Shen Xiaoyu's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and then she heard her own heartbeat getting faster and faster, with imperceptible emotions spreading in her heart.
She needs me.
This thought suddenly popped up in Shen Xiaoyu's mind.
But in the next second, she lowered her eyelids, secretly cursing herself.
Just a little vulnerability from Su Huan and she couldn't resist caring for her—what a pathetic person she was.
Perhaps due to her life experiences, Su Huan was not someone who openly expressed her feelings.
During the ten years they had been together, the number of times Su Huan had shown vulnerability could be counted on one hand, and each time she had some purpose in seeking out Shen Xiaoyu.
In the past, Shen Xiaoyu didn't care about her motives; as long as Su Huan was happy, what did it matter if she was being used?
But the premise was that she shouldn't be hurt.
Shen Xiaoyu stared at the bright red on Su Huan's fingertip. After the initial joy, her heart filled with intense pain.
"Don't move, I'll clean this up."
Shen Xiaoyu turned to find the first aid kit, also bringing a broom.
She placed the first aid kit in front of Su Huan, then turned to sweep the floor with the broom.
From beginning to end, she didn't say any unnecessary words.
Su Huan held up her still-bleeding hand, looking at her in bewilderment.
Shouldn't she be holding her injured hand with concern, helping her bandage the wound?
This was how Shen Xiaoyu used to be, so why now...
Su Huan slightly lowered her gaze, her shoulders drooping, her entire being radiating an air of defeat.
She sighed softly, glancing at Shen Xiaoyu from the corner of her eye, but saw no reaction.
Su Huan's eyes darkened as she opened the first aid kit with one hand, trying to disinfect and bandage herself one-handed.
But the position of the wound made it difficult to treat.
She held her hand up for a long time, watching as blood drops covered her entire hand, and said softly, "I can't bandage it myself, help me."
Shen Xiaoyu was somewhat annoyed. She turned around to see the blood drops flowing unceasingly from her wound.
Su Huan knew her weakness. Just like before, she bit her lip slightly as if she couldn't bear the pain, her face showing a pained expression.
Sure enough, in the next second, Shen Xiaoyu sat down beside her.
She didn't speak, directly grabbing Su Huan's hand and pouring alcohol on it.
The alcohol stung the wound, making Su Huan draw in a sharp breath. Her gaze fixed on Shen Xiaoyu, who had her head bowed.
After Shen Xiaoyu applied the bandage, Su Huan leaned forward and kissed her lips.
A brief touch.
Shen Xiaoyu hadn't expected her to do this and was momentarily stunned.
Su Huan looked into her eyes, her gaze gradually moving downward to rest on her lips.
Su Huan kissed her again, carefully, as if testing her reaction.
After confirming she wouldn't reject her, Su Huan moved closer, sucking and beginning to conquer, even her injured hand climbing up to Shen Xiaoyu's waist.
Shen Xiaoyu wasn't sure what Su Huan was thinking. No matter how she considered it, this wasn't the time for them to be doing such things.
But the scent uniquely belonging to Su Huan gradually invaded her thoughts, and the hand originally resting on her waist became scorching hot, burning her almost to the point of suffocation.
The distance between them grew smaller and smaller, Su Huan's hands roaming restlessly over Shen Xiaoyu's body.
Just as her hands were moving higher and higher, Shen Xiaoyu suddenly grabbed her hand and leaned back, creating distance between them.
"Su Huan, I don't want to."
Those words made Su Huan stop her movements.
Shen Xiaoyu breathed slightly, staring into her eyes, "Your wound can't get wet."
As soon as she finished speaking, she wanted to slap herself.
What suggestive words!
It sounded as if she was looking forward to something.
Su Huan evidently thought the same, curving her lips, her mood clearly pleasant.
Shen Xiaoyu took a deep breath, and just as Su Huan was about to come closer again, she suddenly added, "I'm a bit tired, I want to rest early."
The temperature around them instantly dropped to freezing point.
Shen Xiaoyu's heart trembled, and she secretly lifted her eyelids to steal a glance.
Su Huan's face was expressionless, her eyes flashing with icy coldness, staring fixedly at Shen Xiaoyu, her displeasure spreading without any attempt to hide it.
Excluding work, Shen Xiaoyu had never refused Su Huan in such matters.
This was the first time.
Just as Shen Xiaoyu was wondering what to do, she suddenly heard an electronic voice.
[She's definitely going to be furious. Host, well done!]
The system had appeared out of nowhere, and though it had no emotions, Shen Xiaoyu somehow detected schadenfreude in its tone.
Shen Xiaoyu ignored it and got up to sweep the floor.
Su Huan's gaze followed her continuously, until she entered the room and closed the door, only then did she relax.
With twenty-five days left before being erased, if she continued staying in such an environment, she would become depressed.
Shen Xiaoyu sat on the bed, zoning out for a while, then suddenly made a decision.
