too closely. Zhang Hen’an caught a hint of mockery in her tone and stopped pretending. No one could predict this young socialite’s temper; it was better to sign and approve it quickly. If someone managed to persuade her to stay and she changed her mind, the ones to suffer would be the working-class staff like them.

This was a Meng family company; she could come and go as she pleased, unlike professional managers who had to survive on performance. Meng Qiuran hadn’t been with the company long, but she had opposed a significant number of projects. To her, this one wasn’t viable, that one wasn’t good—nothing seemed to meet her standards.

After securing Zhang Hen’an’s signature, Meng Qiuran headed straight for HR, this time carrying the personnel file of another individual.

Besides asking Meng Xiayan for fifty million, she had added a condition: Yuan Yi was to be transferred back to HR to retain her original position, but would leave with her on a temporary “secondment” basis.

The investment department was a front-line business unit; every extra head meant splitting performance bonuses, which the others certainly wouldn’t like. Back in HR, it was just a fixed salary, so Meng Xiayan naturally had no objection.

Meng Qiuran knew she would eventually leave this world. Recruiting Yuan Yi to help complete the mission was for her own benefit, so she felt she had to leave the girl a safety net.

Yuan Yi didn’t mind. She had never really wanted to work in such a large corporation anyway; she found the rules stifling and the office politics exhausting and oppressive. If her parents hadn’t insisted, she wouldn’t have bothered applying to the Meng Group.

But Meng Qiuran told her it was just a backup option—if she eventually decided not to return, they could just finalize the resignation later. Having been thoroughly bribed by that autograph, Yuan Yi was very obedient to Meng Qiuran.

The eldest Miss Meng had spent a short time in the investment department. She had no actual performance to speak of, though she had voiced several objections. Now, having grown bored of the “game,” she was leaving gracefully and taking an assistant with her—this was the hot topic of gossip among the staff.

Someone, somehow, started a rumor that on the day before the resignation, they saw Meng Qiuran and Yuan Yi being quite intimate in the office, with their clothes in disarray. Consequently, the “true” reason for the resignation became even more shrouded in mystery, perfectly catering to people’s appetite for gossip.

However, no one dared to spread the rumors outside the office. Not only would Meng Xiayan be furious, but if Miss Meng herself found out, she might storm back immediately. Every day she spent in the department brought a fair amount of pressure to everyone; her departure felt like a curse being lifted.

Meng Qiuran received the first installment of thirty million and took Yuan Yi to choose an office space. Unlike the Meng Group, which preferred purchasing property, she chose to rent—and she pointedly refused to rent any building owned by the Meng family.

She selected a location in the most prestigious part of the CBD. The rent was astronomical, but Meng Qiuran didn’t hesitate for a second. Yuan Yi followed behind; she had no experience in this area and didn’t offer unsolicited advice. Seeing Meng Qiuran’s decisive and generous spending, she couldn’t help but sigh: This is the style of a wealthy socialite—money isn’t even money to her.

Once the office was secured, Meng Qiuran had the property management install the equipment as quickly as possible and hired a professional agency to handle the business registration.

Yuan Yi hadn’t told her family about the job change. She continued to leave the house at the usual time, but since there was no specific work to do, she mostly just wandered around with Meng Qiuran.

Meng Qiuran also seemed quite idle. They were either eating out or relaxing somewhere, but one thing remained constant: she always carried her laptop.

One morning, they were sitting on the terrace of a bistro. The sunlight coming through the glass roof was comfortable, and the temperature was perfect. Yuan Yi sipped her coffee, staring at her boss.

Meng Qiuran looked at her screen with a slight smirk. “Why aren’t you eating your breakfast? Why are you looking at me?”

“Sister Qiu, what exactly are you looking at on that computer every day?”

Seeing her genuine curiosity, Meng Qiuran turned the laptop around. This time, Yuan Yi saw clearly. The screen was full of colorful, jagged lines. It was a shock to the eyes.

“Oh, so you’re trading stocks.” But as she looked closer, it didn’t look like the apps she saw on her parents’ phones.

“Strictly speaking, it’s more exciting than stocks.”

“Huh?”

Meng Qiuran turned the screen back and took a sip of her coffee, calmly watching the numbers jump and change.

“Oh, I know—Futures!” Yuan Yi recalled a teacher mentioning them in school. She didn’t trade them herself, so she hadn’t recognized it immediately.

Meng Qiuran smiled. “Sharp girl.”

“I’ve heard a saying,” Yuan Yi added.

Meng Qiuran turned. “Let’s hear it.”

“Amateurs chase the highs, veterans buy the dips, but masters use leverage.” Yuan Yi gave a thumbs-up. “You’re a master.”

Playing with high leverage in the futures market was no joke. Thirty million might be an astronomical sum to an average person, but in the futures market, it was actually quite ordinary.

