Chapter 177.2: Poaching with a High Salary
Another winter break arrived.
On the first day of the break, the official Weibo account of New Life finally announced its release date.
Ever since Shen Xiu appeared at K Corp as “President Shen,” almost all netizens had come to the conclusion that New Life would be his final work in the entertainment industry as Director Shen.
As a result, anticipation among fans rose to a whole new level.
#NewLifeReleaseDate
#DirectorShen’sFinalWork
#FromNowOnHe’sPresidentShen
…
— I’m ready! When ticket sales open, I’m sitting on the router to get first dibs!
— Draw your swords, sisters! This time, I must get a ticket for the first screening to make up for missing out on the first showing of Storm!
— I bet a bag of spicy strips that Boss Xiu’s social media is now being handled by that rumored agent who types faster than an AI. Lately, aside from mechanical reposts, there have been no replies in the comments. Just thinking about Xiu-baby leaving us soon makes me feel so down.
— Bit of gossip: I heard the CEO of Taihe wants to poach Boss Xiu with a sky-high salary. Is that true?
— Where did that rumor come from? Totally fake. Unless the Taihe CEO has lost his mind, he’d never say something like that!
—
With seven days left until New Life’s official premiere, Shen Xiu—having just finished his final first-semester classes of senior year and using that semester to tie up all the loose ends across the various worlds—finally had time to take Lucky to Yicheng to meet its older brothers and sisters.
Before leaving, Shen Xiu remembered the promise he and his friends made back in Yicheng, so he sent a message to the group chat.
[Group Chat]
Shen Xiu: From tomorrow until next Wednesday, four days total. Anyone up for a trip to Yicheng?
Xiang Yueting:!
Xiang Yueting: Hand raised, I’m in!
Xia Wenhao: [Picture] I happen to be vacationing in Yicheng. I’ll wait for you all.
Song Chengwang: Count me in.
Shang Yu: Let’s go together.
…
Everyone in the group was going, so Shen Xiu typed:
Shen Xiu: Alright, I’ll make the arrangements.
As the captain of The Galaxy, no one had any objections to Shen Xiu taking the lead on arrangements.
After exiting the group chat, Shen Xiu dialed a number he hadn’t contacted in a long time—Fang Heng.
Fang Heng had just gotten off a flight less than ten minutes ago when he received Shen Xiu’s call. Even while sitting in the car, he instinctively straightened his posture, responding respectfully, as if Shen Xiu were standing right in front of him.
“Mr. Shen, hello. How can I be of service?”
Hearing this, Shen Xiu simply said, “Arriving in Yicheng the day after tomorrow at 7 PM. Stay at Auser Manor. Book eight guest rooms.”
Fang Heng immediately understood: “Understood, Mr. Shen. Don’t worry, I’ll handle everything.”
After hanging up, Fang Heng ignored the curious glance from Fang Mo beside him and directly began making arrangements by phone.
Only after everything was settled did he turn to Fang Mo and say, “What do you want to say?”
Fang Mo replied with certainty, “It was Mr. Shen!”
Only Mr. Shen could make his brother this cautious and formal over a phone call, even from thousands of miles away.
Fang Heng nodded. “Mm.”
Fang Mo said awkwardly, “Before, I was wondering why Mr. Shen hadn’t contacted you in so many years. I thought maybe something had happened. Now I see—I was overthinking it.”
Fang Heng didn’t find anything unusual about it. He opened his laptop, resumed his work, and replied with a calm expression, “Never try to judge Mr. Shen with an ordinary person’s logic. It won’t work. If he doesn’t make contact, there’s a reason.”
At this point, Fang Heng paused in his typing and said with a sigh, “Maybe it’s just like the Xiuologists say—everything we did in the past, all those industries, were just Mr. Shen grinding experience points. They were never important enough to hold his attention.”
The times when he had fought side by side with Shen Xiu now felt like a dream.
If not for the scars still on his body, he might have thought it was a dream.
But every time he saw Shen Xiu, or even just heard the name “Shen Xiu,” everything would come alive again.
Fang Mo: “…Wow, brother, I didn’t expect you to look so serious on the surface, but secretly you’re surfing the internet like a 5G veteran!”
Fang Mo pulled off his “cool guy” sunglasses, took out his phone, opened the super-topic forum, and proudly displayed his fan level.
“I never dared say anything before, afraid you’d scold me for slacking off. But now? We’re the same! Come on, brother—show me your fan badge. What level Xiuologist are you?”
Fang Heng: “…?”
Is that the point here?
Fang Heng’s mouth twitched slightly as he resisted the urge to beat Fang Mo up.
“Either shut up, or get out and walk home yourself!”
Fang Mo: “…Okay, okay, I’ll shut up.”
(But in his heart—)
‘Pfft, what’s there to be shy about? It’s not like I’d mock him for being a closet fan!’
—
When they arrived at the location Shen Xiu had sent, Xiang Yueting took off his “cool guy” sunglasses and exclaimed:
“Captain Xiu didn’t even tell us he’d arranged for a private jet!”
Mu Zhenchu rested his arm casually on Xiang Yueting’s shoulder:
“Just admit it—do you like it or not?”
