Chapter 71: From This Moment On, My World Is Filled Only with Your Shadow

Pei Qiaonian gazed at her thoughtfully.

Xu Yunzhu was highly sensitive to such looks. She immediately lifted her head, unwilling to let twenty million slip away, and hurriedly pledged her loyalty: “I’ve done exactly as you said. On the show, I kept at least three meters between myself and Pei Jin at all times. If he walked straight, I took the long way around; if he ate, I switched tables. We barely exchanged two words. I’ve already forgotten about him!”

Pei Qiaonian hadn’t even been thinking about that, but seeing how anxious she became, he couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. “You really get over people quickly, don’t you?”

Xu Yunzhu fell silent.

She forced herself to say something endearing, though her conscience protested, “That’s only because I met someone even more exceptional—you. The rest are insignificant now; my world is filled with your shadow, impossible to erase.”

She thought her words would disgust Pei Qiaonian enough to send him fleeing.

Unexpectedly, a faint smile appeared on his lips, and his cold expression softened, making him seem more approachable. He gave a low snort. “At least your taste isn’t completely hopeless.” His gaze drifted toward the crowd of fans, then he lowered his eyes and asked, “Jealous?”

“What?” Xu Yunzhu didn’t understand.

Pei Qiaonian, suppressing his impatience, repeated, “Are you jealous they have fans waiting for them at the airport, while you have none?”

Xu Yunzhu paused. She wasn’t particularly jealous, but she couldn’t deny there was a sense of disparity.

Honestly, she shook her head. “Not really. I think I’ll get better in the future too. One day, I’ll have fans picking me up at the airport and asking for my autograph.”

At the mention of autographs, her expression turned smug, and she whispered to Pei Qiaonian, “I’ve already mastered your signature. Unless someone looks very closely, they’d never know the difference.”

Pei Qiaonian’s gaze softened further. He reached out and pushed her head aside. “I don’t need you for that now. Keep up.”

With that, he strode away.

Xu Yunzhu straightened her baseball cap and grumbled, “So what if your legs are long…” Seeing Pei Qiaonian striding further ahead, she hurried after him. “Wait for me!”

Pei Jin, glancing away from the crowd, caught sight of this scene.

His breath caught. Was that Xu Yunzhu with his elder brother?

He tried to get a clearer look, but the throng of fans blocked his view.

By the time he looked again, the two figures had already disappeared.

He assumed he must have been mistaken.

After all, how could Xu Yunzhu possibly be with Pei Qiaonian?

In his memory, Pei Qiaonian had always looked down on Xu Yunzhu for being so shamelessly infatuated.

He despised anything undignified. Whenever Xu Yunzhu chased after him, hoping he’d spare her a glance, such lack of self-respect was, in Pei Qiaonian’s eyes, beneath contempt.

Besides, with so many people at the airport, and never having seen their faces, it wasn’t surprising that someone else’s back might look similar.

With a slight frown, he quickly left under the escort of his bodyguards.

Meanwhile, Ning Qinghuan was still patiently signing autographs for her fans.

He couldn’t wait for her.

Once in the car, Pei Jin stared at the number lying in his phone’s blacklist.

He could sense that Xu Yunzhu had truly stopped pestering him. She’d taken his money and kept her distance.

But distance meant everything related to him—including his family—should be avoided.

It would be best if she never appeared before him again.

Yet the scene from earlier planted a seed of doubt in his heart.

After much hesitation, he removed Xu Yunzhu’s contact from his blacklist.

But he didn’t send her a message.

…

When the first episode of the variety show ended, the biggest beneficiary turned out to be Xu Yunzhu.

Someone the company had planned to discard was suddenly revived.

Renewing her contract for another episode wasn’t remarkable in itself.

What mattered was that Xu Yunzhu received an invitation from the Pei Group to shoot a commercial for one of their products and become its spokesperson.

The company was incredulous when they received the news.

Even Sister Cheng found it hard to believe.

Had Xu Yunzhu’s luck changed so dramatically?

Being noticed by Director Xu had already been reason enough for excitement, but now there was a commercial opportunity waiting for her as well.

The company wanted to negotiate, suggesting they replace her with a more famous B-list celebrity to boost product sales.

But the Pei Group had insisted by name on Xu Yunzhu.

Naturally, they wouldn’t risk offending the Pei Group, so the commercial slot ultimately went to Xu Yunzhu.

Within a day, the news had quietly started to spread.

When Yu Momo heard, she remembered the luxury car Xu Yunzhu had driven recently.

So, was her mysterious sponsor a high-ranking executive at the Pei Group?

If not, there was no way she’d have such clout.

It seemed this person’s position was significant—perhaps a director or even a vice president.

Even just such a position was enough to make Yu Momo deeply envious.

Anyone in a senior role at the Pei Group would be worth at least a million, if not more.

Maybe he even held shares in the company.

Yu Momo was green with envy.

She worked tirelessly shooting short dramas, yet hadn’t gained much fame, her acting hadn’t improved, and she’d had to endure the unspoken rules from older men and directors.

Thinking of this, Yu Momo angrily pulled out her phone, switched to her alternate account, and posted: [A certain star surnamed Xu is rumored to be the spokesperson for Pei Group’s new product. Fallen so low, yet still gets such gigs. Tsk tsk…]

After editing, she finally felt a sense of relief.

She was determined to uncover the backer behind Xu Yunzhu.

Yu Momo wasn’t the only one feeling bitter. In the Xu family villa, Xu Mu Ning was equally restless.

She swept an exquisite porcelain set off the table in a fit of rage, her delicate face twisted with hatred. “Xu Yunzhu must have succeeded in seducing him. Why does that wretch always have to seduce men? That day, I should have been the one to win Mr. Pei’s favor, but Xu Yunzhu insisted on sitting next to him, drawing his attention, and even stirred up trouble to get me thrown out.”

Every time Xu Mu Ning thought of this, she was overwhelmed with shame and fury, wishing she could silence everyone who knew about it.

Never before in her life had she been thrown out so unceremoniously by bodyguards, utterly humiliated.

And it was Xu Yunzhu’s uncle who’d had her thrown out—the one behind it all was Xu Yunzhu.

She bit her lip in hatred, unable to hold back her tears. “Mom, you really meant for me to meet Mr. Pei that day, not just for me to be Xu Yunzhu’s sidekick, right? With that face of hers, I look like a joke just standing next to her.”

She wished Xu Yunzhu’s beauty would be ruined, so she’d have nothing left to attract men.

Only after Xu Mu Ning had vented her anger did Madam Xu steady her emotions and say, “Ningning, I never thought that way. I’ve always wanted you to have a better life than Xu Yunzhu. In Haicheng, your grandmother wanted to see Xu Yunzhu, and since she happened to be here, I called her over. I didn’t expect her intentions to be so obvious. If I’d known, I would have sent her away immediately.”

Regret colored Madam Xu’s tone.

She blamed herself for ruining Xu Mu Ning’s chances.

If Pei Qiaonian had taken a liking to Xu Mu Ning, the commercial endorsement would have fallen to her, and the Xu family would have benefited as well.

Her brows knit tightly.

A venomous glint flashed in Xu Mu Ning’s eyes. “If only Xu Yunzhu were dead. She should never have come back.”