Trapped in the Same Day for a Thousand Years: The Deadly Kind!

Welcome to Trapped in the Same Day for a Thousand Years, exclusively produced by Feilu Novel Network, written by Sang Ze and narrated by Wang Xiaomo and Lao He. "All right, I understand."

Wu Chen hung up. He did not ask for details; something serious had probably happened at the company.

The company was Li Ruobing's greatest concern now. Its success or failure would decide her fate.

"I have something to take care of. Let's leave it there for today."

Wu Chen put away his phone, stood, and headed out.

Wang Zhuangyuan said nothing more. He took out his wallet, dropped a hundred yuan on the table, and followed Wu Chen.

"Mr. Wu, do you need a car?"

Wang Zhuangyuan hurried after him, pulling a Lamborghini key from his pocket. Wu Chen glanced at it and took it.

Wang Zhuangyuan followed Wu Chen out of the alley.

Wu Chen spotted the Lamborghini and the row of cars parked behind it. Men stood smoking beside an SUV. When Wang Zhuangyuan emerged, they all nodded and greeted him as "Boss."

"What's this about?"

Wu Chen turned to Wang Zhuangyuan. It was a fair question: there were two Lamborghinis. Besides Wang Zhuangyuan's white one, a blue Lamborghini Aventador sat there—the latest generation, released only last year.

Wang Zhuangyuan's Lamborghini had been smuggled in. It had no legal paperwork, wore false plates, and was an older model he had driven for years.

"Mr. Wu, I'm sorry I gave you the wrong idea. Consider this car my apology. Drive it, and I'll handle any problems. What do you say?"

Wang Zhuangyuan waited for his answer.

He was lying.

Wu Chen knew it. It was only a little past seven in the morning. Wang Zhuangyuan could hardly have bought the car in the middle of the night.

East Sea's Lamborghini dealership would not have been open then. Even if Wang Zhuangyuan had connections strong enough to get a car overnight, he could not have completed the paperwork. He might not care about driving an undocumented car himself, but he would not give one away. He must have bought it yesterday.

He could not have predicted Wu Chen's sudden call.

More likely, after leaving Crown Club yesterday morning, he had decided to build a relationship with Wu Chen and sent someone to follow him. Wu Chen had driven off in his Lamborghini before, so Wang Zhuangyuan assumed he liked them. He bought one, waiting for a chance to offer it as a gift.

"Fine," Wu Chen said. He pressed the key, and the blue Lamborghini flashed its lights. Once inside, he started the engine and looked over the interior. It was indeed the latest model. A car bought off the lot probably had no optional extras, but this was a Lamborghini Aventador. Its on-the-road price had to exceed eight million yuan. Wu Chen did not particularly care how expensive it was. What impressed him was Wang Zhuangyuan's nerve: he had decided yesterday to spend eight million on a car to give Wu Chen when the chance arose. No wonder he had risen as far as he had.

As Wu Chen pulled away, Wang Zhuangyuan raised a hand from the roadside. "Safe travels, Mr. Wu."

Wu Chen gave him a calm nod from the car.

More than half an hour later, Wu Chen parked in the underground garage of Building Seven in the CBD.

He glanced around and spotted several cars belonging to Li Ruobing's company, Illusion Fashion. She had arrived before him. He went to the elevator, swiped his card, and headed up.

Wu Chen had completed his onboarding at Illusion Fashion yesterday, so he had an employee access card in his suit pocket.

He rode to the thirty-first floor, then took the stairs to the thirty-third.

Li Ruobing's bodyguards were stationed throughout the thirty-third floor. They knew who Wu Chen was and did not stop him. As he passed, they greeted him: "Mr. Wu."

Wu Chen entered Li Ruobing's President's Office.

She stood by the window on the phone, pacing without seeming to realize it. She looked agitated.

"Did they manage to save her?"

"What's her condition?"

"Mm-hmm. Several months?"

"So she won't make it to the launch?"

"I understand."

"All right. Got it."

Wu Chen did not interrupt. He sat on a sofa some distance from her desk, crossed his legs, leaned to one side, and propped his chin on his hand as he watched her talk.

