Lin Xiaohai sniffed and went to open the door.
As soon as the door opened, Lin Xiaohai caught a glimpse of Zhou Tong's departing figure and hurriedly called out, "Sister Tong, what did you stuff in there?"
Picking up the item from the ground, I saw it was a neatly organized itinerary.
"Hey, Su Yanxi is back?" Zhou Tong turned around, followed the sound into the room, and said with surprise, "Great, you're back pretty early? I was just about to go back to my room to call you and urge you to come back."
Su Yanxi smiled politely and said, "I came back because there was nothing else."
"Are you alright...?" Zhou Tong glanced at Lin Xiaohai, who was secretly wiping his eyes. "Why are you crying here if nothing's wrong? What's wrong? Are you scolding your little brother?"
Su Yanxi remained silent. After making a lighthearted remark, Zhou Tong quickly changed the subject and took the documents Lin Xiaohai handed her.
"Good news! Filming will officially begin tomorrow at 11:00 AM. The opening ceremony won't be elaborate; it'll probably just be a casual prayer."
"Take a close look at the schedule I've prepared for you. The times on it are just for reference and will definitely change once filming starts. I hope you can make your own notes so I don't have to remind you which scene to film or what color undershirt to wear."
Su Yanxi nodded, picked up the pen beside her and made notes one by one: "Okay, Sister Tong, I will definitely remember it."
"The second document is some precautions for the set building. The director repeatedly emphasized: you must read it and remember it."
After Zhou Tong finished speaking, he gave a bitter smile.
"Sigh, it's not easy. The owner of the little villa we're borrowing tomorrow has a terrible temper—he's almost obsessively protective of the house, and he's very difficult to deal with."
"I heard even the props department is hesitant to use props anymore, afraid of getting fake blood or something dirty on the floor and walls. You're the main character, so you have to set a good example and not make mistakes, understand?"
Su Yanxi readily agreed: "No problem, don't worry, sister."
"Okay, then I won't ramble on any longer. There are also some variety shows promoting the dramas on the schedule. Take a close look and figure out the times; if you don't understand anything, just message me on WeChat."
After giving his last instructions, Zhou Tong swayed away, humming a little tune.
After watching Zhou Tong walk away, Lin Xiaohai closed the door and looked pitifully at the young mistress again: "Young mistress, what we were talking about earlier, still..."
Su Yanxi was most afraid of those teary, puppy-dog eyes—when Bie Yunzong looked at him with those eyes, he was completely helpless.
"Alright, I was just saying it offhand, is that not enough?" Su Yanxi put down the schedule in her hand. "I do want a divorce, but do you think any other family would let me go?"
His relationship with the other family was far more than just being "the other family's son-in-law." To exaggerate a bit, his significance to the other family was even greater than that of Bie Yunzong.
For the past seven years, he has managed all the household affairs in the Bie family's second young master's house. He is a capable and virtuous helpmate, and more importantly, the core of the family who can shoulder the responsibilities of the head of the household; if he dares to mention divorce, his parents-in-law would probably skin Bie Yunzong alive tomorrow!
Putting aside the practical sense of responsibility, from a moral and emotional perspective, Su Yanxi could not possibly get a divorce.
Their families get along well and have long regarded each other as one family. Su Yanxi's mother-in-law treats her well and lets her handle everything, big or small. Su's parents have also received a lot of help from other families. From clearing her father's name to restoring his normal life, other families have really helped Su Yanxi a lot.
Without the protection of others, Su's father's mental state would not have recovered so quickly, and Su Yanxi would not have been able to finish university with peace of mind and firmly establish her title as "the best student at Beijing Academy of Drama".
“Impossible, no other family will let me go.” Su Yanxi answered herself, “No other family will let me go, no other family will let me go, and no other family will let me go.”
Honestly, he didn't want to leave either.
Seven years of my youth have been spent here, how can I just leave like that?
"Young Madam, I have a few words I may not like to hear, but I'm not sure if I should tell you." Lin Xiaohai hesitated. "Would you be willing to listen?"
"Just say what you want to say," Su Yanxi said, rubbing her temples. "Don't bother with this 'asking for instructions' thing. I treat you like my younger brother. If you say something wrong, do you think I'll eat you alive?"
