The windows in the meeting room were still open. The chilly autumn wind blew through, making the branches and leaves of the old trees outside rustle softly.
Ni Xia stood at the doorway, staring at You Jue without blinking.
Every time she thought about the one million yuan that had just landed in her account, she couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from curling up.
Before long, even the legal staff noticed her blatant stare and inexplicable smile. They became so uncomfortable that they started stumbling over their words.
You Jue finally looked up.
He turned his head and met Ni Xia’s bright, smiling eyes. His expression didn’t change as he walked toward her.
Yes, just keep walking.
Walk straight toward the Civil Affairs Bureau—
“Click.”
You Jue closed the door.
The scene in front of Ni Xia instantly became a cold, hard wooden door, and her smile disappeared.
Even though fifty million yuan was dangling right in front of her, You Jue’s personality was just too strange.
If she could convince this man to get married within a short period of time, she felt she might as well volunteer to mediate the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
After fixing her perfectly neat hair, Ni Xia left the office building with a worried expression.
Back in her car, she didn’t leave right away.
Her phone was filled with messages, most of them troublesome matters, along with people trying to probe into her current situation out of curiosity. She was overwhelmed by them, but she had no choice but to deal with them.
Ni Xia frowned as she replied to the messages one by one. When she reached the bottom of the list, her frown disappeared, but her pupils suddenly contracted.
Feifei from Zhongyue Huitou had sent her several messages.
Ni Xia read them over and over again. She racked her brain but still couldn’t understand what part of their bodies had allowed them to say such ridiculous things.
What did they mean by saying that since the movie couldn’t start filming and the actors had already joined other productions, she should return the fees that had previously been paid to the actors?
They had even sent her the bank account information for the repayment.
Actors were normally paid part of their fees before filming began. That was standard practice in the industry, and there were signed contracts to prove it.
Besides, didn’t they know perfectly well who was responsible for the movie being unable to start filming?
How could they have the nerve to demand the money back?
While Ni Xia was feeling sick just thinking about it, Feifei apparently thought she was deliberately reading the messages without replying, so she sent two more.
[Feifei]: Dear, if you don’t return the payment within the specified time, we may have to take legal action.
[Feifei]: It’s company policy. There’s nothing we can do either.
Ni Xia tilted her head and laughed angrily.
They must really be desperate for money.
Such a huge company, and they were shameless enough to do this just because they were short of cash.
Ni Xia called Gu Yusheng, but she had no idea what Gu Yusheng was busy with. The line was constantly busy.
Ni Xia’s breathing grew faster and faster from anger. She turned her head and suddenly saw a familiar figure walking toward the parking lot.
She immediately rolled down her car window.
“You Jue!”
Her voice sounded particularly loud in the empty parking lot. Even several stray dogs nearby looked over when they heard it.
You Jue, however, acted as if he were deaf. He didn’t even turn his head.
Ni Xia had no choice but to get out of the car and chase after him.
But You Jue was tall with long legs, while Ni Xia was wearing high heels. She simply couldn’t catch up.
She called his name several more times, but he completely ignored her, walking straight toward his parking space without even looking back.
She wasn’t even asking him to marry her. What was he so nervous about?
In the end, she could only watch helplessly as he got into his car.
Ni Xia had no choice but to shout loudly,
“Someone from Zhongyue Huitou contacted me!”
Sure enough, You Jue’s car didn’t drive away.
When the window rolled down, Ni Xia breathed a sigh of relief and quickly walked over.
“They just sent me a message.”
You Jue rested his elbow on the car window and turned his head toward her.
“What did they say?”
“They want me to return the fees that were already paid to the actors.”
Ni Xia felt disgusted even repeating it.
She paused, trying to explain exactly what was so outrageous about it, but You Jue simply said,
“Ignore them.”
Perhaps lawyers saw too many ridiculous things, because You Jue didn’t show even the slightest hint of surprise.
“Just do what you need to do.”
“Oh…”
A gust of wind swept dust across the parking lot.