Another five minutes passed before Li Ruobing finally hung up. Her face was icy.

"Who was hurt?" Wu Chen asked.

"Deng Xunya. A car accident," Li Ruobing replied coldly. She strode to the filing cabinet, pulled out a folder, and returned to her desk to read it.

"Ding Ruilong's doing?" Wu Chen asked.

"You even know about him?" Li Ruobing looked up.

"He's famous. Who hasn't heard of him?" Wu Chen said with a smile.

He had rarely smiled like that around Wang Zhuangyuan earlier. He always drew a clear line between people he could use and people he wanted to know.

"You know that isn't what I meant. How did you know Ding Ruilong was behind it?" Li Ruobing pressed.

"Simple. This year's New Product Launch might not mean much to Illusion Fashion, but it's crucial to you personally. You want to get the company listed and raise capital before the Bet is settled, increasing your own worth as much as possible. That means you need to push its performance as high as you can, so its share price will be strong when it goes public.

"In an age driven by attention, the right spokesperson is especially important for an upscale cosmetics company."

Wu Chen paused, still smiling. "But Ding Ruilong has obstructed you at every turn, including your search for a spokesperson.

"In previous years, Illusion Fashion could only get second-tier, third-tier, or even faded stars to endorse it. This year, the company finally reached a point where a top-tier actress was willing.

"But Ding Ruilong kept interfering. He even broke the Bet's rules by using the Ding Family's connections.

"So no matter whom you approached, you couldn't secure a spokesperson who met your standards.

"Then, two months ago, you secretly signed Deng Xunya.

"She started as a singer and is now one of the hottest young female artists around. Her popularity is explosive."

Li Ruobing had planned to introduce Deng Xunya publicly at the New Product Launch.

Deng Xunya would attend Illusion Fashion's event, lend it her star power, and endorse the new product line unveiled that day.

Li Ruobing intended to ride Deng Xunya's popularity, combined with an online promotional push, to make the new products an instant hit.

She wanted to transform Illusion Fashion from a niche brand with some domestic recognition into a nationally known name.

Li Ruobing had prepared an enormous amount for this launch.

"Yesterday, I helped you uncover the mole, and Ding Ruilong learned his plan to steal your product information had failed.

"Today, Deng Xunya had a car accident. She can't appear for Illusion Fashion, and she can't take part in the follow-up promotion.

"It's obvious, isn't it? That can't be a coincidence," Wu Chen concluded.

"You really do know a lot," Li Ruobing said quietly. She had already known it was Ding Ruilong; that was why she was so angry. She had not expected him to be this vicious, this unhinged. When he failed to steal the product information, he had someone run down the actress endorsing her products. He was determined to ruin her New Product Launch.

Li Ruobing had signed Deng Xunya in secret precisely to keep Ding Ruilong from interfering. She had thought he did not know. But yesterday, Wu Chen had exposed the mole working right beside her as an assistant. Now she understood that Ding Ruilong had known about the secret deal all along.

The reason Li Ruobing had always been at a disadvantage against Ding Ruilong was not a lack of ability. Both the Ding Family and the Li Family favored him. She was fighting alone. When Ding Ruilong used family influence, the Li Family helped cover for him. If she crossed the line and broke the Bet's rules, both families would immediately declare her the loser.

Li Ruobing took a deep breath and looked at Wu Chen. "Do you have anything damaging on Ding Ruilong?"

That was why she had called him over today. Wu Chen had not caused the accident, and he could not undo it.

She was furious. She wanted to bring Ding Ruilong down.

"Damaging information on him? I do." Wu Chen raised an eyebrow and smiled. "The devastating kind."

"Name your price," Li Ruobing said, meeting his eyes.

She wanted to buy it. "I can't give it to you," Wu Chen said flatly.

Li Ruobing's expression changed. Then her eyes narrowed.

For a moment, she again wondered whether Wu Chen had ties to Ding Ruilong.

"Don't let anger cloud your judgment. You know what powerful families can do. Even if I handed you the evidence, you couldn't bring him down.

