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Xu Qingli returned home with a heavy heart, still feeling gloomy. She just wanted to indulge a little and maybe have some barbecue and beer.
But her assistant, Xiao Yezi, strictly enforced Shui Miao’s orders, keeping a tight rein on her diet. At this late hour, she could forget about her beloved barbecue and beer. She wasn’t even allowed any other snacks. At most, she was only allowed to have a glass of milk.
According to Shui Miao, even if Xu Qingli’s relationship with Wen Qiaozhou was currently in its ambiguous phase, she was still a celebrity. As long as she hadn’t officially left the industry yet, she had no choice but to maintain her image.
What if her connection to the Wen family turned out to be nothing? What if Wen Qiaozhou was just momentarily infatuated with her looks? If she ended up gaining weight, would he still like her?
Xu Qingli had no energy to argue with her and didn’t want to make things difficult for her assistant either, so she simply retreated to her bedroom, claiming she needed rest.
But sleep seemed to elude her. Instead, she pulled out her sketchpad and sat by the bed, drawing.
Whenever she was upset or facing difficulties, focusing on drawing always helped her to calm down.
Today, Xu Qingli wanted to sketch a comic of Wen Qiaozhou getting beaten up.
Though he hadn’t actually done anything to her, his attention alone had already put immense pressure on her. Anyways, it wasn’t like Wen Qiaozhou would ever find out about this. This was just a way for her to vent her anger peacefully.
She first started with an outline, but when she glanced back at it, she immediately forgot her original intention as the sketch was just too striking.
No wonder the author had declared him the most handsome man in the entire novel. Even as a mere outline, he was breathtaking.
Fictional characters really were the most handsome.
Xu Qingli had been drawing since childhood, and beautiful things always compelled her to capture them on paper, whether it be landscapes or people. She’d sketched plenty of attractive faces in real life, but none seemed to hold the same allure for her as Wen Qiaozhou’s.
Her desire to draw him getting pummeled faded. Now, she just wanted to create a proper portrait of this beauty. But as she tried filling in the details, she hit a snag—she didn’t actually know Wen Qiaozhou very well at all, and had little grasp of the specifics of his physique or facial features.
Attempting to fill in the gaps based on vague impressions or her general understanding of beauty only led to missteps.
He really was hard to draw. But then again, the most exquisite things always were—favored by the Creator, where the slightest deviation could ruin everything.
In the end, Xu Qingli gave up, unable to proceed further, and tucked the half-finished sketch into a drawer.
Next time she saw Wen Qiaozhou, she’d have to overcome her social anxiety and steal a few more glances.
Otherwise, this whole transmigration would feel like it had been wasted on her.
*
But the next morning, when Shui Miao knocked on her door bright and early to remind her about submitting documents at the company, all thoughts of admiring handsome men soon vanished from her mind.
What did Wen Qiaozhou even want with her information?
Couldn’t he just ask her directly if he wanted to know something? This was seriously unsettling!
Shui Miao was equally puzzled. When they arrived at the company and met Gao Xuan, she tried probing him for answers.
Gao Xuan clearly didn’t know the answer either, and simply handed over the form with a smile, explaining that it was something that was required by headquarters.
The form spanned five full A4 pages, covering everything imaginable, from basic details like height, weight, and blood type, to psychological aspects like hobbies, favorite colors, and foods, all the way down to environmental factors, including specifics like where she sat in kindergarten or who her first dance teacher had been. The list went on and on.
“There’s quite a bit to fill out, but just answer what you remember. It’s fine to leave blanks if you’re unsure,” Gao Xuan added helpfully.
Needing this much information from her… was definitely suspicious.
Shui Miao skimmed through the documents and gave Xu Qingli a meaningful look that seemed to say, Looks like you might really be part of the Wen family.
In this form, the proportion of questions about her childhood was noticeably larger.
But Xu Qingli wondered, Did Wen Qiaozhou want to see her real handwriting?
