Fighting For My Wife With Myself After Being Reborn - Chapter 4

“Stunningly on the lips, capturing the moment your heart flutters! Every stroke is a blessing of confidence.”

Along with the appearance of the advertising slogan on the giant screen, Shen Huaixu’s face appeared in the center of the display.

With black hair and red lips on an exquisite, petite face, a pair of silver-gray eyes stared straight ahead. Her eyes seemed to possess a magical power; once someone caught a glimpse, they could no longer look away, wishing only to indulge in those alluring depths.

In the shot, the person twisted the lipstick tube and applied a stroke of vivid red onto her pale lips.

It was as if that red were born specifically for her.

The bead of her lip, now painted, was tempting and lovely. She gently pulled at the corners of her mouth, hooking them into a faint smile.

Once this lipstick advertisement was released, it became an instant hit across all major platforms.

This face was simply too beautiful.

She was confident and flamboyant, yet her eyes remained cold.

The collision of passionate red and indifferent gray produced a mesmerizing palette.

Shen Huaixu’s face quickly dominated the large screens in plazas, subways, and elsewhere. Every passerby couldn’t help but look up, stopping in their tracks for the sake of that face to watch the entire commercial to the end.

Li Xinxin was nearly driven mad with joy.

For this advertisement, they had originally sought another popular star to film. After negotiating the fee and the shooting schedule, Li Xinxin thought everything was settled. However, when the time for filming arrived, that popular star suddenly stood Li Xinxin up.

This left Li Xinxin and her team extremely angry.

But anger couldn’t solve the problem; what they needed to do was find someone to save the day in a short amount of time.

It was at this moment that Jiang Rui contacted them.

Who in the industry didn’t know Jiang Rui? This woman was a notorious career fanatic; as long as a job could help her career, she could always discover and secure it immediately.

Li Xinxin smiled after seeing the message. She knew Jiang Rui had a model under her wing named Shen Huaixu.

That was an especially charming woman, possessing a face so beautiful it was an affront to heaven; anyone who had ever seen her would unconsciously fall at her long skirt and bow their heads to kiss the arches of her feet.

But Li Xinxin also knew that Shen Huaixu was a solitary person with an eccentric temperament.

She was only willing to appear on magazine covers, acting as a model who was slightly famous but hadn’t quite “broken out” into the mainstream.

So, when Jiang Rui said this time that Shen Huaixu was willing to come to the rescue, she was greatly surprised.

One had to understand that the positioning of this lipstick was not high-end; it leaned more toward an affordable style, which did not fit the usual route of this seemingly haughty and solitary model at all.

But none of that mattered now.

Facts proved that Shen Huaixu indeed possessed a charm that made people obsessed.

Not long after the new lipstick hit the shelves, the inventory for all links was completely sold out. The R&B Weibo account, which was usually quiet, was flooded by a crowd of users complaining that they couldn’t grab the lipstick and demanding an immediate restock.

Holding a cup of hot cocoa, Li Xinxin sat on the sofa looking at the large screen across the floor-to-ceiling window that was continuously playing their advertisement. Thinking of the income from the past two days, she smiled once again.

One person’s joy is another’s sorrow.

The rapid success of the lipstick advertisement allowed more people to recognize Shen Huaixu, a woman who had spent years active only in major fashion magazines.

Her face was no longer a stranger’s; anyone who had seen the ad would firmly remember her deep, mesmerizing eyes.

“I hate this.” The person who was wrapped up tightly from head to toe couldn’t wait to strip it all off after walking into the company building, just so she could breathe freely and happily.

The little assistant lowered her head to listen to the complaints, silently lowering the air conditioning temperature in the room.

The door was slammed shut.

Shen Huaixu quickly took off the baseball cap and mask she had worn the whole way. Because her long hair had been stifled under the cap for a long time, she had sweated quite a bit, and several strands of hair were stuck to her cheeks.

Seeing her rare disheveled appearance, Jiang Rui wanted to laugh but worried about provoking her. After all, if Shen Huaixu were provoked, everyone in the office would have to appease this young lady. Jiang Rui had no choice but to suppress her laughter, standing up to pour a glass of ice water to cool her temper.

