Category: Reborn to Stew Soup (GL)

Chapter 71: Gazes p1

They say if you put a frog in lukewarm water and slowly raise the temperature, it won’t realize it’s being cooked until it’s too late. The most frightening changes in life are the subtle, gradual ones. By the time you notice, some people, some things, have already changed. Whether you’re surprised or not, willing or not, you can only accept it.

Mi Hongdou had also wondered when her feelings for Ji Junxin had changed. She was supposed to be a loyal, die-hard fan… At first, she didn’t want to dwell on it, as if by ignoring it, nothing would change. But this self-deception quickly lost its effect.

The desire to be closer, to smell her scent, to touch her, to be more intimate… One could control their actions, but thoughts, so hidden and complex, were rarely controlled by reason.

Having lived two lifetimes, Mi Hongdou wasn’t a naive newbie like Ji Junxin. But even though she knew, she didn’t want to know, didn’t dare to know. Only restraint and self-control could preserve their current, almost BFF-like relationship. Mi Hongdou knew what she had to do and strived to do it well. Sometimes she thought, perhaps, as time passed, they would remain good friends. And when they grew old, they might even become like family. Then, perhaps, she would have a legitimate reason to continue accompanying and caring for her.

These past two months, Mi Hongdou had carefully kept their interactions within the boundaries of friendship, not revealing anything suspicious. Was it difficult? Very difficult. Nothing was more challenging than having to control your every word, action, and even your gaze and expression in front of the person you loved.

Whenever she felt the urge to cross the line, she would scold herself. Couldn’t she restrain herself? Did she want to see surprise, even disgust, in Ji Junxin’s eyes? Did she want to destroy this hard-won happiness? No… she couldn’t.

When Pan Xiang pointed out the possibility of the film being interpreted as yuri, Mi Hongdou was worried. Not about Pan Xiang being lectured by Director Pan, but about the potential rumors about her and Ji Junxin if the film was indeed interpreted that way. Even if Ji Junxin didn’t distance herself because of the rumors, she would probably be wary. And even the slightest distance between them would be a huge blow to Mi Hongdou. So, in the recent scenes, she had been very careful, trying to minimize the possibility of a “yuri” interpretation.

And the result? … Director Pan was dissatisfied! He even criticized her for not being affectionate enough! It was like a superhero sacrificing himself to save the Earth, only to have the Earth kick him and tell him to get out of the way. How tragic.

Perhaps it was all fate. Director Pan wouldn’t know how his pursuit of perfection had changed so many things.

Another scene.

Provocations, agreements, veiled insults, the concubines at the table were like five thousand ducks, chattering endlessly. Energetic and lively, not at all like the listless figures who had almost collapsed from drinking too much porridge before filming. Ji Junxin glanced at them indifferently, picked up her bowl, and started eating quietly.

The porridge was truly disgusting, and after so many bowls, Ji Junxin almost gagged as soon as she lifted it. There was no need to act, she had to exert all her willpower to even take the first sip. The subsequent struggle to swallow the disgusting porridge was all real.

Mi Hongdou, having been criticized by Director Pan, decided to let go of her reservations. Her gaze should meet his requirements now, right?

But when the scene reached the part where the young empress looked at Miao Qianye with concern, Mi Hongdou hesitated again, afraid that if she didn’t restrain herself, her true feelings would be revealed. She looked at Ji Junxin.

And with that one glance, all her hesitation, restraint, and desire… vanished.

Ji Junxin looked much worse than in the previous takes, it wasn’t acting. If she continued like this, she would really throw up! Mi Hongdou clenched her fists, watching Ji Junxin struggle to eat the porridge, her heart aching. They couldn’t continue filming like this… It was all Jiang Duo’s fault… speaking of Jiang Duo, her voice was the loudest among them, sounding forced and exaggerated, she was probably going to NG again… Mi Hongdou glared at Jiang Duo, she was truly annoying. She quickly turned her gaze back to Ji Junxin.

Why wasn’t Director Pan calling cut? Oh, right, for scenes with Jiang Duo, even if there were mistakes, they would film the entire scene. Ji Junxin struggled to swallow the disgusting porridge, and Mi Hongdou’s heart ached. She couldn’t bear to watch anymore. Should she suggest making some real porridge? … Even if it wasn’t as realistic, it would be better than this torture.

Mi Hongdou had been staring at Ji Junxin for a while. Next, the young empress’s gaze should soften, and then they would both eat their porridge. But Mi Hongdou, frustrated and distracted, couldn’t even bring herself to reach for her bowl, let alone soften her gaze.

While Mi Hongdou was feeling distressed, Director Pan was watching with excitement. He hadn’t expected Mi Hongdou’s performance to be so good after just a few pointers. That worried look in the young empress’s eyes, the conflict between wanting to stop Miao Qianye from eating and having to endure it, and that look of disgust she directed at Concubine Zhu, which she had added herself, it was perfect. That’s how it should be! It was Concubine Zhu who stirred up all this trouble. The young empress, having to maintain a facade of solidarity while also feeling sorry for the pregnant Miao Qianye, naturally resented Concubine Zhu. Director Pan took this film very seriously and had studied the script repeatedly. He had a good grasp of the plot and the characters’ motivations.

Mi Hongdou’s performance, in his opinion, surpassed the script. Perhaps the lonely empress scene had impressed him too much, and he now looked at Mi Hongdou’s improvisational skills differently. He thought she had changed the scene again. And it was a brilliant change! Director Pan automatically found a reasonable explanation for her performance.

So, even people working on the same film could have vastly different interpretations.

Ji Junxin had reached her limit with the porridge and regretted it slightly.

When they were filming in Shudian, there were restaurants nearby, so if they were tired of the crew meals, they could go out to eat. But filming at the estate was more troublesome. The nearest village was quite a walk, let alone any restaurants. So, Jiang Lingling had finally remembered the restaurant she had bought. On the first day of filming at the estate, she had several dishes delivered from the restaurant, still warm in their insulated containers. She naturally sent a generous portion to Mi Hongdou and Ji Junxin, and even some to Director Pan and Pan Xiang.

But just as they received the food, the crew announced that they would be filming the porridge scene in the afternoon, and the porridge was disgusting, they might have to drink a lot of it, so they hoped the actors would eat less for lunch. Everyone reduced their lunch intake, some even skipped it altogether. Ji Junxin, hearing about the disgusting porridge, was heartbroken. So, despite Mi Hongdou’s gentle dissuasion, she ate all the rather ordinary dishes Jiang Lingling sent…

Now, Ji Junxin regretted it. If she had known it would be so torturous… she would have eaten something more delicious for lunch. The comfort from those ordinary dishes was clearly insufficient.

Ji Junxin’s misery was evident. Seeing this, Mi Hongdou almost lost the will to continue filming. Her hand lingered on her bowl, her gaze fixed on Ji Junxin… It was already past the time when the young empress, according to the script, should have started eating.

