In the end, she ran upstairs crying, leaving Lu Chiyuan to deal with the mess she’d made.

Uncle Lin arranged for new cleaners to thoroughly clean the villa inside and out. Lu Chiyuan instructed him to take inventory of the villa’s assets and to have someone keep an eye on that aunt.

The necklace he had bought at the auction came with security measures. If anyone other than the owner tried to sell it, it would raise suspicion.

However, it wasn’t out of the question that the other party might use unofficial channels to sell it privately.

Uncle Lin understood Lu Chiyuan’s intent. If they caught the culprit red-handed, the value of that necklace was enough to send someone to prison.

With the trouble at the villa resolved, Jiang Chen glanced at his watch. Their dinner meeting with Tianxing Entertainment had long since ended.

On the way to the villa, Lu Chiyuan had delegated the matter to Lu Mingxuan, but it was unclear how it had turned out.

“Brother Lu, are we heading back to the company now? You have an internal meeting at three this afternoon.”

Jiang Chen, ever dutiful, didn’t forget to remind Lu Chiyuan of his schedule.

[As expected, whenever he encounters the female lead, he gets nothing done.]

Jiang Chen felt exhausted on Lu Chiyuan’s behalf, and this wasn’t an isolated incident—it happened frequently later on.

Lu Chiyuan called Lu Mingxuan to check on the dinner meeting.

The person who answered wasn’t Lu Mingxuan but Xu Chen, who said playfully, “One of their male artists sat on Lu Mingxuan’s lap right away, feeding him drinks. Mingxuan was so startled he’s now in the bathroom, throwing up like the world’s ending. He’s demanding you compensate him for emotional distress.”

Lu Chiyuan remained silent.

Xu Chen continued, “The talks didn’t go well. That guy was asking for the moon. I did some digging, and at their company, cases like Ling Qi’s aren’t uncommon. They make money off artists’ breach-of-contract fees and have no real plans for their artists’ careers. If you only want to sign Ling Qi, I can ask my mom to poach him for you.”

“Wouldn’t that be too much trouble for Aunt Xu?”

The Xu family was deeply entrenched in the entertainment industry. Aunt Xu had been a renowned top-tier agent in her early years, though she’d stepped back from managing new talent in recent years.

“It’s rare for you to want to shine in the entertainment industry. I’ll sweet-talk her for you, no big deal.” Xu Chen assumed Lu Chiyuan was planning to expand into the entertainment sector and properly manage the entertainment company he held shares in, so he was happy to help.

Entrusting Ling Qi’s matter to Xu Chen, Lu Chiyuan made two more work-related calls, handing off tasks and canceling the internal meeting.

After finishing, he had the driver bring the car around and said to Jiang Chen, “Come with me to the school. I want to talk to the teacher about Shen Zhiyi’s academic situation.”

If it weren’t for overhearing Jiang Chen’s thoughts, Lu Chiyuan would still be in the dark about Shen Zhiyi’s expulsion.

The bizarre car accident that day had forced him to cancel his plans, and today, with Shen Zhiyi’s outburst, he realized it had been a long time since he’d checked on her studies or personal life.

He shouldn’t have made such a basic mistake.

It was as if some force was deliberately making him overlook things.

It wasn’t a weekend, and the school was in session. With the college entrance exam approaching, teachers in every class were especially strict.

Lu Chiyuan chose to visit during class hours. Shen Zhiyi’s homeroom teacher was waiting for him in the office, visibly surprised to see him.

From the teacher, Lu Chiyuan learned about a Shen Zhiyi completely different from the one he knew.

Shen Zhiyi had always been an excellent student, never needing her family to worry about her.

Before starting high school, her parents had asked her what kind of school she preferred. Shen Zhiyi said she didn’t want to attend an elite academy and instead tested into the city’s top public high school.

Back then, she was independent and resilient. She initially commuted, but when Mother Lu noticed how exhausting it was for her to wake up early in winter, she helped Shen Zhiyi apply for a dorm spot and signed a safety agreement.

Shen Zhiyi could choose whether to live at home or at school.

