After Marking a Paranoid CEO [Transmigration] - Chapter 13

“Good news?”

Did Kengren Company give that silly girl a lot of financial compensation?

Mu Huayue asked, “How much did they pay you?”

Xia Youxi replied, “Two million!”

That much?

Mu Huayue was stunned. “Huh?”

Xia Youxi explained, “It’s the termination fee! The contract automatically terminated, saving me two million!”

Mu Huayue: ……

Is that something to be happy about?

But why didn’t she mention her contract?

As if reading her thoughts, Xia Youxi asked, “I know this must be all thanks to you, Sister Mu! You’re so kind to me, writing such a small amount in the contract when you clearly spent more than two million. I’ll definitely do my best in the competition and won’t let you down!”

So naive.

Mu Huayue let out a cold hmph. “You’re not competing on behalf of my company.”

Xia Youxi replied, “Are you trying to ease my pressure, Sister Mu? You’re so thoughtful.”

Mu Huayue: ……

I shouldn’t have worried about that little fool getting angry at me.

“Go train now.”

Xia Youxi’s voice remained cheerful. “Okay! I heard they’ll be confiscating phones during the competition, so I’ll make sure to update you frequently these next few days!”

Confiscating phones? That means she won’t be available whenever I need her.

Mu Huayue immediately summoned Wu Wei. “Contact Durian Video and get the competition rules. I need to review them for any necessary revisions. Also, follow up on the financial compensation Kengren is paying their artists.”

Wu Wei nodded, then tactfully asked, “CEO Mu, are you considering signing artists from Kengren? With all due respect, the only one worth considering has already been signed by Young CEO Mu.”

“Ahem, ahem, ahem, ahem,” Wen An coughed loudly, trying to warn her.

Wu Wei glanced at Wen An and considerately poured her a glass of water. “Here you go.”

“Thank you,” Wen An replied, continuing to give Wu Wei pointed looks. For someone with a facial paralysis, she was being unusually animated today. Wu Wei found it strange; she sensed there was more to this than met the eye. Yet none of the profiles in the stack of documents seemed worthy of their CEO Mu.

Wu Wei’s gaze turned probing. Both she and Wen An had grown up in impoverished families and had been supported by the Mu Huayue family since elementary school. They regarded CEO Mu as a family member and a respected elder, even somewhat deifying her. Wu Wei found it hard to believe that CEO Mu’s judgment could be so poor.

Mu Huayue asked, “Really? Not a single one worth considering?”

Wu Wei replied bluntly, “I reviewed Kengren’s roster. Visually, there are a few decent-looking ones, but they’re all Betas. If they were different genders and had better styling, their prospects would improve significantly. Take Xia Weixi, for example. She has a sweet, feminine look, but the company styles her like a supermodel. And her acting…”

“Cough, cough, cough,” Wen An continued coughing.

Mu Huayue pressed on, “How’s her acting?”

Wu Wei ignored her childhood friend’s subtle hint and shook her head. “Not good. The resources are terrible. I even watched a few short dramas she was in—so cringeworthy. Even Han Bei, who the company loves to dress up as cute, is better.”

Wen An’s face went stiff as she anxiously glanced at CEO Mu, only to find her smiling.

“You’ve misjudged her then.”

“Huh?” Wu Wei looked surprised.

Mu Huayue didn’t press the matter. “Ba Feng started in the entertainment industry. You still have much to learn in this area. I’ll arrange for you to train at an entertainment company when I have time. Now, go get back to work.”

Wu Wei nodded blankly, pushed open the door, and left.

Wen An followed her out. Wu Wei continued, “I still can’t believe CEO Mu would be interested in that Xia girl. She’s Artemis, after all.”

Artemis was the Greek goddess of the moon. When Wen An and Wu Wei were children, they had been awestruck by Mu Huayue’s extraordinary presence. After reading Greek mythology, they secretly compared Mu Huayue to the moon goddess, though each had their preferred deity. Wen An preferred calling Mu Huayue Selene.

