Fighting For My Wife With Myself After Being Reborn - Chapter 41.1

Shen Huaixu arrived at the company right on time.

In entertainment companies, the distinction between workdays and weekends has always been blurred; overtime is a constant state of existence for them. Thus, the office was still bustling with people today.

The rhythmic clicking of keyboards and mice filled the air, interspersed with hushed conversations and the occasional gasp of surprise or excitement.

However, Jiang Rui’s office was not on this floor; it was one level up.

When Shen Huaixu said she would arrive in twenty minutes, she certainly wouldn’t be early. Not being late was the final courtesy and standard of professionalism she maintained.

When she walked into Jiang Rui’s office, the designer wasn’t there. According to Jiang Rui, the designer had retreated to the conference room next door to play on her phone.

As Jiang Rui spoke, the wordless exasperation in her eyes was almost palpable, as if it were about to jump out and scold Shen Huaixu. “Go on, then. Don’t keep her waiting too long.”

“Mm.” Shen Huaixu took off the baseball cap and mask she used for a disguise and headed toward the conference room.

She knocked first, waiting for a “Come in” before opening the door and entering.

The conference room was small, containing a square table with two rows of chairs and a whiteboard used for brainstorming during meetings.

The designer was sitting in the back row. Upon seeing Shen Huaixu enter, she stood up with a smile to greet her.

The smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, and in the dim lighting of the room, it felt a bit eerie.

Shen Huaixu’s lips twitched slightly as she returned a smile of the same caliber. “Sorry, I got delayed by something. I hope you haven’t been waiting long?”

With Jiang Rui covering for her, Shen Huaixu’s excuse for being late came naturally. The designer, having spent many years in this industry, was naturally well aware of how things worked.

She simply smiled and said it was fine, she hadn’t waited long.

“Miss Shen, this is the ring you commissioned our studio to customize a year ago. We have finished the modifications according to your requirements.” LiLi took out a black suede ring box and placed it on the conference table. “Since you requested that it be completed today, please take a look and see if anything else needs changing. I will summarize your feedback and take it back to the studio for adjustments, striving to get it back to you as quickly as possible.”

Shen Huaixu took the ring box. Her fair fingertips looked even more delicate against the black suede. She opened the box, and an exquisite ring lay quietly in the center.

The setting, shaped like willow branches, was encrusted with tiny, uniform emeralds. With the gentleness of willow silk, they were woven into an eternal intertwining, guarding the central emerald that symbolized rebirth and luck.

The brilliant gold and the gentle yet resilient green blended perfectly—dazzling and extraordinary.

Shen Huaixu took the ring out and examined it closely. After confirming that every detail was correct, she nodded with satisfaction, not requiring LiLi to take it back for further changes.

The smile on LiLi’s face instantly became much more genuine.

Afterward, the two exchanged a few pleasantries, completing the formal process.

Before long, Shen Huaixu used the excuse of having other matters to attend to, bringing the meeting to a close.

LiLi, of course, knew that Shen Huaixu’s words were just an excuse—a polite way of showing her the door. She wasn’t the type to be tactless.

She immediately packed her things and, following Shen Huaixu’s lead, mentioned she also had other things to attend to and welcomed Shen Huaixu to contact her anytime with questions.

“I’ll walk you out. I need to go see Jiang Rui anyway.” Shen Huaixu tucked the ring away and stood up, signaling LiLi to follow.

LiLi didn’t decline, offering a poised smile. “Then I’ll trouble you, Miss Shen.”

“No trouble at all. Let’s go.” Leaving the conference room, Shen Huaixu first saw the designer off at the elevator and then returned to Jiang Rui’s office.

Shen Huaixu’s claim of being busy wasn’t entirely an excuse.

Before she had gone to see the designer, Jiang Rui had suddenly stopped her, telling her not to rush off afterward because she had something to discuss.

“I hope she isn’t dumping more work on me…” Shen Huaixu muttered under her breath as she walked into Jiang Rui’s office.

