Wen Ying was on the verge of tears, while Zhang Guangzhen himself was trembling like a leaf.
Dragged into a corner and surrounded by unfamiliar faces, he desperately wanted to shout, “Little Wen, save me!”
But Little Wen couldn’t even save herself.
The people blocking Zhang Guangzhen were terrifyingly enthusiastic. First they showered his scripts with praise, then launched into tales of woe about how hard it was for small production companies to survive and how they urgently needed one good script to stay afloat. At the emotional climax, they were practically in tears, making it sound as though if Zhang Guangzhen didn’t agree to write for them, their company would go bankrupt tomorrow.
The bottom line: they wanted a top-quality script, but their tiny company was struggling and couldn’t pay much. They hoped Teacher Zhang would “help them out.” Zhang Guangzhen knew this was wrong, yet his thin skin prevented him from refusing outright. Just as he was about to be guilt-tripped into submission, a voice rang out like salvation.
“Screenwriter Zhang, what are you doing hiding here? I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”
Zhang Guangzhen was so moved he nearly cried.
He turned to see his knight in shining armour, only to be nearly blinded by the massive gold watch on the man’s wrist.
Recognising the owner of the watch, the tears in Zhang Guangzhen’s eyes became more terror than gratitude.
The boss of the small company was not pleased. “Teacher Zhang and I are discussing a collaboration. There’s a first-come-first-served rule here. Don’t you know basic manners?”
Boss Jin not only wore a huge gold watch, but also a tourmaline ring the size of a mahjong tile.
While fiddling with the ring, he sneered, “I think you’re the one who doesn’t know the rules. Teacher Zhang just won an award; his scripts are worth even more now. And you’re trying to low-ball him with sob stories? In this industry, if you’ve got ten thousand, buy a ten-thousand script. If you’ve got a million, negotiate a million script. Want million-yuan quality for ten thousand? Thick-skinned much!”
The nouveau-riche Boss Jin declared he would pay top dollar for Zhang Guangzhen’s next script. Ignoring Zhang Guangzhen’s protests and the small boss’s ugly expression, he had two bodyguards haul Zhang Guangzhen away.
“I’m not writing for you…”
The small company used moral blackmail; Boss Jin skipped the “moral” part and went straight to physical abduction. Zhang Guangzhen struggled frantically.
“Put Teacher Zhang down right now!”
Boss Jin laughed heartily and comforted the already traumatised man. “Teacher Zhang, I’m an investor in Jiaxin now. I’ve seen the light! Don’t be scared!”
Right, he was an investor in *Alleyway Family*. Why should he be afraid?
His legs still trembled uncontrollably inside his trousers. Zhang Guangzhen forced himself to stay calm. “I’m not scared. I was just… cooperating with your performance.”
Boss Jin nearly burst out laughing.
Having invested in two dramas, he now understood the industry a little.
There were all kinds of people here: good, bad, and plenty of clever ones. Pure innocents like Zhang Guangzhen were rare.
As an investor in *Alleyway Family*, Boss Jin had been invited to the Magnolia Awards. With his ostentatious nouveau-riche aura, he was swarmed at the after-party.
People approached under every pretext, all wanting his money.
Boss Jin offended no one. He collected everyone’s contact details, saying he’d look over their projects and reach out if interested.
After fending off the money-seekers, two rookie actresses lingered around him, tossing playful remarks that kept him grinning from ear to ear.
Boss Jin was having the time of his life, a beauty on each arm, when he spotted Zhang Guangzhen being cornered.
He watched coldly for a moment and got angry.
How was this man so easy to bully?
Soft as tofu; anyone could squeeze him.
Boss Jin had conveniently forgotten his own past bullying of Zhang Guangzhen. Thinking of the praise *Alleyway Family* had earned him, he decided to perform a good deed.
Thanks to Boss Jin’s interruption, Wen Ying finally managed to squeeze through to Zhang Guangzhen.
The moment Zhang Guangzhen saw her, his legs stopped shaking and his shoulders relaxed. He instantly calmed down.
Boss Jin spotted Wen Ying and immediately toned down his vulgarity by thirty percent, greeting her politely.
Wen Ying was equally courteous. “Thank you, Boss Jin.”
Boss Jin waved it off. “No need, no need. We’re all family here~”
Wen Ying’s mind was full of question marks.
Since when were they family? She hadn’t received the memo.
Unbeknownst to her, Boss Jin had sharp eyes. During the ceremony he had noticed Wen Ying sitting beside Xie Qian, and even someone as aloof as Xie Qian looked at Wen Ying with unmistakable tenderness.
Having tasted both profit and prestige from one Jiaxin drama, Boss Jin planned to collaborate long-term.
He even dreamed of becoming a Jiaxin shareholder one day.
Once he was a shareholder, Xie Qian would be the boss, and Wen Ying looked very much like the future lady boss. Naturally, she was “family” in Boss Jin’s eyes.
Wen Ying couldn’t begin to untangle that logic.
She was about to brush him off politely when she looked up and saw a familiar face.
The man in the sharp suit: wasn’t that Zhao Dong?
Zhao Dong had arrived.
Flanking him were two young women.
Wen Ying recognised Zhao Qian. The other had to be Zhuo Yue!
This was Wen Ying’s first time seeing Zhuo Yue in person.
Despite her young age, Zhuo Yue already showed signs of becoming a great beauty. In a room full of stars, ordinary pretty girls would fade into the background.
Yet Zhuo Yue still stood out spectacularly. Her looks were extraordinary!
Remembering that Xie Qian had once had DNA tested, Wen Ying studied Zhuo Yue’s face, searching for evidence that she might be Xie Jinghu’s illegitimate daughter. The more she looked, the more Zhuo Yue resembled Sara Zhuo.
Did she resemble Xie Jinghu?
Wen Ying wasn’t sure.
Xie Jinghu had striking features. As the saying went, beautiful faces shared similarities, while ugliness came in endless varieties. One moment Wen Ying thought Zhuo Yue looked like Xie Jinghu, the next she wasn’t sure.
As if sensing the gaze, Zhuo Yue looked over and met Wen Ying’s eyes.
For some reason, she left the Zhao siblings behind and walked straight towards them.
The girl’s face glowed with delight. She stopped three steps away and spoke in a timid yet eager tone. “You’re Xiao Yu, right? I’m your reader. I really, really love your books…”
What a sincere little fan!
Like a starstruck teenager meeting her idol: wanting to get closer yet afraid of bothering her, cautiously approaching while barely containing volcano-like enthusiasm.
If Wen Ying hadn’t recognised Zhuo Yue and didn’t know about the incident where Zhuo Yue paid a waitress to spy on them, she might actually have been fooled.
Unfortunately, Wen Ying knew exactly who this was.
Facing the girl’s Oscar-worthy sincerity, Wen Ying summoned her own lifetime-best acting skills and smiled sweetly. “You’re my reader? Then which of my books do you like best?”
Zhuo Yue froze for a split second, then quickly recovered. “I love all three! But if I absolutely had to choose one favourite… it would be Teen Idol!”
