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On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Shen Qianzhan, with her work temporarily concluded, took her mother to a hot spring and for a spa treatment to cheer her up. After their skin glowed a shade brighter, the mother and daughter reconciled and mended their relationship.
On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Shen Qianzhan, determined not to waste her life on anything other than making money and maintaining her beauty, invited Ai Yi to get their hair done. Ai Yi got a perm and dye, while Shen Qianzhan opted for hair treatment.
Shen Qianzhan finished earlier than Ai Yi and sprawled ungracefully on the sofa, taking selfies.
The stylist, after applying color to Ai Yi’s hair, quietly exited the room, leaving the two “plastic sisters” to themselves.
The room was well-heated and at a comfortable temperature. Ai Yi had been sitting for several hours, so sleepy that tears streamed from her eyes. Turning her head, she saw Shen Qianzhan, radiant and glamorous, taking selfies. Comparing herself to her currently awkward state of “upgrading,” she rubbed her temples and struck up a conversation: “How’s your project coming along?”
Shen Qianzhan pouted slightly, her sexy red lips online, lethal.
As the selfie countdown ended, she admired her boundless beauty while replying, “We just had the first script meeting two days ago; the main creative team isn’t even fully assembled yet.”
Ai Yi smiled: “Even holding a script meeting counts as progress.”
Shen Qianzhan responded perfunctorily: “Isn’t your ‘counts as’ a bit insincere? A 100% progress bar has only moved 0.01; does that really count?”
Ai Yi looked at Shen Qianzhan through the mirror, as she posed and sought angles, finding it a bit jarring: “It’s still pretty good.” She shifted her gaze, examining herself: “How’s the collaboration with Mr. Ji?”
As soon as Shen Qianzhan heard Ji Qinghe’s name, her selfie enthusiasm cooled considerably. She looked at Ai Yi, forcing a smile: “Sister Ai, are you doing this on purpose? I just said the project only had its first script meeting; what kind of collaboration could I have with Mr. Ji?”
Shen Qianzhan had excellent bone structure and skin. Whether her appearance was aggressive depended entirely on how her makeup was done. Today, heading out to meet Ai Yi, she hadn’t deliberately applied heavy makeup; a light touch made her features refined and her face soft, appearing pure and innocent: “Are you also believing those messy rumors from before the New Year?”
Her preemptive remark directly blocked Ai Yi’s nascent probing. The latter’s expression remained unchanged, her tone sincere: “How could I believe such unfounded rumors and gossip?”
Shen Qianzhan was now allergic to the phrase “unfounded rumors.” She wrinkled her nose, not saying a word.
Ai Yi, seeing her expression was a bit off, didn’t press further. Of course, she absolutely couldn’t guess that what made Shen Qianzhan uncomfortable wasn’t her tone or attitude, but that she had accurately stepped on the exact suggestive words used by a certain scoundrel to tease Shen Qianzhan.
Seeing the atmosphere growing cold, Ai Yi casually changed the subject: “You haven’t run into Jian Xin in a long time, have you?”
Shen Qianzhan suddenly felt she hadn’t checked the almanac before leaving home today; she had committed a taboo. Otherwise, how could Ai Yi, with her shrewdness, have spent the entire afternoon stepping on her nerves and setting her off?
“Why would I run into her?”
She hated her too much to even bother; why would she actively seek out unpleasantness?
Ai Yi heard the indifference in her tone, smiled, and reminded her: “I’m just chatting with you casually; I won’t admit to saying any of this once we leave.”
Shen Qianzhan’s curiosity was piqued. She sat up straighter, smiling at her: “I understand the rules. You say what you want; I definitely didn’t hear it from you.”
Ai Yi said: “Xiang Qianqian from your company is not simple; she’s found a patron. You wait and see, after the New Year, your Mr. Su will not only peacefully terminate the contract with Xiang Qianqian, but also respectfully send her off. You spent so much effort and energy promoting this ungrateful little ingrate, and she just walked away without a care. Whether she thrives or becomes wealthy in the future, it will have nothing to do with your efforts.”