Even Director Pan, who thought Mi Hongdou’s performance was excellent, noticed something was off. Why wasn’t she continuing? He had hoped to finish this scene in one take.

Just then, Ji Junxin, seemingly engrossed in her porridge, also sensed something and slowly looked up at Mi Hongdou.

Oh, this idiot, didn’t they agree that she shouldn’t look up and cause an NG? … Mi Hongdou’s eyes met Ji Junxin’s, her pupils constricting, her grip on the bowl tightening.

Wait, shouldn’t it be the part where the young empress is moved by Miao Qianye, her gaze softening with love? Ji Junxin was confused, had she miscalculated the timing? Director Pan wouldn’t call NG anyway. Seeing Mi Hongdou seemingly stunned by her sudden look, Ji Junxin smiled apologetically and continued eating her porridge.

You idiot… this is acting, not real life, why are you looking and smiling… Director Pan will scold you later. There was a hint of reproach in Mi Hongdou’s eyes, but it quickly softened into indulgence. It didn’t matter, she had also glanced at Jiang Duo earlier, she would ask Director Pan to scold her more. Thinking this, Mi Hongdou picked up her bowl, the sooner they finished this, the better. At worst, she could just have Ji Junxin throw up in the bathroom and then reshoot.

To Mi Hongdou’s surprise, this take, with their improvised eye contact, was actually a pass? Had Director Pan finally collected enough footage for a complete scene after so many takes? Mi Hongdou didn’t understand, but she didn’t ask. Director Pan seemed happy, he probably wouldn’t criticize their improvisation in the last take.

Director Pan wouldn’t criticize them now, he was happily reviewing the footage. The young empress’s worried gaze towards Miao Qianye was a little too long, but it didn’t matter, they could edit it later. The key was Miao Qianye’s returning gaze. Initially startled by the empress’s concern, a flicker of confusion in her eyes, then quickly understanding, she smiled gently, a mix of reassurance and persuasion. And then the young empress, as if truly comforted, although still showing some sympathy, her gaze held a kind of tolerant indulgence. And the earlier look of resentment and anger she directed at Concubine Zhu, this take was truly brilliant! This was the feeling he wanted. Although Jiang Duo’s performance was still lacking, the interaction between the young empress and Miao Qianye was perfect.

Director Pan watched the scene repeatedly, then called Mi Hongdou and Ji Junxin over.

Poor Ji Junxin, after several bowls of that disgusting porridge, she could barely walk, feeling terrible. Fortunately, Director Pan had said it was a pass. If they had to do another take, she wouldn’t be able to swallow another bite. Now, being summoned by Director Pan, her legs felt weak, afraid that he would suddenly change his mind and ask for a reshoot.

Mi Hongdou, seeing Ji Junxin’s misery, said, “Later, let’s ask Director Pan to wrap up for today and go back to rest. You can’t film the next scene in this state.”

“There’s still another scene.” Ji Junxin clutched Mi Hongdou’s wrist, her expression pitiful. “I’m not afraid of filming the next scene, I’m afraid he’ll ask us to reshoot this one.”

“He won’t…” Mi Hongdou looked at Director Pan, who was waiting for them with a smile. “He doesn’t look like he wants to reshoot.”

Although Mi Hongdou said that, Ji Junxin still walked slowly, traumatized by Director Pan.

When they finally reached him, he led them to the monitor and showed them the playback.

The young empress’s concern and worry, her angry glare at Concubine Zhu, her helpless indulgence… Ji Junxin watched quietly. Although she knew it was just acting, just a story between the young empress and Miao Qianye in the drama, she couldn’t help but let her gaze linger on Mi Hongdou’s face on the screen.

“What do you think of this take?” Director Pan asked, his smiling face betraying his own opinion.

Seeing her own gaze towards Ji Junxin from a different perspective, it was so… Mi Hongdou couldn’t even look at Ji Junxin. Had she been too careless? Would Ji Junxin see through her? Misunderstand? … Mi Hongdou was incredibly nervous and could only manage two words in response to Director Pan’s question: “Not bad…”

Director Pan’s lips twitched, and he looked at Ji Junxin expectantly.

“Xiaomi acted very well,” Ji Junxin said honestly. “Should I not have looked up?”

“I think it was good, you can go now.” Director Pan rubbed his forehead. These two, they could act, but they couldn’t appreciate a good performance, their judgment was terrible. This take was brilliant! That exchange of gazes, how perfect!

Mi Hongdou, glancing at Director Pan, who seemed to have a problem with their judgment, suddenly felt that perhaps it wasn’t Pan Xiang’s script that was the problem. Perhaps Gu Tiansheng himself had a BL soul, just like… Director Pan might have a yuri soul he wasn’t even aware of. This wasn’t… good news…

Regardless of what kind of soul Director Pan had, seeing that he was in a good mood, Mi Hongdou suggested that since everyone had been force-fed porridge, they should be allowed to go back and rest.

Chapter 70: A Hug

Pan Xiang’s words were like a sledgehammer, smashing a hole in Ji Junxin’s understanding of the world, opening a new door.

The sky, the earth, the mud houses in front of her, the cool breeze, everything was the same. Yet, Ji Junxin, standing alone, felt a sense of disorientation, as if something had shifted.

This feeling was familiar, like when she was young, her world was just her small home, then expanding to her city, then to the concept of a world, realizing how limited her perspective had been. And then learning about the Earth and the universe, a vast expanse opening before her. This was the change in perspective and understanding that came with growth, something everyone experienced. Some experienced it vaguely, while others clearly remembered every revelation. Ji Junxin was the latter. So, when Pan Xiang explained the true meaning of yuri, the shock was immense. The world suddenly… transformed.

Ji Junxin felt a sense of unease, like she had suddenly been transported to a strange new place. And then, overwhelming embarrassment! What had she said earlier? She had invited Mi Hongdou to watch a yuri film together! Ji Junxin’s mind went blank, she couldn’t even look at Mi Hongdou, and she just wanted to run away.

So, she excused herself to go to the restroom, a slightly panicked escape. After a few steps, she realized she was going in the wrong direction. But her face was burning, mortified, she didn’t dare to turn back, and just kept walking, turning at every corner, until she was sure she was far enough. Then she carefully looked back. They were out of sight. Ji Junxin breathed a sigh of relief.

Qiao Rubai was right, she should watch more movies! If she had actually watched a yuri film instead of just skimming the synopsis, this wouldn’t have happened! Ji Junxin deeply regretted it!

So, yuri meant… love between two girls. She hadn’t realized. Ji Junxin pressed her cold hand against her burning face. The cool breeze gradually calmed her down.

It was just love, thinking about it carefully, it wasn’t a big deal. It was just that Pan Xiang’s sudden mention of it was too abrupt, Ji Junxin thought, and the heat on her face subsided. As for inviting Mi Hongdou to watch a yuri film… they had talked about so many things, no one would remember that one sentence, right? Ji Junxin tried to convince herself. Yes, definitely, who would remember just that one sentence among so many?

