Before Cheng Ying could even talk to Jiang Hanguang about the variety show, she received a call from Cheng Liang.
Cheng Mantou had changed her ringtone to the latest dance hit, and its thumping beat hammered against Cheng Ying’s brain, which had gotten less than three hours of sleep.
She felt her temples throbbing along with the rhythm.
What was wrong with Cheng Liang, calling so early in the morning?
Although she really wanted to hang up, considering her public persona, Cheng Ying took a couple of deep breaths, rubbed her swollen eyes, and answered.
The man’s voice on the other end of the line was burning with some unknown fire. “Come to my office. Now.”
“Brother…”
Cheng Ying had just uttered a single word when the line went dead.
Hang up on me again, and believe it or not, I’ll plaster scandalous videos of you and your thirty-something mistresses all over the Cheng’s official website homepage.
Cheng Ying scratched her head in frustration. She had always been a poor sleeper. While others could feel fully rested after eight hours, she often needed to lie in bed for a whole day.
So whenever she was woken up unnaturally, her mood would be exceptionally foul.
Fortunately, this state only lasted for half an hour. So by the time she stepped into Cheng Liang’s office, she was once again the smiling, docile, and easily bullied, dandy Young Boss Cheng.
If Qin Guanyu’s office was in the standard, conventional style of the wealthy elite, then Cheng Liang’s office was a pretentious, futuristic style.
The walls and floor were made entirely of alloy—a fall would probably leave one half-crippled. It was filled with smart electronic furniture flashing with various light screens, while “outdated” wooden furniture was nowhere to be seen.
Cheng Ying had thought about it before. If she were ever forced to get rid of Cheng Liang, she could just remotely manipulate all the electronic furniture in his office to run on overdrive, turning Cheng Liang into a barbecued Cheng Liang.
At this moment, a male Alpha with a deadpan expression sat at the large desk, his hands clasped behind his head, wearing a look of supreme arrogance. On the corner of a long sofa used for receiving guests sat a beautiful Omega woman, dabbing at the corners of her eyes with a tissue, sobbing.
Cheng Mantou: “Wow, she came to tattle so quickly.”
Cheng Ying: “…”
She had truly underestimated Miss Hua Ran’s efficiency. To think she’d run to Cheng Liang to cry her eyes out overnight. If only she were this dedicated to her acting, she wouldn’t have been so thoroughly crushed by Jiang Hanguang that not even a speck remained.
Although Cheng Ying knew exactly what was going on, she put on an innocent face. “What’s all this? Brother, did you make sister-in-law angry?”
Cheng Liang snorted. Before he could speak, Hua Ran flung her hand down, her eyes red as she glared at Cheng Ying with a face full of fury. She looked like a chihuahua poised to attack, showing no trace of the delicate, crying woman from a moment ago.
“You have the nerve to speak? This is all your fault! You made me a laughingstock for all those blind bitches!”
Ever since 《White Robe》 started airing, Hua Ran’s Flying Pigeon account had become basically unreadable. A horde of netizens had even come up with a bunch of jokes to mock her.
“I may be a bad actress, but I’m also crazy.”
“The true spokesperson for O-rights: steals the most scenes, gets the most brutal beatings.”
“I showed an episode of White Robe to my paralyzed friend. Now he’s gotten up and wants to break my legs.”
Hua Ran had never suffered such a great humiliation in her entire life. She had firmly placed the blame for this on Cheng Ying and Jiang Hanguang. Jiang Hanguang was the mastermind, and Cheng Ying was the accomplice.
Cheng Ying gave an awkward laugh. “Sister-in-law, what are you talking about? Just tell me what I did to upset you, and I’ll definitely change.”
Your acting in real life is so much better than your acting in the show, she thought.
“You ruined the entire show for that Jiang Hanguang, and you still have the face to talk?” Her words were like a spark, and Hua Ran looked ready to explode. She had suffered so much, and this person in front of her still dared to play dumb!
Don’t you have any idea in your heart who really ruined this show?
