Troublesome – Chapter 113

Very Handsome

The boss is really, really handsome!

Countless @s popped up on Yu Wen’s phone, so fast that she thought her own affair had been exposed and that countless people were condemning her. A sudden panic washed over her, and for several minutes, she didn’t dare to open Weibo. It wasn’t until a friend sent her a message: 【Wenwen! Are you collaborating with Teacher Jin?】

Her heart rate slowed, and she lowered her head to reply: 【Hm? How did you all know?】

Had Ji Zibo already released the news? That fast? They hadn’t even discussed the details of the radio drama yet. Yu Wen’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. She saw her friend’s message: 【Teacher Jin tagged you.】

Jin Shuilan tagged her?

Yu Wen’s delicate brows knitted even tighter. She quickly logged into Weibo and, sure enough, saw that the reposts were all related to Jin Shuilan. Jin Shuilan had reposted the official Weibo post and then tagged her. Everyone thought she was going to participate in that film and television drama, and countless people were congratulating her.

【Wenwen is the best!】

【Ooooh, Wenwen is the most badass¹!】

【Wenwen left the plague god², and her luck is starting to turn. Teacher Jin and Wenwen are collaborating, who’s ecstatic?】

【Two kitchens in wild joy³! Love it, love it!】

Yu Wen’s confusion was not dispelled. Why would Jin Shuilan at her on the official Weibo post? Although it was true they were collaborating, it still felt a bit strange.

Moreover, Jin Shuilan hadn’t offered any explanation.

It was as if she was already a part of Jin Shuilan’s work. A sense of vanity from being affirmed by Jin Shuilan suddenly surged up, diluting that strange feeling. Faced with the flood of congratulations and joy from her fans, her vanity was satisfied to the extreme, but what followed was a predicament.

Her friends were also Lu Yan’s friends, and the falling out between Lu Yan and Lu Zhenqiu was common knowledge. Lu Zhenqiu and Jin Shuilan were in the same camp, and she had previously stood on the opposite side of Lu Zhenqiu. So when they saw this news, those friends tagged her in the group chat: 【Wenwen, are you really collaborating with Jin Shuilan?】

【No way, I remember Wenwen used to really hate Lu Zhenqiu, how could she work with Lu Zhenqiu’s girlfriend?】

【Where’s Wenwen? @Yu Wen】

Yu Wen gripped her phone, for a moment finding it hard to get off the tiger she was riding⁴. She knew many people were waiting for her response. If she responded to Jin Shuilan, it would mean parting ways and going in different directions⁵ with these friends. If she chose these friends, then Jin Shuilan, Ji Zibo…

She didn’t want to let go!

Yu Wen’s thoughts were in a mess, unable to make a decision. If Tang Yingxia hadn’t gone through so many things, she would definitely have stood with Tang Yingxia. But now, she had to make the best plan for herself.

And the best plan was to join Jin Shuilan’s team.

But, how could she do it without Tang Yingxia knowing?

After much consideration, Yu Wen decided to stabilize Tang Yingxia first. She took the initiative to call Tang Yingxia. Tang Yingxia was in the middle of feeling irritable and didn’t say a word when she answered. Yu Wen said, “I asked about the TV drama. It’s not that we didn’t agree, it’s that another investor wants to pull the schedule.”

Tang Yingxia’s tone was gloomy. “What do you mean?”

She was still being replaced?

The successive blows made it somewhat difficult for her to control her emotions. It all started with that livestream. Countless times, she had imagined herself not accepting that livestream. If she hadn’t, she wouldn’t have been provoked into calling Jin Shuilan, wouldn’t have said those things on a live broadcast. Then she would still be the honor-laden Xia Shen, not this person who was being ‘exposed’ everywhere.

Even her past chat logs with some friends were posted, accusing her.

They all used to look up to her, but now they were betraying her one by one.

And Yu Wen!

Tang Yingxia couldn’t accept it. She asked through a strained voice, “So they replaced me and put Jin Shuilan on?”

Although Yu Wen’s patience was exhausted, she held back her temper and explained, “It’s just being pushed back a bit. Next year’s TV drama will be yours.”

