The vicious female supporting role is posted in the opposite direction by the cub

She wanted to say that she didn't plan to sign the contract, that she just wanted to live a good life with Haoyang. But Mrs. Su's warning and pressuring gaze, and Mrs. Liu's determined look, as if she were already hers, made her feel like she had a fishbone stuck in her throat.

Just then, Su Haoyang seemed to finally "notic" the atmosphere. He ended the conversation, walked over, and naturally put his arm around Xu Mengjie's slightly trembling shoulder.

"Aunt Liu is talking about signing a contract? Mengmeng just left Xingyue, and she's not completely over it yet. Besides, we're getting engaged next month, so she needs time to adjust to her new lifestyle. There's no rush with work; we can think about it slowly, right, Mengmeng?"

Su Haoyang's words seemed to be trying to help her out of a tight spot and give her time to think things over, but the phrase "take your time to consider" was like an invisible rope that pulled her back from the brink of immediate rejection, while also pushing her to the negotiating table where "it's worth talking."

Under Su Haoyang's "gentle" gaze and the implicit pressure from her mother-in-law, and under Mrs. Liu's all-knowing, seemingly knowing look that she would eventually compromise, Xu Mengjie felt a wave of dizzying despair and helplessness.

She seemed to see another, more magnificent and sturdier gilded cage, named after "love" and "family," slowly descending outside the Starry Sky Cage she had just broken free from.

She looked at the gold-embossed business card, bearing the logo of Brilliant Culture and her personal contact information, which Mrs. Liu handed her with a smile, her fingertips feeling cold.

That thin sheet of paper now weighs more than a thousand pounds.

"...I...I'll...think about it."

She heard her own dry voice, like a dying groan.

The voice was filled with the compromise of being forced to the edge of a cliff, and a sense of powerlessness as one consciously sinks into the abyss.

The sun was still shining brightly, the roses were still in full bloom, and the laughter of the ladies was still melodious.

But at this moment, Xu Mengjie's world completely lost its color, leaving only the words "Brilliant Culture" on her business card, shimmering with a cold and cruel light.

She finally understood Xi Hongxia's last prophetic statement, which sounded like a curse: "She's willing to spend five million, so you'd better provide her with more than five million in the future!"

The Su family simply "sold" her out in a different way.

This time, the buyer is Brilliant Culture, one of the masterminds behind the suppression of Star Entertainment.

Her love and her sacrifices ultimately became the most valuable bargaining chips on her mother-in-law's negotiating table.

The train carriage on the return journey was deathly silent.

Mrs. Su closed her eyes to rest, a barely perceptible hint of satisfaction on her lips, as if she had just completed a successful deal.

Su Haoyang tried to hold Xu Mengjie's cold hand, but she abruptly shook him off.

As soon as the car entered the luxurious yet cold garage of the Su family villa, Xu Mengjie, like a small animal driven to the brink of despair, pushed open the car door and rushed into the door that she had once thought led to "happiness" without looking back.

"Mengmeng!" Su Haoyang hurriedly chased after her back to the room.

Xu Mengjie whirled around, tears finally streaming down her face. Filled with utter rage and despair at being so thoroughly fooled, she screamed hoarsely, “Su Haoyang! Tell me! What was your mother doing today?! She took me to see Mrs. Liu, displaying my contract like a commodity! She used my contract termination, my sacrifice, as bargaining chips on your Su family's negotiating table! Is this what you call protecting me? Is this your mother's genuine acceptance?!”

Her questioning echoed like a whip in the spacious, luxurious living room, leaving a cold, resounding sound.

A flicker of panic crossed Su Haoyang's face, quickly replaced by a forced sense of helplessness and goodwill: "Mengmeng, calm down! Let me explain! Mom... she's doing this for your own good!"

"For my own good?!" Xu Mengjie seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world, tears mixed with a self-deprecating laugh. "For my own good, you're just treating me like merchandise, displaying me to Brilliant Culture so you can sell me for a higher price?! She even factored in the five million yuan breach of contract penalty! Is this the sincerity of your Su family?! Is this why you made me give up everything and come back?! Su Haoyang, you've been lying to me from beginning to end! You're just like your mother, you just want to squeeze every last bit of value out of me!"

"How could you think like that?!" Su Haoyang raised his voice, trying to drown out her accusation. "Mengjie, think about it! After leaving Xingyue, are you really willing to stay at home doing nothing for the rest of your life? Brilliant Resources are no worse than Xingyue's. You can shine just as brightly there! How is this selling you out? This is giving you a chance to start over! And with our support!"

