Shen Xiaoyu settled into living at Shi Qiubai's house like this. To keep her company, Shi Qiubai consecutively canceled several scheduled appearances to stay with her.
Shi Qiubai was really too clingy, rivaling Su Huan in that regard. Shen Xiaoyu could barely handle it.
She couldn't help but advise: "Qiubai, you don't need to stay home with me all the time. Go handle your own business."
Shi Qiubai repeatedly said: "Sister, I'm not busy..."
Before she could finish speaking, a slap in the face came immediately.
The violent knocking outside made Shi Qiubai's expression change, and she reluctantly opened the door.
Outside the door, her manager Fang Jiong stood with a dark expression, questioning: "Shi Qiubai, what have you been up to lately, canceling so many appointments for no reason?"
Hearing the commotion, Shen Xiaoyu curiously ran out and saw a person standing at the door. His shoulder-length hair was casually tied into a small ponytail, wearing a loose T-shirt, with an unlit cigarette in their mouth, giving off an air of decadence.
Seeing Shen Xiaoyu, his expression changed, saying in disbelief: "Shen... Shen Xiaoyu, you're really still alive!"
Shen Xiaoyu felt majorly awkward—why did everyone think she was dead?
Seeing this, Shi Qiubai quickly gave a brief explanation, then pointed at Fang Jiong to introduce him to Shen Xiaoyu: "Sister, this is my manager, Fang Jiong. Back then, you were the one who entrusted me to him."
Fang Jiong looked at Shen Xiaoyu with a complex expression, saying helplessly: "Is this why you've been canceling several appointments recently?" Shi Qiubai smiled brightly, grabbing Shen Xiaoyu's hand, very happy: "I finally found Sister after so much difficulty, of course I want to spend more time with her."
Fang Jiong flicked nonexistent ash from his fingers, his tone indifferent: "Shi Qiubai, I don't care what you want to do, but don't let it interfere with work. What happened yesterday—I don't want to see it happen a second time."
"Alright, alright, I'll hurry to catch up with my schedule, okay?"
Shi Qiubai completely ignored his dark expression, chattering away while pulling on Shen Xiaoyu: "Sister, I can't bear to part with you. It would be great if you could continue staying with me."
Shen Xiaoyu listened to her words as the system also chimed in her mind.
[Host, this is a good opportunity. Directly become her assistant, then you can be together all the time!]
That wasn't impossible. Shen Xiaoyu narrowed her eyes and directly asked aloud: "Qiu... Qiubai, I don't have work now. Could I be your assistant?"
Upon hearing this, Shi Qiubai immediately agreed: "That would be wonderful! Having Sister as my assistant—I'd be the one profiting!"
Fang Jiong's eyes, hidden behind his bangs, stared straight at Shen Xiaoyu as he slowly uttered: "I don't agree."
"Brother Fang~" Shi Qiubai acted pitifully and coquettishly: "My assistant took leave, and we're short-staffed right now. Didn't you also say you'd find me an assistant? Rather than finding someone else, why not Sister? At least Sister is reliable."
The man in front lit his cigarette: "No."
"Why~" Shi Qiubai's delicate little face wrinkled into a ball.
"Shi Qiubai, you can donate your brain if you're not using it. Su Huan is a company executive. Aren't you afraid she'll make things difficult for you by so blatantly competing with her for a woman?" Fang Jiong said coldly, "If you want to die, don't drag me down with you."
Shen Xiaoyu also just thought of this point and immediately said: "Then forget it. I don't have my memories anyway and I'm not familiar with your work. I'd just cause you trouble."
Hearing this, Shi Qiubai's expression changed: "How could Sister be trouble? Back when Sister was leaving the company, she never considered me a bother. If I abandon Sister now, would I still be human?"
She looked at Fang Jiong, a dark gleam flashing in her eyes: "Then let's go ask Director Ning. I can't possibly need Su Huan's approval to hire an assistant. Even though she's a company executive, she can't cover the sky with one hand, right?"
