The Possessive Villain Is Too Clingy [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 36.1

That year, the political situation was turbulent. The enemy invaders were at their last gasp, but China was also left in ruins.

The Chu family had a discerning eye and had been providing financial and material support to civilian forces resisting the enemy.

That night, amid a torrential downpour and flashes of lightning, faint knocking sounds suddenly came from outside the door.

The butler went to check and saw a frail woman kneeling at the entrance with a child of about five or six years old in the pouring rain.

In those times, countless poor people came to wealthy households every day seeking shelter.

But the weather that day was particularly harsh. Seeing the pitiful state of the mother and child, the butler took pity on them and secretly let them stay in the gatehouse without reporting it.

The woman only did odd jobs outside and never entered the inner courtyard, so they managed to live peacefully for over a month.

However, one day, Madam Chu encountered her seven- or eight-year-old son—now the current head of the Chu family, Chu Zhenhua—playing with an unfamiliar child. Only then did she learn that newcomers had arrived in the estate.

Madam Chu was fiercely jealous and suspected that her husband, Chu Huaimin, had brought his mistress and illegitimate child home. That very night, she chased Chu Huaimin around the courtyard with a cane.

In the end, the truth came out. The kind-hearted Chu couple decided to take in the mother and child, who had no one else to rely on.

That mother and child were Secretary Jiang and his mother.

Secretary Jiang had attended school alongside Chu Zhenhua since childhood. After Chu Zhenhua took over the family business, Secretary Jiang assisted him diligently by his side and remained unmarried for life.

Rather than master and servant, the relationship between Chu Zhenhua and Secretary Jiang was more like that of sworn brothers.

After hearing her grandfather’s story, Chu Ning immediately dismissed her earlier thoughts of warning him.

She frowned tightly. “Grandpa Jiang and you have been friends since childhood and have walked through most of life together. If we were to suspect Grandpa Jiang now, that would be too…”

Chu Zhenhua looked at her coldly. “Too what?”

Chu Ning squirmed awkwardly. “Too ungrateful.”

She knew that people often reacted defensively when pushed. If both she and Chen Jianhua aggressively hinted that Secretary Jiang was suspicious, it might only make her grandfather trust him more.

Instead, she decided to play the emotional card first, stripping Secretary Jiang of one of his aces.

“Ningning, you’re just too kind-hearted,” Chu Zhenhua unexpectedly lectured her. “For many people, no bond is worth anything when faced with profit.”

A spark of realization flashed in Chu Ning’s mind—her tactic was working!

Pretending to argue but actually egging him on, she said, “I don’t think Grandpa Jiang would do that. You should investigate thoroughly, Grandpa. We can’t wrong an innocent man.”

Chu Zhenhua coughed twice, reflecting on the events of recent years. The more he thought about it, the more something felt off.

Once the seed of doubt was planted, everything else fell into place naturally.

Chu Ning didn’t press further. Instead, she went to the kitchen to fetch some fruit, coaxing her grandfather, “Don’t overthink it. Everything’s fine with our family now. Here, have a cherry!”

With that, she popped a glossy, radiant cherry into her grandfather’s mouth.

–

After half a month of filming on the grasslands, even with multiple bottles of sunscreen and spray, Ye Zhixia and Bai Xin had still tanned several shades darker.

On the night before returning to Haicheng, Ye Zhixia had sent Chu Ning a message early.

Chu Ning’s new company had already begun operating smoothly. She suggested taking advantage of Ye Zhixia’s one-day break upon returning to Haicheng to get together with her, Ye Zhixia, and Xie Shuyu.

Ye Zhixia agreed and proposed bringing Bai Xin along.

The trip to the grasslands had thoroughly convinced Ye Zhixia of this young girl’s ability to liven up the atmosphere.

Not only did Bai Xin take care of everyone in the crew flawlessly, but even during the crew’s final thank-you banquet for the local residents, she was completely in her element, effortlessly making the locals burst into laughter.

Last time they had hot pot, Ye Zhixia and Chu Ning had been talking nonstop, leaving Xie Shuyu unable to get a word in and forced to keep eating until her mouth was bright red from the spice.

For this gathering, it would be impolite to let her feel awkward like that again.

As for Chu Ning, because of Bai Xin’s singing that night, she no longer harbored any resistance toward her. Hearing Ye Zhixia’s reasoning, she readily agreed.

It was late summer, and the sunlight was still scorching. Haicheng was bustling, and the urban heat island effect kept temperatures consistently high.

Chu Ning and Xie Shuyu left Zhulin together and arrived first at the agreed-upon restaurant.

Remembering how Xie Shuyu had suffered from the spicy hot pot last time, Ye Zhixia and Chu Ning deliberately chose a restaurant specializing in fish maw chicken soup.

When Ye Zhixia walked in, both Chu Ning and Xie Shuyu froze for a moment—the once fair-skinned Ye Zhixia had clearly tanned quite a bit.

“Stop staring, stop staring. We’ve already teased each other about it in the crew,” Ye Zhixia cut straight to the point, not making a big deal out of her sun-darkened skin.

She guided Bai Xin, who had been standing behind her, forward and introduced her to Xie Shuyu: “This is Bai Xin, my colleague.”

