AITAMITB Chapter 60

Speaking of the male lead, in a moment of absent-mindedness, Zhao Xiaokui realized that she hadn’t heard from Rong Zhen for a long time.

She was somewhat surprised that Rong Zhen hadn’t come to trouble her.

She could easily guess that Shen Zhifei must have dealt with these matters for her.

Imagining this, she teared up and held Shen Zhifei’s hand, saying, “Oh, you’ve been through so much.”

Shen Zhifei: “…”

“What’s going on in your head all day?” 

In a split second, Zhao Xiaokui straightened her body, looked at Shen Zhifei, and said matter-of-factly, “You.”

Even though Shen Zhifei was aware of Zhao Xiaokui’s sweet words, like a generous gift package distributed every day, her lips still involuntarily curled upwards.

She had to purse her lips and control her facial expression, trying not to let Zhao Xiaokui see her happiness, so as not to give her satisfaction.

Little did she know that the joy in her eyes had already exposed her completely.

Zhao Xiaokui wouldn’t be foolish enough to expose her girlfriend’s disguise. She just enjoyed Shen Zhifei blushing while pretending to be serious when listening to her sweet words.

Without being asked, Shen Zhifei wouldn’t voluntarily reveal much about Rong Zhen in front of Zhao Xiaokui. However, since she brought it up, she didn’t mind letting her know about Rong Zhen’s current situation.

The marriage alliance between the Rong and Shen families, though displeasing to the elders of both families, was eventually dropped due to Shen Zhifei’s insistence.

Forced marriages rarely end well. While the Rong and Shen families hoped to strengthen their close collaboration through this alliance, it wasn’t a matter of life and death for either family to be without it.

Although Shen Zhifei was a girl, she had her own company and connections. She wasn’t a dependent flower, unable to survive without the Shen family. Previously willing to enter the marriage alliance due to her indifference towards marriage, she had changed her mind. Now that she was unwilling, the head of the Shen family and Shen Zhifei’s aunt could do little more than complain a bit; they had no real power over her.

Even if there was a desire to create some obstacles for Shen Entertainment, allowing Shen Zhifei to experience the pain of being away from her family, one still had to consider the dignity of the Bai family.

Nobody knew how the Bai family was connected to Shen Zhifei.

When Shen Zhifei announced the dissolution of her engagement, the first person to come forward in support was Bai Jingru.

Although Bai Jingru was a young girl, the Bai family was a formidable force that could rival the Rong and Shen families. In the eyes of these elders, Bai Jingru, who took over the Bai family in her early twenties, seemed like a child wielding a big stick. But still, the stick was solid¹something stable, reliable, or unwavering. Even if Bai Jingru couldn’t handle it well and accidentally dropped it, hitting someone’s toe would still be painful.

Moreover, in the field of business, Shen Zhifei had demonstrated her talent. In just a few years, she had turned her newly founded company into a thriving enterprise, becoming an elite in the industry. With or without the Shen surname, she had made a name for herself. Blood is thicker than water, and as a family, Shen Zhifei treated her younger siblings quite amicably. If, in the future, their son inherited the Shen family and had the support of such a capable cousin, it would be a good thing. There was no need to completely offend Shen Zhifei for a marriage alliance that was neither here nor there, pushing her away entirely.

Rong Zhen did try to contact Shen Zhifei several times, even infiltrating the villa area, attempting to meet Zhao Xiaokui. However, at that time, Zhao Xiaokui was at the Night Walkers’ base, and he couldn’t find her. Instead, he threatened Shen Zhifei to hand her over.

Shen Zhifei downplayed these incidents when recounting them. Seeing Zhao Xiaokui furrowing her brows repeatedly as if she wanted to put someone in a sack and give them a good beating, Shen Zhifei reached out and pinched her cheek, saying, “Alright, it’s all in the past. I’m fine, and Rong Zhen wouldn’t dare to do anything to me.”

If he made a move against her, with the combined forces of her and Bai Jingru, whether the Rong family could withstand it or not was another story.