Meng Qiuran pushed a plate of toast toward her. “Here, the master treats you to bread.”

Actually, Meng Qiuran’s logic was simple. Starting a business with fifty million was possible, but the speed of wealth generation wasn’t fast enough. If she wanted to invest in film resources, ten or twenty million wouldn’t make a big splash, and she would have no real say in things. Asking Meng Xiayan for more money would require explanations and put her under closer scrutiny. It was better to rely on her old profession.

Meng Qiuran’s new company opened. As expected, it was an investment firm. However, the company was tiny—so far, it was just her and Yuan Yi. Even the receptionist was “borrowed” from the property management office.

Despite the high-end office environment, Yuan Yi wasn’t idle while her boss spent her days addicted to the computer. Meng Qiuran had assigned her the task of collecting all updates on Gu Ruolan and writing a report analyzing the current state of the domestic film industry. These were topics Yuan Yi knew well, but organizing them into a report with data analysis was a challenge. Thus, in the empty office, the two of them stayed busy from morning till night.

After a week, Yuan Yi couldn’t help but ask, “Sister Qiu, are we a shell company?”

Meng Qiuran glanced at her. “Getting impatient already?”

Yuan Yi pursed her lips. “No, I just feel a bit… uncertain.” Now that she was more familiar with Meng Qiuran, she spoke more bluntly.

“I have a new task for you.”

Yuan Yi’s eyes lit up at the prospect of actual work.

“I need a small but elite PR team.”

“For what?”

Meng Qiuran’s gaze suddenly became sharp and determined. “To handle those mysterious ‘black materials’ in the entertainment industry immediately.”

Yuan Yi naturally didn’t realize this was prepared specifically for Gu Ruolan; she simply thought Meng Qiuran wanted to make money from celebrities.

Meng Qiuran starting her own firm wasn’t a huge news story. Gu Ruolan, being with the film crew, naturally didn’t know. She only heard about it after the endorsement event for Jianian Watches.

As a top-tier luxury brand, Jianian had very high requirements for its spokespeople. Gu Ruolan had only officially been promoted from “Brand Ambassador” to “Spokesperson” after winning the Silver Glow award. She had requested leave from the director for this event, as there was a cocktail party in the evening.

Both Meng Xiayan and Xie Yuzong were there. The two hadn’t coordinated, but the moment they saw each other in the banquet hall, they both understood the other’s purpose. Tonight, they were both here for Gu Ruolan.

Meng Qiuran was also there, but she didn’t come as her brother’s plus-one; she had received an official invitation from Jianian. The original host loved the brand so much she had spent her way into the top ten VIP customers in the country.

Meng Xiayan waited for an opportunity to speak with Gu Ruolan. The moment the brand executives stepped away, he approached her immediately.

“Hello, Miss Gu.” He gave a polite, gentlemanly smile. Combined with his good looks and background, Meng Xiayan was indeed quite attractive to women.

Gu Ruolan, however, was indifferent. When she saw him approaching, her first instinct was to take two steps back. It was a subtle movement, but the attitude of avoidance was clear.

Meng Xiayan felt a bit awkward. A hint of confusion and annoyance flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly dissolved by his fascination with her beauty. He was truly infatuated with this actress.

“Hello, Mr. Meng.”

Gu Ruolan was forced to muster her energy to entertain him. This wasn’t the first time she had seen such a predatory gaze; Meng Xiayan was just slightly more restrained than others.

“I heard you ran into some trouble recently and was quite worried, so I had my sister visit the set on my behalf.” As he spoke, he couldn’t stop looking at her. “Though she couldn’t offer practical help, I hope you’ve received my sincerity.”

Gu Ruolan was stunned. Meng Qiuran’s sudden visit was because of Meng Xiayan? Then why didn’t she say anything?

But she didn’t press the matter, simply nodding politely. “Thank you for your concern, Mr. Meng. They were just trivial matters; the company has already handled them properly.”

Meng Xiayan felt she was impenetrable. She didn’t return his calls, and now she was rebuffing his overtures. He hesitated, unsure of how best to win her over.

“Actually, I’ve been wanting to invest in a movie, and for the lead actress…”

“Brother.” A voice suddenly appeared beside them, startling both.

Meng Qiuran walked over with a smile. She addressed him as “Brother,” but she stood right next to Gu Ruolan.

Meng Xiayan had to stop. He looked at her. “What is it?”

“I have something to say to Miss Gu.”

Her tone wasn’t one of negotiation; it was a pure notification. Meng Xiayan raised an eyebrow but politely took his leave.

After he left, Gu Ruolan bit her lip and turned to Meng Qiuran. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Thank you for helping me out of that jam.”

Meng Qiuran thought: Finally, you’re waking up. However, it wasn’t enough. She had to give a few more reminders.

“I really do have a few words I want to say to you.”