Chapter 61: The Leadership Team

In truth, they simply didn’t want to live with Qu Wuyan. Her temper was fierce, she did things her own way, and she wasn’t nearly as easy to get along with as Lian Meng. Fan Daxiang disliked flying, so Fan Chi sent a driver to traverse more than ten hours by car, bringing them from the south.

Qu Wuyan stood on the second floor, looking down with undisguised disdain at Fan Daxiang and Ma Shoujuan as they unpacked their bags of local specialties on the first floor. “Mom, this year only Grandpa and Grandma came. Second Uncle, Third Uncle, and Little Uncle aren’t here—it’s wonderful,” whispered Fan Xiaoyun, who had been called back from the set to eat with the family, carrying a glass of skim milk as she approached Qu Wuyan. “Usually, every New Year, a crowd descends upon us. It’s maddening.”

“Your uncles aren’t coming, but Lian Youyou is,” Qu Wuyan replied. “Your grandparents insisted your father bring Lian Youyou here for New Year’s this time. I really can’t fathom what they’re thinking.”

Ma Shoujuan opened a large jar of pickled vegetables, and the pungent odor swiftly wafted up to the second floor, making Qu Wuyan gag and cover her mouth, retching several times.

“Mom, don’t tell me you’re pregnant again!” Fan Xiaoyun’s eyes widened, her voice lowered. After all, her mother, Qu Wuyan, had recently undergone an abortion following a reckless affair with a young star.

“Don’t talk nonsense. Be careful your father doesn’t hear you!” Qu Wuyan shot her a glare. “It’s because of the dumplings Lian Youyou made for me the other day—they made me sick to my stomach.”

Ever since she learned what Lian Youyou used for the dumpling filling, Qu Wuyan had developed an aversion to food, almost like anorexia, unable to keep anything down for days. Even a whiff of something strong made her nauseous.

“That wretched girl bullied you again? Outrageous!” Fan Xiaoyun fumed. “Mom, I think she’s gotten too comfortable in our house! If we don’t teach her a lesson, she’ll never know her place!”

“Xiaoyun, don’t get your hopes up. She’s under Richard’s protection now—she’s not so easy to deal with.” Qu Wuyan sighed. “You know Richard. He has a deep connection with Lian Meng, so there’s always friction with your father and he’s forever trying to undermine him. Your father isn’t his match. How could you get at Lian Youyou under his watch?”

Fan Xiaoyun’s fingers gripped the milk glass so tightly her knuckles whitened. “Even with Richard around, I can still handle her!”

“Don’t be hasty, Xiaoyun. We need a proper plan for this,” Qu Wuyan soothed. “We can’t confront Lian Youyou directly—it would be too conspicuous. We must find another way.”

Qu Wuyan’s expression grew darker and more sinister. “Lian Meng couldn’t defeat me, and now this little girl thinks she can? She’s dreaming!”

“Mom, what’s your plan?”

“Come closer.” Qu Wuyan leaned in and whispered her plan in Fan Xiaoyun’s ear...

Of course, Lian Youyou knew that overthrowing Qu Wuyan wouldn’t be accomplished overnight. As Qu Wuyan plotted, Lian Youyou was also making her own secret preparations.

In a sterile operating room, Quan Qing’er lay on the surgical table, her face ghostly pale beneath the shadowless lamp. The doctor, holding a special marker, drew lines across her face. Lian Youyou and Richard, both dressed in protective gowns and masks, stood nearby, only their eyes visible, observing closely.

“Uncle Richard, is this cosmetic surgery team reliable?” Lian Youyou asked. Quan Qing’er’s face had already undergone several surgeries; her features were stiff and unnatural. How much improvement could another operation bring?

Richard didn’t answer directly. Instead, he asked, “Do you know Jia Xiaomei?”

“Jia Xiaomei... I think I’ve heard of her. Isn’t she that famous red carpet star?” Jia Xiaomei was one of the post-90s generation’s popular actresses, but she had no notable works to her name; she was known mainly for her frequent appearances at various red carpet events.

Why was she so famous without any work? Because of her beauty, of course. Thanks to her striking looks, Jia Xiaomei had ranked among the top twenty of the world’s hundred most beautiful faces this year.

“Do you think Jia Xiaomei is good-looking?”

“Hmm... she’s alright, quite pretty.”

“She was sculpted by this very team,” Richard said, pointing to the doctor marking Quan Qing’er’s face. “This doctor is one of Japan’s top talents. Many Japanese celebrities have had subtle enhancements here.”

The Japanese appreciate the allure of natural imperfections. Their refinement techniques are so advanced that after surgery, a person appears unchanged, yet somehow more pleasing, more attractive.

