After Being Scummed – Chapter 12
by Little PandaDo I Look Like Someone Who’d Hire Child Labor?
As a low-profile melon-eating weasel1 of the internet, Yin Bai understood the principle of getting the full picture before passing judgment. After reading Zuo Jingyou’s statement, she went to check He Zhiwen’s studio account.
She found that the shameless He Zhiwen had also posted on Weibo: “Man or woman—it doesn’t matter, as long as you fancy them.”
Yin Bai couldn’t help rolling her eyes when she saw the post. What “fancy” this and “fancy” that—before you started fooling around with someone, you hadn’t separated from or divorced your wife, so aren’t you just a cheating scumbag? Don’t dress up being a scumbag as if it’s some dashing, free-spirited romance, as if love conquers all.
Soon, Yin Bai discovered someone even more shameless than He Zhiwen.
When she saw Lin Xiao repost He Zhiwen’s Weibo with a photo of their hands clasped together and the caption “I fancy you,” Yin Bai was so nauseated she nearly threw up.
Amid the online torrent of abuse, the two’s candid admission actually earned them praise from some quarters.
Yin Bai swiped down on her phone and saw netizens saying things like “falling for someone isn’t wrong,” “love is love, you can’t control who you fall for,” “true love isn’t eternal,” “a change of heart is only human,” and “bravely owning up to it is worthy of respect.” The whole thing made her skin crawl.
Yin Bai thought to herself that if the two of them had been upfront before things got ambiguous, before hurting Zuo Jingyou, she would have found it quite admirable. But the way things were now…
Heh. Scumbags.
Yin Bai’s lips curled into a smile dripping with mockery. She read Zuo Jingyou’s statement again, and the more she read it, the more she felt that this woman was truly clear-eyed and composed when it came to matters of the heart.
After all, the statement only addressed what needed to be addressed, and gave no quarter to He Zhiwen or the He family. The He family’s companies controlled a significant share of cinema chain resources, so Zuo Jingyou’s move carried the real risk of making a powerful enemy.
Yin Bai chewed on her finger for a moment, then opened her email and sent Jin Xiangyu a screenshot of Zuo Jingyou’s project: “This one. When you negotiate with them, try to meet their demands. Whatever the cost, we can cover it. If it’s not enough, ask me.”
After all, her personal assets were vast beyond measure. Investing in one Zuo Jingyou was more than affordable.
When Jin Xiangyu saw the message, it made her question her grip on reality. Her reply came quickly: “Didn’t you refuse to work with Teacher Zuo no matter what before? There was an investment where you pulled the project just because Teacher Zuo was cast as the lead. Are you sure you’re not seeing things, BOSS?”
As a manager who had worked alongside Yin Bai for years, Jin Xiangyu felt it was better to clarify first. Better that than having Yin Bai act on a whim and dump a pile of unnecessary work on them.
Yin Bai puckered her lips and typed briskly: “That was then, this is now. Can’t I just think her project is good now? Also, on the cinema chain side, give them as much support as possible when negotiating showtime scheduling.”
That way, even if the He family tried to make things difficult for Zuo Jingyou, she could help this “friend” who knew exactly where she stood.
Jin Xiangyu replied with an “Oh” and got to work on a proposal. But the more she thought about it, the more something felt off. After a while, she sent another message, testing the waters: “BOSS, you haven’t gone and gotten worked up about something and decided to pursue Teacher Zuo, have you? Even if Teacher Xiao and Teacher Zuo don’t get along, there’s no need to go this far just to spite Teacher Xiao…”
Yin Bai stared at the message, dumbfounded.
She grabbed her phone and furiously typed: “Are you out of your mind! I’ll fire you, you hear me! Do I look like someone that petty?”
She would never do something so childish—using one person’s feelings to hurt another!
“You’re insane! Can’t you just look at Zuo Jingyou’s project properly? Are you blind? Your year-end bonus is docked one-third!”
Yin Bai was practically dying of rage. What kind of ridiculous speculation was this? It was basically questioning her character.
Relieved that Yin Bai had no intention of doing anything so childish, Jin Xiangyu let out a breath. She sent an OK gesture and added, “Understood. Don’t worry, we’ll give Teacher Zuo our full support.”
Yin Bai said testily, “Then go find me an assistant already!”
Over the next few days, Lin Xiao and He Zhiwen’s romance became fully public, sending the internet into an uproar. After a melee of fan wars, the dust settled.
He Zhiwen couldn’t escape the fact that he’d cheated, and Lin Xiao was branded as the other man2. But in today’s relatively tolerant entertainment industry, cheating and being the other party were at most moral blemishes that didn’t really affect either of them in any substantial way.