Selene once fell in love with the beautiful youth Endymion. Wen An, recalling the young girl she had seen, replied expressionlessly, “She’s also Selene. Maybe Xia Youxi, this Omega, will grow into a beauty like Endymion.”

Wu Wei: ……

“Don’t let me catch you writing fanfiction about them.”

Wen An’s expression remained earnest. “How could I? I only write about 2D characters, you know.”

The noble and aloof goddess brought down to the mortal realm by a docile and timid girl—oh my god, the images are already forming in my mind!

With Wu Wei handling the compensation matters, Xia Youxi focused on practicing with her teacher these days. She occasionally visited her adoptive mother and younger sister in the hospital, but her main priority was messaging CEO Mu daily. Morning and evening greetings were a must, and she’d send updates about interesting things she saw or beautiful scenery she encountered.

Their chat window was filled with dense rows of green-backgrounded messages. After more than a week, Mu Huayue hadn’t even replied with a single period.

So cold and aloof, Sister Mu.

In a fit of pique, Xia Youxi sent another message: I saw such a beautiful woman on the street today!

To her surprise, she received a reply almost immediately.

Mood-Swinging Sister Mu: ?

Xia Youxi quickly responded: Yay! Sister Huayue replied! [Happy Cat][Spinning Cat][Jumping Cat]

Mood-Swinging Sister Mu: ……

Mood-Swinging Sister Mu: Explain yourself.

Xia Youxi sent a photo of a street scene. On a large screen in the background, economic news was playing, featuring a video clip of Mu Huayue attending an event.

After sending the photo, she added: See? Isn’t this sister so beautiful?

Mood-Swinging Sister Mu: .

Xia Youxi continued spamming the chat with cat-themed emojis, but the other party stopped responding. Though she couldn’t see it, she could imagine the other person’s expression: a mix of annoyance, helplessness, and amusement.

Ah, survival comes first, but sending cat memes is so addictive!

Xia Youxi sent another message: [Cat Kiss] Good night, Sister! Get some sleep!

Across the network, Mu Huayue glanced at the notification on her phone and scoffed softly. “Being silly again.”

She scrolled through the various cat emojis in the chat and sent Wen An a new task: Find some cat-obedience memes and send them to me.

A while later, Wen An sent back memes like a deformed cat head being squeezed with the caption “So well-behaved,” a sedated cat lying next to its testicles, and a cat being held by the scruff of its neck while being threatened with a hammer.

Mu Huayue considered that if she sent these memes to Xia Youxi, the other woman would probably just cheer.

Watching the chat window light up with constant notifications, she couldn’t help but stop it.

Time flew by, and before she knew it, the day of the talent show recording had arrived. Before joining the production team, Xia Youxi visited her younger sister, Xia Weilai, at the hospital.

Over the past month, Weilai’s spirits had improved significantly. She spoke more, and many of her emotions surfaced. Xia Youxi realized that this unrelated girl genuinely enjoyed being with her, constantly praising her and even declaring that she was learning to write a novel with Xia Youxi as the only possible actress for the lead role.

A textbook case of a chuunibyou sister-obsessed girl.

Xia Youxi didn’t mind it, finding Weilai far more genuine than her hypocritical adoptive mother.

No wonder the original owner of her body had resorted to desperate measures to save her sister.

Xia Youxi’s thoughts drifted back to Mu Huayue. For some reason, just thinking about her made the corners of her lips curl upward involuntarily. Weilai caught her smiling to herself and teased, “Why are you grinning like that, Sister? Thinking about your husband? Mom says he’s really impressive and rich. Is he good to you?”

The little rascal was surprisingly concerned about her.

Xia Youxi nodded slightly, thinking of the free tutor and housing. “Okay. But he’s not my brother-in-law.”

“Then what is he?”

Xia Youxi poked her forehead. “Little kids shouldn’t gossip.”

