Chapter 32: The woman's identity here is just a bug.

After a brief silence, Gu Xiaochi was the first to take the initiative, smiling as he reached out to shake her hand.

"Hello, Producer An. I am Gu Xiaochi from Shihe Media."

"Hello, President Gu."

An Ling pretended not to notice the scrutiny and deeper meaning in the man's eyes.

She turned her gaze toward the dazed Shen Fuyuan and gave a polite, crinkled-eye smile. "Miss Shen, I will be your executive producer from now on. I look forward to a pleasant collaboration."

Shen Fuyuan didn't say a word, her expression conflicted.

Once she regained her senses, she slowly knitted her brows and suddenly spoke up: "I want a different executive producer."

"..."

Gu Xiaochi maintained his smile, playing deaf and mute. He absolutely would not interfere in this.

Hearing no response, Shen Fuyuan's frown deepened. She turned her head toward the man beside her who had suddenly lost his voice.

"Gu Xiaochi, why are you suddenly not—"

"You can't change it."

The woman's gentle voice suddenly cut her off.

Shen Fuyuan paused midsentence, turning her head with a mix of shock and indignation. "What did you say?"

"I said, you can't change it," An Ling said with a smiling curve to her eyes. "Your executive producer is me."

"No... based on what!?" The girl's eyes widened, her voice rising in pitch. "I want a change!"

An Ling lowered her head, calmly flipping through the documents in her hand.

"Including you, there are four guest stars for this shoot. We also have four executive producers following the shoot. The pairings have already been decided; they cannot be changed."

Shen Fuyuan didn't understand. "What does that have to do with switching people? I'll just swap with someone else."

An Ling's tone remained steady and unhurried.

"Because no one else wants to follow Miss Shen."

"..."

In that instant, it was as if the pause button had been pressed in the conference room. It was terrifyingly quiet.

Gu Xiaochi pursed his lips tightly, terrified that he might laugh out loud.

When she finally processed it, Shen Fuyuan's expression was one of pure disbelief. "...What did you say?"

The woman blinked and slowly let out a soft laugh. "Do I need to be clearer? Miss Shen, because you have a bit of a temper, no one was willing to film you. I was the only one willing to take this on."

An Ling wasn't lying. On the way here, her other colleagues had already been venting to her about Shen Fuyuan.

They said this pampered young lady had a terrible temper, like a firecracker that exploded at the slightest touch.

Everyone was afraid to film her, fearing they would upset the heiress and lose their jobs.

Seeing the headache-inducing expressions on all her colleagues' faces, An Ling had taken the initiative to say she would handle Shen Fuyuan.

No joke—at that moment, everyone looked at her as if she were a savior.

Snapping back to the present, An Ling looked at the sister-in-law before her and smiled gently. Her smile was professional and her tone polite, yet she left no room for negotiation.

"I heard Miss Shen is going on the show to improve her image. If things continue like this, I'm afraid the broadcast will only have the opposite effect. If Miss Shen is truly unwilling, you can choose to terminate the contract right now."

"You!!"

Shen Fuyuan gritted her teeth in fury, pointing a finger at the woman indignantly, yet she didn't know what to say.

In the past, anyone who dared to speak to her like this would have been packing their bags and leaving.

But the woman in front of her was her eldest brother's wife—her sister-in-law in name.

This woman's identity was a total bug in the system!!

She took a deep breath, slowly curling her extended finger back into a fist while grinding her teeth.

"Fine! Then it's you. I won't change!"

You want to follow me, right? Then let's see who breaks first!

After the general details were finalized, Ms. Chen walked over during a break, handed her a latte, and whispered, "Is everything okay?"

An Ling closed the organized file, took the latte, and gave her a reassuring look with a smile. "No problem."

Shen Fuyuan had to care about her status as a daughter of the Shen family while also maintaining her public image as an idol; she wasn't that difficult to deal with.

It was just the man next to Shen Fuyuan—his gaze was very strange.

It didn't quite seem like scrutiny; it was more like the curiosity of someone watching a spectacle.

She didn't think she had met him before...

But Gu Xiaochi seemed to know her.

Furthermore, he seemed very close to Shen Fuyuan, even accompanying her here.

An Ling took a thoughtful sip of the latte, her thumb rubbing against the cup as she looked at Ms. Chen, who was busy sending messages nearby.

"Ms. Chen, President Gu from Shihe Media seems to value Shen Fuyuan very much. Has it always been like this?"

Ms. Chen looked up, thought for a moment, and replied, "I suppose? I remember Shen Fuyuan signed with Shihe from the start, and Shihe has given her a lot of good resources."

An Ling nodded and continued drinking her latte.

In 그that case, either he wanted to maintain a good relationship with the Shen Corporation, or he was very close to the Shen family.

Was he close to Shen Linyan? Or Lu Jingshen?

Meanwhile, on the other side, Gu Xiaochi saw that he was no longer needed and made an excuse to return to his company.

Sitting in his car, he couldn't resist picking up his phone to send a message to Shen Linyan.

[I accompanied Shen Fuyuan to talk about the variety show today. That girl still couldn't keep her temper in check. The moment she saw the executive producer, she demanded a replacement.]

Five minutes after the message was sent, there was no sign of a reply from the other side.

Gu Xiaochi waited for a bit, wondering if Shen Linyan had seen it but didn't want to reply. After all, the man did that often.

He thought for a moment, then typed again:

“Actually, it was quite a coincidence. I ran into someone we both know while I was over there today.”

Ten minutes passed, and the other side remained silent.

Gu Xiaochi squinted, letting out a sharp breath. “Good grief. I can’t even bait him! He’s not biting at all!”

Left with no other choice, he shifted his posture and picked up his phone to type again.

[An Ling is actually Shen Fuyuan’s executive producer.]

The very next second, a message popped up on the screen.

Shen Linyan: [?]

Gu Xiaochi: “...”

The guy was online after all! He just didn't want to reply to the previous messages!

However, seeing that question mark made Gu Xiaochi grin again.

[You didn't know?]

To think there was actually something Shen Linyan didn’t know!

Gu Xiaochi’s interest was piqued once more, and he tapped away at the screen. [Shen Fuyuan and I were both stunned. Her face dropped instantly and she even demanded a replacement, but your wife just smiled and fired back. She shut her up so fast, it was hilarious.]

[But seriously, you really didn't know? My sister-in-law didn't tell you? She doesn't look like she just started the job.]

In the penthouse office of the Shen Corporation building.

A man sat in his executive chair, half of his face bathed in sunlight. His features were clean-cut and elegant; beneath his gentle, refined expression lay a layer of faint detachment.

His pale fingers lightly stroked a fountain pen. There was no emotion in the curve of his lips as his dark eyes stared calmly at the screen.

A moment later, Gu Xiaochi received a reply.

Shen Linyan: [In a marriage of convenience, there is no need to report every little thing. This is An Ling’s private matter. Tell Shen Fuyuan to behave herself.]

Gu Xiaochi’s eyebrows shot up. “Private matter?”

But it made sense. After all, Shen Linyan and that woman were only married for business.

He had thought their relationship had become something special, but it seemed their boundaries were still as rigid as ever.

***

In the breakroom.

An Ling glanced at the clock on the wall, sensing that her break was almost over.

She crushed her empty paper cup, tossed it into the trash, and picked up her documents to go find Shen Fuyuan. Before leaving, she grabbed her phone off the table.

The screen lit up automatically.

She gave it a casual glance, then her eyes paused.

A message from a few minutes ago caught her eye.

Shen Linyan: [My dear, I have a social engagement tonight. I won’t be home for dinner.]