Ch. 801..810
Chapter 801
The other cars followed close behind.
Outside, the city was brightly lit up, and there were dazzling lights of green and red on the road.
Roses were abloom on both sides of the road, seemingly fighting for attention.
Xyla Quest rolled down the window half-way. A breeze brought the soothing scent of flowers to her...
"The show was great, wasn't it?" Xyla asked.
"Not too bad," Stanley Batton said.
"How do you think Noah Smith performed?" Xyla asked.
"Not bad at all," Stanley said.
"What about Morty Wayne and Jay Corben?" Xyla chuckled.
"They did well too," Stanley said truthfully.
"Do you think they'll get even more popular?" Xyla asked.
"Yes..." Stanley said.
Xyla chuckled a little before opening Weibo again.
The list of trending topics was still flooded with content related to Teenage Idol.
Apart from the original topics, Xyla discovered a brand new topic in the seventh spot, '#Noah Smith#'.
The marketing accounts must have started sharing information related to Noah. Xyla immediately tapped on the link.
What came into sight were various posts from marketing accounts with similar content.
"The guy who performed the opening act is Noah Miller. He is currently a contract male singer from X Entertainment. He's 21, and his horoscope is Libra. Noah, Morty Wayne, and Jay Corben are the chosen artists who will receive intensive training. @Noah Miller is his Weibo handle."
People flooded the comment section.
"Noah Miller? This name sounds so good... I love it!"
"Cutie, I'm going to walk you down the aisle someday."
"Get his business account up and working. Mama's going to pump money into your account!"
"He is definitely a rising star. I can sense he's going to get very far in the future!"
"X Entertainment really knows how to scout! Josh Batton, Jay Corben, Morty Wayne, and now Noah Miller. They're all unique in their way."
"I want to know what it feels like to be X Entertainment's boss..."
"Do you even need to ask? Of course, it'd feel good to look at handsome men every day."
While reading through the comments, Xyla started smiling widely.
After a while, she opened Noah's Weibo page to check out his number of fans' growth.
His Weibo account was only set up after he joined the company. Originally, he only had a few fans. But now, he had up to two million fans.
It was obvious that the performance had boosted his fan-base significantly.
After checking it out, Xyla exited Noah's page to look at Jay and Morty's fan-base growth.
The two of them now had over fifteen million fans each.
In one night, their fan-base had each grown by over three million.
Xyla was delighted with the growth in fan-base of all three of them.
Hence, she exited Weibo feeling satisfied. She then shifted her attention back to Stanley.
"Honey, I'm hungry..." Xyla said.
"What would you like to eat?" Stanley asked.
"Anything, as long as you're the one cooking it," Xyla said.
"There aren't any ingredients left. Let's go to the market to buy some groceries. After that, we'll return home, and I'll cook for you," Stanley said without hesitation.
Stanley always agreed to her requests no matter what time it was.
"Okay..." Xyla said.
***
Meanwhile, in the backstage of the stadium where Teenage Idol's finale was held, Jay Corben was done removing his makeup. He sat on a couch in the corner of the room with one leg crossed over the other while he read through the comments on Weibo about '#JayTyCP#'. Jay entertained himself with gossip about his rumored relationship with Morty Wayne.
All the content was released earlier tonight.
The fans who admired them had a very good sense of imagination.
Even a single exchange of looks between the two of them was enough to spark countless imaginary scenes from their fans.
Sometimes when Jay looked at Morty, Morty would fail to notice him and not look at him in return. Everyone said it was because Morty was trying to hold himself back and suppress his emotions. They also said it was because two famous male celebrities dating each other would result in them being boycotted...
Chapter 802
Chapter 802
The things that appeared the most in the topic were pictures of the two looking at each other on the stage. In fact, lyrics to the song 'The Truth is Real' were added to the pictures. "We used to share all our hidden love and secrets in packed halls. Even if thousands of people are cheering for me, I couldn't care less."
When Jay Corben saw the lyrics, he searched for the song 'The Truth is Real' on his phone's music application. He then plugged his earphones in and started listening to the song earnestly. While listening to the song, Jay watched Morty Wayne remove his makeup.
By then, the two of them were the only people left in the huge dressing room. Everyone else had left.
