Internal Conflicts
She Will Never Yield
Lin Shu stood by the car, watching Shen Man’s figure emerge unhurriedly from the doorway.
Once she approached, Lin Shu asked coldly, “Why is Yin Ruxu here?”
“That was Director Zhang’s arrangement,” Shen Man answered with a smile.
Dissatisfied with this answer, Lin Shu frowned. “You intend to promote her?”
“She probably doesn’t need me,” Shen Man said leisurely, her words carrying a hidden meaning.
Hearing this, anger surfaced in Lin Shu’s eyes. She gritted her teeth and said, “Do you mean you want to sign her?”
“That is something Xia Ke would do,” Shen Man said.
Seeing Lin Shu’s anger undiminished, the smile on her face grew wider. She leaned in close and whispered, “Is Shushu eating vinegar1?”
Hearing this, Lin Shu’s eyes widened, and she stared fiercely at the face that was inches away.
She reached out, pinching that exquisite chin, and warned, “Don’t even think about touching flowers and provoking grass2.”
Shen Man chuckled lightly, nodding with a look of total compliance.
Lin Shu saw the teasing in those smiling eyes and released her hand in indignation.
Getting into her own car, she started the engine with a grim expression.
Shen Man drove behind her.
Upon arriving at the residential complex, Lin Shu parked the car and walked inside without saying a word.
Just as Shen Man reached the door, she saw Lin Shu enter her room.
She smiled faintly and sat on the sofa to rest.
Before long, Lin Shu came out of the room, her small face icy cold.
Shen Man looked over and asked with a smile, “Shushu, what’s wrong?”
Lin Shu snorted with a cold face, sat on the sofa, and said fiercely, “Don’t hover in front of my eyes.”
Shen Man obediently stood up and walked toward the refrigerator to get some fruit.
Lin Shu turned on the TV, and the image that filled the screen was Yin Ruxu’s period drama.
Annoyed, she immediately changed the channel, pressing the remote control with force.
She switched to the music channel, and listening to the soothing music, her mood temporarily calmed down.
Shen Man came out carrying a fruit platter, placed it on the coffee table, and said, “Shushu, have some fruit.”
Lin Shu shot her a sideways glance, picked up a piece of fruit, and tasted it slowly.
Shen Man smiled and sat down, leaning back against the sofa in a comfortable posture.
She said in a leisurely tone, “Xiao Ke returning to the country this time is probably because of Yin Ruxu.”
“Since it’s a matter between the two of them, why are you joining in the fun?” Lin Shu questioned coldly.
“Xiao Ke specifically invited me; it wasn’t right for me to refuse,” Shen Man answered with a light laugh, her eyes completely candid.
After hearing this explanation, the gloom in Lin Shu’s heart lifted considerably. She lay down and said, “They’ve already broken up, why keep thinking about her?”
After saying that, she thought of the reason for her own return, and immediately glared at Shen Man with rage, changing her tune. “Xia Ke shouldn’t let Yin Ruxu off so easily. Toying with someone else’s feelings must come with a price.”
Hearing these words that were pointing at the mulberry tree while cursing the locust tree3, Shen Man tactfully changed the subject. “Shushu, it’s getting late, time to rest.”
Lin Shu let out a cold snort and ignored her.
Seeing this, Shen Man got up to take a shower.
After showering, Shen Man sat at the desk reading a book.
The phone on the table suddenly rang; it was Xia Ke.
“Xiao Ke, what’s up?” Shen Man picked up and asked.
There was no speaking on the other end, only the sound of slightly heavy breathing.
Shen Man had a guess in her heart and said consolingly, “Xiao Ke, if there’s something on your mind, just tell me.”
“Manman, I plan to sign her,” Xia Ke said, her voice carrying a trace of huskiness.
Shen Man had already anticipated this outcome and wasn’t surprised.
She smiled and said, “Are you serious? Or do you just plan to play around?”