“Next year?” Tang Yingxia shook her head. Things changed overnight. Who knew what would happen next year? Even now, the matter of her being replaced on a TV drama at the last minute had occurred. Next year, she would surely be mentioned even less. Would they still release her drama?

It was within arm’s reach right now. If she couldn’t even grasp this, how could she look forward to next year?

Tang Yingxia said, “Are there no other options?”

Yu Wen explained, “The only way now is to minimize the impact. Tang Yingxia, get it straight, I don’t owe you anything. Don’t forget how you got your start. If my family hadn’t invested in your TV drama, would you have become popular? As for the matter with Lu Zhenqiu, you were the one who hid it, you can’t blame others…”

“Can’t blame others?” Tang Yingxia narrowed her eyes. Anyone else could say that, but not Yu Wen. She had approached her along with the TV drama a year and a half ago, expressing her admiration. Later, when Lu Zhenqiu was mentioned, she was the one who suggested not making it public, saying it would be bad for her image.

Tang Yingxia wasn’t a fool. What ‘bad for her image’? It was really about wanting to be tied to her, to market a ‘couple persona’ of two writing gods. She had tacitly agreed, that was one part of it, but Yu Wen was in no position to say she couldn’t blame others.

Yu Wen: “What? You blame me?”

Tang Yingxia didn’t speak, understanding the purpose of Yu Wen’s words. Yu Wen wanted to pull away now, to draw a clear line between them. She said coldly, “You’re collaborating with Jin Shuilan?”

Yu Wen’s heart skipped a beat, and she immediately denied it. “No.”

Tang Yingxia sneered. “She tagged you on Weibo. Did she at the wrong person?”

Sensing the strange tone in her voice, Yu Wen first tried to placate her. “She just said she wanted to collaborate with me on a radio drama. I haven’t agreed yet.”

Tang Yingxia narrowed her eyes. “Haven’t agreed?”

“So will you agree?”

Yu Wen’s voice was tense. “Tang Yingxia, your career is ruined, you can’t ruin mine too. Who I collaborate with is my freedom, you…”

“Your freedom?” Tang Yingxia said. “Don’t you just want to work with her? Why find so many excuses, sounding so grand and dignified⁶.”

Yu Wen was embarrassed and angry at having her thoughts exposed. She gritted her teeth. “Tang Yingxia!”

Tang Yingxia said, “Yu Wen, I can’t control who you work with. Right now, I just want to know what the final word is on the TV drama. I must have it air this year!”

Her voice rose. Yu Wen’s anger had not subsided. “Impossible!”

Tang Yingxia was furious. “Fine, impossible. Then you are not to collaborate with Jin Shuilan.”

Was this a condition in exchange? Yu Wen’s heart tightened, her expression changing slightly. Trading not collaborating with Jin Shuilan now for the current TV drama could appease Tang Yingxia, which wasn’t a total loss. But collaborating with Jin Shuilan was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Perhaps this collaboration could open up other channels for her novels. Yu Wen calculated in her mind. Tang Yingxia regretted her words as soon as they left her mouth, but things had already escalated to this point, and she couldn’t take them back.

It turned out that, compared to not getting the TV drama, she was even less able to accept Yu Wen collaborating with Jin Shuilan. The mere thought of this possibility made her unable to suppress the annoyance and anger in her heart.

Ever since she started writing, the pen name Sheng Xia had always been suppressed by Jin Shuilan.

【I find Sheng Xia writes quite well. The last time I was this amazed was by Teacher Jin.】

【Sheng Xia started a new genre. No one has written in this genre since Teacher Jin did. I hope she writes it well.】

She was always being compared, invisibly. Her writing, her stats, her radio dramas, all seemed to be a notch below Jin Shuilan’s. Every time Jin Shuilan released a new book, it would dominate the charts, while she was always in a lower position. Every time she scrolled through her social media and saw TV drama news, Jin Shuilan would be mentioned first.

Clearly, she had one out too, but it was always left behind.