Jay watched him without a care in the world...
After removing the foundation and eye-liner makeup on his face, Morty looked even cuter. He was like a young and innocent student.
Sensing Jay's gaze on him, Morty turned to look at Jay. "What is it?" Morty asked with a chuckle.
"Do you want to grab something to eat later?" Jay asked.
"Sure," Morty agreed without hesitation.
"You did very well today..." Jay added.
"You too..." Morty said.
Right then, the door to the dressing room opened...
A young girl in a fancy dress walked in and headed straight for Morty.
"Hello... I am the only daughter of Centurion Group's president, the organizer of this competition's finale. My name is Shanny Cruise." The young girl took the initiative and warmly extended her hand toward Morty.
Jay gave her a cold look before walking up directly to Morty, pulling him by the collar and yanking him out of his seat. "Let's go... We're going to eat," Jay said.
"Hello... We're going to eat now..." Before Morty could finish his sentence, Jay was already dragging him forcefully out of the dressing room while holding on to his sleeve.
"This guy is nuts..." Shanny rolled her eyes while muttering to herself. "D*mn. Are they really a couple? Sh*t. I can't accept this!" she added.
Jay dragged Morty all the way to his car.
"That was very rude of you..." Morty complained.
"So what?" Jay retorted.
"Why did you have to be like that?" Morty asked.
"Because I enjoyed doing so. What are you going to do about it?" Jay said.
Morty remained silent.
***
After Xyla Quest and Stanley Batton returned home, Stanley went into the kitchen to cook.
Meanwhile, Xyla sat comfortably on the couch as she scrolled through Weibo.
A brand-new topic appeared on the list of trending topics. '#Accounts followed by Noah Miller#' was on the third spot...
Xyla then tapped on the link.
Once inside, she saw a screenshot posted by a marketing account about the people Noah Smith followed. A line of text accompanied it, "Noah Miller only follows three people now. Apart from X Entertainment, they are Xyla Quest and Little Cat... What do you think about this?"
The screenshot showed that Noah Miller only followed two people. One of them was Xyla, another was Little Cat, and the final one was X Entertainment.
Xyla knew that Little Cat was one of Catherine Batton's Weibo personal accounts.
The number of forwards, likes, and comments had already exceeded 100,000. People were saying all sorts of things in the comment section. "What are you trying to say?"
"Does Xyla Quest actually know Noah Miller personally? She's so lucky to be surrounded by handsome people."
"Who is that Little Cat? There's barely anything on her Weibo page. She only posts pictures of pretty scenery and food."
"I think Catherine is probably a common folk, right? To be one of the few people Noah Miller follows, she must be very important to him, right?"
"Can't they just be friends? You guys are sick... I think Noah Miller is single and hot, and I refuse to believe he has a crush on some girl."
"I think she's the girl Noah Miller likes... She must be."
Meanwhile, in a suburban castle-like villa, Catherine was sitting in the living room as she scrolled through Weibo. She had also seen the screenshot of the people Noah followed, as well as the comments from netizens.
Catherine then rolled her eyes helplessly.
By now, the number of followers of her personal account had skyrocketed like crazy because of Noah.
Catherine directly sent a message to Noah on WeChat. "People are saying I'm the girl you like. Aren't you going to explain things to them?" she asked.
"No," Noah replied within seconds.
"Why?" Catherine asked confusedly.
Chapter 803
Chapter 803
"I can't be bothered to explain," Noah Smith said.
"It'd be bad if people started spreading rumors of us being in a relationship," Catherine Batton said.
"I don't mind," Noah said.
Catherine was speechless.
"Did you watch my debut performance?" Noah asked.
"Yeah... I did... You're pretty good. I like your stage name too. It sounds great," Catherine said.
Meanwhile, Noah was sitting in his sapphire-blue Porsche parked within the vice president's residence. A glimmer of light appeared in his eyes when he smiled after reading the text from Catherine.
He immediately gave Catherine a call on the phone.
Catherine very quickly picked it up.
"Have you gone back to school?" Noah asked.
"Not yet," Catherine said.
"When are you going back?" He asked.
"Probably tomorrow," she said.
"Hmm... Would you like to come out for supper?" Noah asked.
"No. I don't feel like moving." Catherine rejected him right away.
