Chapter 51: Know Your Place

Internal and external troubles struck simultaneously, causing Starlight’s stock price to plummet over just a few months, and the company’s upper management was also unstable.

 

Problems that couldn’t be solved effectively and in time snowballed, becoming more and more severe as time passed.

 

Lou Yanchen’s expression grew uglier by the day.

 

His mental state had already been quite poor, and now he was even busier, overwhelmed and exhausted.

 

In such a situation, Lou Yanchen had long since had neither the time nor the energy to care about how Sang Zhiyi was doing.

 

Even though he probably knew that Sang Zhiyi was making a movie together with Song Ying and Yu Zilin, two of his rivals, Lou Yanchen simply couldn’t spare the attention.

 

After all, to him, women were ultimately not as important as his career.

 

With everything going wrong, Lou Yanchen’s mood at work was naturally not good either.

 

During this time, everyone at Starlight was on edge, afraid that if they inadvertently did something not quite right and Lou Yanchen noticed, they would be singled out by the president, whose mood was foul, and dealt with harshly.

 

Lou Yanchen had long held great authority at Starlight, and when he lost his temper, he was even more terrifying.

 

Especially Lou Yanchen’s secretary, Wu Wenjing.

 

As the person physically closest to the president in the entire company, every time Lou Yanchen had any anger or resentment, she was the first to face it directly.

 

Wu Wenjing felt she had nowhere to voice her suffering.

 

This was no way for a human to live!

 

When Lou Yanchen had suddenly had a change of heart toward Sang Zhiyi last year and had been irritated and dissatisfied because of Sang Zhiyi’s lack of cooperation, Wu Wenjing had already found life difficult.

 

But compared to the present, that was like comparing a small witch to a great witch!

 

Wu Wenjing was already seriously considering whether she should resign.

 

Admittedly, Starlight’s compensation was very good.

 

But no matter how high the salary, you had to be alive to spend it!

 

Wu Wenjing now hardly dared to stay inside the president’s office, trying every means to escape.

 

Just now, she had slipped out of the office again.

 

Just in case Lou Yanchen needed her for something, Wu Wenjing didn’t dare go too far.

 

The soundproofing of Starlight’s president’s office was actually quite good, yet even so, Wu Wenjing could still clearly hear the sound of Lou Yanchen slamming documents inside.

 

How much force did it take to make that noise?

 

President Lou was angry again.

 

Wu Wenjing wanted to cry but had no tears.

 

She even began to miss Sang Zhiyi.

 

If Sang Zhiyi were here, President Lou’s mood would probably be better, right?

 

Just as Wu Wenjing was thinking this, she never expected that only a few minutes later, Sang Zhiyi would actually appear before her eyes.

 

***

 

As the weather forecast had indicated, the day after returning to A City was a clear, sunny day.

 

The March wind was gentle and warm.

 

After a brief rest, Sang Zhiyi came to the Starlight building.

 

The last time she had been here was several months ago.

 

Sang Zhiyi casually looked around and noticed that the mental state of the company’s employees was clearly different now.

 

They were all tense, their hasty movements revealing a restless anxiety that couldn’t see the forest for the trees.

 

This was exactly what Sang Zhiyi wanted to see.

 

Lou Yanchen was such a prideful person, yet he allowed the company that represented his facade to be so disorganized.

 

It showed that he himself was probably nearing some breaking point.

 

Sang Zhiyi adjusted the strap of her crossbody bag on her right shoulder, her faint smile very relaxed.

 

The way to the president’s office wasn’t hard to find.

 

When Ren Xiaoqian had first been brought to Starlight by Lou Yanchen, she had been quite valued.

 

Sang Zhiyi couldn’t use the president’s private elevator yet, but by searching through Ren Xiaoqian’s memories, it was easy to figure out the regular route.

 

With everyone in the company preoccupied with their own concerns, Sang Zhiyi made her way to Lou Yanchen’s office door without much effort.

 

Wu Wenjing was standing guard outside the president’s office.

 

Sang Zhiyi recognized her and smiled politely, greeting her.

“Good morning.”

 

Seeing Sang Zhiyi suddenly appear, Wu Wenjing was startled, opening her eyes wide in disbelief.

