The Breakup Didn’t Stop Me From Owning the World - Chapter 6

Hearing the voice, Lan Muyu instinctively turned her head. In her memory, Fu Yao had always been glamorous, but now her face was bare of makeup, pale with swollen dark circles under her eyes. Lan Muyu frowned slightly—this version of Fu Yao felt unfamiliar to her.

A scene flashed through her mind: Fu Yao recklessly driving her car toward Li Ruonan, the entire field of vision dyed red. Alert, Lan Muyu stepped forward, shielding Li Ruonan, and asked Fu Yao, “This is Xingyao’s territory. Let’s find somewhere else.”

Though furious, Fu Yao hadn’t lost her rationality. Yun City housed numerous film and television production bases, holding significant weight in the country’s entertainment industry. Tianhao Entertainment, owned by the Fu family, was relatively new. Causing a scene here might land them on the trending list again.

She had only recently entered the industry, but after appearing on a variety show, her carefully crafted persona had earned her many fans. If someone photographed her in this state and posted it online, it would likely spark negative speculation. Reluctantly, she agreed and led them into a nearby café with better privacy.

The café was already bustling with people, so the three opted for a private room. Fu Yao glared at Li Ruonan, who stood shielded behind Lan Muyu, and snapped, “Who is she?”

“My sister,” Lan Muyu replied, pulling out a chair for Li Ruonan. After observing Li Ruonan’s expression, she added, “My parents were worried about me, so they sent her to look after me.”

Fu Yao scrutinized Li Ruonan. Today, she wasn’t wearing her usual professional suit but a light-colored dress similar to Lan Muyu’s, softening her usual sharpness. Fu Yao accepted the explanation with a nod.

She then shot Lan Muyu several meaningful glances, trying to get her to send Li Ruonan away. But Lan Muyu ignored her, instead gently selecting breakfast for Li Ruonan. To Fu Yao, the scene was painfully irritating—as if she were the outsider here.

Once Lan Muyu finished ordering, Fu Yao couldn’t hold back any longer. “You left without a word yesterday—fine, your sister showed up. But what was that post you made last night supposed to mean?”

“Exactly what it said.” Lan Muyu sliced open a pineapple bun, spread butter inside, and handed it to Li Ruonan along with a glass of milk. “Stop drinking so much coffee.”

Li Ruonan nodded quietly, playing the role of the dutiful, unobtrusive chaperone.

“Lan Mu—”

Lan Muyu cut her off. “Did you bring Tianhao Entertainment’s contract?”

“No, but the company has it. We can sign after we eat.” Fu Yao relaxed slightly. If Lan Muyu was bringing it up, maybe there was still hope?

“Do you have a digital copy? Let me see it first.”

“You already reviewed it before and said it was fine. I wouldn’t harm you—don’t you trust me?”

Fu Yao felt a pang of guilt. The contract originally offered Lan Muyu only a 10% profit share, but last night, in her anger over being humiliated, she had slashed it to 5%.

Lan Muyu chuckled. The warm sunlight streaming through the window bathed her face, accentuating her already striking features. “If you didn’t even bring the contract, why come find me? I heard Xingyao Entertainment reached out to me, but someone claiming to be my manager turned them down?”

Fu Yao averted her gaze. “N-no, it wasn’t me.”

“Oh, I didn’t say it was you. There’s no need to rush to refuse,” Lan Muyu took a sip of milk. “It’s just a pity that I missed out on Xingyao’s contract earlier.”

Though her words and expression conveyed regret, inwardly she was overjoyed. After all, the contract she now held gave her 100% of the artist’s share, with the company providing resources for free.

“Can’t Tianhao give you what Xingyao offers?” Fu Yao’s patience wore thin as she raised her voice. “Lan Muyu, what kind of tantrum are you throwing? Even if my family went too far yesterday, didn’t you say you loved me? Can’t you endure a little for my sake? Is it necessary to play me like this?”

Hmm… what Xingyao could offer, Tianhao truly couldn’t. Endure, endure, endure—she wasn’t a ninja turtle, so why should she?

But the more agitated Fu Yao became, the calmer Lan Muyu’s voice grew. “Yes, of course they did nothing wrong. They humiliated me publicly because I have no background. It’s my fault for being unreasonable and making a scene.”

Fu Yao knew exactly how her family behaved and could imagine how they had treated Lan Muyu. Yet Lan Muyu’s sarcastic tone irritated her, so despite knowing she was in the wrong, Fu Yao retorted,

“But didn’t you say you loved me and would do anything for me? Didn’t I tell you that once I fully take over Tianhao, we wouldn’t have to put up with their attitudes anymore? Didn’t you promise to help me?”

Beside them, Li Ruonan arched an eyebrow in surprise at these words, a faint smirk playing on her lips.

Lan Muyu avoided Li Ruonan’s gaze, seeing nothing but blatant mockery and amusement in her eyes.

Why had she brought Li Ruonan along to freeload? Now Li Ruonan knew just how pathetically she had once fawned over Fu Yao. Ugh… the dignified image she’d tried to maintain since her rebirth had completely crumbled.

In her past life, after Fu Yao won the Best Actress award, solidifying her status in the entertainment industry, and with Lan Muyu’s own efforts to boost her reputation, Fu Yao had finally taken full control of Tianhao Entertainment—all for the sake of public opinion and the company’s long-term development. And what had Lan Muyu gained in the end?

Nothing but catching Fu Yao and Jiang Qianrou in bed together, only to be drugged and sent into that private room.

