The Xu residence fell into silence. A maid paused in her steps as she passed by, Uncle Fu hurried into the living room to assess the situation, and Pei Lingna withdrew her finger pointing at Chuan Jin.
Xu Mianchuan’s voice broke through, halting everyone’s movements.
The eldest young lady was gentle, her fits of anger few and far between. When someone who never got angry finally did, it was more terrifying than anything else.
Xu Mianchuan’s usually gentle and serene face was now frighteningly somber. She looked at Pei Lingna and spoke softly, “Mother’s words went too far. Xiao Jin has been raised as a daughter of the Xu family for twenty-two years and doesn’t need to be compared to anyone. She made a mistake today, and everyone’s emotions are running high. Arguing further is pointless. I’ll carefully get to the bottom of this later, then have Xiao Jin apologize to Father. As for the others—”
The living room remained quiet, no one uttering a word. Even Xu Anguo remained silent, allowing his eldest daughter to handle the aftermath.
Xu Mianchuan’s tone was unhurried, but her face showed visible exhaustion: “Lulu, I won’t say anything about Father defending you, but instigating a crime and nearly causing Xiao Jin’s death is a grave mistake. You won’t be attending the Ru Hua audition the day after tomorrow.”
“Eldest Sister! I’ve been preparing for the Ru Hua audition for half a month! The company has already released the news, and Director Wei said he highly approves of me playing the female lead. I can’t miss this audition!” Xia Helu stood up anxiously.
Ru Hua was an S+ adaptation of last year’s blockbuster novel IP. The female lead’s character was exceptionally well-written, and several film companies had competed fiercely for the rights, ultimately won by the industry leader, Bo Ya Film and Television. Once the news broke, actresses big and small in the industry vied for the role of Ru Hua. Xia Helu had coveted it too, but her agency had dragged its feet, failing to secure even an audition slot.
It was only after returning to the Xu family that Xu Mianchuan took charge, signing her under their subsidiary, Xu Ri Media, and personally dining with Bo Ya’s CEO to secure her the audition opportunity for the female lead.
If Xu Mianchuan could give her the chance, she could just as easily take it away. If she said no, Xia Helu would undoubtedly miss this chance to skyrocket her career. She couldn’t accept that.
But after speaking, Xu Mianchuan showed no reaction, silently watching her. Xia Helu suddenly felt a pang of fear.
Was Eldest Sister… serious?
“Eldest Sister, I was wrong. I know I was wrong. I shouldn’t have instigated outsiders to harm Chuan Jin. Could you… could you not take this opportunity away?” Xia Helu was on the verge of tears.
She had conceded. Ru Hua was a gateway to immense wealth and fame—she absolutely couldn’t let it slip away!
“It’s good that Third Sister acknowledges her mistake. But mistakes must be met with consequences. If it’s not Ru Hua, there will be other opportunities. First, temper your mindset, then we can discuss other matters,” Xu Mianchuan said lightly.
Temper her mindset? Was she implying she was mentally unbalanced? Xia Helu’s face flushed red, and she swayed, nearly losing her balance.
Wang Yujiang quickly steadied her.
Xu Mianchuan no longer looked at the two, turning to Xu Anguo instead: “I’ve represented Xu Ri in punishing Third Sister’s mistake. As for Yujiang, I’ll leave it to you to decide, Father—whether to dismiss him or impose a fine.”
“Mianchuan, about this matter—” Xu Anguo’s expression was hesitant.
Xu Mianchuan interrupted him: “Father, if you don’t want Xiao Jin to keep harping on this, you’d better take my advice.”
Xu Anguo was taken aback.
Pei Lingna rolled her eyes and said displeasedly, “It was never a big deal to begin with. The two robbers failed, Chuan Jin is perfectly fine. This is a family matter that should be resolved behind closed doors. Why take it to the company and let outsiders laugh at us?”
“Mom.” Xu Mianchuan’s beautiful features completely lost their expression: “If you don’t want outsiders laughing at us, these things shouldn’t have happened in the first place. If everyone had known their place from the beginning, we wouldn’t have this mess tonight.”
Hearing this, Xu Anguo finally understood.
The starting point of everything was indeed Xia Helu taking it upon herself to drive Chuan Jin away. Xu Mianchuan’s handling, while seemingly harsh, was actually helping everyone move past this incident. As the father, he naturally should play along.
Thinking this, Xu Anguo stopped his wife and said solemnly, “There are other projects within the company. Yujiang, you go follow up with other teams. You don’t need to handle PT anymore – I’ll find someone else to take responsibility.”
“Chairman!” Wang Yujiang’s eyes widened.
He had come today to lodge complaints and settle scores, but how did it end with Xu Chuanjin unaffected while he himself got demoted?!
Wang Yujiang shot looks at Xia Helu, hoping she would plead for him, but she was too absorbed in the panic of losing her audition opportunity to notice his signals. Wang Yujiang slumped back onto the sofa, his face ashen.
The ducks that were already in his hand had flown away – two of them, in fact. Both he and Xia Helu had suffered double losses.