Maybe, she should move out.
In the living room, Su Huan sat on the sofa.
The living room was brightly lit, but she felt darkness all around her.
Before this, she had never thought that Shen Xiaoyu would refuse her.
At least in bed, they had always been harmonious.
Was it because of that girl today?
Su Huan's mind flashed with images of the two of them laughing and talking, a relaxed and happy Shen Xiaoyu that she had never seen before.
She looked down at the bandage on her fingertip, slowly peeling it off to reveal a cut.
She pressed her thumb against it, applying a little pressure. A stinging pain came, and the wound that had stopped bleeding began to seep blood again, sliding down her fingertip and soaking the bandage she had just removed.
A cold light suddenly flashed in Su Huan's eyes as she picked up the bandage that had fallen by her hand, clutching it tightly.
"Shen Xiaoyu, you can only be mine!"
○
When Shen Xiaoyu woke up, Su Huan had already left.
The blood drops and bloodied bandage on the coffee table in the living room indirectly told her what Su Huan had done after she went back to her room.
Her feelings were complicated.
[Tsk, tsk, tsk, villains are truly villains, so manipulative.]
The system appeared, sighing.
[You offended her last night, the next twenty-five days won't be easy.]
"Whatever," Shen Xiaoyu said, throwing the bandage into the trash can.
By the time she went out, it was already two hours later.
She had contacted Shi Qiubai in advance, saying they would go to the company together to discuss her positioning with the team.
On the way to the company, Shen Xiaoyu suddenly received a call from Qin Miao.
"Sister Qin, is there something wrong?"
"When... will you arrive at the company?" Qin Miao's tone sounded a bit strange.
Shen Xiaoyu checked the time, "I'm on my way, about twenty minutes away."
"Good, then we'll talk when you arrive."
Qin Miao hung up without a single word of explanation.
Puzzled, Shen Xiaoyu arrived at the company, sent a message to Shi Qiubai asking her to wait in her office, then pushed open the door to the meeting room.
"Sister Qin, what's so urgent that you called me..."
As soon as she entered the office, Shen Xiaoyu saw Su Huan sitting across from Qin Miao.
It wasn't just them; there were also people from the PR and publicity departments.
The projection screen showed real-time trending topics on Weibo.
After fermenting overnight, topics related to Su Huan had already climbed the trending lists, with "exploding" tags attached.
#Su Huan, obsessive fans#
#Su Huan changes manager#
#Su Huan and Tang Tang share the same manager#
The next few trending topics included Shen Xiaoyu and Qin Miao's names, though they ranked lower.
They were obviously discussing Su Huan's manager change, and all turned to look at her when they heard her voice.
After a night of calming down, Su Huan had returned to normal, though her gaze toward Shen Xiaoyu carried a hint of sharp coldness.
"Good timing. Have you seen today's trending topics?" Qin Miao asked.
Shen Xiaoyu honestly shook her head, "I haven't had the chance yet. It's not too late to look now."
Hearing this, Qin Miao glanced in Su Huan's direction, not missing the flash of danger in her eyes.
Her heart sank slightly, and as soon as Shen Xiaoyu walked over and sat down, she immediately spoke up: "We've decided to issue a statement from the company's account to officially inform the fans."
Shen Xiaoyu nodded, "No problem. Whatever you decide is fine."
But after saying this, she felt something was off.
Was she called over so urgently just for this minor issue?
She looked skeptically at Qin Miao.
Qin Miao ignored her, and after assigning tasks to the other departments and sending them away, she said: "Xiaoyu, we called you here to notify you about something concerning Su Huan."
Hearing this, Shen Xiaoyu immediately straightened her back.
She had used the word "notify."
This indicated that whatever requirements were about to be presented, Shen Xiaoyu would have to accept them without any room for refusal.
"It's like this—Su Huan's work schedule for the second half of the year is quite packed. I've just taken over her team and need time to adjust. Plus, she'll be traveling a lot in the latter half of the year, running around everywhere, and assistants might not be able to take care of everything," Qin Miao said, looking toward Su Huan.
Hearing this, Shen Xiaoyu suddenly had a bad premonition.
"So..."
"So, we've discussed it and decided that you should continue as Su Huan's personal assistant to look after her."
Perfect. Shen Xiaoyu's suspense was completely gone.
She leaned back in her chair, playing with a pen someone had left on the table, wearing a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"That doesn't seem appropriate," Shen Xiaoyu said. "I have my own artists to manage, and I'm afraid I don't have the time to 'personally' take care of Su Huan twenty-four hours a day."
As she said this, her eyes were fixed on Su Huan.
She knew Su Huan wouldn't let her off easily, but of all the calculations she'd made, she never expected that Su Huan would have her continue as a personal assistant!
If others found out, they would laugh their heads off.
