Perhaps, owing to the news that Zhao Guoan had returned to China, the always-calm Su Fengxi was no longer able to sit still and ended up making a sudden call to inquire about the situation.

It wasn't from the worry that her boyfriend would go back on his word, rather, she was afraid that the old Zhao Guoan would meddle in the matter and hinder her plan.

After Zhao Wenyan finally pressed the accept button with his trembling fingertip, Su Fengxi's sweet voice flowed from the speaker.

The voice that once made him feel so very attached, at this moment, seemed to be a siren song from hell, one being sung by the devil himself- a virulent poison that was coated in honey.

Whenever she spoke to Zhao Wenyan using those honey-coated words, his mind would float away as if swallowed up by a raging storm.

Every time this happened, all his reasoning would be crushed under the unforgiving blades of wind, vanishing completely without a trace, leaving only a shell that blindly granted all of her unimaginable demands without even a hint of rejection.

Whenever she snuggled beside him, it felt as if a viper had slithered up right next to him, and then twisted its body to wound all around him, a noose that tightened to the point of strangling him.

There appeared to be an invisible rope always fastened around his neck, the loose end of which dangled from her hand.

It allowed her to drag him, pull him, and compel him into any direction she so desired.

And the very moment he began to struggle and resist, the rope would tighten and sever his head from the rest of his body.

Zhao Wenyan no longer remembered how he had fallen in love with Su Fengxi. He had begun to live in a dream since their very first meeting.

In the beginning, this dream was wrapped in a layer of seemingly beautiful yarn, one which numbed his senses.

Then, as time passed by, this veil was slowly lifted, and behind it appeared a hellscape of boiling magma and ghosts running amok.

It was beyond doubt that each and every one of these ghosts carried Su Fengxi's face.

In fact, Zhao Wenyan had actually perceived that something was strange about her in the beginning of their relationship itself.

That time, in order to secure the role of the female lead in a movie, Su Fengxi had used wicked means to hound an actress to death.

Strictly speaking, Su Fengxi didn't bear any legal responsibility as the facts showed that the actress had committed suicide, however, any person with the proper moral principles would unhesitatingly turn their back on her.

In light of this, Zhao Wenyan's actions were truly a juxtaposition, after all, he was a man of great principle.

And despite perceiving the truth, he still cleaned up every last remnant of the mess so as to let her feel at ease during the shooting of the movie.

It was an action that was in complete violation of his morality and conscience, and utterly unworthy of his high-quality education.

In that brief period of time that followed this incident, all he could think of was about being immersed in Su Fengxi's gratitude, and basking in that contentment.

But in the dead of the night, the only span of time when he could think back carefully and reflect on his deeds, he would become startled and his body would break out in cold sweat.

It wasn't until that moment that he thought to ask himself-

Was it really you who was in control that day?

What were you thinking of at that very moment in time?

Why did you lose sight of your conscience and cross your bottom line?

How could you have thought that such a vicious woman is worthy of your love?

Such painful struggles always surfaced whenever he spent time apart from Su Fengxi.

Yet, after facing her ethereal voice or her beautiful figure, these thoughts that tortured his soul in her absence would be easily and quickly forgotten, as if they had simply evaporated into nothingness.

He had experienced this malaise for five years now, it had become an intrinsic part of his way of life.

For these five years, he hadn't been a human being, but a dog whose leash was held by Su Fengxi. Whenever she told him to bite, he would bite.

His dignity and pride had long been trampled away by the other, and even his conscience and morality lay in jeopardy.

For him, losing his conscience and the qualification to be a human was far more painful than death.

But, there was nothing he could do.

Who would believe in such a bizarre encounter and its consequence?

Who could he turn to for help?

He knew that he would die in Su Fengxi's hands sooner or later.

But never had he expected her to be so vicious as to ensnare the entire Zhao Group to fall with him!

Opening his mouth, he gently called out "Su Su", his tone a heavy contrast to the deep hatred that burst forth from his eyes.

But soon, the anger, the violence, the repression, and the pain that had accumulated in his chest merged into a stream.

It followed his gurgling blood and flowed to his right hand, where it was then pulled away by the palms that lightly enclosed his hand.

The sensation of his negative emotions being drawn away was so real and strong that he couldn't ignore it.

Aware of Zhao Wenyan's blank gaze on him, Fan Jialuo raised his eyebrows and mouthed silently, "Keep talking. "

Those insidious, festering and thoroughly rotten feelings of sick love had been taken away and been replaced by a clear and unprecedented serenity for the first time in a long time.