Xiang Yueting: “I love it!”
Right after he said that, he spotted Shang Yu and ran toward him excitedly: “Long time no see!”
Jiang Yanxi had hitched a ride with Shang Yu. As he got out of the car and saw Xiang Yueting giving Shang Yu a warm hug, he said with a gloomy voice, “Why aren’t you hugging me too? You’re being totally biased.”
Xiang Yueting: “…?”
Zhuang Yi, who had also hitched a ride with Shang Yu, got out of the car and cleared up Xiang Yueting’s confusion:
“Yanxi recently took on a new role—he’s playing a green-tea-type second male lead. His lines are super manipulative. That line just now was one of his lines.”
Xiang Yueting: “Ohhh, that makes sense. You scared me! When he suddenly said that, I got goosebumps all over… Wait—how do you know?”
Zhuang Yi replied sheepishly, “Because I’m acting in the same drama with Yanxi. I’m the male lead. He’s being tea toward me.”
That’s why, having done scenes with Jiang Yanxi, he was so familiar with those lines.
While they were chatting, Song Chengwang’s car arrived.
After getting out, Song Chengwang waved his driver off.
Staff: “Mr. Song, please hand us your luggage.”
Song Chengwang: “Thank you.”
Staff: “You’re welcome.”
As the staff moved Song Chengwang’s luggage onto the plane with the others’, he walked toward Jiang Yanxi and the group.
Song Chengwang: “What are you all talking about? I could hear Old Xiang’s voice from all the way over there.”
Xiang Yueting summarized: “About how Yanxi suddenly became all green-tea-like.”
Song Chengwang: “…?”
Looking around and not seeing Shen Xiu, Song Chengwang seemed to remember something, and his gaze darkened as he turned to Shang Yu.
Ever since Shang Yu had returned to the company, he hadn’t met up with them offline in a long time.
As a result, Song Chengwang had never gotten the chance to properly scold him for his actions, and the pent-up frustration had been stewing for a while.
Song Chengwang: “You, come with me.”
Shang Yu maintained his usual smile. “Let’s go.”
Song Chengwang glanced at the curious Xiang Yueting: “Don’t follow. We’re going to fight.”
They’d known each other long enough to understand one another’s temperaments.
Among them, Song Chengwang and Xia Wenhao were definitely the most hot-tempered—perfectly capable of throwing punches over a disagreement.
Once they had walked a bit farther away, Shang Yu looked at Song Chengwang. “Alright, speak.”
Song Chengwang: “I finally get it now—back at the villa, when you wouldn’t let me see what was inside the study, it was because you already knew Shen Xiu wasn’t just ‘Shen Xiu.’ He was also President Shen. Be honest—did you already guess his real identity back then?”
Shang Yu had indeed taken a quick glance back then and noticed some things related to K Corp. He had more or less figured out Shen Xiu’s identity.
And now, reality had proven that his guess was correct.
But—
Shang Yu looked at Song Chengwang with a small smile. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Song Chengwang raised a hand, aiming to punch Shang Yu’s shoulder.
But as his hand came down, Shang Yu easily caught it.
Song Chengwang struggled a bit, but couldn’t move, and cursed, “Damn it—let go!”
Shang Yu held onto his hand without flinching and said calmly, “I just didn’t want anyone feeling upset, so I’d rather everyone think I was the same as all of you—that I didn’t know anything before Shen Xiu made it public.”
Song Chengwang rolled his eyes dramatically. “Fine, got it.”
“You people who handle everything so flawlessly are scary.”
Shang Yu kept smiling. “You get used to it.”
With that, he finally let go of Song Chengwang’s hand.
Not far away, Mu Zhenchu and the others, watching from a distance, let out a collective sigh of relief.
Mu Zhenchu: “Judging by Old Song’s face, I almost thought they were gonna fight. But Shang Yu’s got such a good temper—how could he have pissed Old Song off?”
“No idea. Why don’t you go ask Old Song?”
“Forget it, I’m not—ah! Captain Xiu’s here! Captain Xiu, over here!” Xiang Yueting waved excitedly when he saw Shen Xiu stepping out of the car.
Shen Xiu was holding Lucky in his arms as he strode over to the group.
“I don’t know why, but every time I see Captain Xiu expressionless, with that powerful boss-face holding Lucky, I get this weirdly surreal feeling.”
“What surreal? That’s what you call contrast cuteness—like a killer with a flower. Get it?”
Lucky wasn’t new to going out, nor was this the first time meeting the members of The Galaxy. When it saw them, it wriggled a bit in Shen Xiu’s arms and then jumped down, trotting toward the group.
Xiang Yueting squatted down, ready to welcome Lucky.
But in front of everyone, Lucky ran right past Xiang Yueting—and straight toward Zhuang Yi.
Xiang Yueting: “…”
Everyone else: “Hahahahaha…”
“How many times has this happened? Old Xiang, why haven’t you given up yet?”
“Damn it, why does Lucky always run to Zhuang Yi the moment it leaves Captain Xiu’s arms? Zhuang Yi, do you speak cat or something?”