Chuan Jin was stunned by Xu Mianchuan’s swift and decisive methods, standing dazed to the side without speaking for a long time.
The eldest daughter was indeed the eldest daughter – her problem-solving speed was simply different.
“Xiao Jin, let’s talk in my room.”
“…Okay.” Chuan Jin knew it was her turn now. If it was Xu Mianchuan questioning her, she could accept it.
The two went upstairs, while Xu Anguo also returned to his study with a displeased expression. Xia Helu, still unwilling to accept the outcome, went to beg Pei Lingna.
From beginning to end, Xu Longchuan didn’t say a single word, lost in thought as he watched Chuan Jin’s retreating figure going upstairs.
On the second floor, Xu Mianchuan brought Chuan Jin to her room. Closing the door, her eyes immediately reddened.
Chuan Jin was startled: “Sister, you!”
Xu Mianchuan wiped her tears away, holding Chuan Jin’s hands as she sighed: “Thank goodness, thank goodness you didn’t leave. The world outside is so vast – if you had gone, I probably would have had to search the entire world for you.”
Chuan Jin’s heart clenched, her eyes stinging with unshed tears.
Others didn’t know, but she understood best – in the original storyline, Xu Mianchuan really had searched the world for her. From North America to Europe, from the northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere, whenever private investigators had any leads, Xu Mianchuan would immediately fly there. Even when she returned disappointed time after time, she would still drop everything and set out again the next time.
This sister who cared for her so deeply would naturally stand up for her today too.
Xu Mianchuan gently smoothed her sister’s disheveled hair at the temples, her expression gentle and serene. “Xiao Jin, I know you’ve been wronged. If Mom and Dad don’t care about you, I do. But you need to understand their position too. The ‘Ru Hua’ resource is too valuable – taking it away is undoubtedly a huge blow to Lulu. She should understand her mistake now. You made quite a scene in Dong Zhou, and probably said quite a few bad things about Wang Yujiang too, didn’t you? Zhou Lincan has high standards and great capability. Even if Dad hadn’t replaced him today, Zhou Lincan would have notified Changxu to change the person in charge. All of Wang Yujiang’s earlier efforts have come to nothing – that’s his punishment too. Harmony in the family leads to prosperity in all endeavors – let’s stop here, alright?”
Chuan Jin giggled: “Sister, you’ve already cut their major arteries. Using the phrase ‘knowing when to stop’ seems rather disrespectful.”
Xu Mianchuan tapped her head: “Nonsense.”
Chuan Jin obediently conceded: “Alright, as long as they don’t cause trouble, I promise you I won’t stir up any trouble.”
With that matter settled, Xu Mianchuan breathed a sigh of relief and took her to apologize to Xu Anguo.
“Wait a moment.” Chuan Jin pulled Xu Mianchuan back: “Sister, are you very familiar with Zhou Lincan? Have you investigated him?”
Xu Mianchuan nodded: “It wasn’t really an investigation. Zhou Lincan was a few years ahead of me in school, and he was quite famous at Stanford.”
“He comes from a purely technical background, skipped grades to get his PhD, founded Dong Huan Technology in Silicon Valley early on and served as CTO. The SW Smart Robot he developed has been deployed in over eighty countries worldwide. Without relying on the Zhou family’s substantial capital, Zhou Lincan has achieved career success, status, and wealth that most people don’t have. Not to mention his outstanding appearance – whether in Shen Shi’s elite circles or any other field, he’s an unattainable top achiever.”
“He’s really that impressive?”
Chuan Jin was astonished. Yesterday she had been too busy admiring his looks, never expecting Zhou Lincan to be a genuine elite.
Chuan Jin’s eyes shifted thoughtfully as she asked with a smile: “Sister, do you want the PT Project?”
Xu Mianchuan was taken aback, then shook her head: “Sunrise is keeping me busy right now.”
Chuan Jin understood her sister’s meaning and smiled: “Compared to PT, the work at Sunrise is nothing. Anyway, Wang Yujiang is no longer in the picture. Why don’t you try asking Dad for the PT Project?”
Chuan Jin was calculating something else.
Xu Mianchuan was gentle and refined – she deserved to be matched with a gentleman of high status. With Zhou Lincan’s exceptional abilities, if they got together, it might possibly change Xu Mianchuan’s fate ahead of schedule.
Seeing Xu Mianchuan’s hesitation and the hidden trace of desire in her eyes, Chuan Jin didn’t hesitate, immediately pulling her to find Xu Anguo.
Leaving the bedroom, the two turned into the east wing where Xu Anguo and Pei Lingna lived, running into Uncle Fu who had come looking for them.
“Miss Xiao Jin, the master wants you to come to his study immediately.”
Chuan Jin pouted: “What’s the rush? I was just going to apologize to him.”
Uncle Fu smiled kindly: “Miss Xiao Jin misunderstands, that’s not what the master meant. Five minutes ago he received a call from someone at Dongzhou Group. The other party specifically requested that Miss Xiao Jin take charge of the PT Project, and even agreed that the contract could be signed tomorrow.”