Unable to win the argument against her father, Su Mu was forced into the passenger seat, allowing Su Chen to drive her out.
“Twilight Hotel.”
Su Mu provided the destination, and Su Chen promptly set off toward the location.
Roughly twenty minutes later, the car pulled up at the entrance. Su Mu bolted out of the vehicle and rushed inside in a flash.
Su Chen’s eyes darkened. Tossing the keys to the valet, he followed right behind her.
Twilight was an exclusive, members-only hotel that wasn’t open to the general public. Seeing his little sister’s growing impatience, Su Chen smoothly recited his phone number to the front desk.
“Mr. Su, right this way, please.”
The lobby manager immediately ushered the two inside, but Su Mu had already darted up the stairs toward the third floor.
The third floor consisted of various private entertainment suites similar to KTV rooms.
When Su Mu threw open the door to Suite 308, she was greeted by a dim, suffocating cloud of alcohol fumes.
Shadowy figures were tussling on the couch.
Further inside, two men were violently kicking at a bathroom door in a chaotic frenzy. One of them—a balding, middle-aged man—was thoroughly intoxicated, bellowing foul insults at the top of his lungs.
“I’m telling you, don’t you dare refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit! It’s your damn good fortune that I took a liking to you! You dare hide?! Believe it or not, with a single word from me, nobody in this entire industry will ever hire you again!”
“Ah, Director Li! This is his first time seeing a scene like this, so he’s definitely scared out of his wits. Let me try to persuade him…”
Another young man bowed and scraped endlessly to apologize, raising his hand to slap the bathroom door hard.
“Bai Xiu! Didn’t you want to make money?! If you throw away this chance tonight, don’t even dream of surviving in this circle in the future! Get out here right now and apologize to Director Li…!”
Just as Su Mu was about to step inside, a long arm circled behind her, pulling her back. Her body fell against a rock-hard chest.
“It’s filthy in there. Don’t go in—I’ll handle it.”
The deep, magnetic voice brushed against her ear. A strange, fleeting sensation crossed Su Mu’s mind, but she didn’t push forward, leaving Su Chen to take care of the situation.
It was unclear how Su Chen handled the room, but he shut the door immediately after stepping inside.
A few minutes later, the suite door clicked open. Though the heavy stench of alcohol still hung thick in the air, the room was now fully lit. Everyone inside stood meekly in place, while the previously pot-bellied Director Li lay passed out cold on the couch.
Bai Xiu was still inside the bathroom.
Su Mu walked over and knocked lightly on the door.
“Bai Xiu, it’s me. Open the door.”
At her brief words, rustling sounds echoed from within before the bathroom door swung open.
Bai Xiu was clad in a suit, though his jacket had been shed. His white dress shirt was nearly soaked through with sweat, and his tie hung loosely around his collar.
He stumbled slightly as he stood before Su Mu, a strange, unnatural flush spreading across his face. His smooth, fair skin looked so delicate it made one want to take a bite out of it.
His eyes glistened with a moist luster as he stared intently at Su Mu.
“Mumu… it really is you.”
Bai Xiu suddenly pulled Su Mu into a tight, desperate embrace, his entire frame trembling uncontrollably.
Su Mu’s body stiffened for a fraction of a second before she wrapped her arms around him in return.
“It’s alright now.”
Once Bai Xiu finally stabilized his emotions, Su Mu helped support him as they walked out of the suite.
Staring at their intertwined hands, Su Chen—lingering behind them—irritably yanked at his collar.
Who was this now?!
“Mumu, I’m so hot… I feel so miserable~”
With most of his weight resting heavily against Su Mu, Bai Xiu tugged at his collar, his body temperature burning hot to the touch.
“I’ll support him.”
Su Chen stepped forward, pulling Su Mu aside and hoisting Bai Xiu over to himself.
“To the hospital.”
In this state, he had clearly been drugged.
Once in the car, Su Mu sped straight toward the hospital.
Along the way, suppressed groans slipped past Bai Xiu’s lips from time to time, yet he forcibly endured the sensation, remaining seated in the back without making any reckless moves.
