Having been a shipper in the niche fandom for so many years, Lu Xiaomi has long since developed the ability to ship any couple to avoid starving. If this were in the past, Lu Xiaomi would definitely be obsessed with handsome guys like Jiang Qing and Chen Fu, who are such a perfect match, and would arrange their past and present lives in detail.
But now she can't get up to do it, and even feels a little annoyed.
She was annoyed by Jiang Qing.
Annoyed by his pretentious gentlemanly behavior at the opening ceremony, with one hand on Chen Fu's waist, Jiang Qing, who was more than ten centimeters taller than Chen Fu, naturally leaned close to Chen Fu's ear when speaking, and even gave an ambiguous smile after saying a few words.
What kind of joke is so funny?
The sudden change in her emotions left Lu Xiaomi unsure how to face Jiang Qing, so she simply pretended to be dead and started playing on her phone.
Jiang Qing was stunned for a moment after being met with coldness.
"Sister Ye said..."
"If there's nothing important, you can go back now. Mr. Lu and I still have things to discuss."
Yanshan spoke first, his tone quite displeased.
As if deliberately concealing something, the order to leave was issued swiftly and decisively, causing 0413's snow-white ears to twitch slightly.
*
The first scene tonight is an action scene, where Chen Fu chases a suspect through the rainy streets. To reflect the heroine's distressed situation, Chen Fu's makeup and hair make her look very haggard. Her overly long bangs almost cover her eyes, and there are two dark circles under her eyes. Her slightly full lips are drawn thin, revealing a few dry, cracked red lines.
Chen Fu had an old injury in her right leg, and the high-frequency running quickly took its toll on her. The wound, which was not fully healed, began to ache faintly. The cold rain in Liaocheng in December felt like a bone-chilling cold on her body, and the persistent pain and itching were like maggots clinging to her bones.
Her steps quickly became unsteady, and her chasing movements gradually stiffened, but Yanshan didn't call a halt. This was exactly the effect he wanted; it was brilliant. Chen Fu's expression, despite the pain, appeared even more radiant. The female lead in the drama had also injured her right leg, and she hardly needed to act; her natural instincts were enough to perfectly portray the injury.
The long hours of filming and the physical pain quickly took their toll on Chen Fu. She had an old injury on her right leg, and if things continued like this, it was very likely to relapse.
"Is there any way to improve my physical condition?"
Given Chen Fu's current health condition, it is indeed very likely that she will not be able to hold on until the end of filming.
0505 pondered for a moment in the sea of his mind.
"I can assign the host a side quest. If the quest is completed, the host's physical condition will improve significantly; if it fails..."
"The host's physical condition will deteriorate further."
A dull, throbbing pain gradually spread through Chen Fu's right leg. She gritted her teeth and chose to accept it.
"Okay, the mission conditions will be released tonight."
*
It was past ten o'clock after the show ended. The long run had left Chen Fu's right leg almost numb. She was so tired that she almost collapsed on the sofa and fell asleep. Unfortunately, now was not a good time to rest. Yan Shan had organized a dinner party, ostensibly to strengthen their relationship. Chen Fu watched the scene of clinking glasses and silently stared at her own wine glass.
She changed out of her filming clothes, and her makeup changed from deliberately haggard to bright and beautiful. Sitting at the table were the executives of Xihe, who were in charge of the drama. It was as noisy and lively as the New Year. Chen Fu was playing Snake on her phone. The assistant director put his arm around her shoulder and asked her to toast everyone. Yan Shan glanced over and coughed a few times.
The hand that had been on his shoulder was immediately removed, and the assistant director gave an awkward smile.
"Our Sister Ye has something to say, doesn't she?"
The woman sitting opposite Chen Fu smiled.
"What's there to say? Sister Sun has been extremely busy lately, so she had to reluctantly transfer Chen Fu to my place. From now on, I'll be your mentor."
Ye Xin is the artist management director of Xihe. She has been highly regarded by Sun Hao within the company in recent years, and the male lead Jiang Qing is also an artist under her management.
Chen Fu readily raised her glass, half-covering the large expanse of skin exposed by her low-cut dress with her hand, and stood up to toast Ye Xin.
"I've heard about Sister Ye for a long time, and I'm very honored to work under you."
The assistant director put his arm around her again; he was drunk and completely intoxicated. He said that Sister Ye had trained only the most popular stars, which was a blessing Chen Fu had accumulated over several lifetimes.
"It's not that exaggerated."
Ye Xin tidied her newly styled hair.
"I don't have any other requirements for managing artists, just one thing: they have to be obedient."
Ye Xin is younger than Sister Sun, only in her early thirties, but her aura is several times stronger than Sister Sun's. She has a bad temper and cannot tolerate any disobedience from others.
"The entertainment industry doesn't need artists who are too individualistic in private. In front of the audience and fans, you should be as unique as you want. It's meaningless to take a persona seriously."