“Uh… oh, you mean that!” Cheng Ying said as if she’d just remembered. “It wasn’t on purpose! I had just signed Jiang Hanguang and thought I’d let her ride the coattails of our main drama’s popularity. Who knew the audience’s taste would be so low-class? They just can’t grasp the essence of your performance. How about I delete the video right now?”
As she spoke, she reached into her pocket for her phone, deliberately fumbling with clumsy movements so she couldn’t get it out.
“Save it,” Cheng Liang, who had been silently watching them bicker, finally spoke. “If you delete it now, those people with nowhere to vent their boredom will only get more worked up.”
Cheng Ying immediately stopped trying to get her phone and put on an expression of heroic sacrifice. “Brother, I’ll do whatever you say!”
Cheng Liang shot her a glare. “We’re stopping production on 《White Robe》. We’re not filming any more of it. Do you have a problem with that?”
Cheng Ying nodded frantically. “Of course, of course.”
She had long anticipated that 《White Robe》 couldn’t continue filming, which was why she had so readily agreed to cut Jiang Hanguang’s scenes.
Cheng Liang’s gaze was like a sharp knife, cutting back and forth over her, as if trying to determine whether she had done it on purpose.
Beads of sweat appeared on Cheng Ying’s face, but inwardly, she was sneering.
If this cousin of hers weren’t so obstinate and self-important, she might actually have needed to worry.
Cheng Bai was basically in a state of semi-retirement now, and Cheng Liang reported to him regularly about company matters.
If Cheng Liang were to say something he shouldn’t in front of her overly cautious uncle, it could very well affect the plan to activate Chaos.
But this cousin of hers had one major weakness: he was arrogant and obstinate.
Forcing him to accept that he’d been fooled by a good-for-nothing for ten years would be worse than asking him to commit seppuku.
Cheng Liang studied her for a moment, then suddenly sneered, “What if I want Jiang Hanguang?”
Cheng Ying: “…” Are you serious?
Before she could answer, Hua Ran, who was beside them, shrieked, “Brother Cheng, what are you saying? Are you abandoning me?”
Miss Hua Ran’s tone when speaking to Cheng Liang was sickeningly sweet and artificial, as if it had been soaked in expired cream for three days and three nights. Especially that “Brother,” which she drew out with a hundred twists and turns, its echo lingering in the air.
The naive Cheng Mantou: “Blech!”
Cheng Ying stood frozen, her mind in chaos. For the first time, she desperately wished she were a transparent virtual being like Cheng Mantou, so she could vomit whenever she wanted.
Cheng Liang was clearly taken aback as well, but it was obvious this wasn’t the first time he had suffered such a mental assault. He quickly composed himself. “I’ll take her off your hands, and you can do whatever you want with her. Wouldn’t that be nice, baby?”
Cheng Mantou: “I feel so tainted! I’m out of here. Ying, you’re on your own.”
Can you take me with you?
Facing the intense gazes of Cheng Liang and Hua Ran, Cheng Ying took a deep breath. “I’m afraid that won’t work.”
Cheng Liang sneered. “Why not?”
In line with her persona, Cheng Ying forced a greedy smile. “I’ve been craving her for a long time. It wasn’t easy to get a chance to have her. Brother, don’t make things difficult for me.”
“You!” Hua Ran was probably stunned by her shamelessness. “She was Feng Nan’s wife before! You… you’re too promiscuous!”
Cheng Ying smiled nonchalantly. “But she’s divorced now, isn’t she? This is just a normal pursuit.”
“Hmph.” Cheng Liang glanced at her as if she were trash. “Have some self-respect. Aren’t you disgusted by someone else’s leftovers?”
An Alpha like you who’s slept with who knows how many Omegas is the one who’s truly dirty, right?
Cheng Ying scratched her head, suppressing her disgust. “I don’t really care about that stuff, you know.”
