He checked the litter box and scooped it out.

He took a bottle of coconut water from the fridge and took a sip.

Looking at the fridge filled only with drinks, Chen Cheng's mouth twitched.

This woman probably spent her days busy eating takeout again, with no time to cook at all.

Chen Cheng sat back on the sofa and glanced at his watch.

This workaholic—it was already ten-thirty, and she still wasn't back.

Chen Cheng didn't have any doubts about Qiao Xichen.

There was only one possibility for why she wasn't back at this hour.

She was working overtime!

Just as Chen Cheng was about to send a message to ask, Ma Yong's message arrived first.

[Boss, the person has been delivered safely.]

[Good, go back to the hotel and rest. Thanks for the hard work.]

Chen Cheng replied to the message before sending one to Qiao Xichen, asking what she was doing.

As it turned out, Qiao Xichen didn't reply for a long time, but Qiu Hua sent him a message instead.

[Thank you, Mr. Chen. I've arrived home safely.]

Chen Cheng: [Good. Think about what I discussed with you and give me an answer within 24 hours.]

Then Chen Cheng transferred four thousand yuan to Qiu Hua.

[Your consultation fee for today.]

Qiu Hua: [That... You treated me to dinner and drinks. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to accept a consultation fee on top of that.]

[Besides, you didn't consult me on any legal issues.]

Chen Cheng's mouth twitched; she was so short on money yet still putting on such airs.

Silky bird!

Chen Cheng: [Lawyers are supposed to be paid based on service time.]

[We are strangers, and I inexplicably took up four hours of your time. It's only fair and reasonable that I pay for that time.]

In her 9-square-meter rental room, Qiu Hua looked at her phone screen and thought for a moment. [Then I'll take half. Five hundred is already the highest charging standard for intern lawyers at our firm.]

Chen Cheng replied coldly with a single word: Good!

[There's no need to return the remaining money; just consider it the consultation fee for next time.]

Looking at her phone screen, Qiu Hua felt a bit of warmth in her heart.

She knew Chen Cheng only said that because he saw she was short on money.

Qiu Hua clicked to accept the payment. [Thank you.]

[Today was the most I've eaten in a long time.]

Afterward, Qiu Hua turned off her phone screen and slumped onto her small bed, which was less than 1.2 meters wide.

She closed her eyes and let out a long breath.

"Whew~~~~"

The day's fatigue dissipated.

After lying there for a while, Qiu Hua's eyes suddenly flashed. She picked up her phone and began searching for information about the company Boundary Exploration.

In the end, she only seemed to find a simple, clean official website with almost no information.

She only found the correct website...

...at the tenth spot in the search results.

This meant the company hadn't spent any money on search engine marketing.

Qiu Hua was suddenly a bit disappointed. After thinking about it, she tried searching for Chen Cheng's name.

Immediately, she saw some reports recently written by small marketing accounts.

From these messy reports, she found some information about the Zhencheng System.

Following the clues like this, Qiu Hua did a thorough check on Chen Cheng.

The more she investigated, the more colorful her expression became.

On the other side of the city, Fang Lihong's mouth twitched as she looked at the message from Tao Zheng.

She grumbled, "What kind of twisted sense of humor does this person have?"

Her eyes flashed as she murmured, "However, this is an opportunity."

"Since he's appeared in the capital, it's a certainty that the Zhencheng System will establish a branch here."

...

Chen Cheng sat on the sofa, replying to messages from various parties while thinking about the matter of "The Fearless."

The female lead wasn't actually Qiu Hua, but Luo Yingzi—also known as the 'Arrogant Consort.'

Speaking of the Arrogant Consort, Chen Cheng suddenly realized he had already met quite a few characters from 'Empresses in the Palace.'

Zhen Huan (Fang Sijin), the Imperial Noble Consort (Fan Shengmei), Huanbi (Robin's new assistant), and now there was Ye Lanyi.

Entertainment really is a circle.

Chen Cheng rubbed his chin. Speaking of which, how about writing out 'Empresses in the Palace'?

This was a massive IP. Back when Accountant Jia fled the country, the people who stayed at the company survived solely on this IP.

They lived quite comfortably.

Not to mention how popular it was initially; even over a decade after it aired, it still generated over thirty million in copyright revenue every year.

This was definitely a cash-cow-level super IP.

If Xingmang Entertainment could successfully develop this IP, they basically wouldn't have to worry about anything.

Deciding to act, Chen Cheng stood up, found a laptop in the study, and sat back on the sofa to start typing.

As for that woman Luo Yingzi...

In this show, besides being arrogant, this woman had a strange 'Holy Mother' streak.

Whichever client she saw, she wanted to sympathize with and help them.

However, compared to He Minhong, she was much more clear-headed.

She was compassionate, yet also clear-headed and unconventional.

She was the type who wouldn't let herself be taken advantage of.

Near Eleven o'clock, Qiao Xichen used her key to open the door. Seeing the lights on in the house, she was momentarily dazed.

She murmured to herself, "Did I forget to turn off the lights when I left?"

Qiao Xichen didn't think much of it. She put down her bag and changed her shoes.

Walking into the living room, she saw Chen Cheng sitting on the sofa typing.

A brilliant smile immediately appeared on Qiao Xichen's face.

"When did you get back?"

Hearing the movement, Chen Cheng saw she was back and naturally tossed the laptop aside, opening his arms toward Qiao Xichen.

With a smile on her lips, Qiao Xichen rushed over, pinning Chen Cheng back onto the sofa and giving him a big hug.

"Meow~" Nearby, Goudan watched the two of them being all lovey-dovey, let out a meow, and then tactfully walked away.

The two shared a moment of intimacy for a long while before Qiao Xichen finally recovered, looking down at Chen Cheng's handsome face.

"When did you get back?"

Chen Cheng glanced at his watch. "About twenty minutes earlier than you."

"Why didn't you tell me in advance? I would have come back earlier."

Chen Cheng smiled. "I wanted to give you a surprise. But..."

Chen Cheng smiled and raised an eyebrow. "But I ended up waiting in an empty house."

"If you hadn't come back soon, I would have thought you'd run off with some man."

Qiao Xichen lifted her chin. "You weren't here. If I came back, I'd just be working overtime; it's the same in the office."

"Working overtime at the company doesn't waste the electricity and water at home."

"And coming back later means no traffic jams."

Chen Cheng's mouth twitched. What kind of top-tier corporate slave logic was this?

"Aren't you afraid of dropping dead from working overtime like this?"

"It's already Eleven."

"Any later and you might as well sleep at the company."

Qiao Xichen lay back in Chen Cheng's arms affectionately. "Didn't I just get promoted?"

"I have to set an example so the new director and new boss won't doubt my abilities."

Chen Cheng helplessly rubbed her head. "I think your company should implement some rules."

"Like what?"

"Working overtime past ten o'clock should be prohibited!"