Fighting For My Wife With Myself After Being Reborn - Chapter 38

Jiang Rui had been a bit annoyed lately.

She prided herself on having spent over a decade in the entertainment industry, having witnessed countless storms and handled no fewer than ten eccentric artists. Her heart should have long since become tranquil, incapable of being stirred by any wave.

However, there was one exception.

—Shen Huaixu.

The woman she had met by chance, with whom she had achieved mutual success, but who also challenged her bottom line at every waking moment.

Not everyone is lucky enough to find a benefactor to support them.

Jiang Rui came from an ordinary background; her parents were simple people who worked honest jobs their whole lives. Without a family background, her early career was far from smooth sailing. People in the entertainment industry had always been supercilious, looking down on those without power or connections.

When Jiang Rui first entered the industry, she had very few artists under her wing, most of whom were those the company seniors didn’t want or refused to take on. She was the newcomer in the company, the seniors’ “trash bin.” It seemed that anyone with slightly more seniority or fame could step on her, then toss “trash” into her arms, leaving behind a cold, “I’ll leave them for you to handle,” before sauntering away.

They neither consulted the artists nor sought Jiang Rui’s consent; everything was treated as a matter of course. The entertainment industry had always been a place where the strong preyed on the weak; the words of those above were always commands, never inquiries.

To stand out in this place that devoured people whole, to drink of fame and wear the starlight, one could not rely on hard work alone. More than that, one needed a turning point—a turning point eye-catching and domineering enough to open the path to a brilliant future.

Shen Huaixu was that turning point.

The young and vigorous Jiang Rui was not afraid of hardship. Even after hitting a brick wall, she refused to repent, only keeping her head down and marching straight forward. She held a fierce breath, wanting to prove to those who looked down on her: Look, even withered wood can sprout; even stones can be polished into pearls.

Heaven took pity.

The one who refused to lose met the one who was not afraid to lose.

The twenty-year-old Shen Huaixu was green and naive, brimming with vitality, carrying the innocence and recklessness of a youth who had not yet encountered society, doing things without regard for the consequences. She was young anyway; she had countless opportunities for trial and error. At worst, if she failed, she would just start over.

At that time, Jiang Rui didn’t know what Shen Huaixu was thinking; she was solely focused on proving herself to everyone. She led this young calf into the entertainment industry with the force of an unstoppable tidal wave.

In an instant, those silver-grey eyes occupied the covers and inner pages of magazines large and small. People marveled at Shen Huaixu’s youth and surrendered to her beauty. Magazines featuring Shen Huaixu sold out instantly. The “stepping stone” Jiang Rui threw caused a massive tremor in the fashion world.

Later, when Jiang Rui and Shen Huaixu became familiar—when a thin layer of friendship was added to their cold, professional relationship—she couldn’t help but ask Shen Huaixu: “Why did you think to agree to my conditions back then?”

Was the “pie in the sky” she painted really that good? It was almost embarrassing.

Shen Huaixu, not yet realizing the gravity of the question, sat with her legs crossed, sipping coffee to sustain her life. She said nonchalantly, “Well, the one with bare feet doesn’t fear the one wearing shoes. At worst, I’d just delete the account and start over. I have plenty of strength and means.”

Jiang Rui: “?” Is that right?

Of course it wasn’t right!

However, the die was cast. The two had unknowingly become grasshoppers tied to the same string. Talking about regret now was useless.

Fortunately, Shen Huaixu was somewhat reliable. Although she disliked working, she still possessed the necessary professional ethics. No matter how much Shen Huaixu hated the tasks Jiang Rui arranged, as long as the result was beneficial to her, she would hold her nose and grit her teeth to see it through.

Famous at a young age, with a steady heart. It could be said that as long as Shen Huaixu didn’t commit a principled error or cross a moral baseline in the future, Jiang Rui could guarantee that her future path in the stars would be something ordinary people could hardly reach.