“I…” Xia Ke choked up for a moment, a look of struggle surfacing in her eyes.
After a moment of silence, she said in a low voice, “I don’t know.”
“Xiao Ke, right now you are the one with the initiative; just don’t be passive anymore,” Shen Man suggested tactfully.
“Okay, Manman. Saying it to you makes me feel a lot better.” Xia Ke let out a heavy sigh of relief, a faint smile appearing on her face.
Just as Shen Man was about to speak, another person’s voice came from the other end of the phone.
Timid and filled with unease: “Miss Xia, who are you on the phone with?”
“Don’t ask so many questions,” Xia Ke said coldly.
After saying that, she softened her tone toward the phone. “I’ll stop talking for now.”
“Mhm,” Shen Man responded and hung up the phone.
She could tell that the voice belonged to Yin Ruxu.
Looking at Xia Ke’s behavior today, she still had Yin Ruxu in her heart; otherwise, she wouldn’t have lost her composure so many times.
Shen Man closed the book and sighed with some helplessness.
She didn’t know how much of her advice Xia Ke actually listened to.
The news that the film and television company under the Xia Corporation signed a newcomer hit number one on the trending search list.
The name ‘Yin Ruxu’ hung on the trending list for a whole day.
Even someone like Shen Man, who didn’t pay attention to the entertainment industry, learned about the matter through her colleagues’ discussions.
According to this trend, Yin Ruxu should be able to secure some top-tier resources by relying on the Xia Corporation.
“President Shen, here is this month’s financial report, please take a look,” Wen Lan said, placing a stack of documents on the desk.
Shen Man took the documents and asked while reading, “How about investing in movies and TV dramas?”
Hearing this, Wen Lan thought seriously for a while and said cautiously, “President Shen, the risk for that project is too high, and we haven’t dabbled in it before. Without experience, the probability of investment failure is very high.”
“Moreover, increasing investment is also a not-so-small challenge for the company. Chairman Tian is accustomed to seeking stability and probably won’t agree.”
“Alright, I understand.” Shen Man nodded and continued reading the report.
Wen Lan asked in confusion, “President Shen, why did you suddenly think of investing in the film and television industry?”
“I was just saying it casually,” Shen Man said.
Wen Lan knew that Shen Man was always rigorous and wouldn’t make decisions at random.
She didn’t ask further and turned to leave the office.
For the next month, Yin Ruxu’s figure could be seen on every major entertainment headline.
News spread that Yin Ruxu was starring in a famous director’s new film.
Many verified film and TV accounts edited clips praising Yin Ruxu’s acting skills and beauty, and even a major brand under the Xia Corporation had confirmed Yin Ruxu as their spokesperson.
“She really is hot recently.” Lin Shu leaned back on the sofa, watching the entertainment news on TV. “Is Xia Ke planning to promote her into a top-tier star?”
“She doesn’t have a single presentable work right now, yet the fanfare she’s creating is bigger than an award-winning actress.”
“She’s an artist under her own banner, naturally she has to push her strongly,” Shen Man said with a smile.
“This Gold Master4 really is good—stupid people with lots of money.” Lin Shu curled her lip and changed the channel.
Shen Man made no comment.
After more than a month of internet bombardment, the originally obscure Yin Ruxu exploded in popularity online.
Even if many people didn’t know the person, they had heard the name.
Yin Ruxu’s fan count rose sharply, recommending her works and beauty on all major platforms.
Shen Man frequently heard colleagues discussing ‘Yin Ruxu’ at the company, and some of them had already become die-hard fans of Yin Ruxu.
Fortunately, these people knew how to exercise control and didn’t let it affect their work.
After finishing a day’s work, Shen Man drove back.
She made dinner, but Lin Shu still hadn’t returned.
After waiting another few minutes, Shen Man dialed Lin Shu’s phone.
A mechanical female voice came from the other end; no one answered.
