I Love Her Because She’s Dim-Witted And Filthy Rich - Chapter 11

Duan Bainian didn’t sleep a wink all night.

This wasn’t her first time suffering from insomnia, but it was the first time she had lost sleep because of a single person.

Guilt, annoyance, helplessness, anxiety, self-blame, unease, and irritability.

Too many disorganized emotions left her at a loss, and so, she became sleepless.

The next afternoon, Duan Bainian received a call from an unknown number. The person on the other end claimed to be Su Miao’s mother and invited her to have dinner that evening.

She shouldn’t have agreed.

But by some strange twist of fate, Duan Bainian found herself sitting across from He Aizhi.

Duan Bainian took a quick look at the middle-aged woman before her. Her makeup was tasteful, she looked capable, leaning toward thin, and though there were slight wrinkles on her face, it was clear she had been a beauty in her youth.

Su Miao had not come along; in fact, Su Miao had no idea her mother had arrived in Hengdian ahead of schedule.

He Aizhi straightened her posture. “Bainian, before we begin today’s topic, I want to state clearly that I am speaking to you as Su Miao’s mother, and in no other capacity. As you are Su Miao’s friend, everything I say next is out of sincere consideration for your best interests. Therefore, if I speak a bit bluntly, I hope you won’t take offense.”

Duan Bainian suddenly smiled. “Auntie, the way you’re talking is a bit intimidating. I wasn’t actually that nervous before.”

He Aizhi smiled back. “Then I’ll get straight to the point: I want to help you terminate your contract.”

Duan Bainian remained silent for a long time. Before He Aizhi had said those words, it wasn’t as if she hadn’t guessed the possibility.

But now that He Aizhi had actually said it, Duan Bainian found it almost unbelievable.

The liquidated damages were 30 million yuan. She was practically a stranger; what had she done to deserve this?

He Aizhi asked, “Hard to believe, isn’t it?”

Duan Bainian recovered from her surprise and nodded. “It really is hard to believe. I don’t know if Su Miao mentioned the amount of the penalty to you, but it’s not a small sum.”

He Aizhi took a sip of water. “Then I don’t know if Su Miao told you that our company, Nanyang Entertainment, is best at helping artists from other agencies terminate their contracts so we can poach them?”

Duan Bainian was startled for a moment. “Nanyang Entertainment?”

All along, she had only guessed that Su Miao’s family was wealthy, but she never imagined that Nanyang Entertainment belonged to them.

He Aizhi smiled. “I know a thing or two about the contracts at your agency, Liuli Entertainment. I wouldn’t call them loopholes exactly, but there are always gaps to exploit. After sorting through everything, for someone in your position, the payout might be reduced to maybe ten million or so to settle the matter.”

Duan Bainian thought for a moment and spoke up anyway. “Ten million is still quite a lot to me.”

He Aizhi nodded. “I know. That’s why I said I would terminate the contract for you.”

Duan Bainian fell silent.

If anyone else had offered to help her like this, she couldn’t thank them enough, but… this was Su Miao’s mother. She didn’t want to admit that she was so useless in front of Su Miao.

Once upon a time, Su Miao’s eyes were full of nothing but admiration for her.

After a long pause, Duan Bainian spoke with a smile. “Auntie, thank you so much, but I really don’t want to owe anyone a favor. I think I’ll just wait for the contract to expire naturally.”

He Aizhi was noncommittal. “Expire naturally? And what about these four years? Truly go back to your hometown and begin a life of mediocrity?”

Duan Bainian forced a smile. “It’s just the way things are. Fortunately, I have some connections back home; I can manage to make a living.”

He Aizhi replied, “Connections? But I heard that your parents passed away five years ago. You only have a half-brother left in your hometown, and while he’s doing okay for himself, your relationship with him isn’t exactly good.”

Duan Bainian looked at He Aizhi in shock. “You investigated me?”

He Aizhi rubbed her temples. “Sigh, when my precious daughter is constantly talking about a friend, how could I feel at ease without doing a background check?”

Duan Bainian’s expression grew complex. “I really don’t want to owe this favor. I’m afraid… I won’t be able to pay it back.”

He Aizhi sighed like an elder lamenting over a junior. “Still so young, always thinking that pride is the most important thing. When you get to my age, you’ll realize that pride is the least valuable thing there is.”

He Aizhi paused, then continued. “While I was on my way here today, I watched the TV dramas you’ve acted in. To be fair, your acting is indeed very good. I am willing to help you terminate your contract not just because you are Su Miao’s friend, but more importantly, because I believe this investment won’t go to waste. Otherwise, no matter how much Su Miao pestered me, I wouldn’t just sign an artist on a whim.”

Seeing Duan Bainian’s bewildered face, He Aizhi realized she had made the atmosphere too serious, so she joked, “And honestly, I think my daughter is a very lovable person. I’m happy you two could become friends. Think about it—if you go back to Gansu, will you ever meet someone as lovable as my daughter again?”

Duan Bainian still didn’t speak. But she was, indeed, wavering.

She had no connections back home. Going back would only mean living a worse life, the start of a mediocre existence.

And… she would never meet anyone as warm as Su Miao again.

These past two months, she had been truly happy. Since her parents left, she had never been as happy as she was now.

Even though she often secretly called Su Miao an idiot, it was exactly that kind of idiot who made her happy every day.

This idiot seemed to have a special kind of magic; every word she said and everything she did seemed to perfectly strike her joy.

Duan Bainian’s resolve was crumbling piece by piece.

But…

“Let’s just forget it, Auntie, I…”

She was halfway through her refusal when He Aizhi interrupted, “You think being helped by Su Miao is embarrassing, don’t you?”

Duan Bainian looked up in surprise and instinctively denied it. “I don’t think that.”

He Aizhi smiled and said nothing.

After regaining her composure, Duan Bainian felt that her denial was truly meaningless.

Since this woman could investigate her family background, couldn’t she have also investigated the details of how she and Su Miao got along?

She followed with a smile of her own. “Yes, I think it’s embarrassing.”

Duan Bainian sighed. “Do you think Su Miao is stupid or not?”