Pity, though.

Shen Huaixu was a “love-brain.” And the incurable kind at that.

Jiang Rui pressed her hand to her forehead, gritting her teeth. With such a beautiful face, how did she grow such a love-brain?

Fortunately, fortunately. The person Shen Huaixu fell for was more reliable than Shen Huaixu herself and could keep her in check—it was killing two birds with one stone. Her standards dropped again and again.

Jiang Rui’s face was covered in tears. When did my requirements drop so low? Should I find someone to check on her? Maybe there’s still hope for a cure?

In the end, she didn’t find a miracle doctor; instead, her “money tree” and “little darling” got injured and hospitalized first.

The work previously accepted either had to be canceled or postponed. Jiang Rui exerted all her effort to redesign the schedule, finally squeezing out three months of rest for Shen Huaixu.

In the entertainment industry, not working for three months was enough for the “back waves” to slap Shen Huaixu, the “front wave,” to death on the beach. Jiang Rui was unwilling to let the money tree she had painstakingly cultivated for years wither away, so she requested that Shen Huaixu update her Weibo with some hospitalization daily life every few days—but not to act too miserable.

Shen Huaixu—or rather, “Shen Huaixu”—her silver-grey eyes full of impatience, curled her lip and reluctantly agreed.

None of the above was the reason for Jiang Rui’s annoyance. The real headache for Jiang Rui was Shen Huaixu herself.

Who would have thought that a “work-slacker” whose private WeChat name was “Don’t Want to Work” would uncharacteristically ask if there were any lighter jobs lately?

Being this diligent—was this still Shen Huaixu?

When things are abnormal, there must be a catch. Shen Huaixu taking the initiative to work was practically reeking of demonic energy; perhaps she had been possessed by some “model-worker demon” who had come out to bless Jiang Rui.

But the timing was very unfortunate. Who lets an injured person go out to work? Wouldn’t that be a plot to murder Jiang Rui’s reputation?

Jiang Rui spoke cautiously, “Did you buy A-shares recently?”

She thought of the A-share investors who lined up on rooftops to look at the scenery and liked to headbutt concrete, worried that Shen Huaixu was secretly waiting in line to give her a “surprise.”

Shen Huaixu: “?”

Shen Huaixu: “What nonsense are you talking about? All my money is saved for my wife-fund. Why would I go into stocks?”

Jiang Rui breathed a sigh of relief, choosing to ignore the “dog food” being handed to her. “Then why are you in such a hurry to work? Your injury hasn’t fully healed; isn’t it better to rest? I remember you used to scream for a vacation.”

“Well…” Shen Huaixu hesitated about whether to tell Jiang Rui, fearing Jiang Rui’s fragile little heart couldn’t take the truth.

Shen Huaixu’s hesitation hammered against Jiang Rui’s heart, which had just settled back into her stomach. She asked cautiously once more: “You really didn’t buy A-shares?”

Shen Huaixu snapped: “No!”

What kind of person is this! I wouldn’t trade stocks!

Jiang Rui was skeptical, neither fully believing nor denying. She asked, “Then why?”

Shen Huaixu smiled a bit awkwardly, “I want… I want to have a diamond ring custom-made, to propose to my Huai.”

“Pfft—” Jiang Rui sprayed a mouthful of coffee all over the desk. Her fair face flashed through red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple, finally blending into a mess; her whole face went black. “Are you serious?”

She knew something was up, and here it was waiting for her.

Marriage? Getting married at a time like this, when she was about to be slapped to death on the beach by the back waves? Wasn’t this self-destructing her future?

Bah! Truly an incurable love-brain!

Jiang Rui wiped the coffee from her mouth and slammed the table hard, regretting that she hadn’t been more careful when signing the contract with Shen Huaixu—she should have added a clause forbidding marriage during the contract period.

How did I not think of that back then? Jiang Rui’s eyes teared up.