Zhao Wenyan promptly returned to his senses, and refocused to continue his conversation with the person at the other end of the line. "Did you need something?"

Su Fengxi's intuition was very keen. Almost instantly, she could feel the chill that laced his voice.

Pretending to worry, she asked, "Wenyan, what's wrong with you? Are you not feeling well? I heard your grandpa returned. Did you have a fight? If you think that what I'm asking is too much, then just forget it. I'll figure it out myself."

Normally, upon hearing this type of a sentence, Zhao Wenyan would immediately rush to shoulder all her burdens, even if those burdens would end up crushing him to pieces.

She, on the other hand, didn't care much about whether or not this man would be able to either retreat or be saved from that fire-pit of an investment in Xichuan, because apart from this dog, she still had thousands of other leashed dogs waiting for her command.

However, Zhao Wenyan's unusual reply to her coaxing words greatly surprised her, making her spiral into a rage.

His tone was cold and indifferent as he said, "Then you can think of a way yourself. I won't take care of your matters in the future."

His words left Su Fengxi totally flabbergasted for a long while.

Only after calming herself down somewhat was she able to find her voice again and ask, "Wenyan, what did you say just now?"

He stated his answer in a voice that was a few degrees colder than before.

"I said, regarding your matters, I won't be taking care of them anymore. Deal with them yourself."

What followed this statement was the buzz of static as the call was disconnected.

Su Fengxi gaped with unblinkingly wide eyes at her phone before her facial features slowly twisted and her expression turned ferocious.

Zhao Wenyan turned her down? How dare he?!

Soon after, a fiery red sports car was seen making a speedy turn onto a ramp as it sped off in the direction of Xinghui Entertainment Company at a speed of more than a hundred kilometers per hour.

She had to ask him face-to-face!

She didn't care about her dogs being thrown away or killed in the process of catering to her desires, but she would never let them take the initiative to run away from her on their own compulsion!

At the same time, Fan Jialuo released Zhao Wenyan's right hand from his grasp and leaned back into his own seat.

Recalling the phone call, which went smoothly from his side, for he had managed to reply calmly, Zhao Wenyan touched his chest, where his heart was beating rapidly, and the only sound in his ears were of those deafening heartbeats.

His emotions fluttered about inside of him, resembling a lively chirping bird, and he was in a state of utter disbelief.

"How did you do that? Do you know what's wrong with me?"

"I'm not too clear on this matter. We need to wait for Su Fengxi to appear."

Fan Jialuo calmly clasped his hands together and once again spoke in a relaxed manner, "I'll accompany you. What about our deal? Are you willing to pay the 80 million for me?"

"She'll come here?"

Zhao Wenyan's pupils contracted for a moment. He shook his head and smiled wryly.

Not only did this hard-working dog suddenly bite its owner, but it was also ready to escape.

How could Su Fengxi, that extremely conceited person, not come to personally check on the situation?

In Su Fengxi's heart, if she ascertained that she had truly lost all control over him, she would rather destroy him than set him free.

Fear and worry surged forth, making Zhao Wenyan extremely nervous. But in Fan Jialuo's presence, these repressed emotions promptly dissipated.

The man sat quietly opposite him with a smile at the corner of his mouth. The simple sentence "I'll accompany you" was enough to appease all the worries in his troubled heart.

"I'll privately fund you and will help you pay back the 80 million yuan for liquidated damages, along with giving you an S-Class artist contract. What do you think?" Zhao Wenyan asked sincerely.

At that moment, he somehow suddenly recalled the other person's account ID name on Weibo.

Psychic? He really is a psychic! No wonder he was able to help him cope with this kind of weird thing!

If he had known earlier that Fan Jialuo had such a unique sub-personality, he wouldn't have stood by idly while the other was being subjected to relentless cyber-harassment.

He had only watched from the sidelines as Fan Jialuo was pushed towards a dead end, yet the other had still lent him a helping hand during his most desperate moment.

What great irony.

The regret he felt began to gnaw away at Zhao Wenyan's heart and nerves...

Fan Jialuo glanced at him and his voice was filled with warmth and a soothing power as he said, "Just help me pay for the liquidated damages. I don't need the rest."

"Why? Don't you want to renew your contract? You have only three months left in your current one. Where do you want to work after leaving Xinghui Entertainment? What will you live on?"

Zhao Wenyan sincerely wanted to help him, and couldn't help but worry about his livelihood.

This person was less ignorant of worldly affairs than the original Fan Jialuo, but was also less understanding of human feelings, and seemed to somewhat place himself above the common populace.