In truth, she didn’t know what their relationship was either. Sister Mu had always been her favorite character in the novels she read. As a devoted fan, she had desperately hoped Sister Mu would overthrow the male lead and become the true head of the Mu Clan. After meeting her in person, Xia Youxi’s feelings had grown more complicated. She found Sister Mu both terrifying and endearing—moody and unpredictable, yet also charmingly aloof and easily teased, like a cat.

It felt like her mind was a compass needle, swinging wildly between these conflicting impressions.

Lately, the needle seemed to be tilting more toward the latter. If this continued, would she end up falling for her?

Lost in thought, Xia Youxi was suddenly interrupted by her adoptive mother, Lian Ruxin, who burst in with a beaming smile to announce good news: a bone marrow match had been found for Weilai. Lian Ruxin pulled Xia Youxi aside and subtly inquired whether the wealthy benefactor would help with the surgery and expenses.

Given Sister Mu’s current fondness for her, Xia Youxi thought it should be possible.

“Don’t worry,” she replied. “If worse comes to worst, we can always take out a loan.”

Lian Ruxin was losing her nerve. As she saw Xia Youxi off, she repeatedly warned her not to provoke anyone important, especially at crucial moments.

Xia Youxi listened attentively, thinking how much more sensible children were. Even as she left, they remembered to wish her luck in the competition.

But tomorrow was her reporting date to the production team. Why wasn’t Sister Mu encouraging her?

Xia Youxi glanced at the green chat bubble, pursed her lips slightly, and returned to Mu Huayue’s mansion. As soon as she entered the building, the security guard stopped her. “Miss Xia, there’s a package for you.”

“Oh, thank you.”

She noticed the luxury brand logos on the cardboard box. Could this be Sister Mu’s gift—her battle outfit?

Was this meant to transform her from a poor, innocent girl into a wealthy young lady?

While she appreciated the gesture, it wouldn’t work.

She had already planned her character arc. After nearly a decade of struggling in the entertainment industry, she was no longer the naive newcomer she once was. She understood the game well: to stand out among a hundred contestants, she needed a unique and memorable hook.

Moreover, given the novel’s setting, a poor, resilient girl would likely attract more fans than a wealthy young miss. To recreate the original story, Xia Youxi intended to stick to her “rags-to-riches” narrative, portraying herself as a determined girl from the slums.

But refusing to accept or use them would likely anger Sister Mu. To avoid trouble, Xia Youxi decided to play dumb.

“I didn’t order these,” she said with a smile, leaving the packages with the security guard. “The sender must have made a mistake. Could you please return them?”

After pressing the elevator button to return to her room, Xia Youxi sent Mu Huayue her usual message: Sister, I just got home and received so many packages! [shocked emoji]

As expected, the aloof Sister Mu didn’t reply.

Xia Youxi figured Mu Huayue might be waiting for her to express gratitude and praise, but that wasn’t going to happen. She went to bed feeling perfectly at ease, and the next morning, she boarded a flight to Coconut City to report to the “Show Youth” program crew.

Meanwhile, as Xia Youxi was being escorted to the recording studio by a staff member, Mu Huayue suddenly heard Wen An’s report: “CEO Mu, the packages you ordered to be sent have been returned.”

Mu Huayue glanced at the green chat message from the silly girl and frowned slightly: Why didn’t she accept the delivery?

The other party seemed busy and replied after a long delay: QAQ Oh, were those for me? I thought someone had sent them to the wrong address. They looked so expensive—I can’t afford them! [crying emoji]

Mu Huayue: ……

What an idiot.

The package contained not only clothes and cosmetics but also a custom-made debut stage outfit that Mu Huayue had commissioned from a fashion designer she had previously collaborated with. Without this outfit, what would the girl wear for her debut performance?

Mu Huayue recalled the program’s schedule. She instructed Wen An, “Clear my schedule from the afternoon of the day after tomorrow onward. Book a flight to Coconut City.”