The room fell completely silent.
Everyone looked at Shen Yanci in shock.
For a moment, his expression darkened.
But the next second, he laughed out loud.
“What a joke! Hahaha!”
“Qingyou was founded entirely by Xu Mian. Even without me, its market value is over a hundred million. Would she really dissolve it?”
“Impossible!”
By the end of his sentence, his tone began to quiver. He raised his voice in a bluffing bravado. “This joke… isn’t funny at all.”
No one responded, everyone just kept their heads down staring at their phones.
When they finally looked up, the shock on their faces was no less than that of the first person.
Lin Xiaoxiao had been sitting beside Shen Yanci, looking shy. She had expected that once Shen Yanci became Qingyou’s legal head, she would get her share as well.
“Yanci… Qingyou… really dissolved?” Lin Xiaoxiao was also utterly stunned.
Shen Yanci quickly grabbed the phone on the table, and if anyone had paid attention, they would have noticed his hands trembling.
The moment he saw the announcement, Shen Yanci froze.
He forced out a dry laugh, “Dissolved? Really dissolved?”
“Good! Dissolved, fine!”
He gritted his teeth, “Xu Mian… you really are something!”
With that, he shot to his feet and stormed out.
Lin Xiaoxiao grabbed her bag and followed him.
The private room remained silent for a long time.
Until someone, shrinking their neck nervously, whispered, “Are they really dissolving?”
Everyone stayed as quiet as chickens.
After a while
Someone whispered, “Rumor has it that Xu Mian and Shen Yanci were married a long time ago, but Shen Yanci never admitted it and even had a scandal with Lin Xiaoxiao. Anyone would be furious.”
The group was shocked again.
“Xu Mian really went all out. Qingyou she built it to become the industry leader with just one artist. All those resources, connections… she’s just giving it up? Dissolving it just like that?”
Dissolving the company via announcement was entirely different from Shen Yanci’s calculated contract termination.
This was a point of no return.
In an instant, all of Lincheng was in turmoil.
Everyone speculated: what would Xu Mian do next? Would she start a new agency? Who would she sign?
At the Kyoto office, Xie Yan was still in casual clothes, his eyes dark as he instructed his secretary, “Monitor everything. The moment Xu Mian establishes a new agency, I want to be the first new talent she contacts.”
Secretary Wang Hao pursed his lips, wanting to say, Boss, with your intimidation factor, you don’t exactly look like a newcomer. And you’re the CEO of a huge company why dive into the entertainment industry?
But he didn’t dare, and hurried to make the arrangements.
Meanwhile, Shen Yanci was speeding toward Qingyou’s office.
Lin Xiaoxiao sat in the passenger seat. “Yanci, calm down. This has to be Xu Mian playing hard to get.”
“She’s probably unhappy you’re leaving Qingyou, and this is her way to threaten you.”
“If you go now, you’ll be completely fooled!”
“You’re the only artist at the company. Profits are split with Xu Mian. Are you really okay with that?”
Hearing this, Shen Yanci slammed the brakes.
The luxury car stopped in the middle of the road.
Lin Xiaoxiao continued, “Historically, men hold the power. If you want a voice in Qingyou later, if you want people outside to believe Shen Yanci rose on his own, you need patience. Xu Mian is ruthless and cunning. She dissolved Qingyou just to manipulate you. If you rush over, won’t that give her exactly what she wants?”
Shen Yanci’s eyes darkened slightly.
“You’re an actor of the year… are you afraid of some manager?”
“Even if Qingyou really vanished, you wouldn’t starve. Your accounts have millions of fans that’s your real strength. Xu Mian is nothing in comparison.”
Lin Xiaoxiao’s words completely cleared his mind.
He turned the car around and drove in the opposite direction.
That afternoon
Lin Xiaoxiao arrived at Qingyou. She sneered at the company sign that had been taken down.
“Xu Mian… you still lost in the end.”
She arrogantly went upstairs, walking around the Qingyou office.
As she was about to leave, her eyes caught the corner of a bank card sticking out from a drawer.