Now that her business was growing, there was a gradual overlap with the Rong family’s interests. It was inevitable that they would come into conflict sooner or later. However, these matters need not be told to Zhao Xiaokui to burden her.

Seeing Zhao Xiaokui still immersed in thoughts of causing trouble for herself, Shen Zhifei used Rong Zhen as a distraction and shared a little gossip with her.

“You don’t need to worry about Rong Zhen coming to find me. He’s been quite busy these days. I heard he’s taken a liking to another young star, showering her with money and resources, desperately in love. Unfortunately, the star doesn’t fancy him, and she’s having a hot affair with a movie emperor. Rong Zhen is jealous and making a fool of himself, causing quite a stir. His parents probably don’t know about it yet, but the industry is already abuzz with the news.”

Zhao Xiaokui almost spat out her cappuccino. She sighed leisurely, “…This is truly the configuration of a TV drama male lead.”

Every day felt like living in a script.

Shen Zhifei didn’t mention that the actor who pursued the young star alongside Rong Zhen had previously shown interest in Zhao Zijin. It could be said that birds of a feather flock together. If Rong Zhen and that man had been interested in the same person before, now pursuing the same individual wasn’t all that surprising.

After finishing their coffee, it was almost time to go back to work in the afternoon.

Zhao Xiaokui held Shen Zhifei’s hand, pressed down on her hat to shield the slightly dazzling sunlight, and discreetly adjusted the earphones concealed under her long hair.

“No extraordinary powers detected.”

“No abnormal conditions found.”

In her mind, Zhao Xiaokui sighed. Was her fish not coming today?

A little past two o’clock, the secretary entered and informed Shen Zhifei of a meeting.

Between attending the meeting and waiting in the office, Zhao Xiaokui chose the latter.

Wearing the headphones Shen Zhifei prepared for her, she sat on the sofa in the reception area, starting to listen to songs one after another, experiencing the latest popular music.

Apart from the prominent side effects, the song she composed in the morning had another significant issue. It would be perfectly fine if performed in a theater, but as a published pop song, it deviated too far from the mainstream.

After listening for a while, Zhao Xiaokui regretfully took off the headphones.

No feeling.

The songs she used to love, her favorite artists – now, they couldn’t quite reach her ears. Only a few truly gifted individuals managed to surprise her.

In legends, mermaids enchanted sailors with their singing, causing them to unknowingly meet their demise. This showed how outstanding their musical abilities were.

While in the deep sea, Zhao Xiaokui didn’t witness any mermaids singing, but regarding music, it was indeed a natural talent for mermaids. However, it was not frequently used since, with the ability to use physical force, who would prefer to sing? Unless faced with an opponent they couldn’t defeat directly, mermaids rarely resorted to this skill, at least from what Zhao Xiaokui observed.

The consequence of having a talent that was endlessly elevated was that creating a song in the style of popular music was easy. However, that wasn’t the kind of vibe Zhao Xiaokui liked.

Mermaids’ nature made her prefer songs like the first one she created today, where pure music alone could transport people into a fantasy realm.

While humming the second song in her mind, outside the office, lively sounds gradually reached Zhao Xiaokui’s ears.

The meeting should be over.

Shen Zhifei quickly returned from outside, but as soon as she sat down, the secretary came in to remind her that the people from the collaborating party were on their way.

She apologized to Zhao Xiaokui with a smile, saying, “There are snacks in the pantry, and there’s a bed and bathtub in the lounge. Help yourself, okay?”

Zhao Xiaokui, putting down her paper, sighed and sincerely exclaimed, “Being a CEO is really tough. What happened to the ‘cooling down in autumn’ plan?”

Shen Zhifei rubbed her head and took the pen out of her mouth. “Don’t bite the pen. It’s unhygienic.”

Zhao Xiaokui responded with an “Ah.”

Looking at the sharp bite marks on the pen, Shen Zhifei flicked Zhao Xiaokui’s head. “Bad habit.”

Avoiding the topic, Zhao Xiaokui asked, “Who are you discussing cooperation with? Can I go and take a look?”