Whether she was reasoning with herself or just trying to comfort herself, it worked. Soon, she felt that knowing what yuri meant was just like learning a new fact, like finding out that the Earth was round, a brief surprise followed by acceptance. So, Ji Junxin happily made her way back.

But… as she approached Pan Xiang and Mi Hongdou, Ji Junxin realized that a new world was a new world, she couldn’t just ignore the changes.

Seeing Pan Xiang cupping Mi Hongdou’s face, a tearful and affectionate expression in her eyes… Ji Junxin couldn’t hear what they were saying. Her first thought was, “Is this the legendary yuri?” The second, “How could Mi Hongdou be with Pan Xiang!” Then, “Why did I think Mi Hongdou couldn’t be with Pan Xiang?” “Could they be together?” “No, they can’t be together…” “Why not?” …

The newly opened door to a new world seemed to have unleashed a torrent of strange thoughts. Before, she would have just thought they were playing around. But now… watching Pan Xiang’s affectionate gesture and Mi Hongdou’s hand covering Pan Xiang’s, her expression hidden, Ji Junxin’s mind raced, almost making her dizzy. Finally, she regained her composure and spoke, her voice slightly trembling.

Pan Xiang and Mi Hongdou turned around. Mi Hongdou, who had been unable to remove Pan Xiang’s hand from her face, thinking she would be stuck with it forever, suddenly felt it slip away. She touched her face, it was a little sore from being pinched. Pan Xiang quickly retracted her hand and pretended she hadn’t done anything, a blatant attempt to hide her actions.

Regardless of what Mi Hongdou and Pan Xiang were thinking, in Ji Junxin’s eyes, it seemed like she had interrupted something. She felt awkward… and a little… angry?

“I didn’t see anything, carry on…” A strange anger surged through her, and the words blurted out before she could stop herself.

This sentence instantly amplified the awkwardness.

Ji Junxin was embarrassed by her own strange words. The other two were stunned by this classic line from romantic dramas, usually uttered during a love triangle confrontation.

Pan Xiang, the most experienced with dramatic tropes, was the first to recover. She rubbed her face, which was slightly sore from the shock, and said with a forced smile, “It’s okay… it’s okay that you saw it. Mi Hongdou and I are innocent. Many naive little girls, when they first encounter the word ‘yuri,’ tend to apply it to any two girls within fifty centimeters of each other. But soon, when they learn more, they’ll know that’s wrong, do you understand?”

“You were touching her face…” Ji Junxin said, her tone accusatory. “If a man touches a woman’s face, and they’re not in a relationship, then it’s considered harassment.” Her expression was serious.

Pan Xiang, who had been trying to subtly tease Ji Junxin, was now horrified. “So, if I don’t admit that I’m in a yuri relationship with Mi Hongdou, I have to admit that I was harassing her?”

Ji Junxin frowned, thinking hard, seemingly inclined to agree.

Pan Xiang stumbled back a few steps. Had Ji Junxin lost her mind? Was it because she had scared her earlier? Oh my god… filming wasn’t even finished yet, would her grandfather kill her and hang her from the city gates? Pan Xiang panicked. “Ji Junxin, snap out of it… Mi Hongdou and I are friends! Friends can touch each other’s faces!”

“But it’s not like that, look, Qiao Rubai wouldn’t touch Director Pan’s face, and Director Pan wouldn’t touch my face.” Ji Junxin said seriously. “We’re also friends.”

It was over, Ji Junxin was truly broken. Pan Xiang’s heart pounded. Facing the seemingly fixated Ji Junxin, the usually eloquent Pan Xiang didn’t know what to say. She stiffly turned her head and looked at Mi Hongdou pleadingly.

Pan Xiang brought this upon herself, she didn’t want to help at all… Mi Hongdou looked at Ji Junxin, lost in her thoughts. It seemed that if she didn’t intervene, Ji Junxin might also reject her closeness in the future. This was indeed a troublesome situation she had to deal with… Mi Hongdou sighed.

“Look, in our lives, two close female friends would eat together, go to class together, go shopping together, even go to the restroom together. Similarly, two close male friends would play sports together, drink together, go to internet cafes together. These kinds of friendships are very common. They’re not yuri, they’re not BL, they’re just friends. In this world, most people are in heterosexual relationships. So, for them, same-sex relationships are just friendships. Because of this, they don’t mind physical contact between same-sex friends, because they’re just friends, do you understand?” Mi Hongdou’s voice was soft and gentle.

Ji Junxin listened quietly, her expression still a little confused, but her mood had improved considerably.

Seeing that her words had some effect, Mi Hongdou continued, “And look, even between men and women, a woman wouldn’t fall in love with every man she sees, and a man wouldn’t want to marry every woman he sees. Whether it’s male-female, female-female, or male-male, some relationships might be romantic, but most are friendships. As for physical contact… perhaps, as I said earlier, most heterosexual people only see same-sex relationships as friendships, because they’re same-sex, romantic feelings are impossible, so they can hold hands, hug, put their arms around each other’s shoulders, these kinds of intimate actions. But anything more intimate, like kissing, wouldn’t happen. Similarly, people who are attracted to the same sex would be more careful not to be too physically intimate with other people of the same sex, except for the person they like. Do you understand?”

“So, people who like the same sex wouldn’t have intimate physical contact with other people of the same sex, except for the person they like. And people who like the opposite sex would have intimate physical contact with their same-sex friends.” Ji Junxin summarized.

Well, it was almost like that, but something still felt off… But this wasn’t the time to nitpick. Mi Hongdou nodded. “Yes, almost. Anyway, two girls can be close friends, and so can two boys. Even if girls can love girls, and boys can love boys, it doesn’t change the world you know. You’re just… seeing a part of the world you haven’t seen before.” Mi Hongdou paused, then asked carefully, “Do you… dislike this new part of the world?”

Pan Xiang looked at Mi Hongdou intently.

Mi Hongdou, her attention completely on Ji Junxin, didn’t notice the meaningful gaze.

“No…” Ji Junxin shook her head. “I don’t dislike it. I just…” I was just a little angry earlier for some reason. Probably… because I was afraid that if you and Pan Xiang were together, you wouldn’t have time to be friends with me. Ji Junxin swallowed the rest of her sentence, she didn’t know how to say it, or even whether she should. Perhaps she needed more time to process the concept of yuri.

“Just what?” Mi Hongdou’s anxiety subsided slightly, but the “just” made her uneasy.

“I just spoke carelessly because my mind was blown by this new information.” Ji Junxin smiled sheepishly. “I was talking nonsense earlier, don’t mind me.”

Okay… finally back to normal… Both Pan Xiang and Mi Hongdou breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, for different reasons.

“It’s okay… I don’t mind.” Pan Xiang, her eyes darting around, grabbed Ji Junxin’s hand.

Ji Junxin smiled, not dodging.

Pan Xiang smiled. “It seems like you’re really okay now.”