She paused, walked over, opened the drawer, and pulled the card out. Just then, someone came in to move things, so she conveniently slipped the card into her bag.
Downstairs, she went to a nearby ATM.
She tried the card with Shen Yanci’s birthday as the PIN. Smoothly, she reached the balance page.
Lin Xiaoxiao was astonished.
The card belonged to Shen Yanci, and the balance was over ninety million yuan almost all the profits he had earned over the years.
Lin Xiaoxiao clenched her hand.
This was Shen Yanci’s card, yet it had been in Xu Mian’s drawer. She hadn’t taken it when leaving.
Had she forgotten to return it… or had Xu Mian, after supporting Shen Yanci all these years, left him this massive gift in the end?
For some reason, Lin Xiaoxiao instinctively thought it was the latter.
She bit her lip and withdrew a thousand yuan from the card, wanting to test whether Shen Yanci even knew it existed.
Meanwhile, Xu Mian had left the hotel and returned to the Xu family home.
The moment she stepped inside, Xu Die exaggeratedly shouted, “Dad! Sister’s back!”
Seeing Xu Mian’s cold expression, Xu Die snorted, “Sister, I warned you before don’t invest all your resources in a man, but you didn’t listen. Now look, all that effort was wasted. If grandma were alive and saw you being played like this, she’d be furious!”
Xu Mian’s eyelids lifted coldly, and she let out a bitter laugh. “What? You’ve been in this entertainment industry for years and you’re still an extra-tier player. What are you so proud of?”
“You!” Xu Die gritted her teeth and shouted again inside, “Dad! Sister’s back! She’s bullying me!”
At that, Xu Lin rushed out from the living room, angrily yelling, “Xu Mian! Do you have to turn the house upside down?”
Xu Mian didn’t bother responding and went straight upstairs.
She pushed open her room door to see it in complete disarray piles of discarded delivery boxes and old items.
She casually walked over, lifted a dust-covered cloth, and pulled out a black briefcase.
“Minmin, you’re back?” Wang Fang appeared behind her, smiling. “I heard your company was dissolved. Are you… moving back home?”
Wang Fang tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You didn’t tell us in advance. There’s so much stuff piled up because you were never home. I’ll have someone organize it immediately.”
Xu Lin came upstairs. “Xu Mian! Your mom’s talking to you! Can’t you hear?”
“My mother’s long dead,” Xu Mian said coldly, holding her briefcase. She passed Wang Fang with a low smile, radiating pressure so intense Wang Fang stumbled back several steps. Xu Lin was furious.
Xu Mian said slowly, “This is my home. I come and go as I please. If I’m not mistaken,” she looked at Xu Lin, “when my mother passed, she left me this house, right?”
Xu Lin’s anger flared, but Xu Mian smiled faintly and continued, “Also, my mother’s trust fund is about to expire. When it does, I will be the legal heir to the entire Xu family estate.”
Tilting her head, her bright face carried a mischievous charm. “Mr. Xu, have you decided where you’ll move to then?”
Xu Lin’s face paled, his blood pressure rising.
Xu Mian let out a sarcastic laugh and casually left.
“You!”
“You unfilial girl!”
She waved her hand as she went downstairs. “Yes, learned it from you! When grandma passed, you and Lin Fang were in the storage room who’s unfilial now?”
Xu Mian sneered, turning to look at Xu Lin with a murderous glare. “Unfilial, me?”
Xu Lin stepped back several paces, forced by her intense gaze.
Watching her leave, he slowly squinted his eyes.
Wang Fang came from behind, hugging Xu Lin’s waist, whispering:
“She’s back with the wrong attitude. Did she discover something off about your mother and your ex-wife’s deaths?”
Xu Lin tilted his head. “Impossible. How old was she back then?”
In the cold wind, Wang Fang pressed a tender kiss against Xu Lin, flattering him.
Between gentle breaths, she whispered, “It’s not the fear of certainty, but of what-ifs. Back then, Xu Mian was already too capable. With the trust fund about to expire, are you sure she’ll listen to you and transfer all the assets left by your ex-wife to you?”