Xu Mu had already discussed it with Xu Shou, who told him that the entire pharmaceutical company would now be under his management.
Moreover, Ye Tong was an outstanding student with a degree in a related field, so the plan was for her to work under Wang Weiliang.
Xu Mu naturally agreed.
Back in his office, his phone rang—it was Feng Yue again.
After hesitating for a moment, he answered. "What is it?"
"I told you before, and you didn't take it seriously! Lin Yan's slimming pills already have a commercial!" Feng Yue's tone was anxious.
"I know you're in a hurry, but don't panic," Xu Mu said calmly. "Tell me first—why are you so anxious?"
"Your Xu family invested so much money, and now someone else is taking the profits. Aren't you worried?" Feng Yue countered.
"Wasn't it because of you that our formula was leaked?" Xu Mu asked indifferently.
"…I regret it."
"No, you don't regret it—you just regret losing the reward. If the fruit were still in your hand, would you feel regret?"
Xu Mu shook his head lightly. "Don't call me again for a while. My wife might misunderstand."
And with that, he hung up.
On Lin Yan's side, work continued around the clock.
They were determined to hit the market before the Xu Group's product launched.
With the star power of Song Luoluo, their slimming pill went on sale that Saturday.
Song Luoluo was a top-tier actress, bringing massive publicity.
Lin Yan spent heavily on trending topics, and the slimming pill's popularity never died down.
The moment it hit the shelves, it sold out completely.
Lin Yan and Li Feipeng watched the profits pour in, grinning from ear to ear.
Lin Yan, feeling increasingly inflated, realized that production couldn't keep up with demand.
He immediately ordered Li Feipeng to buy up other factories and keep expanding production—no stopping now.
Meanwhile, Xu Mu wasn't worried in the least.
Within ten days to half a month, their slimming pills would lose their effect anyway.
That noon, Xu Mu received a call from Zhou Henning—he had persuaded Shen Wanning, who was now willing to collaborate with Xu Mu.
Zhou was heading to a meeting in Yanjing, so Shen Wanning herself would come that afternoon to meet Xu Mu.
Xu Mu waited in his office until she messaged, then immediately went downstairs to greet her.
Outside the building, a Lincoln Navigator was parked.
Shen Wanning stepped out, dressed as elegantly as ever—black straight hair, long dress, and a black mask.
She had become somewhat famous, and showing her face publicly often caused a stir.
"Miss Shen," Xu Mu greeted her with a smile.
Shen Wanning gave him a cool glance.
Even she hadn't expected that the trending topic from her concert had blown up because of Xu Mu.
But so what if he had musical talent?
He was still trash as a person.
And Shen Wanning despised men with rotten character.
In her circle, talented musicians were everywhere—but bad people with talent were even more common.
"Xu Mu, I'll be honest," she said bluntly. "When my teacher first asked me to film an ad for slimming pills, I refused."
"But after I saw Song Luoluo doing a slimming pill commercial too, I decided to come."
"Song Luoluo?" Xu Mu raised an eyebrow.
He'd seen the ads these days—she was a singer who had also starred in several hit dramas.
Currently one of the hottest female stars around.
"That's right," Shen Wanning replied. "To be honest, I hate that woman. As long as you can guarantee that your slimming pills are of higher quality and won't cause problems, I'll do the ad."
Shen Wanning held grudges.
Years ago, on a variety show, Song Luoluo had publicly mocked her music as "pseudo-art" and said she only turned to instrumental music because she couldn't sing well.
At the time, Song Luoluo was much more popular, and after that remark, her brainless fans swarmed Shen Wanning—bombarding her with insults and low ratings, even fabricating stories to humiliate her.
It had enraged her deeply.
Now that Shen Wanning had some fame of her own, and Zhou Henning had personally assured her that Xu Group's slimming pills were genuinely superior, she had come here for one reason—
to crush Song Luoluo.
"Miss Shen," Xu Mu said quietly, leaning in, "I can assure you—their pills will have problems within a month. They stole our formula. We've since improved it."
"Good."
Shen Wanning nodded. "Then I'll shoot the commercial. And just like I told my teacher, I won't take any payment."
As the heiress of the Shen family of Jiangbei, she didn't care about the money anyway.
"Fine by me," Xu Mu smiled. "I promised Mr. Zhou I'd compose a new piano piece for you, free of charge. Do you need time to prepare?"
"No need. Let's shoot it now," Shen Wanning replied coldly.
She had no intention of staying in Jiang City overnight. Who knew what this shameless man might try if she lingered?
She'd rather finish quickly and leave immediately.
Xu Mu nodded and called Meng Wanyue, instructing her to contact the filming team and start right away.
The Xu Group had its own in-house media and filming department, located in the same building.
The shoot would be indoors—modern visual effects could make it look anywhere they wanted.
The crew was busy setting up the scene.
The wardrobe team was preparing outfits. Shen Wanning, naturally beautiful, barely needed makeup—just styling and costume adjustments.
Xu Mu sat down at the piano, placing his hands on the keys.
The moment the sound filled the room, everyone turned their heads.
This time, his composition emphasized contrast.
The beginning was slow and heavy—like the plodding steps of an overweight person.
The deep, dragging tones seemed to make everyone feel short of breath, as if they too were burdened by weight.
Midway through, the melody shifted—graceful and refreshing, like a spring breeze brushing past.
Then the tempo rose, bright and nimble, like a sprite dancing freely through the air.
The most astonishing part was that the later section used the exact same sheet music as the first—
yet it sounded completely different.
Same notes, opposite feelings.
When the piece ended, everyone stood frozen like statues, stunned into silence.
"Holy crap! That was incredible!"
"President Xu, you're insane—in a good way!"
These weren't fake compliments—the music was truly extraordinary.
[Favorability +5]
Even the usually expressionless Meng Wanyue had color returning to her eyes.
The man before her was too remarkable—an amazing cook, a musical genius, and kind to her.
Compared to him, the Dragon King was nothing.
Shen Wanning was equally dumbfounded. Was this man even human?
No, it must be that he had already known this piece beforehand.
But even so, to play it like that proved incredible skill.
Her expression stiffened slightly. She remembered a few years ago—Xu Mu hadn't known the first thing about music.
Now he'd grown this powerful. Why would he suddenly dive into music like this?
Could it be…
Because she was in the music industry?
Had he spent these years improving himself—just to chase her?
After all, he had publicly pursued her before.
Shen Wanning lowered her head, feeling a flicker of complicated emotion.
This Xu Mu… really had persistence.
But too bad—his character was rotten. She'd never give him a chance!