Chapter 108: Growing Wings
The people around her were speaking a language Shen Xi couldn’t understand. Not English, that was for sure.
After getting into the spacious back seat of the luxury car, the vehicle slowly started moving. The bodyguards got into another car and followed behind.
As the scenery passed by, the European-style buildings and unfamiliar streets felt foreign yet intriguing. There weren’t many cars on the road, making the streets seem unusually empty. Maybe she was just too used to the crazy morning rush hour back in her previous life, compared to that, this place felt almost deserted.
She thought to herself, Wouldn't it be nice to ride a little electric scooter to work here? It would be so peaceful.
Just as she was lost in her thoughts, the quiet inside the car was broken by a cold, deep voice.
"Did you drink last night?"
Shen Xi blinked, a bit confused about why he was suddenly bringing that up. She had, but she got home before 8 PM.
Still looking out the window, she softly replied, “Mm.” After thinking for a moment, she added truthfully, “With my brother.”
Gu Hanling’s eyes narrowed slightly. His tone was unreadable.
“You two aren’t related by blood. You should keep some distance.”
“Keke was there too. Zekai will always be my little brother.”
Shen Xi felt like the man was suddenly claiming territory he didn't have, being particularly possessive today.
She frowned slightly and turned to look at Gu Hanling. She didn’t think this was something that would embarrass the Gu family. After all, in the eyes of outsiders, she and Shen Zekai were just half-siblings with different fathers.
Gu Hanling let out a low chuckle.
“Drowning your sorrows… over your little childhood sweetheart?”
At his words, Shen Xi bit her lip lightly.
For a brief moment, she ignored all the logical reasoning from her past life and simply relied on instinct. Her body’s sixth sense told her that, just maybe, this man was jealous.
But then she remembered what her experienced friend Sister Na had said, and she found her own thoughts ridiculous. Maybe Gu Hanling just liked teasing her, making fun of the original Shen Xi’s foolish obsession with love.
She knew exactly why he was bringing this up.
Recently, Shi Jingyan and Lin Yueyue had been quite active online. With their “main character halo,” their careers in the entertainment industry were flourishing.
The idol drama Lin Yueyue starred in had become a massive hit, attracting a large following of young, overly obsessed fans. Her performance had sparked online fan wars with other fandoms who criticized her poor acting, even making it to the trending searches.
She also took every opportunity, on Weibo, variety shows, anywhere she could, to brag about her rich and handsome boyfriend.
Of course, Shi Jingyan never publicly acknowledged their relationship. The Shi family certainly wouldn’t recognize someone like Lin Yueyue.
Flaunting her romance was one thing, but she also kept subtly implying that Shen Xi was the third party in their relationship. Because of that, Shen Xi couldn’t even be bothered to open Weibo anymore, her comment section was flooded with insults.
Though a few songs she had released had gained a decent fanbase, she had never managed them properly. Her fans were scattered and disorganized, no match for the coordinated smear campaigns against her.
The car drove for about an hour before stopping in front of a vast estate, far from the city.
A maid in a sleek, black uniform opened the car door. Shen Xi stepped out after Gu Hanling.
The first thing she saw was the estate’s main building, a luxurious villa that blended classical and modern architectural styles. Its exterior was made of light-colored stone, giving it a castle-like appearance.
She had never really grasped just how wealthy Gu Hanling was. But now, she was starting to get a sense of it.
She had assumed that when he traveled abroad for business, he would stay in hotels. She hadn’t expected that he owned entire private estates like this.
Who knew if he had similar properties in other countries?
There was no butler here. Instead, the person in charge was a short-haired local woman who looked to be around thirty. She also wore a maid uniform. Not particularly attractive, but she had a sharp and capable air about her.
She and Gu Hanling spoke in a foreign language Shen Xi couldn’t understand. It seemed like an urgent matter, as he only gave a brief instruction before leaving:
“Take good care of her, especially her meals. But don’t let her leave the estate.”
After saying that, Gu Hanling cast a cold glance at Shen Xi before getting into the car and leaving without another word.
The short-haired woman had no idea that Gu Hanling was already quietly married back in China.