She could mimic the original owner’s handwriting temporarily, but with so many questions and having to write extensively while thinking, it was inevitable that she might slip up.
Had he truly noticed something off about her?
“Director Gao, is there an electronic version?” Xu Qingli quietly probed Gao Xuan. “With so many questions, if I make a mistake, rewriting would be troublesome… I think an electronic version would be more convenient… What do you think?”
“There is,” Gao Xuan replied without hesitation, even praising her. “Miss Xu is so thoughtful. I’ll send it to you right away.”
So straightforward?
Wasn’t this about checking her handwriting?
Xu Qingli was a bit puzzled.
But regardless, since Gao Xuan had already accommodated her request, Xu Qingli couldn’t say much else and had to exchange contact details with him.
Gao Xuan sent over the electronic version with a pleasant attitude, “Miss Xu, feel free to take it home and fill it out at your leisure. Just hand it to me when we shoot the promotional video this weekend.”
After all, it wasn’t very realistic to expect her to finish filling out so much information on the spot.
Xu Qingli agreed.
Seeing he had nothing else, the two took their leave.
Back in Shui Miao’s office, she quickly closed the door and stared intently at Xu Qingli.
“What’s wrong?” Xu Qingli felt unnerved by her gaze and touched her face. “Is there something on my face?”
“How are you so calm right now?” Shui Miao whispered excitedly. “Haven’t you realized yet?”
“Realized what?” Xu Qingli was confused.
“My guess must be right,” Shui Miao grabbed her hand. “Look, President Wen wasn’t even here today.”
“Huh?” Xu Qingli became even more confused.
What did that have to do with anything?
“President Wen paying so much attention to you can only mean two things: either he likes you, or you’re somehow connected to the Wen family,” Shui Miao analyzed logically. “Honestly, these documents seem extensive, but there’s nothing particularly special about them. If he liked you and wanted this much information, he should’ve called you to his office to fill it out in front of him—that way, he could keep looking at you…”
“…” Xu Qingli was speechless. “Sis, it’s such a shame you’re not a screenwriter.”
“You’re not even a little excited?” Shui Miao looked at her. “Since he didn’t use the documents as an excuse to see you, it’s more likely that your background is tied to the Wen family. Don’t you want to be part of the Wen family?”
Xu Qingli shook her head vigorously. “No.”
“Why not?” Shui Miao was surprised. Wasn’t it her dream to have a prestigious background?
“Just look at Wen Xiangxiang’s resources: aren’t you envious? And she’s just a distant relative. Yet President Wen personally intervened for you and is being so cautious about it… It must be a significant connection.”
All Xu Qingli wanted to do was leave the entertainment industry, so she felt no envy for Wen Xiangxiang’s resources. The only thing she envied was her freedom to come and go in the industry. However, being part of the Wen family would undoubtedly only bring her more complications, not less.
For example, according to the novel, Wen Qiaozhou alone had dozens of cousins, not to mention all his other relatives. Just thinking about it was already overwhelming. Besides, if the original owner really was part of the Wen family, why had she been left outside? This likely involved many secrets of high society, and just imagining all the drama and intrigue was enough to make her want to scream for help.
Compared to Shui Miao’s two speculations, Xu Qingli would rather believe the third possibility: that Wen Qiaozhou had noticed something unusual about her.
After all, when it came to the matter of a soul switching bodies, as long as she stubbornly denied it, even Wen Qiaozhou wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.
However, Shui Miao had always been sharp in judging people, and her reasoning made sense. So Xu Qingli still decided to be cautious, filling out the information with a mix of truth and lies. Especially when it came to her childhood memories. Anything that might be related to her origins, she deliberately kept vague.
*
pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:
The weekend arrived quickly—it was the day the company was scheduled to film the promotional video.
The shoot was taking place at one of the Wen family’s estates. Upon entering, the butler led them to the garden to rest, explaining that they would proceed to the filming location once everyone had arrived.
