“Darling, why didn't you take care of yourself? Even if you don't care about your own body, seeing you lying feebly on the bed makes my heart ache. I don't think I can let you out of my sight anymore.” Sven spoke like he was pampering somebody incredibly important to him.

Speechless, Sheng Jiaoyang glared at Sven. Mei Niu's fever was caused by you, so why are you standing here and acting like your heart is bleeding?!

Lina turned to Sheng Jiaoyang and asked, “Jiaojiao, can you leave first? I want to talk to him alone.”

Sheng Jiaoyang glanced briefly at Sven before she nodded, “Alright. If anything happens, call me.”

After Sheng Jiaoyang left the ward, Lina glared at Sven, and her face quickly turned ugly.

“What do you want?”

The corners of Sven's lip curled up slightly as he replied calmly, “Nothing.”

“We… did everything that was agreed on, and we even went beyond that. Can't you just let me go? Don't bother me ever again.” The expression on Lina's face clearly showed how exhausted she was.

“We haven't done enough yet,” A wicked smile appeared on Sven's face, “I'll let you go when I get tired of you.”

Lina's lips started twitching. She was so angry that she was left speechless.

“What's wrong, Darling? Are you so excited and happy that you are now speechless?” Sven asked jokingly.

“…Scram!”

Surprisingly, Sven actually stood up. With a smile, he said, “Alright then. Darling, I'll take my leave.”

Lina glowered at him.

“Oh, right!” Just as he was about to walk out of the door, he turned around and looked back at Lina. “Darling, you should get better soon. Otherwise… well, let's just say that when I feel distressed, I want to drag others down and let them experience the same feelings of distress and heartache.”

Lina's pupils shrunk. She understood the threat in Sven's words. If she didn't take care of herself properly and recover soon, Sven would probably tell George about their affair.

If murder wasn't illegal, she definitely would've ran up and plunged a knife into his stomach right there and then!

b.a.s.t.a.r.d!!!

When Sheng Jiaoyang came back into the ward, she saw that Lina was leaning back on the headboard with a frown etched on her face.

“What did you guys talk about?”

Lina snapped out of her daze, and her face looked extremely ugly. “That b.a.s.t.a.r.d Sven said that he wouldn't let me go.”

Her words brought about a headache in Sheng Jiaoyang. She didn't know how to deal with the situation, and there was also something that she really couldn't understand.

“I thought that you and Sven were recent acquaintances. So, why is he so obsessed with the thought of being with you? Don't tell me that it was love at first sight?”

“Do you think a playboy like him can fall in love at first sight? Don't insult that term.”

Hate simmered in Lina's eyes. “He's just treating me as a plaything. He's still riding on the high of acquiring a new toy, so he doesn't want to let me go.”

Sheng Jiaoyang couldn't help but admit that Lina's a.n.a.logy was really fitting.

“Then… what are you going to do?” Sheng Jiaoyang asked worriedly.

“I don't know,” Lina covered her face and replied in a dull and defeated manner.

“How about… I get Zhining to help think of a way to deal with Sven?”

Sheng Jiaoyang stared at Sheng Jiaoyang. “Did you already tell him?”

“Nope, I didn't tell anyone.”

Lina let out a sigh of relief.

When Sheng Jiaoyang saw Lina's relieved expression, she knew she couldn't get Shen Zhining to step forward and deal with Sven. Mei Niu clearly wanted to keep this matter a secret.

Sheng Jiaoyang sat on the side of the bed and gripped Lina's free hand as a form of support. “Why don't you come back to China with me? If we have no other solutions, we can just hide away in China for now.”

Lina pondered over it and agreed.

The New Year Celebration recently ended, but the festive atmosphere still hung in the air, and people everywhere were still filled with excitement for the New Year.

Sheng Jiaoyang brought Lina back to her own home.

When Grandfather Yang learnt that Lina was coming over, he extended his warmest welcome to her. He always had a good opinion of his granddaughter's closest friend.

Lina lived like a leecher in Sheng Jiaoyang's home. She spent a lot of time chatting with Grandfather Yang and playing with Xiao An, who was already in Grade One of elementary school. However, most of her time was spent as a couch potato that nested on the sofa while watching TV.

As for the show she was watching, it was naturally 'Double-Faced Lovers', the drama that Sheng Jiaoyang had invested in.

Right now, the show had already started broadcasting on the Fruits Channel and many other big video sharing platforms. The Fruits Channel started promoting the show half a month before it debuted. Hence, when it premiered, the channel's rating, which was originally slumping, suddenly shot up into the top three. By the second day, it sat firmly on the throne of TV channel ratings.

The media company behind the Fruits Channel was thrilled, as Fruits Channel hadn't been in the top three rankings for a very long time. Many of the channel's big variety show directors invited Sheng Jiaoyang to attend their shows.

However, Sheng Jiaoyang rejected all of them. Apart from accompanying her friends and family at home and preparing for her final exam, the only work-related thing she was doing was preparing for the casting compet.i.tion with Ma Tingting and Qin Anliang.

She was intent on making an amazing movie, so she was willing to invest more at the start, to make it the best movie she could have made.