Jin Shuilan was like a curse, constantly binding her, so heavy she couldn’t breathe. Two years ago, with the radio drama, she knew the production next door was Jin Shuilan’s. Everyone else secretly tried to get on good terms with Jin Shuilan, to get close to her. Only she watched with a cold eye. Finally, she discovered a secret.

It turned out Jin Shuilan liked a voice actress, Qiuqiu.

She clutched this secret to her chest. Every time she thought about Lu Zhenqiu choosing her, she felt a thrill of revenge. She hid Lu Zhenqiu away. The deeper she hid her, the more at ease and secure she felt.

But occasionally, facing the wonderful Lu Zhenqiu, she would also feel a sense of guilt. This guilt made her unable to face Lu Zhenqiu, yet also want to treat her doubly well.

That’s why for a while, Lu Zhenqiu said she was very strange. Why was she so caring and attentive when they weren’t together, yet so cold and distant when they met?

Because when they met, looking at Lu Zhenqiu, she would always think of this stolen relationship, and think of Jin Shuilan.

No one knew of her turmoil.

Finally, she had reached a point where she no longer had to be conflicted. Her career began to shine brightly, she could be placed alongside Jin Shuilan, her name appeared with increasing frequency, promotions became effortless, and her readership grew day by day. But when she saw that name, she still couldn’t suppress her jealousy.

If only there were no Jin Shuilan.

She thought, if there were no Jin Shuilan, then she would be the legend.

So she absolutely could not tolerate anyone around her having any connection with Jin Shuilan. Yu Wen was no exception!

To calm her down, Yu Wen took a breath and said, “Fine, I won’t collaborate with Jin Shuilan.”

But only this time. She certainly wouldn’t promise not to work with Jin Shuilan in the future. She thought that once Tang Yingxia started over with a new pen name, she could cut ties with her. After Tang Yingxia received her reply, she clutched her phone, said a few more words, and hung up. The magazine company called her again, asking her to come over. Tang Yingxia took a shower, changed her clothes, and rushed to the magazine company.

Just as Yu Wen hung up, she received a call from Ji Zibo. Thinking about what she had just promised Tang Yingxia, Yu Wen felt a knot in her heart, but she still gritted her teeth and answered, “Hello, Teacher Ji.”

Ji Zibo said, “Yu Wen, do you have time to come for a cup of coffee?”

Coffee?

Yu Wen thought that she happened to have something to discuss with Ji Zibo anyway, so it was better to meet in person. After she agreed, Ji Zibo said, “I’ll send you the address.”

A location was sent over. Without hesitation, Yu Wen grabbed her bag and left.

She saw the coffee shop from a distance, and the person sitting by the window inside. Ji Zibo was holding a coffee cup with one hand and was on the phone. She had just hung up when Yu Wen entered. Yu Wen smiled and called out, “Teacher Ji.”

Ji Zibo looked up and smiled when she saw her. “You’re here.”

Yu Wen sat down opposite her.

Ji Zibo ordered a coffee for her. As they chatted, Yu Wen brought up the radio drama collaboration, saying she was afraid it wouldn’t be possible this time. Ji Zibo’s expression remained unchanged, only occasionally glancing at her watch. She said, “It’s alright, there will be many opportunities to collaborate in the future. Teacher Jin and I both greatly admire your work.”

“Really?” Yu Wen was flattered, her face beaming.

From outside the window, the two seemed to be having a pleasant conversation.

Tang Yingxia stood by the window. The magazine company’s entrance was directly opposite this coffee shop. She turned her head and saw Yu Wen. Just as she was about to go in and say hello, she saw Ji Zibo sitting opposite her. She stood frozen for a few seconds. The woman who had sworn to her half an hour ago that she wouldn’t collaborate was now smiling like a flower at Ji Zibo. Ji Zibo even handed a contract to Yu Wen.

What were they doing?

Suspicion began to fill her mind. From the moment her TV drama was pulled, someone had told her that Yu Wen had betrayed her, that she had reached an agreement with Jin Shuilan, which was why Jin Shuilan’s drama was replacing hers. She had thought it was impossible. If she fell, Yu Wen would also be affected. So she called Yu Wen. But the woman who was giving her assurances just a moment ago was now backstabbing her to her face!