Seeing Lan Muyu hesitate, Fu Yao thought she had her under control again and grasped her hand. “Xiao Yu, don’t you understand my heart? Since I brought you home, it means I see you as my future spouse. We’re meant to be together forever—don’t you remember?”

Ah, yes. “Forever” had ended with her jumping alone from the 39th floor—far less fortunate than the heroine of Titanic, who at least had someone to leap with her.

“Forever… together?” Lan Muyu murmured softly.

“Of course! We’ve been together for so long—how can you doubt my sincerity? I love only you. There’s no one else in my heart.”

Hearing this, Lan Muyu’s smiles deepened. “Really?”

“What else do you doubt, silly? I can swear it.” Fu Yao took Lan Muyu’s other hand and vowed, “If you come to Tianhao, you’ll be the boss’s wife. Can any other entertainment company offer you that?”

“Of course, I don’t doubt you.” Lan Muyu barely managed to stop herself from pulling her hand away, softening her tone to change the subject. “So, can you tell me what benefits I’ll get? I didn’t have time to look through the documents last time.”

Li Ruonan, who had been silent for a while, suddenly spoke up: “When we passed by Xingyao earlier, their talent director recognized you. Have you considered working with them?”

Lan Muyu nodded but hesitated slightly. “But…”

“Xiao Yu, Xiao Yu, you can’t go back on your word now.” Fu Yao tightened her grip on Lan Muyu’s hand, closed her eyes, and steeled herself. “I—I’ll give you 30% of the profits. Just sign with me, delete that Weibo post, and apologize, okay?”

“But wouldn’t that make me look like I’m going back on my word? What would people online say about me?”

“Thirty-five percent. I’ll give you thirty-five percent. How about that?”

“No, no, no.” Lan Muyu refused. “That’s too much. How could I ever repay you?”

“It’s not too much. You’re worth it. Even if the company takes a small loss, consider it my way of making it up to you. As long as you understand my feelings. And as for what you owe me… you can repay me for the rest of your life, okay?”

Lan Muyu’s other hand had finally finished serving herself breakfast. She picked up a napkin to wipe her mouth and noticed that Li Ruonan beside her had also finished eating. Suddenly, she smiled and pulled her hand free from Fu Yao’s grasp. “I heard Jiang Qianrou returned yesterday?”

Fu Yao had thought the deal was settled, but this new topic made her pupils contract sharply. “How did you know Jiang Qianrou came back?”

“Well, that’s not important.”

Fu Yao thought for a moment, assuming Lan Muyu had only heard about her close relationship with Jiang Qianrou. She couldn’t let her slip away now, not when she was so close to winning her over.

So she explained, “She’s my high school classmate. She’s visited my home a few times before. Since she just returned, I invited her to my grandmother’s birthday banquet. I love you so much—you have to believe me.”

“Mhm.” Lan Muyu nodded. “That’s not important.”

“Then let’s go sign the contract now? After your Weibo post last night, my grandmother was so angry she fainted. Later, come home with me and apologize, and my family will definitely accept you.” Fu Yao tried to grab Lan Muyu’s hand again but missed.

“What’s important is…” Fu Yao watched as Lan Muyu leisurely took a napkin and meticulously wiped her fingertips—inch by inch—where Fu Yao had held them, then callously tossed the napkin aside. “…the Weibo post you saw last night was real. I’ve already signed a contract.”

“What do you mean, ‘already signed’? Are you messing with me? Aren’t you afraid I’ll get angry and break up with you?”

“Break up?” Lan Muyu stood up. “Ah, my memory is terrible—I almost forgot. Official notice, Fu Yao: we’re breaking up.”

“Wait—are you jealous of Jiang Qianrou? She and I are just friends! I don’t agree to this!”

Fu Yao lunged for Lan Muyu but was blocked by Li Ruonan.

“Lan Muyu, are you breaking up with me because of her?” Fu Yao pointed accusingly at Li Ruonan. “She’s not really your sister, is she? Why are you pretending? Who are you trying to fool with this act? You’re the one cheating, yet you put on this hypocritical show!”

Lan Muyu turned to gaze affectionately at Li Ruonan and answered Fu Yao, “But my sister really is prettier than you. She traveled thousands of miles just to see me, and she’s devoted and gentle to me.”

Li Ruonan stiffly complied, “Hello to you too.”

“Lan Muyu, you’re not leaving until you explain yourself clearly today!” The moment the two stepped out of the private room, Fu Yao charged at them again, only to be swiftly restrained once more by Li Ruonan.

Having learned some combat skills since childhood, Li Ruonan easily pushed Fu Yao away. “This is a public place. Are you sure you want to cause a scene, Miss Fu?”

The commotion had already drawn the attention of others. Seeing that Lan Muyu had already put on a face mask while Fu Yao’s face remained exposed, Fu Yao had no choice but to lower her voice and threaten, “Lan Muyu, you’ve really grown bold, haven’t you? Aren’t you afraid I’ll retaliate?”

“Anytime.”

Both Lan Muyu and Li Ruonan were wearing Li Ruonan’s private collection—custom-made by a specialized designer studio—so their outfits bore no obvious brand logos at first glance. Fu Yao sneered, “Can’t you be more mature? What can someone like her possibly offer you? I’ll make sure you regret this!”

Lan Muyu nodded, tilting her head with a smile as she pointed to their previous dining table. “I’ll be waiting. But since we’re poor… don’t forget to pay the bill.”