Shortly after they sat down, Shu Ruan and Wen Xiangxiang arrived one after another.
Shu Ruan spotted Xu Qingli and immediately came over to greet her.
Wen Xiangxiang, on the other hand, cast a distant glance in their direction before asking the butler for a blanket and lying down to catch up on sleep, with no intention of making small talk with them.
Xu Qingli had originally planned to go over and thank her, but now she didn’t have to agonize over that anymore.
Shu Ruan lowered her voice and handed Xu Qingli a small gift box, saying that it was a brooch she had made herself.
In the novel, Shu Ruan was known for her dexterity. Though she appeared as a stunning, aloof beauty, she secretly loved crafting cute little handmade trinkets, creating an endearing contrast. Several influential figures in the industry had also taken notice of her precisely because of this.
Xu Qingli opened the box and found a beautiful, exquisitely-made brooch. Coincidentally, the outfit she was wearing today seemed to be perfect for accessorizing with one, so she pinned it on immediately and thanked Shu Ruan profusely.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Xu Qingli couldn’t shake off her concerns about the personal information she had submitted. She lowered her voice and asked Shu Ruan, “Did you bring the documents today?”
This question was deliberately left vague. If Shu Ruan had also been asked to submit personal information, she would naturally understand. If she didn’t, then it would mean Wen Qiaozhou had only requested Xu Qingli’s documents, confirming that he was indeed specifically targeting her.
“Documents?” Shu Ruan blinked in slight confusion before replying, “I brought them.”
Xu Qingli quickly glanced at Shui Miao, who also looked surprised. Could it really be that the company had requested these documents? Was it simply because they were the female leads of the promotional video, and the company wanted to know more about them because it involved the company’s image?
“Just a moment.” Shu Ruan stood up and returned to her seat, retrieving a thick stack of documents from her bag before handing them to Xu Qingli.
Xu Qingli was torn between wanting to see the contents yet also feeling it might be inappropriate. But when she looked down, she realized it wasn’t personal information at all, it was actually the history of Wen Group’s development.
As the female leads of the promotional video, they naturally needed to be well-versed in Wen Group’s background. On the day the leads were finalized, Gao Xuan had also distributed these materials to everyone. No wonder Shu Ruan had misunderstood her meaning.
“Thank you,” Xu Qingli said, accepting the documents. “I just needed to look something up.”
Upon hearing this, Shu Ruan assumed she wanted to study and excused herself to go prepare elsewhere.
Xu Qingli pretended to read the materials, but her mind was in turmoil. Why was Wen Qiaozhou so focused on her? And what exactly was he planning to do?
Just as she was thinking about him, his deep and mellow voice sounded from behind her, “Miss Xu, are you studying diligently, or just cramming at the last minute?”
For a second, Xu Qingli thought she was hallucinating. Then she realized Wen Qiaozhou had actually arrived. Only one thought filled her mind:
Wen Qiaozhou might have discovered my secret. Since he’s so skilled at reading people, I have to stay on guard around him.
The best thing is not to think about anything at all. That way, he won’t have anything to observe.
“Good morning, President Wen.” Xu Qingli turned around and greeted him politely.
Wen Qiaozhou hadn’t seen the little figure above Xu Qingli’s head for several days and had genuinely started to miss it. Occasionally, he would even be momentarily distracted and wonder whether the chibi-style figure of her he had seen was real or not.
The moment their eyes met now, he couldn’t help but eagerly glance up at her head.
The little figure was still there, but… it was sitting in a chair, its hands and feet tightly bound with ropes that were nearly as thick as its wrists. Its mouth was stuffed with a large wad of fabric, completely unlike the staged kidnappings in TV dramas where the strip of cloth would fail to even smudge lipstick. This one was shoved in so tightly it looked downright uncomfortable. The little figure stared in his direction, its big eyes wide and round, brimming with confusion, innocence, and a pitiful plea for help.
Wen Qiaozhou: ???
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