Chapter 31
“What happened to Xiao Ji?” the director asked in confusion.
However, all of today’s scenes had already been completed, and there were no shots requiring a retake, so he merely expressed a little concern.
“She might have something urgent to deal with.”
Shen Yishu concealed the worry in her eyes and looked in the direction Ji Xiangyu had disappeared.
“Come here. I’ll explain the scenes we’re filming tomorrow.”
The director did not take it seriously and muttered as he tried to pull Shen Yishu into another discussion.
Shen Yishu had no attention left for tomorrow’s scenes.
When Ji Xiangyu released her hand and walked away, her steps had been unsteady. She was clearly reaching the limit of what she could endure.
Shen Yishu waved and prepared to leave.
“Do you remember what I told you today?” the director stopped her. “Don’t go looking for Best Actress Ji. It won’t be good for either of your reputations.”
“I remember.”
Shen Yishu nodded, concealing the anxiety between her brows and forcing a smile.
“I’m tired. I’m going back to sleep.”
“Didn’t sleep well last night?”
The director looked at her suspiciously, only half convinced.
“That’s right.”
Shen Yishu lied without blinking.
“I spent the entire night dreaming that I was about to ascend the throne.”
“Then go back.”
The director finally believed her and waved for her to leave.
When Shen Yishu turned around, the director was still watching her.
Having no other choice, she first walked in another direction.
Fortunately, there was another path behind Ji Xiangyu’s lounge. The moment she left the director’s sight, Shen Yishu began running.
She did not know whether it came from the pull of their pheromones, some form of telepathy, or simply her own anxious thoughts.
One sentence continued circling inside her mind.
Ji Xiangyu needs her.
She needs her desperately.
Basic biological knowledge told Shen Yishu that during heat, a normal Omega needed an Alpha beside her a hundred times more than usual.
Both physical desire and emotional emptiness became a hundred times more intense.
Even with suppressants, the emotional emptiness could not be eliminated. It could only be endured.
Ji Xiangyu had endured it for ten years.
Shen Yishu could not imagine how she had survived those ten years entirely alone.
She could not become Ji Xiangyu’s savior.
But until Ji Xiangyu found another way to control her pheromone instability, Shen Yishu, as her contractual partner, needed to appear whenever necessary.
The night breeze swept through the film base and lifted Shen Yishu’s long hair.
Her crimson skirt flew high behind her, making her resemble a meteor racing toward its destination at the speed of light, cutting fearlessly across the night sky and leaving a beautiful trail behind.
After finally running around the long street and passing through the alley, Shen Yishu arrived breathlessly outside Ji Xiangyu’s lounge and knocked.
She did not dare make too much noise, afraid the director might happen to pass and scold her again.
She could only pat the door lightly while glancing around.
“Sister, it’s me,” she whispered.
The door opened from inside.
A pale arm caught the hand she had raised to knock and pulled her forcefully inside.
Then the door slammed shut.
A slender body immediately entered Shen Yishu’s arms.
The rosemary fragrance was rich and overwhelming, heavier than during any of Ji Xiangyu’s previous heats.
It was so intense that the air felt suffocating and difficult to breathe.
The person in her arms had no strength left.
Ji Xiangyu rested limply against her, placing most of her weight upon Shen Yishu.
Shen Yishu had to wrap her arms firmly around Ji Xiangyu’s waist just to keep her standing and prevent her from sliding to the floor.
“What took you so long?”
Ji Xiangyu’s voice was low and reproachful.
Shen Yishu froze.
This was the first time she had heard Ji Xiangyu fail to suppress the tears in her voice.
It sounded as though she had endured too much for too long, and every grievance from the first half of her life had suddenly surged into her heart.
Her voice was low and hoarse.
“The director wouldn’t let me come looking for you.”
Shen Yishu allowed Ji Xiangyu to search for her neck and rub against it.
Her cheeks grew hot, but she did not dare move away and simply endured it.
“I had to run around the other way.”
“Mm?”
Ji Xiangyu’s lips rested beside her artery.
Whenever she spoke softly, they brushed against the blood pulsing rapidly through Shen Yishu’s body.
“Why?”
Shen Yishu felt like a wooden puppet being infused with life.
Her limbs remained stiff and awkward, but the vitality entering her body rushed through every vein, urging her to become alive and begin moving.