Qin Miao seemed to have anticipated her response and smiled, softening her voice, "Xiaoyu, I know this is unfair to you, but it's the leadership's decision. If it wasn't approved by upper management, we wouldn't be telling you this."
Shen Xiaoyu frowned slightly, "What if I don't agree?"
Qin Miao spread her hands, smiling without speaking.
Shen Xiaoyu lowered her gaze, quickly understanding their intentions. The higher-ups had never liked her.
Previously, it was because she was Su Huan's manager, and when signing with the company, Su Huan had stated that if she left, she would also choose another company.
Therefore, the company had kept her for so many years.
Now that Su Huan had changed to Qin Miao as her manager, she no longer had any use. Giving her an artist was merely a way to gradually marginalize her.
But even so, those people didn't want her to have an easy time, and along with...
She discreetly glanced at Su Huan, realizing she had offended her, so they thought of using this method to teach her a lesson.
Su Huan watched Shen Xiaoyu, expecting her to flip the table, but to her surprise, after a while, she started laughing.
"Shen Xiaoyu, you..."
Su Huan had just started speaking but was interrupted.
Shen Xiaoyu finished laughing, resting her hand against her head, her hanging hair hiding her face, making it impossible for others to see her expression.
"How about this—what if I resign?"
Her voice was soft, sounding the same as usual, but Su Huan keenly detected something was off.
"You think about it. I'll go back and pack up my things first. You can send me the dismissal notice anytime."
Seeing Shen Xiaoyu stand up to leave, Su Huan panicked a bit and hurriedly stood up as well, "Shen Xiaoyu..."
The response she got was the sound of Shen Xiaoyu closing the door.
On the way back to her office, Shen Xiaoyu still couldn't calm her emotions. She angrily punched the wall twice.
Seriously, was she sick in the head?
Of all the things to do, becoming a personal assistant? This was clearly meant to humiliate her!
She was about to die anyway, no way was she going to indulge Su Huan!
[I can't stand it anymore, I really want to beat her up!]
The system drawled lazily, [Host, why don't you struggle a bit more, maybe you could succeed in the mission.]
[Get lost.]
[As you wish.]
Shen Xiaoyu stood by the window, taking deep breaths, and after a while, she felt her emotions calming down.
Forget it, Su Huan was just an ungrateful white-eyed wolf. Consider the ten years of devotion as feeding a dog.
Shen Xiaoyu exhaled a breath of turbid air and walked back to her office, only to see Su Huan at the office door.
She seemed to be waiting for her and followed her into the office.
"Are you here to deliver my dismissal notice? Just leave it there."
Saying this, Shen Xiaoyu opened a cabinet, took out a piece of cardboard from below, folded it into a box in a few moves, and started packing the items on her desk.
Su Huan watched her actions, frowning slightly, "Just say what you want to say, don't be petulant. Making you an assistant is for your own good."
Shen Xiaoyu snorted with laughter, full of sarcasm, "Then keep your good intentions to yourself, I don't need them."
She put the items on her desk into the box one by one. When she came across a photo of the two of them, she didn't even look at it before throwing it into the box.
There was a sound like something breaking.
Su Huan's face changed slightly as she stepped forward to see the shattered photo in the box.
Shen Xiaoyu saw it too but didn't seem to care as she threw in other items, covering the fragments.
Just as she was about to throw in another photo, Su Huan grabbed her hand.
"Shen Xiaoyu! Stop acting up!" Her tone was somewhat harsh, her cool voice still cold as winter water.
Shen Xiaoyu tried to break free but failed after two attempts.
She became a bit impatient, looking up to meet her eyes, "Are you trying to say I'm being unreasonable?"
She laughed angrily, her expression suddenly turning icy, "Please, you're being far too presumptuous. I never throw tantrums, not in the past, and certainly not now!"
Su Huan's face gradually darkened, her gaze fixed on Shen Xiaoyu, visibly displeased, seemingly suppressing the anger in her heart.
Shen Xiaoyu took the box, forcefully broke free from her hand, and turned to throw in the small trinkets from the other side of the desk.
"If there's nothing else, please leave. I need to continue packing, lest the next moment someone tells me to get out of the company."
Shen Xiaoyu gave her a deep look, then rolled her eyes and looked away.
Su Huan was so angry she clenched her fists, gave her a deep look, and turned to leave.
Hearing the door close, her movements slowed as she turned to lean against the desk, closing her eyes slightly and exhaling a breath of turbid air.
That day, Shen Xiaoyu didn't receive a dismissal notice, nor did she see Su Huan again.
When she got home in the evening, Su Huan was surprisingly there.
The housekeeper had prepared dinner and left, leaving just the two of them facing each other.
Shen Xiaoyu didn't want to interact with her much, so after eating a few bites, she put down her chopsticks and went to rest.
That night, Shen Xiaoyu slept soundly.
But on the other side of the wall, Su Huan remained sleepless all night.