After finishing their meal, the three of them bargained back and forth before finally deciding to move into the new place the next morning.
Even Li Yue refused to leave, insisting on staying in the rented apartment for the night.
Since she wasn't going anywhere, Zhang Yichen revealed his true "capitalist" nature.
"Have you arranged the construction team?"
"It's done. We'll sign the contract tomorrow morning," Li Yue replied crisply, leaving him no room to nitpick.
"Good. What about tomorrow afternoon? Any plans?"
"None. I'll follow the big boss's orders!"
"Perfect. Tomorrow afternoon, secretly take a few photos of me taking Sister Xiaoxi to the hospital. Then pass them to some paparazzi with the caption: 'Rumored celebrity spotted visiting Sihuan Hospital's psychiatric department.'"
"Got it. But… why secretly? Why not just take them openly?"
"Are you stupid?" Zhang Yichen shot her a look like she had no brain. "It's called hype! If you take photos openly, it won't work."
"Alright, alright! My mistake!" Li Yue admitted quickly.
"You live in a luxury residence, right?"
"Of course. Sichuan Grand Court—the second-ranked luxury residence in Sichuan City, right after Jianhu Cave."
"Excellent. Tomorrow afternoon, take a few photos of me and Sister Xiaoxi entering the place. Caption: 'Famous actress moves into luxury residence with a young pretty boy. His identity suspected to be the national college entrance exam's top scorer.' And don't reveal which year's top scorer."
"No problem! By the way… pretty boy doesn't mean a kept man, right?"
"Why do you ask so many dumb questions? 'Pretty boy' just means a handsome, sunny young man. Anyway—do you have a luxury car?"
"Yes. A six-million Lamborghini."
"Good. Take some photos of us in the car. Caption: 'Famous actress gifts her young pretty boy a six-million luxury car.'"
"Alright, but… if you stir up so much hype, aren't you afraid people will find out about Xixi's pregnancy before marriage?"
"I never intended to expose Yixi. Even if it leaks, the best response is no response."
"What about the Chen and Yi families? Aren't you worried they'll come after you?"
"A month from now, Sister Xiaoxi will officially return to the industry. They'll come knocking then anyway."
The intensity of this hype made Li Yue uneasy. She knew full well how much influence the Chen and Yi families held. She doubted Zhang Yichen could withstand their pressure.
"What if they try to take Xiaoxi away?"
"They won't. If they want to take her, they'll have to deal with me first. Otherwise, they'll be afraid I'll make a scene."
"And you're not afraid they'll come after you?"
"Come after me? Them?" Zhang Yichen chuckled and pulled a fruit knife from under the coffee table.
"Ah Chen, what are you doing? Put it down!"
"Hey! Don't be impulsive!"
Both Chen Xiaoxi and Li Yue rushed forward nervously, terrified he might do something reckless.
Chen Xiaoxi even accidentally blurted out the affectionate name she had kept buried in her heart.
"Stand back. Don't move." Zhang Yichen smiled lightly, then crushed the fruit knife into a metal ball with one hand.
"You… you're some kind of martial arts master?"
"Ah Chen, you're amazing!"
The two women spoke in unison again, but this time their eyes were filled with admiration.
"So tell me, do you really think I'm afraid of them causing me trouble?"
"Not you, no… but what if they go after the company? We've only just started operating."
"That's your problem."
He shamelessly pushed the responsibility onto Li Yue.
"You… I…" She froze, realizing with dawning clarity: she was the CEO. Of course it was her problem.
She suddenly felt like she'd boarded a pirate ship, trapped with this man who was working her to the bone.
"Any more questions?"
"…No."
"Good. First wave of hype starts Monday. Second wave ten days later. Third wave twenty days later. September 29th, we'll hold a press conference."
"Got it!"
"And one more thing—I don't want to attend. Any process related to the company is your job to handle. Can you manage?"
"No problem."
"This CEO was worth every penny!"
"Hehe…" Chen Xiaoxi covered her mouth, laughing quietly as she watched the two bicker.
Honestly, even Zhang Yichen hadn't expected to find a CEO like Li Yue. He wanted to be a hands-off boss. She not only had to follow his lead but also hold everything together.
Luckily, she could do both—and she had a good relationship with Xiaoxi. He could trust her.
"Boss Zhang, tell me everything else at once. Better than being surprised later."
"Fine." Zhang Yichen opened his laptop. "We'll launch both Amuse and Cut in two weeks."
"No problem."
"When recruiting, find people who understand both music and computers. We'll need them to run this accompaniment software." He pulled up the program.
"What's this for?"
"You can make accompaniments without instruments."
"Seriously? Something like this exists?"
Li Yue was dumbfounded—just like Chen Xiaoxi the first time she saw it.
"Of course. All these accompaniments were made with this software." Zhang Yichen casually played a few samples.
"Incredible! You're a genius!"
"Enough flattery. Next, this one—Today's Hot Search—launch it together with Amuse."
"This is… a news portal?"
"Yes, an open news and information platform."
"What do you mean by 'open'?"
"Like Amuse. Users can upload anything legal—videos, news, movie breakdowns, game commentary, cooking tutorials, daily life clips…"
"That's genius. My hundred million was worth every cent!"
"Please. If you hadn't shamelessly begged, I wouldn't have given you so many shares."
"Hehehe…" Li Yue giggled.
"For now, we'll launch these three. Once they stabilize, we'll release the others."
"There are more?!" Her eyes sparkled.
"You can't get fat in one bite. The rest would be useless for now."
"Oh… fine."
"By the way, do you have connections at the bank?"
"Yes."
"Good. Apply for a third-party payment license. The company will need it."
He used her contacts without hesitation. In his words—knowing how to use people well was a skill.
"…Alright." She sounded drained.
"That's it. Go relax."
"Okay." She stretched lazily, then glanced at the discs on the table with a smirk. "See? We're giving you plenty of face."
Zhang Yichen sneered. "Thanks, but next time you don't need to bother."
He handed the baby to her and started clearing the table.
Chen Xiaoxi stood up to help, but he stopped her. "Don't move. You just ate—sit and rest. I'll handle it."
Seeing this, Li Yue teased, "Look at that—spoiling her rotten! Won't even let her touch a bowl."
Xiaoxi's cheeks flushed. She shot her friend a glare. "Don't tease. You were the one who ate the most today!"
"Hahaha, true. With food this good, it'd be a waste not to!"
Xiaoxi's smile softened. She glanced at Li Yue, then fixed her gaze on Zhang Yichen's busy figure, her heart swelling with warmth.
She had never imagined there would be someone who cared for her and her child so attentively.
"He really is good. Your hardships are finally over," Li Yue said gently.
"Yes… my hardships are finally over."
With her best friend's blessing, Xiaoxi wiped away her tears in silence.
She knew—at last, she had someone she could rely on.