If you’re okay, then let go of her hand… Mi Hongdou frowned, staring at Pan Xiang’s hand on Ji Junxin’s. She had solved the problem, but it was Pan Xiang who was holding Ji Junxin’s hand!

Under Mi Hongdou’s almost murderous gaze, Pan Xiang reluctantly released Ji Junxin’s hand after a long while.

“Okay, it’s getting late, I should go.” Pan Xiang winked at Mi Hongdou, who was now ignoring her. “Don’t forget to tell Ji Junxin what I said earlier, my life depends on you two.”

Mi Hongdou snorted. “I’ve already forgotten.”

Pan Xiang thought that Mi Hongdou was just being sulky because she had held Ji Junxin’s hand for too long and chuckled, dismissing it as a tsundere moment.

But Pan Xiang didn’t know that Mi Hongdou really wasn’t planning to tell Ji Junxin, at least not now. Pan Xiang had just explained the true meaning of yuri, and Ji Junxin was already like this. If she told her to be careful, that the script might turn into a yuri story, Ji Junxin would definitely panic. Moreover… wasn’t being careful just… keeping a distance between her and Ji Junxin? Although Mi Hongdou was still unwilling to admit her own feelings, she didn’t want to distance herself from Ji Junxin at all! At worst… she would just be more careful during filming. It was better not to tell Ji Junxin for now.

Pan Xiang, unaware of Mi Hongdou’s little scheme, thinking that she had found someone to relay the message, stretched her back, which had stiffened from Ji Junxin’s earlier reaction, and prepared to leave. Before leaving, she asked Ji Junxin, “Junxin, do you really not read novels?”

Ji Junxin paused, then replied hesitantly, “I’ve been reading some on my phone recently, to help me sleep.”

“Taiwanese romance novels?” Pan Xiang asked.

Ji Junxin nodded.

Mi Hongdou and Pan Xiang exchanged glances. Okay, that explained the cliché line from earlier.

Pan Xiang, having finally solved the last mystery of the day, happily left. The crew members also went back to their positions. Director Pan, stretching, turned and waved at Mi Hongdou and Ji Junxin, signaling them to get ready for the next scene.

As they were about to leave, Ji Junxin lowered her voice and asked, “Xiaomi, did you know before?”

“Know what?” Mi Hongdou turned, puzzled, seeing Ji Junxin’s head lowered, her expression hidden.

“About… yuri. Did you know before?” Ji Junxin didn’t look up, her steps small, as if wanting to prolong the conversation.

“…Yeah, I’ve heard of it.” Having said so much earlier, denying it now would be too fake. Mi Hongdou readily admitted it, but she felt a little uneasy.

Just as Mi Hongdou was wondering what Ji Junxin would ask next, Ji Junxin suddenly stopped and tugged at her sleeve.

“What…” Before Mi Hongdou could finish, her sleeve was pulled forcefully, and she turned towards Ji Junxin, then… a warm body bumped into her arms.

Warm, soft, Ji Junxin… the person she had chased for years in her previous life, the person she was now getting closer to but was increasingly afraid to touch, was in her arms. And she had even initiated the hug… Mi Hongdou felt like her head had been hit with a meat tenderizer, her mind going blank. Instinctively, she placed her hand on Ji Junxin’s back, but with the last shred of her rationality, she stopped herself from hugging her tightly, from pulling her closer and hiding her in her heart.

Ji Junxin’s chin rested on Mi Hongdou’s shoulder, her soft, steady breathing so clear.

How long did it last? A second? A minute? Ten minutes? An hour? A day? A month? A year? Ten years? No… it felt like a lifetime. Mi Hongdou even unconsciously held her breath, as if this moment was eternity.

It wasn’t until Ji Junxin released her that Mi Hongdou realized she could breathe again! Her ability to breathe, and the rationality she had lost, returned with Ji Junxin’s departure.

“What did you just say?” Mi Hongdou vaguely remembered Ji Junxin saying something, but she hadn’t been able to hear it.

Fortunately, Ji Junxin didn’t mind and repeated, “I said, you said that people who like the same sex wouldn’t have intimate physical contact with other people of the same sex, except for the person they like. And people who like the opposite sex would have intimate physical contact with their same-sex friends. You just hugged me back, so you don’t like Pan Xiang, you’re not together.” Ji Junxin finished and looked at Mi Hongdou with a smug smile, as if seeking praise.

Although she had expected Ji Junxin not to say what she had been hoping for, why was she still suspecting her and Pan Xiang! Mi Hongdou felt a wave of emotions, from elation to disappointment, like finding a coin in your dumpling during New Year’s, thinking you were incredibly lucky, only to be told by your parents that all the dumplings had coins, and now you had to go to the hospital.

Looking at Ji Junxin’s expectant expression, Mi Hongdou forced a sincere smile: “Um… applying what you’ve learned, very impressive.” So this was what it felt like to dig a hole, fall into it yourself, and then have to smile and bury yourself.

Ji Junxin felt relieved. Although Mi Hongdou had explained earlier, she couldn’t stop thinking about Pan Xiang touching her face. Now that she had confirmed they weren’t together, she felt much better. If Pan Xiang and Mi Hongdou were together, Mi Hongdou wouldn’t have so much time to spend with her. She might even move out, and she would be alone again… The thought was depressing. Fortunately, fortunately, Ji Junxin patted her chest, relieved, and happily pulled Mi Hongdou towards the set.

Mi Hongdou was both amused and exasperated. Facing the strangely logical Ji Junxin, she could only admit defeat…

Whether Mi Hongdou was willing to admit it, or still wanted to ignore or hide it, she knew clearly what she had desperately wanted to hear when Ji Junxin hugged her. But she hadn’t heard it. Mi Hongdou looked at the relaxed Ji Junxin. She… cared about her, right? … Well, based on Ji Junxin’s strange logic, Mi Hongdou was now classified as a heterosexual, which, for someone who wanted to keep her feelings hidden, might not be a bad thing.

There were gains and losses in everything.

With mixed feelings, Mi Hongdou, and the relieved Ji Junxin, continued filming.

This scene was of a group of plainly dressed concubines eating simple porridge with pickled vegetables. Although they had been at the estate for several days and had gotten used to the simple food, they still couldn’t help but complain. Jiang Duo, playing Concubine Zhu, was the most vocal, and the others followed suit, not touching their food, complaining about the empress’s incompetence in surrendering and not even securing proper rations. They were reduced to eating watery porridge instead of rice.

These women, all from the harem, were skilled in the art of veiled insults. The young empress listened to their complaints silently. Miao Qianye glanced at them indifferently, then picked up her bowl and started eating quietly. But the porridge and pickled vegetables were truly unappetizing. Miao Qianye, pregnant and with a poor appetite, forced herself to eat two mouthfuls, then almost gagged. She forced herself to swallow and continued eating slowly.

