"Li Juezhou, having money doesn’t mean you should waste it !" Sang Ning felt Li Juezhou was nothing short of a complete spendthrift.
"What’s the point of having money if you don’t waste it? If you’re willing, I can waste even more on you." Li Juezhou shamelessly replied.
After so many years of working tirelessly for the corporation, it was about time he let himself indulge a little.
Sang Ning hurriedly shot him a glare to make him stop.
After recovering from her shock, the HR manager couldn’t help but gossip: "Sang Ning, when did you get a boyfriend? He’s quite rich—is he a second-generation heir?"
"I’m merely a pursuer of Sang Ning for now. As for being a second-generation heir, I just barely fit the bill." Li Juezhou offered to answer on Sang Ning’s behalf.
"So, Manager, does this mean you can handle the next steps? I think this is a no-risk, all-profit deal for your company."
Having presented his case this far, there was no reason to refuse.
Upon gaining the boss’s approval, the HR manager agreed to let Li Juezhou join the company.
Sang Ning felt that Li Juezhou didn’t come to be her full-time bodyguard—he was clearly applying for the role of full-time boyfriend.
Although Shen Yi had managed to suppress the negative trending topics, there were still plenty of online hate comments about Sang Ning.
Sang Ning hadn’t lied about it—she truly had grown accustomed to such things.
On the other hand, Wen Jiu, facing this overwhelming online backlash for the first time, might struggle to handle it, Sang Ning thought.
Concerned for Wen Jiu’s mental well-being, Sang Ning proactively called her to talk things through.
To her surprise, Wen Jiu was actually quite composed about it: "People can’t always have smooth sailing in life. Once in a while, you encounter some rabid dogs barking at you—just ignore them."
Sang Ning had underestimated Wen Jiu; she wasn’t as fragile as Sang Ning imagined.
What truly surprised Sang Ning, though, was Wen Jiu, Shen Yi, and Director Qin all quitting the reality show "Who’s the Acting Master."
Wen Jiu left because she couldn’t stand the show’s shady tactics, especially how she and Sang Ning, along with Shen Yi, were targeted online.
The production team clearly had the power to clarify things for them but chose instead to play dead, adamantly protecting Qingyue.
Director Qin’s reason was more straightforward—his new movie’s main creative team had been assembled, and production preparations were underway, prompting his resignation from the show.
But Shen Yi’s withdrawal was unexpected; not even Wen Jiu knew the reason behind it.
With Shen Yi’s current status, no matter how destructive the production team got, they couldn’t just eliminate him outright.
After some pondering, Sang Ning could only think of Qingyue as the reason. Perhaps Shen Yi had grown utterly disgusted by him and couldn’t bear to share the same competitive stage anymore?
Qin Jiaxiang postponed the training camp for his creative team. During the brief gap, the company arranged multiple commercial engagements for Sang Ning to maintain her visibility.
Initially, Sang Ning thought Li Juezhou wasn’t particularly useful as a full-time bodyguard, but after attending several events where he carried her gown and lugged around various bags, she suddenly felt having a laborer to boss around wasn’t a bad thing.
While having such a laborer was great, it also came with its headaches.
Specifically, Li Juezhou’s looks were simply too attention-grabbing. No matter where they went, countless people would approach her afterward asking for his phone number.
Exasperated by this, Sang Ning considered firing him out of frustration.
After one event, Sang Ning sternly said to Li Juezhou: "Xiao Li, I hired you to work, not to stir up trouble. Given how you constantly attract flocks of admirers, I suggest you resign!"
Li Juezhou naturally refused. Eventually, he somehow tracked down an incredible makeup artist who transformed him into someone unrecognizable.
Sang Ning thought this was too troublesome—having to disguise himself for every event—and suggested he stop bothering with it. Stir up attention if you must.
But Li Juezhou insisted; according to him, this was a specially-designed breathable human mask, remarkably convenient to wear and not troublesome at all.
Hence, bizarre rumors started spreading around Sang Ning. The handsome bodyguard originally following her had been disfigured due to her jealousy over his looks.
Supposedly, Sang Ning had splashed acid on his face in a fit of rage, utterly ruining his once-perfect features.
The origin of such absurd gossip was anyone’s guess, but upon hearing, Sang Ning could only roll her eyes.
The rumor-spreaders must be bored out of their minds. Why on earth would she—a woman—get jealous of a man’s appearance? If anything, she’d be jealous of another woman’s beauty!
And did these people seriously think the law was just for show? If she’d actually splashed acid and disfigured someone, she’d already be arrested and sent to sew shoes in prison!
Time flew by, and now it was the day of the second episode of "Who’s the Acting Master." Coincidentally, Sang Ning also had a banquet to attend that evening.
Her intuition told her that tonight, someone was bound to stir up trouble.
The banquet was organized by a jeweler, who had made it clear that apart from celebrities, bodyguards and managers were not allowed inside.
Not knowing how long the event might take, Sang Ning initially wanted Li Juezhou to head back, but he insisted on waiting for her outside.
Li Juezhou was adamantly persistent, so Sang Ning stopped trying to persuade him. Instead, she secretly took some desserts from the venue and handed them to him, playfully claiming she didn’t want him to go hungry.
Li Juezhou didn’t like sweets, but faced with his girlfriend’s thoughtful gesture, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.
Thus, he forced himself through the overly-sweet cakes, devouring them bite by bite even as the saccharine flavor overwhelmed him.
Inside the banquet hall, Sang Ning hadn’t expected to run into Li Sulan and Chu Tian.
Holding her champagne flute, Sang Ning went around greeting guests one by one until she was face-to-face with Li Sulan and Chu Tian.
The married couple looked very loving, arms interlinked, and standing next to them was their precious daughter—Chu Xi.
Sang Ning thought there was no need to be polite with this family. Right in front of them, she summoned a waiter and had her champagne swapped for water.
"Mrs. Chu, Mr. Chu, I’ll drink, and you’re free to do as you please." Sang Ning raised her glass of water and downed it in one gulp.
Sang Ning originally assumed that, given Li Sulan’s personality, she’d unleash a storm of ridicule on her.
To her surprise, Li Sulan put on a kind demeanor and said, "Drinking hurts the body. Young women really shouldn’t drink too much when they’re out."
Sang Ning couldn’t believe her ears—was there something wrong with her hearing? Words like these from Li Sulan sounded utterly surreal.
Slowly, she turned to look at Chu Xi, only to find her unexpectedly calm as well.
Sang Ning was even more baffled. Chu Xi always hated when she stole Li Sulan’s attention, didn’t she?
Now, with Li Sulan showing concern for her right in front of Chu Xi, and Chu Xi remaining indifferent, Sang Ning was completely puzzled.
"Mrs. Chu, Mr. Chu, as well as Miss Chu, the water has been finished. I’ll be taking my leave now."
Just as Sang Ning raised her foot to leave, Chu Xi called out to her: "Sang Ning, wait a moment!"