The idiom, 'keep the goodies within the family' resonated with Sheng Jiaoyang, and she decided to collaborate with a popular video sharing site under the umbrella of Entertainment International. The casting compet.i.tion would be hosted on that video sharing site.

It was also time for Entertainment International's belated End of Year party.

Sheng Jiaoyang didn't attend Entertainment International's End of Year party last year. At that time, she had just debuted, and her only work hadn't even released yet. In the eyes of others, she was just somebody who used a scandal to become famous.

However, now that her status was different, she couldn't skip out on this year's party. She already prepared to reveal her ident.i.ty as chairman at the banquet.

As she was becoming very famous very quickly, a lot of people were feeling envious of her. Some of the board members were even criticizing Li Yu for abusing his power and accusing him of giving all the best resources to one person. They requested for a board meeting, so that they could elect a new president.

However, Sheng Jiaoyang thought differently. Although Li Yu had a few shortcomings, it was clear that under his leaders.h.i.+p, the company was indeed growing more prosperous by the year. Furthermore, Li Yu was somebody who worked under Shen Zhining. Rather than choosing somebody new to manage the company, it was better to stick with Li Yu.

Besides, a person who had some shortcomings was easier to control.

A wide variety of artists, from the megfamous listers, to the obscure performer, returned to the company for the annual meeting.

Sheng Jiaoyang also called Lina to attend the meeting and join in on the fun.

Entertainment International's annual meeting was held at Hilton's Garden hotel. This was the same venue that was used every year. The entire hotel would be booked, so n.o.body but people from Entertainment International and their guests could enter. It was very safe.

A red carpet paved the way into the hotel, and beautiful flower bouquets and baskets were placed on both sides of the red carpet.

It was just like a red carpet show.

All the well-known artists were dressed splendidly, and many were donned in their most eye-catching outfits. They were doing everything they could just to garner a bit more attention. Who knows? Maybe they could catch the eye of some bigshot.

Maybe they could be just like a certain somebody, who got into President Li's good graces. If they could, they would be able to get good resources invested onto them, and they would quickly become popular like Sheng Jiaoyang.

Sheng Jiaoyang and Lina were the last people to arrive at the venue, and they weren't even wearing formal wear. As it was rather cold today, and because they were only attending the company's annual dinner, they wore matching white and light pink sweaters. They paired their sweaters with a pleated pink skirt and white pants, and when they stepped out of their car, they appeared like siblings, who were smiling brightly at the flas.h.i.+ng cameras.

The red carpet was filled with bright flashes and the shuttering sounds of cameras.

A group of fans gathered up outside the hotel and cheered loudly for them.

Sheng Jiaoyang waved at the fans before walking with Lina on the red carpet. They nimbly entered the hotel without loitering in the spotlight.

“What a huge change in just one year! Last year, you could still brazenly walk around in the streets without being recognized by many, but now, you probably can't do so anymore. Just look at how wild your fans are! Whew, Jiaojiao, you're really growing at such a fast speed. It's admirable, enviable, and hateful, all at once!” Lina laughed.

Sheng Jiaoyang glanced at her. “Are you admiring, envying, and hating me?”

“I'm talking about other people. Why would I admire, envy, or hate you? The more popular you get, the happier I am. Later, I'll make you the amba.s.sador of the company. Then all I need to do is to wait for the money to come flooding in.”

“How could that be fine? You better don't think that you can just lie there and get a free lunch!”

The two chatted and laughed as they rode the elevator to the banquet floor.

When they got off the elevator, they saw a lot of staff walking around. They went inside and saw that there were already quite a few people in the beautifully decorated banquet hall. Everyone gathered in small groups to chat, and the hall was b.u.mbling with noise and excitement.

“You finally arrived. The banquet is about to start.” Li Yu came over to welcome them.

Xu Ping also walked over.

The noise in the hall quieted as many looked over at the entrance to see Li Yu personally welcoming Sheng Jiaoyang, causing many people to stare in shock.

“Huh, first she arrives late, then she even makes President Li personally go up to her and greet her. How bold!” Somebody couldn't help but mutter under her breath.

“Of course! She won so many awards, so of course she's bold. If you can bring back so many awards someday, President Li would also take the initiative to greet you,” another female artist beside her commented.

“If the company gave me all the good resources, I wouldn't be any worse than her.”

“If you want the company to give you all the good resources, then first, you have to find a super pampering boyfriend.” Although she spoke in a joking manner, people could still hear the clear and obvious ridicule in her voice. The hidden implication behind her words was that Jiaojiao could only reach her current status by relying on her boyfriend.

The hall was filled with quiet discussions and comments. Most of the attendees were the company's artists. Since they were all part of the same company, there would naturally be disputes over who gets what. After all, there was only a limited number of resources, and by giving all the good resources to one person, everyone else could only pick up the sc.r.a.ps.

After Li Yu and Sheng Jiaoyang exchanged greetings, Li Yu walked towards the stage to officially start the banquet.

Meanwhile, Sheng Jiaoyang brought Lina over to see Gu Zhou. However, they noticed that a newly debuted female artist was standing beside him. Although he didn't expose it on his face, those familiar with him could faintly feel his impatience.