Chapter 276: Let’s… Call It Off

Starting an entertainment company was definitely doable.

Just not right now.

That was the conclusion Miss Jiang reached after a heated phone discussion with Liao Liao.

First of all, whether she had the energy for it was a separate issue.

The two most critical elements in launching an entertainment company were money and connections.

The former was easy to handle.

Miss Jiang currently had several million sitting idle in her account, practically reeking of decadence.

Pulling out one or two million in one go wouldn’t even make her flinch.

As for the latter…

That was where she needed Liao Liao’s help.

After all, an entertainment agency wasn’t like a regular business.

It didn’t just require money. You also needed a couple of solid, presentable resources.

And by resources, they meant artists.

Preferably ones with both talent and name recognition.

With that kind of star power, you could actually get an agency off the ground.

Otherwise…

Unless Miss Jiang was willing to step into the spotlight herself,

The whole company would be nothing more than a castle in the sky,

Ready to collapse at any moment.

Miss Jiang was well aware of this, which was why she was counting on Liao Liao to help scout a few promising candidates.

But that’s where their disagreement began.

Liao Liao was willing to help her find suitable artists in the entertainment industry, but she hoped Jiang Ning would finish out her contract with Top Entertainment before considering going solo.

Jiang Ning, on the other hand, wasn’t too keen on tying her real name to Top Entertainment.

After a long back-and-forth,

They finally reached a compromise.

Liao Liao would help shield her from Lion King Entertainment for now, and keep an eye out for any artists looking to jump ship.

In return, Miss Jiang agreed not to pursue the idea of starting her own agency for at least the next six months.

Fair enough.

It solved the immediate problem, at least.

As for the future—

They’d revisit it in half a year.

…

When Miss Jiang returned to the classroom,

Big Swallow was up at the front, passionately firing off “yes” and “no” like a machine gun.

“Reporting in!”

She called out.

After getting permission,

She quickly made her way to her seat.

But the moment she sat down,

Little Ye leaned over.

“Jiang Ning, look at Big Swallow’s left hand.”

Her left hand?

Miss Jiang followed her gaze.

What she saw nearly blinded her.

A massive rock—practically a pigeon egg—was sparkling on Big Swallow’s ring finger.

“Holy crap.”

“Is that real?”

“That ring’s huge. It’s gotta be at least three carats, right?”

Hearing that,

Little Ye shook her head.

“My mom bought a three-carat ring last week.”

“And it looked smaller than that one.”

“Hiss—!!!”

Miss Jiang sucked in a sharp breath.

Eyes wide, she said in shock,

“Then that means the one on Big Swallow’s hand must be four carats?”

“I remember one carat costs tens of thousands, right?”

At that,

Little Ye held up five fingers and said confidently,

“Fifty thousand per carat, minimum!”

Damn.

So that meant…

Big Swallow was standing there teaching them with at least 200,000 yuan in cash on her finger?

With that thought,

Miss Jiang suddenly felt the weight of the lesson increase tenfold.

Even the English words coming out of Big Swallow’s mouth seemed to reek of money.

“Wait, does this mean Big Swallow got married?”

“No idea. But if she did, she should’ve told the other teachers, right?”

Ye Na glanced at the teacher on stage, then leaned in and whispered,

“When Lao Guo saw it earlier, he asked in surprise—and guess what she said…”

Miss Jiang was eager to hear the rest.

But just then, a familiar figure appeared in her peripheral vision, making her instinctively sit up straight.

“Ye Na, ‘talking in class makes you ugly.’ Translate that for me…”

———

Meanwhile, on Huang Lili’s end—

After getting a contact number from the Boss, she immediately dialed the number of someone surnamed Tian.

It turned out to be a company called “Sunflower Poultry Farm.”

Over the past couple of days, Huang Lili had been digging through old files and learned that this company used to be a supplier for one of their competitors.

The group had reached out to them a few days ago,

But the response was that they were out of stock.

Even offering extra money didn’t help.

But now—

The moment the person on the other end heard her request, they said,

“How much do you need? Just give me a number.”

Huang Lili flipped through the reports again and again, then quoted the amount they needed for a single day.

The reply?

“Alright. Just send me the address, and I’ll deliver the goods.”