Chapter 32
"I just...think you shouldn't get a divorce."
Lin Xiaohai had carefully considered his words, and his speech this time was very organized.
"Although I only started working for another family after the young mistress and young master got married, I know that you have been managing other families for a long time. The servants in your family all respect you, and you have a lot of authority in our family."
Lin Xiaohai paused, observed Su Yanxi's expression, and then continued.
"Furthermore, you are at the top of the social hierarchy among the wives of wealthy families—at the top of the food chain. Those who can hold their positions as young wives of other families must be outstanding; aren't you and the eldest young wife already among the best of your peers?"
"You have authority in our family, outstanding abilities, and unparalleled seniority, so why do you want a divorce? If you divorce, wouldn't that be admitting defeat to the third party who interfered in your relationship with the young master?"
Lin Xiaohai got more and more carried away as he spoke, and couldn't help but raise his voice.
“I think you should stand up to the other woman, Madam! Of course, the young master is also despicable and needs to be taught a lesson! But the mistress definitely needs to be dealt with—Madam is so outstanding, we absolutely cannot let the mistress and the young master look down on us!”
Su Yanxi chuckled at what he said.
"You're pretty good, Xiao Hai. You actually managed to leave me completely speechless?"
Rather than saying that Su Yanxi was "stunned," it would be more accurate to say that it was exactly what Su Yanxi wanted to hear.
"You're right, I shouldn't have gotten a divorce—divorce is admitting defeat to the other woman. I've been with another family for so many years, why should I be the one leaving? Why can't it be Bie Yunzong and the other woman?"
Su Yanxi's eyes shone with confidence once again.
When Su Yanxi is in a confident and arrogant state, the tone of her voice rises at the end, which is very alluring; her eyes also narrow slightly, making them bright and captivating like fox eyes.
Lin Xiaohai had seen it several times, but he was still stunned when he saw it again.
"I can handle both Master Bie and Madam Bie, let alone Bie Yunzong and his mistress." Su Yanxi snorted. "A mistress, you know, she's good at seduction, manipulating, and spending money, right? That's easy, I can do all of that too."
"When I was fishing for Bie Yunzong, these butterflies probably hadn't even been born yet."
The confident young mistress is so beautiful—it's like she has a halo of sunshine around her! Lin Xiaohai became more and more distracted as he looked at her, and didn't hear what Su Yanxi was saying at all, only nodding.
"Yes, yes, the young mistress is right!"
"Not only that, but tomorrow is the official start of filming, and I will soon be making my first comeback after many years of hiatus."
Su Yanxi unconsciously clenched the itinerary tightly as she picked it up again.
“I have been patient and waited for far too long… Before I make a successful comeback, nothing can interfere with me—and naturally, I cannot let Bie Yunzong cause trouble and disrupt things.”
Having sorted out her thoughts, Su Yanxi picked up her itinerary and stood up.
"I've made up my mind, I won't get a divorce—but I won't be idle either."
"Before making a comeback, let's play with the other side first."
The following day at 11 a.m., filming officially began for the large-scale television series "When the Red Flower is in Full Bloom".
After a simple opening ceremony, the entire crew threw themselves into filming the series. Lin Xiaohai, as Su Yanxi's sidekick, naturally stayed by Su Yanxi and Zhou Tong's side, diligently serving tea and water and doing what an assistant should do.
Lin Xiaohai didn't quite understand the ins and outs of the film crew—he was only brought along by Su Yanxi because she trusted him. Unable to understand the directors' private conversations, he focused his attention on the conflict between the young master and his wife.
Ever since the young mistress said she "wouldn't get a divorce," Lin Xiaohai had indeed felt much more at ease. But what exactly did "playing around with the other side" mean? The young mistress hadn't explained it clearly, and Lin Xiaohai just couldn't figure it out.
He was a little worried that the young mistress's tactics were too ruthless, causing a huge chain reaction; if the reaction was too great, it would be difficult to handle. In that case, it might lead to divorce again, right?
Lin Xiaohai's thoughts were drifting when Zhou Tong's voice pulled him back: "Oh dear, I really shouldn't have started filming such a big production right away."
