Chapter 24: Entering the Inner Sanctum
Whether Jiang Lingling was a country bumpkin before was another story. Anyway, when Dong Yuannan introduced her to the public, she was already quite fashionable. Of course, her personality flaws were obvious: capricious, arrogant, and rich. Later, Jiang Lingling, relying on Dong Yuannan investing in various productions, acted in many roles, but she never became very popular. Dong Yuannan wanted to invest in a drama and make her the female lead, but Jiang Lingling had a strong personality and mediocre acting skills, she couldn’t carry a drama. After drifting in the industry for two years, something happened to Dong Yuannan.
Well, it wasn’t a big deal. Real estate companies, the waters run deep. Anyway, there were some problems with the company, and Old Dong couldn’t handle the pressure, suffering a stroke and being hospitalized. The company was in trouble, the boss was down, and the wife only knew how to take care of children. Many people were waiting to see Old Dong’s downfall. Then, his goddaughter stepped forward. Well, of course, a capricious rich girl who only knew how to spend money couldn’t turn the tide in this situation. It wasn’t a drama, it couldn’t be so unrealistic. Jiang Lingling just stepped forward, supported Old Dong’s wife, took Old Dong’s son, who was still in middle school, and threw wads of cash at the people who came to the company to collect debts. Then she went to the hospital and put a chopstick in the hand of the stroke-stricken Old Dong.
Treatment, rehabilitation, Jiang Lingling went back and forth between the company and the hospital, patiently explaining each problem to Old Dong. Old Dong, holding the chopstick, slowly and painstakingly typed replies on the computer. The company was saved, although it had shrunk considerably. He was also saved, although his speech and movement weren’t completely recovered.
So, those who were waiting to see Old Dong’s downfall turned to watch his wife’s downfall.
Such a loyal and capable “goddaughter,” shouldn’t she be promoted to wife? Although one shouldn’t abandon their wife who had been with them through thick and thin, such a lively and devoted young woman was also rare. For a time, the onlookers wavered, worrying about Old Dong.
However, day after day, there was no news. Jiang Lingling became the face of Old Dong’s company, learning to rebuild it bit by bit, truly becoming a strong businesswoman. Of course, she was still as capricious and arrogant as ever, just… not as rich.
These were matters of the business world, and Mi Hongdou wouldn’t normally pay much attention. But the key was that later, when Jiang Lingling was helping Old Dong with the company, she found that they didn’t have enough money. So, she returned to the entertainment industry, invested a small amount of money in a drama, and starred in it herself. “Queen of the Business World,” the title was a bit cliché. It was an urban drama about a self-made female protagonist, a business genius, who fought against rich playboys and corrupt officials, dominating the business world. Jiang Lingling played herself, even revealing her background to the media to create hype. With this one drama, the company got the money it needed, and Old Dong’s company officially recovered. Mi Hongdou even made a cameo appearance in that drama, which was her first official contact with Jiang Lingling in her previous life. Capricious, arrogant, but loyal, Mi Hongdou’s first impression of her wasn’t bad.
Because of this drama, the godparent relationship between Jiang Lingling and Old Dong was brought into the spotlight. Some media outlets made ambiguous insinuations, and of course, there were also those who talked about true feelings revealed in times of adversity. But the main focus was still on gossiping about the two of them.
Unexpectedly, a few days later, two videos appeared online, and their view counts skyrocketed, opening the netizens’ eyes.
In one video, Old Dong, whose speech was still slightly slurred, slowly and haltingly recounted how, when he was young and poor, he was helped by a family in his village. After he became rich, he repeatedly sent money back to express his gratitude. Who knew that when he finally had the time and money to return to his hometown, he found that only a young daughter was left in that family. The money he had sent back over the years had fallen into the hands of their relatives, who were about to marry the fifteen-year-old daughter off to a cripple in the village. He was so angry that he had a heart attack on the spot. It was that young daughter who went to the village to call for help and took him to the clinic. The debt of money he owed in the early years had become a debt of life that year. Now, he owed her more than he could ever repay. He had originally disdained explaining, but now he realized that people’s imaginations were truly limitless. Old Dong’s wife also appeared in the video, angrily rebuking those who gossiped and expressing her gratitude to Jiang Lingling, saying that she would treat her like her own daughter in the future. Finally, Old Dong choked up and said that he just wanted to be a good father and hoped that everyone would have a kind heart and look at the world with compassion.
