In the ceramic pot, the clear, brownish broth bubbled gently, bursting into little blossoms of steam. It looked like some bizarre magic potion boiled up by a witch…the kind whose taste and effects were completely unpredictable.
Xu Mengzhou watched it from two meters away. Only when she was sure it was heated all the way through did she hop over, turn off the stove, pour the soup, and scurry back…all in one smooth motion.
Ruan Li was a bad, bad person. She used her tongue like a custom-built weapon bestowed by heaven, wielding it with an effect far beyond anyone else’s reach.
If Xu Mengzhou wasn’t careful for even a second, she’d fall right into her trap.
She trusted her own vigilance, yet deep down, she trusted even more that Ruan Li possessed the exact means to make her stumble into the very same hole twice.
Xu Mengzhou strongly suspected this was a subconscious physical reaction left behind from being played too many times…a lingering muscle memory that survived even her amnesia.
She collapsed onto the sofa, scooped up a mandarin orange, peeled it, and tossed half into her mouth, chewing away.
Her tongue dutifully acted as a transport worker, sweeping the crushed pulp down her throat while pushing the unchewed pieces back under her teeth.
A nimble, elastic piece of muscle doing incredibly precise work.
Hey, my tongue isn’t half bad either, she thought.
As the tip of her tongue grazed her sharp canine tooth, Xu Mengzhou suddenly remembered its recent expedition into another territory…a familiar structure, but a completely unfamiliar temperature and texture…
Saliva suddenly flooded her mouth, forcing her to swallow repeatedly. She blurted out to the empty air, “Ugh, this orange is so sour. SO sour!”
Hearing footsteps, she looked over her shoulder.
Ruan Li had emerged from the bedroom refreshed and clean. Her skin wasn’t as flushed as before; instead, it carried a soft, radiant glow, like a pink pearl freshly plucked from its shell.
It was as if she carried a faint, ethereal fragrance of her own. It wasn’t pungent or aggressive, yet in Xu Mengzhou’s senses, it had an overwhelming presence.
Maybe “physiological attraction” really was a thing.
Xu Mengzhou didn’t care to ponder whether it was real or fake anymore, though she was a little curious: What did Ruan Li smell like to other people?
Drinking so much herbal medicine, she was probably bitter.
“Your soup’s in the kitchen,” she said, pointing a finger. “I hopped over there, so I couldn’t carry it back.”
Ruan Li thanked her.
Watching her drink that health broth, you couldn’t tell if she actually liked it or hated it. She tilted her head back and downed the entire bowl in one go without stopping for breath.
Her throat bobbed up and down in a steady, rhythmic swallow, ticking like a perfectly functional second hand.
Xu Mengzhou was practically mesmerized. The sharp clack of the bowl hitting the countertop snapped her back to reality. Subconsciously, she peeled another orange to look busy and hastily changed the subject. “By the way, I have serious business to talk to you about. Do you know any reliable agents you could introduce to me?”
She explained her idea of starting her own company.
It was as though any thought that popped into her head could be blurted out to anyone, announced to the entire world, and the world would simply respond…Sure, why not?
Naturally, Ruan Li offered no other response.
“Having your own company is indeed more convenient. You’ll have much more say,” she said, striking right at the heart of what Xu Mengzhou wanted, almost like a mind reader.
“I actually have the perfect candidate in mind.”
Ruan Li stepped closer and sat down on the sofa. She had changed into another long dress; the hem spread across the floor like a fallen lotus leaf, wrapping around her like a pale, delicate flower bud.
“Me.”
“You what?”
“I’ll be your agent.”
This time, Xu Mengzhou was genuinely shocked. “Are you that free?”
Her own company wasn’t keeping her busy enough, so she wanted to take on hers too?
It sounded a bit blunt, almost like accusing someone of looking for trouble out of sheer boredom.
Ruan Li didn’t misunderstand. She knew Xu Mengzhou meant it literally; when this girl actually meant to scold someone, her tone would be three times higher and her vocabulary far more lethal.