The young empress’s attention was fixed on Miao Qianye, her expression full of concern. When Miao Qianye almost threw up, she almost snatched the bowl away. Although it was Miao Qianye who had advised her not to make special arrangements for her, the empress now regretted it. Miao Qianye stopped her with a look, and continued eating. The young empress’s gaze, initially filled with concern, gradually softened, becoming more gentle and determined, and then she also picked up her bowl and started eating.

The young empress and Miao Qianye finished their porridge and left, leaving behind a table of complaining women. Finally, the others quieted down and also ate their porridge.

This scene wasn’t difficult. Director Pan had even specifically asked the props department to make the porridge and pickled vegetables unappetizing, to make the acting easier. The actresses only needed to react naturally. The only difficulty was probably… Jiang Duo…

Since Zhang Zijing’s return from the abyss, Jiang Duo was the only actor whose performance was still unstable. For scenes with Jiang Duo, Director Pan didn’t even bother calling cut anymore, just filming continuously. If he wasn’t satisfied, he would keep filming the same scene until he had enough footage for a perfect take.

So, whenever they had a scene with Jiang Duo, everyone knew they would be filming repeatedly for no reason. And Director Pan hated it when anyone besides Jiang Duo NGed in these scenes, because it meant fewer usable shots for editing. Having to film repeatedly without making mistakes, everyone was starting to dislike Jiang Duo. Jiang Duo probably knew this, but… her family problems were affecting her performance, and she needed the money, she couldn’t leave the production, so she could only endure and try her best.

This scene, naturally, was filmed repeatedly under Director Pan’s frustrated gaze. They estimated that with a few more takes, they could finish. After several bowls of that disgusting porridge, they were already feeling nauseous. Fortunately, the bowls were small, and the crew had been repeatedly warned not to eat lunch. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to handle it.

After another take, Director Pan didn’t say whether it was a pass, just told them to take a short break. Having eaten so much of the porridge, they were all feeling full, and their gazes towards Jiang Duo were increasingly unfriendly. Jiang Duo’s character in this scene was a troublemaker, but now, under their condemning gazes, she was trying to minimize her presence, making it even harder to get the scene right.

“I can’t drink anymore…” Ji Junxin rested her head on the table, looking at Mi Hongdou pitifully. “It’s so disgusting…”

“Just a little longer, just endure it a little more. I think we can finish in one or two more takes.” Mi Hongdou couldn’t help but reach out and pat the little foodie’s head.

And then… Ji Junxin, like a kitten being petted, nuzzled Mi Hongdou’s hand and said with a pitiful expression, “Why didn’t Director Pan let you make the porridge? I could eat several bowls of yours.”

Mi Hongdou withdrew her hand, clenched it discreetly, and looked at the shepherd’s purse porridge in front of Ji Junxin… It was truly disgusting, a strange, unpleasant taste. And the pickled vegetables, also a strange taste, as if they had killed several salt merchants.

“If I made it, you could indeed eat several bowls, but could you convincingly act like Miao Qianye, almost throwing up but still forcing herself to eat?” Mi Hongdou took Ji Junxin’s bowl and scraped a little into her own. “This is all I can do, taking too much will be noticeable on camera, and we’ll have to reshoot.”

Every little bit helped! Every little bit was a lifesaver! Ji Junxin gave Mi Hongdou a grateful look. Mi Hongdou smiled, an unnoticed indulgence in her eyes.

“Xiaomi…”

Just as their eyes met, Director Pan’s booming voice came from afar.

“Get up and walk around to help with digestion. I’ll go see what Director Pan wants.” Mi Hongdou quickly said to Ji Junxin and went towards Director Pan.

Director Pan, his hands behind his back, led Mi Hongdou to a less crowded area and said, “Xiaomi, your performance today isn’t quite right. Your lines, movements, details, they’re all good. But your gaze, your expression, they’re lacking something. The initial concern and worry were good. But later, your gaze didn’t soften. It needs to soften, understand? At this point in the story, in the young empress’s heart, Miao Qianye is no longer her rival. She’s carrying… perhaps the only heir of the person she loves the most, the future ruler of this country. The young empress is looking forward to this child, so, besides her concern for Miao Qianye, she wants to be kind to her, to give her everything good, to ensure a safe delivery. Before you start eating the porridge, your gaze should soften, become gentle, filled with anticipation and love. Try to grasp that feeling.” Director Pan finished in one breath, looked at the seemingly stunned Mi Hongdou, and wondered if he had been too harsh, so he added a few comforting words, “Well, it’s passable as it is, but young people should have higher standards for themselves.”

He patted her shoulder and left, giving her some space to think.

Mi Hongdou did think, but not about how to soften her gaze, to fill it with love and anticipation. She thought, holy shit! Pan Xiang was truly unique, her scripts were magically transformative! Did Director Pan even realize that he was practically following Gu Tiansheng’s style! All her efforts to control her gaze and emotions, wasted!

If you want a yuri film, just say it! She would give him all the sweetness he wanted! Mi Hongdou, after being lectured by Director Pan, felt exasperated. Why was it so difficult to act with restraint in this world!

Mi Hongdou returned to Ji Junxin with a serious expression and sat down slowly.

Ji Junxin, still lying on the desk, looked at her with concern. “What’s wrong? What did Director Pan want?”

“He said that before I start eating the porridge, my gaze towards you should be softer, gentler, and more loving.” Mi Hongdou pointed at Ji Junxin’s stomach. “Because, I’m so looking forward to, so deeply in love with, the child in your womb.”

Wait, something seemed… off.

Ji Junxin, however, didn’t notice anything amiss and even nodded in agreement. “Based on the script and the plot, Director Pan is right. But I was eating the porridge in the previous takes, I didn’t see your expression. Later, I’ll help you check.”

Mi Hongdou was stunned: “How are you going to check?”

Ji Junxin looked at her innocently: “By looking up.”

Mi Hongdou was speechless: “In the script, you’re supposed to be eating, if you look up, it’s an NG!”

Ji Junxin: “It’s okay, we’re going to NG many times anyway, one more won’t matter.”

“No… no way.” Mi Hongdou firmly disagreed, leaned closer, and whispered, “You know Director Pan gets angry when anyone besides her NGs in this situation.”

So, Mi Hongdou and Ji Junxin started a heated debate about whether Ji Junxin should look up to check Mi Hongdou’s gaze.

After all the blows they had suffered today, their brains weren’t functioning properly. They completely forgot that they could just watch the playback…

Finally, after Mi Hongdou repeatedly assured her that her gaze would be perfect in the next take, Ji Junxin reluctantly agreed to focus on eating her porridge.

So, in this world, acting with restraint was truly difficult! To complete the scene, to prevent Ji Junxin from deliberately NGing, Mi Hongdou would give it her all. A soft, gentle gaze, filled with love and anticipation! She had it! She had it all!

I dare to look! You dare to film! And after the movie is released, I dare you to read the comments! Mi Hongdou’s inner cry of anguish reached the heavens.

