Chapter 56

The next day, Xitang returned to Shanghai. Holiday flights were extremely difficult to get, and she only managed to book the earliest flight, which was at 7:00 AM.

As soon as Ni Kailun left the hotel that day, she immediately halted all of Xitang’s work. There was no prior notice or handover. Her assistant was recalled by the company, and now she was completely cut off from the outside world. When Xitang tried calling her, Ni Kailun didn’t pick up. In the entertainment industry, the most important thing for an artist was to obey, and it seemed that Ni Kailun was determined to blacklist her this time.

By the time she arrived in Shanghai, it was only 9:00 AM. The end of the year in Shanghai was gray and foggy, with a light drizzle falling, and the wind was chilling to the bone.

When she was at the airport in Beijing earlier that morning, waiting to pick up her luggage, airline staff recognized her. Seeing her alone in the airport, two ground staff approached and asked for a photo.

Perhaps because of her low mood, Xitang took it all in stride. She took off her sunglasses and gave them a standard sweet smile. One of the staff, a beautiful woman, even shook her hand, smiling as she said, “You’re traveling alone, no assistant? Your personal aura is just amazing.”

Xitang smiled and shook her hand.

Xitang then took a taxi from Hongqiao to the company, where everyone greeted her with smiles.

“Xitang, the drama in Beijing is over, you’re back!”

“Wow, Xitang, the big star is back!”

She went into Ni Kailun’s office, but Ni Kailun wasn’t there. She was avoiding her.

Xitang also went to her home, but there was no one there either.

The next morning, Thirteen Ye was at the company, brewing tea. Ni Kailun knocked and entered, “Thirteen Ye, you were looking for me?”

Thirteen Ye, wearing a floral shirt with suspenders and his hair styled in a Hong Kong style, waved at her, “Kailun, come in and sit.”

Ni Kailun sat on the sofa.

Thirteen Ye pushed a cup of tea toward her. “Did you fall out with Xitang?”

Holding her tea, Ni Kailun’s eyes widened. As she had a stake in the company and Thirteen Ye valued talent, she wasn’t as overly respectful to him as others. Hearing his question, she immediately asked, “Who’s gossiping?”

Thirteen Ye calmly brewed another round of tea before pointing to a folder on the table. “There’s a document you should look at. It’s from Xitang, a favor to you, to me, and to the company.”

Ni Kailun picked it up and glanced at it. It was a document about film release schedules. She briefly scanned the company’s films and didn’t notice anything unusual. As she flipped through it, she complained, “Xitang is really hard to manage. How could you expect me to handle this artist? You’ve never bothered with such things before, so why care now?”

But the next moment, her words suddenly stopped.

Ni Kailun froze, took another careful look at the document, then raised her head and stared intently at Thirteen Ye.

Thirteen Ye nodded, his expression deep and inscrutable.

The New Year’s movie release slots were extremely valuable, and there was always fierce competition. This year, Star Entertainment had an ancient love comedy set for release during the New Year period, competing against a detective movie from a rival company. Both films had the hottest rising stars as leads, with solid scripts and excellent production, and both were launching heavy promotional campaigns, promising a fierce publicity battle. After years of networking, Ni Kailun had worked hard to secure a premiere slot on January 2nd. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until news came last week that a U.S. superhero blockbuster had secured the same premiere date, January 2nd. This caused an uproar throughout the company, as domestic audiences’ preferences would likely crush the box office of any domestic films. The company attempted to adjust the schedule, but it was no easy task. If the date couldn’t be moved, the next available slot wouldn’t be until after January 10th. The document Ni Kailun was looking at revealed that the U.S. film was actually set to premiere on December 31st, exactly the same day as their competitor’s film—this was a direct blow to their biggest rival.

Ni Kailun gasped deeply, gritted her teeth, and then said, “I understand.”

Thirteen Ye looked up at her and slowly said, “Xitang must keep the Zhao family’s young master by her side, no matter the cost.”

Ni Kailun raised an eyebrow, her voice laced with suspicion, “What do you mean?”

Thirteen Ye looked at her leisurely and replied, “They were polite about it, saying they wanted you to take good care of her. I’m not being polite. Listen carefully, whatever Xitang wants to do, let her. Don’t even mention acting in a play—if she wants to perform stand-up comedy, you’d better accommodate her well. The most important thing is to make sure she keeps the young master from the Zhao family around.”

Ni Kailun came home at noon and saw Huang Xitang running out of the room. She rolled her eyes and said, “I’m going to Beijing tomorrow to talk about the play you like. Are you happy now?”

Xitang lowered her head and said, “Sorry, I’ll just act in films. I don’t want to do theater anymore.”

Ni Kailun reached out and slapped her hard across the face. “You little brat.”

The company had given her the best resources, and Xitang signed the contract that afternoon. The new drama would start shooting in half a month, a modern urban drama in collaboration with Dahe Films. She had to get her makeup done and memorize lines, and she had just received the script, so time was tight.