“Don’t say that. You have to realize that by relying on an ordinary lipstick ad, your popularity has exploded overnight, rising to a height that everyone else can only dream of.” Jiang Rui walked around the desk and sat opposite Shen Huaixu. “How many stars wish they could have this kind of luck and fame? Don’t complain when you’ve clearly benefited.”

Jiang Rui silently counted the cooperation proposals that had been submitted over the past few days, her heart blooming with joy.

Excellent. Her career was about to rise to an unprecedented height.

“The one who has to go out packed like a mummy isn’t you,” Shen Huaixu retorted stiffly. She was a bit tired; she preferred the days when she could go out with just a slight disguise. “It’s too crazy. I want to take a leave of absence,” she muttered.

While expressing deep sympathy, Jiang Rui rejected her request for leave. “Regrettably, for the next half-month, you will have even more work than before.”

“I hate this,” Shen Huaixu repeated what she had said earlier. Beyond that, she actually didn’t sneer and threaten Jiang Rui to cancel all the work, nor did she leave the company without a word, leaving the staff to clean up the mess.

Is she being this well-behaved today? That was Jiang Rui’s first reaction.

Is she planning to cause trouble? That was Jiang Rui’s second reaction.

Oh, I probably know why. This was Jiang Rui realizing the situation.

“Is she still very busy lately?” Jiang Rui asked her.

“She’s much busier than I am.” Shen Huaixu was extremely aggrieved, her silver-gray pupils narrowing, her mood very foul.

The “she” in their conversation referred to Gu Yinghuai.

It hadn’t been easy for Shen Huaixu to finish the work she had piled up, and it looked like she was about to enjoy a beautiful long holiday, but Gu Yinghuai’s company had taken on a huge order at that exact time.

Since then, Shen Huaixu hadn’t seen her dear girlfriend before eleven o’clock at night.

Occasionally, very occasionally, Gu Yinghuai would return even later, bringing in the cool moisture of the night as she pushed open the front door, dragging her exhausted body into the bathroom to shower before falling asleep immediately.

Shen Huaixu didn’t even have time to demand a kiss.

And she swore she definitely heard a schadenfreude-filled chuckle ringing in her ear.

The laughter came quickly and disappeared just as fast.

Before Shen Huaixu could catch it, the sound vanished.

This was very strange.

It didn’t make any sense at all.

Only she and Gu Yinghuai were in the house; one was sleeping soundly, and the other was an aggrieved wife left alone in an empty room, gritting her teeth and planning how to punish her lover for ignoring her later.

So, where did the laughter come from?

Furthermore, even though there was clearly no one else in the house, Shen Huaixu always felt a gaze lingering on her.

She suddenly thought of the mug that had mysteriously changed positions recently.

She began to struggle with whether she should install a surveillance camera at home to see if it was caused by her sleepwalking.

But then she changed her mind; after installing a camera, it wouldn’t be convenient for her and her Huai to get intimate in the living room.

The sofa was Shen Huaixu’s favorite place for intimacy, second only to the bathtub and the bed; she didn’t want to lose the right to be intimate on the sofa for the time being.

So annoying. Shen Huaixu glanced at her deeply sleeping lover; in the end, she couldn’t bear to wake her, only leaning down to press a hidden hickey onto her neck.

I’ll collect some interest first; there will always be time in the future to find a chance for a proper intimate session.

Shen Huaixu’s thoughts drifted aimlessly.

“It’s fine, you’re only going to be busier than her soon,” Jiang Rui’s cold and ruthless words interrupted Shen Huaixu’s thoughts. “Gu Yinghuai is working so hard; you can’t exactly slack off, can you?”

“Shut up,” Shen Huaixu said coldly. “Watch it, or I’ll go on strike.”

Jiang Rui shrugged. “I’m looking forward to it.”

Shen Huaixu snorted. “Just you wait.”

After the two of them finished their harsh words, they turned their heads away, ignoring each other.

Shen Huaixu lowered her head to fiddle with her phone. The message she had sent to Gu Yinghuai half an hour ago still hadn’t received a reply.