"Forget it then..." A look of disappointment appeared in Noah's eyes. "I'm going to hang up. I want to game a little..." Catherine said.
"What are you playing?" Noah asked.
"Honor of Kings..." Catherine replied.
"Let's play together..." Noah said.
"Sure... Let Mommy carry you," Catherine added.
"Okay," Noah said.
***
Stanley Batton spent forty minutes making three dishes that Xyla Quest liked. These included prawns with tomato sauce, shredded pork with fish sauce, and boiled beef.
After putting all the food on the table, he walked back to the living room and picked up Xyla, who was still scrolling through Weibo on the couch.
When Xyla was suddenly picked up, a look of surprise appeared in her eyes briefly. "What do you want?" She asked.
"It's time to eat, honey..." Stanley said.
"Oh," Xyla murmured.
Stanley then carried her into the dining room and carefully placed her on a seat.
Right after that, he used a wet towel that he prepared in advance to wipe her hands.
He was meticulous throughout the entire process, almost as if he was handling a fragile treasure that cost fortunes.
The sight of her favorite dishes whetted her appetite.
Xyla then picked up her cutlery and began to enjoy her meal in earnest.
Stanley didn't touch his cutlery the entire time, and all he did was peel prawns for Xyla.
"Aren't you going to eat?" Xyla asked.
"Hmm... I'm not hungry..." Stanley said.
Beep, beep, beep... Right then, Stanley's phone started to ring.
When he saw that the number ended with three nines, Stanley directly canceled the call.
"I have to go out for a while. Have an early night after you finish eating, alright?" He got up and said.
Xyla subconsciously glanced at the watch on her wrist.
It was already close to midnight.
"Why are you going out at this hour?" Xyla asked.
"Something came up," Stanley said.
"Well, go ahead then... Don't come home too late," Xyla said without asking further.
"Okay." Stanley ruffled her hair affectionately. He then fished for the keys to his Bentley Arnage before leaving the dining room.
Xyla didn't know who the caller was, but she figured it was probably one of his friends asking him out to spend time together. Hence, she didn't think too much of it.
Chapter 804
Chapter 804
After dinner, Xyla Quest cleaned up the dining table and went upstairs. She filled the bathtub with warm water, pampering herself with peaceful music and a clay mask while taking a bath. She was playing the piano cover of 'Castle in the Sky'.
After a long day, a hot bath with some soothing melodies was exactly what she needed. Sheer exhaustion invading her body and mind had instantly disappeared.
After the bath, she dried her hair, put on some skincare products, and then plopped down on the bed.
She stole a glance at the clock. It was already one o'clock in the morning.
However, Stanley Batton had not come back yet.
Turning off the lights, she pulled the blanket up and went to sleep.
Stanley came home soon after Xyla fell asleep.
After parking the car, he went straight into the house.
Instead of heading upstairs to find Xyla, he shuffled to the living room and sank into the couch.
He rolled up the white sleeves. The new injection mark on his left arm was exceptionally obvious in the light.
Buzz buzz buzz...
An incoming call disturbed his thoughts. Once again, the number ending in triple nine popped up on his phone screen.
Pinching his brow in exhaustion, he picked up the call. "What's wrong?"
"Please watch your diet. Give me a call if anything happens. You mustn't take it lightly, okay?" The young man's voice rang in his ear again. "Got it." With that, he hung up the call apathetically and headed to the staircase.
Just as he went upstairs, his phone vibrated once more.
The screen showed 'Grandpa'.
He leaned against the wall and answered the call. "Yes, Grandpa."
"How are you doing now?" The old man's tone was full of concern.
"Pretty good..." Stanley slowly massaged his forehead as he responded.
"I think I'd better go back to Atlantis tomorrow unless you come to my place." The old man still sounded worried on the other end of the phone.
"Nah, I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
Bidding a brief farewell to his grandfather, Stanley hung up the phone and returned to his bedroom.
The room was so quiet that he could clearly hear Xyla's soft breathing.
The faint rosy fragrance of her shower gel permeated the air, filling his lungs and soothing his mind.
Stanley did not turn on the lights. He approached the bed with the guidance of light coming from the corridor and carefully sat down beside her. His hand slowly lifted, finally landing on her head and gently stroking her hair.