Jiang Rui was wearing gold-rimmed glasses, sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window reviewing documents. Hearing the door open, she looked up, saw it was Shen Huaixu, and immediately lowered her head back to her paperwork.

She completely ignored Shen Huaixu.

Shen Huaixu wasn’t annoyed. She sat down on the sofa opposite Jiang Rui with practiced ease and helped herself to some fruit from the table. “Speak quickly. I’m in a hurry to get home; I need to bring a little cake to my Huai later.”

Jiang Rui was exasperated. Sometimes, she really wanted to crack open Shen Huaixu’s head to see if there was anything inside besides Gu Yinghuai.

“There are several job offers here. Take a look and see if any interest you. If so, I’ll go into detailed talks with them.” Jiang Rui pulled several stapled A4 sheets from her documents and handed them to Shen Huaixu.

Shen Huaixu flipped through them and, after a few glances, realized what Jiang Rui was planning.

Perhaps it was because she had been quiet for too long after her car accident. What kind of place was the entertainment industry? Even top-tier stars can’t afford to disappear from the screen for a year or so.

Moreover, Shen Huaixu was merely a somewhat famous model; disappearing for too long meant being easily overtaken by the “new waves” on the beach.

In the end, Jiang Rui couldn’t resist the heat generated by variety shows and was trying to push Shen Huaixu toward some well-regarded programs, aiming to capture both popularity and public favor.

Most of the pages she handed over were invitations for variety shows—some for one or two guest appearances, others for an entire season.

Without exception, these were shows that had performed well in recent years, possessing a solid audience base and a good reputation among the general public.

After a cursory read, Shen Huaixu pointed at one and said, “I’ll consider this one and give you an answer in a couple of days.”

Jiang Rui looked closely; it was a “slow-paced” travel variety show that had recently become a dark horse.

Unfortunately, this type of show was the most likely to expose a celebrity’s true temperament and character. One wrong move could lead from heaven to hell overnight.

“Are you sure? I thought you’d reject them all.” At the thought of Shen Huaixu’s true personality behind the camera, Jiang Rui’s head began to ache.

She had a premonition that once the show aired, she would be worked to death at the office.

Well, probably just an illusion…

“A person has to eat, right?” Shen Huaixu shrugged, tossed the fruit core away, and grabbed a tissue to wipe the juice from her fingertips. “Anything else? If not, I’m leaving.”

“Go, go. Nothing else for you here.” Jiang Rui was full of mock disdain, waving her hand to tell Shen Huaixu to get lost and stop disturbing her work.

Shen Huaixu clearly felt Jiang Rui’s urgent desire for her to leave. Normally, if she were in a good mood, she would stay just to annoy Jiang Rui a bit more, but unfortunately, she had important business today and couldn’t linger. She turned and waved goodbye.

“See ya. Don’t ruin your eyes.” She mimicked pushing up invisible glasses and left Jiang Rui with a closed door.

Jiang Rui: “…”

Next time they met, she was definitely going to tell Shen Huaixu to be gentler with the door—it was expensive!

The already-departed Shen Huaixu obviously couldn’t hear the cries of Jiang Rui’s heart. Even if she had, she wouldn’t have cared. How she closed the door this time was exactly how she’d close it the next.

When she arrived home, Gu Yinghuai had just woken up.

She walked out of the bedroom with bleary eyes, her champagne-colored long dress tracing her slender waist, the hem swirling like waves at her feet.

“You’re back? I thought it would be a bit longer.” After saying this, Gu Yinghuai yawned and stepped forward to give Shen Huaixu a big hug.

With the sweets in one hand, Shen Huaixu had to use her remaining arm to hug Gu Yinghuai back. “I was afraid you’d wake up, not see me, and throw a tantrum.”

“Hateful! Axu, you’re the one who throws tantrums!” Gu Yinghuai playfully pinched Shen Huaixu’s waist, making her hiss and beg for mercy in a low voice. “Ow, that hurts! Huai, I was wrong, I won’t do it again.”

