Chapter 37 - The Panda Cub Bows For Love

Chapter 37: Being Angry After hanging up the phone, Jing Dan was still somewhat dazed. He Xuan didn’t take her seriously, so she didn't even want to bother with her? With this realization, Jing Dan's mood sank further. So, she was such an unlikable person? She wouldn’t even grant her a simple reply. Meanwhile, He Xuan was almost frantic. After hearing what Hu Tu had said, and then Jing Dan's indifferent response, she almost regretted the previous assumption that there was no need for further replies to reach an understanding! She stood up, grabbed her things, and dialed Jing Dan's number as she walked out, fearing that the kid might be hiding somewhere crying. "What's the rush?" Hu Tu grabbed her arm, raising an eyebrow thoughtfully. She had reluctantly accepted those explanations before, but now, this urgency seemed a bit extraordinary, didn't it? He Xuan was halted by her pull, looked down at Hu Tu from a height, and suddenly smiled, “Because I want to infuriate you. Jing Dan is such a great person,” she said, breaking free and leaving. Letting the person who just made those bizarre comments see if she wouldn’t be infuriated! Hu Tu's eyes widened in shock, finally understanding what she meant and felt a sharp pang of anger! No wonder she didn't dare to make promises earlier, beating around the bush. So, she had been harboring these little schemes! "Damn!" She kicked the coffee table to pieces! And when He Xuan, after several unsuccessful call attempts, realized that the other person was truly angry, she sighed deeply, feeling that this was self-inflicted. But now, since she wasn't answering her calls, where could she find her? Jing Dan, sitting in her car, was still upset by the realization that He Xuan hadn’t taken her seriously. She reverted to her original form, curled up in the seat, feeling very wronged. She had taken He Xuan seriously, even went to the restroom to check her message! He Xuan was certainly not a qualified friend! Hu Tu had never treated her like this! Lost in her thoughts, Jing Dan saw her phone light up with He Xuan's incoming call, and she huffed coldly! She sat down, out of sight, out of mind. Even though she couldn't see it, the ringing in her ears then stopped, and after a few cycles, it was replaced by the sound of incoming messages. Jing Dan's face was stern. After sitting for a while, she slowly got up, turned around, and saw many messages from He Xuan. "Hmph!" Jing Dan held her facial expression, now she knew to send messages, but she didn’t want to deal with her earlier? You ignore me, and I ignore you! With this idea in mind, Jing Dan didn’t reply. She just lay on the seat for a long time, feeling so Hearing this, He Xuan gave a resigned laugh. She no longer expected to change the minds of those who were overly enthusiastic about shipping couples. Let it be as it will; it doesn't bother her anymore. "Let them speculate. As long as we know the truth, that's all that matters." Moreover, with the fan bases of both sides probably about to clash, considering how many staunch fans there were, discussions regarding He Xuan and her alleged affair also weren't sparse among various online entries about their personas. However, He Xuan's words took on a different meaning for Jing Dan. Having learned of He Xuan's feelings for her, Jing Dan began to see ulterior motives in everything, such as their indifference to being photographed together or how the internet bundled them up without care. Wasn't this all an attempt to create an image of them genuinely being together? If in the eyes of the outsiders they became a genuine couple, wouldn't the fake turn into reality eventually? Yet, seeing He Xuan like this, and not wanting to make things awkward between them, Jing Dan felt compelled to swallow her words and the little schemes He Xuan had up her sleeve. If He Xuan knew what Jing Dan was thinking at that moment, she would probably be vexed to death. Why was it that towards others, Jing Dan was not as overthinking, behaving almost naively, but when it came to her, it was as if a thousand eyes had sprouted? Fortunately, after talking it out, their relationship returned to normal, much to He Xuan's relief. Otherwise, leaving the child to sulk alone, who knows to what extent she might brood? As they speculated, paparazzi and netizens did not disappoint with their reactions, stirring up another frenzy. The previously dwindling attention soared once again after this incident, bringing a springtime for the ship fans. —They said there's nothing between them! Just blasted the news in the