“Mi-Miss Ren?!”

 

As Lou Yanchen’s secretary, Wu Wenjing’s professional skills were certainly sufficient.

 

Soon, she managed to adjust her expression.

“Good morning!

Miss Ren, are you here to see President Lou?

Please wait a moment, I’ll announce you right away!”

 

The door to the president’s office was right behind her, so Wu Wenjing couldn’t very well invite the guest to sit down and have tea.

 

She directly turned around and raised her hand to knock.

“Pre—”

Before she could get out “President,” Wu Wenjing heard a soft laugh from Sang Zhiyi.

 

Sang Zhiyi walked over to stand beside Wu Wenjing and said softly into her ear, “No need for all that trouble.”

 

Compared to the sweetness Wu Wenjing was familiar with, Sang Zhiyi’s voice at this moment was much lower, carrying obvious pleasure and comfort, delivered into Wu Wenjing’s ear at very close range.

 

Exceptionally charming.

 

Wu Wenjing couldn’t help feeling a little warmth in her face.

 

Then, with her mind a bit muddled, Wu Wenjing watched as Sang Zhiyi lifted her foot and kicked the door to the president’s office.

 

Kicked it open?!

 

Wu Wenjing: “……?!”

 

Wu Wenjing’s first thought was, oh no, she had been so eager to escape from the office just now that she had forgotten to close the door properly, which was why it opened with just a kick.

 

Her second thought was, what the hell?!

 

What was Miss Ren doing?!

 

This was President Lou’s office door!

 

She had worked as his secretary for several years, and even the older presidents of other companies who came to see President Lou were always polite and courteous!

 

Under Wu Wenjing’s gaze, as if she had seen a ghost in broad daylight, Sang Zhiyi walked generously into the office.

 

Why be polite to a scumbag?

 

Originally, Sang Zhiyi had only planned to knock on the door with her foot, delivering her warm regards to Lou Yanchen.

 

But seeing that the door wasn’t shut tight, she simply kicked it open.

 

With such a commotion, Lou Yanchen inside naturally heard it immediately.

 

Extremely irritable, he looked up from the messy pile of documents on his desk, his bloodshot eyes ready to harshly scold Wu Wenjing for messing around, when he suddenly saw Sang Zhiyi’s figure.

 

Today, Sang Zhiyi was wearing a sky-blue blouse and a dark blue pencil skirt, topped with a short black trench coat.

 

She looked both beautiful and capable.

 

He hadn’t seen Sang Zhiyi for several months, and this was also the first time Lou Yanchen had seen Sang Zhiyi dressed like this.

 

For a moment, Lou Yanchen forgot to be angry, his gaze involuntarily sliding over Sang Zhiyi.

 

From her head with its intricately braided hair, to her delicately made-up face, to her fullness constrained by the blouse buttons, to her slender waist, the rounded lines of her hips, finally settling on her legs in black stockings.

 

Lou Yanchen felt his throat grow dry.

 

Why did he feel that after such a long time apart, Sang Zhiyi’s figure had become exceptionally alluring?

 

Then, the exceptionally alluring Sang Zhiyi stopped gracefully on the opposite side of Lou Yanchen’s desk and asked with a smile, “President Lou has been having a hard time lately, hasn’t he?”

 

Her voice was warm and soft, her smile light.

 

In a daze, Lou Yanchen felt as if he had returned to the early days of knowing Ren Xiaoqian.

 

Back then, she had spoken to him and smiled at him just like this.

 

It was just that the Ren Xiaoqian of that time had been much shyer and more nervous than she was now, and he, preoccupied with making this substitute more like his white moonlight, had completely ignored her abundant adoration.

 

Lou Yanchen couldn’t help swallowing, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

 

He truly regretted it a bit.

 

If he had accepted Ren Xiaoqian’s feelings back then, he wouldn’t be in the situation where he now truly wanted her but couldn’t see her day after day.

“Xiaoqian…” Lou Yanchen spoke, his voice hoarse.

“I really am… a bit tired.”

 

Lou Yanchen had once believed that showing vulnerability in front of others was a deeply shameful thing.

 

But now, looking at Sang Zhiyi’s concerned expression, he found that it wasn’t actually so hard to accept.