Ni Kailun, with a cold expression, said, “Go with him to Beijing. His flight back to Beijing is tonight.”

Xitang looked at her, confused.

Ni Kailun said, “Thirteen Ye said that you need to take good care of that man. It’s far more important than filming.”

Ni Kailun escorted her downstairs, where the driver and car were already waiting. Xitang pouted, looking as though she might cry.

Ni Kailun held the umbrella and helped her into the car, adjusting the collar of Xitang’s coat and comfortingly said, “We’re all just trying to make a living, good girl. Go ahead.”

It was December 28th, approaching the New Year. The Christmas decorations still sparkled in the tall buildings, and the streets were beginning to light up. The temperature in Shanghai was extremely low, and it was raining, making it feel unbearably cold and damp outside.

Xitang waited downstairs at the Peace Hotel. The assistant escorted Zhao Pingjin down, and Xitang glanced at him. He was wrapped in a scarf and dressed warmly, but he kept coughing, his face looking particularly pale.

She opened her mouth to speak but hesitated.

Zhao Pingjin had flown in the night before, met with Hu Shaolei late into the night, and had slept through most of the morning, coughing so much that his voice was hoarse. He glanced at Xitang, who looked like she wanted to say something, and irritably said, “What do you want to say? You think I look so awful, right?”

Xitang smiled and said, “You should be more careful, your health is precious. Don’t let yourself fall apart.”

People passing through the hotel lobby secretly raised their phones to take pictures.

Zhao Pingjin, more sensitive than she was, immediately pulled her aside to block the camera and said calmly, “Get in the car.”

The driver, dressed in a golden uniform with white gloves, opened the car door.

Zhao Pingjin took her hand and helped her into the car.

Shen Min met Zhao Pingjin at the capital airport and, seeing Xitang coming down with him, sighed in relief. “Xitang, you came back with Zhou Zhou?”

Zhao Pingjin was extremely tired and didn’t want to talk. He waved his hand and got into the car. As soon as the car entered the airport expressway, he leaned against Xitang and closed his eyes.

Zhao Pingjin continued to cough, his pale forehead sweating. Xitang used a handkerchief to wipe it. He had been like this on the plane too—unable to sleep and feeling uncomfortable. He didn’t speak but silently endured it.

Shen Min drove a separate car and followed behind. When they reached the Park Hyatt garage, Shen Min came up and said, “The old master just called. He wants you to go home. He’s sick and doesn’t want you staying outside.”

Zhao Pingjin’s voice was heavy with nasal congestion, and he had no energy. “I’ll go upstairs and sleep for a bit. I can’t sleep at home, I’ll come back later to eat.”

Shen Min lowered his voice, “Boss, there’s one more thing.”

Shen Min had been incredibly busy these days because the Zhao family was preparing for a wedding. He had been temporarily reassigned to be Zhao Pingjin’s secretary again. However, Zhao Pingjin had no interest in the wedding, so Shen Min had been busy handling everything. The Yu family wanted to check on the wedding plans, and Zhao Pingjin had reluctantly gone with them once, but Miss Yu wasn’t happy with the arrangements, and the decorations had to be adjusted repeatedly. The next day, Zhao Pingjin had flown to Shanghai for a business trip, and Shen Min had replaced him to accompany Yu Xiaoying. Adding to the complications, some junior staff at the wedding planning company mistook Shen Min for the groom, making the situation awkward. None of these matters could go wrong, and now, in his desperation, Shen Min had no choice but to ask Xitang for help. “Could you please confirm the seating list for the wedding banquet?”

Xitang sat on the other side, her face expressionless, pretending not to hear.

Zhao Pingjin’s voice was hoarse, barely audible. “You handle it with Teacher Zhou.”

He got out of the car and went upstairs.

Zhao Pingjin entered the bedroom, sat down on the sofa with his eyes closed, unbuttoned his shirt, and began to undress. Xitang hung up both of their coats and walked in, just as she saw him removing his shirt. His arm had an intravenous drip, and his deep blue veins were visible, with a white medical bandage taped to it.

Xitang walked over and gently removed the bandage.

She tidied up his clothes, made some porridge, and returned to the room. Zhao Pingjin was already asleep in the bedroom. His nose was blocked, and his mouth was slightly open as he breathed. His cold symptoms were severe, and he slept restlessly, constantly furrowing his brow.

His pale face, with sharp jawlines, looked even more striking due to his colorlessness, and his dark eyebrows stood out sharply.

Xitang sat on the edge of the bed, gently reaching out to touch his face.

What a handsome man—his face pale with a slight white glow, his jawline firm like a piece of pure white jade. A man with such features, with a jawline as sharp as a knife, was bound to follow a ruthless, heartless path. If there was one thing Xitang had learned from being with him over the years, it was how ruthless one could be, even to oneself, in order to achieve one’s goals.

Xitang stayed still, staring at his face. No matter how handsome he was, what was the use?