The second video, released more than an hour later, was of Jiang Lingling, who briefly expressed three points. One, the media outlets that claimed she and Old Dong were a couple, wait to be sued. Two, Old Dong, your video is too melodramatic, delete it quickly. Three, she was a lesbian, she had a girl she liked, and please stop imagining her in heterosexual relationships. Every time she read the newspapers, she felt apprehensive.
Soon, the view counts of the two videos topped the charts. There were comments expressing being touched, and also comments accusing them of putting on a show. Of course, the main focus was no longer on the relationship between Old Dong and Jiang Lingling, but on the fact that Jiang Lingling, the rising star of the business world who had finally transitioned from supporting roles to the female lead with “Queen of the Business World,” had just come out!
Mi Hongdou still remembered that when these two videos were released in her previous life, she was at Ji Junxin’s place, experimenting with Buddha Jumps Over the Wall soup. While stewing the soup, she heard Ji Junxin softly sobbing outside, which startled her and made her rush out of the kitchen. She found that Ji Junxin had been moved to tears by the two videos. Mi Hongdou watched them. Old Dong’s heartfelt confession was truly moving.
A few days later, Wang Quan, known as the “captain of the paparazzi,” confirmed Old Dong’s story online. Wang Quan was famous in the industry for only reporting facts and not accepting bribes. For a time, those who had speculated about Old Dong and Jiang Lingling fell silent.
Later, until Mi Hongdou fell from the wires, the openly lesbian Jiang Lingling continued to thrive in both the business and entertainment worlds, a true example of a capricious and domineering rich person.
The past was like a fleeting cloud. Seeing the young, capricious, and still immature Jiang Lingling, and the relatively healthy Dong Yuannan, Mi Hongdou felt a lot of emotions. It was normal for the reborn Qiao Rubai, who knew the truth, not to show any knowing expression. But Ji Junxin, why did she only look thoughtful?
Dong Yuannan took Jiang Lingling away, leaving behind a word of praise for Mi Hongdou. The other investors didn’t say much, just greeted Qiao Rubai and left one after another. This incident was instigated by Old Dong. Now that he was gone, those who had been influenced by him naturally quieted down. Moreover, the scene they had just seen, although it looked good, only professionals could see the subtleties, while outsiders only saw the surface. That was all they could see.
After the investors left, Qiao Rubai’s ambiguous gaze fell on Mi Hongdou, scanning her up and down, left and right, until she shivered and hid behind Ji Junxin. Only then did Qiao Rubai stop and pull Ji Junxin away to remove her makeup. Ji Junxin wanted to take Mi Hongdou with her, but before she could speak, Qiao Rubai squeezed her wrist. Knowing that Qiao Rubai had something to say to her privately, Ji Junxin obediently followed.
Really, she couldn’t understand why Yang Lianyi was attracted to such a serious face before her rebirth, and she understood even less now. Mi Hongdou wiped the nonexistent sweat from her forehead and breathed a sigh of relief.
“What’s wrong?” Ji Junxin followed Qiao Rubai, whose expression wasn’t good. “Do the investors have any opinions about today’s scene?” Could it be that someone among them who understood acting and had read the script noticed that the little empress hadn’t grasped the role properly? Ji Junxin was a little anxious, not realizing that her anxiety was also reflected in her tone.