"The Ding Family would protect him, and so would your Li Family.

"Worse, they might void the Bet and force you to marry Ding Ruilong immediately," Wu Chen said with a faint smile. "However bad your relationship with your family is, you're still one of them. Your actions could spark a conflict between the two families. If you went after Ding Ruilong like that, the Li Family would have to apologize to the Ding Family. Do you think you're strong enough to stand against your own family right now?

"Let alone the Ding Family?"

Li Ruobing fell silent. She had not thought it through. When she called Wu Chen, her anger had been at its peak; she had genuinely wanted to destroy Ding Ruilong. His words calmed her. He was right: she could not attack Ding Ruilong directly, just as he never attacked her directly. That was the line neither of them crossed. He went after the people around her and her company instead. He wanted to marry Li Ruobing, not wage a fight to the death against her.

Lost in thought, Li Ruobing looked back down at the files, scanning the candidates for a new spokesperson. Wu Chen made a questioning sound.

"Mm," Li Ruobing answered without looking up.

Deng Xunya's hospitalization after an accident counted as force majeure under the contract between Illusion Fashion and her management company. The agreement would terminate automatically, with neither side in breach.

Illusion Fashion needed a new spokesperson, and fast. But finding one would be extremely difficult. Only fourteen days remained before the New Product Launch. There simply was not enough time.

Scheduling and existing endorsement commitments aside, most top actresses at the height of their fame would not endorse a niche brand. They could represent major international brands; there was no reason to lower their status. A few might consider it, but only for the money.

And Ding Ruilong was interfering.

Li Ruobing might reach an agreement with an actress's agent today, only for Ding Ruilong to speak directly with the head of her management company tomorrow. The company would back out. With no contract signed, it only needed an excuse.

It had happened too many times. Li Ruobing could not use her family's influence to find a spokesperson. She would not even ask her younger brother Li Ruotai for help, because his influence came from the Li Family. Using it would break the Bet's rules.

She had to negotiate on her own. She knew she might have run out of chances. The launch could go ahead without a spokesperson or be postponed, but either way its impact would fall far short of what she needed.

Li Ruobing read the files without speaking. The mood in the office grew heavy.

"Boss Li, want to hire me to find one for you?" Wu Chen asked with a smile.

Li Ruobing looked up. Wu Chen kept smiling.

"Aren't you an information broker?"

"You're in this business too?" she asked coolly, then returned to the files.

The warmth she had shown yesterday was gone. She seemed distant from Wu Chen today, despite having kissed him. That was simply how she was.

They were alone in her office, with no need to put on an act. "For the right price, I could even get Tao Manying for you," Wu Chen said. "Or any other actress you have in mind. Whoever I find will meet your requirements—someone at the very height of her popularity."

It was such an outrageous boast that Wu Chen almost believed it himself.

Yet he did have a way to find Illusion Fashion a spokesperson quickly, one who would meet or even exceed Li Ruobing's standards. Tao Manying, for example, was the star everyone wanted: a Golden Horse Award winner and a best-actress winner at the Xiangjiang Golden Elephant Awards, the Tokyo Film Festival, and the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Awards.

Tao Manying was only twenty-eight. Until recently, her career had been lukewarm; at best, she had been a second-tier actress.

Then she starred in last year's big-budget film Sword Rain, Autumn Waters. It won her nearly twenty best-actress titles across film festivals and award ceremonies, while her explosive performance earned international acclaim.

She was a mainland actress on the verge of becoming an international star.

Tao Manying was the actress who far exceeded Li Ruobing's requirements.

There were a few others like her, all extraordinarily popular over the past two years. But stars at their level would not even meet Li Ruobing. Their agents would reject her as soon as they heard the proposal, let alone negotiate.

"How long would it take you?" Li Ruobing asked without looking up, humoring him.

"Depends on whom you want," Wu Chen said.

"Say, Tao Manying?" Li Ruobing still did not look up. She was only playing along.

She had not deliberately picked the hardest name. Wu Chen had just mentioned Tao Manying, so she repeated it.

"Her? Easy. One day," Wu Chen said after a moment's thought.

