Running away from the Love-Brain

Black Magic Transformation

19:23——

Chen Wenran: "Where's Shuishui? Should we go look for her?"

19:33——

Shuishui (Chi Buyu): "I'm fine. I'll handle it. You really don't need to come looking for me, seriously!!!"

Chi Buyu sent out the message.

She let out a deep breath, lifted her dazed eyes, and gazed at the hazy, dreamlike street scene, suddenly unsure of which direction she should take.

Just a moment ago, she had finished a forty-three-minute phone call with her cousin. It seemed her cousin had dealt with situations like this more than once. She had already contacted a PR firm, saying the most urgent task was to handle the crisis. As for the photos of the model, they'd definitely need to be reshot, but now the question was, should they modify the design? If they needed to change it, should they do a full overhaul or just tweak the details? If it was only minor changes, would it still hurt sales later? And if they needed to start over, where would the new designs come from? Could she even come up with something? What about the costs already invested—could they still get a return?

Her cousin had laid out the situation for her clearly and handed the decision-making power over to her.

On the phone, her cousin spoke like a dependable colleague, saying:

"You're the head now, Shuishui. All of this is work I should assist you with, but the final decision needs to come from you."

Her cousin respected her thoughts. Even when Shuishui returned from Hong Kong and abruptly expressed her desire to start taking on leadership of the brand, her cousin had only been surprised for a moment before patting her head and remarking, somewhat wistfully, "Our Shuishui has really grown up."

At that time, Chi Buyu was full of confidence, determined not to fear hardship or exhaustion. No matter what came her way, she vowed to stay calm and composed, not hiding behind her cousin like a scaredy-cat.

But now, she suddenly felt lost.

She realized that the world's rules weren't as simple as just not fearing hardship or exhaustion. It wasn't like a video game where, once fully equipped, you could pass through every level.

There were traps and illusions along the way.

Chi Buyu felt a surge of fear. She wondered if the brand's problems were happening because she had suddenly taken charge. She was the one who chose the model, picked the launch date from the calendar because it seemed auspicious, and set the schedule for mass production. If it weren't for her, would everyone's hard work have gone to waste? If she hadn't meddled, would everything have gone as smoothly as before?

And now, was she really supposed to continue?

But how should she choose? What should she do to not mess everything up?

Chi Buyu couldn't think of the right answers.

She wandered aimlessly through the streets of Love's Lost Street, her head hanging low, thinking gloomily that it would be easier if life was just a simple game of eeny-meeny-miny-mo.

Chi Buyu popped two coconut candies into her mouth, feeling stressed, and the sugary sweetness brought her some comfort. With her cheeks puffed up, she turned to find a trash can and saw someone standing behind her—it was Cui Xijin.

Under the streetlights, people moved like frames in a stop-motion film. Cui Xijin stood still amidst the bustling crowd, holding two cans of beer in one hand and tightly clutching a leaf in the other. It was hard to tell how long she had been standing there, watching her.