Meanwhile, Xyla was in a light sleep. She woke up as soon as their skin touched.
She immediately opened her eyes and found Stanley before her. She stretched her back lazily and leaned forward, putting her head on his lap. "What time is it now? Did you just get home?" "Yeah... It's three o'clock..."
"Were you hanging out with your friends?"
"Yeah..."
Xyla stopped asking questions and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Take a shower and get some rest. Otherwise, you'll have trouble getting up the next morning."
"Xyla..." He called her softly, but the words soon stuck in his throat.
"Hmm?" Xyla covered her mouth in a daze as she yawned. She could barely see him in the dim light.
"Go to sleep. I'm going to take a shower."
"Okay."
Xyla reluctantly released him and closed her eyes again.
Stanley ran his fingers through her hair once more before getting up from the head and going into the bathroom.
The door was closed, and the running water soon hit the ground with a mighty splash.
Xyla dozed off with the splashes in the bathroom.
Chapter 804
Chapter 805
Chapter 805
Xyla Quest did not sleep well that night.
Strange dreams had kept her tossing and turning all night. In her dreams, different people were chasing after her, and she was constantly running for life. At seven o'clock in the morning, her eyes snapped open.
Ripples of pain seared through her brain in the very next second.
She held her heavy head, her hands subconsciously flailing around the empty spot beside her, only to find that Stanley Batton was not there anymore. The bedsheet was cold. He must have gotten up long ago.
Xyla casually stretched her arms, then went into the bathroom with confounding buzzing in her head.
When she set foot into the bathroom, her gaze inadvertently fell upon the laundry basket at the corner. There was a bloodstain on the white dress shirt.
She recognized it right away. Stanley wore that shirt yesterday.
Xyla instantly picked up the shirt and took a closer look at the stain.
The bloodstain was near the upper sleeve. It was not big, only about the size of the thumb.
What was this about?
Did he accidentally hurt himself last night?
"Honey, your breakfast is ready." A cello-like gravelly voice echoed in the room, interrupting her thoughts.
Xyla looked in the direction of the sound and found Stanley standing in the doorway. He was wearing a black silk housecoat, looking elegant yet extraordinary. Noticing his white shirt in Xyla's hands, the man strode forward and took the shirt from her, throwing it back into the laundry basket. "Why are you holding my shirt?" Xyla did not answer his question. She straight away rolled up his sleeves.
Soon, the new injection mark on Stanley's left arm came into her sight. She clearly remembered that the mark was not there yesterday morning.
Did he have another infusion?
Was that bloodstain from the infusion?
She remembered that his shirt was clean before he went out last night.
Did he go to the hospital for an infusion after he left the house?
"What's going on? Did you get another infusion yesterday? What's that bloodstain on your shirt? Is it because of the infusion?" Xyla asked eagerly.
"Yeah."
"Are you not feeling well?" A glint of concern flashed across her eyes.
"Well, I felt like I wasn't fully recovered yet, so I went to get another infusion."
"The one who called you yesterday was a doctor, right?"
"Yeah. I was supposed to go during the day, but I did not. Hence, he gave me a call, urging me to go to the hospital." "That doctor is dedicated indeed. He called you in the middle of the night just to remind you about your infusion," said Xyla. "Well, yeah... He's my close friend," Stanley stuttered.
"Let me take your pulse. I'd better check on my own. Maybe it's not a simple cold." Xyla reached for his hand as she spoke.
However, the man flung her hand away and grabbed her waist, pulling her into his arms. "It's just a cold. Don't worry about it. I'm alright now, and I don't have to go to the hospital anymore." "Are you sure?"
"Yeah. You haven't washed up, right? Hurry up. Breakfast is getting cold." Stanley gently stroked her hair while studying her features adoringly.
Xyla nodded in response. She turned to the sink and started washing up without a second thought.
On the other hand, Stanley threw all the dirty clothes from the basket into the washing machine. He poured some laundry detergent into the machine and pressed the 'ON' button.
***
After the pair had finished their breakfast, Xyla put on simple makeup and left the house with Stanley.
Stanley drove his black Bentley Arnage, whereas Xyla sat on the passenger seat beside him.
