Chapter 66: Crème brûlée p1
Mi Hongdou had just connected the call when Jiang Lingling started yelling, “Mi Hongdou, where are you? Something happened, do you know? Did you see today’s entertainment magazines?”
Hearing “something happened,” Mi Hongdou’s heart lurched. She glanced at Ji Junxin, who was sipping water on the sofa, and her racing heart gradually calmed down. “I’m at the hotel, what happened?” she asked calmly.
In contrast to Mi Hongdou’s composure, Jiang Lingling was in a state of panic, surrounded by magazines and newspapers. While talking on the phone, she instructed her assistant to find the magazine with the news.
“I was resting after this morning’s filming, reading magazines, and I saw a report exposing part of the ‘Imperial Secrets’ cast list, specifically mentioning you replacing Bao Yueqiao from Qiong Yu, and the tone wasn’t very nice. I think it’s targeting you.” Jiang Lingling flipped through the magazines with her assistant. “I get all the entertainment magazines and newspapers every day, so I wanted to see if the other magazines also reported it, but guess what? They didn’t! I’ve looked through so many, I buried the one with the news. Wait for me, I’ll bring it over, I’ll be quick!”
Without waiting for a reply, Jiang Lingling hung up and focused on finding the magazine.
“What’s wrong?” Ji Junxin asked, putting down her glass and looking at Mi Hongdou.
“Jiang Lingling said she saw a magazine with a report exposing part of the ‘Imperial Secrets’ cast list.” Mi Hongdou replied, putting down her phone.
Mi Hongdou’s casual tone made Ji Junxin anxious. “Did she say if your name was mentioned?”
Seeing Ji Junxin’s anxiety, Mi Hongdou wanted to reassure her, but she knew that once Jiang Lingling arrived, Ji Junxin would find out everything anyway. So, she nodded. “It was mentioned, they even specifically pointed out that I replaced Bao Yueqiao as the young empress. Jiang Lingling will bring the magazine over soon, don’t worry.”
“This is targeting you.” Ji Junxin paused, gathering her thoughts. “When ‘Imperial Secrets’ started filming, the official announcement only briefly mentioned a few main actors, without much fanfare. They were probably saving the big publicity push for closer to the release date, which is Qiao Rubai’s usual strategy. To ensure a smooth filming process and a successful release, both the crew and the actors signed confidentiality agreements. Although it’s standard practice in the industry, and not legally binding, it’s still a matter of principle. Later, the script underwent major revisions, the entire plot changed, you replaced Bao Yueqiao, and Jiang Lingling joined the cast. These things, without official permission, shouldn’t be known to outsiders, especially the media. You and Jiang Lingling are newcomers, without any previous works. At this time, if news of you replacing veteran actors in such a big production like ‘Imperial Secrets’ gets out, it would be…” Ji Junxin didn’t finish her sentence, but her worried expression said it all.
“It’s okay…” Mi Hongdou quickly sat down and comforted her gently. “We don’t have any released works now, but we will soon, won’t we? No matter what they say now, whether it’s good or bad, when ‘Imperial Secrets’ is released, the truth will speak for itself. We might be newcomers, but we deserve to be in this film. Don’t worry…”
“No.” Ji Junxin’s anxiety wasn’t appeased. She frowned. “The plan was to protect the newcomers, to officially announce the cast list and release trailers closer to the release date. The film hasn’t even finished a third of its filming… there’s no way to do any positive publicity for you now. And if this was done deliberately, they might manipulate public opinion, saying that you got the roles through connections, or that you’re just pretty faces with no acting skills…”
Before Ji Junxin could finish, there was a knock on the door.
Mi Hongdou patted Ji Junxin’s hand reassuringly and went to open the door.
Jiang Lingling entered, holding a stack of newspapers and magazines. She dumped them on the coffee table and proudly raised her chin. “What was that about being a pretty face with no skills and getting the role through connections?”
So, never expect good soundproofing in a hotel.
“We were just talking about that. We don’t have any released works yet, and the cast list is already exposed, there’s no way to do positive publicity. We’re worried that people will think we got the roles through connections, or that we’re just pretty faces,” Mi Hongdou explained.
