C14 Chapter 14

Loong Yufan curled his lips into a faint smile. “You really care about this assignment?”

“Yeah. Honestly, I didn’t take it on willingly. I’m not capable of pulling it off. If I hadn’t run into you in France by pure luck, I wouldn’t have had any room to fight back—I’d just be stuck eating the loss.” Su Mengxin’s frustration surged up like it was about to spill over, but she forced it down.

She went on, “My assistant took the assignment without asking me. I had no idea while I was in France. And if I don’t finish it, I have to pay a $1 million penalty. Even if I sold everything I own, I still wouldn’t have a million dollars!”

Loong Yufan chuckled, sighing to himself. “This girl is way too naive. Someone clearly set a trap for her and she walked right into it. And she actually believed it.”

For reasons even he couldn’t quite name, he let out a soft laugh. “Su Mengxin, I think you’re too naive. And to protect that innocence of yours, I’ll do you a favor and set it up one more time. But I have one condition.”

It sounded like salvation. Su Mengxin immediately perked up. “Fine—say it. But it has to be within my abilities and it can’t be unethical. Otherwise, I’m not agreeing.”

Before he’d even stated his condition, she’d already laid out a whole list of ground rules.

Luckily, what he wanted fit her standards.

“Of course. Wait for my call.” Loong Yufan hung up, then summoned his secretary. “Move the New Edge Magazine interview up on the schedule.”

His secretary’s eyes widened. “Mr. Loong, don’t you usually refuse interviews like that?”

“We need to be seen more.” He paused, then added, “Same rules as always—I won’t appear in person. I’ll provide the answers ahead of time. Find someone to handle the rest and make sure it’s done.”

With everything arranged, Loong Yufan finally let out a quiet breath. Su Mengxin’s bright, expressive eyes flashed through his mind again—like they could speak on their own.

Su Mengxin felt like she’d been pulled back from the edge. She made a small fist and gave herself a quick you’ve got this gesture.

Loong’s Group was famously private. The questions Su Mengxin prepared weren’t meant to drag them into the spotlight—she just wanted to learn as much as she could.

That day, Yufan’s words had really gotten through to her, so Mengxin wasn’t about to set herself up by asking questions that would only annoy people.

Once the questions were ready, Yang Jiao glanced them over and sneered. “These questions of yours—there’s nothing in them that’ll draw viewers.”

“Really? And your whole list of digging into someone’s private life is supposed to be a draw?” Mengxin shot back. “Yang Jiao, after this, I’m filing a request to transfer to another department. Watch yourself.”

Mengxin’s gaze sharpened, cutting into Yang Jiao like a blade. If it weren’t for the rumors, she might’ve still been willing to trust her. But for Yang Jiao to leak something that personal? Better not to trust a woman like that.

With that thought, she made up her mind: from now on, she would personally review every detail of her schedule. Making decisions on something this important without even consulting her—she had some nerve.

Yang Jiao’s face flushed, then went pale. “Have you even thought about ratings? With these bland, harmless questions, who’s going to watch? Though, I guess you’ve already got enough buzz as it is.”

Mengxin picked up the glass on the coffee table, took a small sip, and looked up at her. The chill in her eyes made Yang Jiao shudder.

Setting the glass down, Mengxin rose slowly and stepped closer. “As my agent, you only need to know what you should do and what you shouldn’t. What you should say and what you shouldn’t. Whether something has ‘hook’ isn’t your call. And you don’t get to decide the questions.”

She walked past her. At the door, she turned back as if remembering something. “Oh, right. As my agent, be more careful next time. Don’t do what you shouldn’t, and if it’s something that needs to be discussed, then discuss it. Don’t waste your time on pointless stuff. And try using your head, okay? We’re interviewing Director Loong—the most mysterious CEO out there. He’s a businessman, not a celebrity. What’s the point of grilling him about his personal life? Honestly, I’m starting to wonder if you even think before you act.”

Yang Jiao’s face went stone-cold. It was the first time anyone had ever talked to her like that. But Su Mengxin wasn’t wrong—Yang Jiao was the manager, and she couldn’t exactly complain about how hard things were. No matter how furious she felt, there was nothing she could do. Besides, this mess was her fault to begin with. All she could do was clamp down on her lower lip, fists clenched so tight her nails dug into her palms. When she finally opened her hand, several crescent-shaped nail marks stared back at her. She had no choice but to swallow it.

Just thinking about the sky-high breach-of-contract penalty made Su Mengxin’s stomach turn cold. “What do I do… what do I do…” She tried to come up with a solution, but once she realized there was no way she could scrape together a million dollars, she had to drop that idea. Then she thought of Loong Yufan. Thank goodness she’d saved his number last time.

If anyone could help her, it was Loong Yufan. But she didn’t want to go to him—she’d already leaned on him once before. Su Mengxin sat there wrestling with herself for ages, talking herself into it bit by bit, until she finally decided to call.

She picked up her phone, set it down, then picked it up again. Finally, like she’d made up her mind for good, she grabbed it and opened the dialer, resigned—her expression set like she was heading into battle.