Su Chen maintained a icy, stern expression that practically screamed for everyone to keep their distance.
It was only after arriving at the hospital and getting hooked up to an IV drip that Bai Xiu’s condition finally improved, allowing him to sink into a deep, heavy sleep.
“Brother, why don’t you head back first? I can stay here by myself.”
Su Chen was a textbook workaholic; having returned today, he would undoubtedly need to be at the company tomorrow.
“You, a young girl, staying overnight to watch over him in the middle of the night?”
Su Chen’s eyes darkened, glaring at Su Mu with clear displeasure.
Su Mu: “…”
How had this adoptive brother—whom she hadn’t seen in years—suddenly become such a meddlesome busybody?
In the original host’s memories, no matter how late or wild she stayed out back then, this man had never asked a single question.
“…Then we’ll just pay for a caregiver to keep an eye on him for now.”
Su Mu didn’t consider her relationship with Bai Xiu to be close enough to warrant pulling an all-nighter for him. Since her original intention was merely to discuss business, it was better left for tomorrow.
After hiring a reliable caregiver at the hospital and asking the nurse on duty to keep a watchful eye, Su Mu and Su Chen returned home.
With nurses making round-the-clock checks and a private VIP room secured, there were no safety concerns.
The next morning, Su Mu received her usual “good morning” text from Bai Xiu via WeChat.
Waking up unusually early, Su Mu headed downstairs and had Auntie Liu pack a portion of breakfast for her. Just as she prepared to step out, she unexpectedly ran straight into Su Chen, who was also getting ready to leave.
Dressed impeccably in a crisp, tailored suit, his aura of stoic detachment felt even more pronounced.
Glancing down at the lunchbox in Su Mu’s hand, Su Chen didn’t utter a word. However, the atmosphere around him grew palpably colder as he turned and walked straight out the door.
Su Mu: “…”
She had a feeling…
Something had gone deeply wrong with Male Supporting Lead Number Two.
After parking her car, Su Mu headed straight for the inpatient department with the insulated lunchbox in hand.
Bai Xiu was already out of bed, his back turned toward her as he filled out a form—it looked like he was preparing to discharge himself.
“No need to rush so much. I booked three days for you here.”
The sudden voice startled Bai Xiu. Upon seeing Su Mu, his eyes instantly ignited with a radiant glow. Hastily setting down his pen, he hurried over to her.
“Why are you here? No, I mean—you…”
Bai Xiu felt the words tumbling out in a tangled mess.
Su Mu offered a simple nod. “I know. I came today to discuss something with you.”
As she spoke, Su Mu pulled out a file document and placed it in front of Bai Xiu.
“This is documentation on Starlight Entertainment. I know a few people there and can get you signed on. It’s far more reliable than those small-time agencies.”
In the original novel, Bai Xiu eventually blew up in popularity after signing with Starlight Entertainment. However, Su Mu hadn’t realized that he had endured such sordid ordeal prior to that, as it was never mentioned in the text.
Staring at the file Su Mu handed over, Bai Xiu’s face drained of color in an instant. His hand trembled slightly as he reached out.
The sight dragged his mind right back to yesterday’s humiliating nightmare.
“You don’t need to dwell on it. Without power, compromise is the only option. Once you reach the summit of success, endless people will flock to flatter you. What I’m handing you is merely an opportunity—whether you can grasp it depends on yourself.”
Before one acquired strength, nothing in life came smoothly; these were simply inevitable hurdles to cross.
This held especially true in the giant dye vat that was the entertainment industry. Aside from a handful of wealthy socialites playing around for fun, almost no one remained entirely untainted.
“Thank you.”
Taking the document, a wave of bittersweet emotion welled up inside Bai Xiu’s chest. He couldn’t resist looking into Su Mu’s clear eyes, only to avert his gaze a moment later.
Right now, he possessed absolutely nothing, while she enjoyed a life of luxury and privilege. What right did he have to harbor wild delusions?
