Pampered by Short-Lived Bigshot

People around snickered at her appearance, which was truly hard to recognize.

"Boss Qi, I am Congrong, You Congrong!" she frantically tried to fix her hair.

Qi Zeyan glanced at Ruan Mengxi, "Did you hit her?"

Ruan Mengxi remained silent, but she really wanted to say:

This was the result of collective anger; everyone hit her together!

"Boss Qi, you have to speak to her. She's just a little assistant. I say a few words to her and she talks back and even dares to hit me? You must stand up for me."

"Did you hit her first?" Qi Zeyan asked Ruan Mengxi.

"I was acting in self-defense," Ruan Mengxi had figured it all out. Making such a big fuss could at worst get her fired, but even if she left, she wouldn't leave in disgrace. It wasn't her fault, so she wouldn't take the blame.

"So it was you who hit first?" Qi Zeyan scrutinized You Congrong.

"I was just teaching her a lesson. You have no idea, taking advantage of being your assistant, how arrogant she is. Whenever I give her some suggestions, she snubs me, and when I ask her to do something, she acts all high and mighty." You Congrong started to fabricate more lies.

"There are some things I don't want to say, just endure it quietly."

"Today, to take revenge for Tang Wan, she deliberately made me uncomfortable. If you don't give me an explanation today, I'm afraid we can't continue filming."

…

People in the production team looked at each other, shaking their heads in helplessness.

But Qi Zeyan just smiled, "Not filming anymore?"

"With things having turned out this way, if you don't handle it well, I can no longer stay in the production team."

"Xiaozhu, according to the contract, how much would an artist have to compensate me for a strike?"

Xiaozhu promptly said, "Triple the payment, plus some losses for costumes and props, but we'll have to calculate that later."

"Make sure it's calculated correctly and inform Miss You. If she doesn't want to act, we can't force her." Qi Zeyan's voice was somewhat lazy, his demeanor arrogant.

You Congrong was just about to show her acting skills but was stunned by his words. "Qi, Boss Qi, are you joking?"

"I never joke when doing business. Since you don't want to act, why should I bother requesting your presence, bringing turmoil to the set."

"Boss Qi—", You Congrong became desperate, and catching a glimpse of Ruan Mengxi, she exploded even more. "This is all her fault, not mine, it's Ruan Mengxi, this bitch!"

"Who is she?" Qi Zeyan countered.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Besides being Ruan Mengxi, she is also my assistant, representing me on the set. What did you just say? Asking her to do things? Did I send her here to supervise the work, or to be your errand runner?"

Qi Zeyan, capable of managing a company, was naturally no easy mark. Usually amiable, he was incredibly fierce when berating someone.

His aura fully unleashed, brimming with a domineering and sinister force.

"Do you not regard her at all, or do you simply disregard me?"

"My assistant, I'll manage myself; she's not here to serve you tea and water!"

"Hitting her?"

"I would like to ask, who gave you the right, who lent you the courage!"

Ruan Mengxi stood on the side, her heart pounding, fixated on Qi Zeyan, what he just said:

I am...

his person?

Although she knew these words had a context, her heart still raced uncontrollably.

Sometimes watching TV dramas, reading novels, she felt that the domineering CEO and heroic rescue clichés were tacky, but now that it was happening to her, she realized how thrilling it could actually be.

You Congrong had thought she was awaiting a savior; instead, Qi Zeyan turned the tables and scolded her fiercely. That overwhelming aura made her tremble, and she subconsciously stepped back...

Earlier she was acting, now the tears still hung in her eyes, somewhat comical, "No, it shouldn't be like this... all wrong."

Qi Zeyan chuckled lightly, "She is my assistant, when she steps out, she represents me. You boss her around and hit her; next time, it seems you want to hit me!"

"I didn't!" In her panic, You Congrong suddenly remembered, "Boss Qi, I did all that on your orders, but Tang Wan suddenly showed up, and now I've ended up like this, you have to save me..."

"What did I instruct you to do?" Qi Zeyan frowned, his eyes cold and stern.

"Wasn't it you who told me to hold a press conference? You and Xiaowu were at odds, telling me to slander him, it was you who instructed me to do so!"

"You Congrong, what are you saying? Did I instruct you to do that, did I ever say such words?" Qi Zeyan scoffed lightly.

"You told me to accept the interview!"

"Because the TV drama needs publicity!" Qi Zeyan corrected her.

"When I said I might offend Xiaowu, you told me you'd have my back, you said he wouldn't turn against you."

