Chapter 38: World Two [11] Part 2

When they learned Shu Heng’s partner was a female celebrity, plenty were stunned for a while—followed by mad joy from certain people.

Shu Heng was Shu’s Mother’s only child. If she liked women, didn’t that mean she couldn’t have kids? No kids meant their chance to rise had arrived!

These people had some brains, though. They didn’t send the younger generation to cozy up to Shu Heng while she was home, so the cheerful Shu Heng remained oblivious to the relatives eyeing the inheritance her mom intended for her.

Shu Father had little presence in the household. If Shu’s Mother didn’t need a decent-looking man to keep up appearances, she might have divorced him long ago.

On the matter of his daughter having a girlfriend, Shu Father had no say. He only knew that anyone his wife brought home wouldn’t be lacking, so upon meeting her, he just kept praising and didn’t dare comment on his daughter’s love life.

Shu Heng got along decently with Shu Father, largely because he worked hard to play the role of a loving dad.

Li Jianwei could tell from his extremely smooth tea-brewing and pouring motions that Shu Father truly put in the effort to stay in this family.

Hm? How could Li Jianwei tell? Naturally because she’d seen male celebrities kept by sugar mommies in the industry—their skills were only about half as good as Shu Father’s.

During those few days at the Old Mansion, Shu Heng behaved herself, which specifically meant she only wanted to huddle under the covers with Li Jianwei for pure sleep—at most, some cuddling in the bathroom.

This was probably the intimidating power of parents, Li Jianwei figured.

While Shu Heng was called away by Shu Father to prepare afternoon tea together, Li Jianwei had the honor of entering Shu’s Mother’s private study for the first time. Even Shu Father rarely got into this room stacked with important documents.

“I’ll skip the small talk. You should know Shu Heng’s situation. The things I hold are destined for her.” Shu’s Mother cut straight to the chase, bypassing all pleasantries. “Shu Heng is naive and may not be able to hold onto what I leave her.”

“My original idea was, if she’s not interested in the family business, I could hire professionals to manage it so she could just enjoy the benefits. That professional could even be selected from the people in the Old Mansion.”

“But after seeing you, I feel like I might have one more choice.” Shu’s Mother revealed a smile. “I won’t interfere with your plans before you turn thirty, but after that, come work at my company and try being my assistant.”

“If you have the ability, I wouldn’t mind handing the company over to you. Of course, I’d still keep most of the shares for Shu Heng.”

Li Jianwei listened quietly until Shu’s Mother finished speaking before she opened her mouth.

“Since you’ve been so straightforward, I’ll skip the useless formalities and speak frankly with you.” Li Jianwei revealed a standard smile. “Shu Heng is indeed a bit naive, but she’s not unintelligent. She’s just had limited experiences.”

“You’re only in your early fifties. You can absolutely spend the next ten years grooming Shu Heng into a qualified heir. She has the capability. As long as you give her a little time, she’ll definitely grow into the person you expect.”

The surprise in Shu’s Mother’s eyes was unconcealed. “Do you think you can’t handle being the leader of a company?”

“Quite the opposite. I believe I can also carve out achievements that are dazzling enough. I don’t have zero foundation in the entertainment industry. Compared to traditional industries, struggling within this circle suits me better.” Li Jianwei’s smile grew confident.

“If you’ve investigated me, you should know that over the past year, I’ve made many investments with returns over three hundred percent. If I can keep that up, even if I don’t reach a net worth of tens of billions, I can steadily hold a cash flow of two billion.”

“I don’t think abandoning my field of expertise to enter a relatively unfamiliar industry proves my strength.”

“Everyone has their own suitable position. Sometimes, it’s best for each to fulfill their own duties.”

There was no flaw to pick at in those words. Shu’s Mother even felt that if it were her, she couldn’t give a better response than Li Jianwei had.

This realization left Shu’s Mother with mixed feelings. The fact that Li Jianwei could see through her probing at a glance showed she was extremely perceptive and intelligent.

She just didn’t know if this answer came from Li Jianwei’s true heart or if her acting skills were so superb that even Shu’s Mother couldn’t spot any tricks.

“If you change your mind, you can come find me anytime.” Shu’s Mother didn’t jump to conclusions.

Just as Li Jianwei had said, she could still shine in her position for another decade or more. That was plenty of time to see Li Jianwei’s true nature clearly.

Knock knock—

The knock on the study door from outside came at just the right moment, bringing this conversation full of probing to an end.

“Mom, Teacher Li, these are the cookies and little breads I baked. Come try my handiwork!” Shu Heng appeared carrying two plates, humming a tune as she set them on the desk.

Shu’s Mother and Li Jianwei both gave resounding praise to the fruits of Shu Heng’s hard work. Each ate several pieces and gave thumbs up in compliments.

“Hehe, have you and Teacher Li finished chatting, Mom?” Shu Heng asked with wide eyes.