When their car drove up to the gate, a black Audi came to a halt next to them.
There was a series of zeros on the license plate. The number was very unfamiliar to Xyla.
Nonetheless, her eyes were brimmed with bewilderment as soon as she caught sight of the man inside the car.
Chapter 806
Chapter 806
"Master? Why didn't he tell us he's coming back?" Xyla Quest narrowed her eyes and stared at the old man in the back seat of the car. Stanley Batton, who had now seen the man, immediately got out of his car.
Xyla followed along and hopped off the car excitedly.
Ron Batton slowly got out of his car too. He was wearing a traditional white tai chi outfit, looking benevolent yet refreshed.
"Grandpa, what are you doing here? Why didn't you inform us in advance?" Stanley asked.
Ron gazed at Xyla and smiled. "I missed you guys so much. That's why I'm here."
"Master, you should've told us earlier. We could've gone to the airport and picked you up." As Xyla spoke, she skipped toward Ron and hugged his arm intimately. Ron grinned at Xyla dotingly and patted the back of her hand. "I wanted to surprise you, my dear. Are you guys going out now?"
Xyla nodded. "Well, I was going to work, but now that you're back, I think I'm changing my mind."
The smile on Ron's face widened, his fondness for Xyla overflowing in his eyes. "How can you abandon your work? Just get going, and I'll see you at night, hmm?" "No... I want to accompany you," Xyla pleaded.
To Xyla, the old man in front of her was her master, as well as her grandfather.
"Silly girl..." Ron chuckled helplessly. "I haven't been to the company for a very long time. I'm planning to visit the company with Stan. Go to work, Xyla. Stan will look after me." Hearing that Ron had his plan today, Xyla stopped pestering him and nodded obediently. "Alright then."
"Xyla, tell Grandpa. Did Stan bully you recently?" Ron asked.
"Nah, he's very nice to me." Xyla shook her head.
"Really? Didn't he do anything that triggers you?" Ron pursued.
"Nah, there's no such thing." Xyla faintly smiled.
Ron cast a skeptical look at Stanley. "That's good... Tell me if he dares to mistreat you. I'll definitely break his leg."
The corner of Stanley's soft lips curved up into a shallow arc. His doting eyes were locked upon Xyla.
"Alright, Stan, take me to the company. By the way, I'm going to stay at your house for the next two days. Xyla, can you please show my driver the way? He's going to move my luggage later." "Sure!" Xyla was overjoyed.
Subsequently, Stanley helped Ron into the car.
Xyla remained rooted to the spot.
She watched their car leave the house and slowly disappear from her line of sight. Only then was she willing to turn away from them and take Ron's driver into the house.
In the black Bentley Arnage, Ron and Stanley were both wearing a worried frown.
"Pull over here," said Ron.
Stanley decelerated and stopped the car by the roadside.
"Give me your hand," Ron said again.
Stanley extended his arm without any complaint.
Ron did not say another word. He placed Stanley's hand on his thigh and studied his pulse in earnest.
"Is this what you mean by you're fine?" Ron's utter dismay was reflected in his eyes.
"It's not a big deal..." Stanley tried to rebuke.
"Are you telling me that this is not a big deal?"
66
"I'm not leaving Atlantis anytime soon. I'll stay at your house for these two days. Find me a house after that. I'll move over. It's best to be by the sea. I love the sea and fresh air," Ron blurted. "Okay."
"Sigh..." Ron let out a deep sigh and did not speak again.
Stanley kept his mouth shut too. The car was as quiet as the grave.
Silence accompanied the car all the way downtown. Finally, it pulled up in front of a traffic light.
Ron found himself gazing out of the window and observing the blooming roses. He could not help exclaiming, "It feels great to see Atlantis being surrounded by a sea of roses." "Yes." Stanley's reply was brief.
Chapter 807
Chapter 807
"Are you sure you're not going to tell Xyla about it?" Ron Batton asked.
"Please don't let her know," Stanley Batton mumbled.
Ron managed a curt nod, then patted Stanley's shoulder.
***
Meanwhile, something unusual was about to happen at the Sullivan family's house.
Emily Quest was sitting in front of the dressing table, earnestly applying her favorite lipstick.
