Chapter 75: World 2 [45] Part 1

Sister Ke’s reasoning was very sound. But the one she was with was Jing Ke! The Hacker Emperor (strike that)!

Having witnessed firsthand just how capable her girlfriend was, Shao Qing truly didn’t believe that her relationship with Jing Ke being exposed would cause Director Zhang to jump out of bed overnight and recast her role.

However, Shao Qing couldn’t directly confess to Sister Ke and tell her that Jing Ke had already connected with official channels and no longer needed to fear Director Zhang. She could only express her meaning in a relatively veiled manner.

Shao Qing: “Sister Ke, I understand your concerns perfectly. But recently, Jing Ke has become good friends with some staff from the General Administration. I expect Director Zhang will turn a blind eye to our relationship out of consideration for that connection.”

“Besides, although Director Zhang is the Chief Director, his presence is more to give the whole team a sense of prestige. Directly meddling with the main cast swap of a unit drama isn’t something he can decide alone.”

Shao Qing soothed Sister Ke. “By the way, Sister Ke, I’ve already talked it over with Jing Ke. Once my contract with Zongheng is terminated, I’ll be joining New Life Entertainment with a twenty percent stake. Sister Ke, would you like to jump ship with me?”

“Hmm? Have you agreed on all the specific terms? Signed a letter of intent yet?” Sister Ke’s attention was quickly diverted.

“Not yet, but I trust Jing Ke won’t deceive me on this,” Shao Qing said confidently. “If she really changes her mind or goes back on it at the last minute, I’ll just set up my own studio, no big deal.”

“No, I wouldn’t lie to you.” Jing Ke, who had been working nearby, couldn’t help chiming in. “If Sister Ke is also willing to join New Life Entertainment, while keeping her commission rate the same, I can double her base salary and grant her a five percent stake in New Life Entertainment.”

Through their many interactions, Jing Ke’s impression of Sister Ke was quite good. Most importantly, it seemed her girlfriend quite liked cooperating with her. If they could poach Sister Ke directly, then Shao Qing wouldn’t need to adjust to a new agent.

“This…” Faced with being courted herself, Sister Ke hesitated. Doubling the base salary while keeping the commission? That meant her annual base pay would increase by over a hundred thousand.

Let alone a five percent stake in New Life Entertainment. The current market valuation of New Life Entertainment had already soared to roughly five hundred million. A five percent stake was shares worth over twenty million.

“Sister Ke, you can take your time to consider this matter. I still have over a month before my contract with Zongheng ends. Once I’ve successfully joined New Life Entertainment, you can decide then,” Shao Qing said thoughtfully.

“As for the Third Female Lead in the Tribute Film, don’t worry, Sister Ke. I can confirm here that Director Zhang won’t replace me, a role that’s already finished filming, just because my relationship with Jing Ke goes public.”

“Alright, I’ll keep an eye on things here. Whether you go along with the public reveal when the time comes or steer the narrative elsewhere, you decide.” Seeing this, Sister Ke didn’t press further.

Shao Qing wasn’t a newcomer who just entered the industry. She wouldn’t joke about something so important.

After ending the call with Sister Ke, Shao Qing sat directly on Jing Ke’s lap and wrapped one arm around her neck.

Jing Ke immediately took her hands off the keyboard and very proactively kissed Shao Qing, only releasing her after over a minute.

“Why did you kiss me without a word? I haven’t even showered yet,” Shao Qing said, poking Jing Ke’s collarbone.

“Hmm?” Jing Ke tilted her head in confusion. “Didn’t you tell me? When someone wraps their arm around your neck, it means they want you to kiss them?”

Shao Qing blinked. After locating the relevant memory, she cleared her throat lightly and changed the subject. “You probably heard everything I discussed with Sister Ke? President Liu likely had people tailing us and got some photos of us at the airport.”

Shao Qing didn’t think it was a coincidence that President Liu bought the photos. Following standard paparazzi logic, if they chose not to expose them publicly, it was to sell them.

Such material would naturally fetch the highest price when offered to the subjects themselves. How could the paparazzi have not contacted her, not contacted Sister Ke, not contacted the other party Jing Ke, but instead found President Liu as the buyer so precisely?

“I’m okay with anything. What do you want to arrange?” Jing Ke asked.

“I don’t want to be forced to disclose our relationship after President Liu exposes it. I want to take the initiative,” Shao Qing said, frowning. “As for our originally set announcement date, we can just post those photos we took together before then.”

“Okay. Should we go public now then? Take a photo together?” Jing Ke asked, holding Shao Qing’s other hand and intimately interlacing their fingers.