Shen Qianzhan had truly not heard this version of events. Her relationship with Xiang Qianqian was not what outsiders speculated. However, there was no need to tell Ai Yi these things. She lowered her head, fiddling with her fingers, her mood dropping a notch: “It has nothing to do with me anymore; it’s good that she can terminate the contract smoothly.”
Shen Qianzhan recalled Ai Yi’s initial mention of Jian Xin and, after a brief thought, understood: “Are those two in contact recently?”
Ai Yi grunted, languidly saying, “Jian Xin gave Xiang Qianqian a historical drama, just waiting for her to terminate her contract with Qiandeng before signing. Jian Xin’s abilities aren’t weak, it’s just that she’s petty. You and her are sort of peaceful rivals, but she holds a grudge against you so much she almost hates your ancestors. Recently, she’s been spreading rumors to everyone that you stole her opportunities, and she didn’t hold back on exaggerating your little affair with Mr. Ji.” After speaking, she glanced at Shen Qianzhan’s expression through the mirror. Seeing her poker face, she felt a bit deflated: “With those two women together, you need to be careful.”
Shen Qianzhan distractedly agreed, not taking it to heart.
Isn’t it said that in the world of interests, there are no permanent friends and no permanent enemies?
When Xiang Qianqian was at Qiandeng, Jian Xin disdained her, openly displaying her malice. As soon as Xiang Qianqian terminated her contract, Jian Xin immediately pulled the “rebel” Xiang Qianqian into her own camp, using her as a tool to spite Qiandeng and Shen Qianzhan.
Shen Qianzhan didn’t know whether to praise Jian Xin for being a blockhead.
She was actually quite happy that Xiang Qianqian could terminate her contract with Qiandeng peacefully. Jian Xin’s blockheaded approach had, in a way, given Xiang Qianqian a future; how her path unfolded from now on truly had nothing to do with Shen Qianzhan.
But who was the patron?
Jiang Yecheng was unlikely; he couldn’t even manage Mrs. Jiang, so it was impossible he’d dare to stir up trouble in Xiang Qianqian’s muddy waters so openly. Even if it were him, Su Lanyi, that woman who never even looked at people directly, might not give him such a big face.
A candidate vaguely surfaced in Shen Qianzhan’s mind. She dared not confirm, nor dared to think deeply, only frowning to dispel her wild thoughts.
But after returning home, Shen Qianzhan still couldn’t resist and sent Su Zan a WeChat message: “Has your sister returned to China?”
Su Zan replied: “No. Her flight arrives in Beijing on the evening of the seventh, and she has to rush to an early meeting on the eighth.”
Shen Qianzhan said: “Oh, then never mind.”
Su Zan, who had been inexplicably disturbed: “I’m playing a game; I cut out of it to reply to you, and you’re just asking me about this? Tell me, are you trying to get my attention?”
Shen Qianzhan: “Go away.”
Su Zan: “Waaah, so fierce.”
________________________________________
On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, heavy snow sealed off the city.
Shen Qianzhan woke up and stood by the window for half a minute, then decisively cancelled all her plans for the day and stayed home.
She had recently found a trick to getting along with her mother: as long as her mother had something to do, she would definitely nag half as much. So, these past few days, she had successively unlocked the oven and steamer in the kitchen, lighting up one by one her hidden skills like baking and making desserts, which were unrelated to making money but allowed her to experience a beautiful life.
On the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, Qiao Xin confirmed her work schedule with her.
Their last conversation had been on the first day of the Lunar New Year when Shen Qianzhan sent her a red envelope and Qiao Xin received the notification. She silently grumbled to herself that her surface efforts weren’t pretty enough, then added a belated “Happy New Year.”
Shen Qianzhan was carefully placing a cherry on top of some cream when she saw Qiao Xin’s WeChat message. She casually grabbed a handful of cherries and went into her study to reply: “Are you back in Beijing?”
Qiao Xin said, “On the way.”
“Sister Zhan, is the snow in Beijing heavy? My hometown roads are blocked by heavy snow, and the high-speed rail nearly got canceled. I rebooked twice just to catch the last train to Beijing.”
Beijing’s weather had been consistently bad recently, either continuous heavy snowfall or biting winds. The ice shards in the air felt like they would pierce every capillary in your nasal cavity, a cutting, bone-chilling cold.
