Chapter 20 Aren't all men the same...?

"Mr. Huang..."

Sheng Yi shrank back, wondering why the person who had just been so kind had suddenly turned on her. Her weak voice sounded incredibly pitiful.

Perhaps pleased by her reaction, Huang Zhicheng softened his tone, "Oh? Are those news reports fake?"

Sheng Yi lowered her head, her long hair hanging down beside her ears, and remained noncommittal about his question.

The silent rebuke felt like a slap across Huang Zhicheng's face. He laughed angrily, gritting his teeth and saying viciously, "You've been played with to death, haven't you? What are you pretending to be, a virtuous and chaste woman?"

Thinking about the months he'd spent fawning over her, he was furious. He'd thought she was different from others, but it turned out she was just putting on a show of chastity to get a better price for herself.

“Mr. Huang.” Sheng Yi smiled almost imperceptibly, looked up at him, “Please don’t get agitated. I saw on the news a few days ago that someone was so emotional that they ended up in the emergency room. It’s not worth it for something as trivial as this.”

"Besides, what does it matter to you whether it's true or false?"

His voice was still soft and gentle, making Huang Zhicheng's forehead veins throb. "You think everything will be fine once you hook up with him? I advise you not to be too happy!"

So what? We're innocent now, but what about the resources?

Sheng Yi was angry, but too lazy to correct what he was thinking. She just subconsciously retorted, "Aren't all men the same? I wouldn't cry in front of you, so don't worry about me."

After saying that, she softened her tone and coaxed him, "I know you mean well, I will definitely come to you if I need anything."

Huang Zhicheng was caught in a choking rage. He wanted to say "Who cares?" but somehow got stuck. He could only blush and mutter "shameless" over and over again.

Sheng Yi had annoyed him, and her anger subsided a bit. Just then, the elevator arrived, and she casually said, "Take care, Mr. Huang," before pressing the elevator door button herself.

Huang Zhicheng realized what was happening and launched into another long string of curses.

-

"Mr. Kobayashi."

"Mr. Kobayashi."

The moment Lin Hao stepped into the Starry Sky Entertainment Building, the various groups erupted in chaos.

The receptionist bowed and greeted me, but out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of the corner of a pair of trousers flashing past.

Three months into her job, this was the first time she had seen General Manager Lin enter the company premises before midnight.

"Are you sure you're not mistaken? I've been here for three years and I've never seen this before."

"It's definitely him. Scroll back; there are pictures posted earlier."

"We're already up here. The first thing we'll do is meet up with Brother Shili."

"Turns out he was in a hurry to find his wife."

"Wen Shili is 1! Wen Shili is 1! Wen Shili is 1! No one is allowed to go against my CP!"

The chat in the group was buzzing with excitement, but there was no extra sound in the office.

Cao Jun listened quietly to the door for a while, which was not at all like Kobayashi's style.

His mind raced, and he was suddenly startled by his own imagination: Could there really be some R-rated pornographic film playing out inside?

Lately, Mr. Lin seems to be about to become a monk. He's stopped chasing girls, stopped appearing in the news, and disappeared for almost half a month. When he comes to the company, he goes straight to Brother Li's room...

"Help!" He could already picture it in his mind.

Cao Jun shook his head, eager to clear his mind of the lewd thoughts. If Brother Li found out, his shift would be over.

But what exactly were they doing inside?

Separated by a wall.

Wen Shili leaned back in his office chair, an open magazine resting on his crossed legs. Lin Hao stood by the window, gazing into the distance, lost in thought.

This scene had been eerily prolonged for about ten minutes. To an outsider, ten minutes might not seem like a long time, but for Lin Hao, it was highly unusual.

As he turned another page of the magazine in his hand, Wen Shili finally deigned to glance at it. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

Lin Hao, who had been holding it in for so long, was also nearing his limit. He grabbed a stool and sat down next to him, saying, "Let's see if you're blind."

Wen Shili was too lazy to mess with him. "If you have nothing to do, find another place to practice your stance."

Lin Hao was annoyed that his good intentions were misunderstood. "I came to check if the company was about to go bankrupt. We need you to boost sales."

Wen Shili: "Things will only go more smoothly without you."

Fortunately, Lin Hao came prepared. He took out his phone, pulled up a document, and shoved it hard in Lin Hao's face. "If you don't count how many times you've been trending on Weibo lately, people will think we've been on Weibo for a year."

Wen Shili didn't even glance at him, "Young Master Lin should be just as good, right?"

One sentence made Lin Hao's heart skip a beat: "Don't spread rumors, I've been completely innocent lately!"

Seeing his reaction, Wen Shili raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Under that gaze, it felt as if nothing could be hidden. "I'm asking you! Don't try to change the subject!" Lin Hao slammed his phone down on him. "Take a look for yourself."

"Look at yourself, have you lost your mind? You're being used to climb up the ladder and you're still running around doing favors for them. People are even coming to me to ask if it's true! Tell me, what are you thinking?!"

He fired off a barrage of questions, looking like he was about to interrogate someone. Wen Shili glanced at the open document, and Lin Hao gestured with his chin, "Scroll down, take a closer look at the last part, or you might end up getting caught off guard."

Having affairs with women is definitely not Wen Shili's style. Repeatedly making headlines with the same woman and even creating the title of "rumored girlfriend" is something that would be outrageous, even when the company was in its early stages and needed the most attention.