Shu’s Mother suddenly found the cookie in her hand less appetizing, but she adjusted her mindset. “We’re done. You young people go have fun if you have things to do.”

“Got it! Then I’ll take Teacher Li away, Mom. Make sure to rest and don’t work too hard.” Shu Heng flashed a big smile, grabbed Li Jianwei’s hand, and headed out.

“Auntie, goodbye.” Li Jianwei could only hurriedly say farewell as the Eldest Miss dragged her away.

After watching their backs disappear, Shu’s Mother sighed with a smile.

She hoped this Li Jianwei was as genuine as she appeared. That way, her own daughter could relax a bit and not have to work so hard.

–

Shu Heng felt a bit constrained in the Shu Old Mansion. After less than seven days, she found an excuse to leave. Then she went home and had an intense lovemaking session with her dear Teacher Li.

“Wu wu wu, Teacher Li, how could you tell Auntie behind my back! If I’d known, I would’ve had you give that textbook to Auntie as a New Year’s gift!”

Once Shu Heng got into the mood, she started grumbling and expressing her dissatisfaction.

“Hm? What textbook? You prepared a gift for Mom?” Li Jianwei, who had suddenly been bitten, couldn’t help but grimace. The movements of her hands paused as a result.

“Didn’t you say Auntie likes Professor Liu Zhen… I, I went and shelled out a sum of money for Professor Liu Zhen, and even got, got her autograph…”

Shu Heng’s words came out haltingly. In the end, she couldn’t resist biting Li Jianwei’s shoulder again until the trembling in her body subsided.

“It’s right there in my safe. But Professor Liu Zhen also told me her paper is about to be published, and she specially mentioned my name in the acknowledgments!”

The Eldest Miss, having recovered, immediately perked up. She started to get out of bed to show off the results of her efforts.

This left Li Jianwei with a sense of frustration. Had her skills regressed? How could the Eldest Miss get so distracted even while being intimate with her?

In the end, Shu Heng still didn’t manage to get out of bed again. Only after an hour did Li Jianwei carry her to the bathroom—and that was it.

–

Because Shu Heng wanted to wait for Professor Liu Zhen’s paper to be published, she didn’t rush back to meet her girlfriend’s parents. Instead, she pulled Li Jianwei along to shoot a dual-person magazine cover, excitedly preparing for their public reveal on November 21st.

If time had allowed, the Eldest Miss would have honed a skill to personally edit a CP video of the two of them for release on the 21st.

After a nighttime embrace and kiss, the Eldest Miss ceremoniously slipped a ring crafted from pink diamonds onto Li Jianwei’s finger.

Then, at 1:14 p.m. the next day, she posted on Weibo along with her girlfriend.

【Shu Heng V: Let me introduce—this is my girlfriend [Heart] @Li Jianwei V】

【Li Jianwei V: Hello everyone—this is my girlfriend @Shu Heng V】

Once the two Weibo posts went out, the platform exploded within half an hour. It lagged for over five minutes, frustrating the gossip-loving masses.

【Holy crap holy crap holy crap! It’s not April Fool’s today, right? The CP I ship is actually together like this, so fresh and juicy!】

【Aaaah! My CP is real! I’m gonna cry! Awoooo, my CP is real! (Screaming) (Excitedly writhing on the ground)】

【I knew it! When I saw the magazine cover, I thought Li Jianwei and Shu Heng were a perfect match!】

【Hmph hmph, I smelled the sour scent of romance the first time Teacher Li and Shu Heng were in the same frame.】

【They’re even wearing rings, so they definitely didn’t just start dating. So when did they get together?】

【Probably after the shoot when feelings heated up? After all, trips are prime time for romance to blossom?】

【Hahaha, doesn’t that make Jing Siwen a total third wheel? Is she an obstacle or a wingwoman for the little couple?】

After discovering she’d been dragged into the hot search along with them, Jing Siwen didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Truth be told, Jing Siwen also admired Li Jianwei and Shu Heng. There weren’t many couples in the industry who went public after confirming their relationship. Most were tied together by interests, and once circumstances changed, so did their relationships.

【Jing Siwen V: I’m definitely a wingwoman! You two teachers remember to send me a red envelope! And treat me to a meal!】

Jing Siwen didn’t miss this wave of heat. She was destined to mix in the variety show circle, and guaranteed exposure was very useful to her.

Shu Heng had a good impression of Jing Siwen and was happy to interact with her. Before long, she pushed the topic with Jing Siwen into the top ten hot searches.

The blessed Li Jianwei and Shu Heng were thrilled. The traffic-gaining Jing Siwen grinned from ear to ear.

The only ones relatively overworked were Sister Lu and Sister Qin, who were monitoring the platform’s activity to prevent any jealous artists from causing trouble.

As for a certain someone who had been abandoned by his company, saddled with massive debts, and preparing to leave the entertainment industry—he itched with hatred upon seeing the news.

But all he could do was grit his teeth. After all, he was now a pariah everyone wanted to beat. He couldn’t even go out for the short term.