Zhuang Yi awkwardly picked Lucky up. He had no idea why Lucky always liked being held by him.
Zhuang Yi explained helplessly: “From Captain Xiu’s arms to mine, Lucky hasn’t made a sound.”
In other words: no secret cat language involved.
Shen Xiu, who had walked over by now, overheard the comment and spoke up on Zhuang Yi’s behalf:
“It’s because Lucky likes curling up in the arms of people who don’t talk much and don’t pet it too much.”
Most of the time, when he overdid the cuddling, Lucky would just ignore him out of fairness.
But when he was too busy to give it any attention, Lucky would come up with all kinds of tricks to get noticed.
All in all, sometimes being a bit cold and aloof made Lucky clingier.
Xiang Yueting: “…”
Isn’t that just saying I talk too much?
Xiang Yueting felt like he’d been hit square in the heart. Clutching his chest, he cried out,
“Captain Xiu, you’re shrimp-hearted and pig-lunged!”
Shen Xiu: “…”
The truth hurts. Maybe next time, he really should just keep his mouth shut.
Just then, a staff member stepped up to Shen Xiu and respectfully reminded him in a low voice: “Mr. Shen, we’re ready to depart.”
Shen Xiu gave a small nod. “Mm.”
Then he turned to his friends. “Let’s go.”
To be honest, traveling with these friends—who didn’t fear him, who saw him as one of them rather than as a boss or superior—was a completely different kind of experience from before.
And Shen Xiu was genuinely looking forward to it.
—
At 7 p.m. local time, the group arrived in Yicheng.
When they saw the familiar Fang Mo and the group of bodyguards behind him, Ning Sinian and the others were reminded of the fear they had experienced in Basat—being surrounded by armed guards on all sides.
Xiang Yueting recalled what Song Chengwang had said, and his gaze involuntarily fell to the bodyguards’ waists.
The group stood still, not moving.
Shang Yu hadn’t gone to Basat and didn’t find the crowd of bodyguards all that surprising, so he didn’t quite understand their reaction.
He glanced at Xiang Yueting’s expression, then at the bodyguards Xiang was staring at. “What is it?”
Xiang Yueting leaned in close to Shang Yu’s ear. It was winter in Yicheng, and under the light, his words turned into little puffs of white mist. “…Long story short, they’re terrifying.”
Shang Yu: “……”
Shen Xiu also recalled his own experience in Basat when he saw Fang Mo.
Thinking about how he’d been too afraid to wander around and had stayed in the room, gloomily and obsessively studying the layout—
Shen Xiu: “……”
He didn’t know if Fang Mo felt awkward, but he certainly did.
As Fang Mo walked toward Shen Xiu, being stared at with such a cold gaze made even his steps feel unnatural.
Forcing himself to approach, Fang Mo spoke in a low voice, “Mr. Shen.”
Shen Xiu’s distant gaze landed on him. “Where’s Fang Heng?”
At least with Fang Heng, it wouldn’t be so awkward!
Fang Mo: “……”
Seriously? After all this time, Mr. Shen is still mad about his probing back in Basat?
As expected, he really holds a grudge!
Fang Mo awkwardly said, “My big brother, he…”
Before Fang Mo could finish his sentence, the sound of screeching brakes rang out. He turned his head and saw a familiar car pull up, followed by a familiar figure stepping out.
In the next moment, that figure quickly walked toward them.
Fang Heng stopped in front of Shen Xiu and apologized respectfully, “Apologies, Mr. Shen, something came up at the last minute, so I arrived late.”
Seeing Fang Heng made Shen Xiu feel much less awkward, and he didn’t mind. “Let’s go.”
“Alright.”
Realizing Shen Xiu wasn’t angry, Fang Heng breathed a sigh of relief. He naturally took Shen Xiu’s suitcase from the accompanying staff of the private jet.
“Mr. Shen, this way please.”
After speaking, he also turned to the members of The Galaxy behind Shen Xiu. “Everyone, please.”
Shang Yu raised his brows slightly. This Fang Heng was clearly much more competent than Fang Mo—just like that Qin Mo person, he must also have Shen Xiu’s deep trust.
Completely ignored, Fang Mo: “……”
He was now full of regret. Deep, bitter regret!
“Meow!”
Lucky had finally finished playing. With a meow, it jumped down from someone’s arms and ran straight toward Shen Xiu.
Shen Xiu crouched down and picked Lucky up with a touched expression.
With the soft, fluffy fur in his arms, Shen Xiu couldn’t help but rub it a few more times.
Lucky had finally remembered him—what a miracle!
Fang Heng watched as Shen Xiu, expressionless, held what looked like a pitch-black furball in his arms, his slender fingers gently stroking its fur.
Fang Heng: “……”
Although he already knew Shen Xiu kept a cat, seeing it with his own eyes was still such a surreal contrast!
Noticing Fang Heng’s gaze, Shen Xiu asked, “Is there a problem?”
Fang Heng immediately shook his head. “None at all!”
For a cat to be personally raised—and even cuddled—by the cold and ruthless Mr. Shen, it must truly be an extraordinary cat!
**TN
shrimp-hearted and pig-lunged – a pun on “heartless and cruel”
