Zhong Chen's confident demeanor in handling the situation made the others feel uneasy.
But Zhong Chen didn’t give them a chance to probe further. Instead, he turned to Shen Ying and asked, "When are you free? I’ll arrange a meeting with this guy’s parents for you."
Xing Jiale, hearing this, burned with rage. "So you’ve been playing dumb all along."
"You’ve seen right through her motives from the start."
Zhong Chen sneered, "Then why the surprise? You’ve always prided yourself on being clear-headed and rational. There’s no way you didn’t know what she wanted."
At this point, their positions seemed almost reversed from the beginning. The only difference was that Xing Jiale realized, with a sinking heart, that he was in a worse state than Zhong Chen had been back then.
Zhong Chen had been fully aware of his own downfall, while Xing Jiale had already begun deceiving himself.
Xing Jiale stared at Shen Ying, suddenly recalling the day he was demoted to Class C, when she had casually mentioned a sum of over two billion.
At the time, he’d been puzzled—her total assets should have only amounted to around one billion.
Now he understood where the extra came from. She had already factored in his share back then.
Xing Jiale exhaled deeply and said to Shen Ying, "So it wasn’t me you were after?"
Before Shen Ying could respond, Gong Zhaoxi cut in mockingly, "Are you as handsome as me, or as S—"
His words were cut short as Xiao Yun punched him in the stomach. "Shut up, you freak."
Xing Jiale, unwilling to let it go, pressed Shen Ying further. "If this goes to my parents, with your skills, you’ll definitely get what you want."
"But I just want to ask—when all four of us are in the same position, who will you choose?"
Shen Ying didn’t hesitate. "My choice doesn’t matter. Ask me again when you’re in control of your own feelings."
By then, it would truly be a game between adults.
Her answer made all four of them stiffen, lost in reflection.
They weren’t unaware of her indifference. She liked them—but not enough.
The entanglement between them seemed like drifting along after being thwarted by their families, but in truth, neither they nor their parents could escape her rhythm.
They weren’t without resentment, but what drew them to her was precisely this effortless, self-assured control.
Before, their approach had been to guard against rivals and negotiate with their families.
But now, hearing her words, they suddenly realized that without authority of their own, they didn’t even have the right to be chosen.
Even if they won the competition among themselves, their parents—who could manipulate them at will—could overturn everything in an instant.
The atmosphere in the car grew heavy. When they arrived, Shen Ying stepped out as if nothing had happened, bid them farewell, and went upstairs.
What followed was almost procedural. First, Xing Jiale’s parents learned of the matter.
They weren’t entirely unaware of Shen Ying’s existence.
After all, the incident at the Zhong family’s banquet had been significant, and the subsequent ten-billion compensation paid by the Xiao and Gong families was bizarre.
At the time, Xing’s parents had lamented the foolishness of those three boys, relieved that Xing Jiale had remained clear-headed, unswayed by a girl’s charms.
Now, barely two weeks later, they received this devastating news.
Having seen what happened to the other three families, Xing’s parents held no illusions.
They sought out Shen Ying, and within half an hour, an agreement was reached.
As Xing’s parents left Shen Ying’s home, Gong Zhaoxi—who had tagged along—clicked his tongue sympathetically. "How tragic. The eldest son of the Xing family gets deceived, coerced, and toyed with, yet instead of justice, he has to pay for his freedom."
Xing Jiale’s expression darkened. Two weeks ago, witnessing a similar scene, he’d never imagined it would be his turn.
He shot back at Gong Zhaoxi without mercy, "Thanks. I’ll endure these ‘miserable’ memories."
"But what about you?" A smirk tugged at his lips. "That day I ran into someone in the infirmary, their ass was practically sticking up in the air."
"Too bad. What you’re desperate for was just an appetizer for me."
"You can’t even imagine the things she did to me."
Gong Zhaoxi’s smile vanished as he lunged for Xing Jiale’s throat—
"I treated you like a brother, and you stole my girl."
"Your girl? Zhong Chen and Xiao Yun have status, I have the facts—you got nothing. Who are you to talk?"
Gong Zhaoxi’s heart ached so much he nearly cried. "Why? I was the most proactive one!"
When Xing’s parents opened the car door, they found the two troublemakers brawling again, silently agreeing that the five billion had been money well spent.
Later, the parents of all four families gathered to discuss the matter.
Xiao’s Mother said, "We need a permanent solution. Even if that girl keeps her word, these kids will still sneak around."
Gong’s Father sighed, "The question is how. If it were straightforward, we wouldn’t be here."
The parents frowned. That their sons were fighting over a girl wasn’t what concerned them—what truly unsettled them was that each family had gained benefits from Shen Ying or avoided crises worth far more than five billion.
Though they were paying her off, they had little moral high ground.
Xing’s Mother spoke up, "We don’t know how much more she’s holding over us, or how much of it involves our families."
Xiao’s Father suggested, "First, we should separate them."
"Send the boys abroad or assign them to distant projects. Then convince the girl to transfer schools."
The other parents agreed, "That’s fine, but while handling the boys is easy, who’s going to talk to her?"
Normally, such an unenviable task would be passed around, but Mrs. Zhong was the first to volunteer. "I’ll go."
