She's Crazy, I Love Her - Chapter 17

The company held a project meeting on Friday.

As usual, Qi You sat at the head of the left side of the seven-meter-long conference table. Every seat was filled, with nearly all of Wenhui Media’s management team in attendance.

Unlike other industries with their sprawling hierarchies, media companies tend to have leaner structures. This gathering felt almost like a small-scale annual review.

Yet the reports presented were routine. The company’s recent work plans had already been finalized, so the updates were merely progress reports, devoid of any surprises.

It wasn’t until the Legal Department brought up Hua Fangfei that the entire conference room fell into an abrupt silence, all eyes turning sharply toward Qi You.

The atmosphere grew so tense that even the presenter fell silent.

Qi You lifted her head, her gaze sweeping across the text on the screen.

“Is there a problem?”

A brief pause hung in the air.

Finally, Fan Yuanchuan, the CEO of Wenhui Media, chuckled awkwardly from his seat at the head of the table. “No problem at all. What could possibly be the problem?”

“If you dare to embezzle funds, you must face the consequences,” Fan Yuanchuan declared, his voice carrying the weight of old-school media management. He tapped the table with his knuckles, his words drawn out with a theatrical flourish. “We must sue—and sue seriously! Wenhui invests in countless projects each year, yet this kind of thing still happens. It shows how lax our financial controls and risk management have become.”

Qi You pressed her brow. “Let’s stick to the facts.”

“Yes, yes, let’s stick to the facts,” Fan Yuanchuan agreed with a smile, unfazed by the interruption. “This whole mess really boils down to Zhao Ming, right? Zhao Ming?”

The assistant beside him quickly confirmed, “Yes, Zhao Ming.”

“I heard he assembled the team and was also the person in charge at Lanshan,” Fan Yuanchuan nodded. “Then it’s simple. Replace him and make him cough up the money. Problem solved.”

“With so many renowned directors at our company, we can easily send one to take over. The project can continue, and everyone wins. Perfect!”

As soon as he finished speaking, a chorus of agreement erupted in the conference room.

But Qi You remained silent, and the chorus quickly died down.

Fan Yuanchuan turned to her. “President Qi, what are your thoughts?”

Qi You glanced out the window. It was a clear day, the sky a vibrant blue, the sunlight bright.

She understood perfectly what this charade was about. Her insistence on auditing the accounts had broken the unspoken rules. In this industry, not even Wenhui’s own projects, let alone externally funded ones like Hua Fangfei, could withstand scrutiny.

They wouldn’t think Qi You halted Hua Fangfei out of personal motives. After all, to them, there were countless underhanded ways to deal with a nobody like Zhao Ming; resorting to official channels would seem strangely out of character.

Instead, they would assume Qi You had ulterior motives, perhaps even seeing it as a warning—killing the chicken to scare the monkeys.

Utterly predictable. Utterly boring.

The meeting finally adjourned, and the attendees filed out, leaving the vast conference room silent. Qi You remained seated, leaning back in her chair, one hand resting on the table, gazing absently at the sky outside.

He Wen cautiously knocked on the door from outside. Only after hearing the word “Enter” did he step inside.

“President Qi,” He Wen said, holding up his phone, “Miss Chi wants to see you.”

Qi You turned her head, staring at him for a moment as if just snapping out of a trance. “What does she want?” she asked.

What could she possibly want? He Wen thought.

He quickly scrutinized Qi You’s expression but found nothing. He could only answer truthfully, “The Hua Fangfei production’s accounts have been frozen, and the set is on the verge of collapse. Miss Chi is the lead actress; she likely wants to discuss the situation with you—”

“Handle it yourself,” Qi You interrupted. “No need to report this to me.”

He Wen almost thought he had misheard. He paused before replying, “Alright.”

But before turning away, he couldn’t resist glancing back at Qi You. She remained in the same posture, her expression cold and detached, like—like an emotionless machine.

Shortly after He Wen left, Qi Shouye called, instructing her to visit Pei Yi at the Pei Family estate.

This wasn’t the first time Qi Shouye had brought this up, but since Qi You wasn’t physically present, and even if she were, he couldn’t force her to go.

Qi You didn’t argue, simply saying, “I understand.”

Having grown accustomed to her evasiveness, Qi Shouye pressed on, “I’ve already prepared the gifts. You’ll go later today. I’ve arranged for Xiao Lin to pick you up.”

Qi You remained silent.

Qi Shouye sighed helplessly into the phone, “You injured him and haven’t even visited once? What kind of impression does that make? What will the Pei Family think? At least show some basic courtesy!”

“We may not be marrying, but we shouldn’t become enemies,” Qi Shouye continued, softening his tone. “Last time, Dad didn’t consider things properly. You’re still young; there’s no need to rush. Just make an appearance today and you can come back right away. You don’t need to stay long.”

Qi You finally looked up at the flickering screen.

Qi Shouye had clearly done his homework in advance. The car drove smoothly up the mountain road, and the butler showed no surprise when he greeted them, leading her directly to the reception room.

At this odd hour, with Old Master Pei away recuperating and the younger generation of the Pei Family residing in their own residences, the entire mansion was eerily quiet.

After waiting for a while, Qi You didn’t see Pei Yi, but instead encountered Pei Man first.

This wasn’t entirely unexpected. Pei Man had only recently returned to the country and hadn’t yet secured permanent housing in the city, so staying temporarily at the Pei Family residence was perfectly reasonable.

She appeared to be heading out, dressed casually in a T-shirt, loose jeans, and sneakers, with a bag slung over her shoulder. She was stopping a servant to speak, occasionally gesturing toward the outside.