Shen Zhifei naturally had no reason to refuse. “If you want to, go ahead. Just say you’re my assistant.”

Taking off her hat, holding Shen Zhifei’s documents to her chest, and removing the glasses from Shen Zhifei’s face to put them on her own, Zhao Xiaokui instantly gained a more refined and elegant demeanor.

With practiced ease, she displayed an official yet polite smile and said, “No problem, boss.”

Shen Zhifei took a deep breath and suddenly turned her head.

Zhao Xiaokui: “…”

Did I not act well enough?

Taking the glasses off her face, Shen Zhifei said, “Don’t smile at others like that.”

Thinking about how Zhao Xiaokui looked good no matter how she smiled, Shen Zhifei added, “No smiling at others either.”

Today, Zhifei is truly a vinegar jar.

But why does she²Zhao Xiaokui like it so much?

Feeling pleased in her heart, Zhao Xiaokui gave a peck on Shen Zhifei’s cheek and assured her, “No problem.”

She followed Shen Zhifei out, ready to welcome the collaborating party.

Normally playful, but when it came to serious matters, Zhao Xiaokui was quite reliable. After deliberately lowering her visibility, even the secretary didn’t notice that her boss suddenly had an assistant.

Holding the documents, Zhao Xiaokui walked into the meeting room with Shen Zhifei. The negotiating teams from Shen Zhifei’s side and the collaborating party were seated on opposite sides. The discussion on the collaboration project began, and while similar scenes in movies were often thrilling, the reality was rather dull. Behind Shen Zhifei, Zhao Xiaokui even yawned quite unceremoniously.

Feeling a bit sleepy.

It wasn’t because she was injured; she just found the situation boring. In fact, she wondered if Shen Zhifei had done something unknown to heal the injuries caused by the influence of the evil god. Why had all the damage disappeared overnight?

However, she hesitated to ask Shen Zhifei about it, as revealing that would mean explaining how she got involved with the evil god.

Her avoidance mentality led her to decide to put the matter aside for now.

After numerous rounds of negotiations, both sides finally wore satisfied smiles on their faces. The representative from the other party stood up, extending a hand toward Shen Zhifei, “President Shen, looking forward to our future—”

Unexpectedly, a crisis occurred at this moment.

The man standing behind the representative of the collaborating party reached for the glass cover placed on the table. Sensing danger, Zhao Xiaokui acted decisively, kicking his wrist without hesitation. The glass cup flew high, contents spilling out. Simultaneously, Zhao Xiaokui grabbed the back of a chair, executing a second kick, sending the seemingly honest and loyal man flying into the opposite wall.

The sudden change happened too fast. The glass cup crashed to the floor, and the representative of the collaborating party reacted, furious, “General Shen, what is the meaning of this?”

Zhao Xiaokui spoke coldly, “I would like to ask you, what is the meaning of this? Why are your employees all acting like geniuses, drinking concentrated sulfuric acid as if it were water?”

The representative instinctively looked at the place where the glass had fallen, only to see bubbles sizzling on the smooth marble floor of Shen Entertainment.

His face turned pale in an instant.

“This, this…”

Seeing his reaction, Zhao Xiaokui knew he probably genuinely didn’t know anything; he had been manipulated.

However, at this moment, the Night Walker was more inclined to catch the wrong person than let anyone go. Therefore, as soon as Zhao Xiaokui pressed her earphones to notify them about the situation, a group of police officers arrived promptly and took the man away.

The collaborating party representative, who never expected such a turn of events, appeared utterly dejected. As he was being taken away, he sincerely said to Shen Zhifei, “We don’t know why this happened, but we will take full responsibility for the compensation you deserve. We came to cooperate in good faith. We hope that after our innocence is proven, we can continue to collaborate with Shen Entertainment.”

Shen Zhifei nodded calmly, “Certainly.”

Then she turned her head, looking at Zhao Xiaokui, who seemed uninvolved. Her eyes slightly darkened.

“I think you owe me an explanation.”

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  something stable, reliable, or unwavering
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  Zhao Xiaokui