Cheng Liang scoffed. “Since that’s the case, I won’t take what you desire. However, to compensate for the losses you’ve caused the company, how about you stop using the company’s name to pull resources for your mistress? Besides, no one wants her now except you. You don’t need to try so hard to please her.”
Cheng Ying’s heart sank. So this was what he was waiting for.
Not being able to use the company’s name to secure resources was a fatal blow for her and Jiang Hanguang right now.
The good variety shows required the company’s backing to even have a chance of being negotiated.
Cheng Ying looked at Hua Ran, who was staring at her provocatively. It didn’t take a genius to figure out whose idea this was.
Hua Ran was planning to completely cut off any possibility of Jiang Hanguang’s career advancing.
Inwardly, she lit two sticks of incense for Hua Ran, but on her face, she had to keep smiling. “As long as you still let her stay with me, Brother, I’ll listen to you.”
“Alright, get out.” His objective achieved, Cheng Liang couldn’t be bothered to waste any more words on her. He waved his hand, and Cheng Ying retreated as if granted amnesty.
Before the door had fully closed, Cheng Ying saw Hua Ran eagerly throw herself into Cheng Liang’s arms, continuing her affected act. “Brother Cheng, you’re the best.”
Although it was just for an instant, Cheng Ying clearly saw the disgust in Cheng Liang’s eyes.
One could imagine that her extremely narcissistic and Alpha-chauvinist cousin wasn’t spoiling Princess Hua like this because he liked her.
For a moment, she found it hard to say who was more pathetic, Cheng Liang or Hua Ran. One was a domineering CEO living like a gigolo, the other a pampered princess who ran into a scumbag right after entering society.
Cheng Ying recalled hearing that Cheng’s Energy was in talks with Hua’s Heavy Industry over a very important collaboration, and they were now basically at the contract-signing stage.
She was also looking forward to seeing what kind of treatment the has-been little princess Hua Ran would receive after the contract was signed.
Cheng Ying walked through the bright, clean corridors of the Cheng’s headquarters in a daze, thinking that the variety shows she had stayed up all night selecting were probably all impossible to negotiate now. Although she had expected Hua Ran to retaliate, she thought it would at most be whining to Cheng Liang to get 《White Robe》 canceled. She never imagined that this Alpha-chauvinist CEO Cheng Liang would go so far for a business deal, even allowing Hua Ran to manipulate him into pressuring her directly.
It seemed the threat Blueprint posed to Cheng Liang was much greater than she, the instigator, had thought.
And now, at least on the surface, she couldn’t defy Cheng Liang.
She then remembered that if it hadn’t been for Cheng Liang’s call, she would probably be discussing which variety show to go on with Jiang Hanguang right now.
She had to explain this matter clearly to Jiang Hanguang, lest she start to doubt her abilities.
Thinking this, Cheng Ying dialed Jiang Hanguang’s number. It rang twice before someone picked up, but before either of them could say anything, the call from Jiang Hanguang’s end was disconnected.
“Hm?” Cheng Ying paused for a second, then dialed again.
This time, the phone rang until it automatically disconnected without anyone answering.
A sense of foreboding rose in Cheng Ying’s heart. She quickened her pace towards the parking lot while pulling back Cheng Mantou, who was still binge-watching dramas to cleanse her eyes.
“Find out where Jiang Hanguang is right now.”
Meanwhile, Jiang Hanguang was sitting in a meeting room at Cheng’s Media. Across from her was a smiling, middle-aged male Alpha, who was holding her phone in his hand.
Although his eyes held an unconcealable desire, the man’s words were pleasant. “Please forgive my rudeness, Miss Jiang. I just didn’t want a boring phone call to interrupt our wonderful date.”
Jiang Hanguang, who had been deceived into attending this “wonderful date,” could only continue to smile, tightening her grip on the wine glass in her hand.
“Now then, let’s continue our previous topic,” the Alpha said, his explicit gaze circling the Omega’s snow-white neck, which was wrapped in the collar of her long gray dress. His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly.
“I would like to know, Miss Jiang… have you been marked yet?”
