Chapter 16: Contempt

Madam Bu had an impressive background. Her brother was involved in manufacturing the nation’s aircraft carriers. Her mother had made significant breakthroughs in epidemic control down north, with merits so remarkable that her statues could still be seen everywhere in provincial and municipal hospitals across the three northern districts.

As for Madam Bu’s other mother, she was from a scholarly family, a poet of the misty school, whose works held considerable weight both domestically and abroad. It was a pity that her health was poor, and she passed away young.

Ji Wenyan carried the shadows of both her mothers—refined yet powerful. She managed the Bu family, a family even the collateral relatives eyed covetously, with swift decisiveness. In recent years, she had nearly consolidated all power.

Perhaps due to genetics, her health wasn’t great either. She had suffered two miscarriages before finally having little Bu Yao, whom she adored beyond measure.

“Yao Bao, have you had breakfast yet?” she asked, tilting her head with a gentle gaze, her eyes curving softly.

Time had left almost no traces on her.

Madam Bu was stunningly elegant.

“Not yet,” Bu Yao murmured, acting spoiled out of habit.

Ji Wenyan then looked at Xing Yue, her tone warm and unhurried: “Would Xiao Yue like to join us? There’s a new tea house nearby that’s quite good.”

Her tone was overly familiar. One might even mistake them for having a great relationship. Xing Yue had suffered plenty of hidden losses at Madam Bu’s hands. In comparison, she was far less composed.

“No, I have work,” Xing Yue declined, her voice devoid of emotion, bordering on cold.

The woman showed concern: “Busy work makes breakfast even more important. Xiao Yue, you need to take better care of your body. Tomorrow, I’ll make some pastries you like and have someone bring them to your company.”

She didn’t insist on keeping Xing Yue for breakfast, instead thoughtfully promising to send pastries tomorrow—knowing exactly when to advance and retreat.

Xing Yue didn’t enjoy interacting with Madam Bu much. That smiling tiger—everyone except Bu Yao knew just how sharp her claws were.

She gave a casual nasal acknowledgment and parted ways with Bu Yao there.

Bu Yao got into the car, yawning and looking tired.

“How did you sleep last night?” Ji Wenyan used a handkerchief to gently dab the faint tears that had escaped from the corners of Bu Yao’s eyes from the yawn. Her attention suddenly fell on a small notebook. She picked it up and asked, “May Mother look at it?”

Bu Yao nodded, grabbed a pillow from inside the car to hug, and looked ready to fall back asleep.

With her child’s permission, Ji Wenyan opened the notebook. It was densely packed with listed requirements—laundry, cooking, learning this and that—along with reasons for each.

[When the wife has her period, help her wash clothes]

[The wife likes Fish-Fragrant Shredded Pork, Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin…]

The woman lowered her gaze, her eyes filled with dark, cold light. She closed the notebook, and the moment she looked up, her gaze softened again: “Are these all new skills Yao Bao wants to learn? How impressive!”

Bu Yao leaned against her mother’s shoulder, eyes still closed as if already asleep. Languidly, she asked, “Mom, you’re not mad, are you?”

In her memory, her mom had never gotten angry. She had such a good temper. But Xing Yue had said that if her mom ever found out what was written in her notebook, she’d lose her mind with fury—might even want to kill someone.

The mother Xing Yue described felt so foreign.

Hearing this, Ji Wenyan smiled. “Hmm, learning these things means going from not knowing how to cook to knowing how to cook, from not knowing how to drive to knowing how to drive. For you, it’s gaining more things you know and eliminating gaps in your knowledge. Isn’t that a wonderful thing? Why would I be angry?”

Ji Wenyan had never demanded Bu Yao learn anything specific. Whatever Bu Yao wanted to do, she did. Even when Bu Yao dropped out and took the law school entrance exam, she gave full support. Even as the entire family pressured her, she held firm.

To Ji Wenyan, whether Bu Yao was sensible or not, capable of business or not—none of it mattered. What mattered was that Bu Yao was happy.

Just like ten years ago, when Bu Yao held up a photo of Xing Yue and declared she wanted to marry her. Ji Wenyan gave her full support, turning away all the noble young masters and heirs of prestigious families seeking marriage. She cleared every obstacle so Bu Yao could be with the person she loved—even if that person was a commoner.

Whatever Bu Yao wanted, she provided. Whatever she asked, she agreed to.

Bu Yao knew it—Mom would never get mad. She drifted off to sleep, murmuring drowsily: “Mom… you’re the best…”

Today, there were no songs to record—just some short script dubbing to do. This was fan content Xing Yue periodically uploaded with her video shorts.

The other CV she was collaborating with had some small fame in the circle, having done dubbing for satellite TV dramas and many popular historical romance series. Her name carried weight in the industry.

Qiao Rui held the script, pacing back and forth, exasperated. “Eleven o’clock—an entire hour late.”

She slammed the script onto the table, issuing an ultimatum: “Send Jiang Li’s assistant a notice immediately—fifteen minutes! We’ll wait fifteen minutes at most. Any longer, and she can forget about recording! Screw this!”

