Betrayal
Ji Zibo slapped her thigh!
Yu Wen was on the phone with Ji Zibo. The other party said she was very interested in her new novel and asked if she was willing to collaborate on a radio drama. Yu Wen was first overjoyed, but then she thought of the relationship between Ji Zibo and Jin Shuilan. Now that Lu Zhenqiu and Jin Shuilan were already together, did Jin Shuilan know what she had done? Or was it that they didn’t know and had believed the statement she just released?
She couldn’t say for sure, but she also couldn’t resist the temptation. Ji Zibo, the gold-medal screenwriter and director of radio dramas in the industry, generally only produced top-quality works. Being able to collaborate with her was also a representation of her own current influence in the circle. Besides, she had just been ‘deceived’ by Tang Yingxia, so she could take advantage of the situation to continue managing her public persona.
Yu Wen’s heart was in turmoil. On one hand, she felt she couldn’t trust them so easily, but on the other, she wanted to lock it down. It was very contradictory. So she asked Ji Zibo many questions, and Ji Zibo’s answers were very professional, making Yu Wen feel more and more tempted.
“If we collaborate, Teacher Jin will probably participate as well. Do you mind?” Ji Zibo’s voice was gentle. Yu Wen was stunned for a moment. “Teacher Jin?”
Jin Shuilan is coming too?
Ji Zibo smiled faintly. “Yes, we ask her to look over every work after it’s adapted.”
Everyone said she was a gold-medal screenwriter, but in reality, Jin Shuilan was behind her. However, Jin Shuilan didn’t want people to know and couldn’t be bothered to take credit, so all the fame went to her.
Yu Wen calculated in her heart, even more unsure if Jin Shuilan knew or not. However, she leaned towards her not knowing. If she knew, would she still be actively seeking her out for a collaboration now? Then she thought of Lu Zhenqiu’s personality. Tang Yingxia had done such a thing, yet she hadn’t exposed a single word about it on Weibo, so she probably wouldn’t have told Jin Shuilan either.
The more she thought about it, the more she felt this was the case. Patting her thumping heart, Yu Wen said, “I can. To be able to work with Teacher Jin is three lives of good fortune1.”
Ji Zibo smiled. “Then let’s pick a time to chat in detail. I’ll tell Teacher Jin.”
Yu Wen’s heart pounded fiercely. She said, “Okay, I’ll have to trouble Teacher Ji.”
Ji Zibo hung up the phone.
Yu Wen took a deep breath. Just as she put down her phone, she heard it ring again. Thinking it was Ji Zibo, she quickly answered, “Teacher Ji, is there something else?”
Tang Yingxia frowned, her voice grim. “Teacher Ji?”
She asked, “Which Teacher Ji?”
Recognizing Tang Yingxia’s voice, Yu Wen’s tone changed, becoming slightly cold. “Why are you calling me?”
Tang Yingxia was still stuck on which Teacher Ji it could be. Could it be Ji Zibo? Ji Zibo had always been closest with Jin Shuilan. Were they trying to win over Yu Wen? Was the rescheduling of her own drama related to Yu Wen?
Her thoughts raced. Yu Wen asked, “No one in particular. What’s wrong? Is something the matter?”
Tang Yingxia gritted her teeth. “Have you seen the news online? My drama…”
“I know.” Yu Wen had been dealing with this matter for the past two days, running to several places and attending several meetings with the person in charge, all to save the drama. But her family’s company wasn’t the only investor; they were just one of them and didn’t have the final say. So she had been negotiating constantly. Yu Wen was already irritable, and hearing Tang Yingxia’s impatient attitude made her even angrier. “Do you think I’ve been sitting around doing nothing? It’s because there was a problem with your work that there’s a delay!”
If the work’s content didn’t contain borderline material2, how could this have happened?
And she still called to blame her.
Yu Wen was fuming. Hearing her words was like pouring oil on Tang Yingxia’s own simmering rage. She snapped, “But I was the one who said to cut that plotline back then! You were the one who insisted on keeping it!”