Instead of answering directly, Ruan Li tossed the question back: “Am I not suitable?”
“I’m just afraid working overtime will mess up your strict bedtime.”
Ruan Li let out a soft laugh. “For someone with a photographic memory, memorizing ten books takes the same effort as memorizing a single sentence.”
Only then did she reveal a sliver of arrogance…like a dagger hidden in a sheath finally revealing a flash of its sharp blade, proving that its outer shell wasn’t just for show.
Yet her tone remained unhurried, as if she were stating a completely mundane fact not worth making a fuss over.
Xu Mengzhou’s teeth suddenly felt set on edge. She couldn’t stand watching someone “flex their charm” in front of her, so she deliberately made things difficult: “Fine. I acknowledge your ability, but I’m the boss. You have to listen to my orders completely.”
“Of course, Mrs. Ruan.”
“Uh… right…”
Ruan Li took the orange segment offered by the person beside her, ignoring the white pith covering it, and popped it into her mouth.
It was so sweet it tasted like honey.
Keeping a cat…even a slightly large, feisty one…seems pretty simple as long as you use the right method.
Xu Mengzhou didn’t go to the hospital alone to get her cast off. Mrs. Xu had somehow suffered another burst of maternal affection and came along.
The calf that had been wrapped in plaster for over a month was noticeably thinner than the other one. Seeing this, Mrs. Xu immediately burst out in dramatic sympathy: “Oh, my darling baby! Look at how much my sweet girl has suffered!”
Several nurses held rigid faces, clearly trying their hardest not to burst out laughing.
Thank goodness she was just a director and not a celebrity; not many people recognized her face. Otherwise, this would have guaranteed a spot on the trending topics list.
Xu Mengzhou didn’t feel awkward about it, but she really wanted her leg back. “…Mom, can you hold off on the hugs until after I take a bath?”
It was filthy!
Xu Nianzhi remembered the hygiene aspect, releasing her without a second thought. The newly liberated calf flopped right back onto the bed with a soft thud. “If you want a bath, you’ll have to wait in line. I’m washing my hands first.”
To the side, a nurse cleared her throat. “Try to keep physical activity to a minimum for a while. Light walking is fine, but no running or jumping.”
Xu Mengzhou thanked them and watched them leave, completely forgetting that both she and the high-profile actress Qin Jing had been involved in an incident recently. She had already made her face public on the news, and with Qin Jing currently trending, it was almost impossible for people not to connect the dots.
Regaining full rights to walk and bathe was a milestone worth celebrating.
Xu Mengzhou scrubbed herself raw in the bathroom until her skin looked like a freshly peeled piece of cooked corn. Feeling thoroughly refreshed, she put on clean clothes, only for her phone to ring. It was Han Shutong.
On the other end, her voice was squawking like a frantic duck, sounding absolutely unhinged: “I’m dying of laughter, darling baby… Boss! You’re trending again! You’re famous!”
Xu Mengzhou opened Weibo in complete confusion. A screen full of “Darling Baby” comments had already completely taken over her comment section.
Snap.
She shut off her phone, feeling another headache coming on.
The only people who could have leaked this were the nurses present earlier. It was a small matter, and it wasn’t worth getting angry over…the whole world already knew her mother doted on her, so there wasn’t much to say.
Still, Xu Mengzhou really didn’t want that nickname to become her permanent handle from now on. Mrs. Xu’s casual chatter had left her with quite a mess to clean up.
Opening her messaging app, she typed: [Your first job is here: suppress this trending topic.]
A red fox avatar blinked, and a response typed out: [Mrs. Ruan, do we need to handle Qin Jing’s situation together?]
Xu Mengzhou: [Ignore it. Let her handle it herself. If she can’t handle it well, we won’t sign her. Wait, how did you know about… Ah! Xiao Yang!]
She glared at the person in the driver’s seat. “Why are you tipping off Ruan Li again? Does she pay your salary too?!”