Who did she think she was? A big star? Jiang Li only had one million fans; even Xing Yue didn’t throw around the attitude she did. What right did she have to keep them waiting?

Qiao Rui gulped down her tea in fury. Fine, they wouldn’t record. They wouldn’t collaborate. Just because someone had a bit of clout in the industry, they acted all high and mighty. What garbage.

Inside, having heard the raging shouts from outside, Little Green Stone Snake added fuel to the fire: “A’Yue, your agent is still too soft-hearted. Fifteen minutes? Just don’t record! She’s being given face she doesn’t deserve.”

People like that—called “teacher” a few times and completely lost their bearings. They hadn’t even started recording yet, and her work attitude was already this bad. Any formal cooperation would surely be riddled with issues.

Xing Yue, however, was somewhat emotionless, a bit distracted. She blurted out: “I saw Madam Bu today.”

The Little Green Stone Snake, who’d been bristling moments before, froze at the mention of that person. Her expression then became even more exaggerated. “Crap! What day is it today? All the bad luck’s piling up. She didn’t intimidate you, did she?”

As Xing Yue’s shrewd advisor in love and her emotional comfort, the ones Xing Yue liked, she liked; the ones Xing Yue hated, she absolutely hated too.

Look, just look! Xing Yue had only seen Madam Bu once, and already she seemed drained. This wouldn’t do!

Bo Wuxue injected Xing Yue with a dose of courage: “Let me tell you, you can’t let Madam Bu bully you like she did ten years ago. Back then, you were Bu Yao’s wife—your status restricted you. Now you’re not! You’ve got to stand up for yourself!”

The whole world knew what kind of person Madam Bu was. Only Bu Yao didn’t know. Of course, to Bu Yao, she was indeed a mother who loved her very, very much.

But to Xing Yue, she was a sharp-tongued, condescending mother-in-law.

Xing Yue was deeply troubled. Just this morning, she’d told Bu Yao she’d consider remarrying. Now she already regretted it. As expected, some decisions just shouldn’t be made right before sleep or first thing in the morning.

The door suddenly swung open. Xing Yue thought it was Jiang Li, but the person who entered was none other than the subject she and Bo Wuxue had just been discussing.

Qiao Rui, who’d been raging and pacing, instantly changed her demeanor before Madam Bu. Fawning smiles piled up on her face: “This way, this way—this is where Xing Yue rests. If you’d told me earlier you were coming, I’d have personally come to escort you! That ground-floor security guard has no sense—kept you waiting so long. Useless fools all of them.”

Her bootlicking was worlds apart from her cursing just moments ago. Xing Yue had never seen her own agent grovel that much. Qiao Rui had always had a fiery personality.

“Much obliged,” the woman nodded with gentle dignity, not missing a single point of etiquette. “I didn’t wait too long. Thank you, Miss Qiao.”

Qiao Rui’s face practically bloomed flowers as she guided her the whole way. She even pulled out a chair for Ji Wenyan and rushed off to the tea room to brew tea. The Longjing in the break room wasn’t good enough—no, it had to be the finest quality, the tea from the Chairperson’s office.

Little Green Stone Snake silently rolled her eyes, transformed into her python form, and burrowed behind the sofa cushions to hide, clearly unwilling to greet Madam Bu.

Xing Yue watched Madam Bu holding the insulated food container, then looked at her agent’s heaven-and-earth shift in attitude. Her expression was icy: “Madam Bu, I’m working.”

In other words, she didn’t have the leisure to discuss matters concerning her precious daughter.

Ji Wenyan opened the container, revealing steaming hot breakfast pastries. She placed them on the table. “Oh? But I am here to discuss work with Xiao Yue. Didn’t your agent inform you? The entertainment division under the Bu family intends to invest in promoting you as a singer. The contract has already been drafted.”

Xing Yue’s pupils suddenly constricted. She shot up from the sofa. “Since when?”

The woman threw out two words effortlessly: “Just now.”

She could casually decide the direction of Xing Yue’s career, her words drenched in contempt.

This wasn’t truly to make Xing Yue famous. She simply wanted to send a message—that the principles Xing Yue had clung to for a decade against the company were, before her, utterly powerless.

Ji Wenyan’s voice was warm and soft, but the content cut like a blade straight into Xing Yue’s heart: “Xiao Yue is already over thirty-five years old. How many more years can you have a menstrual cycle? Who will wash your clothes for you now?”

The sharpness of those words was no less than cutting the flesh off Xing Yue’s face.

Her whole body trembled. She bit down until she tasted blood between her teeth, her mouth filled with the flavor of rust.

The Little Green Stone Snake behind her was nearly flipping out with fury. Damn it—a single sentence and Xing Yue was crushed like this?! Xing Yue’s combat strength was way too weak!

“A’Yue, curse her out! Tell her to keep her daughter in check and stop pestering you! Who’s even interested? Crap! Crap! Crap!”