If she were to be with him, was she supposed to suffer alongside him in poverty?
Since she was the bright moon high up in the night sky, he would fight with everything he had to become worthy of her!
At that thought, Bai Xiu gripped the files tightly in his hands.
“Mumu, I will make it.”
The Su Family’s corporate empire didn’t extend into the entertainment business. However, Yu Hui—a close friend of the original host—came from a family heavily invested in the industry. The two families shared deep business ties and maintained a close relationship.
Starlight Entertainment belonged to the Yu family, and Yu Hui herself held shares in the company; it stood as a undisputed giant in the entertainment world.
Su Mu had already contacted her a few days prior. With Bai Xiu’s excellent image and talent, he could sign on immediately upon arrival.
Given Su Mu’s status, since she was personally recommending someone, Yu Hui naturally wouldn’t present anything less than a top-tier contract.
“Alright. If you don’t have any issues with it, I’ll take you over to have a look tomorrow. I brought you breakfast—have you eaten yet?”
“No.”
Bai Xiu immediately shook his head in denial, his clean, bright eyes looking as obedient as a fluffy lion dog.
“Then eat a little.”
She set the lunchbox on the table, causing the smile on Bai Xiu’s lips to deepen further.
After finishing breakfast, Bai Xiu firmly insisted on discharging himself. Once the paperwork was finalized, Su Mu drove him back to the university before heading home.
Yet the moment she stepped through her front door, Su Mu was completely dumbfounded by her father’s declaration.
“An internship?!”
Granted, seniors were generally expected to complete internships, but her sole plan was to live peacefully as a wealthy parasite! The company shares already under her name were more than enough for her to live luxuriously for the rest of her life.
As long as Su Corporation didn’t collapse, everything was fine. When the time came, she could just shove Su Chen into managing Su Corporation while she sat back and collected dividend payouts. Why on earth would she go out to work herself to death?
She wasn’t short on money!
“My dream is to travel the world’s grand mountains and rivers just like Mom…”
“Travel my ass if you don’t have money! What am I supposed to do with you when you get old?!”
Su Father couldn’t hold back from swearing out loud.
This daughter of his was wonderful in every way except for being absurdly lazy! He’d bet she didn’t even know where Su Corporation’s head office was located!
When he and his wife passed away, what was going to happen to her?!
With how unreliable that Shen family brat turned out to be, how could he possibly marry his daughter off to him?
Speaking of which, it was high time to call off that engagement with the Shen family too. Fooling around right in his office and getting caught red-handed by his precious daughter—what an absolute scoundrel!
“Dad, by the time I’m old, you’ll probably be dead already. Why worry about things you won’t even be around to see?”
Su Hongbo: “…”
“…Stop right there! You stop right there!”
When Su Chen arrived home, he was greeted by an utterly bizarre spectacle: his father—who usually doted on his daughter to a fault—was chasing Su Mu around the living room with a broom, completely out of breath.
Meanwhile, his little sister paced her steps in an unhurried rhythm, speeding up and slowing down as if walking a dog…
“…”
“Ah, Xiao Chen, you’re back! Look at your sister! I told her to do an internship at the company, and she starts spouting nonsense about traveling the world to me! Ha…”
Exhausted, Su Father collapsed onto the sofa, gasping heavily for air as sweat dripped continuously down his chubby frame.
“I’m not short on money,” Su Mu repeated helplessly, sitting down beside her father.
Su Father grew even angrier, his chest aching from sheer frustration.
Su Chen sat to the side, listening quietly to their exchange.
“Not short on money?! Ha! I’ll see what you do when you’re old and know nothing about the real world—you’ll get scammed and still end up counting money for the thief!”
“Dad, I already told you, when I get old, you’ll just… uh, well, don’t I still have my brother?”
Utterly unable to deal with this stubborn old man, Su Mu casually dragged Su Chen into the fray.
“Your brother is your brother, and you are you! I don’t care—you’re going to the company for an internship! You start learning from the bottom up, and you are NOT allowed to reveal your identity!”