“He’s afraid I’ll take the wrong path.”
Shen Yishu sighed quietly.
“Does this count as taking the wrong path?”
Ji Xiangyu laughed softly, making Shen Yishu’s heart itch.
“No.”
Shen Yishu answered decisively.
“This means I’m ten years ahead of everyone my age.”
If she told people about it, countless others would envy her.
Besides, Ji Xiangyu was not genuinely keeping her as a mistress.
Most of the time, she was supporting Shen Yishu and helping her build her future.
Ji Xiangyu had already removed her costume.
She wore a fitted athletic top that revealed her flat abdomen and smooth chest and back.
To keep her upright, Shen Yishu could only wrap her arms around the narrow waist she could nearly encircle with both hands.
She could even feel the hollows of Ji Xiangyu’s lower back.
Her waist was slender, but the muscles across her abdomen were unexpectedly firm.
“Do you want to announce our marriage?”
With Shen Yishu present, the restless itching inside Ji Xiangyu eased slightly.
But her voice seemed infused with an intoxicating fragrance.
Every time she spoke, Shen Yishu felt completely bewitched, as though she were listening to a fox spirit and would willingly obey any command she gave.
Shen Yishu felt that Ji Xiangyu was not the only one suffering through this heat.
“Whatever Sister decides.”
Shen Yishu did not think announcing the marriage would affect her career too severely.
Either decision had advantages and disadvantages, and she could accept both.
Besides, if anyone would suffer the greater impact, it would be Ji Xiangyu.
“Ah.”
Ji Xiangyu sighed softly.
“We should probably announce it sooner. You’ve been misunderstood several times already. My baby must feel rather wronged.”
Shen Yishu’s heart began beating wildly.
She did not know whether it was because of the word wronged or the word baby.
In the alley, Ji Xiangyu had called her Baby only to make Jiang Wu give up.
But now there was no outsider present.
Only the two of them remained.
This time, the word baby was clearly meant for Shen Yishu alone.
It sounded like coaxing.
It sounded like the intimate endearment of a lover.
Whatever it was, Shen Yishu sank into it.
Her head spun, and her heartbeat accelerated as though racing along a highway.
She tried to retreat from Ji Xiangyu’s embrace so she could calm down after hearing that endearment.
But the moment she moved, Ji Xiangyu tightened her arms, clearly determined not to let her go.
“Sister, let’s finish the mark and return.”
Shen Yishu could only stroke her back gently and remind her to handle the important matter first.
Otherwise, if everyone left the film base after the night shoot and locked them inside, the two of them might have no choice but to sleep there.
Ji Xiangyu withdrew from her arms and gave her a long, meaningful look.
Only the white bulbs around the makeup mirror illuminated the lounge.
Ji Xiangyu stood with her back toward the mirror, and the light outlined her body in brilliance, illuminating even each strand of hair.
Her beauty was particularly striking.
Her shoulder-to-neck proportions were excellent.
In an off-the-shoulder gown, she could dominate an entire red carpet.
Even in nothing but an athletic top, she captured Shen Yishu’s gaze completely.
There was not a trace of excess flesh across her abdomen. Its elegant lines made her look as though she were standing on the set of a major luxury advertisement.
After removing her lip makeup, her lips appeared full and naturally red.
Shen Yishu had already tasted their softness.
They were like red wine aged for years—one sip could leave a lingering sweetness that lasted just as long.
Ji Xiangyu had gathered her black hair and casually clipped it up.
Several strands had escaped and fallen across her straight shoulders.
Black hair against snow-white skin created such a powerful contrast that Shen Yishu briefly lost the ability to speak.
The eyes that were normally cold had finally become touched by desire.
Moisture from her earlier restraint still shimmered inside them.
She appeared breathtakingly beautiful and unbearably vulnerable.
“Should we do it now?”
Ji Xiangyu leaned against the dressing table.
The elevated body temperature caused by her heat left her shoulders and neck faintly pink.
Under the lights, she became especially tempting.
“Sister, don’t say things that can easily be misunderstood.”
Shen Yishu corrected her with complete righteousness.
“It’s only a mark.”
“All right.”
Ji Xiangyu did not insist and merely watched Shen Yishu with a faint, knowing smile.
She turned her back to Shen Yishu and sat on the stool she normally used while having her makeup applied, directly facing the brightly lit mirror.
