Helping My Ex-Wife Find Love Every Day - Chapter 42

After giving Zhao Ma-lian  a lesson, the next target was Aircraft-Head. The pain in his buttocks did not seem to have subsided yet; he kept his legs clamped together, his leg muscles twitching constantly.

He pulled his voice high and sharp, the pitch fluctuating in sync with the rhythm of his muscle spasms: “Oh-ho… oh-ho-ho… oh-ho-ho-ho…”

One moment a high-pitched tune, the next a falsetto. The sound was full of peaks and valleys, rising and falling with emphasis. Although he was creating noise, Yao Xiangyi saw artistic potential in him.

If only he didn’t have such a sharp face and monkey-like features, she would have considered signing him to Jinghong Entertainment as a trainee.

What a pity…

The music industry had lost a shining pearl.

Yao Xiangyi led Bai Mengzhao toward the exit but stopped after two steps. She turned back to Zhao Ma-lian and said, “From now on, I am Bai Mengzhao’s guardian. If there is anything, contact me directly.”

Zhao Ma-lian smiled awkwardly and bowed: “Understood, understood.”

She then realized that Yao Xiangyi was warning her not to cause trouble for Bai Mengzhao. She hastily added: “Mengzhao is well-behaved and sensible. There won’t be any issues again. This time must have been a misunderstanding.”

She then wore a look of difficulty, vaguely pointing at Aircraft-Head rolling on the ground, and pleaded for help: “You see, him…”

Yao Xiangyi paid no attention to Aircraft-Head and continued walking out, her heels clicking steadily and unhurriedly. As she passed him, she said plainly, “Come here.”

Aircraft-Head pretended to be deaf, took a breath, and continued his “oh-ho-ho” cries.

Zhao Ma-lian, experienced in changing faces, kicked him in disgust, letting off some steam. She then strode back into the office, slamming the door shut with a bang. The door frame and window glass, long due for repairs, shook violently, as if they might shatter at any moment.

The hallway was suddenly left with only Aircraft-Head.

The abrupt silence made his poor performance slightly embarrassing.

He scratched his head. His newly cut bangs were too thick, making his forehead sweat constantly.

Damn it, so annoying!

He wiped the sweat from his palm onto his chest, leaned on the wall with one hand, gritted his teeth, and scrambled to his feet.

His tailbone still ached, twitching intermittently, but it was bearable.

Motherfcker,* he swore.

The market had been tough these past two years. The crackdown on prostitution and other illegal activities was fierce. He had no way to make a living, which was why he accepted the job to bully Bai Mengzhao. Spending all his time harassing a woman with a bunch of brothers was beneath him!

However, the client was also dishonest, having lied to him that Bai Mengzhao was just a little girl with no background or support. Bullshit.

Not only did she have support, but it was huge—it was Yao Xiangyi!

What did they call this? Walk the night path too often, and you will eventually meet a ghost!

But he was not afraid, for his client also had a significant background.

After some thought, he decided to follow them out.

He limped along, clutching his buttocks.

Yao Xiangyi had expected Aircraft-Head to follow, so she was in no hurry to urge him. She stood under the shade of a tree by the teaching building, avoiding the sun.

Scattered patches of light fell upon her face and shoulders, like specially sprinkled flower petals, creating a comfortable and beautiful scene, as exquisite as a movie shot.

Bai Mengzhao held the straps of her backpack, her body tense from nervousness, feeling completely helpless.

She stood side-by-side with Yao Xiangyi, their shoulders separated by barely a fist’s distance. It was too close. She could smell the scent of bergamot and gardenia on Yao Xiangyi.

It was clean and refreshing, suitable for summer, and perfectly matched Yao Xiangyi’s decisive personality.

She subtly shifted half a step to the left, cautiously, as if afraid of disturbing Yao Xiangyi. Her upper body moved with her, slightly increasing the distance.

Yao Xiangyi was highly perceptive; she noticed the small movement and directed her gaze towards the students occasionally walking by.

“You seem very afraid of me.”

Bai Mengzhao’s face flushed instantly, overcome with shame and embarrassment: “N-no.”

Yao Xiangyi let out a nasal sound, mixed with oral resonance, carrying a magnetic quality that could pierce the heart: “Hmm?”

Bai Mengzhao, thin-skinned, conceded: “A… a tiny bit.”

