Chapter Thirty-Five: Apology

The faint light outside the window swept up the noise from the street below, carrying it in on the breeze, yet inside the office it was so quiet one could hear the beating of a heart.

After hearing Bai Yuan's words, a shadow flickered in Fu Zhichen’s eyes, but the smile at his brows and eyes only grew gentler.

He believed his elder sister would never misunderstand him.

Indeed, she did not. Pei Susu’s softly illuminated face remained calm, her jewel-bright eyes reflecting his face, laughter shimmering in their depths—teasing yet full of trust.

It was not only a recognition of his character, but also of his discernment.

Bai Yuan was beautiful, but her beauty was most apparent before the camera. Without the aid of filters, her looks paled in comparison to Pei Susu’s naturally cool and exquisite features.

"President Fu?" Bai Yuan, having received no response, failed to notice the silent exchange of glances between the two. She lifted her head in grievance, her face—overfilled with cosmetic fillers—contorted for a while before she managed to muster up a coquettish pose.

"Please, won't you help me~"

"Enough!" Fu Zhichen’s expression turned cold.

"Bai Yuan, you have only two options now: cooperate with the shoot, or..."

Relieved that his sister had not misunderstood, Fu Zhichen nevertheless had no intention of continuing to tangle with Bai Yuan, lest she create further trouble.

"Pay the breach of contract penalty. I will represent the Fu Group in pursuing legal action for the losses you have caused us."

His tone was icily severe, devoid of any emotion, leaving no doubt that he meant what he said.

Bai Yuan’s face stiffened, a look of disbelief and unspoken resentment flickering in her eyes.

Could it be that Fu Zhichen was incapable in that respect?

Otherwise, why would he remain unmoved when such a delicate beauty as herself had practically thrown herself at him? Clearly, he had never considered that the fault might lie with him.

"Bai Yuan, the entertainment industry is teeming with charming starlets. When the old ones falter, the new ones rise up in an instant, ready to eclipse their predecessors on the shore."

The emotion in Pei Susu’s eyes was plain for all to see, making Fu Zhichen’s face darken further.

"If all else fails, perhaps you should focus on improving your own abilities—it’s more effective than anything else."

Her words, simple and direct, mercilessly stripped away Bai Yuan’s illusions.

"President Pei, you..." Bai Yuan’s expression was awkward, her lips moving as if to speak, but the intense gaze beside her forced her to swallow her words. Only then did she recall that Pei Susu was still present.

"Sorry, President Pei, I lost my composure."

Covering her mouth, Bai Yuan fled, barely able to maintain her dignity.

Flirting with Fu Zhichen in front of Pei Susu was a skill she prided herself on, but being humiliated was something she could never accept.

"Wait!" She had barely taken two steps when the man’s cool, measured voice called her back.

"President Pei!" Bai Yuan turned, hastily masking her emotions, looking at him with feigned timidity.

"Is there something else?"

It seemed Fu Zhichen had only been playing hard to get—if she had only tried a little harder. She knew no man could resist her charms!

"You’ve wasted everyone’s time. Shouldn’t you apologize to President Pei?" Clearly, Fu Zhichen not only resisted her, but was now defending his sister’s dignity.

"Don’t want to apologize? Or would you prefer to pay compensation?"

Seeing her frozen in place, Fu Zhichen raised his brows playfully and reached for the contract she had signed.

"Wait!" Startled by his gesture, Bai Yuan snapped back to her senses. "I’ll apologize! I’ll apologize!"

With humiliation in her eyes, she looked at Pei Susu and forced out through clenched teeth, "President Pei, I’m sorry."

With that, she truly ran off in tears.

—

In an unnoticed corner of the filming location, furtive whispers could be heard.

"When Pei Susu comes back, I’ll purposely fall in front of her. Make sure you capture everything. Then we’ll post it online, buy some troll traffic, and accuse her of workplace bullying. Let’s see how she handles that."