Gu Yinghuai pinched her again, much harder this time. “Stop it. I barely used any strength just now. You’re faking it.”

“But this time it really hurts, I’m not lying.” Shen Huaixu looked incredibly aggrieved.

Though Gu Yinghuai said, “I don’t believe you,” her hand honestly began to gently massage the spot she had just pinched, genuinely worried she might have actually hurt her.

“Alright, alright, don’t be mad. Look what I brought back?” Shen Huaixu held up the bag like a treasure.

Gu Yinghuai twitched her nose and said, “It smells so good. It’s the strawberry cream tart I wanted, isn’t it?”

Shen Huaixu feigned surprise. “You guessed right! The prize is a kiss from Huai~”

She puckered her lips to lean in toward Gu Yinghuai, but Gu Yinghuai laughingly blocked her with a hand. “I haven’t brushed my teeth yet. You take them out first, and after I’ve brushed, I’ll come ‘favor’ you all one by one.”

Shen Huaixu felt deeply disappointed, her silver-grey eyes drooping pitiably.

Gu Yinghuai was most vulnerable to Shen Huaixu using that overly handsome face to make such expressions.

How could a face that was supposed to be cool and sharp look so uniquely charming when playing the victim?

“Fine, fine. Just this once, okay?” Gu Yinghuai surrendered.

Before she could even finish her sentence, Shen Huaixu had already tucked away her pitiful expression and planted a loud kiss on Gu Yinghuai’s cheek, exclaiming that Huai loved her the most.

“I’m going to set out the cakes! Huai, go wash up!” Watching Shen Huaixu’s cheerful retreating figure, Gu Yinghuai touched the cheek that had just been kissed and couldn’t help but smile.

This girl… she was so good at using this trick to coax her, and she herself was so weak that she fell for it every time.

Sigh, what can you do when you spoil her?

Gu Yinghuai hummed a little tune as she walked into the bathroom, her skirt blooming like flowers at her feet.

By the time she finished washing up and came out, the small cakes Shen Huaixu had brought back were laid out on the dining table. At a glance, they were all Gu Yinghuai’s favorites.

“Thanks for the hard work.” This time, Gu Yinghuai accurately hit Shen Huaixu’s lips. As soon as the soft lips touched, Shen Huaixu immediately grabbed Gu Yinghuai’s arm, pulled her onto her lap, and deepened the kiss.

The sound of an ambiguous, lingering kiss filled the dining area. The hand that had been on Gu Yinghuai’s waist slowly slid down to her leg, lifting a corner of the skirt to touch the soft, smooth skin.

The air grew thin and heavy. The sweets on the table were completely forgotten by the pair locked in a passionate embrace; their bodies seemed glued together, inseparable.

They kissed for a long time, until Gu Yinghuai’s face was flushed and she lay limp in Shen Huaixu’s arms, at her mercy.

In the end, it was Shen Huaixu who used her last shred of reason to abruptly end the kiss before things spiraled out of control.

“Hah… hah…” Gu Yinghuai leaned against Shen Huaixu’s chest, panting heavily. Once her breath had mostly stabilized, she raised a fist and gave Shen Huaixu a light thump.

Shen Huaixu caught Gu Yinghuai’s hand and placed a kiss on the back of it. “Eat something. If you wait any longer, the tart crust won’t be crispy.”

Gu Yinghuai pinched the flesh of Shen Huaixu’s cheek and pulled. “Whose fault is that?!”

Shen Huaixu laughed. “My fault, my fault.”

Still not satisfied, Gu Yinghuai kneaded Shen Huaixu’s cheeks several more times to vent her frustration.

“You’re not allowed to eat my strawberry cream tart later.”

Gu Yinghuai bared her little tiger teeth in warning.

“Huh? Manager, what’s up? Calling at this hour.”

At three in the afternoon, Shen Huaixu and Gu Yinghuai were in the living room playing games. They had made a bet: the winner would get a reward, and the loser would face a penalty.

Gu Yinghuai had already lost two rounds and hadn’t won a single time yet.