Yao Xiangyi turned to look at her. The view consisted only of a stretch of green lawn, a monotonous scene, yet a touch of brilliant color appeared on Bai Mengzhao’s earlobe, looking quite striking.

She asked with a smile, “Why?”

Bai Mengzhao fidgeted with the hem of her clothes: “Because you are… unattainable…” She seemed to be standing right next to her, yet there was an insurmountable chasm between her and everyone else.

High above, self-assured and looking down.

Yao Xiangyi was not surprised by this answer. In her life, she only ever bent her will for Qiu Qingzhi; she never cared about anyone else.

[The Innocent Lolita reminds you again: To ensure the smooth progression of the plot, you must make Bai Mengzhao fall in love with you.]

Yao Xiangyi was speechless.

She brought up another topic to continue the awkward conversation with Bai Mengzhao.

“You don’t seem to be very busy lately. No announcements?”

Bai Mengzhao looked forlorn: “The whole internet is telling me to get out of the entertainment industry. No one dares to hire me.”

Even if there were offers, they were for variety shows where hosts tried every subtle way to help her attract negative attention, coupled with the chaotic editing in post-production, which made her seem worthless. To put it plainly, they were only after the ratings.

She had originally taken on the danmei (male-male romance) drama just to pay for her mother’s treatment. Once she earned enough money, she had no other aspirations. Becoming an ordinary person later sounded quite good.

She suddenly asked in surprise: “CEO Yao, how did you know I wasn’t busy?”

Yao Xiangyi choked. Because I’m in your fan group every day blowing smoke and collecting information about your work.

If she were pursuing a girl, this would be the time to make a move, perhaps telling her: “Because I care about you; I always keep you in my thoughts.”

But Yao Xiangyi couldn’t bring herself to say it.

She prevaricated: “I am the owner of Jinghong Entertainment. I pay extra attention to matters in the entertainment industry.”

Bai Mengzhao believed her completely.

Yao Xiangyi continued: “Reality shows are good for clearing one’s name, and they’re also good for establishing a new persona. Mei Kaixuan (her agent) has good capabilities. I’ll have him try to pull some resources in this area for you.”

Bai Mengzhao’s expression changed: “I offended him. He barely pays any attention to me now.”

Yao Xiangyi consoled her: “…He’s a cunning person. It’s better for you to stay away from him, so you don’t get corrupted.”

Look at Xiao Li-li (another star), two-faced—she learned all of that from Mei Kaixuan.

“I will remember that,” Bai Mengzhao said solemnly, like a preschooler listening to a teacher’s instruction.

Yao Xiangyi couldn’t help but find this amusing. She said kindly: “There’s a good reality show, Mother-in-Law Is Here, that’s about to start filming. They have revised the program and plan to recruit two celebrities.”

One male and one female, to form a temporary couple. The male celebrity has been confirmed, euphemistically called a ‘Fledgling Son-in-Law’ to increase viewership. They are still looking for the female celebrity.

“If you are willing, I can recommend you to the planner.”

Bai Mengzhao’s eyes widened reflexively: “Really?”

Bai Mengzhao was ecstatic, her eyes suddenly lighting up, her smile completely free of the gloom of the past few days.

She was genuinely happy from the bottom of her heart.

A shared joy, like giving a rose that leaves a lingering fragrance in the hand—Yao Xiangyi’s mood improved as well.

She actually had a secret agenda: Qiu Qingzhi was determined to get her to participate in this show. If Bai Mengzhao also attended, the two of them would definitely have many interactions, and the sweetness index would surely skyrocket.

Bai Mengzhao was immensely grateful. After the excitement subsided, she became much more relaxed and was no longer so reserved, asking the doubt in her heart: “CEO Yao, why do you always help me?”

Yao Xiangyi hesitated for a long time. Rationality overcame the pangs of conscience, and she decided to reveal her “White Moonlight” identity.

She tried hard to suppress her strong discomfort and faced Bai Mengzhao: “Do you truly not remember me?”

Bai Mengzhao’s large eyes showed countless question marks.

Yao Xiangyi raised her chin slightly: “Hold out your hand.”

Bai Mengzhao tilted her head and complied.

She watched as Yao Xiangyi raised her hand, plucked a green leaf, and placed it in her palm—a thin piece, cool to the touch.

Bai Mengzhao’s smile stopped at her lips. The dust-covered memory was like a paused painting, struggling out of her mind and quietly unfolding…

“You are…”

“You are that…”

Bai Mengzhao’s mind was a mess, yet her heart was repeatedly washed over by excitement.