Once the doctor finished designing the contours, he turned and spoke to Lian Youyou in Japanese. “Miss Lian, is this satisfactory? Any areas you’d like adjusted?”

Lian Youyou, not well-versed in cosmetic procedures, made an ‘OK’ gesture and replied fluently in Japanese, “Go ahead, Dr. Yoshida. Be bold.”

Quan Qing’er, unable to understand Japanese, held up a hand mirror, gazing at her reflection uncertainly. “Youyou, am I really getting surgery again? No matter what, I’ll never look like your mother.”

“Who said you need to look like my mom?” Lian Youyou smiled behind her mask. “Qing’er, you don’t need to become her from the outside, but from within. True beauty comes from the bones, not the skin. What you gain from looks alone never lasts. Now, what we’re aiming for is to return your appearance to its most natural, original state.”

“Oh... I’ll leave it to you, then.” Quan Qing’er lowered the mirror, half convinced.

She had fallen so far that even if Lian Youyou left her unrecognizable, she had nothing left to lose. She might as well let Lian Youyou do as she pleased.

The surgery began, and Lian Youyou and Richard left the operating room. Lian Youyou never dared watch such procedures; as soon as she exited, she closed the door tightly behind her.

“Richard, did you get the list of senior executives at Yunyan that I asked for?” she asked, pulling off her mask.

Richard took a sheet from his briefcase. “Here it is. But what do you need it for?”

“I want to see if anyone looks familiar—find an opening from within to completely topple Yunyan.”

Lian Youyou carefully examined each name, each position, each tenure.

At last, she wondered aloud, “Is this company Fan Chi’s or Qu Wuyan’s?”

The leadership team was nearly one-third Qu’s family members, while only Fan Chi and Fan Xiaoyun represented the Fan family, seeming weak and outnumbered.

Richard explained, “Yunyan was originally founded by Fan Chi and Qu Wuyan together, with both families involved. It was tough at first; the company lost money, struggled. Qu Wuyan’s parents happened to have made a fortune in business during those years, so they invested to help Yunyan through the crisis. Because of that, even though Fan Chi remains chairman, Yunyan is essentially ruled by the Qu family.”

“So Fan Daxiang and Ma Shoujuan just let Qu Wuyan seize their Fan family business?” Lian Youyou laughed, her tone mocking.

Fan Daxiang and Ma Shoujuan never knew how to be satisfied.

When she had first married Fan Chi, Fan Daxiang and Ma Shoujuan began making demands: Fan Chi was to buy apartments for his three brothers in Binhai City, find jobs for the second and third brothers, enroll the youngest in the city’s top elementary school.

Even then, they weren’t content. They often criticized her, reminding her repeatedly: “You married into the Fan family, so you’re a Fan in life and death. You’re not Lian Meng anymore—your name is now Fan Lian. The Fan family is your home; the Lian family are outsiders. So your earnings belong to the Fan family, not the Lian family!”

Honestly, was that even human?

She’d argued about it with them, though never too fiercely. Her mother, Shi Xuezhen, always told her to be a good daughter-in-law, respect her elders, and be understanding even when they went too far.

Thinking back, she realized she’d been too soft.

If she ever met Fan Daxiang and Ma Shoujuan again, she’d make sure to vent her anger.

“What good is resentment? None of the Fan brothers are a match for Qu Wuyan,” Richard shrugged. “From what I know, the second and third brothers worked at Yunyan, but for some reason left. I suspect Qu Wuyan drove them out.”

Lian Youyou tucked the list away. “Looks like there’s no real loyalty between Qu Wuyan and Fan Chi—they each play their own game.”

Hmph. Since Fan Daxiang’s family values were so strong, she’d find an opportunity to help Fan Chi, so the Fan family could secure a place in Yunyan.

A few days later, fate intervened: due to an injury in her own company’s roster, Lian Youyou was chosen as a last-minute replacement to participate in a popular variety show, “I Want to Shout I Love You.”

This show, produced by Apple TV, was a celebrity dating simulation. Normally, it had a fixed cast, but Lian Youyou would join a special episode airing over the New Year, requiring only a single shoot.

Because it paired celebrities as couples, many artists—especially newcomers—vied to join, hoping to network with more famous peers and boost their own resources.

After finishing a photo shoot at the company headquarters, Lian Youyou hurried into the elevator with Coco, heading to the filming location for the special episode.

“Youyou, don’t be nervous. I heard your partner, Anze, is a low-key artist with a good reputation in the industry,” Coco reassured, worried Lian Youyou might be anxious about her first variety show. “The show doesn’t have a script—it’s all improvisation. Just be yourself. If anything goes wrong, the production team will edit it out anyway.”