My Paranoid Girlfriend Asks Me to Be Her Kept Woman (Rebirth) - Chapter 17

Early the next morning, Lin Yi gathered her emotions and wanted to go to Shanhai with Zhao Qi.

Usually, this was how they did things. After waking up in the morning, they would eat breakfast together, and Assistant Li would drive them to the company.

Lin Yi stood in front of the mirror and encouraged herself.

“Come on! Lin Yi! If there’s something to say, then go clear it up!”

Finally, she added another light layer of pale pink makeup.

Usually, she would just put on primer and go to the company. But last night, no matter what, she could not sleep. Two dark circles hung under her eyes, her eye sockets were bluish, and her eyes were full of red veins.

She patted her cheeks. The orange blush was enough to restore some color to her complexion.

Her steps were light, thinking Zhao Qi would be waiting for her.

There was no one in the living room.

No one on the balcony.

The flowers from last night sat lonely on the small coffee table, their blooming colors admired by no one.

Lin Yi bit her lower lip and went to knock on Zhao Qi’s bedroom door.

After several knocks, no one answered.

“Zhao Qi?”

“Are you there?”

She held the doorknob, and the door opened as soon as she pulled.

The cool woody fragrance the woman often wore rushed eagerly into Lin Yi’s nose. On the bed, the plain-colored quilt and pillows were arranged neatly. On the dressing table, the skincare and makeup products the woman usually used had already vanished.

Lin Yi stood there at a loss and called again, “Zhao Qi?”

The windows were bright and clean, but still, no one answered.

Her heart sank straight to the bottom. She dialed a number.

“Assistant Li.”

“Good morning, Miss Lin.”

“Zhao Qi, she… did she go to the company?” Lin Yi’s voice trembled.

“Miss Lin didn’t know?” Assistant Li asked in surprise. “Boss was temporarily sent to Europe by headquarters for a meeting.”

“She left on a four a.m. flight today.”

Lin Yi’s heart sank sharply. She heard Assistant Li continue on the other end of the phone, “Before leaving, Boss gave instructions. She said Miss Lin is now an official signed artist of our company, and asked me to arrange a car and driver for you. Today, Miss Lin can take my car to the company as usual.”

“Starting tomorrow, a dedicated car will come to pick you up.”

Assistant Li’s voice was steady. “Does Miss Lin want to go to the company now? I’m waiting for you downstairs.”

Lin Yi held the phone, her heart heavy. She could not understand what the woman was thinking.

She thought both of them had each other in their hearts.

But the woman had left without saying goodbye.

Lin Yi dragged her heavy steps downstairs and got into the car.

Assistant Li turned the steering wheel and drove toward Shanhai.

On the way, since Zhao Qi was not there, Assistant Li asked one extra question.

“Does Miss Lin know why Boss is in a bad mood?”

“She’s in a bad mood?”

Lin Yi had originally been leaning against the car window, looking outside. She immediately sat up straight.

Assistant Li said, “I was the one who sent Boss to the airport this morning. She hurriedly instructed me to take good care of Miss Lin, then boarded the plane.”

“Then how could you tell she was in a bad mood?” Lin Yi asked anxiously.

Had she done something wrong yesterday and upset the woman?

Or had something happened at the company?

She worried over gains and losses, thinking wildly.

Assistant Li thought that Miss Lin was not an outsider. Now she was also living with Boss, so she should be Boss’s close “intimate friend.” Besides, he would soon have to rush to Europe too. Figuring out his direct superior’s mood was the important thing.

He said, “The moment Boss came downstairs, I felt something was off.”

“Usually, her expression is also indifferent, but it isn’t as cold as it was today.”

“And she usually doesn’t like to talk. This time, she was only going to Europe briefly, but she gave a lot of instructions.”

Assistant Li laughed inwardly. It was like a child sulking with someone.

On one hand, she was having a conflict with the other person and pretending to ignore them. On the other hand, she secretly cared about them and instructed that Miss Lin be properly taken care of.

Judging from the situation, she had probably quarreled with Miss Lin.

Lin Yi gave a disappointed “oh.”

Even she herself did not know what had happened. The woman had suddenly turned cold.

All the joy in her heart had vanished into nothing.

Her heart went up and down—happy one moment, disappointed the next, sweet one moment, sad the next.

All her joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness were tied to that woman. If the red string in the woman’s hand tightened even slightly, Lin Yi would become nervous and helpless.

Assistant Li turned a corner. Shanhai was just ahead. Before stopping the car, he said, “When Miss Lin has time, you might as well call Boss. It should be noon for her, so she should be free.”

Lin Yi softly gave an “Mm” and got out of the car.

Today, as usual, she explored the direction of her new album. Shanhai really was different from Jianming.

She had only just arrived, but after receiving praise from all sides, Fan Texi made a quick decision and changed her music training into preparation for releasing a new album.

Lin Yi had doubts in her heart and had gone to ask Fan Texi.

“Right now, I don’t have fans, and I don’t have listeners. Although you and all the teachers recognize my ability, isn’t doing this too risky?”

After hearing this, Fan Texi stared at her and smiled.

“You’re a singer. You only need to do what a singer should do. As for publicity and release, leave that to the professionals.”

“Every profession has its specialty. As long as your songs are strong enough, our publicity and release can ignite the market.”

Fan Texi was eager to try. “It’s time to inject a shot of adrenaline into the sluggish music market!”

What Lin Yi saw at Jianming was completely different from what she saw at Shanhai.

At Jianming, only after a person became popular would their songs and acting receive resources.

So people at the bottom could only desperately climb upward, hoping they would one day become famous and gain access to the company’s resources. Because of that, many dirty transactions grew in the shadows.

But Shanhai was not like that.

At Shanhai, singers only had to sing, actors only had to act, and other matters would naturally be handled by professionals.

Everyone performed their own duties, orderly and well-organized.

Lin Yi was grateful, and on this fertile soil, she bloomed into a brilliant flower.

A fish entered the sea and roamed freely; a kunpeng spread its wings and soared ten thousand miles.

But the current Lin Yi was still troubled by Zhao Qi’s coldness.

After a busy morning, she had arguments with professional producers, then reconciliations, and in the end, the song producer was successfully persuaded by Lin Yi.

The songs and lyrics would be entirely written by Lin Yi. He would only be responsible for arrangement, chords, and controlling the broader content.

There had never been a newly debuted artist so bold as to fully control the creative direction of both lyrics and music, while the company still allowed her to do as she wished.

What convinced the producer was not some bizarre reasoning, but Lin Yi’s understanding of the current trends in the music scene from her previous life.

Lin Yi had experienced the current music scene, and she was also eight years ahead of it. She knew what was popular now and what would become popular in the future. She also knew how to create it.

On this point, even the producer admitted defeat and sincerely felt that the company had found a treasure.

Generally, music that won praise did not sell well because the market did not accept it. Music that sold well often required giving up the qualities one personally pursued. Very few people could balance popularity and self-expression.

But Lin Yi was different. She seemed to have an extraordinary sense for things, with a unique understanding of the market, trends, and herself.

She did not overly submit, nor did she overinterpret.

Just as she said, she was only a “recorder” of real life in its truest form.

And at this moment, Lin Yi finally dialed Zhao Qi’s number.