Jiang Lingling chuckled: “Heh, this time, it’s not ‘us,’ it’s just ‘you’.” She picked up the top magazine, flipped through it, and handed it to Mi Hongdou. “Take a look. The headline is ‘Battle for the Empress Role in “Imperial Secrets,” Mysterious Newcomer Replaces Bao Yueqiao from Qiong Yu.’ Besides revealing a few names from the main cast, the entire article is about the alleged infighting over the empress role. ‘Imperial Secrets’ not even finished filming, and the behind-the-scenes drama has already begun. Then it insinuates that to replace Bao Yueqiao, who’s backed by Qiong Yu, this newcomer must have powerful connections. You don’t even need to read the whole article, just the beginning is full of malice.”
Mi Hongdou hadn’t felt the malice from the magazine yet, but Jiang Lingling’s schadenfreude was palpable.
She had really chosen her friends poorly…
Mi Hongdou took the magazine. It was the article Jiang Lingling mentioned. Ji Junxin also leaned over to look.
As Jiang Lingling said, the article had nothing to do with her, it didn’t even mention the major script revision three months ago. All the criticism was directed at Mi Hongdou, an untrained newcomer with no experience or previous works, landing the crucial role of the empress in a major production like “Imperial Secrets.” It must be shady. At the end of the article, there was even a Q&A section with “passersby.” The reporter asked random people, why do you think Mi Hongdou won the role? Passerby A: Because she’s rich! Passerby B: Because she has a powerful “daddy”! Passerby C: Well, it’s the unspoken rules of the entertainment industry, we all understand. Passerby D: Heh, either a powerful daddy, a powerful man, or money. She’s not even from an acting school, could it be her acting skills?
From Jiang Lingling’s mention of the exposed cast list, Mi Hongdou had expected something bad. After reading the article, although she was angry, it was within her expectations. But Ji Junxin’s reaction was much stronger than hers.
“I’ll ask Qiao Rubai if she’s seen this. Qiong Yu’s PR team needs to step in, they can’t just let them write whatever they want.” Ji Junxin said angrily, picking up her phone.
Then, she was stopped by Mi Hongdou.
“I just remembered, I have a manager… this kind of thing, it’s also the manager’s responsibility to handle, right? How about I ask my manager first?” Mi Hongdou smiled wryly. She had been left to her own devices for so long that if it weren’t for this, she wouldn’t even remember she had a manager. She hadn’t seen Yang Lianyi since their last meal together. Only Yang Lianyi, with her carefree attitude, could be so negligent.
Ji Junxin hesitated, then respected Mi Hongdou’s decision. “Okay, ask Mengguan first. But you still have to call Qiao Rubai later. After all, Qiong Yu invested in ‘Imperial Secrets,’ they also have a responsibility to protect you.”
This feeling of being valued… she hadn’t experienced it in her previous life. Looking at the still angry Ji Junxin, Mi Hongdou suddenly felt that being targeted by the media wasn’t so bad after all.
Ji Junxin clutched her phone angrily, and Mi Hongdou’s gaze towards her was full of warmth. Jiang Lingling silently covered her eyes… even being targeted by the media couldn’t stop the CP from shining, hurting single dogs everywhere.
The call to Yang Lianyi took a while to connect.
It seemed that no one wanted to give Mi Hongdou a chance to speak today. As soon as the call connected, Yang Lianyi started chattering, “Aiya, little Hongdou, you haven’t called me in so long, why did you call today? Did you miss me?~”
Mi Hongdou moved the phone away from her ear, her face cold. It seemed that in the two months they hadn’t seen each other, her boss had acquired some strange new skills. Calling her “little Hongdou” and “sister” repeatedly, she wondered if it was too late to pretend she dialed the wrong number and hang up.
Ji Junxin’s gaze was anxious and focused. Mi Hongdou endured and said to Yang Lianyi, “There’s an entertainment magazine today…” She was about to continue when she realized that she had only read the article Jiang Lingling showed her and hadn’t even seen which magazine it was. She was looking for it when Yang Lianyi interrupted her.