The fully illuminated bulbs made every inch of her skin glow, including the peach-pink flush covering her cheeks.
Shen Yishu checked their height and raised the stool slightly so she could bend down and comfortably reach Ji Xiangyu’s neck.
The extras had just collected their wages and were leaving for the night.
Groups passed outside the lounge while discussing the day’s filming.
“Shen Yishu added a scene like that, but Ji Xiangyu wasn’t even angry. Could something truly be happening between them? What if everything online is real?”
“Give me a break. It would make more sense to say Shen Yishu invested money in the production, so Ji Xiangyu has no choice but to tolerate her.”
“After all these years, when has Ji Xiangyu ever liked anyone? She doesn’t even care about Jiang Wu, much less someone at Shen Yishu’s level.”
Shen Yishu lowered her eyes and silently caught the soft flesh between her teeth.
Her teeth rubbed against it lightly, but she refused to release her pheromones.
The person reflected in the mirror half lifted her eyelids.
Because her body was overly sensitive, even her voice trembled when she spoke.
“Are you angry?”
Shen Yishu did not answer.
She merely applied slightly more pressure with her lips and teeth.
It did not hurt.
But it was extraordinarily uncomfortable.
Ji Xiangyu was trapped inside Shen Yishu’s arms and could not move.
Unable to reach up and pat the little friend’s head, she could only stroke Shen Yishu’s hand in comfort.
“I agree. No matter how you look at them, they aren’t suited for each other.”
The people outside continued talking loudly.
Their voices passed clearly through the wall.
Shen Yishu did not understand where her unhappiness came from.
In terms of status, she and Ji Xiangyu truly were separated by heaven and earth.
Perhaps the truth simply hurt too much.
After those words entered her ears, an indescribable emotion rose inside her.
“No.”
Shen Yishu raised her head.
“I’m only a little out of practice.”
Ji Xiangyu’s lips curved, but she did not expose the lie.
After clearing the unnecessary thoughts from her mind, Shen Yishu bent down again.
To make things easier, she wrapped one arm around Ji Xiangyu’s waist while using the other hand to hold her chin.
Her nails had been trimmed cleanly, and their rounded beds pressed lightly into Ji Xiangyu’s pale cheek.
“You people and your gossip. Move along.”
The director’s familiar voice sounded outside.
“What happened today is confidential production information. Anyone who spreads it can wait for a lawsuit.”
Shen Yishu lifted her eyes and happened to meet Ji Xiangyu’s gaze in the mirror.
Pheromones entered like bubbles injected into fruit juice, rising one after another before bursting.
Ji Xiangyu’s nerves seemed to rise along with those tiny, dense bubbles.
Hearing a familiar person outside made both women slightly more alert, but neither stopped moving.
Someone knocked on the door.
Ji Xiangyu frowned and forcefully suppressed the itch in her throat.
“Who is it?”
The director answered,
“Best Actress Ji, have you seen Shen Yishu?”
Shen Yishu applied even more pressure.
Her canines pressed firmly against Ji Xiangyu’s neck.
The freezing winds of Siberia carried a blizzard into the sea of rosemary flowers, covering it in frost.
The rosemary swayed beneath the storm but continued growing more vigorously.
“No,” Ji Xiangyu replied, sensing Shen Yishu’s determination to misbehave and finding it both amusing and exasperating.
“Sorry to bother you. Return early and stay safe.”
Having received the answer he wanted, the director left in satisfaction.
Shen Yishu was deliberately taking revenge.
She wanted to retaliate for Ji Xiangyu constantly teasing her.
Still, the little friend restrained her strength somewhat.
Had Ji Xiangyu truly allowed Shen Yishu to take complete control, she feared Shen Yishu might refuse to sleep beside her tonight.
As the blizzard intensified, the swaying rosemary flowers trembled even more violently.
Buds intertwined with fine snow.
The cedarwood scent descended, but rather than concealing the rosemary, the two fragrances blended and wrapped tightly around one another, unwilling to separate.
Only after injecting the final threads of pheromones and sensing that Ji Xiangyu’s slender body could contain no more did Shen Yishu slowly rise.
Her expression was cold, as though she remained unsatisfied.
Ji Xiangyu rested against the dressing table with complete contentment.
