"Big Sis, how did you get back so... fast...?" Chu Chu was the one who opened the door. She had been excited when she first saw Chu Lian, but the moment her gaze swept over Kurumi Tokisaki in Chu Lian's arms, then Yaya and Nan Xi behind her, her voice grew lower and lower. In the end, she simply slammed the door shut and ignored Chu Lian altogether.
"Pfft, Chu Chu, what's with you? I'm back, and after opening the door for me, you actually shut it again. Do you really dislike me that much?" Chu Lian was helpless. She knew the little girl was jealous, but there was nothing she could do about it. After all, she really had gone out once and returned with some rather strange gains.
"Hmph..." A delicate snort came from Chu Chu behind the door. She was clearly jealous and still angry, so she refused to pay Chu Lian any attention. Chu Lian had long since developed a way to deal with situations like this, but there was another vinegar jar standing behind her. If she said it aloud, Yaya would probably go berserk.
Although Chu Chu was a mage and therefore was not countered by Yaya, the Bane of ADCs, the difference in strength between them was still far too great. If Yaya erupted, Chu Chu definitely would not be able to resist. Chu Lian was not worried about something happening to herself. She was worried about her "harem catching fire."
As for some kind of cleaver ending, she had stopped caring about that long ago. It had been hard enough to find two girls whose names both consisted of repeated syllables, and both of them liked her. This should have been something dreamily wonderful. But why? Why did they have to be so practiced at getting jealous?
Cough, cough. After reenacting a melodramatic love triangle in her head for a while, Chu Lian scratched her head, completely out of ideas. She could hardly tell Chu Chu that she would let her "attend her in bed" tonight to appease her, could she? If she did, Chu Chu probably would not be the only one getting angry. That deal was completely not worth it.
"Mother, save me!" At a time like this, Chu Lian could only call upon her strongest support—her mother.
"Ouch!" The moment her voice fell, Chu Chu cried out in pain from behind the door. Li Mingxue then appeared behind the now-open doorway, looked at Chu Lian, and rolled her eyes. "Put her down. Then dismiss Suicune. I'll alter her memories and restore them to what they were when she'd just arrived. As for the car, use ours. Once her memories are modified, she'll only remember that she came here by car anyway."
Although Chu Lian trusted her mother's arrangements, she was still somewhat worried. "Everyone at her company knows she drove here, right? If she drives our car back but the company's car is gone, how is she supposed to explain that? What if her boss makes her pay for it? I don't think her salary would be enough to cover a car like that."
"You're underestimating her, but it doesn't matter. I'll personally call Chen Xiao about all that. Her family background is far better than you think. That car wasn't the company's. It was hers. As for the accident, don't concern yourself with it. Someone will clean things up." As Li Mingxue spoke, she exuded the domineering air of someone who already had the entire world under control, leaving Chu Lian somewhat stunned. Could Mom possibly know everything?
"Of course. How could I not keep an eye on you when you went out? I knew Yaya was beside you, though, so I didn't pay much attention when that girl appeared. If it had been anyone else with you, I would've gone over long ago." Naturally, Li Mingxue was not going to tell Chu Lian that there were currently at least three Heaven Rank experts sent by her father protecting her. They would undoubtedly intervene if Chu Lian truly fell into danger. Since none of them had acted, that girl clearly could not pose much of a threat to her.
"All right. In that case, I'll head out first." Chu Lian had not forgotten the important matter at hand. Kurumi Tokisaki's situation could wait until she returned, but some things could not be delayed, or there would be trouble. After all, this involved a ten-million-yuan endorsement fee. She could not bear to let that much money slip away.
Li Mingxue stepped forward and stroked Nan Xi's head, then caressed Yaya's cheek before walking over to Chu Lian and looking at her.
"Be careful on the way. There shouldn't be any problems this time." Li Mingxue took Kurumi Tokisaki, who had closed her eyes and wanted nothing to do with anything anymore, from Chu Lian's arms. After waving at Chu Lian, she shut the door and ignored her.
What exactly did I come back here for? Chu Lian asked herself. Apparently... nothing at all?
"Suicune, you can go back now." Chu Lian waved, dismissing Suicune from where it stood. Then, with Yaya carrying Nan Xi, she headed toward the garage. Looking at the key Mom had just handed her, she walked up to a pale-blue Maserati T-3507 and woke Nan Xi.
"Mm? What happened to me?" After having her memories altered, Nan Xi could no longer clearly remember what she had been doing. Seeing a car in front of her only left her confused.
"Oh, Big Sister Nan Xi, you took a cab here earlier and said getting back would take some time, so I brought you here to use one of our cars." Chu Lian jingled the car key in her hand as she explained.
Nan Xi rubbed her temple and closed her eyes. After a while, her memories finally became clear. She had been in such a hurry when she left that she had only been able to take a cab here. Because she needed to hurry and bring Chu Lian back, she had been pressed for time and did not want to take another cab, so the girl had brought her here.
So that's what happened. Why was I spacing out just now? She thought back over the scenes and memories of her arrival. Nothing was wrong. Whatever had felt strange just now must have been caused by something else.
"Mm, I'm sorry, Mr. Chu Lian. I made you wait for so long." Nan Xi obviously could not blame Chu Lian, so she could only take responsibility herself.