"We've been close since we were kids, I let you do the interview to help him clear up the scandal, why would he turn against me?"

Upon hearing this, You Congrong's head spun, "It was you who said there would be benefits for me afterward, you told me to do it."

"You invested in the TV drama, generating heat and traffic, I give you some benefits, what's the problem? I'm a businessman, it's mutually beneficial, so what's the issue?"

…

By now, You Congrong was on the verge of total collapse. She revisited her conversations with Qi Zeyan, who indeed had never explicitly told her to smear Jiang Jinsang or Tang Wan. His words could always be interpreted in two different ways, depending on how you chose to read them.

If she couldn't understand by now that this was all a setup, then she was truly as dense as a pig.

"Qi Zeyan, you set me up!" You Congrong felt a white fog in her brain, her legs went weak, and her strength seemed to be draining away.

What Qi Zeyan said next was particularly cheeky:

"Right, if you can, come at me."

After all, her assistant, this crazy woman, did make a move!

What followed was quite simple, You Congrong voluntarily resigned from the show, and the compensation matters were easily settled. However, the director was distressed, having to replace an actor last minute. Fortunately, You Congrong's scenes weren't many in the early stages.

The media, unaware of what had happened, received the news and immediately published online, uniformly stating:

[You Congrong voluntarily leaves 'Feng Que,' replaced by a post-80s actress…]

The replacement was already found, many actors' schedules for the next year or two had been arranged, so finding a last-minute replacement was not easy. The speed of Qi's arrangements clearly suggested premeditation.

Moreover, it was rumored that due to her resignation, she had to pay several times the original compensation. During such a time, there was no way You Congrong would voluntarily give up a contract just within reach.

By now, even fools could smell something fishy, starting from Qi Zeyan's dispute with Jiang Jinsang…

On set interviews, Tang Wan's appearance, You Congrong being expelled by the crew, it was all meticulously planned.

You Congrong's situation became indeed miserable. Surrounded by reporters outside the crew, she was cast out with no assistant, no agent, abandoned by her company, like a rat crossing the street, chased by the press with her photos plastered online, almost too grotesque to behold…

As for Qi Zeyan, after the shoot resumed, he left the location with Ruan Mengxi and Xiaozhu.

Sitting in the car, Ruan Mengxi felt like sitting on pins and needles. As an assistant, not only had she failed to alleviate her boss's worries, but she had also physically attacked someone, "Boss, I…"

"This is the first time I see an assistant as aggressive as you!"

"…"

"Call your sister-in-law, she's worried about you." Qi Zeyan said and also took out his phone, sending Jiang Jinsang a message.

The incident on set, albeit scandalous, was suppressed by Qi Zeyan, but some videos started circulating internally.

After Ruan Mengxi hung up with Tang Wan, she saw Qi Zeyan staring straight at her. She cleared her throat, brushed her hair with her hand; she had already fixed herself up in the restroom earlier. Could it still be messy?

"Boss?"

Qi Zeyan tapped on his phone, and amid noise, a loud female voice came through:

"Go ahead! Since I did it today, I'm not afraid of him finding out. If he protects you, I'll throw my resignation letter right in his face!"

"…"

Qi Zeyan chuckled, "Throw it in my face? You could try."

Ruan Mengxi hung her head, not daring to speak…

**

After Tang Wan finished her call with Ruan Mengxi, she felt relieved and happily helped Jiang Jinsang select gifts for Jiang Yanting in the mall.

As a wedding gift, naturally, it's best to choose something for couples, especially since it was for her brother and sister-in-law, it had to be something valuable. Eventually, they settled on watches.

On the first floor of the mall, there was a dedicated watch area featuring many international brands, and they went from one shop to another.

Over at Shen Shuci's side, the old master had already returned, and seeing Huo Qinqi was also there, he looked at them both, smiling meaningfully.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, I eat slowly."

"No worries, I wasn't punctual myself."

"Just a moment, let me get your watch."

Shen Shuci bowed her head to search for the receipt the old master had given her earlier, needing it to retrieve the watch.

"I think I hear Xiaowu and little sister's voices." The man suddenly lowered his voice, leaning closer to her.

"What?" Shen Shuci suddenly remembered what Tang Wan had said; she had seen herself, indicating Tang Wan was nearby. How tragic, if they met, how would she explain…

"We're almost there, let's go say hello." Huo Qinqi, with his superior hearing, was nearly certain it was them, and the distance was closing.

Saying this, he turned to go out, but Shen Shuci's heart tightened, and she grabbed his hand…