After his clarification, He Zhiwen went on filming as usual. Lin Xiao, riding this wave, even managed to winnow his fanbase down to a more devoted core, and gained the favor of hordes of fujoshi3.
Yin Bai found the whole thing utterly despicable, and made up her mind that no matter how good He Zhiwen’s films might be in the future, she would never work with him.
She didn’t like either of them.
Yin Bai’s cold dragged on for days. On the 28th, Zhang Yu finally returned from her short holiday.
Zhang Yu had used the holiday to travel through the great Southwest, and she came back bearing a souvenir for Yin Bai—a Tibetan knife.
Zhang Yu chattered away about her trip, insisting it was a crying shame that Yin Bai never went out traveling.
Yin Bai sat on the swing on the large balcony, flipping through a collection of Byron’s poetry. She looked up at Zhang Yu’s slightly flushed, wheat-tanned face and said with snide undertones: “And do what out there? Get as tanned as you? No thanks.”
“I’m as fair as a fairy. Why would I want to turn into a dark, ugly dark mage?”
Zhang Yu looked at her expression and clicked her tongue in wonder. “BOSS, how come you sound so salty?”
Yin Bai closed the book in her hand and gave a light scoff. “Why would I be jealous of you? Jealous of what? Your tan? Your white teeth?”
Zhang Yu didn’t mind Yin Bai’s mockery at all. Instead she batted her eyes at Yin Bai and said in a teasing tone, “I get it, I get it. You’re just bored out of your mind at home by yourself, jealous that I got to go out and have fun.”
“Oh, BOSS, you must be so lonely without me by your side.”
Yin Bai rolled her eyes at her. “You wish. I’ve been doing perfectly fine. I even made two new friends.” Saying so, she picked up the cane beside her and stood up from the swing.
As she walked indoors, she said to Zhang Yu, “A new live-in nanny and a new assistant are coming over this afternoon. Show them around and help them get familiar with the place.”
This time it was Zhang Yu’s turn to be dumbfounded. “A new assistant? BOSS, why didn’t you tell me anything? Oh no, oh no—are you jealous I went out to have fun, so you want to fire me?!”
Yin Bai raised a hand and poked Zhang Yu in the chest with the book, smiling sweetly. “Now you’re feeling the pain? You still dare to brag to a disabled person about how much fun you had hiking and climbing mountains?”
Zhang Yu immediately clutched the book with a look of profound regret. “I was wrong, BOSS. If I’d known you were this vindictive, I never would have rubbed it in your face.”
“Forgive my shallowness and ignorance. Spare my life, please.”
Zhang Yu held Yin Bai’s book, looking like she was about to burst into tears. Yin Bai was so repulsed she couldn’t help a shudder. She snatched the book back, grabbed her cane, and hurried indoors. “Alright, alright. I know you too well. You’re disgusting.”
“The live-in nanny will handle my meals at the villa. As for the other assistant, she’s yours to manage. Her file has been sent to your inbox. Take a look at what she can do and offload some of your work onto her.”
“Get her up to speed quickly. Then the two of you can take turns with me and actually get time off.”
Zhang Yu flashed an OK gesture, her expression turning serious. “OK, BOSS.”
Zhang Yu’s words had barely faded when the phone sitting on the side table rang. Zhang Yu picked it up and saw it was a video call from the villa’s front gate. She said to Yin Bai, “Must be the new arrivals. I’ll go receive them, BOSS.”
Yin Bai nodded, and Zhang Yu answered the call.
The instant the call connected, Zhang Yu saw a little girl on the phone screen—pink-cheeked and adorable, looking ever so well-behaved.
The little girl blinked her big, dewy eyes at the camera and called out excitedly, “Fairy Sister! Fairy Sister, are you home?”
Yin Bai, who hadn’t taken more than a few steps, stopped in her tracks. She turned to look at Zhang Yu. Zhang Yu raised her eyes, gesturing at the phone with a hint of surprise. “BOSS, this isn’t your new assistant, is it?”
Yin Bai rolled her eyes. “Do I look like someone who’d hire child labor?”
Yin Bai walked back, her cane going tap tap tap on the floor. “Give me the phone. She’s the kid from next door. I’ll handle this.”
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That’s right—your new friends are two little kids!
Footnotes
- 'Melon-eating weasel' — Chinese internet slang for an avid spectator of online drama and gossip, combining 'eating melon' (consuming gossip) with 'cha,' a fictional animal coined by Lu Xun in his short story 'Hometown.'
- Chinese slang for a third party in a romantic relationship; literally 'little three.'
- 'Fujoshi' — female fans who enjoy romantic pairings between male characters, a term originating from Japanese fandom culture.
that’s your BOSS’ DAUGHTER…..ZHANG YU😂😂😂
that’s your BOSS’ DAUGHTER…..ZHANG YU😂😂😂