On this dry autumn day, You Jue’s calm and certain voice was like a reassurance, easing the frustration between Ni Xia’s brows.
Her tone softened as well.
“But they said if I don’t return the money by the deadline, they’ll take legal action.”
You Jue straightened his arm and rested it on the steering wheel.
Then he leaned his head back, frowned, and glanced at Ni Xia.
“Let them sue.”
The surroundings were so quiet that only the distant roar of large trucks could be heard.
Ni Xia didn’t speak or move. She seemed lost in thought.
“Anything else?”
“N-No.”
You Jue withdrew his gaze and didn’t say another word. He started rolling up the car window.
Ni Xia instinctively stepped back.
The black SUV drove away, leaving behind a cloud of exhaust.
It took Ni Xia a long while to come back to her senses.
The power of money was truly terrifying.
She actually thought the way You Jue had just looked—like he was daring them to see what they could do—was unbelievably cool.
Night quietly fell as Ni Xia drove away from the industrial area.
After entering the city, she used the traffic jam to find a restaurant.
More than twenty minutes later, she had just taken her seat when Gu Yusheng arrived.
Gu Yusheng had been discussing something with someone that afternoon, and the call had lasted more than two hours.
When she finally hung up and saw Ni Xia’s messages, she felt as though the sky had collapsed.
Ni Xia, on the other hand, calmly flipped through the menu and looked completely unhurried.
Gu Yusheng hurried into the restaurant and asked before she had even sat down properly,
“What did they say?”
“I asked a lawyer.”
Ni Xia said, “He said we don’t need to pay attention to them. They can sue if they want. It won’t do them any good.”
“That’s good…”
Gu Yusheng actually knew that Zhongyue Huitou was completely in the wrong. But some people were simply like that. Even if their shameless behavior couldn’t cause any real damage, they could still make you sick with anger.
“Why didn’t they contact me? Why only you? I bet they know your family has money and are hoping you’ll lose your temper, take out your own money, and pay them!”
Speak of the devil.
The moment Gu Yusheng finished speaking, Feifei’s call came in.
Ni Xia showed Gu Yusheng the screen and immediately hung up.
A moment later, three more messages came in.
[Feifei]: Dear, why didn’t you answer the phone?
[Feifei]: I know you’re busy, so I’ve been trying my best to buy you some time. But I don’t have much authority. The latest repayment deadline I could get approved is the 15th of this month.
[Feifei]: Please pay it as soon as possible~ Otherwise, once the deadline passes, I won’t be able to help you anymore.
When Ni Xia showed the messages to Gu Yusheng, there was barely any emotion on her face.
She wasn’t even focused on Feifei’s threats.
Her mind was completely occupied with one thing—
How was she going to marry You Jue?
Gu Yusheng, however, was so furious that she looked ready to flip the table.
“They’re even using pressure tactics now? What’s the difference between them and scammers? If I weren’t so busy, I’d sue them until they regretted being born!”
“Sue them.”
Ni Xia suddenly looked up as an idea occurred to her.
“Why not?”
“Ah…”
Gu Yusheng’s expression froze along with her thoughts.
“Wait. Didn’t you say last night that lawsuits were troublesome and took forever, and that we’d lose more than we’d gain?”
“It’s different now. They’re going too far. If we don’t fight back, how are we supposed to swallow this?”
Something inside Ni Xia seemed to switch on.
Her eyes gradually became firm, and she unconsciously straightened her back.
“They’re demanding the actors’ fees today. Tomorrow they might demand our rental fees. Who knows how long they’ll keep harassing us? If we want to have peace of mind, we have to take this case to court.”
More importantly—
You Jue was far too concerned about his pride.
Even though he clearly had ulterior motives, he always acted as if he only wanted to discuss work.
Fine.
Then she’d discuss work with him.
Once the lawsuit started, wouldn’t they have to stay in contact and meet frequently?
By then, his secret crush wouldn’t just be a silent portrait anymore. She would be standing right in front of him, smiling at him from time to time.
How long could he keep pretending to be so stubborn?
Besides, she also wanted to see exactly how capable You Jue really was.