Before she could finish, Xiao Yun’s parents quickly interjected, "Aren’t you busy with the Gu Family collaboration?"
"Besides, Zhong Chen is the most stubborn. If you approach her twice in a row, he’ll throw another fit."
"Xiao Yun is the most indifferent and least likely to argue. Let us take the blame."
Gong Zhaoxi’s parents cut in, "Just because he’s well-behaved doesn’t mean he should suffer."
"We’ll handle it. Gong Zhaoxi is irresponsible—he won’t care."
Oddly enough, Xing’s Parents—who had only just dealt with Shen Ying—also offered, "Your family’s Old Madam is still making trouble, and you have other matters. We’ll go."
The families exchanged glances, each knowing exactly what the others were thinking.
Bound by propriety, none could admit it openly, but they all wanted another chance to speak with Shen Ying—to ask about other things.
While the parents were locked in their stalemate, Shen Ying and Xia Meng sat in the garden, sipping tea.
Earlier, to keep Xia Meng from spilling secrets, Zhong Chen and the others had confined her. Feeling somewhat responsible, Shen Ying had invited her out as an apology.
Xia Meng still looked worried as she asked, "Are you okay? Those three guys were really scary back then."
Shen Ying waved her hand dismissively. "Don’t worry about me. What about you—and those handsome guys from that day? Did they cause any trouble for you?"
Xia Meng replied, "They were lured out by Zhong Chen and the others using my phone that day. Nothing serious happened, but they were pretty shaken up."
Shen Ying slid a card across the table. "Buy them some gifts to help them recover from the shock."
Xia Meng didn’t refuse and added, "Lately, those four have barely been seen at school. I heard their families have been keeping them busy with responsibilities."
Shen Ying shrugged. "My life doesn’t revolve around them. Besides, it’s time to relax a little now."
She looked at Xia Meng and suggested, "Since those troublemakers are out of the way, why don’t we try doing something together?"
Shen Ying continued, "You have no idea how incredible your talent for scouting is, do you?"
"It’s not just your taste—it’s your natural ability to attract beautiful people. Honestly, I’ve rarely seen such a unique gift."
To put it simply, even professional idol agencies in the country probably don’t have access to the kind of high-quality talent Xia Meng, a mere student, effortlessly gathers.
While talent scouts elsewhere strain their eyes searching for even one promising candidate, Xia Meng treats it like digging potatoes in her backyard—casually unearthing one gem after another.
Shen Ying felt they couldn’t let this opportunity slip away, nor could she allow her connections to remain in others’ hands forever.
So she declared, "I have the money, and you have the skills. Let’s start a talent agency."
Xia Meng’s eyes lit up. "That’s perfect! My family has connections in that industry."
"Then you won’t have to sneak around anymore—just use work as an excuse to—"
"Ahem!" Shen Ying coughed loudly, cutting her off with a look of righteous determination. "We’re doing this for nothing else but to give talented, overlooked men a fair chance to shine."
And so, the foundation for the nation’s most elite star-making factory was laid.
As the two women made their bold declaration, the four men truly began their own paths to power.
One day, Zhong Chen sought out Shen Ying and told her, "The engagement with the Gu Family has been called off. The Old Madam won’t stand in our way anymore."
Shen Ying looked surprised. "How did you manage that?"
Zhong Chen explained, "I haven’t been wasting my time. The Gu Family only partnered with mine because they wanted to pivot their business, but I proved to the Old Madam that they’re too entrenched to change course."
"Our families can only cooperate temporarily. As for marriage? That would’ve been a disaster."
"Turns out, this was all a test from the Old Madam. She said if I passed, I’d earn some freedom."
"But while she won’t interfere with us anymore, she’s sending me to the U.S. branch to work."
Zhong Chen gazed at Shen Ying. "I know she wants to see how far we’ll go when we’re oceans apart."
He was fighting for his independence now, but he refused to accept that his freedom would always require struggle.
Finally, he said to her, "I understand what you meant that day."
"Don’t worry. No matter what temptations surround you, I’ll come back and take you for myself."
His voice brimmed with confidence.
But the next second, a voice chimed in from behind him: "Talking big just because the rest of us are leaving too, huh?"
The others wore mocking smirks. The only reason Zhong Chen could speak so boldly was that his real rivals—them—would also be temporarily stepping away from Shen Ying’s side.
Zhong Chen’s moment was ruined, and he glared at the three in frustration.
Though they exchanged sharp words, beneath the bickering, their reluctance to part was palpable.
After their bittersweet farewells, the four men seemed to vanish from Shen Ying’s life.
She still caught glimpses of them in the news, watching as their photos gradually shed the last traces of youth.
She saw them replace their parents as spokespersons for their families, transforming into decisive leaders who commanded their dynasties.
Meanwhile, Shen Ying and Xia Meng’s venture flourished. Armed with deep pockets and top-tier resources, they carved out a space in the already saturated market.
Xia Meng, as the face of their operation, was even hailed online as "Sister Xia," the savior of declining beauty standards.
This left Xia Meng—who had initially just wanted to make things easier for her friend—feeling a little sheepish.
Years later, while Shen Ying was reviewing new talent at their company, she received several messages at once:
[I’m back. Let’s meet.]
Even the punctuation was identical.