Then, bending slightly to speak to Bai Xin, she said, “This is Xie Shuyu, our business partner. She works in network technology.”

Bai Xin, the epitome of extroversion, tilted her head and looked at Xie Shuyu, extending her hand first. “Hello, Sister Xie.”

Xie Shuyu shook her hand in response. “Hello, Xiao Bai.”

Ye Zhixia and Chu Ning had expected her to recover her composure quickly after a brief moment of awkwardness, just like the last time she met Ye Zhixia.

But this time, her reaction was a little strange.

Xie Shuyu first locked eyes with Bai Xin for two seconds, then pressed her lips together—yet the corners of her mouth curled up slightly. Her gaze shyly drifted away, and her cheeks flushed faintly pink.

[Xiao Bai is her type!] Xiao Mi’s voice echoed in Ye Zhixia’s mind.

Since they were having fish maw chicken soup this time, Xiao Mi was willing to tag along and observe.

Ye Zhixia suppressed an amused smile and asked inwardly, [Xiao Mi, how many romance dramas have you watched? How do you even know phrases like ‘her type’?]

Xiao Mi flapped her wings proudly, lifting her head with confidence. [I, Xiao Mi, am now the top emotional consultant in the entire server! Other systems come to me for dating advice!]

Though she didn’t understand how systems could even date, Ye Zhixia didn’t want to crush Xiao Mi’s confidence, so she played along. [Alright then, Love Guru!]

A sharp person like Bai Xin would never miss Xie Shuyu’s reaction.

Mischievous by nature, she particularly enjoyed seeing shy reactions like a flustered puppy’s.

Chu Ning watched the three of them curiously before urging, “Let’s all sit down first. We’ve got a four-person table in the corner—it’ll be easier to talk.”

Once they found their seats, Xie Shuyu immediately took the least convenient spot in the corner.

While Ye Zhixia and Chu Ning were still hesitating over seating arrangements, Bai Xin plopped down right next to Xie Shuyu, then smiled at her.

Xie Shuyu felt a hint of joy but didn’t dare show it. She could only raise her hand to rub the back of her head, glancing at Bai Xin before turning her gaze to Ye Zhixia and Chu Ning.

Xiao Mi, ever the mischievous one, egged them on: [Xiaxia, just let the two of them sit together—I’d love to see that!]

Ye Zhixia ignored Xiao Mi and simply pointed to the empty seat, saying, “Ningning, you sit on the inside. That way, I can help when the food arrives.”

Chu Ning smiled meaningfully—it wasn’t just Xiao Mi who wanted to see this; Chu Ning and Ye Zhixia were just as eager!

The steaming, golden fish maw chicken soup was brought to the table, its fragrant aroma wafting through the air with the rising steam.

Ye Zhixia very naturally served Chu Ning a bowl first, then one for herself.

Once she had her own bowl, she passed the ladle to Xie Shuyu, who sat directly across from her.

Xie Shuyu took the ladle and carefully filled Bai Xin’s bowl first, then gently pushed it toward her.

Bai Xin cupped the bowl with both hands, pulling it closer to herself.

Once it was settled, she looked up, her eyes sparkling with liveliness as she gazed straight at Xie Shuyu. “Thank you, jiejie.”

Then she grinned, revealing her pearly white teeth, her smile as warm as a spring breeze.

Xie Shuyu was captivated by her gaze, unable to look away, stammering, “I… no need to thank… it’s nothing… um.”

Bai Xin, amused by her flustered cuteness, narrowed her eyes into crescents before deciding not to push further. She lowered her head and picked up her spoon to start sipping the soup.

Only then did Xie Shuyu regain her composure, picking up the ladle to serve herself—though she still managed to spill a little broth on the table.

Chu Ning was practically laughing at the spectacle, but considering she was Xie Shuyu’s friend, she decided to help steer the conversation elsewhere.

“Xiaxia-jie, there’s a little piece of gossip I’m not sure if I should ask about.” Chu Ning glanced at Ye Zhixia, then at Bai Xin.

Bai Xin played dumb. “What is it?”

Chu Ning gave her a look. “You know, that rumor about the famous director and the supporting actress.”

Then she raised her eyebrows meaningfully.

At this, Bai Xin couldn’t help but laugh.

“You should let Xiaxia-jie tell you—after all, it involves someone from her company,” she said, still giggling with clear implications.

Ye Zhixia first glanced around to make sure no one nearby was listening before responding, “The one who posted it was Xu Miaomiao.”

“Huh? Her again? Is she ever going to stop?” Chu Ning furrowed her brows, her eyes filled with confusion. “Aren’t you going to deal with this? You can’t just let her do whatever she wants.”

Then, as if remembering something, she quickly added, “And you owe our Xiao Bai an explanation too.”

Ye Zhixia lowered her voice, her expression serious. “I’ve already spoken to the manager. Considering the film’s reputation, we’ll wait until after it competes in the film festival and finishes its theatrical run before handling Xu Miaomiao.”

Chu Ning’s expression relaxed as she nodded repeatedly. “Ah, so that’s how it is.”

At this point, Ye Zhixia also posed a question: “How’s the company coming along?”

Chu Ning tilted her chin toward Xie Shuyu diagonally across from her. “Boss Xie, why don’t you fill us in on the company’s progress?”

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