"..."
Fang Ning had the sort of cute, innocent looks with big doe eyes as soft and clear as seawater, but Zhou Li always felt those eyes concealed something he could not understand.
Not getting the result he wanted, Zhou Li was so angry he wanted to curse.
This woman was absolutely nuts. Instead of following the script and berating Ji Xiangchen, she was taking sarcastic jabs at him!
What was all this talk about spies? It sounded like there was a hidden meaning behind her words. He kept feeling she was hinting at something.
Zhou Li tightened his grip on his chopsticks, growing a little flustered. Could this woman know he often filmed Ji Xiangchen losing his temper and smashing things, then sent the videos to the paparazzi?
Impossible. He had clearly kept those things very, very well hidden.
When Zhou Li looked up, he met Fang Ning's sparkling doe eyes.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
Zhou Li steeled himself and put down his chopsticks, not daring to linger any longer. "I still have something to take care of. Ji Xiangchen, stay home and reflect properly on your problems."
Fang Ning said, "Hey, hey, hey! Mr. Manager, why are you leaving so fast? You haven't told us whether you're a spy yet!"
The more she called after him, the faster Zhou Li walked.
Ji Xiangchen, who had watched the entire exchange, said, "..."
This wife of Ji Xiangnian's wasn't quite right. She really wasn't.
She watched the manager's retreating figure as he slunk away.
Fang Ning made a victory gesture in her mind: [System, how do you think I did with that sarcastic tone?!!]
The system replied: [This round, I declare you the winner!!]
Fang Ning said: [Ah, Ji Xiangchen, you poor little thing. His parents aren't around, and his own older brother doesn't love him. He's so pitiful. If I don't help him, who will? My frail, helpless young master!]
"..."
Ji Xiangchen turned his head away. She was the poor little thing. He was rich and handsome and had loads of fans. What was pitiful about him?
Besides, if he remembered correctly, this wife of Ji Xiangnian's was more than two months younger than him. How could she have the nerve to call him little?
Still, complaints aside, a barely perceptible trace of softness passed over Ji Xiangchen when he heard those words.
Although her insults had been a little vicious just now, and she had really torn into his manager, being helped like this felt pretty good. Nice. Pretty satisfying.
And she really had a sharp tongue. She knew how to wield sarcasm.
Noticing Ji Xiangchen looking at her, Fang Ning asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"
Ji Xiangchen shook his head coldly. "No."
The two began eating their hot pot. After thinking it over, Fang Ning decided to warn him anyway. "Honestly, your manager might be a spy. I suggest you get a new one."
Ji Xiangchen shook his head. He felt he got along quite well with his manager. His manager's tongue was a little sharp, but he treated him pretty well. He had no plans to change managers for now.
Seeing that Ji Xiangchen had not caught her underlying meaning, Fang Ning stopped there. She had no actual evidence right now to prove the manager was a bad person, so saying too much would not be good either.
After all, not everyone had the script in hand like she did.
She would wait for a suitable time to bring this up.
To ease the silence hanging over them, Fang Ning switched to a relatively
lighthearted
topic. "By the way, Ji Xiangchen, if you can't beat someone in a fight in the future, you can come to me!
"My rates aren't high. They're really cheap. Rich boy, send me 500, and I'll be there whenever you call!"
"Don't worry. As long as you pay enough, nothing's a problem. After all, I do this kind of thing all the time."
"..."
Beat people up? Help him? With that tiny frame of hers, he'd be lucky if she didn't hold him back.
Ji Xiangchen thought to himself.
But what Ji Xiangchen thought and what he did were different. There was not much expression on his face, but his cold, serious features seemed a little more relaxed than usual.
After they finished their hot pot, Ji Xiangchen left first to take care of something. Fang Ning planned to keep browsing, continuing her shopping and familiarizing herself with the area for her retirement and her male assistant and male butler with eight-pack abs.
But before she could leave the hot pot restaurant, a phone call disrupted her plans.
Chapter 5
The person on the other end sounded furious. "Fang Ning, what exactly do you want? Tell me honestly, will you die without a man? The variety show director is already getting very impatient."
"I fought to get you such a good opportunity, and you just decide you're not going? Do you genuinely have no brain, or did a dog eat it?"
The voice on the phone was truly too loud. Fang Ning moved her phone away from her ear to keep it from getting hurt, then worked hard to sort out who this person was in her mind.
When it came to someone who could secure opportunities for the original owner of this body, there was only one person.
The original owner's manager, Wu Qing.
As a manager, Wu Qing was very capable and had helped the original owner land several good opportunities.
Unfortunately, the original owner had remained immersed in winning Ji Xiangnian's love, turning down many of the good opportunities her manager had accepted for her.
She had even been willing to shell out tens of millions to terminate her contracts with production crews and variety shows.
Seriously, tens of millions in termination fees! She had actually given up even money for love.
The original owner didn't just supposedly have a love-addled brain. She really did!
The original owner's love-addled brain was truly beyond saving. The original owner was beyond saving, but she was not love-addled.
But choosing between slacking off and doing nothing or making money... was a little difficult, and she was someone who already had trouble making choices.
After thinking for a moment, Fang Ning spoke into the phone. "A love-addled brain-
zombies
won't even eat one. Why would a dog?"
"Surely people can't really give up even money for love."
"Sister Qing, don't worry. I've already learned my lesson the hard way. A love-addled brain leaves you digging up wild greens to survive. Men are just rotten wild greens. Feeling sorry for men is being cruel to yourself."
"Sister Qing, tell me, which production, which variety show, and how much money? I'll go!"
Only children made choices. She wanted both!
"Don't worry. From now on, please call me Truly Clearheaded Fang Ning. Love-addled brain, get lost."