Shen Qianzhan popped a cherry into her mouth and replied with a voice message: “Isn’t your neighboring county already experiencing a snow disaster? I was wondering if you’d be able to return to work on the eighth and was preparing to hire another assistant.”
Qiao Xin knew she was teasing her, but still stamped her foot, pouting playfully: “Sister Zhan, how could you be like that?”
Shen Qianzhan enjoyed teasing the young girl until she pouted in playful anger: “If you can come back, resume work tomorrow. Besides the morning meeting, a contract needs to be drawn up for Lin Qiao; sign it with her as soon as possible. The outline should be submitted by Friday at the latest. You’ll be responsible for liaising with Teacher Jiang then, and pushing for progress.” After thinking for a moment, she added: “If the snow keeps falling like this this year, it will eventually cause widespread snow disasters. Although it doesn’t have much to do with our department, other departments will get involved, so remember to pay attention.”
________________________________________
On the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, Qiandeng gradually began to resume work.
Shen Qianzhan’s office location also shifted from her home sofa, bay window, and large bed to the office.
The low temperatures and harsh weather caused widespread complaints in the department, and many employees were even unable to report for duty on time due to being trapped by heavy snow or obstructed traffic.
After the morning meeting, Su Lanyi had the secretary’s office issue a snow disaster contingency plan.
Shen Qianzhan was idly Browse online reports about the snow disaster when Qiao Xin knocked on the door and entered her office: “Sister Zhan.”
The person addressed lazily lifted her eyes, silently issuing an instruction: Speak.
Qiao Xin chose her words carefully: “Lin Qiao is asking if we can increase her script fee per episode.”
Over the years, Lin Qiao, grateful for Shen Qianzhan’s support, had quoted prices for Qiandeng’s scripts that were below her market value. She had never brought it up, and Shen Qianzhan hadn’t found it appropriate to proactively apply for her. Hearing this, she tapped the table, understanding perfectly: “How much is she quoting?”
Qiao Xin replied, “She’s asking for an extra twenty thousand per episode.”
Shen Qianzhan nodded: “You can take this quote to Mr. Su. If she approves, it’s fine.”
Qiao Xin cheered happily and left.
Shen Qianzhan watched Qiao Xin go to find Su Lanyi, then continued Browse her Weibo to keep up with the world.
Ten minutes later, her phone vibrated. Qiao Xin sent her a WeChat message: “Huh, Sister Zhan, I saw Mr. Ji in Mr. Su’s office. Do we have an appointment with Mr. Ji today? [Shocked.GIF]”
Shen Qianzhan very slightly raised an eyebrow.
The patron who had interfered in Qiandeng’s and Xiang Qianqian’s contract termination was indeed Ji Qinghe.
She put down her phone, then picked it up again, repeating this several times before she narrowed her eyes and replied: “If he’s leaving, tell me beforehand.”
Qiao Xin obediently acknowledged.
Twenty minutes later, Qiao Xin’s alert arrived. Shen Qianzhan put on her coat and went down the elevator first to Qiandeng Entertainment’s parking lot on the building’s basement level.
Ji Qinghe’s car was directly opposite the elevator exit, very conspicuous.
________________________________________
Ji Qinghe was escorted by Su Lanyi all the way to the elevator. Just before the elevator doors closed, he cast a distant glance at Qiao Xin, who was leaning against the wall, and subtly curved his lips.
Ming Jue, seeing this, reminded him: “Mr. Ji, that was Producer Shen’s planning assistant, Qiao Xin.”
Ji Qinghe lowered his head, adjusting his cuffs, his tone casual: “I know.”
Ming Jue pressed on: “Assistant Qiao is responsible for liaising between us and Qiandeng for public schedules, and we don’t have this particular schedule today.”
Ji Qinghe looked up, at his assistant, who was considerably slower than usual: “What are you trying to say?”
Ming Jue braced himself and said, “If Assistant Qiao informs Producer Shen that you’re here...”
Ji Qinghe interrupted him: “Am I afraid of being checked up on?” His voice was low and deep, tinged with a smile: “I’m only afraid she won’t check.”
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