She observed Shen Xi’s simple outfit. A casual short-sleeve top paired with relaxed-fit pants, giving off a neutral, androgynous vibe. Plus, she hadn't shown any intimate gestures with Gu Hanling just now.
For a moment, the woman couldn't quite figure out what relationship this beautiful young woman had with her boss. This was the first time she had ever seen Gu Hanling bring a woman to the estate.
She couldn’t help but make a few guesses.
His secretary? His assistant?
But the most likely option… a kept woman.
After all, the boss had already left for business. If she were just an assistant or secretary, why would she be left behind at the estate?
Though she had her doubts, the big boss had instructed her to take good care of Shen Xi’s needs, so she wouldn’t slack off. With a professional smile, she introduced herself in a language Shen Xi couldn’t understand.
“Hm?”
Seeing Shen Xi tilt her head in confusion, looking adorably lost, the woman quickly realized the issue and switched to slightly accented Mandarin.
“Hello, Miss. My name is Alice.”
“Lunch is ready. Please follow me.”
At the mention of food, Shen Xi’s eyes lit up instantly. She nodded eagerly in agreement.
She had spent the entire morning sleeping on the plane and hadn’t had time to eat. Now, she was definitely hungry.
After lunch, Alice took Shen Xi on a tour of the estate to help with digestion.
Perhaps because the area was vast and sparsely populated, the estate was much larger than the luxury villas in Su City back home.
Once the tour was over, Shen Xi sat alone on a garden bench with a beautiful view, scrolling through her phone.
Just then, she received a notification from the production team’s group chat.
The theme song, which she had sung, had been made into an MV using footage from the drama. The response online was overwhelmingly positive, and it even made it to the trending list.
Of course, it wasn’t entirely Shen Xi’s credit.
After all, the drama “Landscape is Like a Painting” was already highly anticipated, featuring renowned Director Feng and starring two major names, veteran actor Zhong Wei and rising idol Zheng Shuangshuang. The hype had been high even before filming started.
Riding on this wave of popularity, the production team decided to host a half-hour live promotional stream tomorrow, featuring the main cast.
Originally, Shen Xi wasn’t supposed to be involved, but since she was the singer of the theme song, she naturally had to participate.
Since she hadn’t posted any updates on Weibo for a long time, most people online had no idea what she had been up to.
A small group of devoted fans had assumed that after being eliminated, she had become disheartened and left the industry, only releasing three fairly popular original songs before disappearing. Many of them had felt regretful about it.
But when the MV was released, her loyal fans were finally able to see her again.
So, she had crossed over into acting! Even better, she hadn’t abandoned her music career, and her new single was still of top quality.
Excited, they flooded social media with messages of support and anticipation.
Seeing all the heartfelt comments, Shen Xi was genuinely moved.
She had thought most of her Weibo followers were just inactive accounts or haters, but without her knowing, there were actually so many people who truly supported and liked her.
A wave of guilt washed over her, and she decided to give back to them in some way.
She knew exactly what fans loved to see. After all, in her past life, she had been just an ordinary person and understood this all too well.
For someone who had never posted personal photos before, she took a few selfies with the villa and garden in the background.
Since she wasn’t in the habit of editing pictures or putting on makeup, she uploaded them completely natural.
In the photos, her fair skin and delicate, stunning features stood out. Even without makeup, her beauty was mesmerizing.
"Long time no see! Thank you all for your support! Hope you like the theme song of the ‘Landscape is Like a Painting’!"
After clicking "post," Shen Xi felt a little nervous.
This was the first time, in both her past and present life, that she had ever uploaded a selfie to social media.
It didn’t take long before the comments started pouring in, updating so fast she could barely keep up…
Meanwhile…
Gu Hanling sat in the VIP section of an important international conference led by the government.
As he listened to the discussion, his phone suddenly lit up on the table, displaying a notification from someone he had set as a "special follow" on Weibo.
His brows furrowed slightly as he clicked on the notification.
The moment he saw the post, his gaze darkened.
So, the day had finally come.
His little canary had grown strong wings, dreaming of soaring high like a phoenix, unknowingly radiating a charm that would attract countless eyes.