Brilliant Films
Jiang Shumo had originally planned to tell Liu Wan about officially confirming her relationship with Yan Qingxu. But the moment she stepped into the company, she was pulled aside by the management from the film department.
Recently, Jiang Shumo had asked them to select a few promising scripts suitable for mentoring newcomers, and over the past couple of days, they had found two excellent ones.
One was an ancient costume suspense drama. The script was high quality, with innovative suspense elements. Most importantly, it featured an ensemble cast where every character had distinct traits. If performed well, each role could leave a lasting impression—perfect for bringing along rookies.
The other was a workplace romance. It had vivid portrayals of the villains, best friends, and roommates, each with their own compelling storylines. Plus, this fell squarely in “Jiang Shumo’s” comfort zone, so it made the shortlist as well.
Jiang Shumo had no experience in the industry. She had never been much of a TV drama watcher before, so she had no way to judge which script held more potential. She tossed the question to these more seasoned professionals: “Which one do you think is better for mentoring newcomers?”
Her counterpart paused for a moment. “If you want the honest truth, I’d go with Tales of the Strange. It doesn’t revolve around just one person—everyone gets their shining moments, and the involvement level is high across the board. The downside is it demands top-notch production quality, which means more investment.”
“As for Ladies’ Handbook, the investment is lower, but the impact for supporting roles isn’t as strong. Audiences will focus mostly on the female lead, leaving the others to fade into the background. Still, it’s a safe bet—guaranteed returns.”
In other words, one was a high-risk, high-reward gamble, while the other was a steady but low-impact floater.
Jiang Shumo thought it over. “Alright, let’s hold a meeting this afternoon. Everyone votes and shares their reasons. Then I’ll make the final call.”
That wasn’t the end of it, though. Next, the artist management department dragged her off to scout promising talents.
How was Jiang Shumo supposed to spot potential? Unless someone’s acting reached a professional level, she couldn’t even tell good from bad.
But there was one unexpected standout.
“—This one’s got the best qualifications. She’s got that pure, innocent look—audiences love that; zero intimidation factor. She’s a top graduate from the film academy, but she turned down the young master from Four Directions Films. He wanted to teach her a lesson, so no other companies would touch her. She ended up signing with Open Fire Entertainment, but she got lucky. They imploded right after she joined—blessing in disguise.”
Open Fire Entertainment?
The name rang a bell for Jiang Shumo, like she’d heard it somewhere before.
Seeing her puzzled expression, Liu Wan filled in the blanks. “That’s the one that got busted for tricking girls into shady contracts and power-sex deals. This was around the time you were shooting Mountains and Rivers.”
“?”
Jiang Shumo drew a total blank. Back then, she hadn’t cared about anything except wrapping up the shoot and logging off. Entertainment industry gossip? Not on her radar.
Suddenly, the System in her mind chimed in. “That’s the one I told you about. Jiang Zhuoyuan and Bai Jiao teamed up to take down Open Fire—that very company.”
“!!!”
Right—the Little Retard had filled her in.
In the original plot, Jiang Zhuoyuan and Bai Jiao were sworn enemies, yet they’d unexpectedly joined forces. Jiang Shumo had even thought at the time that Open Fire must have been a big deal to force a villain boss and the female lead into an alliance. What a flex.
Jiang Shumo nodded slightly. “Now I remember.”
She took the profile and glanced at the photo. Then she froze. “Her—”
Wasn’t this the girl she’d helped out at the welcome banquet during Mountains and Rivers? The one who’d been about to be forced into something sordid. Yan Qingxu had stepped in to save her, only to get mocked. Jiang Shumo had overheard the commotion, jumped in to help, and even given the girl Lawyer Lv’s number so she could break her contract.
So it was her—from Open Fire Entertainment.
Sudden realization dawned on Jiang Shumo.
No wonder Jiang Zhuoyuan and Bai Jiao had teamed up!
That night, the introducer had threatened her and insulted Yan Qingxu. Jiang Zhuoyuan had stepped in to clean up the mess on her behalf, while Bai Jiao was protecting her own cash cow.
Liu Wan had been watching Jiang Shumo’s face the whole time after handing over the profile. Her expressions shifted from surprise to confusion to dawning realization. “What’s with that look on your face?”
What was going through her head? Did she have some connection to this artist?
“It’s nothing. I just remembered—I met her before.”
Jiang Shumo recounted the roadside act of justice. Liu Wan was floored. “No wonder Open Fire collapsed so suddenly—and so fast. I thought it was just normal business maneuvering. I had no idea the real story was this juicy!”
When Open Fire went down, it had been a feast for the other entertainment companies. Brilliant Films, hampered by their limited projects and simplistic structure, hadn’t gotten a single bite—everything hinged on “Jiang Shumo” carrying the weight. No one else could snag the spoils.
Bai Jiao’s Microstar had scooped up the lion’s share, leading to rumors that she’d set her sights on Open Fire, gathered evidence, and taken it out cleanly.
Liu Wan had figured Bai Jiao landed the killing blow, with everyone else piling on. But now? It sounded like Open Fire’s downfall might stem from one of their employees mouthing off to Jiang Shumo and Yan Qingxu—triggering the takedown.
She suddenly flashed back to those brain-dead overbearing CEO novel classics: “It’s getting cold—time to let Open Fire go bankrupt.”
“…”
Liu Wan shivered hard. “…Uncle Jiang plays his cards close to the chest.”
If Jiang Shumo hadn’t spilled the beans, who would’ve guessed Jiang Zhuoyuan was pulling strings behind the scenes?