"Start over? Since you agreed to let me develop my career in the entertainment industry, why do you insist that I leave Xingyue?"

Su Haoyang frowned and said, "My mom is doing this for your own good! No matter how powerful Xingyue is, it can't even get into a second-tier company! Brilliant Culture is a first-tier company! Do you think it's so easy to get in? If it weren't for my efforts in connecting you with them, you would never have even seen the threshold of Brilliant Culture in your entire life."

"You look down on me?" Xu Mengjie's vision blurred with tears. "Do I need this opportunity to be used as a bargaining chip? Su Haoyang, what did you say to me back then? You said your mother had come to her senses and wanted us to be together! You said we should get married! You said you'd give me a home! And what happened? Before a home even materialized, you were already eager to 'arrange' me out! Is this the home you're giving me?! A home that treats me like a cash cow, a stepping stone?!"

"No! Mengmeng!"

Su Haoyang knew she was upset, so he quickly grabbed her shoulders, his eyes filled with an urgent desire to make her believe him.

"Of course we'll get married! And of course we'll have a home! Mom said we'll have the engagement ceremony next month! Really! We originally planned to have it at home, but my mom felt it wasn't important enough, so she specially booked a venue and even started making the invitations. She wants to make it a big, lively event for you. How could I possibly lie to you?!"

"Venue? Invitations?" Xu Mengjie was being shaken by him, her chaotic thoughts shattered by this sudden promise.

Looking at Su Haoyang's handsome yet anxious face, the last remaining, humble longing for love and the future in her heart began to stir again.

"……real?"

“Absolutely true!” Seeing her waver, Su Haoyang immediately released her shoulder, took out his phone, and swiped the screen rapidly. “Look! Look! The first draft of the venue design! It’s in that garden at the foot of the mountain, with a glass greenhouse that lights up with fairy lights at night… And the invitation design! I specially chose pink and gold, with our names printed on it…”

He shoved his phone screen right in front of Xu Mengjie's eyes.

On the screen, several exquisite renderings appeared—a garden at night, with transparent glass greenhouses adorned with warm yellow string lights, creating a dreamlike scene; and a preview of an electronic invitation, with gold lettering reading "Su Haoyang & Xu Mengjie Engagement Ceremony".

"Mom has been busy these past few days arranging this! Her intention in taking you to meet Mrs. Liu today was to pave the way for your future, so that you can have a respectable and fulfilling career after your engagement and marriage, and not be completely dependent on your family and at their mercy! She is being a bit too hasty, and you may have misunderstood her methods, but her starting point is definitely good! It's for the future of our little family!"

He watched as the flames of anger in Xu Mengjie's eyes were gradually replaced by confusion and a faint glimmer of hope. He sneered inwardly, but his expression remained gentle and affectionate.

He knelt on one knee, grasped Xu Mengjie's cold hand, looked up at her with devout eyes: "Mengmeng, I love you. I swear to you, the engagement ceremony next week will definitely take place as scheduled! You will become my rightful fiancée! As for Brilliant Culture, if you really don't want to go, we won't go! At worst, we'll pay back the five million yuan penalty... I'll earn the money myself and give it to Mom, so you won't feel like you owe our family anything! As long as you stay by my side and be my bride! Okay?"

Overwhelmed by a mix of immense grievance and overwhelming joy at finally being understood and about to achieve her goal, Xu Mengjie could no longer hold back. She knelt down, hugged Su Haoyang, and burst into tears.

"Haoyang... Waaah... I'm sorry... I was just... I was too excited... I was just... so scared... I was afraid of losing you... afraid that all of this was fake..."

Su Haoyang hugged her tightly, patting her back, his voice so gentle it could melt your heart: "Silly girl, it's all true. Next week, you'll be my fiancée. Don't be afraid, I'm here. As for Brilliant, you can sign the contract if you want, or not if you don't. It's all up to you."

He cleverly shifted the concept, emotionally binding "signing the contract" with "engagement," as if refusing to sign the contract would be a betrayal of this "true love."

Xu Mengjie, nestled in Su Haoyang's arms, was overwhelmed by an immense sense of "happiness," and her rationality had long since been abandoned.

She sobbed, her voice thick with nasal congestion: "I...I sign...for you, for our future...I sign..." At that moment, she felt that signing with Brilliant was a way to prove that she was "sensible," worthy of the Su family, and worthy of this "love," and a way to repay Su Haoyang for his "sacrifice."

"Good boy." A triumphant smile appeared on Su Haoyang's lips, but it vanished in an instant, so quickly that the person in his arms could not even notice it.