After listening, Shen Xiaoyu felt increasingly troubled. These two were about to clash again.
No matter what, Su Huan was a company executive, while Shi Qiubai was just an artist. From what Shen Xiaoyu currently understood about her from the plot, Shi Qiubai wasn't considered a top-tier celebrity, but even top-tier celebrities couldn't give company executives attitude.
There was also that Director Ning she mentioned.
Shen Xiaoyu reviewed the plot again and gained more understanding of this Director Ning named Ning Yu.
In summary, a cold female CEO.
The plot didn't contain many words about her, but her existence was absolutely crucial.
As an ordinary person, Shi Qiubai had some status in the entertainment industry, but not much. However, she was very good at making money—TV dramas, variety shows, stage plays, various magazines, fashion shows, endorsements, etc. She worked herself like ten people.
Starting from that TV drama six years ago, she had barely rested for six years, either working or on her way to work.
But she was merely very good at making money.
Su Huan had ten more years in the entertainment industry than Shi Qiubai. Whether in terms of resources or connections, she was incomparable. The reason she could go back and forth with Su Huan for so many rounds was because Ning Yu was backing her up.
But even so, Shi Qiubai still lost in the end.
Shen Xiaoyu glanced at Shi Qiubai, feeling somewhat heavy-hearted. [Do you think it's possible that we came too late and Shi Qiubai has already started turning dark?]
The system was stunned: [Impossible! If the plot changed, I couldn't possibly not know.]
Shen Xiaoyu's eyes darkened slightly: [Don't forget, six years have already passed. Not only that, from when I woke up until now, you've been blocked, our communication hasn't been smooth. How do you know whether the plot has changed?]
This period of time wasn't long, but it wasn't short either. If Shi Qiubai really wanted to do something, she should have already started making arrangements.
The system fell silent.
Not daring to guarantee anything, it only instructed: [So to avoid unexpected situations, host must become Shi Qiubai's assistant and follow her throughout!]
[I understand the logic, but...]
Shen Xiaoyu looked at Fang Jiong sitting in front: [I'm afraid things won't go so smoothly.]
[Let's wait a bit more. Now isn't a good time to chat.]
Otherwise, she was afraid Fang Jiong would keep a death grip on her.
But Fang Jiong said nothing more, just playing with an exquisitely crafted lighter.
Being in the back, Shen Xiaoyu couldn't see Fang Jiong's expression clearly, but she could feel the impatience radiating from him.
Shi Qiubai seemed determined to make Shen Xiaoyu her assistant, fiddling with her phone for quite a while.
After Qiu Ye drove the car to their front door, Shi Qiubai finally said: "I've already spoken with Director Ning. She agreed to let Sister be my assistant."
Fang Jiong drooped his eyelids, looking at her indifferently: "Shi Qiubai, I'm telling you one last time—keeping this troublemaker Shen Xiaoyu by your side means making an enemy of Su Huan. Do you think you can bear the consequences of opposing Su Huan?"
This artist was one he had personally developed, and he didn't want to see Shi Qiubai destroy her reputation over a woman.
Only idiots would do such things. He considered Shi Qiubai a smart person.
However, this "genius" acted as if she hadn't heard, completely ignoring him and pulling Shen Xiaoyu along: "Sister, change your clothes. We're going to catch up with the schedule."
She was as happy as a Samoyed, pulling Shen Xiaoyu upstairs.
Halfway up, she casually asked: "Where's Qiu Ye? Have her prepare the car."
Fang Jiong looked at her with a mocking expression: "If you could put this much thought into your work, you wouldn't have lost that endorsement last time."
Shi Qiubai rolled her eyes at him: "It's just a perfume endorsement. Are you planning to keep talking about it until New Year's?"