As the butler poured her tea, he noticed Qi You and politely introduced them: “This is the eldest granddaughter of the late Old Master Pei. She’s been living abroad and only recently returned.”

Qi You averted her gaze.

She remembered Zhou Wei’s gleeful gossip at the birthday banquet, the day Pei Man’s existence was publicly revealed.

Moreover, Qi You knew that one of the reasons the Pei Group had ultimately decided to enter the biomedical field was because of Pei Man. In the future, when Pei Yi would clash with the rest of the Pei Family over power and profit, Pei Man would become his greatest ally.

And there was more—

Qi You brought the teacup to her lips, the delicate aroma of tea and its warmth enveloping her nose.

She paused for a moment. When she looked up again, she noticed Pei Man hadn’t left and was even glancing her way from afar.

Qi You took a sip of tea, finally set down the celadon cup, and stood up.

“Ms. Pei.”

The day the production shut down, Chi Yue returned to Sicheng.

Ji Mei Entertainment was adept at managing its fan base. Despite Chi Yue having no official work for nearly a year, station sisters still waited at the airport exit.

Though she hadn’t slept well in days, Chi Yue removed her mask, smiled, and posed for photos.

In this era of ubiquitous paparazzi, news of the production’s troubles couldn’t be kept secret. As they snapped photos, the fans showered her with words of comfort.

“Yueyue, you’ve lost weight again! Is it because of the production?”

“Don’t overthink it. Get some rest. It’s not your fault.”

“Exactly! The next project will be even better. You have to believe in yourself.”

The girl standing at the front was someone Chi Yue knew well. She had been photographing her since her trainee days, was one of her biggest fans, and had moderated several of her fan communities. The two even had each other’s contact information.

As soon as Chi Yue got into the car, she received a message from the girl:

“That Sun guy was hinting behind you earlier that you liked the watch Xiao Wei was wearing. What was he implying?”

“Be careful around him. He’s not to be trusted.”

“He’s even worse than Liu Yifang.”

Chi Yue gripped her phone tightly, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath before turning to Sun Zhiping in the passenger seat. She struggled to keep her voice steady. “Brother Sun, I’ve made it clear since my debut that I don’t accept gifts from fans. You know that, right?”

Sun Zhiping didn’t even look up. “Mm-hmm.”

After a two-second pause, he glanced in the rearview mirror and said, “I was just making conversation. I didn’t actually ask her for anything. Who did you add? They’re quick to talk.”

Chi Yue didn’t answer, her gaze fixed on him. “I hope this doesn’t happen again.”

Sun Zhiping burst out laughing. “Again? As if there’ll be a next time!”

His laughter abruptly ceased, his expression shifting like a mask. He stared at Chi Yue with a cold, emotionless gaze, as if she were an object.

Even through the rearview mirror, Chi Yue felt a chill run down her spine.

But Sun Zhiping quickly averted his gaze and instructed the driver, “Don’t go back to the office. I’ll send you an address now. Head straight there.”

Chi Yue felt a pang of alarm. “Brother Sun…”

“Relax,” he said, tapping his phone. “I’m not going to pull a Liu Yifang stunt. This is the modern era—we have the rule of law now.”

After a long pause, he finally turned to Chi Yue, his eyes raking over her with crude frankness. “I won’t make you sleep with me, but surely you can at least eat and drink with me, right?”

“General Tang from Wenhui will be at tonight’s dinner. I can’t skip it. Since I couldn’t get President Qi, I had to work my way down the ladder. Just gotta keep grinding, you know?”

Sun Zhiping settled back into his seat. “Honestly, nobody has it easy in this world. Nobody.”

“Xiao Chi, you can’t stay naive forever, right? Let’s save ourselves and the hundreds of people on the crew. What do you say?”

Chi Yue felt like she had plunged into an icy abyss.

She knew Sun Zhiping was pressuring her. He didn’t believe for a second that she couldn’t reach Qi You. He was holding back from showing his true colors only because he feared incurring her wrath.

After Liu Yifang’s stunt, if Chi Yue ever turned the tables and latched onto a powerful figure, she would never let Liu Yifang off the hook.

Sun Zhiping wasn’t stupid. The Rose Flame had surpassed eight figures in value. Even if it had only passed through Chi Yue’s hands before being returned, he couldn’t believe someone who could give such a gift would casually cut ties with her.

But—

Chi Yue turned on the faucet, letting the water rush over her hands.

The bathroom was excessively luxurious, even the water was warm. Chi Yue would have preferred it ice-cold right now, something to cool her down and calm her racing thoughts.

Chi Yue wasn’t a heavy drinker, but these past few days had been a relentless cycle of events, meals, drinks, and forced smiles.

It felt like she hadn’t accomplished anything, yet she was already being weighed down by something, falling uncontrollably.

This was definitely not a good sign.

With makeup still on her face, she could only rinse her mouth with water.

But the stench lingered, permeating her entire being, as if the indulgences of the past few days were fermenting within her.

Chi Yue scrubbed her hands vigorously, then splashed water on her wrists and forearms.

The lukewarm water only amplified her restlessness.

So when she saw Qi You in the mirror, she didn’t immediately react. Instead, she instinctively shifted to the side, then froze.

Her body, caught mid-motion, lurched violently, nearly throwing her off balance.

Qi You reached out and steadied her by the small of her back.

The touch was light and fleeting, withdrawn as soon as Chi Yue regained her footing, almost like a figment of her imagination.

Chi Yue stiffened slightly, the warm white light overhead illuminating her overly flushed face, her eyes glistening, her lips parted slightly.

She stared blankly at Qi You for several seconds.

Qi You gazed at the reflection in the mirror for a long moment before finally asking, “Am I really that terrifying?”