He Xiu was in excruciating pain; her face slammed hard against the ground, tears streaming down her face, her makeup smeared, and she looked utterly disheveled, a far cry from her previous smug and arrogant demeanor.

"Bastard...who is it...who is it...?"

She shakily raised her head, and what came into view was a pair of long legs. A tall man looked down at her, his brows furrowing slightly.

It seemed... that he was impatient because she was blocking his way.

He Xiu was so angry she wanted to curse, but just as she was about to get up, Shi An strode over her with his long legs, pulling his suitcase over her as if it were a stone blocking his way.

There was no contempt, no disdain.

It's an attitude of complete indifference and disregard—like, would a human even glance down at an ant when passing by?

Won't.

This attitude infuriated He Xiu so much that she almost coughed up blood.

Seeing He Xiu's disheveled appearance, Ruan Qing'an and her assistant fell silent. She stood there, looking up at the tall man who walked up to her: "Why are you back, Brother Shi?"

"..."

Shi An's face was sullen, showing no joy at the reunion. This made Ruan Qing'an stand still for a moment, her hands clasped together, feeling a little uneasy. She bit her lower lip, slightly nervous.

Shi An stared at her, then suddenly said, "Get out."

"ah?"

Ruan Qing'an was taken aback. Just as she was about to leave, her assistant pressed her down and then cleverly walked out.

The atmosphere was tense. He Xiu, who was lying on the ground, got up and was about to speak when the man in front of her, as if he could no longer suppress his violent temper, turned around and kicked her out of the door, slamming the door shut!

He spoke with a chilling voice, like a wild beast about to unleash its fury.

"Don't open the door to every piece of trash, okay?"

"...Brother Shi, what's wrong?"

Ruan Qing'an took a deep breath and asked in a low voice, but the next moment Shi An let go of the suitcase and took a step closer.

Under Shi An's overly imposing aura, Ruan Qing'an retreated.

037: [Holy crap, is the male lead going to hit someone?]

"No way, he doesn't seem like that kind of person."

037: [Ancestor, ask He Xiu if he seems like that kind of person?]

Nguyen Thanh An: ...

But just as his thoughts drifted away, Shi An stepped forward again, his deep, cello-like voice saying, "I got the news from Director Li yesterday and immediately bought a plane ticket to come back."

"Ah... didn't it affect the filming?"

Seeing Ruan Qing'an's stammering, Shi An laughed in anger. He bent down and pressed one hand against the back of her head, instantly closing the distance between them. He could even smell the cold tobacco scent on Shi An's body—he had probably smoked a lot of cigarettes.

His voice was hoarse as he spoke, each word distinct and deliberate.

No news.

"There is no phone."

"I was even the last to know."

Shi An paused, his dark eyes almost devouring her like a wild beast: "Ruan Qing'an, what exactly do you take me for?"

"I……"

The usually chattering girl fell silent.

A man who never talks can be aggressive.

Shi An didn't even give her a chance to explain, and continued, "You have to be notified of my girlfriend's affairs by someone else? Or do you want me to find out about this after I finish filming and return to China?"

"Ruan Qingan, you've gone too far."

"..."

Ruan Qingan was taken aback, closed his eyes briefly, and slumped his shoulders: "I just don't want to affect you. This is my business. I don't want to affect your pursuit of your dreams and your career."

"Your business?"

Shi An rarely spoke with a sarcastic tone. He lowered his eyes and said, "Remember this, Ruan Qing'an, your business is my business. I don't need you to protect me or hide your dangers."

"But I'm already..."

"Remember this, I'll only say it once."

Shi An interrupted her. After a brief silence, he solemnly said, "I don't care what kind of person you are, whether you have money, whether you are a good person, or whether you are pretty."

"As long as it's you, it's fine."

"Never hide anything from me again, Ruan Qing'an. I want to know everything about you—"

No, perhaps...

He wanted to possess everything about her.

Shi An's eyes darkened slightly as he let the gloomy emotions in his heart spread. He lowered his head and bit her lips, licking them little by little, as if trying to devour her completely.

【Affection Level: 100】

When she could barely breathe, her slender hand pressed against the man's chest, a faint blush rising to her face.

Ruan Qingan coughed softly: "I was wrong."

"You're not convinced?"

"No, no, there isn't."

Fearing that Shi An would "eat" her up, Ruan Qing'an decisively backed down.

Fortunately, Shi An only glanced at her before saying, "Now you can tell me what you're planning to do."

"Huh?"

"That woman could have driven you to this point?"

Ruan Qing'an paused, then gave a wry smile: "Really, I put on such a great performance, how come nobody believes me?"

Shi An suddenly said, "I believed it at first."

"What happened next, Brother Shi? Why didn't you believe me anymore?"

"Since you can still stay here peacefully, there shouldn't be any major problems."

Upon hearing Shi An's words, Ruan Qing'an was speechless for a moment. So the "dejected," "disappointed," and "desperate" performance she put on was the biggest flaw that Shi An had noticed?

But turning the topic back, Shi An asked in return, "So?"

Ruan Qing'an paused, then said softly, "I watched him build a magnificent mansion, I watched him host lavish banquets, and I watched his mansion collapse."

Shi An remained silent, only squinting his eyes.

That's interesting...

...

The situation changed rapidly. Nguyen Thanh Linh took over the Nguyen Group and began to implement a series of sweeping reforms, showing great ambition and a clear intention to achieve great things.

However, the rapid development touched upon the interests of many parties, and Ruan Qingling, who was just beginning to build her own career, encountered obstacles right from the start.

Moreover, after confirming that Ruan's father had indeed been hospitalized, the shareholders who had initially pledged their support to Ruan Qingling changed their minds and used the shares that Ruan Qingling had promised to take to continue embezzling the Ruan Group, striving to maximize their own interests.

In a short time, the Ruan Group was plagued by internal strife and external crises, and the huge business empire was thrown into turmoil!

With internal and external troubles still unresolved, Ruan Qingling encountered new problems. After Shi An returned from abroad, he also began to target the Ruan Group—he truly had no way to deal with it commercially.

However, he has a wide network of contacts and a great influence.

This experience made Ruan Qingling fully realize how skilled these people in the entertainment industry are at manipulating public opinion and influence. The stock market fluctuations alone made Ruan Qingling's scalp tingle.

The Nguyen Group is in chaos.

Many shareholders have already been secretly selling their shares, and even Ruan Qingling is hesitant about whether to sell hers.

Most importantly, the building was on the verge of collapse, and she was powerless to turn the tide.

By the end of the month, Ruan Qingling couldn't take it anymore and took the initiative to convene another shareholders' meeting—if possible, she would sell her shares to the new shareholders.

It would be best if a fool took over, so she could use the money to make a comeback!