Chapter 90: Let's Cooperate

Long-dormant memories suddenly surged forth.

It caught Yang Lan off guard.

Over these years, Lin Yeman had performed so normally in front of her that it couldn't have been more perfect.

Every day she saw her, she was all smiles, still sweetly calling her "Elder Sister" at every turn.

Her eyes seemed to hold a pool of spring water.

So many years had passed.

Yang Lan had assumed Lin Yeman had long since forgotten this little episode.

Unexpectedly.

She had actually remembered it all along.

No wonder Lin Yeman had always refused the promotions she arranged for her.

It turned out she had been preparing to leave Xingyao the whole time.

Seeing Yang Lan's expression turn somber.

Lin Yeman knew she had already understood her intentions.

"I haven't decided yet, but don't worry, it won't be now." Lin Yeman smiled indifferently, "I won't leave until I see Xingyao standing at its most brilliant peak."

"After all, I have poured my heart and soul into Xingyao for so many years, so naturally, I don't have the habit of giving up halfway."

Yang Lan looked at Lin Yeman silently, opening her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, only a heavy sigh remained.

She knew that saying anything more now would be of no use.

Come to think of it, Lin Yeman had always had complicated feelings toward their father since she was a child.

Longing to be loved on one hand, while wanting to escape on the other.

Regardless of whether Lin Yeman admitted it or not.

Although she and Lin Yeman were both daughters of Yang Huo.

Lin Yeman was actually the one most like their father, Yang Huo.

Equally paranoid, equally stubborn.

Once she decided on something, there was absolutely no room for negotiation.

Yang Lan's gaze swept back and forth between Shen Huai and Lin Yeman.

Finally.

She picked up her phone, gave Lin Yeman a deep look, and walked silently into the study next door.

About ten minutes later.

Yang Lan walked out of the study, her expression showing a sense of relief.

"Uncle Shen has agreed; if nothing goes wrong, you should receive the news in a moment."

Yang Lan held her phone and said, looking into Lin Yeman's eyes.

"Since the call has been made, I won't disturb Elder Sister's study of knowledge anymore."

Lin Yeman smiled and pushed the book *21 Days Crash Course in Love* toward Yang Lan, then hooked her arm through Shen Huai's again and walked out of the office door.

Halfway there, Lin Yeman suddenly turned back and gave Yang Lan a sly smile: "Elder Sister, this time, I won't compromise."

After saying this, Lin Yeman clamped Shen Huai's arm tightly.

She hugged Shen Huai's arm and refused to let go.

In an instant.

Shen Huai felt himself sinking into a dizzying swamp.

His dry Adam's apple rolled uncontrollably.

The soft, tender sensation was the kind that could make anyone immediately feel invigorated, no matter how many times they savored it.

It was simply incredible.

Seeing Shen Huai's dazed expression, Yang Lan's mouth instantly turned down.

She couldn't help but look down at her own, then gave a tactical cough: "Cough... Manman, you... this is the company, keep up your image!"

After a pause, Yang Lan's gaze swept toward Shen Huai, who was watching the show on the side.

"You're still laughing? Be careful or I'll uproot you entirely."

Shen Huai felt his lower abdomen tighten and hurriedly lowered his head to suppress his laughter.

"Get out, don't hover in front of me." Yang Lan issued an eviction order in a fit of pique.

The two were pushed and shoved out the door.

The moment she heard the crisp sound of the door closing behind them, Lin Yeman's affected smile vanished instantly.

She stood up straight and gently pulled her hand out of Shen Huai's arm.

"What's wrong?" Shen Huai asked subconsciously. "Nothing," Lin Yeman glanced at Shen Huai with a mischievous glint, "I just think your body is more honest than your mouth."

"..."

Shen Huai gritted his teeth and took a deep breath to suppress the restless little flame.

"So, when do you plan to leave?" Shen Huai asked.

Since it was just the two of them now, there was naturally no need to hide anything.

"Have you heard of the Ziwei Star?" Lin Yeman didn't answer Shen Huai directly, but instead threw out a random question.

"The Ziwei Star?"

Shen Huai raised an eyebrow and teased: "I couldn't tell that such a clear-headed and rational Team Leader Lin would actually believe in superstition?"

"Cut it out, I'm just asking if you know it or not?" Lin Yeman didn't fall for Shen Huai's act.

Shen Huai narrowed his eyes playfully and said: "The Ziwei Star is the Emperor Star; in Ziwei astrology, it represents 'honor' and is the master of official rank and wealth. In ancient times, it was generally a synonym for the Emperor. Why do you ask?"

Hearing this.

Lin Yeman looked up with appreciation, slightly surprised: "I didn't expect you to know."

"From last year to this year, there has been a rumor that the entertainment industry is about to welcome its own heaven-sent Ziwei Star, and the appearance of this artist will set the whole world ablaze."

"Not only will they become a top-tier existence that leaves everyone else in the dust, but they will also break the long-standing trend of Western cultural input crushing Eastern pop culture, becoming China's first international superstar in the true sense!"

"Oh? There's such a saying?" Shen Huai smiled, "But this sounds fake at first listen; you don't actually believe it, do you?"

Hearing this, the corners of Lin Yeman's eyes curved slightly, and she turned to Shen Huai with amusement: "Guess whether I believe it or not?"

She spun her phone with composure and said calmly: "Whether I believe it or not is not important; what matters is whose hands this artist is in."

"If it is true, then I must find them and hold them firmly in my own hands."

"If it is false, then I will create one, and then make them become true."

"The day I find this Ziwei Star will be the day I leave, and at that time, I will take them with me to create a more magnificent world."

When Lin Yeman said these words, her eyes flashed with an unprecedented brilliance.

Shen Huai stood by her side, silently watching Lin Yeman's grand ambitions, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Lin Yeman's words were like a whip with sharp barbs, lashing at his self-esteem one strike at a time.

With every lash, the hooks tore away bits of flesh, causing a dull ache in his heart.

Lin Yeman's core was too steady, making him look like a child who hadn't grown up.

Compared to her.

His own avoidance over these years was simply as childish and ridiculous as playing house.

Come to think of it.

Actually, he and Lin Yeman were the exact same type of person.

On one hand, completely disappointed in familial affection, yet on the other, longing to receive affirmation.

But when faced with the same suppressive upbringing and indifference, Lin Yeman had completed her own transformation step by step.

Now that everything was ready, she was only one step away from success.

And what about him?

He had chosen the most useless form of avoidance.

He would rather be a down-and-out ordinary person than face the heaviness and responsibilities he ought to face.

Too useless.

He was too useless.

He suddenly remembered what Lin Yeman had said to him after he was drunk that night.

"If it were me, I would definitely take advantage of the time while the Shen Family is at its peak, use every resource I could possibly use, lick clean every market I could touch, and then smash the bowl after eating my fill."

"Watching you avoid things like this, I simply feel like you are wasting resources."

Lin Yeman was right.

The Rome that countless people struggle their whole lives to reach was something he had possessed since birth.

Living in heaven, yet searching for heaven.

If this isn't affectation, what is? Suddenly.

Shen Huai felt a knot that had been pressing on his heart for a long time finally begin to loosen after so long.

That thought, which he had never mentioned to anyone, welled up from the bottom of his heart.

"Lin Yeman."

He stopped in his tracks and faced Lin Yeman: "After you find the Ziwei Star you spoke of, let's cooperate."

(End of this chapter)