“No opinions. They all think Mi Hongdou performed well, and the fried rice looked delicious. This time, it was just Old Dong trying to promote his goddaughter, to see if there were any suitable roles for her here. He left after praising Mi Hongdou, so there’s no problem.” Qiao Rubai released Ji Junxin’s hand, rubbed her slightly protruding belly, which was full of sweet soup, and frowned, slowing her pace. “Actually, before the script was revised, his goddaughter had a small supporting role. But after the changes, there was no suitable role for her. I guess Old Dong isn’t giving up. Even if he doesn’t want to compete for the role of the empress anymore, he probably still wants to try for other roles.” However, this was no longer Qiao Rubai’s concern. If Old Dong wanted to make a move, he probably wouldn’t dare to target someone from Qiong Yu. She just didn’t know which company’s actress he would set his sights on, but the result would probably be revealed soon.
Ji Junxin was stunned: “You’re saying that the girl just now came to compete for the role of the empress? Fortunately, she didn’t succeed.” Acting opposite such an arrogant girl wouldn’t be pleasant. Although Mi Hongdou was a newcomer, she was much better than that girl.
“What, after just eating a bowl of the little empress’s rice, you’re already speaking up for her?” Qiao Rubai laughed. “Was the rice delicious?”
“Delicious!” In front of Qiao Rubai, Ji Junxin didn’t need to hide her foodie nature. “It was so delicious, incredibly delicious!”
“Egg fried rice… how delicious could it be?” Qiao Rubai didn’t expect Ji Junxin to react so strongly and couldn’t help but tease her.
“Um…” Ji Junxin tilted her head and thought for a moment. “Every grain of rice was coated with egg, the egg wasn’t dry, it was a little crispy, and it was very fragrant.” Actually, Ji Junxin wanted to say that when she ate that bowl of rice, she had a special feeling. It was the same when she ate the peanut candy made by Mi Hongdou backstage last time. It was very special, as if she could feel the maker’s care through the food, that kind of heartfelt meticulousness that made the food especially delicious… Ji Junxin couldn’t say these words out loud, she felt it would be too presumptuous.
Qiao Rubai, touching her slightly full belly, looked at the serious foodie and suddenly had a flash of inspiration: “Putting aside Mi Hongdou’s cooking skills, what do you think of her acting?”
“As a newcomer, her acting skills are definitely top-notch.” Ji Junxin gave a very positive evaluation, then added, “But her performance isn’t very stable. I think it’s probably due to lack of experience. But I feel that as long as she’s given some time, with the director explaining the scenes a few more times, and after filming a few more scenes, this problem can be solved.” This was Ji Junxin’s conclusion based on Mi Hongdou’s earlier inability to connect with Zhang Zijing and her misinterpretation of the empress’s character in this scene.
It was a fair assessment. Qiao Rubai suddenly wasn’t so sure if Ji Junxin would accept her proposal. After all, this person, from some point onwards, had developed a very strong sense of territoriality. It was okay to invite someone in for a visit, but staying overnight…
As they slowly walked towards the makeshift backstage area, Qiao Rubai, who had hesitated several times, finally spoke up when she saw Lu Gaoshi and Jiang Duo standing together in a corner: “Mi Hongdou and the other two from Mengguan joined the crew late, and the hotel we’re staying at is full. The other two are just minor characters, so it’s not a big deal. But the Empress’s role is quite important. She was originally supposed to stay in Bao Yueqiao’s room, the actress who played the Empress before, but that room was given to Pan Xiang. Now, only your and Director Pan’s rooms are suites. You also said that she needs someone to explain the scenes to her. How about letting her move in, setting up a bed for her in the living room of your room?” Qiao Rubai understood Ji Junxin’s preference for small apartments and her reluctance to have guests stay overnight. So, she didn’t have much hope when she made this suggestion. She didn’t expect Ji Junxin to be bribed by a bowl of egg fried rice and allow someone to enter her inner sanctum.
As expected, Ji Junxin stopped walking, thought for a moment, and then answered seriously: “No.”
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