“Oh, and by the way, we don’t accept deposits.”

To Huang Lili,

That message was nothing short of a lifeline.

If they had accepted pre-orders,

She would’ve wired payment for the entire week’s supply right then and there.

However—

What puzzled her was that when she shared the good news with Shang Jie and thanked her,

The latter’s response was oddly calm.

As if she were deep in thought about something.

Still, Huang Lili didn’t dwell on it.

Once the truckloads of poultry were delivered to the designated processing plant,

She finally let out a breath of relief.

And then—

A sudden, inexplicable thought struck her.

The group had nearly been shaken to its core over this poultry issue.

And while she’d been thrown into this role last minute, if she actually managed to solve this long-standing problem…

She had helped the corporation navigate this turbulent phase smoothly.

So now that she’d been temporarily promoted to head of the Procurement Department, did that mean her position was secure?

Head of the Procurement Department…

One of the most lucrative and powerful departments in the entire corporation.

Even without playing dirty, just the usual kickbacks alone could fill your pockets to the brim.

And that was just the current situation.

If she could handle this matter even more beautifully, there might be room to climb even higher…

At this moment,

Huang Lili stood by the office window,

Watching the steady stream of employees coming and going below.

For a brief moment,

She was swept up in a surge of confidence, as if fate itself was on her side.

However,

The very next day,

That feeling vanished without a trace.

Because when she called up Boss Tian from the Sunflower Poultry Farm Company again to ask for help,

He made a strange request.

He said she could have the chickens,

But she’d have to trade internal corporate information for them.

The more valuable the intel, the more chickens she could get.

Huang Lili wasn’t stupid.

She only needed a moment to understand exactly what he was after.

Furious, she hung up the phone on the spot.

Then she immediately called Shang Jie,

And reported the entire incident.

On the other end of the line,

When Shang Jie heard what the Sunflower Poultry Farm Company had asked for,

She instantly grew alert,

As if something had just clicked in her mind.

She immediately told Huang Lili not to get any more supplies from Sunflower.

After a few more reminders, she hung up.

Then,

Sitting curled up on the sofa,

Shang Jie frowned deeply,

And sat in silence for a long time.

Suddenly,

She waved at the butler standing nearby.

“Uncle Chen, go help me… never mind, I’ll go myself.”

With that,

She stood up, grabbed her phone and a notebook, and headed upstairs to the study.

Before long, she arrived.

She sat down, opened the notebook, and began jotting things down.

But just then,

Outside the house,

A black Mercedes sedan pulled up.

Then,

Luo Guosheng stepped out of the car,

His face dark as thunder, and walked straight up to the butler who had opened the door in advance.

“Where’s Shang Jie?”

“Sir, Madam is in the study.”

Hearing this,

Luo Guosheng frowned and strode into the house,

Not even bothering to change his shoes.

He went upstairs,

And quickly reached the study door, pushing it open.

Inside, he saw the beautiful woman sitting in his usual seat, writing.

Luo Guosheng took a deep breath and closed the door behind him.

His voice was cold.

“Shang Jie, I need an explanation.”

Hearing his voice,

Shang Jie looked up in confusion.

When she saw Luo Guosheng standing before her, she was stunned for a moment,

Then frowned.

“Explanation? What explanation?”

“That Chicken King Jiang—do you know her?”

Luo Guosheng’s voice was eerily calm, so much so that even Shang Jie couldn’t read his emotions.

But,

Seeing that Luo Guosheng already knew Jiang Ning’s name,

Shang Jie saw no point in hiding it.

She admitted directly,

“Yes, I know her.”

However,

What she didn’t expect was—

The moment she admitted it,

A slap came flying across her face.

The force of it was so strong,

It knocked her straight onto the sofa.

Shang Jie was stunned.

Although Luo Guosheng had laid hands on her once before,

That had been during an argument, and he’d accidentally hit her arm.

But this time,

This slap,

Left her completely frozen.

She raised a hand to cover her face,

Her eyes instantly turning red.

She stared coldly at the man in front of her.

That look made Luo Guosheng instinctively regret what he’d done.

But only for a second.

The anger boiling inside him surged back up.

“Shang Jie.”

“All these years, I thought you were a woman who knew her place.”