She looked like a female ghost from A Chinese Ghost Story who had gone out at midnight and devoured ten thousand passing scholars.
Satisfaction filled the corners of her eyes and brows, and she was so languid that even her shoulders drooped slightly.
Noticing Shen Yishu’s unpleasant mood, Ji Xiangyu half raised her eyelids, glanced at herself in the mirror, and clicked her tongue softly.
“Baby, come closer,” she said lazily.
Shen Yishu obediently moved nearer.
She did not even understand what she was dissatisfied about.
Both emotionally and physically, she had received equal satisfaction from the mark.
Yet one place inside her still felt strangely empty.
The emptiness was so vague that even she did not understand its cause.
She sat beside Ji Xiangyu and leaned against her.
Ji Xiangyu raised a hand and pointed at herself in the mirror.
“Am I beautiful?”
The question seemed to have a standard answer.
No matter how fiercely anti-fans argued, very few people denied Ji Xiangyu’s beauty.
If the entertainment industry required one face to serve as its passport, Shen Yishu believed most people would vote for Ji Xiangyu’s overwhelming appearance.
The Ji Xiangyu reflected in the mirror was not as dazzling as she appeared on a red carpet, but she was even more captivating.
The corners of her eyes were unnaturally red.
Her raven-black lashes fluttered.
Moisture shimmered in her gaze.
Spring had climbed onto the branches, making every passing traveler stop and remember the sight forever.
“Am I beautiful?”
Seeing Shen Yishu remain dazed, Ji Xiangyu repeated the question.
“You are.”
Shen Yishu returned to her senses and nodded.
“This belongs to you, Baby.”
Ji Xiangyu curved her eyes and spoke in a hoarse voice.
“No one else will ever see it. Only you.”
A warm current drove away the deepest winter.
Frozen rivers began flowing again.
The indescribable emotion inside Shen Yishu departed along with the cold season, leaving only the revival of all living things and flowers blooming everywhere.
“Sister…”
Shen Yishu stammered,
“Let’s go back.”
Ji Xiangyu laughed.
“All right. Let’s go home and sleep.”
Before leaving, Ji Xiangyu reapplied her perfume.
The fresh citrus scent dispersed the pheromones clinging to her body.
Unless someone smelled her carefully, they would no longer notice anything.
When they emerged from the lounge, almost everyone had already left the set.
Ji Xiangyu had informed Wang Xing in advance, so Wang Xing had taken Zhu Li away with her.
As Zhu Li left, she had privately worried that she might have sold Shen Yishu.
Then she remembered Shen Yishu had little apart from her body that Ji Xiangyu could possibly want and relaxed again.
The two women walked side by side through the empty film base.
Ji Xiangyu had changed out of her costume.
Over the athletic top, she now wore a fitted shirt whose light khaki fabric outlined the shape of her back.
She paired it with wide-legged athletic pants and sneakers.
Shen Yishu could no longer enter her own lounge, so she had borrowed Ji Xiangyu’s clothes—a loose white T-shirt and cargo pants.
They walked outward as though taking an evening stroll.
A pitch-black night sky stretched above them.
Even on the outskirts of the city, stars were rarely visible.
The incomplete moon hung alone overhead, looking aggrieved as it admired the backs of two beautiful women.
“Sister.”
When Shen Yishu saw Ji Xiangyu take a pack of cigarettes from her bag, she could not resist advising her.
“Smoking is bad for you.”
“Mm.”
Ji Xiangyu nodded in agreement.
“Since having you, I’ve barely smoked.”
Shen Yishu felt Ji Xiangyu had devoted far too much effort to giving her romantic misunderstandings.
But whenever Shen Yishu tried to investigate them, she discovered Ji Xiangyu had merely wanted to tease her.
“Then why are you smoking now?”
Shen Yishu glanced sideways at her.
She had to admit that Ji Xiangyu looked slightly more grounded and human while smoking.
She also appeared somewhat handsome and exceptionally captivating.
Still, Shen Yishu maintained her position.
Smoking was harmful to one’s health.
“Have you heard of an after-sex cigarette?” Ji Xiangyu asked.
“…Sister, this isn’t after sex.”
Shen Yishu tried to correct her.
“Would you like to try it?”
Ji Xiangyu gestured with the cigarette in her hand.
Shen Yishu hesitated.