"Don’t worry, Sister Yuan. Quick, she’s coming!"

Returning a bit later, Pei Susu’s gaze swept the set, failing to spot Bai Yuan. Her elegant brows knit in a frown as she searched for someone to ask.

She soon saw Bai Yuan, now dressed in an ornate gown, smiling as she approached.

That smile was almost sycophantic.

Something was off—very off.

Pei Susu grew alert, catching sight out of the corner of her eye of a figure hidden behind the tail of a van, a phone case clearly visible—the camera lens aimed straight at her.

Then, as Bai Yuan approached and let out a deliberately exaggerated "oh no!" before falling to the ground, Pei Susu could barely suppress her laughter.

Such a clumsy frame-up—she needn’t even bother exposing it to neutralize the trap.

"Ms. Bai, are you alright?" Before Bai Yuan could speak, Pei Susu pressed her lips into a concerned arc, her face full of worry as she hurried forward to help her up.

"Did you hurt yourself? Do you need to see a doctor? How could you be so careless?"

Her expression was a perfect balance of concern, anxiety, and nervousness—so flawless an act that Bai Yuan ought to take notes on what true, award-worthy performance looked like.

"...I’m fine!" Dragged to her feet, Bai Yuan seethed with fury.

How did this wretched woman have so much strength? Even with all her effort, Bai Yuan couldn’t break free.

"Good to hear~" Pei Susu nodded, her expression instantly shifting to one of sternness. "Since you’re fine, shouldn’t you hurry up and finish filming, Ms. Bai?"

"Just a reminder—it’s getting late. If you don’t finish today before midnight, you’ll be breaching your contract, and the penalty is astronomical, not to mention the losses to Fu Group~"

Her playful words only deepened Bai Yuan’s misery.

No matter how unwilling, she had no choice but to endure the blazing sun and continue the shoot.

At this moment, the roles had reversed: Pei Susu sat comfortably under a sun umbrella, sipping iced fruit tea, radiantly beautiful, while Bai Yuan faced utter collapse in the suffocating heat.

But the thought of the massive penalty forced her to grit her teeth and persevere.

Finally, by dusk, under Pei Susu’s relentless, watchful supervision, Bai Yuan was at last liberated.

"It’s... it’s done!" Too exhausted to even cause trouble for Pei Susu, she dragged her trembling legs toward the van.

All she wanted now was to return to her mansion and blast the air conditioning down to twenty below zero.

"Good work." Pei Susu, having reviewed the final cuts, smiled in satisfaction, but her brilliant eyes suddenly sharpened.

The nearby van’s window was ajar, the curtain lifted by the breeze, creating ripples. Luo Yuan’s face appeared in the shifting light, half hidden, half revealed.

Why was she here? And seemingly on such familiar terms with Bai Yuan?

Suppressing her suspicion, Pei Susu strode over to investigate.

"President Pei, are you trying to barge into my van?" Bai Yuan blocked her path before she could approach.

"Not welcome, Ms. Bai?" Pei Susu met her gaze, eyes flickering past her into the van.

Amid the dispute, she didn’t notice that a hidden camera had captured every moment of their encounter.

"President Pei, please don’t make things difficult for me." Bai Yuan lowered her head, hair shadowing her eyes; from the outside, she looked every bit the wronged victim.

"Our collaboration is over. I’ve fulfilled my obligations. You can’t keep doing this."

With such ambiguous words, who would doubt that she’d been bullied?

"Ms. Bai, this is a necessary check to ensure you haven’t left anything behind; otherwise, there could be misunderstandings," Pei Susu replied, though her attention was more on Luo Yuan’s odd presence than Bai Yuan’s strange behavior.

After a few more exchanges, just as Pei Susu was about to force her way in, Bai Yuan suddenly shoved her without warning.

Fortunately, Pei Susu had not yet set foot in the van, and though she staggered back a couple steps, she did not fall.

By the time she regained her balance, the van had already roared away, vanishing into the tumult of traffic.