Her lips were bright red, matching very well with her heavy makeup and her black straight hair. She looked demonically flirtatious in that red, short silk halter dress.
Knock knock knock...
Someone was knocking at the door.
Smirking, Emily casually wiped the overdrawn lipstick off the corner of her lips and stole a glance at the door through the mirror. "Come in..."
Soon, the door was pushed open.
Tom Sullivan frowned as soon as he saw her. He plodded on with a gloomy face until he reached her side. "What do you want?”
"Close the door," Emily ordered.
Tom glowered coldly at her before returning to the doorway and closing the door.
Once the door was closed, Emily lunged forward and threw her arms around his neck. "Brother Sullivan, these few days are my fertile period."
"So what?" Tom pushed her away in disgust. He pulled out a wet disinfectant tissue from his pocket and carefully wiped his hands.
Emily could sense his psychotic hatred of her from his action.
Was she a virus? Or was she some kind of superbug?
Was there a need to disinfect himself at her slightest touch?
While Emily managed to maintain a serene and calm aura on her exterior mostly, she felt like a terrible storm was brewing inside her. "So... I want you to make out with me." "In your dreams!"
"If you reject me, I'm going to tell Mom and Dad about what you did. I shall find the police too..."
"Emily!" Tom chided in exasperation.
"So? Are you doing it with me?" A smug expression was etched upon Emily's face.
Though Tom had now overcome his psychological fear of women after the treatment and could normally perform in his sexual life, he did not want to touch Emily. She was too filthy.
"Don't you dare think about it!"
"Fine... I'll go down and tell Mom and Dad now... You..."
As Emily spoke, she bumped him with her elbow and pretended to march out of the room.
Tom instantly grabbed her wrist and threw her to the ground recklessly. "Emily! Are you f*cking crazy!?"
Pain pulsed through her veins, blurring her vision.
However, she recollected herself in the very next second.
She slowly got to her feet. "I want you to... Otherwise, I'll..."
Tom cursed resentfully. He dragged her to the bed and pushed her onto the bed.
Emily slowly sat up and grabbed Tom's tie seductively, pulling their chests together.
She was in no hurry to make the next move. Her fingertip played around his tie coquettishly. "Have you found out who sent you my strip dancing video and chat records? Do you have any idea who's manipulating you to catch me in the act?"
Disgust grew within Tom at the mention of that night.
"I don't even want to know," he answered coldly.
Emily did not pursue the matter. She started kissing and caressing him amorously. Despite his clear disinterest, Tom had no other choice but to force himself to cooperate with her.
When Xyla Quest parked her car in front of Quest Property Group's entrance, her phone vibrated.
Instead of rushing out of the car, she took her time searching her phone in her bag and then took a look at the notification.
She did not sleep well last night. Her head was heavy, and she felt exhausted even if she was sitting right now.
Chapter 808
Chapter 808
Her phone screen showed an article about Noah Smith on Weibo.
The article said that they had recently gotten wind of Noah Miller's appearance in one of the Goose factory's talent shows later this year. Noah Miller would be taking the role of mentor for Fire Up Street Dancing Season 2.
In fact, Georgie Clementine had the marketing accounts let the cat out of the bag.
Their company intended to win Noah some attention and enhance his popularity before his debut.
Xyla Quest logged onto her Weibo account without hesitation.
The article had exceeded fifty thousand likes, shares, and comments in less than five minutes. Countless Noah's fans were expressing their delight in the comment section.
"I refuse to believe this since there's no official announcement made by X Entertainment. Please don't give us false hope."
"I'll be overjoyed if it's true! I'm looking forward to seeing my boy! Noah Miller! Mom loves you!"
"It'll be great if the news is true. However, if some other companies are trying to spread rumors about Noah and let us down, I swear their artists are going to suffer from greater loss!" "Ahhhhhhh! Noah Miller! Noah Miller! Please be true! He's really good at dancing!"
"Fire Up Street Dancing is a popular talent show! If Noah Miller can make it to that show, I'm sure that he's going to be one of the most notable artists in the country soon."
Xyla briefly scrolled through the comments, after which she got out of the car with her handbag. She exited the article and switched to the trending list while striding into the company. There were many employees at the entrance as most of them started working at this hour too.
All of them greeted Xyla respectfully when they caught sight of her.