“A little.”
Ji Xiangyu took a drag and released most of the smoke.
Then she wrapped her right arm around Shen Yishu’s head and transferred the few remaining faint traces from her mouth into Shen Yishu’s.
Beneath the streetlight, Ji Xiangyu extinguished the cigarette against the ashtray on a trash bin and placed it into the designated cigarette-butt container.
Then she turned back toward Shen Yishu with a smile.
There were no stars above them, yet Shen Yishu saw a brilliant constellation inside Ji Xiangyu’s eyes.
“What does it taste like?” Ji Xiangyu asked.
“…Smoke.”
Shen Yishu had not truly tasted the cigarette.
Perhaps the smoke had circled through Ji Xiangyu’s mouth and absorbed her unique fragrance.
When Shen Yishu swallowed it, all that lingered was the Omega’s scent.
It entered her lungs and engraved itself into her blood.
“Let’s go home and sleep.”
Ji Xiangyu caught Shen Yishu’s wrist, turned a corner, and left the film base.
The director, who had just emerged from the set, witnessed the entire scene.
He finally understood why Ji Xiangyu had not been angry.
The two of them had reached the point of sharing cigarette smoke mouth to mouth.
There was no possibility Ji Xiangyu would become angry over a kissing scene.
He also understood Shen Yishu’s faint anxiety and instinctive efforts to defend her.
The only thing he still could not understand was why Ji Xiangyu had claimed not to have seen Shen Yishu when he knocked on the door.
Surely the two had not simply happened to meet afterward.
The director, who felt his hairline receding from confusion, climbed onto his small electric scooter and wondered whether he had questioned the wrong person.
Perhaps Shen Yishu was not the one taking the wrong path.
Could it be Ji Xiangyu?
Maybe tomorrow, he should indirectly advise Ji Xiangyu not to exploit an actress through unspoken industry practices.
However, both women had been smiling.
Their expressions were happy and sweet, not like an unequal arrangement at all.
They resembled a young couple instead.
Despite filming love stories for decades, the director could not understand the situation.
Too embarrassed to approach and ask directly, he could only ride away on his scooter.
Morning sunlight and the restless sleeper beside her once again awakened Shen Yishu.
She yawned and slipped one hand from beneath the blanket.
Without changing position, she reached for the phone beside the pillow.
Ever since logging into her alternate account that day, she had found time almost every day to search Ji Xiangyu’s name and leave countless replies asking,
“Why do you have no manners?”
Today was no exception.
She logged into Weibo, only to see her own name.
#Shen Yishu Improvised Scene#
She nearly jumped up in shock.
Then she remembered someone was still lying on her and forcibly restrained herself before opening the topic.
It had probably begun trending around midnight, when she and Ji Xiangyu were already asleep.
Both women habitually silenced their phones while sleeping, so they had naturally missed the studio’s calls and knew nothing about what had happened.
This trending topic did not even contain a video or photograph.
There was only a gossip account posting a vague statement.
[According to reliable sources, the young actress recently rumored to be involved with a certain Best Actress improvised a scene on set. I heard the Best Actress’s expression was unpleasant.]
Shen Yishu: “…”
What kind of nonsense was this?
She opened the comments.
Some people were trying to decode the identities.
[Which Best Actress? Which young actress? Which drama?]
[You clearly haven’t been online at all for the past two days.]
[There aren’t many actresses people refer to simply as “the Best Actress,” are there?]
Others discussed Shen Yishu.
[Shen Yishu has no work to her name. Why does she trend every day? Which company is buying these topics?]
[Her company is some small one, right? I think they only produced one idol from a survival show.]
[The company just released a termination notice. They’re trying to ruin her now, aren’t they?]
Some discussed Ji Xiangyu.
[Based only on appearance, I think they actually suit each other.]
[They do. Most people look overshadowed beside Ji Xiangyu, but these two have compatible auras.]
[Would Ji Xiangyu truly allow someone this insignificant to exploit her popularity?]
Still others focused on the drama itself.
[Is no one curious what scene she added? What could possibly be added to Li Jin’s part?]
[I’ll make a ridiculous guess: a kissing scene.]
[The person above guessed something even more impossible than the national football team entering the World Cup.]
Shen Yishu: “…”
Someone had genuinely guessed exactly what she had done.