"Ugh, I really hate those kinds of guys, the kind who are no good on their own, take forever to get going, but then suddenly become hot when they find a powerful patron. Like that guy, Mr. Sun told me last time, he's usually as wooden as a block of wood, but he's got some nerve in bed, isn't that disgusting?"
Suddenly, everyone burst into laughter, and countless smiling eyes turned towards Chen Fu, like dull knives stabbing her.
She's talking about me.
Chen Fu had rarely encountered such situations before: Sister Sun had no interest in her whatsoever, and Wei Xi would only occasionally make sarcastic remarks, which she would then pretend not to hear and let bygones be bygones. Because of 0505's reward, Chen Fu's popularity had recently increased significantly, which ironically became one of the reasons why this group disliked her.
Assistant director Chen Tao slammed his hand on the table and said, "That's right! He even went back to whisper sweet nothings in her ear." He slammed the table so hard it made a loud noise. Yan Shan glanced at them disapprovingly again.
Perhaps due to the effects of the alcohol, Chen Tao didn't react much. He kept rambling in Chen Fu's ear, asking her if she was right, whether this kind of person was disgusting, and whether she could hear him, and why she hadn't agreed to Sister Ye's request yet. The unpleasant smell of alcohol filled the air, and Chen Fu suppressed the urge to vomit, continuing to stare at her phone.
Her prolonged silence displeased Chen Tao. He let out a cry and, emboldened by a bit of alcohol, grabbed Chen Fu's chin, forcing her to lift her head.
"Sister Ye is talking to you, are you deaf? Didn't you fucking hear me?"
The man's grip was strong, and Chen Tao didn't pull back, causing Chen Fu to wince in pain.
She waved her hand, breaking free from the man's grasp, her face showing a hint of anger. The words of rebuttal were stuck in her throat, but she heard Ye Xin let out a mocking laugh.
The door to the private room was suddenly pushed open.
"I invested a lot of money, why wasn't I invited to tonight's party?"
Lu Xiaomi took three steps to Chen Fu's side.
Lu Xiaomi overheard half of the conversation and was instantly furious. She picked up the glass of wine on the table, smiled, and said, "Fufu is so ignorant. I'll toast Sister Ye on her behalf."
After saying that, Lu Xiaomi drank it all in one gulp. She glanced at the man in front of her and slapped him twice across the face.
"Damn it, who do you think you are? I'm showing you respect, but can you fucking handle it?"
--------------------
Author's Note:
Lu Zong lost his temper again, which he didn't actually want to do.
Chapter 12 CP12
The table fell completely silent after those two crisp slaps.
Chen Tao was knocked back two steps. He cursed loudly, his eyes glaring as if he wanted to devour someone, and smashed his wine glass on the ground. Several staff members stood up to stop him, but the more they tried to stop him, the more agitated he became. His iron-like arms pushed aside the people in front of him and charged straight at Lu Xiaomi.
Yan Shan inwardly cried out in alarm; he hadn't expected things to escalate to this point. Ultimately, this whole affair boiled down to profit. The female lead in "Cultivation" had a significant amount of screen time, and her character was particularly well-developed. After its release, Chen Fu would undoubtedly gain some popularity. She wasn't a core artist at Xihe Entertainment; Sun Hao would never use his resources to promote someone else.
Ye Xin was of one mind with Sun Hao. Following his hints, she repeatedly approached Yanshan to request script changes, demanding more screen time for the male lead, and even went so far as to approve new segments already written by the screenwriter. Sun Hao, being Yanshan's senior, couldn't possibly object.
He just didn't expect these people to have such big appetites. They weren't satisfied with adding more scenes, and they also wanted Chen Fu's unconditional cooperation in film and television promotion.
The female lead in "Cultivation" is portrayed as exceptionally independent, while the male lead's character is relatively one-dimensional, serving primarily as a supporting character. This is highly detrimental to Jiang Qing's marketing and promotion. To overcome the inherent disadvantages of this character design, the only solution is to focus on improving the actors' performances in the later stages.
Ye Xin meant that Chen Fu should act as much like a fangirl as possible in her future business dealings.
To put it bluntly, it's about making Chen Fu a sycophant to Jiang Qing.
Fueled by alcohol, Chen Tao pushed away the people trying to break up the fight. He was dazed, and the two cold, bloody marks on his face didn't bring him back to his senses—Lu Xiaomi had worn her diamond ring backwards when she hit him, and Chen Tao's face was disfigured by her two swift slaps.
Because he was drunk, Chen Tao had no idea why he was being beaten or who hit him. He only knew that he, a grown man, had been slapped twice by a woman, and he was so angry that he didn't know what to do. He grabbed Lu Xiaomi's sleeve like he was going to devour her. Lu Xiaomi sneered and slightly turned her body away. Several bodyguards waiting outside the door rushed in and quickly pinned Chen Tao to the ground.
Yanshan never expected this matter to escalate to such a huge extent.