morning, and by noon, they're eagerly rushing to be together again. Don't you think your actions completely contradict your words? —These two are outright flaunting in front of the ship fandom; the sugar you've given, how could we not ship with all our might? Sorry! So we're really into it! —Aiya, Teacher He, it's only noon, and you're already rushing to go back and hug your wife? —Above! What wife! My President Jing is definitely the top! —Sisters, don't be narrow-minded. It's also possible for them to take turns~ Various fan fictions and fan arts started emerging in abundance, significantly enriching their personal lives in the days to come. Hu Tu upon seeing the news online: "…" I just finished talking, and you're already together again?! She was nearly infuriated to the point of having a brain hemorrhage by Jing Dan! After talking things through, He Xuan soon left Jing Dan's place. Before leaving, she handed Jing Dan a ticket to their dance troupe's future performance. With the pandemic under control, their troupe needed to survive, and naturally, performances were inevitable. They were currently preparing a stage and would sell tickets to the public in the form of a performance. Jing Dan looked at the VIP ticket in her hand, wondering how good a seat one would need to merit the title of 'supreme'. "President Jing, the dress for tonight's gala has been selected. Would you like to see it first?" The assistant came in to inform. Jing Dan glanced up, only then recalling the gala tonight and nodded nonchalantly. Seeing her nod, the assistant quickly brought out the dress, lifting it up for Jing Dan to see more easily. Jing Dan, upon seeing it clearly: "..." A red sequined deep V dress. "...Who picked this out?" Who wants me dead? The assistant blinked, quickly betraying Hu Tu, "President Hu selected it." Jing Dan expressionlessly: "It seems she's quite idle, meddling even in dress selections. Isn’t there an issue with the filming in Baiyan City? She can go deal with that." The assistant promptly agreed. "Take this dress out." Jing Dan looked down at the suit she was wearing, not feeling embarrassed by it. In the end, she attended the gala in that very suit, figuring she'd just take a look and then leave. When Jing Dan entered, the so-called elite had already gathered, but she found it rather uninteresting. "President Jing is here!" People immediately approached her to greet as they saw her arrival. Fortunately, having attended many such galas and with her diligent efforts, she managed to socialize with a degree of skill, engaging in simple pleasantries. "Jing Dan." She heard a woman's voice laden with laughter. At the sound of the voice, her expression lightened as she turned her head. "President Xu." Xu Zhihuan chuckled, giving Jing Dan a once-over and complimented, "You look very good today." "But you can't imitate it." Jing Dan said sternly. Xu Zhihuan was initially taken aback by her comment but then chuckled, "You've even learned to joke." "People around us, don't bully our little Jing," Xu Zhihuan said, stepping forward, attempting to link arms with Jing Dan. Jing Dan subtly moved her arm behind her back, avoiding her gesture. "Ha ha, who would dare bully President Xu's person!" Jing Dan: "..." Roll! When the people dispersed, Jing Dan turned to Xu Zhihuan, visibly displeased with her previous behavior but didn't show it overtly. "President Xu, I'll take a look around." Although she didn't express her displeasure, she didn't want to stay with her either. "Little Jing." Xu Zhihuan called her. Jing Dan's face was cool, "What is it?" Xu Zhihuan's gaze softened as she looked at her, saying, "Little Jing, it's been so long, I think you should understand my feelings. I wonder how you feel about it?” She refused to believe she had been so transparent, yet Jing Dan couldn't see through it at all. Jing Dan frowned, not expecting her to be so straightforward. "Sorry, I don't like you." Jing Dan refused bluntly. Not liking her meant just that, from the first sight and even more so after her subsequent behaviors, this dislike even turned into aversion. Xu Zhihuan's expression slightly changed, her gaze fixed on Jing Dan, "Don't like me, is it because of He Xuan?" Thinking of the online speculations about their CP, whose momentum seemed unabashed even to the involved parties, yet both parties seemingly let it be! Jing Dan looked at her oddly, how was her disliking Xu Zhihuan related to He Xuan? "It's not. I just don't have those feelings for President Xu." She said indifferently. Seeing Jing Dan's cold demeanor, Xu Zhihuan was obviously stung. She