She backed out and saw the termination notice released by her former company.
She felt speechless.
That company had not done a single decent thing.
Even at the very end, they still wished for her destruction.
They had deliberately released the notice at this moment to exploit the attention, making it appear as though Shen Yishu had been terminated because of serious misconduct.
She browsed casually and saw many accounts clearing negative posts from her public feed.
The studio’s public-relations team was probably working.
Shen Yishu sighed, feeling the situation was troublesome.
It was still her fault for acting without thinking.
She considered releasing an apology as a gesture of sincerity.
However, she could not predict whether Ji Xiangyu had made other arrangements, and acting independently might disrupt the public-relations team.
She ultimately abandoned the idea.
While continuing to reply, “Why do you have no manners?” everywhere, she waited for Ji Xiangyu to wake.
At seven o’clock, the automatic silent mode on Ji Xiangyu’s phone ended.
A call immediately rang.
With her eyes closed, Ji Xiangyu rolled over and reached for the phone.
She opened her eyes drowsily and answered, her voice slurred together.
“Hello?”
The person on the other end explained everything that had happened the previous night.
“All right. Come over as early as possible. We’ll be heading to the set later.”
Ji Xiangyu ended the call and stared at Shen Yishu with half-open eyes.
“Baby, you’re trending again.”
She yawned, her voice soft and sticky with sleep, and her eyes had not fully opened.
After an entire night, Shen Yishu had barely developed immunity to being called Baby.
She nodded.
“Ah.”
Ji Xiangyu sighed.
“I told you that you’d trend many more times in the future.”
Shen Yishu felt extremely apologetic for forcing Ji Xiangyu to arrange so many things on her behalf.
She was about to apologize when Ji Xiangyu sat up.
Her hair was disheveled, with ends sticking out everywhere.
The silk nightdress hung loosely around her body, revealing a large expanse of pale skin across her chest.
Without much concern, she pulled the thin strap back over her shoulder and turned toward Shen Yishu.
“Your former company posted the termination notice on Weibo.”
“Lawyer Li obtained the official termination agreement from them last night. She’ll come shortly and have you sign a new contract as an artist under my studio.”
“We can’t take your official promotional photograph here. We’ll need to wait until we return to the city and visit the studio before uploading it.”
“Don’t worry about the trending topic. It’ll fall later. The public-relations team is handling it and will contact the production. You don’t need to pay much attention.”
Ji Xiangyu climbed from bed while speaking.
The sleepiness inside her eyes gradually disappeared, and her voice returned to its usual clear tone.
“Don’t check Weibo during this period.”
She pulled open half the curtain and stood with the morning sunlight behind her, arms folded as she looked at Shen Yishu.
“Don’t worry. I’ll handle everything.”
Less than half an hour had passed between Shen Yishu discovering the topic and learning how it would be resolved.
She had not even figured out how the situation had escalated.
However, every strand of fur on her body now felt completely soothed.
Satisfied, Shen Yishu collapsed back onto the bed.
“Could Jiang Wu be behind this?”
She suddenly remembered Jiang Wu’s threat before leaving the previous night.
“Probably not.”
Ji Xiangyu’s voice sounded muffled from inside the bathroom as she washed.
“If it were her, the team would tell me. This was probably Ji Wenbin’s work.”
She sighed deeply.
“He can’t touch me, so he can only bully you first.”
Shen Yishu laughed.
“He can’t touch me now either.”
By the time Lawyer Li arrived, the two women had finished breakfast and were sitting on the sofa.
Shen Yishu had even found time to answer a call from Shen Gaozhuo, who clearly wanted to laugh at her misfortune.
His voice was as unpleasant as always.
Merely seeing his name made Shen Yishu frown and wonder why she had forgotten to block him.
Still, she answered on speakerphone.
“Hello. What do you want?” Shen Yishu asked coldly.
“I’m only checking on my niece. How have you been lately? Do you still have money to spend?”
Shen Gaozhuo’s greasy voice came through the phone.
The original owner had always spent everything she possessed.
Maintaining the image of a spoiled rich daughter required money to flow through her hands like water.
As a result, when Shen Yishu transmigrated, she had possessed nothing except several thousand yuan in her wallet.
But Shen Yishu genuinely did not lack money now.
She had almost no opportunity to spend it.
