The Monarch Butterfly - Chapter 3

I knocked on the door.

My boss’s voice came from inside. “Come in.”

I pushed open the door.

“Boss, did you need me?”

My boss sat on the sofa, rubbing her temples.

“Tianshu, sit down first.”

“Yes, boss.”

I sat in the armchair.

My boss rubbed her temples with her eyes closed for a long while before lowering her hand and sighing.

“Tell me, did I choose the wrong profession?” she asked suddenly.

I blinked.

“Huh?”

She opened her eyes. Her hawk-like gaze fixed me to the spot.

“Otherwise, why is every single person working under me so rebellious?”

Me: “…”

“First there was Ying Zixi, that menace. Every piece she writes is more explosive than the last. Fortunately, she weathered the online abuse and has reached a new peak now. But you, Tianshu?”

I kept silent.

“Why on earth did you divorce Lu Zhiyao? I truly cannot understand what you could possibly be dissatisfied with. I’ll be honest—even though I’m straight, just looking at Lu Zhiyao’s face, figure, and aura makes me want to marry her. You… why?”

I still said nothing.

My boss let out a deep sigh.

“Forget it. You’ve been divorced for almost a year. What’s the point of bringing it up now… But Tianshu, haven’t you noticed that you’ve been in terrible shape lately?”

“…Boss, is there a problem with my work?”

“There isn’t. That is exactly what I think is your biggest problem.”

My boss slapped the coffee table.

“You divorced Lu Zhiyao. How are you completely unaffected? Good heavens, are you a bionic robot? Chu Tianshu, if I said I wanted to take you to the hospital for an MRI, you wouldn’t refuse, right? I want to see whether the stuff flowing through your body is human blood or machine oil.”

Me: “…”

I felt a headache coming on too.

“Boss, if that’s all, I’ll go. I still have work to finish…”

“Sit down. Did I say you could leave?”

Reluctantly, I sat back down.

My boss tapped her fingers lightly against the armrest.

After a long while, she said, “Tianshu, you know me. In business, I speak the language of business.”

“Boss, if you have a bad idea, just say it. You don’t need such a long preamble.”

“Then I’ll be direct. The guest for the next interview program has been decided. It’s Lu Zhiyao.”

Me: “???????”

“Tianshu, don’t blame me. I can’t turn down traffic when it’s delivered right to my door.”

I was stunned.

I nearly jumped out of the sofa.

“No, you can’t just decide that Lu Zhiyao will come! She’s private and has never accepted an interview publicly!”

“She already agreed.”

“…”

“Her only condition is that you conduct the interview.”

“…”

“So you can go back and do your homework. That’s all. No other business. Off you go.”

“…”

For the first time in my life, I wanted to kill someone.

The moment the guest’s name was announced, the internet erupted.

Everyone was desperate to see this battlefield of an encounter.

“An ex-wife interviewing her ex-wife. This is going to be exciting.”

When interview day arrived, more than a million viewers flooded the livestream the moment it began.

The number kept climbing wildly.

I sat in my chair with a thick stack of interview notes in my hands.

I had prepared all of them myself.

I had investigated every piece of public information about Lu Zhiyao. I had already done it once when I was pursuing her, but years had passed. She had lived and accomplished more, and there was more to look into.

The stylist touched up my makeup and arranged my hair and clothes.

I lowered my eyes, lost in thought.

I do not know how much time passed before I heard a commotion ahead.

A tall figure appeared at the entrance to the studio.

She wore a perfectly tailored silver-white suit with an iron-gray shirt underneath. Her gaze was cool, her presence powerful and intimidating even without a trace of anger.

Everyone stared blankly as she walked toward me.

I watched her calmly.

She held my gaze the entire time. From the moment she entered, her eyes never left me.

She sat in the empty chair opposite mine.

The instant Lu Zhiyao appeared on camera, the comments exploded.

“Is that face even real? My God, why didn’t she debut?”

“To the commenter above: why don’t you look up President Lu’s annual income first?”

“I did. There are so many zeroes I lost count.”

“So a woman who makes millions every second can be this beautiful.”

“Mom, I’m in love. I’m going to marry her!”

“You up there, get in line! No cutting!”

“Before seeing Lu Zhiyao, I thought Chu Tianshu was indifferent to money. After seeing Lu Zhiyao, I think Chu Tianshu is insane! Completely insane! She needs a doctor!”

“Chu Tianshu, why did you get divorced?”

“Chu Tianshu, why did you get divorced?”

“Chu Tianshu, why did you get divorced?”

The comments began to flood the screen.

Everyone racked their brains and still could not understand why I had divorced Lu Zhiyao.

I did not need to look at the screen to know the livestream had gone completely wild.

Lu Zhiyao watched me in silence.

When she was quiet, she looked like a painting—impossible not to admire.

I curved my lips into a faint smile.

A year had passed.

There were things I wanted to tell her too.

Since she had delivered herself to my door, she could not blame me for being ruthless.