 

Showing this to the woman he cared about instead had a certain kind of tender charm.

“Good that you’re tired,” Sang Zhiyi tilted her head, her smile growing even brighter, her eyes curving into crescents.

“I’ve been working hard for months to get you to this point.

Seeing you so wretched, I’m relieved.”

 

Sang Zhiyi’s voice was still sweet and gentle, and Lou Yanchen’s already exhausted brain didn’t have the capacity to process the information in these words in real time.

 

Lou Yanchen was even a bit confused.

 

Hadn’t Sang Zhiyi come to Starlight specifically to care for him and check on him?

 

Seeing him in such bad shape, why wasn’t she worried at all, but rather “relieved”?

 

Only then did Lou Yanchen suddenly realize.

“…What did you say?!”

His voice even changed pitch.

 

With a heavy slap on the desk, Lou Yanchen made the already scattered documents on its surface even more messy, and several pages were sent flying.

 

Amidst the fluttering papers, Sang Zhiyi remained completely unmoved, only speaking calmly.

“I haven’t been idle these months, either exposing artists at Starlight who evaded taxes and employees who broke the rules, or intercepting the partners and investment projects you had already negotiated.”

 

She didn’t mind explaining it more clearly to the scumbag.

 

Armed with the information on the original plot of this world and possessing exceptional analytical and reasoning skills, knowing what weaknesses Lou Yanchen and Starlight had at the current stage that could be exploited was practically effortless for Sang Zhiyi.

 

After that, it was just a matter of applying the right remedies.

 

Moreover, Sang Zhiyi had long since established a good cooperative relationship with the Zhongli family, making many things much more convenient.

 

But the impact of this on Lou Yanchen was too great.

 

In Lou Yanchen’s mind, Sang Zhiyi was always a delicate, clinging vine.

 

Even if she had a bigger temper now, it didn’t change the fact that she needed him to survive.

 

Hadn’t she always loved him?

 

Where did she get such ability?!

“Ren Xiaoqian!”

Lou Yanchen was truly desperate.

“What nonsense are you talking?!

Stop messing around!”

“Don’t rush.

This isn’t over yet.”

Sang Zhiyi pulled a stack of documents from her handbag and placed them on Lou Yanchen’s desk.

“Sign these, and then get the hell out of Starlight.”

 

Sang Zhiyi looked at Lou Yanchen’s eyes.

“I’ve already acquired enough shares of Starlight.

Now, the chairman of Starlight is me.”

 

Lou Yanchen: “……??!!!”

 

Lou Yanchen felt the world must have gone mad.

 

No, he must have been so exhausted lately that he was having an unbelievable nightmare…

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you understand exactly how you lost,” Sang Zhiyi said, her eyes holding the pity of a victor for a vanquished foe.

“You should know about the upheaval at Jinxiu’s top management last year, right?

That was when I became Starlight’s largest shareholder.”

 

The initial startup capital had been a loan from Zhongli Hanyu.

 

Zhongli Hanyu had confidence in her abilities; this loan, almost interest-free, was his welcome gift.

 

Subsequent facts proved that Sang Zhiyi did not disappoint Zhongli Hanyu’s expectations.

 

During these past few months, Sang Zhiyi had already brought the Zhongli family several times the original benefits, involving more than just entertainment industry-related businesses.

 

Now, Sang Zhiyi had her own capital to swallow this piece of cake that was Starlight.

 

Strike while the iron is hot, and finish him off.

“Lou Yanchen, I actually gave you a chance,” Sang Zhiyi said with little emotional inflection.

“Last time in this very office, I said we should discuss my contract termination procedures, but you changed the subject.”

“So I had no choice but to kick you out of this position.”

“This time, you don’t get to say no.”

 

Lou Yanchen was no fool.

 

No matter how much disbelief he felt, faced with the ironclad facts, he could only accept this absurd reality.

 

He looked down at the documents before him, the black-and-white text clearly visible, making his eyes nearly split.

 

Besieged by internal and external problems during this time, busy and unable to see the forest for the trees, he had actually given Sang Zhiyi, who had been preparing for this, the opportunity to take away his entire Starlight?!