Ji Xiangyu had arranged everything she needed, leaving almost nothing for Shen Yishu to pay for herself.
“Give me five million, and I’ll say whatever you want to hear.”
Naturally, Shen Yishu would not reveal any of that to the Shen family.
This call from Shen Gaozhuo was like a weasel visiting a chicken to offer New Year’s greetings—there could be no good intentions.
He had probably learned that her former company publicly terminated her while the internet was filled with criticism, making her appear like a rat crossing the street.
“Are you truly that desperate for money?”
Shen Gaozhuo asked excitedly.
“How about this, Xiao Shu? As long as you admit you were wrong, I’ll give you spending money.”
“It doesn’t matter if you can’t become a celebrity. You can return and continue living as a wealthy young lady.”
Ji Xiangyu lifted the glass of water beside her and took a sip without expression.
Shen Yishu did not become angry.
She was merely curious what Shen Gaozhuo wanted besides humiliating her by asking her to return.
“I only need to apologize to you?”
“You also need to apologize to the person from the Ji family.”
“As long as you do that, the Shen family’s crisis will disappear, and you can return to being the Shen family’s eldest young lady.”
Shen Yishu looked at Ji Xiangyu and silently mouthed,
“Crisis?”
Ji Xiangyu shook her head, indicating she knew nothing.
“It’s that simple?” Shen Yishu asked.
“That simple.”
Shen Gaozhuo believed there was hope.
He had waited several days for Shen Yishu to encounter trouble.
Assuming she would desperately need money under these circumstances, he finally called to force her to submit.
“I understand. Get lost.”
Shen Yishu immediately ended the call.
What a joke.
She understood the difference between temporary wealth and lifelong wealth.
Ji Xiangyu was paving the way for her to become famous.
Shen Yishu would not foolishly return to become some so-called Shen family heiress.
What era were they living in?
“What did he mean by the Shen family’s crisis?” Shen Yishu asked Ji Xiangyu.
“I don’t know. Ji Wenbin probably caused it.”
Ji Xiangyu remained unmoved.
“With his connections, crushing someone like Shen Gaozhuo wouldn’t be difficult.”
“I see.”
Shen Yishu nodded and did not ask further.
“Do you want to save them?” Ji Xiangyu asked.
She felt no attachment to the Ji family, but Shen Yishu might not feel the same way about the Shen family.
If Shen Yishu wished to save them, Ji Xiangyu would merely observe.
The Shen family contained no good people and was not worth saving.
Showing mercy after suffering their abuse was not Ji Xiangyu’s style.
“Why would I save them?”
Shen Yishu was slightly surprised by the question.
Having received a satisfying answer, Ji Xiangyu did not ask again.
Lawyer Li arrived, followed by Zhu Li, who had come upstairs looking for Shen Yishu.
“President Ji. Miss Shen.”
Lawyer Li nodded in greeting.
Zhu Li entered while holding her phone.
After greeting everyone, she told Shen Yishu,
“My former boss called and said that if I provide him with damaging information about you, he’ll let me return to work and even give me a promotion and raise.”
Shen Yishu considered it and realized it was probably another of Ji Wenbin’s methods.
“What do you think?”
Zhu Li looked baffled.
“What could I possibly think? I’ve already signed an employment contract. How could that garbage company compare with our company?”
Suppressing laughter, Shen Yishu looked toward Ji Xiangyu.
Ji Xiangyu remained calm, though faint amusement filled her eyes.
“Come sign your employment contract, Baby.”
Zhu Li: “?”
Lawyer Li: “?”
What Baby?
Who was Baby?
Hearing the word from an affectionate young couple would not be strange.
Hearing it from Ji Xiangyu was extremely bizarre.
It was like seeing a rose bloom upon an iceberg—and not merely bloom, but flourish brightly.
It was deeply unnatural.
Ji Xiangyu and Shen Yishu remained perfectly composed, pretending not to notice the other two women’s expressions.
Shen Yishu signed the termination agreement and new employment contract at lightning speed without even reading them.
“You signed so readily,” Ji Xiangyu said. “What if I included a tyrannical clause taking ninety percent of your income and leaving only ten percent for you?”
Shen Yishu looked genuinely shocked.
“Would Sister do that to me?”
“If I said no, would you believe me?” Ji Xiangyu asked.
Shen Yishu nodded.