Director Pan, who was drinking water, suddenly felt a chill…

Chapter 69: Shattered Worldview p2

Pan Xiang’s questions, spoken a little too quickly, sounded a bit harsh. Mi Hongdou patted Ji Junxin’s back sympathetically. Ji Junxin, however, just smiled good-naturedly. “I rarely read those things. Qiao Rubai said that too much gossip and online comments can affect your mood. I just have to focus on my acting, the PR, the gossip, the public image, that’s what the company is for. I usually just read books, and… I rarely read novels.”

Pan Xiang was surprised: “Qiao Rubai has really spoiled you…”

Ji Junxin smiled. Mi Hongdou retracted her hand, feeling a little gloomy.

“Let’s put Gu Tiansheng aside for now…” Pan Xiang picked up her phone, opened the comments section of the trailer, scrolled, found a new comment, and showed it to Ji Junxin. “Do you know what ‘yuri’ means here?”

[Is this the ending? Is it yuri? So cute!]

Ji Junxin looked at the comment and said uncertainly, “Is it referring to a relationship between two girls? I think I saw it in a movie review before. I’ll have to look it up. Qiao Rubai gave me a lot of movies to watch, but I haven’t had time with all the filming.” She tugged at Mi Hongdou’s sleeve. “Have you seen it? Want to watch it together when we get back?”

Watch a yuri film together? Mi Hongdou was so startled that she almost fell off her chair.

Pan Xiang was equally shocked. Was this the legendary intellectual who only saw art, regardless of gender or sexual orientation? “Wait, do you even know what a relationship between two girls is?” Pan Xiang, adhering to the principle of seeking truth from facts, pressed the issue, refusing to give anyone the benefit of the doubt.

“It’s… a deep bond between two girls? A fourth kind of emotion, beyond family, friendship, and love? A spiritual connection, unspoken understanding, and a willingness to give everything for each other? Best, best, best friends?” Ji Junxin answered seriously. Wait, the more she said it, the more she felt that she and Mi Hongdou could also be considered yuri~

“Oh my god… can you tell me which anime synopsis you read that from? Was it even aware of how cheesy it sounded?” Pan Xiang almost knelt.

“Wait… it does seem like it was from an anime… Qiao Rubai gave me some anime movies to watch, saying I should be more familiar with these ‘moe’ elements.” Ji Junxin tried to remember. “But I only had time to read the synopses, I’ll watch them later when I have time.”

Pan Xiang no longer wanted to play the “gradual revelation” game with this otherworldly creature. She cleared her throat and softened her voice. “Junxin, there are many things in this world, their existence is their justification. Your explanation of yuri, most of it is correct, just one part is wrong…”

Ji Junxin looked at her sincerely, ready to learn.

Mi Hongdou unconsciously clenched her fists. She didn’t want Ji Junxin to know what yuri was. But… she also felt that it would be… good if she knew. These conflicting thoughts battled in her mind, and she couldn’t form an opinion, or rather, she couldn’t speak.

“Yuri isn’t some fourth kind of emotion beyond family, friendship, and love, as described in that cheesy synopsis, it’s just love.” Pan Xiang said in one breath, then, looking at the stunned Ji Junxin, kindly added, “Yes, yuri is love between two girls.”

Pan Xiang had tried to soften her voice, but Ji Junxin still seemed startled.

“I… I need to… use the restroom.” Ji Junxin stammered, bumping into her chair as she stood up. It sounded like a hard knock, but she quickly walked away without a word.

“Did I scare her?” Pan Xiang muttered, watching Ji Junxin’s retreating figure.

“Probably,” Mi Hongdou said, looking in the same direction, a little dazed.

“No…” Pan Xiang refused to admit that she had scared someone while trying to gossip. “I think she’s embarrassed because she just invited you to watch a yuri film together!”

Watch a yuri film together… these words made Mi Hongdou feel like she had been struck by lightning. “But you were the one who brought it up…” Mi Hongdou protested weakly, she didn’t want to be blamed for scaring Ji Junxin away.

“Who knew she didn’t even know what yuri was?” Pan Xiang was also frustrated. “Qiao Rubai should just lock her in a safe, not let her deal with anything, just let her focus on acting. She doesn’t browse Weibo, doesn’t read online posts or novels, doesn’t even gossip, she’s so naive. If someone with ulterior motives appears, they could easily trick her, and then I’ll see Qiao Rubai crying her eyes out!”

Mi Hongdou: “Why would she be crying her eyes out?”

Pan Xiang glared at her. “She just would!”

“Okay…” Mi Hongdou didn’t argue. It was Qiao Rubai, not Ji Junxin. Pan Xiang could make her cry in the mud if she wanted to.

They waited for a long time, but Ji Junxin didn’t return. The crew members, having finished watching the trailer, were dispersing, and it seemed like filming was about to resume. Pan Xiang anxiously looked in the direction Ji Junxin had gone. “Why isn’t she back yet? I still want to gossip about Gu Tiansheng with you, I have to leave soon, I have to go to school tomorrow.”

Mi Hongdou smiled. “I don’t think she’ll be back before Director Pan calls for us.”

“Why?” Pan Xiang looked surprised. “Didn’t she bring any tissues?”

“Pfft… no…” Mi Hongdou pointed in the direction Ji Junxin had gone. “The restroom isn’t that way. I think she’s hiding somewhere. She’ll only come back when filming starts.”

(⊙_⊙) … Pan Xiang was shocked. “It was just a conversation about yuri, why is she so embarrassed? I didn’t expect her to be so… conservative…” After venting her frustration, Pan Xiang calmed down and looked at Mi Hongdou with a mixture of sympathy and amusement.

Mi Hongdou shifted uncomfortably. “If you have something to do, just go. We can gossip about Gu Tiansheng anytime, when you come back next time.” Just leave quickly, Mi Hongdou could feel her face heating up. She had also wanted to escape earlier. She hadn’t expected this topic to be brought up today, and by Pan Xiang. Ji Junxin’s reaction to the word “yuri” was so strong, it seemed she had to be more careful in the future.

“Do you think I’m here just to gossip? I’m risking my life, okay!” Pan Xiang glared at Mi Hongdou, her gaze now normal. “Well, if Ji Junxin isn’t coming back, then forget it. Even if I told her, she would either not understand or run away. I’ll tell you, and you can figure out how to tell her.”

“O… kay…” Mi Hongdou saw that Pan Xiang was determined to tell her. Since there was no escape, she might as well listen. Wait, something seemed off!

“Hmph, and you’re complaining. Don’t come crying to me later.” Pan Xiang raised her chin slightly, her tone educational. “I’ve told you about Gu Tiansheng’s three recent films, what do you think of them?”