Tang Yingxia watched the scene before her, furious. She turned and entered the magazine company.

Her hands clenched into fists, nails digging deep into her palms, leaving behind a series of marks.

Yu Wen was very tempted after reading the contract, but she still refused. Ji Zibo expressed her regret, saying they could collaborate next time they had a chance. Yu Wen’s heart was dripping blood⁷. She cursed herself a thousand times for getting involved with Tang Yingxia; otherwise, she would have naturally gotten on Jin Shuilan’s bandwagon now.

The more she thought about it, the more she regretted it.

Ji Zibo put the contract away. “Then let’s schedule something for next time.”

Yu Wen said apologetically, “I’m sorry, Teacher Ji…”

“It’s fine,” Ji Zibo said. “I have something else to attend to, so I’ll be leaving first.”

Yu Wen nodded. As soon as Ji Zibo left the coffee shop, she immediately called Jin Shuilan. “I think I could go into acting. You didn’t see my performance today, an Oscar-winning actress!”

Jin Shuilan chuckled. “Should I present you with an award?”

“That won’t be necessary,” Ji Zibo said. “I’d be eternally grateful if you’d just hurry up and send your wife to my film crew!”

After the New Year, Jin Shuilan had been clinging to Lu Zhenqiu. Ji Zibo knew Lu Zhenqiu wasn’t in a good mood and had given her a break. Now, work was about to start again, and she couldn’t let Jin Shuilan keep clinging to her.

Jin Shuilan said, “Got it.”

Ji Zibo smiled. “What’s Qiuqiu doing?”

“Cooking,” Jin Shuilan said. “My parents are coming over later. Do you want to come?”

“Me?” Ji Zibo asked. “Is there a portion for me?”

Jin Shuilan walked into the kitchen, exchanged a few words with Lu Zhenqiu, and then said to Ji Zibo, “Come on over.”

Ji Zibo replied with a cheerful “Okay.”

Jin Shuilan put down her phone. Lu Zhenqiu said, “Then should we invite Xiao Yu and Hua Luo too?”

They hadn’t seen each other since the New Year. They had originally planned to get together a couple of days ago, but Jin Shuilan had kept her in bed until they slept past the appointed time. She felt very embarrassed when she called them later. Jin Shuilan nodded. “Sure, I’ll go buy some more drinks later then.”

Lu Zhenqiu wiped her hands. “I’ll go with you.”

As she spoke, she untied her apron. When she lowered her head, her beautiful swan neck was revealed, with faint teeth marks on the nape. Jin Shuilan got her a coat and put it on her, turning up the collar to hide all the traces.

The two went to a nearby supermarket. Jin Shuilan took Lu Zhenqiu’s hand and put it in her own pocket, holding it the whole time. Lu Zhenqiu was holding Maomao’s leash. At the entrance, she glanced at Maomao and said, “You go in and buy, I’ll wait for you.”

Jin Shuilan smiled at her, nodded, and went into the supermarket. When she came out, she coincidentally ran into the same girl from their floor again. The girl saw Jin Shuilan and Lu Zhenqiu holding hands, turned her head, and said something to her friend. The friend’s eyes lit up as she looked at Jin Shuilan and Lu Zhenqiu, a mix of awe and envy in them. This time, the girl didn’t greet them but pulled her friend and ran off in a flash. Lu Zhenqiu watched her retreating back, then turned to look at Jin Shuilan. “How did she use to chase you?”

“Who?” Jin Shuilan was taken aback, then followed Lu Zhenqiu’s gaze and chuckled. “I don’t remember.”

Lu Zhenqiu clearly didn’t believe her. Jin Shuilan put an arm around her. “I really don’t remember. Too many people used to chase me…”

Then, sensing Lu Zhenqiu’s eyes on her, Jin Shuilan corrected herself, “Well, not that many.”

Lu Zhenqiu burst out laughing with a “pfft,” her eyes filled with sunlight, sparkling brightly. Seeing her smile, Jin Shuilan’s heart softened. Just as she was about to lean in to steal a kiss, she heard someone call out, “Qiuqiu!”