"Then let's get going quickly. If we're any later, we'll be in trouble." Chu Lian checked the time. It had been half past twelve when she left home, and now it was almost two. They had somehow been delayed for that long. This was really bad.
"All right." Chu Lian handed her the key, then pulled Yaya toward the passenger seat. After glancing around and waiting until Nan Xi was not paying attention, she tossed Yaya into the summoning space.
"Hm??" Nan Xi turned to look at Chu Lian and immediately noticed something was wrong. "Where did that little girl from just now go?"
"Oh, I sent her home. This car only seats two, after all, so bringing her along would be inconvenient." Chu Lian avoided looking at her, awkwardly kneaded her own shoulder, and vaguely brushed the subject aside.
"All right." Nan Xi did not feel comfortable pressing the matter. After all, this was Chu Lian's personal business. Asking too much might only annoy her.
"By the way, why did your company decide to spend ten million yuan to hire me as an endorser this time? A ten-million-yuan endorsement fee would be attractive to plenty of superstars, even international stars. Isn't it a little reckless to offer that much to a newcomer like me who has only just started becoming famous?"
The car slowly pulled out of Chu Lian's home and turned onto the road. Perhaps Nan Xi had developed a psychological shadow despite having her memories altered, because she drove noticeably slower now.
Chu Lian watched for a while, grew somewhat bored, and remembered the endorsement. After recovering from her initial excitement, she had also begun to feel that something was off. By Huaxia standards, this endorsement fee was rather high.
"Because we're planning to establish a long-term partnership with you. Ten million yuan a year is certainly expensive, but we believe your potential and influence are enough to give us a worthwhile return." Nan Xi drove as she answered Chu Lian's question in an unhurried voice.
"A long-term partnership? Ten million a year is already quite a lot. What exactly would a long-term partnership involve?" Chu Lian had no intention of forming a long-term partnership with any company. After all, she planned to become the spokesperson for her own company eventually. Although this was not an exclusive endorsement and would not prevent her from endorsing others, she still felt it would not be ideal.
"Well, those are all decisions made by upper management. They believe you have the ability and the potential for it. As subordinates, all we can do is follow their orders." From her tone, Nan Xi clearly had some complaints of her own about the executives who had made these decisions without consulting her. Chu Lian just wondered whether she also resented the size of Chu Lian's endorsement fee.
Seemingly realizing that what she had just said could easily be misunderstood, Nan Xi adjusted the car's speed and hurriedly added, "Um, that's not what I meant. No... I mean, that's not what I... Ah, I-I-I..." The more she tried to explain, the more incoherent she became. Her normally intellectual face was filled with anxiety, making the sight rather amusing.
"Pfft. Don't worry about it. I'm not blaming you. Even I think this endorsement fee is rather unreasonable, so it's perfectly normal for you to feel that way. It just proves you're a good employee who's thinking about the company's interests." Chu Lian covered her lips and laughed softly, showing no sign of taking offense.
"That's good, that's good." Nan Xi breathed a sigh of relief. She had genuinely feared that one careless remark might leave Chu Lian with a bad impression of her or of Hangzhou Fantasy Culture and Entertainment, which she represented. Whether it was the boss or any of the senior executives, they had all told her that Chu Lian was someone they absolutely had to win over. They could not allow her to develop any dislike for their company, or the consequences would be serious.
Yet it was also because of this conversation that Nan Xi came to understand what kind of person Chu Lian was. Although she had become famous at a young age, possessed knowledge and talent countless people her age could never match, and enjoyed tremendous popularity online, she was surprisingly easy to get along with.
She could joke around, and she was considerate. When someone merely misspoke, she did not blame them and even took the trouble to communicate sincerely. If Chu Lian were not only thirteen years old, Nan Xi might have suspected she was speaking with an old scholar who possessed decades of worldly experience.
It was an extremely comfortable feeling. Being around her never felt unpleasant. Instead, it brought the same ease one would normally feel only in the presence of a closest friend.
Perhaps that was also why she was so popular. With a personality like hers, the girl could get along with practically anyone. No one would suddenly develop an aversion to her, and the longer they spent with her, the more they would like her.
Someone like her was born to stand at the center of the stage. If her popularity continued growing like this, then perhaps that ten million yuan really could bring a return beyond anything they could imagine.
Nan Xi thought about this while still paying attention to the road. When she saw that part of the railing on the bridge had been smashed through by something, with traffic police at the scene and pedestrians gathered around watching, she felt an inexplicable sense of déjà vu.
Shaking her head, she cast the unnecessary feeling out of her mind. She could say with absolute certainty that she had never been here before.
Chu Lian had been observing Nan Xi the entire time. Seeing her reaction, she silently shook her head. Looks like Mom's memory alteration is really impressive. Not only did it avoid harming her brain, but the modified memories also keep her from recalling what happened before. Definitely deserves praise...
With the subject seemingly exhausted, the two remained silent for the rest of the journey. Neither spoke, simply enjoying the wind blowing toward them.
It was only when the car arrived at a vast convention venue that Chu Lian finally brought her attention back.
Mm. A very large deal is about to begin...