Chapter 51 – Business Trip
Xiao Fang raised an eyebrow. What a little rascal. As a married man himself, how could he not see through Xiao Ma’s little scheme? However, knowing how easily his assistant got flustered, Xiao Fang decided not to press the matter. Any further, and he’d probably start freaking out.
[Alright, no more jokes. I understand the situation. Let me know if you get any new information, and there’ll be a reward.]
Hearing the word “reward,” Xiao Ma immediately turned sycophantic. [Bro, what kind of reward? Can you give me a hint?]
[You’ll find out the next time you have intel for me.] Xiao Fang would never tell Xiao Ma that this little scheme of his was related to Que Jiang. Just imagining his assistant’s surprised expression filled Xiao Fang with a sense of pride!
Completely oblivious to the truth, Xiao Ma drifted off into a sweet dream, filled with deep anticipation.
Just as Xiao Fang closed the chat window, the space beside him dipped. Fei Xiangnan had come to lie down, still fully clothed.
Xiao Fang immediately supported his belly and slowly shifted his position to make room. “Sleep here. It’s warm.”
A warmth spread through Fei Xiangnan’s heart as he looked at his well-behaved little wife. He lay down and placed a hand on Xiao Fang’s round, bulging belly. “Three more months,” he said, his voice laced with an unprecedented tension.
Xiao Fang chuckled and turned on his side to face him. “Why do you seem more nervous than I am?”
Fei Xiangnan blinked, his long, curly eyelashes trembling slightly. “Someone once said that giving birth is like walking through the Gates of Hell.” The words “how about we don’t have the baby” nearly escaped his lips. He was genuinely starting to feel scared. If it ever came down to a choice between saving the mother or the child, the answer in his heart was already crystal clear.
Xiao Fang nuzzled his head against Fei Xiangnan’s chest. Honestly, he was the one giving birth, and he wasn’t even scared, yet the one becoming a father was doing all the worrying. “Don’t worry. Medical technology is so advanced now. Didn’t the doctor say last week at our check-up that the baby is in great condition? We should be able to have a natural birth when the time comes.”
Fei Xiangnan grunted in agreement, but his mood was so low it was as if he were the one carrying the child. Xiao Fang couldn’t bear to see his man unhappy, so he leaned in and gave him a kiss—not a forceful one.
As a businessman, President Fei would never pass up such an opportunity. He held Xiao Fang and kissed him until he was satisfied. When he finally let go, Xiao Fang’s eyes were glistening and moist. President Fei thought his wife was absolutely adorable!
Comforted by his wife, President Fei didn’t say any more. After all, Xiao Fang was the one who was pregnant. No matter how anxious he felt, he couldn’t put any more pressure on him.
“Who were you chatting with just now? You had such a mischievous smile,” Fei Xiangnan said, changing the subject.
Xiao Fang glanced at him. He even saw that? “It was nothing, just Xiao Ma.”
“He’s messaging you this late? Isn’t Que Jiang staying at his place tonight?” President Fei, who had his sources, frowned.
“Ah, it was just about some work stuff. How are you so well-informed about Que Jiang’s whereabouts?”
Fei Xiangnan smiled smugly to himself. “He consults me for advice from time to time.” After that incident, Fei Xiangnan had been deeply affected. As a natural-born winner, he refused to accept such a failure. So, whenever he had free time, he would diligently study the art of pursuit and occasionally send Que Jiang articles from various public accounts. Recently, Que Jiang had finally been moved by his expertise and started asking him questions, keeping him updated on his whereabouts.
Advice? Xiao Fang’s lips twitched. Based on his understanding of Que Jiang, he had probably taken the initiative only because Fei Xiangnan had been pestering him relentlessly. Not wanting to crush President Fei’s confidence, Xiao Fang chose to keep his mouth shut and obediently snuggled up to his man to sleep.