What kind of an environment could raise such a unique personality?

Fan Jialuo didn't answer him. He simply listened to his words with his closed eyes, and then reminded, "She's coming."

"Who? Su Fengxi? So soon?" Zhao Wenyan's body stiffened.

In less than three minutes, Su Fengxi had slammed open the office door and strode in.

She was wearing a flaming red dress that accentuated her curves, her slender legs were adorned in a pair of eight-centimeters-high heels, and her face was covered in heavy but sharp make-up, with flaming red lips that were tightly pursed.

All in all, her entrance had a very strong momentum.

Facing such a situation, Zhao Wenyan instantly became alert.

Those negative emotions, which had just been dispersed by Fan Jialuo, reappeared and began to quickly stack on top of each other, while his body was fighting to surrender itself to her whims and fancies against his will.

He was once again besieged by the sensation of being unable to struggle.

Could he really win this battle?

Based on his trembling fingertips alone, his chances of winning seemed to be extremely slim.

Then, just as Su Fengxi was about to ask something, Zhao Guoan strode inside the office with his walking stick.

The door of the office had been left wide open. The moment he had glanced at the silhouette of that voluptuous back, he had felt an indescribable aversion well up.

In fact, after quarreling with Zhao Wenyan, Zhao Guoan hadn't left the company.

Instead, he had gone to visit the several vice-presidents in order to contact all the major shareholders and the decision-makers of the affiliated companies, all in preparation to oust his grandson.

While he was in the midst of discussing countermeasures with these people, he had received the news about Su Fengxi's arrival.

Following this, he immediately rushed to his grandson's office, after all, he had been wanting to meet this witch for quite a while.

He really wanted to see just what kind of magic this witch had cast.

He wanted to see just what manner of seduction could confuse and disorient his carefully cultivated and outstandingly-talented grandson, to the point that he had even lost his ability to make basic judgements.

These two people entered the office one after the other, both of them eyeing Zhao Wenyan.

Zhao Wenyan looked to his left and then to his right, experiencing sudden suffocation due to his rapidly accelerating heartbeat.

This is the hell level stage of a shura field!

Su Fengxi's influence on him was naturally different right now, for she was close at hand rather than being kilometers away.

He could reject her voice, but he was unsure if he could do the same while in her presence.

And, on the other side, his grandfather was also present. He couldn't let him see the ugly scene of him kneeling and licking at this woman.

In his grandfather's eyes, he had always been clever, the strategist who planned ahead, the man who placed a firm line between public and private matters, and the most qualified heir for the Zhao Group.

But after today, this outstanding impression would undoubtedly be replaced by one of stupidity, lack of self-esteem, and even embarrassment.

He would become a disgrace to the family!

While thunder continuously reverberated and voltaic arcs flashed wildly in his mind, his body was completely frozen and he could only sit rigidly in place.

Su Fengxi glanced at Zhao Guoan with a posture exuding arrogance.

She didn't care whether or not the elder of the Zhao Family would acknowledge her, she only cared about understanding why Zhao Wenyan was suddenly so disobedient.

If she just wanted to marry into a wealthy and influential family, which one couldn't she get into?

"What's wrong with you? Did you lose your mind?" Her pleasant voice had become utterly caustic.

"The question should be what's wrong with you? What are your qualifications that you dare to interfere in the Zhao Group's decision making? You're asking Wenyan to carry such a bottomless pot, are you trying to get him killed?"

Zhao Guoan really wanted to beat Su Fengxi with his walking stick. This woman, who was so cold and ruthless, simply treated his grandson as her dog!

Zhao Wenyan was sitting still, but his forehead oozed with a layer of sweat.

At that moment, the idle Fan Jialuo, who had been sitting quietly in the leather chair in between the three, stood up and made his way to stand behind Zhao Wenyan with a measured pace and cat-like elegance.

He raised his arms, wrapped them around the other's neck, and moved his head down to close the distance between them, until his lips were just an inch away from the other person's ear.

Light bursts of heated breath hit Zhao Wenyan's ear as he said, "Reject her now. Say everything that you've always wanted to say."

He tilted his head slightly to look at Zhao Wenyan's tensed side profile and murmured, "That word, how do you say it? Oh, right..."

Pressing his lips closer to the other's ear, he let out a wisp of a chuckle and gently ordered, "...hate her!"

...

Frozenmirage: Wait a sec... *inhale, exhale, okay* what's this development???

Qiuxue: En, good development!