The director also clicked his tongue and shook his head, replying, "Yes, the actors weren't really relaxed. If the space hadn't been so limited, I wouldn't have arranged it this way either."
The two seasoned industry insiders chatted casually. Lin Xiaohai leaned closer to find the young mistress's camera and asked Zhou Tong curiously in a low voice.
"Sister Tong, what does 'big show' mean?"
"It refers to 'big scenes,' specifically segments with intense arguments or fights, usually the climax of the drama—hence the common term 'big show,'" Zhou Tong patiently explained.
After explaining, she shook her head and sighed.
"The main show shouldn't have been the first one; it should have been shown in later scenes. Right now, the actors haven't gotten to know each other yet, and they're not really in character, so the final result just doesn't feel right."
There are two very important arguments in this scene: one is between Cheng Zhuo's male subordinate and the arrogant female host, and the other is between Su Yanxi mediating the argument and expressing his true feelings to the female host.
The first argument scene didn't go very smoothly. The young actors, including Cheng Zhuo, were a bit nervous and reserved—even Su Yanxi, who has an exceptional mental fortitude, was somewhat nervous.
After three unsuccessful takes, the actors began their fourth attempt. As the production team discussed whether to take a break to allow the actors to calm down, two middle-aged men who had been watching from the sidelines suddenly burst into a tirade of profanities.
"Hey, hey, hey, what's going on?!" One of the two men, whose identities were unclear, pointed roughly at the monitor. "Didn't we say we couldn't dirty the walls? This is a Western-style building preserved from the late 20th century; it's a cultural relic!"
The moment the man spoke, the atmosphere on the entire set became heavy.
"Um... we'll figure out a way to clean it up. This scene requires smashing teacups, and there's really no way to ensure not a single drop spills..."
"We are so sorry for the trouble we have caused you!" The head of the props team led the apology.
Chapter 33
The man was unimpressed, looking down at the props team leader with an arrogant snort: "You think cleaning it up is all you're doing? You don't understand the concept of 'cultural relics,' do you?"
"Even if you break even a little bit of anything here, you couldn't afford to pay for it even if you went bankrupt!"
How much can't we afford to pay?
Before the team leader could respond, Su Yanxi took a step forward, walked out of the set, and stood in front of the middle-aged man.
"Is it really that good? Why don't you give me a price?"
Author's Note:
Su Su: If you're in a bad mood, don't go looking for trouble.
Signature #18 prominently displayed three large characters.
The man probably didn't expect anyone to dare to answer. After carefully looking Su Yanxi over, he raised his head even higher.
"You? You think a nobody like you can afford to buy this mansion of mine?"
Perhaps it was Su Yanxi's appearance that gave the man confidence, for his tone of voice remained haughty.
Normally, people could guess from Su Yanxi's attire and demeanor that she had an extraordinary background. But today, because she was filming, Su Yanxi wore a distressed costume and had rough makeup, concealing her noble style and aloof temperament, making her difficult to recognize.
"I can't handle it?"
Su Yanxi glanced coldly at the man, looked up at the house in front of her, and smiled disdainfully.
Why can't I manage to collect it?
This villa is in a good location, situated in the business center of the old city, with convenient transportation and complete medical and educational resources. It is a small villa built at the end of the last century, and both the interior and exterior are well maintained, exuding a very refined and bourgeois charm from the late 20th century.
However, this house also has its drawbacks—it's not very practical. The structure was designed according to the standard of "two masters and one servant" in wealthy families in the last century, and it would feel cramped if there were more people.
Just considering the compromise between practicality and refinement, Su Yanxi dares to assert: this house will have a hard time finding a buyer.
Middle-class families wouldn't consider buying it because it's impractical; generally wealthy people wouldn't buy it because it lacks investment value, and they'd rather buy new properties. As for the even wealthier ones... they probably wouldn't find these charming little villas appealing, too tacky.
To put it bluntly, super-rich people with plenty of spare cash are not so common in this world. And coincidentally, Su Yanxi is one of those hard-won "super-rich".
A super-rich heiress.
"I'd guess the asking price for this house isn't more than thirty million." Su Yanxi raised an eyebrow slightly. "Am I right?"