A trace of anxiety involuntarily rose in Shen Man’s heart.
She found the number for Lin Shu’s assistant and dialed it.
As soon as the call connected, Shen Man said hurriedly, “Where is your Director Lin?”
“Director Lin has already got off work,” the assistant said, her voice full of confusion. “President Shen, what do you need Director Lin for?”
“I have a matter I’d like to ask Director Lin for advice on5. Do you know where she went?” Shen Man returned to her normal tone and asked with a light laugh.
“Director Lin took a call after getting off work and left in a hurry,” the assistant said.
“Do you know whose call it was?” Shen Man asked.
“It was from Chairman Lin,” the assistant answered in a low voice. “Director Lin’s face changed color at the time.”
“Okay, thank you. I’ll look for Director Lin another day.” Shen Man finished speaking and hung up the phone.
The expression on her face involuntarily became grave.
After waiting for over an hour, the food had gone cold.
Shen Man reheated the food and stood on the balcony to wait.
Seeing a familiar car stop downstairs, her eyes lit up.
Once that figure entered the stairwell, Shen Man’s expression returned to normal, and she walked over to the sofa and sat down.
Before long, the sound of the main door opening could be heard.
Lin Shu stood in the entryway, changing her shoes with a face covered in frost.
Walking into the living room, she threw her bag forcefully onto the sofa.
“Shushu, what happened?” Shen Man stood up and asked with concern.
Hearing this, Lin Shu’s small face was full of anger, and she said loudly, “That old man Lin Huai actually wants the little three’s6 son to enter the company.”
“My Lin family’s enterprise, and he actually wants him to sit in the President’s seat?” As she spoke, she kicked the coffee table, making a loud creak.
Shen Man bent down and reached out to steady the coffee table.
She comforted her softly, “Appointing a company president is a major event. He just graduated and has no experience; I think Chairman Lin wouldn’t be so muddled as to let a newcomer be the president.”
“If I hadn’t been extremely opposed to it today, Old Man Lin definitely would have let his son be the president. At the very least, he would be a manager.” Lin Shu said indignantly, sitting heavily onto the sofa.
Shen Man heard the favoritism in those words and asked, following the flow, “Does your dad love this son very much?”
Hearing this, Lin Shu sneered disdainfully, “That is his life7. As long as Lin Jun opens his mouth to ask for something, he will find every way possible to satisfy him.”
“I won’t watch them trample on my Lin family’s assets.” By the end of the sentence, her voice carried a vicious edge.
Looking at the fighting spirit in Lin Shu’s eyes, Shen Man felt much more at ease.
When they first met, Lin Shu would still be sad and upset because of Lin Huai’s partiality, but now she had matured a lot and handled things more wisely and rationally.
“Shushu, have you eaten?” Shen Man asked.
Just as Lin Shu was about to answer, her phone rang.
She fished the phone out of her bag, looked at the landline number on the caller ID, picked it up, and spoke coldly, “What is it?”
“Miss Lin, something has happened to Chairman Lin,” the nanny on the other end said.
“What did you say? How could something suddenly happen to my dad? He was fine when I left…” Lin Shu stood up from the sofa in shock, a look of panic surfacing on her face.
“The driver has already taken Chairman Lin to the hospital, you should go there too.” The nanny said, giving the hospital’s address.
“I know.” Lin Shu hung up the phone, her fingers trembling slightly and uncontrollably.
Shen Man was close by and heard the entire content of the call.
She reached out and pulled Lin Shu into her embrace, softened her voice, and said soothingly, “Shushu, don’t worry, your dad won’t be in trouble.”
“I’ll drive you to the hospital; you aren’t in a state to drive right now.”
Lin Shu pursed her lips and slowly closed her eyes. The warm embrace around her made her unable to resist wanting to rely on it.
Quietly drawing in a trace of that pleasant scent, she opened her eyes, the expression on her face having already become composed. “To the hospital, now.”
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