What else could she think? Just as Pan Xiang hadn’t finished saying, they had a distinct style… Not just those three, but also this year’s “Promise in Troubled Times,” and next year’s, and the year after’s… His style was later known as “BL films disguised as normal films,” or rather, “pure love films”… attracting countless fans who enjoyed this genre. No explicit romance or passion, but just… subtext… so much subtext that every film sparked discussions and fan fiction. When Pan Xiang summarized “Spy Game,” Mi Hongdou had already remembered Gu Tiansheng… But should she pretend to be clueless? She hesitated. But seeing Pan Xiang’s disappointed expression under her arrogant facade, she couldn’t bear to hurt her further. After all… Ji Junxin’s naiveté had already dealt a blow to Pan Xiang.

“Those three films… I remember many online comments saying that although they were mainstream films, with female leads, there was a lot of room for interpretation, some BL subtext,” Mi Hongdou said slowly.

Pan Xiang’s eyes lit up. “Exactly! Because Gu Tiansheng’s recent films all have this kind of subtext, and he likes to release trailers with plot details, he attracted a large audience who enjoy this kind of BL interpretation before the films were even released. My grandpa is a bit old-fashioned, he doesn’t… approve of this… so, although Gu Tiansheng’s films are mainstream, the audience sees them as BL, and my grandpa thinks Gu Tiansheng is being dishonest, not focusing on making good films, but using these borderline tactics to attract attention. Do you understand?”

Mi Hongdou nodded: “I understand. But we’ll just repost Bao Yueqiao’s statement, we won’t have any other interaction with Gu Tiansheng.”

“No, I mean, Old Pan doesn’t approve of anything that’s not heterosexual. He doesn’t like BL or yuri. Did you see the comments on the trailer? At first, he was smiling, then he became more and more serious. I think he saw those comments. He dislikes Gu Tiansheng’s borderline marketing tactics, and now he’s doing the same, he must be embarrassed and frustrated.” Pan Xiang was getting anxious, she wasn’t even calling him “grandpa” anymore.

Mi Hongdou understood. “But… the trailer is already out, we can’t control the comments. And it’s just a short clip, just me and Ji Junxin, without the emperor or anyone else, that’s why the audience is interpreting it that way. If Director Pan minds it, we can just release another trailer with the emperor, Jiang Lingling, and the others. Besides, it’s a harem drama… having two women in the trailer is normal, the audience is just having fun, when the movie is released, they’ll see the whole story and won’t think that way anymore.” Although discussing the “yuri” interpretation of the trailer with Pan Xiang made Mi Hongdou a little uneasy, she still tried to comfort her.

“No…” Pan Xiang reached out and grabbed Mi Hongdou’s arm. “I think… after they see the whole film… my grandpa might kill me. You and Ji Junxin have to save me…”

Mi Hongdou tried to shake off Pan Xiang’s hand, but couldn’t. “Just tell me what you want to say.”

“I’m trying to!” Pan Xiang bit her lip, released Mi Hongdou’s arm, rolled up her sleeves, and said with a determined expression, “Let me tell you, years ago, Gu Tiansheng made a film called ‘The Wolf Chronicles.’ A naive young girl, after watching it, loved the feeling so much that she wrote a novel and submitted it to Gu Tiansheng. That novel became ‘The Kettle and the Heart,’ then ‘Spy Game.’ Those two novels, they were normal stories, but for some reason, after being adapted into films, they became so… BL! The girl didn’t understand, neither did Gu Tiansheng, but they were just so BL! Do you understand?” Pan Xiang looked at Mi Hongdou with a troubled expression.

Mi Hongdou seemed to understand something, but she didn’t want to understand…

Pan Xiang, after her passionate explanation, seeing Mi Hongdou’s lack of reaction, was frustrated. “Why are you two like this, making me spell it out!”

Mi Hongdou shuddered. If she said “you two” again, she would leave.

Fortunately, Pan Xiang’s outburst was brief, and she quickly returned to normal: “Okay, I’ll tell you. It was me… I wrote the novels for ‘The Kettle and the Heart’ and ‘Spy Game.’ They were normal stories, but I don’t know why the films turned out so BL, you have to believe me!”

Oh… my… god… Mi Hongdou had a bad feeling, but she still nodded. “I believe you…” What good would it do?

Pan Xiang, feeling comforted, said with relief, “Thank you for believing me! I only wrote those two novels, and my grandpa started complaining since Gu Tiansheng’s ‘The Wolf Chronicles.’ When they were filming ‘The Kettle and the Heart’ and ‘Spy Game,’ they asked me to be the screenwriter, but I didn’t dare. This time, Qiao Rubai, for some reason, asked me to revise the script for ‘Imperial Secrets.’ I’ve always wanted to be a screenwriter, so in a moment of weakness, I agreed. I was so scared while revising it. The emperor, Ji Yan, is the male lead, right? And the general who leads his troops on the battlefield, he should be the second male lead. It’s my grandpa who’s directing, so I was very careful, minimizing their scenes, not daring to have them interact too much. Finally, after finishing the revisions, everyone, including my grandpa, said it was good, and I was relieved. But… I might have minimized the male leads’ scenes too much, and as a result, the female leads… took over.” Pan Xiang looked at Mi Hongdou pitifully.

Mi Hongdou looked away. She really didn’t want to know.

Pan Xiang, like a tragic heroine, cupped Mi Hongdou’s face, forcing her to look at her, and pleaded, “Please… please, to save me from being killed by my grandpa, you have to hold back! Don’t let what happened with Gu Tiansheng happen to my grandpa!”

Mi Hongdou was speechless. “Don’t say it like I’m going to kill your grandpa, okay?” Did she force her to write the script? Did she? Mi Hongdou grabbed Pan Xiang’s hand and tried to remove it from her face, but it was as if it was glued there. Her face was starting to hurt.

“You… you…” Ji Junxin, who had appeared at some point, looked at Pan Xiang’s hand on Mi Hongdou’s face, stunned.

Chapter 69: Shattered Worldview p1

Just as Pan Xiang was about to start gossiping about Gu Tiansheng, Director Pan, as if equipped with a radar, turned around and glared at them. Pan Xiang instantly fell silent. The three huddled together, like startled quails. Fortunately, Director Pan didn’t seem too concerned and turned back after a cursory glance.

Pan Xiang breathed a long sigh of relief, her voice even lower. “Oh my, that scared me. If my grandpa heard me gossiping about Gu Tiansheng, he would lecture me for at least two hours.”

“Why… I haven’t heard of any conflict between Director Pan and Gu Tiansheng.” Ji Junxin nudged Mi Hongdou. “Have you heard anything?”

Mi Hongdou, still lost in the “mwah~” comments, looked confused.

“Oh, you weren’t in the industry then, it’s normal that you didn’t pay attention.” Ji Junxin, understanding, turned to Pan Xiang. “So why doesn’t Director Pan like Gu Tiansheng?”

“You should be familiar with Director Gu’s recent works. Last year’s ‘Spy Game,’ the year before’s ‘The Kettle and the Heart,’ and ‘The Wolf Chronicles’ from three years ago, have you seen them?” Pan Xiang listed them on her fingers.