Being questioned by Jiang Rui made Shen Huaixu a bit angry. “I wouldn’t joke about this kind of thing. I’m being serious. By the way, Jiang Rui, do you know any studios or designers? It’ll save me the trouble of looking myself.”

“No, no.” Jiang Rui refused immediately without thinking.

No.

Even if there weren’t, there had to be. If this girl went looking herself and got caught by paparazzi, it would be over for her, and she’d have to spend a fortune on PR.

Jiang Rui wheezed through gritted teeth. Forget it, she accepted her bad luck for knowing Shen Huaixu. “I thought about it carefully; it seems there are a few. Let me ask around.”

“Then I’ll wait for your good news.” Shen Huaixu’s emotions shifted effortlessly. “As for work, is there anything I can take?”

Jiang Rui said weakly, “There really isn’t.”

Shen Huaixu didn’t push it. “Fine, I’m hanging up then.”

Jiang Rui: “Scram.”

After hanging up, Jiang Rui pulled out a few wet wipes to clean the remaining coffee from the table.

What a sin. Even while resting, there was no peace. Luckily, Shen Huaixu wasn’t in the office right now, or she would have been provoked to death.

After wiping the table, “Manager Jiang” resignedly opened her network of resources, carefully selected candidates, and sent them to Shen Huaixu.

Shen Huaixu: 【Thanks! When the time comes, you’ll sit at the head table at the wedding.】

Jiang Rui: 【Scram.】

Shen Huaixu didn’t mind Jiang Rui’s attitude. Having the contact info, she immediately forgot about Jiang Rui and went to contact them.

Her idea was great. Everyone had rings, but an ordinary style certainly wouldn’t be good enough for her Huai. So, she wanted to customize a unique ring that belonged only to Gu Yinghuai.

Pity.

The ideal was beautiful, but reality was cruel.

Shen Huaixu’s proposals were rejected one by one by the designer.

“I didn’t think that despite being so good-looking, your aesthetic would be so… unique.”

“Rejected.”

“This idea is okay. It’s possible, but unnecessary.”

Shen Huaixu was angry. Shen Huaixu was furious. Shen Huaixu…

Alright, the settings she provided were indeed a bit too complicated. It’s fine, she’d change them!

Submit, reject. Submit, reject. Submit.

Reject!

“If you bully me with your ‘nouveau riche’ aesthetic one more time, I’m charging extra.” The designer endured the humiliation until finally, in misery, they demanded a price increase.

Shen Huaixu scratched her cheek. Is my aesthetic really that bad? I’m the darling of the fashion world, for goodness’ sake!

What ‘nouveau riche’? No respect for my profession at all!

During the stalemate between the two, “Shen Huaixu” woke up briefly. She glanced at Shen Huaixu’s scribbled design drafts and sneered, mocking her own taste from those years.

“So ugly.”

Something this ugly—how could it be worthy of being worn on her Huai’s ring finger? It had to be changed.

Thus, when Shen Huaixu woke up, the “masterpiece” she had worked on for a week was entirely overturned by “Shen Huaixu.” In the drawing software, only the design redone by “Shen Huaixu” remained.

Shen Huaixu: Fuming with rage ╰_╯

A world war was on the verge of breaking out. The two, who were already at odds, engaged in a bloodless slaughter within the drawing software.

You change my design, then I change your layers.

Deleting and revising, trimming and editing—eventually, it returned to the starting point: a pile of piled-up elements.

“Maybe I should just increase the budget…” Shen Huaixu closed the drawing software and murmured softly.

She decided to let herself go and release the designer she had tortured for over a week. Upon hearing that the budget had increased and they were given creative freedom, the designer wept with joy. They finally didn’t have to be bullied by Shen Huaixu’s nouveau riche aesthetic anymore.

It was a happy ending for everyone.

Except for Jiang Rui. In the whole process, she was the only one who lost a clean desk.