If Yu Wen hadn’t gotten a taste of the sweet benefits of marketing to solidify and abuse the fanbase3, that plotline wouldn’t have become a problem, and it would definitely be airing as scheduled now. When all was said and done, it was all Yu Wen’s fault.
Yu Wen pressed a hand to her head. The joy from her chat with Ji Zibo had been washed away by Tang Yingxia. She said, “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Fine,” Tang Yingxia said. “Then you see what you can do. In any case, I must see that drama this year.”
Yu Wen hung up and cursed her out. Unlike the elation from the previous call, a fire was now building in her heart. She immediately called the head of her company’s film and television4 department.
She called twice with no answer. Yu Wen hung up and checked the hot search. The news about the Baihe drama being replaced had actually shot up the rankings. Yu Wen was a bit stunned for a moment. How did something that hadn’t even been decided yet get on the hot search?
Refusing to believe it, she called the person in charge again. This time, someone answered. Yu Wen immediately asked, “What’s going on online?”
The person in charge explained, “I’m not too clear on it either. We’ve already contacted PR5 to get the news taken down.”
Yu Wen nodded. “Then President Qi…”
“President Qi said it’s been resolved.” President Qi was the other major investor. They had been negotiating with President Qi all this time because their PR department had assessed that releasing it now was inappropriate, especially with Tang Yingxia embroiled in negative news, which made it even more unsuitable. So they had always said they would discuss it again, or release it after deleting all the borderline content from the novel. In short, they were just stalling for time.
Yu Wen couldn’t afford to wait any longer. Hearing that it was resolved, she was shocked. “Resolved?”
The person in charge said, “Yes, President Qi came to discuss it with President Yu this morning. After he left, President Yu said it was resolved.”
Yu Wen’s heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly had a bad feeling. She frowned and called her father. His assistant said he was in a meeting and would call her back later.
While she was on edge, Tang Yingxia was even more like sitting on a carpet of needles6. The news online suddenly exploded, coming at her from all directions. Underneath the hot search about replacing the drama, many netizens left comments:
【Just replace it. To be honest, I don’t want to watch a drama by Sheng Xia.】
【It was originally the script I was most looking forward to, but now it’s like I’ve eaten a——, it’s disgusting.】
【I’ve been an old fan of Sheng Xia for four years and have shipped her CP with Yu Wen. I never thought she had a girlfriend who couldn’t see the light of day.】
【The filter is broken7. It’s good that it’s being replaced. Just seeing it makes me angry.】
Tang Yingxia’s fingers pressed against the screen. The edges of the screen were spiderwebbed with cracks from being dropped. Her fingertip slid across a crack, and in an instant, fresh blood dripped onto the screen, obscuring the words.
Under that Weibo post, someone had also @’d another production team, hoping they would take over.
That production team was Jin Shuilan’s.
Jin Shuilan sat on the sofa, watching Lu Zhenqiu busy cooking. She was trying out a new style of cuisine. Whenever she finished a dish, she would bring a small portion over, sit beside her, pick up a piece with her chopsticks, and hand it to her, asking with sparkling eyes, “Is it good?”
“It’s delicious,” Jin Shuilan said sincerely. But Lu Zhenqiu pursed her lips. “How come you think everything is delicious?”
Jin Shuilan couldn’t laugh or cry. “I’m telling the truth.”
Lu Zhenqiu already knew how to cook. After trying those dishes twice, they were already looking quite professional. They really were delicious. Jin Shuilan had even eaten a little extra for lunch. During the New Year holiday, the livestreaming hours weren’t as long, so Lu Zhenqiu had finished early today and had been cooking in the kitchen the whole time.
She looked at Jin Shuilan and said, “Then when Uncle and Auntie get back, should we invite them over for dinner?”
Jin Shuilan nodded. “Sure, I’ll call my mom in a bit. They should be back soon.”
Lu Zhenqiu smiled.