Shao Qing pondered for a moment, then gently shook her head. “President Liu probably won’t randomly release those photos. Tomorrow, let’s discuss with Director Li and see if we can borrow the crew’s venue and costumes.”

“You mean, we announce it wearing the wedding attire we filmed in?” Jing Ke asked.

“Not quite that. After all, a certain someone hasn’t proposed to me, so how can we wear wedding attire directly?” Shao Qing poked Jing Ke lightly but pointedly. “The BTS clips Director Li released already have our scenes together. Just do a styling and makeup similar to mine.”

“As for the photos, just casually take a nine-grid set. Put on a few fixed poses,” Shao Qing said, briefly outlining the process.

Jing Ke listened intently, her thumb gently pressing the joints of her girlfriend’s fingers. Once Shao Qing was done speaking, she kissed her again.

“Since we’re going public, could I leave a few marks on your neck tonight?” Jing Ke asked very earnestly.

Dizzy from the kisses, Shao Qing nodded subconsciously. By the time she realized what she’d agreed to, she saw the smile bloom on Jing Ke’s face.

Forget it. If Jing Ke wanted to leave marks, let her leave marks. At worst, she’d have the makeup artist work a little harder to make sure her neck showed no traces during filming.

Shao Qing’s scene the next day wasn’t until the afternoon, so that night the two indulged a little, both putting considerable effort into branding each other’s necks with marks of ownership to declare their sovereignty.

Shao Qing tended to favor a full ring of kiss marks to emphasize her presence. By comparison, Jing Ke was more restrained, leaving only three hickeys total on the sides of Shao Qing’s neck, making her girlfriend look a touch more sensual.

–

“Oh, you want to borrow some costumes and a venue to take photos for your public announcement? Of course…” Hearing Shao Qing’s request, Director Li agreed without a second thought, only catching the oddity halfway through her sentence.

“Wait, Little Shao, say that again? What exactly do you need the venue and cameraman for?” Director Li asked, lowering her voice.

“Someone photographed Jing Ke and me holding hands at the Capital City airport. It’s likely they’ll expose our relationship in a few days.” Shao Qing omitted the part about being pressured by her company and briefly explained the situation.

“Since it’s going public either way, proactively announcing it is better than being forced. If we do it in the crew’s styling, it’ll also bring a lot of buzz to ‘Jianghu Road’,” Shao Qing said with a smile.

Director Li took two minutes to digest this information. “Are you sure? If you go public, you might not be blacklisted, but major official stages like the Spring Festival Gala probably won’t invite you anymore.”

“It’s fine, Director Li, you don’t need to worry about that. My resources won’t be affected by this announcement,” Shao Qing smiled. “Just sit back and watch our crew’s popularity steadily climb.”

“Alright, you’ve always been someone with your own mind. Since you and Boss Jing have decided, the crew will gladly ride on your coattails.” Director Li didn’t say much more, agreeing readily. “Whatever styling and venue you need, pick yourselves. As long as it’s available within the crew, feel free to use it and instruct the staff as needed.”

“Great, thank you, Director Li.” Shao Qing’s eyes curved into crescents as she accepted.

–

Taking a nine-grid set was very simple for the technically superb photography teacher, especially with two subjects who had zero bad angles. Let alone nine photos, even a hundred would be manageable!

Shao Qing’s styling was similar to her character’s—a bright, flamboyant, free-spirited female swordswoman.

Jing Ke’s styling was relatively more restrained. Compared to the swordswoman in striking red, she looked more like an upright disciple of a prestigious sect. Whether wearing a silver-trimmed white robe or a gold-embroidered Profound Black martial outfit, she appeared both restrained and heroic.

Standing together, although their styles differed, they didn’t clash with electrical tension. Instead, they evoked a heartfelt feeling that such perfectly matched individuals should appear together, should stand side by side.

A match made in heaven—that described Jing Ke and Shao Qing perfectly.

For the photographer, good models not only allowed her to perform at one hundred twenty percent of her skill but also sparked many creative inspirations.

Like now, after snapping over a hundred rapid-fire shots, the photographer still hadn’t stopped. She even moved the location to the outdoor courtyard, had Director Li bring over a white horse, and clicked away, taking many more photos of them.

“I think all these photos are absolutely perfect. If you’re in a hurry, pick a few now, and I’ll edit them and send them over immediately,” the photographer said, reluctantly stopping only after three straight hours of shooting.

“They are indeed all quite good. Which ones do you think are suitable?” Seeing the photos in the camera, Shao Qing rarely experienced choice paralysis.

“Let’s just pick nine photos with the most distinct differences based on styling and location,” Jing Ke said after briefly reviewing them. Using her cheat-like memory, she accurately selected nine exceptionally perfect photos.