Divorced from the Cold CEO Who Lived by the Rules (GL, ABO) - Chapter 4

Xu Zhen turned her head slightly to look at the other person, her gaze calm. “Let’s go back.”

“Sister Zhenzhen…” The young assistant called out stubbornly, “Are you really going to keep swallowing your pride like this? You could easily rely on CEO Jiang—what are you being so stubborn about?”

“Xiao Yang.” Xu Zhen’s voice carried a ripple of emotion. “Get out of the car.”

The assistant met her eyes directly before finally sighing in resignation. “Lei-ge wants you to come back to the company with me right now.”

“Fine.” After setting the destination in the navigation, Xu Zhen started the car, her eyes fixed ahead in silence. Liu Lei, her agent, was a greasy middle-aged Beta who had once tried to pressure Xu Zhen into attending drinking parties when she first entered the industry.

Even after Xu Zhen rose to fame on her own merits, he never gave up.

In Liu Lei’s eyes, Xu Zhen was nothing more than a bargaining chip for his own benefit. So when the company gave the order, his suppression of her had intensified over the past few months.

Xu Zhen hadn’t wanted to clash with him initially, Liu Lei represented the company, and she depended on the company for her livelihood. But now that the company had shown its true colors, Xu Zhen no longer saw any reason to endure it.

“Sister Zhenzhen,” the assistant in the passenger seat still refused to let it go. “Are the rumors online really true?”

She couldn’t understand it. Just a couple of years ago, Xu Zhen and Jiang Ruan had been so close, with Jiang Ruan even willing to go out of her way for Xu Zhen. How had things changed so drastically in such a short time?

Now, Jiang Ruan turned a blind eye to Xu Zhen’s suffering while showering Xing Yan with attention, even making headlines every other day. Did she really not care at all about Xu Zhen’s feelings or her well-being?

The assistant was still young, fresh out of college when she was assigned to Xu Zhen, with little real-world experience.

Even so, she knew Jiang Ruan’s behavior was far from honorable.

No matter how beautiful or kind Xing Yan was, she was still an outsider—an Omega who would eventually marry another Alpha. Meanwhile, the name “Xu Zhen” was clearly printed on Jiang Ruan’s marriage certificate.

How could someone neglect their own spouse for the sake of another Omega?

“If you think it’s true, then it’s true.” Xu Zhen gripped the steering wheel, unwilling to dwell on the topic. “Did Lei-ge give you any hints about what he plans to say to me?”

“No, but I’m guessing he’ll try to mix threats with favors to convince you to renew your contract.”

The assistant studied her cautiously. “Sister Zhenzhen, what are you planning to do next? If you leave, what’ll happen to me? I’ll be all alone at the company they’ll eat me alive.”

Xu Zhen didn’t respond. For once, she felt uncertain about her own future.

When tensions with the company first arose, Xu Zhen had reached out to other agencies, only to be met with vague excuses and polite rejections. After a few failed attempts, she realized the company  had already warned the others off behind the scenes.

Jiahua was the industry leader, and other executives would naturally defer to them.

If Jiahua didn’t want Xu Zhen to switch agencies, then she wouldn’t succeed unless external forces intervened. Like if Jiang Ruan personally stepped in to resolve the situation.

But was that even possible?

Xu Zhen let out a self-deprecating laugh in her heart. Right now, Jiang Ruan was too busy fawning over Xing Yan to spare her a second thought.

The accelerator was gradually pressed deeper until the assistant cried out in alarm. Xu Zhen snapped back to reality and eased off the gas pedal halfway. “If I continue working in the entertainment industry, I promise I’ll take you away from Jiahua with me.”

“Thank you, Sister Qin Qin.” The assistant smiled happily. “I knew you were a good person.”

But from Xu Zhen’s tone, it seemed she was considering leaving the industry? The assistant silently pondered Xu Zhen’s thoughts, feeling inexplicably anxious.

As the car arrived at Jiahua Entertainment’s building, Xu Zhen parked and headed toward her lounge. “Tell Brother Lei that if he doesn’t arrive within ten minutes, I’ll leave immediately.”

The assistant behind her acknowledged and quickly called Liu Lei.

Perhaps Xu Zhen’s threat worked, as Liu Lei was uncharacteristically punctual this time instead of making her wait for hours. He waddled in with his large belly. “What a rare guest.”

Xu Zhen smiled without warmth in her eyes. “Long time no see.”

“Have you thought about what I mentioned before?” Liu Lei got straight to the point. “You’re almost 26 now, not exactly young anymore. Without the company’s support, it’ll be hard to secure resources.”

“Not necessarily.” Xu Zhen’s smile widened slightly. “Twenty-five is the prime of a woman’s career, but for men, it’s different.”

Liu Lei instinctively asked, “How so?”

“After twenty-five, a man might as well be sixty-five halfway into the grave. So the one who should be worried isn’t me, don’t you think?”

Only then did Liu Lei realize Xu Zhen was cursing him. He flew into a rage. “Ungrateful wretch!”

“The company has given you preferential treatment! What more do you want? Yes, you became famous early and your acting isn’t bad, but have you seen how many new stars are rising in the industry now?”

“What can a nearly thirty-year-old like you compete with them for?”

Liu Lei deliberately targeted Xu Zhen’s sore spots with malice. “Your career is lukewarm at best, about to be crushed by the next generation, and you keep trending for being cheated on. If not for the company stepping in, you’d be the laughingstock of the internet!”

“Is that so?” Xu Zhen remained composed. “Then may I ask what exactly the company did to ‘step in’?”

“Did they remove the trending topics, or did they stir the pot to make things worse?”

Smart people didn’t need to spell things out. Realizing Xu Zhen saw through everything, Liu Lei dropped all pretense. “Since you’ve figured it out, you should know the company won’t let you go.”

“If you keep resisting, you’ll be blacklisted and shelved!”

“I’ll give you three more days to reconsider.”

Liu Lei turned to leave with a sneer, but paused. “My advice? Stop opposing the company. The Company defied the Xing family under immense pressure not out of charity.”

“A powerless Beta like you, just fuel for society, do you really think a bit of fame lets you defy everything?”

“Plenty would gladly take you down to please the Xing family.”

“Young Master Xing’s Omega daughter is absolutely determined to win over President Jiang,” Liu Lei said mockingly as he looked at Xu Zhen. “You probably didn’t know, today President Jiang accompanied the Xing family’s young lady to an auction and splurged extravagantly, buying her a set of astronomically expensive jewelry on the spot.”

Watching Xu Zhen’s face grows increasingly pale, Liu Lei left with immense satisfaction.