“By the way, I have a business trip abroad tomorrow. I’ll be back in about a week. Because of meetings, my phone might be off a lot, but I’ll call you at a set time every day,” Fei Xiangnan said, stroking Xiao Fang’s head, his voice full of reluctance.
Xiao Fang jolted. A whole week? “Why didn’t you tell me sooner? I haven’t prepared at all!”
“What do you need to prepare for? I told you now precisely because I was afraid it would affect your mood. I didn’t want you to spend the last few days feeling down,” Fei Xiangnan said considerately.
Xiao Fang said dejectedly, “You’re just going for the ‘better to get it over with quickly’ approach.”
Fei Xiangnan nodded. “I think it’s better this way. See? The time you spend feeling sad is shorter.” He would rather bear the burden of missing him. It was much better to see his little wife happy every day.
Xiao Fang felt even more dejected and mumbled, “I’d rather have the long pain then. This is too sudden. Remember to eat well while you’re abroad. Don’t get so caught up in work that you forget to eat. I’m worried you’ll have stomach problems before you’re even thirty. Will the food overseas suit your palate? Why don’t you take a chef with you? It’s not like you have time to spend all that money you earn anyway.” Xiao Fang’s nagging was starting to make him sound like a second Father Fei.
“No need. The Fei Family has businesses over there, and they all come with a butler. I’ll eat well. Oh, right, I’ll give you the butler’s number. If anything comes up, you can just call him. Don’t worry, I’ll be back in a week,” Fei Xiangnan comforted him.
Xiao Fang stopped his whining. “You’re right, it’s just a week. A real man doesn’t complain. Go on, don’t worry about me. Just remember to bring me back some souvenirs.”
Looking at the little wife in his arms, Fei Xiangnan raised an eyebrow. “So you can bear to part with me now?”
“Hmph, I’ve always been able to!” Although he said that, Xiao Fang hugged Fei Xiangnan even tighter. This made Fei Xiangnan realize he was exhibiting a trait he had recently learned a term for: tsundere. Hmm, the persona of a tsundere, endearingly clumsy little pampered wife wasn’t bad either. Fei Xiangnan kissed the top of Xiao Fang’s head and slowly closed his eyes.
***
While Xiao Fang was enjoying his bittersweet moments, Wu Quanwu’s days were not going so well.
“Look at you, signing some stupid contract. With Xiao Fang’s status, do you think he’d bother with this mess? Tell me, do you even have a brain? Have you bought a nice car or a fancy house? Are you earning tens of millions a year that you dare to guarantee this? If we have to pay damages, I’m divorcing you, and I’m taking our son!” In the living room, still lit late at night, the couple argued incessantly.
Wu Quanwu’s head throbbed even more. Other couples thought about sharing weal and woe, but his family was a case of birds scattering when disaster strikes.
“What are you shouting about? Look at the designer clothes you’re wearing, the necklace, the ring—which of these didn’t I buy for you? Now that I’m in trouble, this is your attitude? Are you even human?” Wu Quanwu’s face flushed with anger.
His young wife wasn’t fazed. She sneered and replied in an even more sarcastic tone, “And you think you’re making any sense? Look at yourself. How old are you? Forty-five! And me? I’m only twenty-three. You’re old enough to be my father. What’s wrong with me trading my youth for some designer brands? I even gave you, an old bastard, a son and a daughter. You have no right to talk to me! You have no idea what my friends think of me! I’ve lost all my face and dignity, so what’s wrong with taking a bit of your money?” his wife retorted, full of self-righteousness.
Wu Quanwu’s eyes turned red with rage. He clenched his fists, strode forward, and sent a punch that knocked his wife to the floor by the coffee table. “You bitch, say that again if you dare!”
The blow left his wife stunned for a long moment. She had never imagined Wu Quanwu would actually hit her. Stumbling to her feet, her voice trembled, “Divorce! We’re getting a divorce tomorrow! I can’t live like this anymore!”
Before Wu Quanwu could land a second punch, she grabbed her bag from the sofa and bolted out the door.