“Aiya, you’ve already seen it! No wonder you called!” Yang Lianyi’s playful tone instantly turned serious, her voice now warm and comforting. “Little Hongdou, don’t be afraid, this kind of thing is minor, we can easily resolve it, don’t worry! I’m driving to Shudian now, I should arrive around four or five. Let’s have dinner together tonight and discuss it in detail. I’m driving now, can’t talk much. Oh, right, I brought Qiao Rubai with me, why don’t you talk to her first?”
No… Mi Hongdou’s refusal died in her throat. She heard Yang Lianyi handing the phone over and her last words to Qiao Rubai, “You better appease our little Hongdou, or there will be no delicious food tonight, and I’ll blame you.”
Something felt definitely off…
There was silence on the other end. Mi Hongdou was a little nervous and didn’t speak.
Even phone calls could be awkward.
Since her rebirth, Mi Hongdou had barely had any private conversations with Qiao Rubai. Now, each with their own thoughts, there was a long silence on the phone. Finally, Qiao Rubai spoke: “Don’t worry…”
Mi Hongdou replied awkwardly, “Okay…”
The call ended.
“What did Mengguan say? Why did you hang up so quickly?” Ji Junxin was anxious. “Should I call Qiao Rubai?”
“No…” Mi Hongdou stopped Ji Junxin. “Yang Lianyi and Qiao Rubai both know about it, they’re driving to Shudian now, they should arrive around four or five.”
Hearing that the bosses of Qiong Yu and Mengguan were taking this seriously, Ji Junxin was relieved. With their involvement, the matter was practically resolved.
“Then don’t worry too much, they’ll definitely take care of it.” Now, it was Ji Junxin’s turn to comfort the worried Mi Hongdou.
“Yeah, I’m not worried about that.” Mi Hongdou looked at Jiang Lingling thoughtfully. “But I think I heard Yang Miemie’s voice on the phone.”
If it was such a minor issue, easily resolved, why drive all the way here? Bringing Qiao Rubai to deal with it was one thing… but also Yang Miemie… The professional meal-crashing trio, plus that sentence she overheard, “You better appease our little Hongdou, or there will be no delicious food tonight, and I’ll blame you,” well, she had a feeling it wasn’t accidental.
With such a scheming boss, how could a naive employee survive?
Mi Hongdou sighed and flipped through the magazine. Tsk, “Donghuan Entertainment Weekly,” wasn’t this the magazine that falsely reported Ji Junxin’s withdrawal from “Imperial Secrets”? … This magazine was known for publishing paid articles. Being targeted by them felt strange…
Perhaps Yang Lianyi felt that Qiao Rubai’s comforting skills were lacking and that it would affect Mi Hongdou’s performance. So, shortly after hanging up, Mi Hongdou received a message.
[Little Hongdou, don’t worry, see you at the restaurant where we had lunch last time, 5 PM!] Sender: Yang Lianyi.
Although still somewhat subtle, it was also very direct… Mi Hongdou was speechless.
“Did you sell that restaurant you bought?” Mi Hongdou put down her phone and turned to the rich girl.
Jiang Lingling, circling the kitchenette, examining something, replied without turning around, “No, I’m still waiting for you to have time to cook so I can freeload. I’m not planning to sell it before filming ends.”
Heh… that was also too direct…
“Then can I borrow your kitchen tonight?” Mi Hongdou knew she couldn’t avoid this meal. Anyway, she finally had some free time and had planned to cook for Ji Junxin. A few more people wouldn’t make much difference.
Jiang Lingling’s eyes lit up, and she immediately abandoned her inspection of the kitchenette. “No problem! What do you need? I’ll have them buy everything! I’ll have them clear out the restaurant now!”
“No… no need to clear it out. Just a simple meal tonight, just us and those three, a small private room on the second floor will be fine.” Mi Hongdou thought for a moment. “The weather is getting colder, I was thinking of making hot pot with a bone broth base. Does your restaurant have tables for hot pot?”
“Of course!” Jiang Lingling waved her hand. “Even if they don’t, I’ll have one made for you! Just tell me what you need, besides the table and the hot pot, anything!”
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