She walked over and pushed him aside, waving for Shen Xiaoyu to come look: "Sister, these are clothes I prepared for you. Many aren't from big brands—just things I saw that would suit you while shopping or browsing online, so I bought them all. Before I knew it, I'd accumulated so much."
Shen Xiaoyu walked over and couldn't help but gasp when she saw what was inside.
A whole room full of clothes, jewelry, and bags. Many things she had also seen in the room Su Huan had prepared.
They had similar taste—why couldn't they just be friends?
Shen Xiaoyu was green with envy. There were so many rich people in this world—what would one more matter!
"Thank you," she said sincerely.
Shi Qiubai didn't seem to mind, enthusiastically holding up clothes against her body, discussing what style of clothing would suit her best.
Fang Jiong watched her coldly, and upon closer inspection seemed to roll his eyes. He pulled a phone from his pocket and tossed it to Shen Xiaoyu.
"The phone Shi Qiubai had me prepare for you yesterday. The SIM card is newly registered and only has Shi Qiubai's and Qiu Ye's numbers saved."
After saying this, he turned to leave: "Shi Qiubai, don't contact me when something goes wrong."
"Got it," Shi Qiubai responded, then said to the worried-looking Shen Xiaoyu: "Sister, don't mind his attitude. He's actually very soft-hearted. If you need help with anything, you can ask him. He'll definitely do it."
Shen Xiaoyu made an acknowledging sound and looked down at the phone. Sure enough, she saw Fang Jiong's chat window in the newly registered WeChat.
She roughly understood why Shi Qiubai felt comfortable following Fang Jiong, and why the original female lead was at ease.
As Shi Qiubai said, this person was indeed very soft-hearted.
The two chatted casually in the room for a while. Before long, Qiu Ye's voice came from outside. She was alone, carrying a stack of boxes that seemed about to topple, scaring Shen Xiaoyu into rushing to help.
But before she could lend a hand, Qiu Ye's foot shifted, and she held the things in her hands steady. Crouching down, with a "thud," the mountain-like pile was placed on the ground.
Shen Xiaoyu watched as Qiu Ye reorganized the boxes from bottom to top, stacking them neatly and orderly, including the things she brought up afterward.
Shen Xiaoyu: ...She's probably OCD, isn't she?
The three of them said a few words before getting in the car to head to the work location, chatting and laughing harmoniously along the way.
On the other side, at the hospital.
Su Huan and Tang Tang sat on either side of the hospital bed.
Su Huan's head was slightly lowered, her fallen hair covering her face, making it impossible for Tang Tang to see her expression clearly.
"Did you contact Shi Qiubai and Shen Xiaoyu?"
Tang Tang sighed softly: "Nian'an called me crying yesterday. I rushed over and finally managed to comfort her, but who knew she would secretly eat chocolate the moment I turned around. The doctor said if we had brought her in any later, Nian'an would have..."
She deliberately didn't finish her sentence, turning her head to gauge Su Huan's expression.
Su Huan looked up at her, her gaze cold and sharp: "Why was there chocolate in the house?"
Shen Nian'an was allergic to chocolate, and severely so. Therefore, they never bought such things at home and never let Shen Nian'an come into contact with them.
But now not only had chocolate appeared in the house, her daughter had eaten it!
Tang Tang's face immediately turned ugly: "You... you suspect me? Su Huan, all these years, I've always treated An'an like my own child. No matter what conflicts we adults have, I could never harm a child. What you're saying is too much."
"I'm telling you one last time—if you privately visit An'an again, our cooperation ends immediately."
She could hear the conversations between Tang Tang and the system, knew where her weaknesses lay. Previously, because Shen Xiaoyu hadn't awakened, she had to endure and maneuver with Tang Tang to obtain more information. But now that Shen Xiaoyu was awake, regardless of the truth behind Nian'an's allergy, she would no longer tolerate Tang Tang continuing to stay around her daughter.
Tang Tang, whose sore spot had been hit, indeed changed color drastically: "You..."
"I mean what I say."