She excelled academically, was proactive, and was well-regarded by her teachers, leaving a good impression on all her subject instructors.

However, after entering her senior year, particularly in the second half, Shen Zhiyi’s grades began to slip, and her ranking dropped rapidly. The homeroom teacher spoke with her, asking if she was under too much pressure or facing difficulties in her personal life.

Shen Zhiyi said no and promised she’d adjust.

In the next mock exam, she did improve her ranking slightly, and the teacher, thinking she’d bounced back, was delighted.

But soon after, Shen Zhiyi caused a scandal by bringing a boy into the girls’ dormitory. Her roommates, returning from evening self-study, found the door ajar and thought there was a thief.

They hurriedly pushed the door open and turned on the light, only to see the boy, shirtless, lying on a bed. The girls were terrified and immediately alerted the dorm supervisor.

It was the peak time after evening self-study, with students coming and going in the hallways. The incident blew up, creating a terrible impact and sparking online controversy.

The homeroom teacher contacted the emergency contact Shen Zhiyi had listed, but it wasn’t Lu Chiyuan who showed up—it was Chen Jiu. Chen Jiu quickly suppressed the public backlash and contained the situation.

The school initially planned to expel Shen Zhiyi, but after some unknown discussion with Chen Jiu, both sides compromised. They retained her student status and allowed her to take the college entrance exam.

The teacher felt it was a pity. She privately asked a few of Shen Zhiyi’s close classmates and learned that Shen Zhiyi’s grades had dropped because she was in a relationship. The boy she brought to the dorm was her boyfriend.

The teacher couldn’t understand it. Having taught Shen Zhiyi for three years, she saw her as a quiet, sensible girl who didn’t seem like someone who’d do such a thing.

She considered contacting Chen Jiu again but found his number blocked.

She was both frustrated and amused, so when Lu Chiyuan reached out, introduced himself as Shen Zhiyi’s guardian, and requested a meeting, she was genuinely surprised.

Leaving the teacher’s office, Lu Chiyuan contacted the school principal to inquire about the details of how Chen Jiu had handled the situation.

The principal was taken aback to hear from him, as Chen Jiu had acted in Lu Chiyuan’s name when dealing with the school. Lu Chiyuan’s personal involvement now suggested something was amiss.

The principal, sharp as ever, recounted the events of that day and ended with some polite pleasantries.

Lu Chiyuan didn’t bring up Shen Zhiyi’s punishment, and the principal played dumb.

After hanging up, Lu Chiyuan was silent for a long time.

Jiang Chen walked with him through the campus, knowing his mind was in turmoil.

From this point, Shen Zhiyi’s fate took off, racing toward a path of being fiercely pampered by a domineering CEO. Meanwhile, Lu Chiyuan, as a mere tool in the story, remained completely oblivious.

But the car accident had disrupted the original trajectory.

By noticing the Shen family’s existence early, Lu Chiyuan had Uncle Lin deal with them, removing an obstacle from Shen Zhiyi’s path.

Coming to the school to check on her situation, he discovered Chen Jiu had been acting behind his back, using his name to back Shen Zhiyi.

With this incident, there was no way he’d keep Chen Jiu by his side, which meant Shen Zhiyi lost an ally.

In the original story, Chen Jiu was a troublemaker, but his schemes targeted Lu Chiyuan, unlike Jiang Chen, who targeted both the male and female leads.

So Chen Jiu’s ending was relatively good—described by the author as a successful exit.

[Will the baby finally make up his mind to fire Chen Jiu this time? That guy’s the best at throwing his weight around. Not only is he using the baby’s name to help Shen Zhiyi now, but he does it plenty later, too, ruining the baby’s reputation.]

Jiang Chen felt annoyed thinking about Chen Jiu’s later actions. He stole a glance at Lu Chiyuan, who was silent, and mentally contacted Snowball.

[Baby’s been good to him, giving him a job when he was at his lowest, but he’s quick to bite the hand that feeds him. Snowball, is there any dirt we can dig up on him?]

[Oh, there’s plenty!] Snowball eagerly searched. 