Jiang Shumo nodded in agreement. Come to think of it, if the Little Retard hadn’t clued her in about the duo team-up, she never would’ve linked it to Jiang Zhuoyuan.
…Maybe he’d quietly handled plenty of messes for the original host too—too discreetly for her to notice.
The thought soured Jiang Shumo’s mood.
Liu Wan wasn’t dwelling that deep. She gazed at the photo on the profile with a sigh. “Figures her luck’s this good. First time scouting new talent, and we hit gold—turns out there’s this connection.”
“If you think she’s a good fit, sign her.”
Jiang Shumo handed the profile back. “I wouldn’t know suitable from not. You all hash it out.”
Liu Wan knew she was clueless about this stuff. She grinned. “Keep it simple: pick the face with the most standout features and memorability. As long as she’s gorgeous, you’re golden.”
Jiang Shumo: “…”
She stared at Liu Wan appraisingly until the woman’s smile faded. “What?”
Did she have something on her face?
Jiang Shumo tilted her head. “I think you’re pretty gorgeous too. Want to debut as an artist?”
Liu Wan rolled her eyes. “Get lost!”
After scraping together all these connections alongside Jiang Shumo, was she nuts enough to become an idol?
…
After a hectic morning, Jiang Shumo had completely forgotten the whole thing. It wasn’t until lunchtime that she checked her phone and saw a dozen unread messages from Yan Qingxu:
07:35
[Little Yan Pig]: Jiangjiang, didn’t I just nail that scene in one take?!
[Little Yan Pig]: We agreed—no public announcement, but let the people around know~ /cute/ /cute
[Little Yan Pig]: Muah!
08:01
[Little Yan Pig]: Waaah, that rice bucket Yu Xiaozhou! I got her two extra buns, but she scarfed down three today. My buns QAQ
[Little Yan Pig]: Didn’t get enough to eat 1551
[Little Yan Pig]: Reply with a kiss!
08:45
[Little Yan Pig]: Staff mixed up the drinks—I ended up with Yu Xiaozhou’s iced Americano. So sour and bitter /sobbing/ /sobbing
[Little Yan Pig]: Need kisses to make it better QWQ
[Little Yan Pig]: Ugh, so far from quitting time. Wanna see you.
09:17
[Little Yan Pig]: [Picture]
[Little Yan Pig]: My new ad look. This lipstick shade’s pretty nice—would look even better on your lips.
[Little Yan Pig]: Big smooch.jpg
[Little Yan Pig]: Reply when you see this! Kisses for you~
10:27
[Little Yan Pig]: Nailed the ad take in one go. They said I’m in top form today, hehe—’cause I’ve been thinking of you!
[Little Yan Pig]: A kiss from you right now would be perfect.
[Little Yan Pig]: Heard Brilliant’s recruiting newbies. Need someone to mentor? Hit me up anytime—for just one kiss.
[Little Yan Pig]: Not a regular kiss—a French one!
…
And there were more recent ones in a steady stream—Yan Qingxu firing off messages every forty or fifty minutes. The latest had come in just five minutes ago.
Seeing those half-coquettish pleas for kisses, Jiang Shumo felt a bit embarrassed. Her face grew unconsciously warm.
Still, this style of chatting carried a sense of constantly sharing the little moments of life. It wasn’t bad at all.
“…What are you laughing about?”
Liu Wan, seated across from her, noticed the shift in her expression. She asked suspiciously, “What’s with that look on your face? Don’t tell me you’re in love or something?”
“!”
Jiang Shumo had been about to reply to a message when she heard that. Her movements paused, and she looked up at Liu Wan.
Liu Wan felt a shiver run through her under the weight of that enigmatic smile. She shrank back her neck awkwardly. “…You’re not actually in a relationship, are you?”
Jiang Shumo nodded.
Liu Wan: “!!!”
Her expression froze. She couldn’t even hold her chopsticks steady. “…Is it with Yan Qingxu?”
Jiang Shumo nodded again.
Liu Wan: “…”
She knew it. She just knew it! Yan Qingxu had won out in the end!
Liu Wan had prepared herself mentally long ago, so the news felt like the dust finally settling. But the thought of her good friend being in love while she remained stubbornly single brought a pang of melancholy all the same. “…Fine, I get it. I’ll get in touch with Zhao Chan.”
They still needed to coordinate with Zhao Chan, prepare for the fallout when the relationship went public.
Jiang Shumo found the overly calm response disarming. She had expected some kind of reaction from Liu Wan—after all, they had both despised Yan Qingxu before. “Maruko, you’re not… upset about this, are you?”
Liu Wan shot her a glance. “What kind of person do you think I am? You hated her guts, but you still ended up falling for her and getting together. Should I try to stop you just to make your life harder?”
Jiang Shumo: “…!”
Maruko really was the best Maruko!
It was probably because Yan Qingxu had glimpsed the message she was typing. Before Jiang Shumo could finish, a video call rang through from the other side.
Liu Wan caught the video call tone and glanced at the phone. The moment she saw “Little Yan Pig,” goosebumps erupted all over her skin.
Liu Wan’s face twisted faintly. She stood up on the spot and speared every slice of beef from Jiang Shumo’s bowl into her own. “Lovers can live on love alone—you drink water. The meat’s mine to eat.”
“And go back to your office and pop in some earbuds. Sure, it’s the company, but there are eyes and ears everywhere. PR isn’t ready to handle your relationship going public yet!”
“Absolutely no speakerphone!”