He slammed his wine glass on the table. Lu Xiaomi glanced at him fiercely. The white fox in her arms revealed a pair of golden pupils. Yan Shan had felt that the thing was eerie from the start. He choked up, the words he wanted to say stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter them for a long time.
Ye Xin, whose face had been turned pale and then flushed after being verbally abused by Lu Xiaomi, was a shrewd old woman who knew how to bend and stretch. She coughed twice and said, "President Lu, please don't get so angry."
She knew that the person in front of her was a powerful figure she couldn't afford to offend, so she wore a perfunctory smile.
"Who in the company doesn't know that President Lu is the most powerful person in the world? Who would dare to mess with you?"
Chen Fu's sharp gaze faded, making her look like a wronged little white flower. Two red marks appeared on her chin, which Lu Xiaomi gently stroked with great affection.
Chen Tao was pressed firmly to the ground. The anger that had been building up in his heart turned into a chilling despondency. Only after calming down did he realize who he had offended.
Lu Xiaomi slowly scanned the people on the table. She had heard of most of them, and had been forced to learn about many of them when she was a fan. It seemed commonplace for people in the entertainment industry to fawn over the powerful and bully the weak, but Lu Xiaomi hadn't expected these people to be so audacious. She had warned them several times, yet they still dared to cause trouble for Chen Fu?
It was just at Sun Hao's behest.
She's still here, and these people dare to oppose her one by one. If Lu Xiaomi were to leave Xihe one day, wouldn't Chen Fu be devoured alive by this group?!
She wrapped her arms around Chen Fu's neck and pinched her chin to show her the two fresh scars.
"Chen Fu is soft-hearted and soft-hearted in her actions. Everyone at Xihe is talented. It's a miracle that she's survived this long unscathed, President Ye, don't you think?"
Lu Xiaomi's fiery gaze swept over Ye Xin indifferently, causing Ye Xin to be startled and a sense of panic to rise within her. She chuckled, thinking that the person in front of her was just a young woman in her early twenties, and forced herself to say, "It's alright that Chen Fu is weak-willed, but we've all witnessed how you've handled things."
"You know I'm tough, yet you still go out of your way to make things difficult for Chen Fu. Do you want to pack your bags and leave?"
This angry outburst stunned everyone present. Ye Xin gritted her teeth and remained silent, forcing Yan Shan to step in and smooth things over. He said, "President Lu, Ye Xin is Chen Fu's manager, after all. How an artist is managed should be decided by the manager, shouldn't it?"
Lu Xiaomi was so angry at Yanshan that she laughed.
"Chen Fu doesn't need this kind of damn agent who's thinking about how to squeeze every last drop out of her. She won't be on any third-rate variety shows, doing midnight interviews, or being a background character in any music videos. She doesn't need an agent at all. I can provide all the resources she needs. It's just a matter of connections and money, I have plenty of those."
The secretary brought Chen Fu's coat, and Lu Xiaomi draped it over her shoulders.
"Being my subordinate isn't actually that difficult, but I hate those who are disobedient and willing to go against their superiors. Logically speaking, apart from Sun Hao and those old shareholders, everyone at Xihe is my subordinate. I'm making an exception for you today, and this will be the only time."
*
It was almost midnight when they returned to the villa, and Lu Xiaomi was exhausted, both physically and mentally, in the driver's seat. She had sensed something was wrong when Jiang Qing came to see Yanshan earlier that day, and sure enough, he had set up this trap for them that night. If Xiaolingdang hadn't sent her a WeChat message, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
She glanced at Chen Fu's face from the side in the car. The woman's face was expressionless, with two red marks on her chin that were still slightly swollen. She had her eyes downcast and seemed to be thinking about something.
"What do you want to eat? I'll make it for you."
Chen Fu stumbled as she got out of the car, and Lu Xiaomi helped her inside. Today was Chen Fu's special day, her first leading role in her life. Chen Fu would have many more leading roles in the future, but today was the first, making it all the more important. Lu Xiaomi wanted to help her remember this day. She had made thorough preparations: most of the dishes were pre-ordered from the restaurant, and she would cook a few herself. She also bought a lot of roses, enough to cover the entire carpet, so she could make a wish with Chen Fu in the soft candlelight.
Unfortunately, after Ye Xin's disruption, Lu Xiaomi had neither the mood nor the energy.
Chen Fu sat on the sofa and said she wanted to eat noodles. Lu Xiaomi nodded and said, "Okay, I'll make you some noodles."
She originally thought that having a cheat code would be such a simple first thing, since this was Lu Xiaomi's home turf and Lu Yu's character was ridiculously overpowered. But even with such a significant stroke of luck, life was still a melodramatic mess.
She took a swig of her drink. Lu Xiaomi wasn't a big drinker, and she didn't recognize most of the wines at the Luyu Villa. She only felt the spiciness in her throat ease her inner turmoil. The cooked noodles were steaming hot. Lu Xiaomi sprinkled some chopped green onions on top and placed the clear soup noodles on the table. She remembered that Chen Fu had a light palate and had barely added any salt.
"Dinner's ready."