Upon arriving at Yu Entertainment, Chi Xue told Lan Bei to wait downstairs, but he insisted on accompanying her. Chi Xue said nothing more, and the two entered the elevator together.
Two people were standing in the elevator as well. When she saw the man’s face clearly, Chi Xue’s gaze suddenly tightened before she quickly looked away.
Gu Cishen’s gaze, however, shifted toward her and settled on her with a hint of scrutiny.
The woman beside Gu Cishen was the one who spoke. “Chi Xue, long time no see.”
Chi Xue glanced at her, the corners of her lips curling slightly, but did not answer.
“Chi Xue, what are you doing at Yu Corporation?” Xia Mian raised her brows, a hint of provocation in her expression.
“You can come here, so why can’t I?” Chi Xue countered. Her face held a cool smile, while her eyes were bone-chillingly cold.
The corners of Xia Mian’s lips twisted, as if she were puzzled. She linked her arm through the man’s and asked softly, “Cishen, can a murderer who has served time in prison enter the entertainment industry now? Aren’t you afraid she’ll lead all the young people astray?”
Her words were thick with sarcasm, but Chi Xue did not take them to heart at all.
Lan Bei was displeased. “If a hideously ugly, vicious-tongued, evil-hearted woman like you can enter the entertainment industry, then naturally anyone else can.”
“You…” Xia Mian was enraged and humiliated. Facing Chi Xue, she said unpleasantly, “Chi Xue, don’t tell me you think serving time and being a murderer are enough gimmicks to establish yourself in the entertainment industry? They’ll only make everyone hate you even more. Chi Xue, you won’t get a share of this pie!”
“Then is the title of ‘Gu Cishen’s ex-wife’ enough?” Chi Xue narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly, her expression alluring. Her voice was light, yet every word struck straight to the heart.
Gu Cishen slightly raised his clear eyes, his undisguised gaze landing on her face with curiosity and appraisal. After so many years apart, this woman had truly become bold and flamboyant, dazzling enough to make it nearly impossible to look away.
She had come to sign with his sworn enemy, Yu Jinnan’s company. Clearly, she intended to oppose him.
“However…” Chi Xue glanced at her, her gaze ruthless. “Whether I enter the entertainment industry or not has nothing to do with you.”
The elevator arrived just then. Chi Xue walked out first, composed, elegant, and unruffled.
When they arrived at President Yu’s office, Yu Jinnan knew that Gu Cishen had accompanied Xia Mian because he also wanted the screenplay in his hands. He could not help curling his lips. “Since that’s the case, why don’t you two act out a scene? President Gu also wants 《 Cicada 》 this screenplay, but if you perform well, I won’t sell this production.”
“President Yu, what are you doing?” Gu Cishen finally spoke. His voice was low and hoarse. Although it held no discernible emotion, his sword-like brows were deeply furrowed.
He suddenly rose to his feet, tall and straight as jade. His black suit was brand-new and immaculate, his sideburns as sharply trimmed as if cut by a blade. Although three years had passed, his features had not changed in the slightest. He had grown somewhat leaner, which only made him even more captivating.
“Think it over carefully. If you’re going to sell the rights to this screenplay, then sign this contract decisively. The fee I’m offering you will be no lower than the profits it would bring in after filming.”
“President Gu is truly sparing no effort to promote Miss Xia. You’re scattering a fortune for a beauty.”
As he spoke, he smiled, the corners of his eyes carrying a hint of wicked, unrestrained charm. “Unfortunately, I happen to dislike helping lovers achieve their wishes.”
“Cishen.” Xia Mian shot Chi Xue a vicious look, then pitifully clutched the man’s powerful forearm, wrapped in the fine fabric of his tailored suit.
Chi Xue’s heart, which she had thought had long since become numb as stone, unexpectedly gave a faint, aching throb.
But in the next moment, it turned into mockery. He had sent her to prison for the loss of his First love, and then immediately thrown his full support behind a rising young actress. From the looks of it, their relationship was far from ordinary.