"Fine, you're ruthless." Tang Tang compromised.
Su Huan said nothing more, only shifting her gaze to Shen Nian'an on the bed.
The hand she was holding moved slightly—the sleeping little princess was waking up.
She keenly noticed the unpleasant atmosphere between the two adults. Her small face wrinkled as she said softly to Su Huan: "Mommy, it has nothing to do with Aunt Tang. I ate the chocolate myself."
Hearing her voice, Su Huan immediately looked over, her expression serious: "Why did you eat chocolate when you know you're allergic?"
Shen Nian'an felt somewhat wronged, looking around as if searching for something. Not seeing the person she wanted to see, disappointment flashed in her eyes.
She said weakly: "I know Mommy doesn't want her to leave. An'an doesn't want to see Mommy cry, so... I made myself sick so she would stay." After finishing, she looked at Su Huan expectantly: "Mommy, did you catch up to her? Will she come back?"
Su Huan didn't answer, continuing to ask: "Where did you get the chocolate?"
"I found it upstairs," Shen Nian'an said quietly. "Aunt Tang doesn't know. I hid it from her. So Mommy, don't be fierce with Aunt Tang. It has nothing to do with her."
Tang Tang tenderly stroked Shen Nian'an's small face, looking up at Su Huan: "The moment I discovered Nian'an eating chocolate, I performed first aid and called you. Afterward, I checked the home surveillance and found no one passing by your door, except..."
She opened her mouth, hesitating: "But if it really was her, wouldn't that be too heartless?"
She didn't need to finish—Su Huan knew that the only people who had passed by her door last night were Shen Xiaoyu and Shi Qiubai.
Shen Xiaoyu had never left the house and couldn't have obtained chocolate, which left only—Shi Qiubai.
Su Huan lowered her eyes, a flash of coldness quickly passing through them.
She didn't believe Shen Xiaoyu would joke around with Shen Nian'an's life safety, but she had to guard against Shi Qiubai.
She didn't continue this topic—she would handle her issues with Shi Qiubai, but Shen Nian'an's problem had to be addressed!
She looked at Shen Nian'an, her tone stern: "This is the first time and the last time. Shen Nian'an, you cannot threaten anyone with your life safety! Even if that person is your family member, understand?"
Shen Nian'an's eyes dimmed as she said quietly: "But she..."
"She's no exception!" Su Huan sternly interrupted her. "Who exactly did you learn this from? Using your own body to threaten others?"
Shen Nian'an bit her lip, feeling wronged as her eyes reddened: "But Mommy wants her to come back."
The little girl never mentioned herself, but both understood that she also wanted to see Shen Xiaoyu.
Su Huan's chest rose and fell rapidly. She was so angry her face turned slightly green: "Whether she comes back or not, she's still your mother and will never abandon you! But if she finds out you deliberately ate chocolate just to make her stay, then she really would get angry and leave."
Shen Nian'an seemed to understand the seriousness of the situation now, fearfully grabbing Su Huan's hand: "Then she, she..."
She wanted to ask if Shen Xiaoyu knew about her hospitalization and if she would come back to see her.
But she didn't dare ask, afraid that what Su Huan said wouldn't be what she wanted to hear.
Su Huan understood her meaning. After a long silence, she reached up to rub her small head: "I'll bring her back."
She meant what she said.
○
Su Huan stayed at the hospital caring for Shen Nian'an, checking Shi Qiubai's social media updates during her free time.
She was like a peacock showing off, frantically posting in her friend circle—either photographing flowers or clothes. Occasionally a figure would appear in frame, with a sneaky happy emoji.
People who didn't know the situation thought she was showing off her relationship, leaving comments asking who it was. Shi Qiubai mysteriously told them to just wait and see, never saying who it was.
But Su Huan could tell at a glance that the person was Shen Xiaoyu, and the clothes she was photographing were obviously in Shen Xiaoyu's style!