 

Veins bulged at Lou Yanchen’s temples, and a rough, raspy breath came from his throat as he eagerly tried to say something.

“I advise you to give up struggling sooner.

It’ll save you some energy and let you leave Starlight with a little dignity,” Sang Zhiyi’s voice was cool.

“Otherwise, I’ll have no choice but to ‘escort’ you out.”

“Know your place,” Sang Zhiyi curled her lips, showing Lou Yanchen a smile devoid of any amusement.

“You really think you’re something special?”

 

This was the first sentence Sang Zhiyi had heard Lou Yanchen say to her on the day she transmigrated into this world.

 

Now, she returned those words in full.

 

***

 

No matter how unwilling, after assessing the situation, Lou Yanchen ultimately had no choice but to agree to these demands.

 

As he walked out of the Starlight building with heavy steps, even though it was bright and sunny outside, Lou Yanchen felt as if he were in the frozen polar regions, chilled to the bone.

 

He didn’t know when the clinging vine he kept had become what she was now.

 

He only knew that as he left the office, he could already hear Sang Zhiyi inside giving instructions to his secretary, Wu Wenjing.

 

One by one, orderly, concise, and powerful—the kind of professional level that insiders would recognize as highly skilled at first listen.

 

In the area he knew best, Lou Yanchen finally realized, in a daze, that Sang Zhiyi was truly no longer the clinging vine that could only survive by attaching itself to him.

 

She even did it much better than he did.

 

After all, the victor still standing at Starlight today was her, not him.

 

Lou Yanchen also belatedly realized that Sang Zhiyi now actually controlled two major entertainment companies, Starlight and Jinxiu, essentially making her the most powerful voice in the entertainment industry.

 

If she wanted to protect Jiang Yingru, it would be effortless.

 

Lou Yanchen’s steps faltered.

 

He understood more clearly than ever before that he could have neither Jiang Yingru, the white moonlight he had longed for years, nor Sang Zhiyi, the substitute and cinnabar mole he had come to desire.

 

***

 

Driving Lou Yanchen out of Starlight was only a stage-by-stage start for Sang Zhiyi.

 

After that, she had to reorganize Starlight’s current employees, deal with the lingering problems Lou Yanchen had left behind, and push Starlight, which had strayed from its path, back onto the right track.

 

She was also busy, working nonstop, but Sang Zhiyi was clearly on a completely different level from Lou Yanchen.

 

While handling these matters, she could simultaneously take care of Jinxiu’s relatively lighter affairs and expand win-win cooperation with Zhongli Hanyu in more areas.

 

Two months later, Starlight and Jinxiu officially announced their merger, forming a new film and entertainment company—New Star.

 

The original employee structure of Starlight naturally underwent a major reshuffle.

 

Those who were capable, like Wu Wenjing, Sang Zhiyi left untouched, allowing them to do their jobs.

 

But those who had harmed Ren Xiaoqian in the past, and those who had contributed to Ren Xiaoqian’s death in the original plot development, each and every one of them, Sang Zhiyi did not let off.

 

Depending on the severity of their actions, some were sent to prison, some were fined and kicked out, and some were trapped in the company with a dead contract, left to rot on the bench for a lifetime.

 

Sang Zhiyi fulfilled the promise she had made to Ren Xiaoqian at the very beginning.

 

She would live as dazzling as the sun, leaving all this filth with nowhere to hide.

 

***

 

Just as during the upheaval at Jinxiu’s upper management, under Sang Zhiyi’s deliberate control, few people outside of those directly involved knew exactly what had happened.

 

The public’s focus was still on things like “Starlight and Jinxiu actually merged,” “the three major entertainment companies have become two,” and “can Yimeng compete with New Star?”

 

After all, the public didn’t even know who the original leadership of Jinxiu was.

 

Lou Yanchen, as president of Starlight, had a certain level of name recognition, mainly due to his good looks.

 

Starlight had always had more successful male artists than female ones, and the grand slam Best Actor Yu Zilin had previously been with Starlight.

 

Based on that, people had noticed that Starlight also had a handsome young president.

 

In fact, Sang Zhiyi hadn’t made major changes to New Star’s systems either.

 

Those most affected were still the lower-level artists who had been at Starlight.