Pure joy leaped in her bright, dark eyes!

Aircraft-Head rudely burst into this harmonious scene. His prolonged screaming had given his voice the quality of a male duck: “Why did you call me out here!”

Yao Xiangyi treated him like a fly.

She took a business card from her wallet and handed it to Bai Mengzhao: “If you run into trouble in the future, find me.”

Bai Mengzhao’s fingertips trembled slightly as she slowly took it, her face still dazed.

“You can go now,” Yao Xiangyi said.

Only after Bai Mengzhao walked far away did she lower her gaze. She beckoned, signaling Aircraft-Head to come closer: “Are you working for the He family?”

Opening the conversation so directly caught Aircraft-Head off guard. He froze for a moment before remembering to deny it, mumbling, “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

Yao Xiangyi did not beat around the bush; her voice was full of murderous intent: “Helping the He family go against my Yao family? You need to be careful.”

“Wha… what do you mean!”

No need to be explicit.

Yao Xiangyi walked along the cobblestone path to her car, pressed the key to unlock it, opened the door, and got in.

As the car approached the school gate, the phone in her coat pocket suddenly rang. The specially set, unique ringtone informed her of the caller.

Unfortunately, there were too many people here, with students coming and going. Fearing a disturbance, she did not dare to answer.

After turning onto the main road, another call came in. Yao Xiangyi felt warm and comfortable all over and couldn’t help but smile: “Hello, Baby, miss me?”

“I miss you so much. Where are you?”

Qiu Qingzhi was the embodiment of a jealous woman, so Yao Xiangyi naturally dared not tell the truth, lying that she was at the company.

She was completely unaware that she had been caught out on the spot!

It was a severe wreck, the kind where the car rolled three times.

She went to have lunch with a client with a calm demeanor.

This client was a blonde, blue-eyed, slender foreign woman who had been an assistant professor at a famous international university, engaging in academia. Last year, she inherited the family business and focused on making money, but she was still a cultured person at heart, obsessed with Chinese culture.

At the dinner table, she requested Yao Xiangyi to spare an afternoon to accompany her, to wander around and experience China’s natural landscapes and cultural heritage.

“The customer is God!”

This was a phrase the old man (Yao Xiangyi’s grandfather) often said. Yao Xiangyi had no reason to refuse and readily agreed.

The blonde woman came prepared. She pulled out a palm-sized notebook, flipped through the pages, and said in halting Chinese, “Let’s go here—Longfeng Ancient Town.”

Qiu Qingzhi waited patiently in the CEO’s office, sitting in the sofa with her arms crossed, her expression cold.

The wall clock ticked, tick-tock, tick-tock.

The room fell into a dead, solemn silence.

The food had gone completely cold.

Qin Chun took an internal call at her workstation and entered the room, calling out: “Madam, Agent Su requests that you come downstairs.”

Qiu Qingzhi remained motionless.

After a while, Qiu Qingzhi silently recited a purity mantra, chastising herself for overthinking, and tried to give Yao Xiangyi another chance.

She opened WeChat.

Invincible Pretty Girl A-Qiu: [Overlord, I’m so bored. I want to see you. Can I come to the company to find you?]

Sugar Daddy Yao Overlord: [I’m out with a client.]

Hmph, so many excuses!

Invincible Pretty Girl A-Qiu: [Who is more important, me or the client?]

Sugar Daddy Yao Overlord: [You are, of course [Red Heart]]

Invincible Pretty Girl A-Qiu: [How long will you be with the client?]

Sugar Daddy Yao Overlord: [It will probably be very late. You should have dinner at home, and then come to the hotel to find me.]

What kind of client needs to be accompanied for this long!!!

Qiu Qingzhi took a deep, deep breath and initiated a video call.

Yao Xiangyi’s stunningly beautiful face popped up, filling half the screen. Around her, people surged like a tide, making the scene noisy and chaotic. The background featured the classical charm of white walls, dark tiles, and multi-story pavilions.

“You said you were with a client?” Qiu Qingzhi challenged.

Yao Xiangyi replied calmly: “That’s right, accompanying them on a tour.”

“What kind of client needs to be accompanied like this!!!”

Just as she finished speaking, a hot, blonde beauty unexpectedly appeared on camera. She held a soft-serve ice cream cone and said enthusiastically, “Yao, you eat this; it will help you cool down.”

Unforgivable!

Truly unforgivable!!