“If you wanted to trick me, you wouldn’t need to wait until now.”
Ji Xiangyu thought carefully.
“That seems true.”
Still, Shen Yishu flipped to the section covering revenue distribution.
The specially prepared agreement did indeed contain a ninety-ten split.
However, Shen Yishu would receive ninety percent, while Ji Xiangyu’s studio would take ten.
Shen Yishu frowned.
Ten percent would not even cover all the expenses related to managing her.
She was about to ask for it to be changed when Ji Xiangyu leaned closer and whispered,
“Under a normal agreement, I should give you an apartment or cash.”
“But I don’t have anything suitable that I can transfer directly to you, so you’ll have to endure the hardship of earning money yourself.”
Shen Yishu hugged the contract and nearly threw herself at Ji Xiangyu.
Teaching someone how to fish was better than giving them a fish.
Earning money herself was far more reliable than simply accepting it from Ji Xiangyu.
Even after they entered the familiar SUV, Zhu Li had not recovered from hearing the word Baby.
She fastened her seat belt and glanced at Lawyer Li in the driver’s seat.
Although Lawyer Li appeared calm, her hand trembled while inserting the buckle, and she missed the slot on the first attempt.
Clearly, her mind was also in turmoil.
Shen Yishu closed her eyes to rest and tried to sleep a little longer.
Then Zhu Li suddenly shouted from the front and frightened her awake.
“Oh my god! The original author of The Golden Hairpin posted on Weibo. This is terrifying. I’m afraid to open it.”
Ji Xiangyu extended her hand for Zhu Li’s phone.
Her expression remained calm.
Over the years, she had faced far more difficult public-relations crises.
She would not fear an original author adding fuel to the fire.
However, for a minor actress like Shen Yishu, opposition from an established author could prevent her from being cast in intellectual-property adaptations in the future.
[Green River’s Little Writing Expert: I saw it, I saw it! I called the production and asked. The director told me what scene was added. All I can say is that it was quite reasonable. When I wrote the original novel, I originally planned to include that scene, but I forgot while rushing to meet the update deadline that day. I worried readers wouldn’t accept the difference, so I didn’t add it to either the published edition or the draft submitted to the production. Speaking up for the young actress right now might make people think I’m supporting her personally, but she genuinely understood Li Jin. Everyone, please don’t blame her.]
After reading the post on the phone Ji Xiangyu handed her, the stone hanging over Shen Yishu’s heart finally fell.
She looked at Ji Xiangyu.
Ji Xiangyu patted her head.
“Relax. No one has denied your ability.”
The tension in Zhu Li’s heart also disappeared.
Half an hour later, Ji Xiangyu Studio published a new Weibo post.
[Welcome to our newest colleague, @Shen Yishu.]
Most of the comments came from people joining the excitement.
Everyone wanted to see the person who had occupied several trending topics throughout the morning.
The country had been peaceful lately, with no major incidents, so entertainment-industry gossip occupied more attention and people treated it as harmless amusement.
[What kind of ugly-duckling-wakes-up-as-a-swan storyline is this? Her original company terminated her and tried to ruin her, but she immediately flew into Ji Xiangyu Studio. If I were Shen Yishu, I’d be ecstatic.]
Shen Yishu was indeed ecstatic.
Whenever she remembered how eagerly her former company had tried to harm her, she wanted to laugh.
[I think I smell something. Does anyone else understand?]
[Sister, I understand completely. After my deskmate secretly started dating our mathematics representative, the representative asked my deskmate to help every time she collected examination papers. Hehe.]
[Do not believe or spread rumors. Follow only official studio announcements.]
Shen Yishu returned the phone to Zhu Li and leaned close to whisper in Ji Xiangyu’s ear.
“Sister, Shen Gaozhuo and Ji Wenbin will be furious when they see this.”
The amusement in Ji Xiangyu’s eyes deepened.
She whispered back,
“Would you like to make them even angrier?”
Shen Yishu tilted her head in confusion.
“I would, but what else are we doing?”
Ten minutes later, both Ji Xiangyu and Shen Yishu published the same post from their personal accounts.
[Ji Xiangyu: With you for the rest of my life. @Shen Yishu]
[Shen Yishu: With you for the rest of my life. @Ji Xiangyu]
Less than ten minutes later, Weibo crashed.
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