 

Sang Zhiyi didn’t really need to achieve outstanding performance with New Star.

 

Stability and progress were enough; there was no need for drastic measures.

 

During the last upheaval at Jinxiu, Jiang Yingru had never been very interested in the company’s power shifts.

 

Her own status in the entertainment industry was also quite transcendent, and she was largely unaffected no matter who was in power.

 

But this time, Jiang Yingru was directly at the center of the event.

 

Sang Zhiyi hadn’t hidden her recent activities from those around her, so Jiang Yingru naturally knew about them as well.

 

Jiang Yingru was also extremely shocked by Sang Zhiyi’s display of talent and ability, but she wasn’t as unable to accept it as Lou Yanchen had been.

 

After digesting all the information, Jiang Yingru’s main concern was one thing.

“Lou Yanchen isn’t an easy person to deal with…” Jiang Yingru looked at Sang Zhiyi, who was sitting on the sofa in her living room, her brow furrowed with concern.

“What if he takes revenge later?”

 

As the current head of a wealthy family in A City, Lou Yanchen certainly had more assets than just Starlight.

 

However, Starlight was considered the face of the Lou family, built up through Lou Yanchen’s personal management over many years.

 

Lou Yanchen wasn’t the type to take a beating and obey quietly; he was entirely capable of returning to seek revenge.

 

Compared to Sang Zhiyi, the Lou family undoubtedly had a much deeper foundation.

 

Then, would Sang Zhiyi still be a match for Lou Yanchen?

 

Sang Zhiyi blinked, speaking as if it were obvious.

“Then we’ll crush him completely, leaving him no chance for revenge.”

 

She served as the chairman of New Star, holding real power, her word was law within the entertainment industry, and her position wasn’t easily shaken.

 

Outside the entertainment industry, she had not only the old ally of the Zhongli family but also newly established cooperative partners.

 

With one less Lou family, more benefits could be gained—why not?

 

The Lou family, Lou Yanchen, had absolutely no chance of making a comeback.

 

More important than these, Sang Zhiyi had actually come to Jiang Yingru’s home for a more significant reason.

 

She had obtained the universal medication she had purchased from the system store, which could treat Jiang Yingru’s heart condition.

 

This was an item System Sir had used his own permissions for, allowing her to buy it on credit.

 

After Sang Zhiyi took control of the entire New Star, she fulfilled the condition of “completely changing the original owner’s fate in this world” and could freely use this C-rank universal medication.

 

Sang Zhiyi had cleared all the obstacles; Ren Xiaoqian’s original tragedy would not repeat itself.

 

The appearance of this universal medication was a glass test tube holding about five milliliters, sealed with a plastic stopper, with approximately eighty percent of its volume containing a colorless, transparent liquid, like mostly purified water.

 

Sang Zhiyi had specifically smelled it; the liquid had no odor either.

 

She had initially considered whether to mix this universal medication into Jiang Yingru’s food or drink, thereby silently eliminating Jiang Yingru’s disease.

 

But Jiang Yingru wasn’t stupid.

How could she not find it suspicious if an illness that had plagued her for years suddenly disappeared overnight?

 

Moreover, given her relationship with Jiang Yingru in this world, Sang Zhiyi ultimately decided to tell her what she could.

 

Jiang Yingru had the right to know.

 

Sang Zhiyi carefully took out this universal medication and spoke.

“Sister Jiang, this is a miracle drug I obtained through some special channels.

It’s very helpful for your heart condition.

I hope you will take it.”

 

As for exactly what the special channels were, Sang Zhiyi did not say.

 

She simply looked into Jiang Yingru’s eyes, her expression full of sincerity and plea.

 

If someone else had said this, frankly, Sang Zhiyi herself would have been skeptical.

 

Just as Sang Zhiyi was weighing her words, trying to find a way to further persuade Jiang Yingru, Jiang Yingru silently took the test tube from Sang Zhiyi’s hand, removed the stopper, and drank the liquid in one go.

 

She was so decisive that even Sang Zhiyi was taken aback.

 

After swallowing the somewhat stimulating-tasting universal medication, Jiang Yingru said only one thing.

“I trust you.”

 

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