stepped closer to Jing Dan, her voice a bit heavier, "I believe feelings can be cultivated. I also believe that I'm a very suitable choice for you. I can contribute to your career." As she approached, the scent of her perfume wafted over. Jing Dan immediately held her breath, feeling rather displeased. It didn't smell good. "I can earn enough for my career; I don't need your help to 'add bricks and mortar', sorry." Saying this, she didn't wait for Xu Zhihuan's reaction and quickly left. If she didn’t leave now, she feared she might carry the unpleasant scent of Xu Zhihuan's perfume. Finding a corner to stay, her thoughts drifted aimlessly. Why was Xu Zhihuan so confident in saying these things to her? Did she seem like someone eager to climb up quickly? She couldn't quite understand Xu Zhihuan's thinking. As her thoughts wandered, she began to think of He Xuan. Being liked by He Xuan felt much more comfortable indeed. Those who like someone should learn from He Xuan. Looking at Xu Zhihuan's actions today, in TV dramas, she would be the typical character set up for a downfall. She shook her head, wondering how she, the head of a leading entertainment company, could be so naive about character roles, making herself out to be a supporting character. He Xuan's approach was better. Though she liked Jing Dan, she didn’t rashly declare it, aiming to maintain a natural closeness, perhaps hoping for a gradual development of feelings according to TV dramas. Too bad, Jing Dan saw through her schemes. Thinking of He Xuan, her ears seemed to catch He Xuan's name. She slowly came back to her senses and listened more attentively. “You don’t know, I ran into her in person today, and she looked even better than in her videos! Especially that figure, it’s just perfect for a dancer.” "Oho, got an eye on her? But it’s no use, He Xuan and Jing Dan are quite close.” "I don't buy it. In our circles, even a slight connection gets touted as deep friendship; not credible.” “Sssh—” “Don’t tell me, He Xuan does look thrilling. Just not sure if she's as thrilling in bed.” “Why not try and see? As long as she wants to stay in this business, would she dare not come if we ask?” "Ha ha ha—ah!" A scream abruptly followed. Then another person also instantly cried out in pain, clutching their lower body, their face paling as they writhed on the floor. The commotion quickly attracted attention, with more people gathering around. “Eh, aren’t they the CEOs of Hummingbird Entertainment and Qi Entertainment?” “What happened?” On the other side, Jing Dan's face was ice-cold, her gaze towards those two men was chilling, as if looking at two dead bodies or two pieces of garbage. Listening to those words, a towering rage surged within her heart. How could someone so naturally harbor such dark thoughts?! Her hand, hanging by her side, clenched into a fist. They actually dared to target He Xuan! As her friend, she could not stand idly by in the face of such an affair. She snorted coldly, fond of playing with women? Let's see you never play again in your life! She pursed her lips, etching the names Hummingbird and Qi into her memory. The two men rolling on the ground, crying out in agonizing pain in their lower bodies, had no idea what had happened. They hadn't seen anyone approach, yet they were shouting as if haunted by ghosts. The host of the gala turned pale upon hearing their words. Having rumors of ghosts at his gala would be a laughing stock. Could he survive the ridicule? Jing Dan cared not how those two men ruined the gala. She took the opportunity to leave amidst the chaos, fearful that even a second longer would have her caught by Xu Zhihuan, who was heading her way. Already in a bad mood due to Xu Zhihuan's previous incident, Jing Dan's temper was thoroughly spoiled after hearing those two men's words. She returned home with a dark expression, sitting on the sofa, growing angrier the more she thought about it. If she hadn't heard their conversation, how would they have dealt with He Xuan? And how would He Xuan have handled them? The more she thought, the more she felt at a loss. With a cold expression, she was just about to get up and grab a bottle of ice water from the kitchen when she suddenly reverted to her original panda form and fell back onto the sofa... Jing Dan: "..." Angrily, she slapped the sofa. Now even this was infuriating her! The panda cub buried herself in the corner of the sofa, exposing her black shoulder patches, curling up like a black and white ball. Angry, frustrated, and even feeling that her earlier action had been too lenient! (End of Chapter)