Li Ruobing stopped reading. She looked up at him, paused, then asked, "One day?"

"Mm-hmm." Wu Chen nodded.

"Do you even know Tao Manying?"

"Does it matter whether I know her?" Wu Chen replied. "What are you talking about?"

Li Ruobing frowned. "Not knowing her doesn't mean I can't get to know her. One day is enough," Wu Chen said with a smile, as if it were obvious.

Li Ruobing tilted her head and gave him a look reserved for someone who had lost his mind.

"Tao Manying is abroad. I've kept track of her. She's been filming in Southeast Asia for three or four months, and she's in Thailand now. No matter how good your information is, what use is it if you can't even meet her?

"One day?" For the first time, Li Ruobing felt Wu Chen had made a boast so absurd he could not take it back.

"I never said I had to approach Tao Manying directly. What about someone close to her?" Wu Chen was still smiling.

"Hmph." Li Ruobing gave a cold laugh and looked down at the files. "Forget the one-day deadline. Tao Manying already has a cosmetics endorsement. She can't sign another.

"One day. Honestly..." Li Ruobing let the sentence die. She clearly did not want to discuss it further.

The office fell quiet again. Wu Chen watched Li Ruobing read. He knew how frustrated she was, and he understood why she did not believe him.

It would have been strange if she had believed him. What he proposed did seem impossible. But Wu Chen could make the impossible happen. If he wanted to win her over completely, he would have to do something that left her stunned.

"Twenty million yuan. Give me twenty million, and I'll have Tao Manying in your office tomorrow morning," Wu Chen said, naming his price.

Li Ruobing said nothing. She did not want to talk to him.

"You don't believe me. How about a bet?" Wu Chen asked.

The word bet struck a nerve. Li Ruobing was already bound by one that would decide her fate.

She looked up at him without expression. After a pause, she asked, "What would we have to bet for you to stop talking?"

"Whether I can get Tao Manying into your office tomorrow morning to sign an endorsement deal with you."

"If I lose, I won't take a cent from you. I'll pay you twenty million instead."

"And if you win?"

Li Ruobing asked. She knew Wu Chen couldn't possibly win, but the bet was fair.

"If I win,

you'll first pay me twenty million. That's the fee for hiring me to find a spokesperson, not my winnings from the bet,"

Wu Chen said.

"So what do you want if you win?"

Li Ruobing asked again.

"Hey, don't get jealous,"

Wu Chen said with a smile.

"Get jealous?

What do you mean?"

Li Ruobing didn't understand at first.

"If I get involved with another woman, don't get jealous."

Wu Chen smiled.

Li Ruobing froze, then gave Wu Chen an extremely strange look.

"Why would I be jealous?

We're only pretending to be a couple. I haven't fallen in love with you, so what would I have to be jealous about?

See whoever you want. I have no right to interfere."

Li Ruobing gave Wu Chen another look, as if she were concerned about his sanity.

"What you're saying is true, but that's still what I want to bet on."

Wu Chen smiled calmly. He wanted to give her a warning in advance, and this was a good opportunity.

Li Ruobing wasn't in love with him now, but that didn't mean she wouldn't fall for him someday. "So, are you taking the bet or not?"

Wu Chen asked again.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes. Happy now?"

Li Ruobing was getting annoyed. She lowered her head to the documents again and said, "You can go. Get busy, go find someone, and stop interrupting my work."

"Then it's settled."

Wu Chen smiled and turned to leave.

After leaving Huancai Company, Wu Chen went downstairs to the underground parking garage. Once inside his car, he started the Lamborghini and dialed a number. The call connected just as he pulled away.

"Mr. Wu, is there a problem with the car?"

Wang Zhuang hadn't expected Wu Chen to call him again so soon.

"Zhuangyuan, make some arrangements. I need your people."

Wu Chen got straight to the point.

"Of course." Wang Zhuangyuan was pleasantly surprised. Wu Chen had called him Zhuangyuan, a familiar form of address. He didn't ask any unnecessary questions and agreed at once.

"No problem, Mr. Wu. How many people do you need?

I'll gather the guys right away."