Xiao Yang sat there calmly, her breathing not missing a beat. “Madam reached out to me to discuss company affairs and future development plans.”
“Though, she did actually give me a paycheck.”
Xu Mengzhou rolled her eyes in annoyance. “You should be the one dubbed a turncoat servant. Just wait till I tell your mom…I’m having her confiscate your allowance!”
Xiao Yang’s mother happened to be the head housekeeper beside Mrs. Xu, in charge of the household finances. Every month, Xiao Yang drew a separate salary from her as a household employee.
She was essentially a study companion who had grown up alongside Xu Mengzhou. It was a job, so naturally, she received a salary…paid monthly ever since primary school.
When Xu Mengzhou said “allowance,” she meant that paycheck.
“Since you have so much money, afternoon tea is on you today,” Xu Mengzhou grumbled. A few seconds later, she couldn’t help rubbing her hands together, leaning over to ask, “So… how much did Ruan Li actually pay you?”
Xiao Yang raised a hand and held up a closed fist.
“She really knows how to bribe people!” Xu Mengzhou warned immediately. “Don’t let money corrupt you. I’m your boss.”
“How could I, Boss? We have years of friendship between us! A person has to stand on loyalty. If Madam asks me anything, I’ll report it straight to you.”
“That’s more like it.” Xu Mengzhou leaned back into the passenger seat, her mood smoothed over.
Yet less than two minutes later, she bounced right back up, gritting her teeth. “No, wait…do you have Ruan Li’s private assistant’s contact info? Give it to me. I’m going to bribe her people too.”
Ruan Li was a bad person; her assistant would definitely be easy to buy off.
Loyalty and emotional bonds were the most precious connections. Ruan Li and her assistant definitely didn’t have that…theirs was just a cold, transactional money exchange!
Obtaining the phone number from Xiao Yang, Xu Mengzhou didn’t hesitate for a second and fired off a friend request.
Zhang Qiong had a habit: she loved reading dramatic, passionate romance novels, especially CEO stories with extreme emotional turmoil.
When you read too many novels, the tropes get repetitive, so she started projecting her imagination onto the people around her.
Take Board Member Niu, for example. He had slanted eyes, always wore a stern face, and delivered nothing but criticisms whenever he opened his mouth…perfect for playing the antagonist.
Then there was Manager Hu, who wore a suit every single day with his hair combed impeccably tight. He fit the “secret contrast” trope…the type who would go to a bar at night to drown his sorrows in alcohol and slip cash into a waiter’s shirt pocket.
And finally, the Chairwoman. Fragile in health, yet devious as could be. Secretly, Zhang Qiong likened her to a bad egg…looks fine on the outside, but completely rotten on the inside.
Sitting in her chair, she was the living embodiment of a white fox. She was usually all smiles, but wherever her tail pointed, somebody was bound to suffer.
Lately, the Chairwoman seemed to be in a fantastic mood. Smiling constantly, she now wore a diamond ring on her ring finger…piercingly blue and outrageously large. It looked as if someone had scooped an eye out of a creature and mounted it right onto the ring. Exposed to light, that “eye” radiated intense, colorful rays as if seeking revenge by blinding everyone else.
Board Chair Ruan had gotten married, but nobody knew to whom.
Zhang Qiong actually knew, but she couldn’t say a word.
And today, that very spouse had sent her a friend request. The moment she accepted, the interaction kicked off with a cash transfer, followed by a barrage of questions probing into Ruan Li’s personal preferences and location updates.
Zhang Qiong picked up her phone and knocked on the office door.
“Chairwoman…”
The Chairwoman held up a index finger. “Call me Mrs. Ruan from now on.”
Zhang Qiong adjusted smoothly. “Mrs. Ruan, the Boss just reached out to me wanting to ask a few things about you.”
“Is that so?”
She watched the white fox lower her head, then look back up with a soft, gentle smile. “Tell her whatever she wants.”
She looked genuinely pleased.
Even the diamond on her ring seemed delighted, sparkling brighter than ever.