The process of signing the contract went so smoothly it was almost unbelievable.

The next day, the agent from Brilliant Culture arrived at the Su family villa with the contract.

The contract terms do look very generous, with the base profit sharing ratio even slightly higher than Xingyue's A-level contract, and the promised resources are also quite attractive.

Under Mrs. Su's "loving" gaze and Su Haoyang's "encouraging" eyes, Xu Mengjie barely glanced at the lengthy supplementary clauses and additional agreements—especially the details regarding "artist image cooperation," "priority for business activities," and "penalty for breach of contract"—before signing her name at the Party B's signature section.

The agent, all smiles, put away the contract and exchanged a knowing glance with Mrs. Su.

After signing the document, Xu Mengjie felt a strange sense of relief.

It was as if signing this contract would completely sever ties with the past and prove one's "worth" and "determination" to the Su family.

She even began to look forward to the engagement ceremony that was just around the corner, imagining herself wearing a dress and receiving blessings from relatives and friends in a glass greenhouse.

Su Haoyang was exceptionally gentle and considerate that night, personally cooking her favorite dishes. After dinner, he accompanied her for a walk in the garden, describing the details of the engagement ceremony until the night was deep.

The ink from the signed name seemed barely dry before the work assignments from Brilliant Culture came flooding in like a tidal wave.

With almost no time to breathe or adjust to her new role, her agent booked her a suffocatingly packed schedule. From brand appearances and magazine shoots before dawn to variety show recordings and commercial performances that didn't end until late at night, her schedule was crammed full, leaving almost no room for anything else.

Sometimes I have to travel to three or four cities in a single day, shuttling between airplanes, vans, and different work locations, making eating and sleeping luxuries. The work itself isn't all glamorous; much of it involves tedious and time-consuming tasks like appearances, promotions, and even social events for brands.

She was under immense physical and mental pressure. Exhaustion clung to her like a bone-deep wound, leaving dark circles under her eyes and an undeniable haggardness beneath her exquisite makeup. Occasionally, she would doze off during makeup breaks or drag her leaden legs back to the Su family home late at night, feeling utterly exhausted, as if her very bones were screaming.

But whenever this happened, Su Haoyang would always appear at the right time, put his arm around her, and say in a tone that was both heartache and pride, "Mengmeng, you've worked so hard. The company values ​​you so much and gives you so many resources, which shows that our decision to sign you was the right one! After the engagement ceremony, your career will definitely reach new heights!"

Mrs. Su would often mention at the dinner table, in a seemingly concerned tone, "The Brilliant Company values ​​Mengjie so much, and the schedule they've arranged is a bit tight, but it's all to get things going as soon as possible. It's worth it for young people to suffer a little."

Enveloped in this double "comfort," and thinking about the upcoming grand engagement, Xu Mengjie forcibly suppressed her fatigue, even comforting herself by thinking: Yes, the company values ​​me so much and gives me so much work, doesn't that prove that the Su family paved the way for me correctly and prove my worth? For Haoyang, for our future, what is this little bit of tiredness?

She was immersed in a sweet fantasy of being "valued" and about to usher in the highlight of her life, deliberately ignoring the greedy atmosphere of eagerly extracting value behind the intensity of the work.

However, the turning point of fate always comes unexpectedly.

As the engagement date drew closer, Xu Mengjie finally managed to find some time amidst her busy work to think about this matter—

In the restaurant, Mrs. Su sat at the head of the table, leisurely enjoying her exquisite breakfast. Her hair was meticulously combed, and she seemed to be in an exceptionally bright mood, even humming a tuneless melody. A document lay open in front of her; as Xu Mengjie approached, she caught a glimpse of the Brilliant Culture logo and a list of resources printed on it.

"Good morning, Auntie," Xu Mengjie greeted softly. "I'm getting engaged the day after tomorrow, and I haven't booked tickets for my parents yet."

Mrs. Su looked up at the sound, her smile vanishing instantly, like a Sichuan opera face-changing act: "What are they doing here?"

The look in her eyes when she looked at Xu Mengjie no longer held the "kindness" of yesterday, nor even the deliberate feigned gentleness of before. All that remained was utter indifference and... a hint of undisguised smugness and contempt.

Xu Mengjie froze on the spot: "The engagement...aren't my parents coming?"

"Engaged?" Mrs. Su finally looked up again, as if she had heard an utterly absurd joke. A mocking smile curled at the corners of her lips, her eyes as cold as a viper's forked tongue. "What engagement? Miss Xu, what nonsense are you spouting?" (End of Chapter)