After half a month of confinement, Jiang Mengran emerged gaunt, almost unrecognizable to Jiang Mengmei.
Despite their strained relationship, they were sisters, family after all. Seeing Jiang Mengran so withered, Jiang Mengmei no longer dwelled on their past conflicts.
Back home, Jiang Mengran remained lost in her despair, her expression vacant, lacking even the energy to eat.
Jiang Mengmei, unable to bear it, tried to distract her by mentioning Chuxin Culture from half a month prior.
"Half a month ago, a new entertainment company poached all the key personnel from Heili Entertainment, including actors, agents, and staff. Do you know the name of the company's boss?"
Jiang Mengran listlessly blinked, "How would I know? Is it someone we know?"
Jiang Mengmei spat with hatred, "Her name is Quan Jiu, exactly the same as that bitch's name."
"Quan Jiu?" Jiang Mengran's previously unfocused eyes suddenly widened, a mixture of shock and fury. "Are you sure? Is it her?"
Jiang Mengmei shook her head, "I don't know if it's a common name or her. There are no photos of Chuxin Culture's boss online. I wanted to go see for myself, but recently the company assigned me to a new talent show, and I've been busy practicing. I didn't know who to ask for information, so I haven't confirmed."
Jiang Mengran's spirits lifted. She grabbed her phone and searched for Chuxin Culture, finding a trending topic with over ten billion views: #ChuxinCultureBossQuanJiu#. Clicking on it revealed netizens sharing that they knew someone named Quan Jiu.
"Quan Jiu." Jiang Mengran gritted her teeth, clutching her phone tightly. After everything she'd been through, even serving time, the mere thought of that person, even just her name, made her want to drink her blood and eat her flesh.
"I checked. Chuxin Culture's office is on the 16th floor of Block A, Guanghuan Building," Jiang Mengmei said.
Jiang Mengran wolfed down a few bites of rice, then went into her room, quickly washed up and tidied herself. An hour later, she emerged, completely transformed from her previous haggard state.
"You're going to confirm it now? Rest for a couple more days. Your face has caved in," Jiang Mengmei advised.
Jiang Mengran picked up her bag and headed out. "I'm going to the company. Also, I'll handle inquiring about Chuxin Culture. Don't alert the enemy and mess up my plans."
Jiang Mengmei frowned displeasedly, "What do you mean I'd alert the enemy? If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have her news."
But Jiang Mengran had already walked out the door.
Jiang Mengmei ate a few mouthfuls of food with annoyance, lacking appetite, and decided to head to the company.
...
Jiang Mengran arrived at the Chushi Group building.
However, she didn't rush inside. Instead, she made a call outside the building.
The call was naturally to Gus. To her annoyance, her first attempt went unanswered.
Furious, Jiang Mengran called again. This time, it was answered. The voice on the other end was lazy and casual, with an air of indifference that suggested nothing and no one mattered. This only angered Jiang Mengran further.
"I haven't contacted you for half a month, and you didn't even wonder if something happened to me? Do you know what I've been through these past two weeks? Eating prison food. Damn it, I couldn't contact you, couldn't you have at least inquired about me? Did you just let me be locked up in a cell for half a month for nothing?" she roared.
Gus listened lazily, and after Jiang Mengran finished, he asked indifferently, "What does it have to do with me? Am I obligated? How was I supposed to know?"
"You..." Jiang Mengran felt a surge of anger lodge in her throat, making it sore. After a long pause, she questioned, "You've been acting strange lately. Tell me, why are you acting so strange?"
Gus chuckled lightly, "I'll say it again, my patience is limited. I've given you leeway many times before, and you know why. But now... everything has an expiration date, and our cooperation is no different."
Jiang Mengran laughed with a twisted expression, "Expiration date? Nonsense. That doesn't exist between us. Do you know what binds us? It's the same deck, we're on the same boat."
"Since you know we're on the same boat, then from now on, keep your tail between your legs in front of me. Because if I get annoyed, I'll throw you overboard directly.
Also, let me remind you, I was too lazy to bother with you before, but you seem to have truly mistaken me for your dark knight. I must correct you on one point: I helped you with those things simply because I was bored with my life back then.
But recently, I've discovered something interesting. So, if you still need my help in the future, remember to show sincerity."
Jiang Mengran was stunned, disbelieving, "What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said. I'm a businessman. In business, there must be mutual benefit, mustn't there?"
"You... you want money from me? Gus, after living like a human for a few years, have you forgotten what it was like to be a dog?"
Gus's eyes held a cold, emotionless glint. "We were both dogs once. I haven't forgotten, but you clearly think of yourself as superior now. What, after deceiving people for so long, do you really think you're a rich young lady?"
Jiang Mengran trembled with rage. If it weren't for the people coming and going around them, she would have roared a few times.
Suppressing her anger, Jiang Mengran tried to remain calm. "I don't want to argue with you. The boss of Chuxin Culture, find out who it is for me. Her name is Quan Jiu. I need to know if it's that bitch."
Gus narrowed his eyes, "What will you do if you find out?"
Jiang Mengran said hatefully, "If it really is her, then I will definitely take back everything she has. Everything she has should be mine. She's a stray dog born without a mother, so why can she marry Chu Rong? Why is Chu Rong still so infatuated with her? She stole everything that should have been mine, and I will take back everything she has."
Gus remained silent.
Jiang Mengran waited for a moment, then asked angrily, "Will you help me or not? Do you really want to cut ties with me?"
Gus gave a cold smile. "Our relationship is limited to Jiang Mengmei. I hope you know your place. As for inquiring about information, I'll have Su Bin contact you. Don't worry, my prices are always fair." He hung up the phone.
Jiang Mengran was furious. She grabbed her old phone and smashed it to the ground with a "bang," the battery and casing immediately separating.
As this decade-old phone shattered, she knew that her relationship with Gus had also reached absolute zero.
Jiang Mengran sat blankly on a flower bed. After a long while, she got up, picked up the phone from the ground, pulled out the SIM card, and threw the broken phone directly into the trash can. Afterward, she reapplied her makeup and headed towards the entrance of the Chushi Group building.
...
Jiang Mengran arrived at the first-floor turnstile. However, when she swiped her employee ID card, a red warning light flashed.
Jiang Mengran's heart sank. She quickly swiped it a few more times, but the red warning light persisted.
What did this mean? It meant she no longer had access to the building. Why was her access revoked? She was still an employee of the company. Why would they cancel her access?
Jiang Mengran, seething with anger, stormed to the reception desk, slammed her bag onto the counter, and demanded, "Call the HR manager and ask her why my employee card access has been canceled."
The receptionists recognized her, but their expressions were all placid. One of them, with a blank face and eyes fixed on the computer, asked, "Do you have an appointment?"
Jiang Mengran's eyes widened, "I'm the Design Director. Don't you have eyes?"
One receptionist chuckled and asked the others, "I thought I heard a sound just now, like a fly buzzing, buzzing, buzzing. It's so annoying."