With that thought, all the frustration that had weighed on Ni Xia that afternoon disappeared.
It was as if she could already see a bright road ahead.
“You’re right.”
Gu Yusheng frowned thoughtfully.
“If we find a new investor and Zhongyue Huitou starts causing trouble again, what are we going to do? We really should take this case to court.”
“I’ll handle this part. You just focus on finding a new investor.”
Ni Xia was the kind of person who acted the moment she made up her mind. Even her voice was filled with excitement.
“I’ll tell You Jue right now!”
When You Jue received Ni Xia’s message, he had just arrived back at the law firm.
He glanced at it and replied, “Wait a moment.”
Then he asked one of the lawyers on his team to prepare a special legal services agreement.
[J]: Give me an address.
[J]: I’ll have the contract stamped and mailed to you tomorrow morning.
[Ni Xia]: I’ll come pick it up myself tomorrow morning.
[J]: No need to trouble yourself. Just have it mailed.
The moment he sent the message, his phone screen flashed.
It was a call from Fang Jialin.
“Hello.”
You Jue walked to his desk in a few steps. As he turned on his computer, he asked,
“What is it?”
“I’ve been so busy these past few days that I completely missed your messages.”
It was early morning in New York, and Fang Jialin had obviously just woken up. His voice still carried a sleepy haze.
“I’ve almost finished packing up my place. I’ll find someone to move the painting away right now.”
More than half a month ago, Fang Jialin, who was in the United States, had contacted You Jue.
He said he had commissioned a painting and needed You Jue to receive it for him. He specifically asked him to inspect it in person to make sure there were no stains or damage.
You Jue hadn’t thought much of it and simply gave him the law firm’s address.
He still remembered the day it arrived.
Two deliverymen had carried the huge box into his office with great effort.
Even his colleagues passing by couldn’t help asking whether he was unhappy with the firm’s furniture and had bought something new.
After unpacking layer upon layer of packaging, You Jue was even more confused.
What was the point of commissioning such a huge portrait?
Was he planning to burn three incense sticks in front of it every day and wait for it to magically come to life?
You Jue hadn’t expected that after all these years, Fang Jialin would still be so good at making himself feel moved by his own actions.
What he hadn’t expected even more was that while they were having a regular meeting, the cleaning lady had already collected and thrown away all the cardboard packaging.
So the painting had no choice but to remain standing in his office.
Just like the person in the painting, it had brazenly occupied his time and energy.
“Do it as soon as possible.”
You Jue said, “Have you decided when you’re coming back?”
“In the next few days. I’ve already rented a place.”
Fang Jialin yawned widely before getting out of bed.
“There are still some things I need to take care of here. I have a whole pile of stuff that I need to sell secondhand.”
“Okay. Let me know once you’ve decided on the date.”
You Jue was about to hang up when Fang Jialin suddenly said,
“Oh, right.”
“Hmm?”
“You… have you heard anything about her recently?”
You Jue raised his eyes and looked at the portrait on the sofa across from him.
Perhaps because he had been seeing it so often these past few days, the cold, lifeless face in the painting seemed to have developed an expression.
It was smiling brightly at him.
“No.”
“Oh…”
Fang Jialin didn’t notice the brief stiffness in You Jue’s voice and continued,
“I heard her family has been pressuring her to get married. They’ve introduced quite a few potential partners to her over the past two years.”
Whenever the conversation turned to Ni Xia, You Jue was always too lazy to say much.
Fang Jialin was used to his silence and continued,
“The men her family introduced should all be pretty good. I wonder if she has met anyone she likes recently.”
At those words, the corner of You Jue’s forehead twitched slightly.
He coldly replied with four words:
“How would I know?”
The moment he finished speaking, his computer started up.
WeChat automatically logged in, and Ni Xia’s message appeared on the screen.
She had quoted his earlier message:
“No need to trouble yourself. Just have it mailed.”
[Ni Xia]: It’s no trouble at all.
[Ni Xia]: I just happen to want to see you too.
You Jue: “…”