This mad dog! She knew Shi Qiubai had no good intentions!
Su Huan barely restrained her emotions from rushing into her house to directly take Shen Xiaoyu away. But that afternoon, she saw an assistant employment contract in Shi Qiubai's friend circle.
No name was written, and the content wasn't shown.
But Su Huan had a feeling that the person Shi Qiubai hired must be Shen Xiaoyu, and this contract was deliberately shown to her.
Su Huan had the house nanny come take care of Shen Nian'an while she went to the company.
As soon as she entered, she heard the front desk gossiping: "Who was that person Qiubai brought today? So beautiful!"
"She looks so familiar!" The speaker thought for a moment, took out her phone to search online for a while, then suddenly excitedly showed her colleague: "Look, doesn't she look exactly like her!"
The colleague looked twice and suddenly widened her eyes: "Shen Xiaoyu?! It really is her?"
Su Huan's expression darkened as she quickly walked into the elevator, directly pressing the button for the 25th floor.
Fang Jiong's office was on that floor.
She stood in the elevator looking at her reflection in the side mirror. The woman was exquisitely beautiful with a mature, cool temperament, but the gloom and hostility between her brows gave her an unusual kind of beauty.
Su Huan blinked, and the gloom and hostility between the woman's brows in the mirror disappeared, leaving only coldness in her eyes.
The elevator dinged open. She stepped out, her high heels clicking as she walked straight into Fang Jiong's office.
She knocked on the door and entered without waiting for a response, getting straight to the point: "Where is Shen Xiaoyu?"
Fang Jiong, sitting behind his desk, leaned back in his chair. His drooping eyelids made him look like he was about to fall asleep as he lazily uttered answered:
"Don't know."
"Where's Shi Qiubai?" she asked again.
"Don't know."
Su Huan sneered: "Shi Qiubai is your artist, and you don't know where she is?"
"She's just my artist, not my daughter. Why should I know where she is?" Fang Jiong lifted his eyelids, a cold light shooting from his eyes like lightning. "I'd rather ask you—after hiding Shen Xiaoyu for six years, why did you let her out now?"
And brought him so much trouble, making his only artist enter a rebellious phase.
He rubbed his messy hair, his tone carrying irritation: "You'd better take your person away, or I don't know what will happen next."
After saying this, he pulled a document from his drawer and threw it on the desk.
Su Huan looked down—it was exactly the employment contract she had seen in Shi Qiubai's friend circle. She turned to the last page, where Shen Xiaoyu's name was clearly written.
She slammed the contract shut with a "bang," making the tea set on the desk shake.
"Is this Shi Qiubai's purpose?" She glared angrily at the man in front of her, clenching her back teeth as she asked again: "Where is Shi Qiubai?"
Fang Jiong closed his eyes, looking like he didn't want to deal with her.
He had already said what needed saying—no need to repeat it.
The fury in Su Huan's eyes seemed ready to burn him to ashes. She slammed her hand on the desk, about to speak, when she heard a light voice behind her.
"What's going on here?"
Su Huan swallowed her words and turned to see Shi Qiubai standing at the door with Shen Xiaoyu behind her.
Meeting her gaze, the smile on Shen Xiaoyu's face suddenly disappeared. She stepped back, using the door to completely hide her figure.
"Xiaoyu!" Su Huan moved to chase after her but was blocked at the doorway.
Shi Qiubai smiled broadly, stretching her long leg to completely block the path: "If it isn't Director Su? You never visit unless there's business—what brings you here?"
Her smile grew wider, eyes full of mirth: "Are you here to give my new assistant a welcome bonus?"
She spread her hands: "Then just give it to me directly. It seems my new assistant doesn't really want to talk to you."
Su Huan's ice-cold eyes glared at her, then looked toward Shen Xiaoyu, the coldness in her gaze gradually fading, leaving only a trace of pleading.
"Xiaoyu, Nian'an is in the hospital."