Seeing her smile, Jin Shuilan couldn’t resist the urge to hug her. Lu Zhenqiu let out a couple of “hey, heys,” saying, “My apron…”
“It’s fine.” Jin Shuilan hugged her, rubbing the tip of her nose against her swan-like neck, her teeth grazing the skin, leaving a patch of crimson. She let go after a good while. Lu Zhenqiu’s face was completely red. She got up from her embrace and said, “I’ll go check on the pot.”
Jin Shuilan nodded, watching her enter the kitchen in just a few steps. Soon, the sound of stir-frying could be heard. A warm current flowed through her heart, filling it with softness. When Lu Zhenqiu brought the dishes to the dining table, Jin Shuilan was on the phone with He Jinmei. She looked at Lu Zhenqiu and said, “Qiuqiu is asking you guys to come over for dinner. She’s learned a few new dishes recently, and she makes them quite well…”
Hearing her praise, Lu Zhenqiu walked to her side and shook her head in embarrassment, signaling for Jin Shuilan to stop. Jin Shuilan was still talking. Lu Zhenqiu couldn’t listen anymore and pinched Jin Shuilan’s arm. Jin Shuilan let out a soft hiss of pain and looked at Lu Zhenqiu, her eyes full of amusement. Their eyes met for a few seconds before Lu Zhenqiu turned her head and went into the kitchen, the back of her neck completely red.
Jin Shuilan hung up the phone, turned to look at the kitchen, and called out, “Qiuqiu.”
Lu Zhenqiu ignored her. Only after Jin Shuilan called twice did she answer, “What?”
Jin Shuilan got up and walked into the kitchen, wrapping her arms around Lu Zhenqiu from behind. She lowered her head and kissed the flushed skin on the back of her neck. It was a tingly, warm feeling. Lu Zhenqiu turned her head to look at Jin Shuilan.
The two of them stayed in the kitchen for a long while before coming out. The food had already gone cold. Jin Shuilan reheated the dishes while Lu Zhenqiu went to take a shower. When she came back, Jin Shuilan was fiddling with her phone and saw a message from Ji Zibo: 【I’ve already called and contacted Yu Wen. Wait, are you really planning to make a radio drama of Yu Wen’s new novel?】
Jin Shuilan sent: 【I just said I was interested.】
Ji Zibo: 【I don’t get you. You can’t possibly not know what kind of character Yu Wen has, right? Besides, didn’t you say she reached some kind of agreement with Tang Yingxia?】
Jin Shuilan asked her: 【What kind of agreement do you think it is?】
Ji Zibo thought for a moment: 【A film and television drama?】
Right now, several of Tang Yingxia’s drama adaptations are held up at Yu Wen’s family company. To reach such an agreement, and carry so many black pots8 for Yu Wen, it could only be for the drama adaptations.
A notification from a followed Weibo account popped up on Jin Shuilan’s phone. It was an official announcement that had just been posted. The matter of switching dramas had caused a huge stir today. The production team had been @’d many times and was trending on the hot search. It was free publicity, so they simply went with the flow and announced the new drama.
Tang Yingxia’s new drama had indeed been pulled and replaced with Jin Shuilan’s new drama.
The news immediately started circulating. Fans were howling wildly, their joy beyond words. Jin Shuilan’s name was being @’d frequently.
She sent to Ji Zibo: 【Yes, it’s the drama adaptations. So, what do you think Tang Yingxia is most afraid of right now?】
Most afraid of what?
That would definitely be the drama adaptations not being able to air on schedule!
She was just about to reply to Jin Shuilan when she saw a pushed notification from Weibo. Clicking into Weibo, her Moments feed9 was already flooded with news of the drama swap, even more lively than the New Year celebrations a few days ago. Ji Zibo refreshed her feed and saw that Jin Shuilan had reposted the production team’s Weibo post with a new caption: Looking forward to a pleasant collaboration @Yu Wen.
Ji Zibo slapped her thigh!
For Tang Yingxia right now, more frightening than the drama adaptations not airing on schedule was Yu Wen’s betrayal!
The author has something to say:
Thirty red envelopes, memeda!
Jin Shuilan: Brewing tea10, I’m a professional. Wifey, want some tea?
Lu Zhenqiu: …
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