Chapter 107: Say That Again to My Face

Just after coming out of the bathroom and finishing her routine, Xu An'an was preparing to sleep when she heard movement at her door. She was wondering what was going on when she saw Jiang Li unlock the door and come in.

Her lips twitched hard. So Jiang Li had taken the spare key.

Gu Yang, who had followed behind him, was about to go in as well, but the door slammed shut right in his face, leaving him utterly baffled. What was that supposed to mean? Had he been lured upstairs just to be toyed with?

Just as Gu Yang was about to leave in speechless exasperation, the tightly closed door opened again. But only Jiang Li stood there. He had gone back to fetch his own key and tossed it to Gu Yang.

"The room across the hall is yours to use, as long as you stay out of the master bedroom."

A string of keys flew through the air.

Gu Yang reached out and caught them.

Before he could ask another word, the door closed once more.

Only when she heard it shut did Xu An'an finally come out. She was thoroughly speechless. Wasn't it just a tank top and shorts? Yet he had sent her back into the room.

Leaning against the wall with her arms folded, she asked, "Second Master Jiang, what exactly do you mean by this?"

Jiang Li glanced at her pair of fair, slender legs. "What else? I was worried you'd catch a chill. I'll have someone send over a long nightgown later."

With that, he went into the bathroom to shower.

Xu An'an frowned. She did not feel cold at all. And hadn't she just heard Gu Yang's voice? Or had she imagined it?

"Xu An'an, bring me my sleepwear."

Hearing the voice behind her, Xu An'an turned instinctively. The sight before her made her eyes go wide, and she whirled around at once, her face burning red as she stammered, "W-why aren't you wearing clothes!"

Jiang Li, who had already stripped completely, looked perfectly at ease. "It's not like you haven't seen it before. Don't forget my sleepwear, or I'll just lie down in bed like this."

Xu An'an stamped her foot. "Got it!"

The man's hearty laugh made her blush even more.

When she brought Jiang Li his sleepwear, Xu An'an muttered under her breath, "If the eldest daughter of the Murong family saw you like this, she definitely wouldn't like you anymore."

"What did you say? Say that again to my face."

The bathroom door opened, and Jiang Li leaned out. His hair was slightly damp and fell over his forehead, making his narrow eyes seem even darker, while the crooked smile at the corner of his mouth looked almost wicked.

Realizing what was about to happen, Xu An'an tried to run, but it was already too late.

She was dragged straight into the bathroom by Jiang Li.

The heater had been left on, and steam filled the entire room, making it seem like an ethereal paradise, as though they were riding clouds through the sky. Yet at moments it felt like they were out at sea, caught in a violent storm.

During all of it, Xu An'an was dazed and muddled, not even knowing how many times she had been forced to say that she liked him.

And if she thought this so-called lesson would make her too afraid to speak ill of Jiang Li behind his back, that was impossible. Next time, she would still dare.

...

On Monday, Xu An'an rubbed at her lower back as she walked into the magazine office, only to find someone sitting at her desk. She frowned, because it was a stranger she did not recognize.

"Sir, may I ask what business you have here?"

"Good morning, Miss Xu!" Qi Xize stood up and, all smiles, handed her his business card. He launched into a long string of praise: "If Miss Xu doesn't enter the entertainment industry, it would truly be a tremendous loss for the industry."

Xu An'an knew full well that she could not act. She had only her looks; she might shine for a while, but not forever. In the end, if people called her nothing but a pretty face, there would be no point in that.

So she declined him. "Thank you for thinking so highly of me, but I'm not suited for it."

Qi Xize was not discouraged. He had expected this outcome already. If Xu An'an ever wanted to enter the entertainment world, Jiang Li would surely shield her every step of the way.

He insisted on leaving the card behind.

"Take your time and think it over. Call me if you need anything."

With that, he hurried away, as though afraid Xu An'an might hand the card back to him.

Xu An'an glanced at the card and remembered that this entertainment company had a fair amount of standing in the industry. It had produced a few decent web dramas.

But Qi Xize himself was a rich second-generation heir. Many people said he was only running the entertainment company to experience life for a while and would eventually return home after a few carefree years to inherit the family business.

So she could not understand why Qi Xize had specifically come looking for her.

Xiao Mei leaned in gossipingly. "An'an, why not go into entertainment? Do you know how many people would kill to get in?"

"After all, that's the easiest place to make money."

But it was also the darkest place.

Xu An'an had never worked on an entertainment magazine, but she had heard enough of her coworkers' private gossip. For someone without any background like her, entering the entertainment industry would amount to nothing more than becoming a toy for capital.

She was not foolish enough to walk right into the trap.

Jiang Fei, who had been eavesdropping nearby, let out a cold snort, her face full of disdain. "At least you're self-aware. Pretty faces are a dime a dozen in the entertainment world, and without resources, all you can do is drift with the current."

As the saying went, if others do not offend me, I will not offend them. If they do offend me, I will pay them back no matter how far away they are.

Xu An'an shot her a cold, sharp look.

"I remember very clearly that Miss Jiang Fei took part in a girl group audition last year, only to be eliminated before she even made it past the preliminaries. And she even tried to use her job to get into an entertainment company, only to be turned down hard."

"What does that prove? It proves your face can't even get you past the basic threshold of the entertainment industry. So what right do you have to point fingers here?"

Her embarrassing past dragged out into the open, Jiang Fei flushed with humiliation and anger. Yet everything Xu An'an had said was true, so all she could do was glare at her.

Just you wait. I will not let this go.

Xiao Mei worriedly said, "An'an, you need to be careful. Jiang Fei is very vindictive, and she's close to Fang Nini too. I'm afraid the two of them might make trouble for you at work."

Xu An'an only shrugged indifferently.

If they really dared to make a move, she was not someone to be pushed around. Who would end up on the losing side was still anyone's guess.

At that moment, Xue Shengnan walked in and, as usual, headed straight for her office.

Xu An'an could see clearly that Xue Shengnan had not rested well. Her makeup was a little too heavy, which only made Xu An'an more uneasy. Using work as an excuse, she went in to check on her.

"President Xue, are you all right? You seem very uncomfortable."

Although she and Xu An'an were close, Xue Shengnan did not want Xu An'an to know that her romantic life was in complete disarray. It was nothing like the decisive and capable woman she was in the workplace. She felt unable to face it and did not know how to bring it up.

She could not understand what she had done wrong to make everything turn out so badly.

At the same time, Xue Shengnan felt certain that she could still turn the current disastrous situation around. She had to be able to.

"Maybe I just didn't sleep well last night. It's fine. I'll just sleep a bit at lunch."

Seeing that Xue Shengnan still refused to say more, Xu An'an could only pretend not to know. After briefly reporting on her work, she turned to leave.

Then Xue Shengnan suddenly seemed to remember something and hurriedly called out, "An'an, wait!"

Xu An'an looked back. "What's wrong?"

"My God, my God! I forgot something so important!" Xue Shengnan stared at Xu An'an's face, filled with frustration and self-reproach.