Xyla responded to them with a curt nod and a polite smile.
Noticing that the lobby was overcrowded, Xyla headed to her exclusive elevator right away.
There were several hot topics about her company on the trending list.
The first hot topic was #Envious Of X Entertainment's Big Boss#.
The fifth hot topic was #JayTyCP#.
Finally, the sixth hot pic showed #Noah Miller Fire Up Street Dancing#.
Xyla tapped the first hot topic and started scrolling through it.
The posts inside were mainly photos of X Entertainment's debuting artists and trainees revealed by the netizens.
Whether it was their celebrities in the entertainment industry or their trainees, each of them looked heavenly, stunning, and attractive. Everyone was unique and special in their ways. As expected, the pictures had caused a stir amongst the netizens.
"The real identity of X Entertainment's big boss is still unknown today. I'm really curious about who she is."
"Same here. I wonder how it feels to have so many god-like artists around her!"
"This boss is undoubtedly a life winner. I'm so curious about her real identity. Speaking of which, she's good at seeking talented young men, isn't she?"
"X Entertainment's artists are of the best in the entertainment industry. All of them are flawless. God has truly blessed the big boss!"
Xyla found this hot topic kind of inexplicable.
She directly exited the app without spending much time on it.
At this time, the elevator stopped at the floor where the design department was located.
Xyla first went to the design department to hold a meeting before returning to the sales department and calling for another meeting.
***
Meanwhile, Sebastian Brenand was at King Entertainment.
He was sitting on the sofa by the french window, slowly drinking the glass of red wine in his right hand. He had become a broken man ever since he came back from Edgewater.
Knock knock knock...
Three consecutive knocks broke the silence in the room.
Sebastian turned to the door. "Come in..."
Soon, his assistant Jean Hanson entered the room.
Chapter 809
Chapter 809
"What's wrong?" Sebastian Brenand asked.
"Letitia Entertainment's young master, Magnus, would like to meet you."
"Why?" Sebastian took a sip of red wine half-heartedly.
"He's hoping to join forces with you to crush X Entertainment... He said that the entire entertainment industry is going to fall into their hands if the two of you don't do something now."
Sebastian frowned slightly. "Ask him to get lost. Tell him that going against X Entertainment means going against me!"
"Yes, sir!" Jean Hanson nodded courteously.
"Don't ever talk about this matter with me in the future. I don't care which company it is. As long as they dare to touch X Entertainment, ask them to f*ck off. Don't waste my time on them." Sebastian snapped. Jean responded with a polite nod and left.
Offended by the ignorant request, Sebastian grabbed the wine glass and gulped down the red wine.
After Jean left Sebastian's office, he headed straight to the waiting room on the first floor.
In the middle of the couch sat Magnus, speaking arrogantly to his father over the phone.
"Don't worry. I'll ally with King Entertainment this time. Yes, we might not be able to deal with X Entertainment alone. However, things will be different if we have King Entertainment on our side. We can surely turn our tables on our rival when the time comes."
Magnus's face was glowing with confidence and proudness.
Noticing Jean was coming in his direction, he immediately hung up the phone and asked, "Can I meet your boss now?"
Jean shook his head.
"What did he say?" Magnus asked eagerly.
"He asked you to get lost."
Magnus was dumbfounded. "What? Isn't your boss worried about X Entertainment overtaking him? X Entertainment is doing better and better. Their artists have occupied most of the resources in the entertainment industry. Isn't he jealous?"
"My boss said that going against X Entertainment is the same as going against him," Jean calmly replied.
"Why? Does your boss have some shares in X Entertainment?"
"No." Jean shook his head.
"Why is he doing this then?" Magnus could not make a head nor tail of Sebastian's decision.
Jean gave Magnus a curt nod and stalked out of the waiting room, completely ignoring his question.
Magnus was left speechless.
In the office, Sebastian slowly put down his glass of wine and got up from the sofa. He shuffled to the office desk and plopped down on the armchair languidly.
He then turned on his computer, ready to start working.
Buzz buzz buzz... Suddenly, his phone vibrated.
Seeing his mother's name on the screen, Sebastian immediately answered the call. "Yes?"