Gu Cishen looked at Chi Xue with a cold gaze and said quietly to Xia Mian, “There are many good screenplays. It doesn’t have to be this one.”
Xia Mian naturally knew that, but she wanted to transform her career, and this screenplay was crucial.
“All right, then. Since President Yu wants to see it, what harm is there in performing a scene?” Xia Mian agreed. She looked at Chi Xue, her eyes lighting up as the corners of her lips curved slightly. “Miss Chi, what do you think of this scene?”
Chi Xue’s gaze fell upon the screenplay in her hand, and ripples faintly stirred in her beautiful eyes.
“Miscarriage?”
The corners of Chi Xue’s lips curved slightly. In the end, she could not stop herself from looking at the man standing tall and straight, wanting to see what kind of expression he wore at that moment. But she had forgotten that this man had no heart. His expression was as cold as it had been three years ago when she entered prison, indifferent to the point of cruelty.
Their child was nothing but an insignificant bastard in his eyes. He had not even deigned to acknowledge that the child was his own flesh and blood. Thus, at this very moment, the words “miscarriage” could not stir even the slightest ripple across his face.
“Chi Xue, this role suits you very well, doesn’t it?”
“I think Miss Xia is even more suitable for this role.”
Lan Bei suddenly spoke, his expression solemn and cold. “A white-lotus public persona, an innocent appearance, and a belly full of schemes. Isn’t that—”
“What do you mean?” Xia Mian interrupted him, her willow brows drawn together. She looked aggrieved and indignant, yet deliberately leaned closer to Gu Cishen, as if hoping to receive some comfort.
The man’s gaze darkened slightly. When his clear eyes swept over, they carried a trace of chill, and he subtly turned aside to avoid Xia Mian. After a long while, he suddenly raised his chin, his pitch-black eyes looking squarely at Chi Xue’s face.
His dark eyes narrowed, carrying a hint of danger and unfathomable depth. For the first time, he scrutinized her so seriously, as though granting her an unprecedented favor.
“Since Miss Chi likes this production so much, I, Gu, would hardly dare deprive her of what she loves. Let your Yu Entertainment produce this screenplay.”
After he finished speaking, his thin lips curved almost imperceptibly, but there was not the slightest trace of a smile in his eyes. Then he strode away on his long legs, leaving the office in two steps. Xia Mian had to run after him to barely keep up.
The room fell silent. The warm sunlight of early winter poured in through the windows, and Yu Jinnan smiled until his brows and eyes curved, looking impossibly handsome. “Miss Chi, I look forward to our Cooperation.”
In the underground parking lot on level B1 of the Yu Corporation building, inside the Maybach, Xia Mian wore an expression of eager anticipation. Seeing that the man beside her remained completely unmoved, she gritted her teeth and asked tentatively, “Cishen, is it because… because of Chi Xue, that you…”
The man did not speak. The side of his face was swallowed by shadow, making his features appear even more resolute. His thin lips were tightly pressed together, revealing no emotion.
Seeing this, Xia Mian began to sob softly. “If it hadn’t been for her back then, Sister wouldn’t have died in such an inexplicable way. Although I don’t know where this Miss Chi found some mysterious backer to clear her name, no matter how I think about it, none of this makes sense…”
She glanced at the man’s slightly restrained jaw and continued, “If she truly didn’t do it, how could they release her without finding the real murderer? Back then, she was clearly the one who called Sister and asked her to go out. She knew about Sister’s relationship with you, yet she still invited her out. The last call Sister received before something happened was from her. What else is there to explain…”
The light in Gu Cishen’s eyes grew colder and colder, until it finally turned into bone-chilling frost.
Xia Mian pressed her advantage. “Besides, if it hadn’t been for her back then, you and Sister would never have separated. She knew that you and Sister loved each other, yet she still went to Master Gu and forcibly tore you apart.”
“Cishen.” As she spoke, she pressed her lips together and placed one hand on the man’s arm, asking softly, “Could it be that you’ve developed feelings for that woman?”