The two turned their heads. It was Xiao Yu and Hua Luo.

Hua Luo ran over, out of breath, holding her phone. “I almost forgot which building it was. I was just about to call you.”

Lu Zhenqiu said, “It’s the one right ahead.”

“They all look pretty much the same around here, it’s really not easy to find,” Xiao Yu said, linking arms with Lu Zhenqiu. “How have you been feeling lately?”

Hua Luo sized her up. “Should be quite well-nourished. Your face has gotten a little chubbier.”

Lu Zhenqiu immediately touched her face. Jin Shuilan said, “It hasn’t.”

Hua Luo and Xiao Yu chuckled mischievously. The four of them entered the lobby, took the elevator, and just as they reached the door, Ji Zibo also arrived. He Jinmei and Jin Wei hadn’t arrived yet. The group sat at the dining table playing cards. After Ji Zibo lost two rounds, Xiao Yu said, “A forfeit, there must be a forfeit!”

Ji Zibo looked up. “The forfeit is that I’ll show you all something good later.”

Xiao Yu thought it was some kind of unspeakable goodie and immediately took out her phone. While waiting for Ji Zibo to send it, Hua Luo, despite saying she was being improper, also took out her phone and looked at Ji Zibo expectantly.

Being stared at by the two of them made Ji Zibo’s face flush. She said, “What are you thinking? I never said I was sending that kind of stuff!”

Xiao Yu made a disappointed sound. She heard Hua Luo mutter, “Huh? What’s this?”

It was a link sent by Ji Zibo, from a Weibo marketing account⁸. It was actually a partial chat log between Yu Wen and Tang Yingxia. The two mentioned Lu Zhenqiu, and Yu Wen said: 【You’re having dinner with me, won’t your girlfriend get angry?】

The timestamp was from six months ago.

Hiss—

Xiao Yu exclaimed, “Oh my, who did this good deed? Didn’t Yu Wen insist she didn’t know about Tang Yingxia and Qiuqiu’s relationship? She made herself out to be so innocent, now her face has been slapped!”

Hua Luo was satisfied after reading the comments. “Let them fight!”

The comment section was full of people scolding the marketing account, claiming the pictures were Photoshopped and fake. The argument was fierce. Yu Wen’s innocent and gentle persona was deeply ingrained in people’s minds. She had just been deceived by Tang Yingxia, and readers were still feeling sorry for her. Now, this kind of news came out.

The ones whose faces were slapped weren’t just Yu Wen, but these sympathetic readers!

Naturally, they didn’t believe it. They demanded the marketing account apologize and delete the Weibo post, and even threatened to file complaints and report it. All sorts of abuse followed. Xiao Yu said, “I could tell this Yu Wen was no good from the start. Back when she was playing games with Qiuqiu, Qiuqiu was on Tang Yingxia’s account. Yu Wen knew and still invited Qiuqiu to play with her, deliberately trying to make people uncomfortable.”

Hua Luo feigned nausea. “Don’t mention it. She acted like she was the main palace⁹ on Tang Yingxia’s Weibo and in her reader groups. The moment Tang Yingxia got into trouble, she immediately dumped her, just like how she dumped that other person. But I don’t understand why Teacher Jin would at her. What are they collaborating on?”

Ji Zibo just smiled without saying a word.

Hua Luo then thought about the Weibo post and asked tentatively, “Tang Yingxia exposed it?”

Xiao Yu understood. “I get it now. Teacher Jin is brilliant!”

Lu Zhenqiu came into the dining room carrying a dish just in time to hear them say this. She asked Xiao Yu, “What are you talking about?”

Xiao Yu stood up, pulled her to a seat, and said with a grin, “We’re saying that a certain someone’s persona is finally about to be shattered.”

Shattered persona?

Lu Zhenqiu frowned. She listened as Xiao Yu and Hua Luo talked about Yu Wen’s situation one after another, and she nodded in understanding. Hua Luo said, “I estimate these two will be tearing each other apart for a while.”