“I never imagined…”

“First there were rumors about you and Luo Chengming, and now you’re involved with a competitor.”

“Shang Jie!”

“I really underestimated you!”

With that, Luo Guosheng raised his hand again in fury.

But as the slap was about to fall,

Shang Jie didn’t move a muscle.

Her bloodshot eyes stared straight at him.

“You think I’m cheating on you?”

“With that Chicken King Jiang?”

At that moment,

Hearing her say it so bluntly,

Luo Guosheng was burning to slap her again.

But when he met her blood-red eyes,

His raised hand just couldn’t come down.

And so,

The two of them remained locked in this tense standoff for nearly ten minutes.

In the end, it was Shang Jie who closed her eyes.

As a single tear slid down her cheek,

She opened her mouth and spoke softly.

“Three million.”

“You get the shares, I get the kids.”

“We’re… done.”

——————

When Miss Jiang found out that Madam Shang was leaving Jiangzhou,

She was squatting in the dorm bathroom playing Snake on her phone.

Then her cousin called.

The first thing he said was,

“Ning Ning, the gatekeeper at Horton Manor just told me that Shang Jie left with luggage and the two kids. She’ll be gone in half an hour.”

Luggage?

“Child?”

Jiang Ning glanced at the time.

9:40 PM…

If it were a business trip, no one would bring a child along.

If it were just a casual outing, this wouldn’t be the time for it either.

So…

Crap!

Miss Jiang suddenly realized a certain possibility.

She shot to her feet.

But—

She’d been squatting too long.

Her legs went numb.

Miss Jiang nearly toppled headfirst into the squat toilet.

Clutching the wall for support, she finally managed to make her way out of the bathroom.

Only to be ambushed by a bear hug from Yuan Lu.

“Jiang Ning! Why do you smell so good after coming out of the bathroom?”

“Did you sneak perfume in there behind our backs?”

As she spoke, she started patting Miss Jiang down.

Miss Jiang had to fend her off with some effort.

Once the feeling returned to her legs, she pinned Little Yuan back down on the bed.

Then—

Just as Miss Jiang was changing clothes, Qi Wen came back with a washbasin full of freshly laundered clothes. She looked puzzled.

“Jiang Jiang, are you heading out?”

“Yeah, something urgent came up.”

“Want me to leave the door unlocked for you?”

“Sure!”

After a few reminders from her little wifey, Miss Jiang grabbed her phone and slipped out of the dorm.

The journey was smooth.

Even when she reached the school gate, the security guard, Old Sun, saw it was Jiang Ning and didn’t even ask for her day-student pass.

He just opened the gate and let her through.

Seeing this—

Miss Jiang gave a little snort and called out toward the window.

“Old man Sun, don’t sleep too soundly tonight!”

With that, she strode quickly to the roadside and hopped into her cousin’s car.

“Where are they?”

“Near the highway entrance. Wang Jianguo stopped them.”

At the mention of that name—

Miss Jiang looked completely stunned.

“Huh?”

“Wang Jianguo?”

“Seriously? Since when is she so competent?”

Hearing this, Tian Wenhao hesitated a bit, his expression a little odd as he explained:

“There was a game launch event in Runzhou today…”

“She took the day off and just happened to be on her way back…”

Damn.

That explained it.

No wonder…

For a moment, Miss Jiang didn’t know whether she should praise or scold that woman.

Forget it.

She’d deal with her next time.

“Cousin, tell me everything you know.”

And so—

During the ten-minute ride, Miss Jiang listened as Tian Wenhao relayed everything he’d learned.

When she heard that Shang Jie had left the house wearing a face mask, her brows furrowed instinctively.

A short while later—

The car pulled up to the toll station.

From a distance, they could see Wang Jianguo sitting on the curb with a half-grown boy, the two of them playing on a handheld game console.

Nearby stood a graceful young girl and a beautiful, elegant woman.

Seeing this scene—

As soon as the car stopped, Miss Jiang got out and walked quickly over.

She came to a stop in front of Madam Shang.

“President Shang.”

“You’re leaving in such a rush? That’s not like you.”

Faced with Miss Jiang’s teasing, Shang Jie looked a little lost.

“I’ve left Hongsheng.”