[His face screams bad news. His personal life’s a mess—he likes messing with underage boys and girls. And that club he frequents? The male lead’s the real controlling shareholder.]

Jiang Chen frowned. Wasn’t that just handing the male lead leverage?

No, the male lead was running an illegal operation! The book brushed it off as a “gray industry,” but was it really this disgusting?

[Oh, Host, he also tried to molest the original body, but the original fought back. No wonder he picked the original as cannon fodder—it was deliberate revenge.]

Jiang Chen shuddered. The original body was naive and might not have picked up on verbal harassment or subtle physical advances. For him to fight back, Chen Jiu must have gone too far.

[We should find a chance to beat him up.]

Jiang Chen fumed.

[In a civilized society, fighting disrupts harmony. I suggest using legal, proper methods.] Snowball added, [Chen Jiu’s at the club right now. He’s on leave, feeling frustrated, and dove headfirst into the club to vent. I have a one-tap report function. Want to use it, Host?]

[Yes, yes, yes! Send that scum to jail now!]

Jiang Chen didn’t hesitate, but then he remembered something critical.

[Wait, the law in this world doesn’t work on the male lead.]

In domineering CEO stories, the police are often Schrodinger’s cops—sometimes reporting a crime solves nothing.

Jiang Chen could predict a few outcomes: one, the police do nothing; two, they can’t take anyone away; three, they arrest Chen Jiu but can’t touch the club.

Since Chen Jiu was Lu Chiyuan’s security, the male lead, lacking any conscience, might shift the blame to Lu Chiyuan to deflect attention.

Jiang Chen wavered.

Snowball reassured him, [Don’t worry, Host. If my one-tap report function is active, it means this world’s law enforcement is robust and can strike hard.]

Jiang Chen’s eyes lit up.

[Then what are we waiting for? Get him!]

Jiang Chen turned to Lu Chiyuan and said directly, “Brother Lu, I didn’t mention this before because I didn’t want to upset you, but Chen Jiu’s a bad egg. He’s been harassing employees behind your back. Can you fire him?”

Lu Chiyuan, who’d been listening the whole time: “…”

He’d expected Jiang Chen to at least be subtle and test his stance, not go straight for the jugular.

“He’s crossed my line this time. He won’t stay in the group. As for his moral failings, we can have the PR department issue a statement and warn others in the group.”

Jiang Chen asked, “Can the statement go out today?”

Snowball had already reported the club’s address, involving minors, so the police would act swiftly.

They needed to drop this bombshell before the news broke.

Lu Chiyuan didn’t ask why. “Yes. Let’s head back, and I’ll arrange it.”

The school wasn’t the place for business talk. Jiang Chen assumed “head back” meant the company, but they ended up at Moonlit Lakeside.

Following Lu Chiyuan, Jiang Chen watched him head to the other side of the complex and enter another villa.

The house was cleverly positioned directly in front of Shen Zhiyi’s villa, but the greenery obscured the view, making it hard to notice from her side.

Inside, the higher floors overlooked the greenery, and from the second-floor rear balcony, you could see Shen Zhiyi’s villa.

[Did the baby buy another villa?]

Jiang Chen studied the decor and layout. It didn’t feel like a newly bought house; it had a lived-in vibe.

“This is Xu Chen’s house. We’re staying here for a couple of days,” Lu Chiyuan explained, hearing him and wanting to avoid misunderstandings.

When he’d bought Shen Zhiyi’s villa, it was partly because it was close to the school and partly because Xu Chen said the greenery here was nice and quiet.

Xu Chen had bought his house early but barely lived in it, with only housekeepers coming and going.

Knowing Lu Chiyuan needed a place, Xu Chen generously offered it.

“We? I’m staying here too?”

Jiang Chen was surprised. Shouldn’t he be off work?

Lu Chiyuan looked at him. “It counts as overtime. You’ll get paid.”

Sleeping could count as overtime? Jiang Chen beamed, agreeing instantly.

Who’d say no to extra money?

He gleefully imagined spending a wonderful evening with the baby, feeling a bit excited.

But that excitement quickly fizzled out, leaving only one thought: [Damn dog of a man.]