Ah Xuan, not answering the phone

The employees returned to their posts, pretending to work for a while before they couldn’t resist creating a small group chat to exchange messages.

[Even though Lin Li overheard our conversation, he didn’t punish us. I thought he’d fire us, but he just brushed it off. He’s so understanding—maybe we were wrong to talk about him like that?]

[You kids are so easily fooled. You didn’t see how terrifying his expression was earlier when no one noticed him. He looked like he wanted to devour someone.]

[Exactly! Lin Li is a master at putting on an act. Don’t be deceived. The only reason he’s not firing us now is because he’s still just a small-time executive. If he dismissed us outright, wouldn’t the chairman have something to say? My guess is he’s biding his time for revenge later.]

Lin Li had thought his lenient attitude might soften the employees’ opinions of him, but they had seen right through him.

Sitting in his office, Lin Li couldn’t stop replaying their words in his mind.

This was what he had heard—how much more were they saying behind his back?

"Ah—!"

Lin Li slammed his fist onto the desk in frustration.

His reputation had once been impeccable, praised wherever he went. But first, Shen Qianqian, and now the rumors about him being a eunuch and deceiving Feng Yaya into marriage—Lin Xuan had utterly destroyed his name!

"Lin! Xuan!"

Lin Li gritted his teeth, each syllable dripping with chilling hatred. "Just you wait!"

One day, he would repay Lin Xuan a thousandfold for everything he was enduring now.

That bastard Lin Xuan had the luck of the devil, cozying up to Su Hua, the top business magnate in Daxia.

If it weren’t for Su Hua’s protection, Lin Xuan would already be crushed under his heel, never to rise again!

Lin Li’s thoughts darkened further as he recalled Feng Yaya’s confession in the basement—her feelings for Lin Xuan.

He would keep a close eye on Feng Yaya. When she pursued Lin Xuan, he’d take photos and videos to show Su Hua.

One Shen Qianqian might be something Lin Xuan could explain away, but with Feng Yaya added to the mix? Su Hua wouldn’t be so quick to trust him again.

A woman of her status would never tolerate betrayal.

Heh.

By then, Lin Xuan wouldn’t just be abandoned—Su Hua would reclaim Tianmu Group too.

Lin Xuan would be finished.

And he’d be at Lin Li’s mercy.

Then, Lin Xuan would get a taste of his own medicine—being exposed as a eunuch to the entire world.

Lin Li’s face twisted with malice.

---

Seven days had passed since the ointment was applied, and Jiang Yutong summoned the servants she had tested it on.

"Miss, they’re here," the butler said respectfully.

Jiang Yutong, who had been scrolling through her phone, looked up—and froze.

Had the ointment really worked so well in just a week?

Afraid she might be imagining it, she pulled up the photos she’d taken of the servants before applying the ointment and held her phone beside their faces for comparison.

Slowly, her hands began to tremble with excitement.

"It’s real!"

"It actually works this well!"

With such dramatic results in just a week, she was certain this ointment would take the country—no, the world—by storm.

What man didn’t want to be handsome? What woman didn’t crave beauty?

Countless people struggled with acne. A product this effective would be in high demand.

One of the maids smiled. "Miss Jiang, this new ointment you developed is amazing. I could see results in just three days."

"It really is effective," Jiang Yutong agreed, nodding.

She wondered what kind of cosmetics research team Lin Xuan had behind him to create something so potent.

Even if he never produced another product, these two perfumes and the ointment alone would skyrocket her company’s reputation.

Her other cosmetics might not match Lin Xuan’s creations, but they were on par with other luxury brands. What they lacked was recognition.

The success of these products would undoubtedly boost sales across her entire line.

No longer would she have to endure being overshadowed by Lin Qingwan’s DR Company.

Jiang Yutong immediately called Lin Xuan.

---

Su Hua was nestled in Lin Xuan’s arms when the phone rang. He picked it up, about to answer—until he saw Jiang Yutong’s name on the screen.

His heart skipped a beat.

Last time Su Hua found out he’d visited Jiang Yutong, she’d pinned him to the bed…

Even a simple phone call might send her into a jealous rage.

His kidneys might not survive another round.

Lin Xuan guiltily considered hanging up. Maybe he’d call Jiang Yutong back when Su Hua wasn’t around.

Just as his finger hovered over the end-call button, Su Hua’s voice drifted down from above him.

"Jiang Yutong?"

She chuckled softly. "Why does it look like you’re about to hang up on her, Ah Xuan? Are you afraid I’ll hear something I shouldn’t?"

Lin Xuan’s gaze darted away.

He was nervous, but his relationship with Jiang Yutong was purely professional.

He just didn’t want Su Hua’s jealousy to cost him his kidneys.

"Su Hua, it’s just work. Nothing else, I swear," he explained.

"Then answer it," Su Hua said, arching a delicate brow.

"Okay."

Lin Xuan nodded, stealing a glance at her expression. Her face was unreadable.

The phone continued to ring insistently. Taking a deep breath, he finally pressed accept.

"Miss Jiang, what can I do for you?" he said, cutting straight to the point.

He needed to steer the conversation away from anything questionable.

Jiang Yutong got straight to business. "The two perfumes you provided last remarkably well—they last all day, even through showers."

"And the ointment is impressive too. Just one week, and the results are astounding."

Lin Xuan nodded.

He’d expected as much. He’d tested these products extensively using the simulation pods in his space.

The synthetic test subjects there mirrored real humans perfectly.

Success in the simulations guaranteed success in reality.