Though Miss Jiang had suspected as much, hearing it confirmed from Shang Jie’s own mouth still came as a shock.

She couldn’t help but ask, “What about you and Old Man Luo?”

Shang Jie didn’t answer. She simply turned her calm gaze toward her.

“I was thinking about it in the car just now.”

“Looking at everything from the perspective of stepping away from Hongsheng Group and ‘Shi Ning Ji’…”

“It seems like it all started when you broke Uncle Chen’s arm.”

“That’s when I realized—I might’ve fallen into a trap.”

As she spoke, Shang Jie’s eyes burned with intensity as she stared at Miss Jiang.

“Jiang Ning, tell me.”

“What role have you really been playing in all of this?”

Miss Jiang didn’t reply.

She just turned her gaze slightly, staring at Madam Shang’s face.

Even with a white mask covering most of it, she could still see faint red marks beneath.

“Wait a moment.”

Leaving those words behind, she turned and ran back to her cousin’s car.

Shang Jie stood there, puzzled about what this girl was up to.

Moments later—

Jiang Ning returned, holding something that looked like a medicinal ointment.

“This was given to me by a guy when I got hurt before.”

“He said it works wonders on bruises, sprains, and other injuries.”

“I think this is exactly what you need right now.”

As she spoke, she stepped forward and stood close in front of Shang Jie.

The next second—

A soft, jasmine-like fragrance enveloped her senses.

Caught off guard, Shang Jie’s mask was gently pulled off her face.

Realizing it too late, she reached up to grab it back.

But just then—

A tender voice whispered in her ear.

“Hurts, doesn’t it?”

“Let me put some on for you.”

“Be good, don’t move.”

A soft chuckle escaped her lips.

Shang Jie couldn’t help it—she laughed.

But she didn’t move. She just stood there, watching the bright, spring-like face in front of her, slightly tilted up, carefully applying ointment to the marks on her face.

In that moment—

She wasn’t sure if it was from the pain or something else, but her eyes felt a little wet.

Taking a deep breath, she asked in a low voice:

“What do you want from me?”

At those words,

Miss Jiang glanced at Madam Shang, whose eyes shimmered like crystal.

Her lips curled into a smile.

A breath of fragrant laughter escaped her lips.

“Heehee.”

“I want you. Is that okay?”

Hearing that,

Shang Jie blinked in surprise, then couldn’t help but laugh as she asked,

“How old are you?”

“Seventeen. Eighteen in a month.”

“You still have a curfew, don’t you?”

At that, Miss Jiang looked thoroughly annoyed.

“Don’t bring it up.”

“If I weren’t living at school right now,”

“I’d probably have to call you instead of showing up in person.”

…

“I wouldn’t have answered your call,” Shang Jie said calmly.

“I know.”

“That’s why I came in person.”

As she spoke, the ointment had just about finished being applied. Miss Jiang took a cheerful step back with a bright smile.

“All done!”

Feeling the coolness on her face,

Shang Jie put her mask back on and smiled gently.

“Sorry.”

“You might be disappointed.”

“I promised Luo Guosheng I wouldn’t stay in Jiangzhou.”

But then,

To Shang Jie’s surprise,

The girl in front of her was still smiling like a picture-perfect painting.

“I don’t need you to stay in Jiangzhou!”

…

Half an hour later.

Watching the black sedan pass through the highway toll gate and gradually disappear from view,

Miss Jiang frowned slightly.

She muttered,

“This woman is seriously hard to deal with.”

The next second,

A sycophantic voice piped up beside her.

“No matter how hard she is to deal with, she still ended up doing what Boss wanted.”

“Boss is the best!”

Miss Jiang ignored Wang Jianguo’s flattery. She turned back, eyes narrowed.

“Did you get any useful info?”

“Aiya… Boss, the way you put it…”

As he spoke,

Wang Jianguo glanced at Tian Wenhao, who was smoking in the car, then leaned in slightly.

“Boss, did you know?”

“Luo Chengming really is a beast.”

“If it weren’t for those two kids, he probably would’ve already…”

???

“Beast how… cough, cough, I mean, what exactly do you mean by ‘beast’?”

“Spill it so we can all properly condemn him together!”

As Miss Jiang asked, she felt her sense of justice practically bursting at the seams.

(End of Chapter)