Going to see Xie Qian’s mum together?
That was fine, of course.
Wen Ying often dealt with Zou Weijun.
Discussing sponsorship in Tianjiao’s name with Yuan Fenghui was a necessary step.
Neither request was difficult for Wen Ying, yet something felt off.
Why was she the one handling tasks that should fall to Mrs. Wang?
Wen Ying felt both sympathy for herself and for Wang Jun.
With such a formidable wife, Wang Jun must be both pained and delighted, right?
Wang Shuang really shouldn’t worry about any family crisis. With the adorable Mrs. Wang at home, Wang Jun would have to be blind to fall for outside temptations!
Even if Wang Jun did stray momentarily, Mrs. Wang… would probably ensure he stayed blind forever.
Wen Ying didn’t know how Wang Jun felt, but Mrs. Wang’s ability to sway her was effortless. It wasn’t that Wen Ying was foolish, she saw through Mrs. Wang’s tactics but couldn’t bear to refuse. That was Mrs. Wang’s special skill!
“…Let’s wait for the weekend. We’ll discuss the plan with Teacher Yuan first, then go see Auntie Zou together.”
Wen Ying gave in, accepting her fate.
Mrs. Wang was eager to meet Zou Weijun immediately but knew to quit while ahead, nodding with a smile, “Alright, it’s a deal. I’ll pick you up on the weekend, okay?”
—Auntie, others are clingy vixens, but you’re a clingy, adorable giant!
The clingy Mrs. Wang also wanted to take Wen Ying shopping, saying she’d hoped for a daughter when pregnant. Despite loving spicy food—elders said sour for boys, spicy for girls, which thrilled her—she ended up with a son.
What good was a son?
Sons don’t go shopping with their mums!
“I used to have Mengjiao with me, but she’s so busy now. As an elder, I should support her career, not waste her time.”
Mrs. Wang tried to play the pity card, but Wen Ying didn’t bite.
Skipping homework to shop with a rich lady? That life was too good for her! Besides school assignments, she had tasks from Xie Qian!
Thinking of Xie Qian and Manager Chen, Wen Ying barely resisted Mrs. Wang’s charm.
Mrs. Wang’s face showed disappointment, but her words were understanding, “Alright, I’ll take you home first.”
Wait, speaking of taking people home, wasn’t someone forgotten at the school gate?
Oh well, forgotten is forgotten.
An eighteen-year-old boy has plenty of energy, let him bike home!
After dropping Wen Ying off, Mrs. Wang hummed proudly, calling Wang Jun halfway home.
Why was the whole family thrilled about Wang Shuang’s improved grades? In the Wang household, academic hierarchy ruled—high school graduates outranked junior high ones.
Mrs. Wang’s maneuvers secured the Wen family with her left hand, reached for Xie Qian’s family with her right, and aided Tianjiao’s growth. Wang Jun showered her with praise, saying marrying her was his luck of three lifetimes.
Mrs. Wang basked in her husband’s compliments.
“You know it! It’s not just three lifetimes, you’ve used up eight lifetimes of luck!”
To achieve her goals, tarnishing her husband’s reputation or leaving her son at school were mere sacrifices on the road to success, barely registering in her mind.
…
As soon as Wen Ying got home, Xie Qian’s message arrived.
“Why did Wang Shuang call you away? I saw him when I left school.”
Not only did he see Wang Shuang, but Wang Shuang looked devastated, as if he’d been hit hard. If Xie Qian didn’t know Wang Shuang liked Li Mengjiao, he’d have suspected Wang Shuang boldly asked Wen Ying out and got rejected!
“It was his mum who needed me…”
Wen Ying briefly explained the situation to Xie Qian.
Xie Qian got it immediately.
Mrs. Wang was quite the character.
Unlike Wang Jun’s blunt offer of Tianjiao shares, Mrs. Wang’s transparent scheming was oddly unoffensive.
When it came to the art of gifting, Wang Jun couldn’t hold a candle to her.
Xie Qian was keener than Wen Ying to see his mother, Zou Weijun, make friends in Rongcheng.
Mrs. Wang’s lively personality would bring joy to anyone.
Zou Weijun didn’t lack money but lacked joy.
If Mrs. Wang could bring her happiness, Xie Qian would even pay her to do it, let alone let her spend!
Wen Ying’s writing competition idea benefited all parties, and Xie Qian approved but added, “The competition is a go, and the bigger the scale, the better. It doesn’t need to be fully funded by Wang Shuang’s mum. Teacher Yuan would likely chip in, and with *Spark*’s existing promotional budget, the funding will be more than enough. But I think you should be a judge!”
A judge?
Wen Ying’s first thought was her lack of credentials, “I’ve only published one novel and written one script independently. Me as a judge? That’s not right, is it?”
Her experience and age might not command respect.
Xie Qian was firm, “You won’t be the only judge. I see no issue. Ask Teacher Yuan if she agrees.”
No need to ask! Yuan Fenghui was the type to push her people forward given any chance, creating opportunities if none existed!
Sure enough, Yuan Fenghui was thrilled about Wen Ying’s “creative writing competition.”
She deeply respected original stories, knowing they could generate vast derivative profits. IP value wasn’t widely recognized domestically yet, and her awareness wasn’t as sharp as Wen Ying’s, but she was aware.
Though no domestic IP matched *Harry Potter*’s global success… even if there were, Tianjiao’s current strength couldn’t handle such a massive prize. They stuck to TV dramas, as films were beyond their reach.
Not now, but that didn’t mean never.
Yuan Fenghui, sharp as ever, saw the benefits of Tianjiao’s involvement.
A nationwide call for submissions would yield quality stories.
Purely literary works weren’t her taste—she was practical, wanting adaptable original stories!
These would stock Tianjiao’s content library.
Winning stories would be high-quality, with affordable copyright fees.
Haha, what a win!
With Wen Ying as a judge, standards would be controlled.
No one wanted to spend money only to select flowery, empty, or abstract literary works. Even cheap, Yuan Fenghui wouldn’t want those.
“I fully support Xie Qian’s suggestion. You *must* be a judge. If you don’t, Tianjiao has no reason to join.”
