A low chuckle came through the video call.
Sheng Jing Shi sat with his legs crossed, looking relaxed and amused.
“You’re not collecting them for me,” he said lazily. “You just want them yourself.”
Chu Xia obediently nodded, staring at him with wide eyes.
“I can hang them at home.”
She deliberately didn’t specify whose home.
Let him imagine it himself.
As expected, the man smiled in satisfaction.
“Send the codes and pictures to my secretary. He’ll handle it.”
The Next Day — The Gallery
The entire gallery fell into chaos.
Men in black suits moved in and out of the storage room, carrying out old, dust-covered
paintings.
Everyone was stunned.
“Wait… those forgotten pieces actually sold?”
“And apparently… Chu Xia sold them?”
“What?! Then her performance this month—”
Qiao Nian said calmly from behind them:
“Exceeded the target.”
Chu Xia had no artists under her management.
So she recommended the warehouse stock to Sheng Jingshi instead.
But she wasn’t cheating him.
She had carefully consulted Qiao Nian, selecting only works with real artistic value—pieces that
were simply buried and unrecognized.
In five or ten years, they might be worth a fortune.
Not only did she complete her own performance target—
She also helped Qiao Nian complete hers.
Qiao Nian suddenly grabbed Chu Xia’s hand with both of hers, expressionless like she was
reporting to a superior.
“Comrade Chu Xia,” she said seriously, “you are a good comrade.”
Chu Xia smiled.
“Comrade Qiao, if we get rich, don’t forget each other.”
Even though Qiao Nian’s “smile” was just a slight twitch of her lips.
From the second floor, Wu Jingzhong watched the scene with a twisted expression.
She had not expected Chu Xia to not only complete an impossible target—
But to exceed it.
She took a deep breath, then walked downstairs.
In front of all the staff, she forced a smile.
“Chu Xia, well done. Come with me—I’ll explain the gallery’s future direction.”
Qiao Nian gave Chu Xia a cautious look.
Chu Xia nodded and followed her to the smoking area outside the courtyard.
The moment she stepped in, she frowned slightly.
Wu Jingzhong lit a thin women’s cigarette and exhaled slowly.
“I think your work engagement is not enough,” she said.
Chu Xia blinked.
“But I just exceeded my target.”
“Isn’t that the bare minimum? We don’t keep idle people here.”
Chu Xia frowned slightly, suppressing nausea from the smoke.
“I’ve been studying the storage pieces every day because I’m new—”
“I don’t want excuses,” Wu Jingzhong interrupted coldly.
Chu Xia went silent.
She covered her nose lightly.
That simple gesture seemed to provoke her.
“You don’t respect me, do you?”
“No,” Chu Xia replied softly.
Wu Jingzhong’s lips curled into a mocking smile.
“Don’t think selling a few paintings makes you important. That little achievement of yours is a
joke in my eyes.”
Her voice grew sharper and sharper.
“You think you’re special? You’re just lucky.”
“In this team, you’re a burden. A useless drag.”
“When no one covers for you anymore, you’ll see how worthless you really are.”
“And don’t think you can rely on men forever. When no one helps you, you’ll have nothing.”
Chu Xia’s face gradually turned pale.
Then—
She suddenly vomited all over Wu Jingzhong.
A heavy silence fell.
“YOU—WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Wu Jingzhong screamed.
Chu Xia wiped her mouth lightly.
“Sorry,” she said calmly.
“You disgust me.”
Qiao Nian rushed over immediately.
“Are you okay?”
Chu Xia nodded weakly.
But as they turned to leave—
Wu Jingzhong grabbed her shoulder.
A scuffle broke out.
In the chaos, Chu Xia was hit and lost her balance.
Her foot slipped.
The staircase behind her had twelve steps.
A fall from that height could easily cause serious injury.
Her body tilted backward.
Her hand reached out desperately—
But missed Qiao Nian’s fingers by a fraction.
“Chu Xia—!!”
Screams erupted.
And in that split second—
A pair of strong arms caught her waist.
She landed safely in someone’s embrace.
“It’s okay,” a low voice said. “You’re scared, right?”
Chu Xia looked up.
It was Luo Fan.
His brows were tightly furrowed, his eyes filled with lingering fear.
If he had been even a second later—
She would have fallen straight down the stairs.
And she was pregnant.
His gaze turned cold as he looked up at Wu Jingzhong.
“Mr. Luo… it’s not what you think—” she stammered.
Luo Fan gave a cold laugh.
“You’d better give me a reasonable explanation.”
He carried Chu Xia into the manager’s office and kicked the door open.
“I told you to take care of my people—this is how you do it?!”
The manager panicked.
“Was there some misunderstanding—”
Before he could finish, Qiao Nian dragged Wu Jingzhong in.
And staff gathered outside, whispering.
Wu Jingzhong immediately cried out:
“It was an accident! I didn’t expect her to slip—”
Qiao Nian sneered.
“So she slipped herself to frame you?”
Then—
Chu Xia calmly took out her phone.
She pressed play.
A recording filled the room.
Every word of Wu Jingzhong’s earlier insults echoed loudly:
“You’re just lucky.”
“You’re a burden.”
“Useless.”
“And don’t think you can rely on men…”
The manager’s face turned pale.
Whispers erupted among the staff.
Luo Fan’s expression darkened completely.
He let out a cold, sharp laugh.
And then—
He spoke only two words.
But the entire room froze.
“Pull funding.