“Who cares about them.” The bigger the fight, the better. It would be best if the two of them exposed all the dirty things they’d done in the past!

That would be more than just this incident with Yu Wen.

Tang Yingxia was already prepared for the fish to die and the net to break¹⁰. Yu Wen’s repeated betrayals stabbed her right in the heart, especially at such a sensitive time. She couldn’t think about anything else. She didn’t want this pen name anymore, but Yu Wen shouldn’t think about stepping on her to get ahead either. She had tolerated being pushed out to take the fall once or twice, but now that she wanted to work with Jin Shuilan, she couldn’t tolerate it!

Yu Wen was burning with anxiety. She had just agreed with Ji Zibo not to collaborate, and in the next moment, she was sold out by Tang Yingxia. To make matters worse, she couldn’t even reach Tang Yingxia by phone!

This person was dead set on tearing all pretenses apart with her.

Yu Wen anxiously sought out friends to clarify the situation, but the clarifications couldn’t keep up with the speed at which evidence was being released. In no time, the internet was a foul wind and a rain of blood¹¹.

After Lu Zhenqiu finished her tasks, she sat down next to Jin Shuilan and asked her, “When are Uncle and Auntie coming?”

Jin Shuilan turned her head. “They’ll be here soon, there’s a bit of traffic.”

Lu Zhenqiu acknowledged. The two spoke in low voices, their heads bowed in conversation. Just as they finished speaking, the doorbell rang. Jin Shuilan got up to open the door. He Jinmei and Jin Wei were standing outside, carrying quite a few things—bags of fruit and shopping bags with clothes. Jin Shuilan took the bags. “What’s this?”

“Your mom bought them while shopping this afternoon.”

He Jinmei added, “This fruit, I had your uncle bring it from out of town. It’s especially sweet. You and Qiuqiu can eat it together. And these clothes, I saw them this afternoon and thought they looked nice and would suit Qiuqiu, so I bought a few outfits. Have Qiuqiu take a look later…”

She walked in as she spoke. The others in the dining room also came out and stood by the door, obediently calling out, “Uncle, Auntie.”

He Jinmei said, “These must be Qiuqiu’s friends, right?”

Xiao Yu and Hua Luo took a step forward and introduced themselves.

He Jinmei nodded. “You’re all so well-behaved. Have Lanlan wash some fruit for you to eat. We’re a little late.”

“Not late, not late at all,” Xiao Yu said. “Auntie arrived at the perfect time.”

She looked at He Jinmei, then at Jin Wei, feeling that she had seen Jin Wei somewhere before. He looked very familiar. Hua Luo saw her staring at Jin Wei and pulled her arm. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing, I just think Uncle looks really familiar.” She racked her brain and suddenly said, “I remember now, Uncle looks a bit like our boss.”

“Boss?” Hua Luo was confused. “Isn’t your boss that Mo Bai?”

“He’s just the person in charge,” Xiao Yu said. “I’ve only seen the boss in a video, but Uncle is much more handsome than the boss.”

After she said that, everyone looked at Jin Wei. The living room fell into a strange silence. Xiao Yu was confused. Ji Zibo held back a laugh and said, “Xiao Yu, do you think it’s possible they’re the same person?”

“Impossible,” Xiao Yu said. “Our boss isn’t this tall, he’s a bit fat, and a bit bald, and also…”

Lu Zhenqiu grabbed Xiao Yu’s arm and coughed.

Xiao Yu fell silent. A few seconds later, she looked at Jin Shuilan, then at everyone else’s reactions, and finally at Jin Wei, explaining, “Actually, I think the boss is very handsome.”

She blinked, emphasizing with a tearless whimper, “Really handsome!”

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The author has something to say:

Thirty red envelopes, memeda!

There are only two or three chapters left until the end. Thank you to all the darlings who have walked this journey with Qiuqiu and Lanlan, and thank you all for walking this journey with Guigui¹². I am deeply grateful, but the best reward I can give you is to write every book well. Qiuqiu and Lanlan’s story will come to an end, but they will be in another parallel world, living happily ever after. Mua!

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