Usually at this time, their chat history would have already piled up for several pages, but now, the screen only showed Shen Huaixu’s few lonely messages lingering on the chat page.

Don’t want to work: 【T.T Morning kiss…】

Don’t want to work: 【I miss you.】

Don’t want to work: 【Are you still busy?】

Shen Huaixu stared at the conversation that had no follow-up, getting more annoyed the more she looked.

So annoying.

I want to skip work.

Shen Huaixu bit her teeth in frustration. She lifted her eyelids to glance at the smiling Jiang Rui, planning in her heart how to find an opportunity to slip away.

If I’m having a hard time, Jiang Rui shouldn’t have it easy either.

“By the way, there’s a variety show appearance in two days. I know you don’t like it, but work is work. I hope you’ll control yourself a bit when the time comes; don’t open your mouth and poison everyone to death.”

Under normal circumstances, Jiang Rui wouldn’t worry about this issue. But the key was that Gu Yinghuai had been busy with work these past few days, and a certain someone lacking the nourishment of love clearly didn’t want to maintain her persona, wanting only to spray venom at everyone equally.

On one hand, Jiang Rui was relieved that Gu Yinghuai was busy, as Shen Huaixu had no reason to skip work for a date, but on the other hand, she was worried Shen Huaixu would vent her anger on others.

She didn’t want Shen Huaixu’s television debut to be the start of her persona collapsing.

“I’m not going,” Shen Huaixu refused directly.

“Don’t refuse so bluntly.” Jiang Rui looked at her with a smile. “Don’t you want a holiday? After this recent work is finished, I can approve a long leave for you.”

“How about the Maldives? Or Bali? Of course, domestic locations are good too.”

“Dali in Yunnan, Sanya in Hainan—there’s bound to be a place that satisfies you.”

Jiang Rui tempted her step by step.

Following her words, the bikinis hanging in the wardrobe at home floated into Shen Huaixu’s mind.

After the black bikini was bought, there had never been a chance to wear it at the seaside; instead, several times, Shen Huaixu had coaxed Gu Yinghuai into wearing it in bed.

The two had fooled around for a long time, and the tiny piece of cloth had been thrown onto the floor soaking wet, with no one thinking of picking it up.

Jiang Rui’s words gave Shen Huaixu the urge to buy even more bikinis to keep at home.

As for the seaside? No.

Shen Huaixu would never allow Gu Yinghuai to appear on a beach wearing a bikini; she wouldn’t permit anyone else to see Gu Yinghuai in a bikini.

“Forget the empty promises,” Shen Huaixu remained unmoved. One could smell the “pancakes” (empty promises) of the workplace, but they shouldn’t be taken seriously. “Until I see some sincerity, I won’t agree.”

Tsk, what a difficult fellow. Jiang Rui was annoyed to death by Shen Huaixu’s impervious attitude.

“Don’t you know my character by now? We’ve known each other for so long; when have I ever gone back on my word?” Jiang Rui said.

Shen Huaixu still didn’t budge. “I’m not going. There are so many people in the company; go find them.”

“Why would I look for them?” Jiang Rui glanced at the little assistant acting like a potted plant in the corner, with difficulty swallowing the curses that failed to leave her throat. “People specifically asked for you by name; wouldn’t I be crazy to push someone else?”

“And so? Just because the other party wants me to go, I have to go?” Shen Huaixu crossed her legs and looked at Jiang Rui coldly. “Even if you accept it, I won’t go.”

“Can’t you… just have a bit more ambition for your career?” Jiang Rui heard herself ask with difficulty.

“No,” Shen Huaixu refused again.

Before Jiang Rui could explode, Shen Huaixu’s expression, which had been cold for a long time, melted upon seeing a new WeChat notification. She smiled as she replied to the message, and only after the other side went quiet did she put away her phone with lingering interest, saying, “Oh, that variety show whatever. I’ve thought about it; going isn’t impossible.”

“But I have one requirement.”

Jiang Rui took a deep breath, telling herself that getting angry would cause wrinkles.

“Let’s hear it,” she said.