“Fuck you!” With no outlet for his rage, Wu Quanwu swept all the decorations off the table onto the floor and gave the table leg a vicious kick. The living room echoed with loud crashes, but the anger in his heart didn’t subside in the slightest.
Just then, two small heads peeked out from a crack in a bedroom door, timidly watching their furious father.
“Dad… Daddy, where’s Mommy?” the little son asked cautiously.
Remembering what his wife had said, Wu Quanwu’s anger flared as he looked at his son. “That bitch mother of yours ran off. You dare to leave too?” he threatened in a furious voice.
The son and daughter burst into tears, the two clueless children crying out for their mother.
Wu Quanwu couldn’t stand the irritating sound of their crying. He looked around angrily, and his eyes landed on a small stone sculpture in the corner. He picked it up and raised his hand. “Keep crying and see if I don’t beat you to death!”
Wu Quanwu’s ferocious expression terrified the two children. Without a second thought, they slammed the door shut. Hearing the annoying crying stop, Wu Quanwu slowly lowered the small stone sculpture, his face still flushed as he stared at the blank wall in front of him. The contract termination fee was enough to ruin his career. With a record like this, what entertainment company would dare to hire him in the future? It was all that bastard Xiao Fang’s fault! He had tried to do what was best for him, but the man had refused to do things the easy way!
Buzz! His phone vibrated. It was a call from an unknown number, but it wasn’t marked as spam. It was an out-of-province number. For some reason, a sliver of hope sparked in Wu Quanwu’s heart. After watching it for a moment, he didn’t reject it and pressed answer.
“Hello, who is this?” Wu Quanwu’s tone was anything but pleasant.
“Who I am isn’t important, Mr. Wu. Your contract termination fee is what you should be worried about.” The caller’s voice was distorted by a voice changer, and the number was likely a burner. Wu Quanwu didn’t care about any of that. All he knew was that his chance had come.
“You have a solution?”
“Of course, otherwise I wouldn’t have called you. You just need to do one thing, and your problem will be solved.”
Wu Quanwu gripped his phone excitedly. “Tell me!”
“Post on your main Weibo account that Xiao Fang has agreed to the role and will be joining the cast next month. When the time comes, he’ll have to do it whether he wants to or not. I’ll help you generate the hype.”
“But what if he refuses and exposes me?” Wu Quanwu asked uncertainly.
“Hah, that’s simple. You just doctor the contract a bit and play the victim. Say you knew Xiao Fang wanted to use this drama to get famous, and as his agent, you moved heaven and earth to get him the lead role and even signed on his behalf. Now that he’s being criticized, he’s backing out, leaving you to bear the huge termination fee alone. By then, Xiao Fang won’t be able to clear his name. If you can do this and make it so Xiao Fang never dares to show his face in the entertainment industry again, I’ll even cover the termination fee.” The caller presented an incredibly tempting offer.
Wu Quanwu accepted with excitement. His turning point had finally arrived. Heaven hadn’t given up on him yet.
“I’ll use every means possible to ruin Xiao Fang, you can rest assured!” In any case, he couldn’t stand to see Xiao Fang doing well now. A vicious, malicious glint flashed in Wu Quanwu’s eyes.
At ten o’clock the next morning, the news about Xiao Fang and Warmth occupied the top three spots on the Hot Search. First, the book fans cursed Xiao Fang out completely. Then, various water armies began digging up his scandalous past: paying for lead roles, putting on airs, and even his old involvement with the Sour, Sweet, Bitter, Spicy crew was brought up, with new accusations of him buying roles. Some people even jumped in to defend Xiao Qi, claiming that it was suspicious that Xiao Fang’s popularity soared right after Xiao Qi lost his endorsement deal. There had to be something fishy going on. A group of fans who supported Xiao Fang’s new drama wanted to speak up for him, but it was impossible to silence the masses. A massive water army quickly drowned them out, and the situation grew increasingly severe.