The only explanation is that he was willing to let it go.

If he were interested, he could have just played around with her, but unexpectedly, the girl seemed innocent, and it turned out she was only "seemingly" innocent. So, he can't be blamed for breaking them up.

"The marketing accounts that are stirring up trouble all come from the same MCN agencies. I had someone check, and two of them have dealings with that woman," Lin Hao concluded directly.

As she spoke, she opened another video and pushed it to him, saying, "Look, he's even prepared a backup plan for himself."

It was quite a coincidence that the private conversation eventually ended up in his hands.

The phone screen automatically turned off. Wen Shili lowered his gaze and tapped his fingers on his leg.

The room fell silent instantly, the atmosphere even more subdued than when they had arrived.

It's said that a young girl's feelings are always like poetry, so a young boy's feelings should at least be like a poem. Wen Shili is clearly unconventional, so why does he feel a little guilty now?

Lin Hao's mind raced for a moment; perhaps he should have been a little more roundabout. He forced a smile and said dryly, "It's alright, I'll introduce you to someone even better tomorrow."

Wen Shili lowered his eyes, swiped his fingers across the screen a few times, and then handed it back to Lin Hao, saying, "I think you're more suited to working at the neighborhood committee."

Lin Hao stole a glance at his expressionless face, unsure of his thoughts. Suppressing the urge to retort, he carefully said, "It's good that you're thinking positively..."

Before he could finish his sentence, his tone shifted abruptly, "No, why did you delete my video?"

"Do you have a backup?" Wen Shili asked.

"No," Lin Hao replied casually, then realized his mistake and chased after him, "Delete me—"

"Alright." Wen Shili leaned back in his swivel chair, giving a curt dismissal. "You can leave now."

He's in such a terrible state himself, and he's still thinking about this heartless brat. What a waste! Lin Hao was exasperated. "Just wait and see what happens!"

As night fell, the black sedan slowly drove along the city's main road.

Cao Jun pondered all afternoon but still couldn't figure out what Xiao Lin was up to today. Arriving so early was bad enough, but as he left, he kept shaking his head and sighing, "Hopeless."

He counted, and in one morning he had muttered nearly twenty sentences.

Thinking of this, he subtly shifted his gaze back, hoping that Brother Li might know some of the details about this matter.

Wen Shili was still gazing out the window, looking completely lost, just like always. Cao Jun didn't notice anything different and didn't want to disturb him, so he reluctantly looked away.

The moment he looked up, a familiar figure appeared before him, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "Oh!"

The advertising screen in the city center costs tens of thousands of yuan a day. This investor is really willing to spend money.

Before he could continue thinking, Wen Shili was also startled and looked up ahead.

"Hehe." Cao Jun scratched his head and chuckled, "I saw someone I know."

He glanced discreetly at the rearview mirror, hesitated for a long time, and still felt that some things were not suitable to be discussed face-to-face.

What he thought was a small gesture turned out to be quite different in the eyes of someone with ulterior motives. A sudden surge of unease rose in Wen Shili's heart, something he hadn't anticipated.

"What do you want to say?" he asked directly.

Uh. The air conditioning in the car was on full blast, but Cao Jun suddenly felt sweating profusely. The question he had originally intended to ask was forgotten, replaced by another question that was frantically shouting out.

He observed Wen Shili's expression and asked in a low voice, "Brother, who's beyond saving?"

Regardless of who was beyond saving, he didn't want to dig a hole and bury himself. When the time came, an inexplicable intuition led him to ask the initial question.

Unexpectedly, this question also seemed to be a no-go zone without explicit prohibition. Wen Shili paused for a moment, his deep voice quickly ruffled by the wind, "Nobody."

-

Sheng Yi never expected to see Amy again, especially since Amy was with Lin Hao.

Their last magazine shoot was their only interaction, but unfortunately, neither of them was famous at the time, so the shoot was practically meaningless and didn't make any waves at all.

Of course, she didn't know that the cover had now become an exclusive badge for the first batch of long-time fans, and its collectible value had long surpassed that of others.

Whenever Sheng Yi sees Amy, she can't help but think of Wen Shili.

But now, why is she involved with Lin Hao, and why is she crying pitifully with tears streaming down her face?

Dating your friend's ex-boyfriend who just broke up with you seems a bit too eager and reckless... And does Xiaoyou even know about it?

Sheng Yi thought for a moment, took out his phone, took a picture, and sent it to her.

Xiaoyou, however, seemed unfazed and replied, "I'm used to it."

As they were saying this, the two were sitting in a nearby beverage shop, each holding a cup of milk tea and chatting.

Upon receiving the photo, Xiaoyou immediately recognized the location as being within a hundred meters of the company. She left a message saying, "Wait for me, don't leave," and rushed to Shengyi's side.

Unfortunately, Sheng Yi has been suffering from a sore throat recently, with blisters popping up in her mouth one after another. Standing there in this hot weather isn't a good idea, so she can only find a place to have a drink of water and chat for a while.

"You mean you won't interfere with each other?"

Xiaoyou thought for a moment and chose a compromise, "No, I don't approve of his choice of romantic partners, and he also criticizes me."

Sheng Yi thought for a long time before she could process the implication in her words, "So... you have something else too?"