"Set aside the night after tomorrow. You're going to Silver International Hotel for a blind date at eight o'clock that night. That girl is your dad's friend's daughter, born with a silver spoon in her mouth. I've seen her pictures before. She's pretty. You should meet her."
"Nah, I'm not going..." Sebastian refused outright.
"Why? I've never seen you reject a blind date before. What's wrong with you today?"
"I'm not in the mood."
"Is it because of Rachel Wood? I heard that you're now a total mess because of her."
"How do you know?" Sebastian frowned when he heard Rachel's name.
"You looked miserable two days ago. You even got yourself into a car accident. Am I not worried? Shouldn't I ask your men when I'm worried about you?" His mother hissed.
"Since you know how miserable I am now, please stop putting me on a blind date, alright? Give me some time to put my mind to rest," Sebastian said while massaging his forehead. "Look at yourself! Is it worth turning yourself into a living corpse for that filthy woman?"
"Come on... Stop talking about her... We're over. I'll be fine real soon. Just leave me alone for now."
Sebastian really did not have the mood to go on some blind dates for the time being.
Chapter 810
Chapter 810
Rachel Wood was all that was on his mind.
She had hurt him badly. She belonged to somebody else now.
Nevertheless, Sebastian Brenand could not stop thinking about her.
Though he thought of becoming a playboy again, he was simply not interested in other women anymore. Rachel was the only one in his mind and heart. He could not forget about her no matter how hard he tried.
He even doubted himself sometimes. Perhaps he had betrayed and disappointed too many innocent girls in the past. Rachel was simply divine retribution for his misdeeds.
"But that girl is different..." Sebastian's mother said again.
"Mom... Please... Leave me alone, okay?"
Following that statement, Sebastian hung up the phone. He opened the gallery on his phone and found Rachel's picture.
This was the only picture of her in his gallery.
In the picture, Rachel was wearing an apron, happily painting at the art studio. She looked as gentle as a dove.
Sebastian found her attractive when she painted, so he took a picture of her. That photo had been on his phone ever since.
When he returned from Edgewater, bruised and scarred, he had the urge to delete that photo.
However, he failed to do so.
***
After Xyla Quest finished her work at three o'clock in the afternoon, she went to the supermarket to buy groceries under her bodyguards' watchful eyes. Then, she went home right away. This was the first time her master stayed over at her house. She wanted to make a delicious meal for him.
When she returned home, Stanley Batton and Ron Batton were both not at home.
After putting all the groceries in the kitchen, Xyla gave Sharon Lindt a call to invite her, Wilson Batton, and Catherine Batton to come over and have dinner together.
Sharon accepted her invitation without hesitation.
After that, Xyla texted Stanley and informed him about the family dinner tonight.
While all these were happening, Stanley was having a meeting in the conference room.
The man sat in the middle of the table, wearing a well-fitting black suit with a white shirt inside. His domineering aura was palpable.
Seeing Xyla's message, the coldness on the man's face instantly melted away and was replaced by tenderness. His fondness for Xyla was overflowing from his eyes as he read the message.
The executives, who were initially expressing their opinions with trepidation, were all paralyzed to their spots when they noticed the changes in their boss's expression.
It happened as fast as a tornado.
"I'll go back now to prepare the meal with you," Stanley replied.
"Aren't you busy?"
"Nah, I'm not," Stanley reassured Xyla.
Stanley shoved his phone back into his pocket, got up, and turned to Zack Cassidy. "I'll leave the meeting to you. I have to go now."
Zack nodded respectfully.
With that, Stanley stalked out of the conference room without saying a word.
Immediately after he left, all the executives started to exchange looks with each other.
Whispers and babbles of voices swarmed across the room in the very next second.
"Aye... Our president has gone to accompany his wife again, right?"
"Our young mistress is really something, eh?"
"In the past, if someone told me that our president is a love maniac, I would never have believed it."
"I had always thought that being our president's girl must be a very miserable experience. I was wrong. I'm sorry, my dear president."
Zack listened to the crowd's discussion in silence.
He strongly agreed with some of them, though he never had the gut to express his thoughts.
After texting Stanley, Xyla sent Josh Batton a message, too, telling him that his grandfather was back. She asked him if he wanted to join the dinner tonight. Josh Batton replied to her message in just one second.