Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

He could not help thinking if he had been a tad too strict and impatient with the young lady. His icy-cold heart softened slightly at the sight of her aggrieved look.

He felt that he should not have been so harsh toward her. After all, despite being an innocent party, she had suffered grievances and was silently enduring a lot of pressure, too.

At the thought of that, the man smiled resignedly at her. “It can’t be considered any trouble; it’s my job to deal with the aftermath, after all. That said, I’m not blaming you for this matter.”

Yun Shishi glanced up at him, only to hear him keep speaking. “You know it, too; I’m not good at expressing myself. I tend to take work seriously and be strict with my artists. Your aggrieved expression, though, reminded me of my younger sister. She’s always complaining that I don’t smile enough, instead always looking strict and unapproachable.”

She had no idea what prompted the man to say this to her, but seeing his gentle expression made her think that he was more approachable like this.

She stumbled on her words for a while before she eventually said, “Uh… I-I’m not exactly used to you being gentle with me, so I think it’s best if you maintain that poker face of yours.”

Ji Lin: “…”

Is this foolish woman a sadist, after all?

Suddenly, he said, “I heard that you want to quit showbiz.”

The abrupt change in topic left her confused for a moment before she eventually nodded. “Yes.”

“It’s just as well. You’re actually not cut out for this industry, where one will be placed at a disadvantage if they’re not scheming enough. Chairman Mu is a good husband who can afford to support you even if you don’t work. It’s quite a wise decision for you to leave showbiz and become a stay-home wife, instead. You have nothing to be ashamed of; rather, you should feel blissful about this.”

He rarely talked to her about such matters, so she inevitably felt quite overwhelmed hearing all these from him.

“Still, you should have a glamorous exit from the industry. You can’t be looking like a sorry mess, or all of us—you, me, and the company—won’t be able to take it lying down.”

“What should I do, then?” She felt somewhat helpless.

The man mulled over it for a second. He was just about to answer her question when Qin Zhou’s voice floated to them. “What else but hold a presscon to turn things around.”

The startled woman, as well as the producer, turned their heads to the door, only to see the ace manager leaning against its frame while looking all confident and determined.

Ji Lin frowned. “How did you get in here?”

“The door is unlocked.”

“Don’t you know how to knock?” His expression turned cold.

Hearing that, the manager lifted his hand and lightly rapped on the door laughingly. “Will this do?”

“Come on in.”

Qin Zhou, thus, ventured into the room and took a seat next to his charge.

Unlike his prior dejection, he now appeared all high-spirited, which prompted the producer to arch a brow in question. “Have you come up with a plan?”

“Mhm! According to Chairman Mu, the time has come for us to hold a press con and clear this matter up.”

“Hold a presscon?” The woman echoed his words dumbly, whereas Ji Lin proceeded to ask, “What are your plans?”

“What plans could I possibly have? Of course, we must let the two parties, Shishi and Ji Yan, confront each other in person.”

A face-to-face confrontation?

“She won’t turn up,” she told her manager, “not when a face-to-face confrontation will put her in an unfavorable situation. Things are in her favor right now, so she’ll never turn up for the presscon.”

“I have my ways to make her appear. I’m just worried that you’ll get so nervous that you can’t even speak when the time comes.”