“I’ve seen them all.” Ji Junxin nodded. Gu Tiansheng was a renowned director in the country, and as a dedicated actress, watching his films was a must.

Mi Hongdou dragged herself out of the “mwah~” daze, her head slightly dizzy from overthinking. And last year, the year before, three years ago, those were over ten years ago for her. She should have seen them, but she didn’t have a clear memory. She only remembered that Gu Tiansheng’s films often made male actors famous, but not actresses. And in her previous life, Mengguan and Qiong Yu hadn’t collaborated much with him, and neither had the people she was close to. Plus, besides acting, most of her attention had been on Ji Junxin, and since Gu Tiansheng hadn’t worked with Ji Junxin, he wasn’t on her radar. Not paying much attention naturally meant a vague memory. “I vaguely remember those films, but I haven’t seen them, I don’t know the details.”

Pan Xiang, delighted to have such an uninformed audience, became even more excited about gossiping.

“It’s okay, I’ll give you a summary, and you’ll understand. First, last year’s ‘Spy Game,’ a fictional spy thriller with complex characters and intricate relationships. Basically, two strangers, Male Lead One and Male Lead Two, join Faction C, go through various missions, overcome many difficulties, gain Faction C’s trust, and become best friends. Then, a rumor spreads within Faction C, suspecting that one of them is a spy from Faction A. So, they are investigated and even tortured. They trust each other, encourage each other, believing that Faction C will give them a fair judgment. But one day, Male Lead Two confesses, he’s the spy from Faction A. Male Lead One is released, compensated, and given an important mission by Faction C. Male Lead One, originally from Faction A, hasn’t been able to contact his organization since infiltrating Faction C. It’s not until Male Lead Two’s death and his promotion that he can finally send a message back. In the end, Faction A destroys Faction C, and when Male Lead One reports Male Lead Two’s contribution, his organization tells him that Faction B had known about his affiliation with Faction A from the beginning. The three factions had always been rivals, and Male Lead Two was actually from Faction B, and he might have even known Male Lead One’s true identity all along. So Male Lead One is shocked, then confused. If Male Lead Two wasn’t his comrade, why did he confess? In the end, Faction A defeats Faction C and starts a power struggle with Faction B. All the members of Faction A who died in the fight are hailed as heroes, their names engraved on a monument, and the survivors are rewarded and promoted. But Male Lead Two has no monument, no grave, just a shallow pit dug by Male Lead One. The final scene is of the battle between Faction A and Faction B, and Male Lead One isn’t on the battlefield, but sitting by the pit, watching the smoke in the distance, smoking a cigarette that Male Lead Two liked, a brand he never smoked.” Pan Xiang finished in one breath and looked at Mi Hongdou expectantly. “Do you understand?”

“I understand…” Mi Hongdou nodded. After Pan Xiang’s summary, she not only remembered that she had seen this film in her previous life, but also remembered Gu Tiansheng…

“Pan Xiang explained it clearly, how could she not understand?” Ji Junxin patted Mi Hongdou’s hand. “I even cried when I watched it. Not true comrades, yet they went through so much together, not comrades, but best friends, it was so touching.”

Ji Junxin’s words made Pan Xiang and Mi Hongdou look at her. Seeing her sincere expression, they both retracted their surprised gazes. Their eyes met briefly, then they quickly looked away, a slight awkwardness between them.

She had explained it so clearly, and Ji Junxin still interpreted it that way, Pan Xiang felt awkward.

So in Ji Junxin’s eyes… all relationships were so pure, Mi Hongdou also felt awkward.

“Ahem…” Pan Xiang cleared her throat, suddenly not knowing how to continue the topic of Gu Tiansheng.

Ji Junxin blinked, confused. “What’s wrong? Aren’t you going to talk about ‘The Kettle and the Heart’ and ‘The Wolf Chronicles’?”

Pan Xiang’s gaze wandered. With Ji Junxin’s comprehension skills, even if she explained, it would be useless… but she still had to talk about Gu Tiansheng, or they might offend Old Pan without knowing. Pan Xiang rubbed her face resignedly and looked at Ji Junxin. “Well, maybe because I write scripts all the time, my summaries are a bit dry, and Xiaomi might not grasp the deeper meaning. You’ve seen those movies, why don’t you explain them to Xiaomi?”

Mi Hongdou glared at her. She understood, she understood perfectly!

Heh… Pan Xiang caught Mi Hongdou’s unspoken message and winked at her. Didn’t she want to see how righteous Ji Junxin’s worldview was?

She did… Mi Hongdou nudged Ji Junxin. “Tell me about them.”

Ji Junxin, oblivious to their little game, just summarized the two films: “First, ‘The Kettle and the Heart,’ a wuxia drama. Male Lead One is the son of the Wulin Alliance leader, undercover in the Demonic Sect. Male Lead Two is the young leader of the Demonic Sect, eight years younger than him. At that time, the righteous factions were at war with the Demonic Sect. Male Lead One, pretending to help the Demonic Sect, defeats the righteous alliance and gains their trust. And because of his exceptional martial arts skills, after confirming that he’s just a wandering martial artist, the Demonic Sect elders invite him to join and teach their young leader. Male Lead One, determined to destroy the Demonic Sect, teaches Male Lead Two a sinister martial art. It’s very powerful initially, but once you start practicing it, you can’t stop, and over time, you lose your mind, until you become completely insane, your meridians rupture, and you die. The young leader practices it for three years and becomes powerful enough to fight the elders. The power of this martial art tempts everyone in the Demonic Sect. Male Lead One ‘kindly’ shares it as a benefit, and everyone starts practicing it. Another year passes, and seeing that everyone is practicing it, knowing that in two years, the young leader will start losing his mind, and in five years, the entire Demonic Sect will be destroyed, Male Lead One is ready to leave. But, having spent four years with the young leader, he sees his innocence and vulnerability. Unlike the other members of the Demonic Sect, his only mistake was being born the son of the previous leader. Male Lead One, his sense of justice and righteousness awakened, sees the young leader, although the leader in name, as just a fourteen-year-old boy, a boy he has taught for four years, practically his disciple. He regrets his actions and wants to save Male Lead Two. So, he returns home after four years and asks his father, the leader of the Wulin Alliance, for a way to undo the effects of the martial art, but his father imprisons him. A year later, the young leader single-handedly attacks the Alliance headquarters to rescue his master. Male Lead One tells him the truth, but he still insists on saving him. The Alliance leader appears, and the young leader is no match for him. Male Lead One sacrifices himself to save him. As Male Lead One is dying, the young leader loses his mind, his power surging. Seeing him about to lose control, Male Lead One hugs him tightly and speaks to him gently. The young leader finally listens and leaves, carrying his master’s body. In the end, he jumps off a cliff. Then, ‘The Wolf Chronicles’…”

“Wait a minute…” Pan Xiang interrupted. “So, what do you think of ‘The Kettle and the Heart’?”

“The battle between good and evil is a common theme in wuxia dramas. But this film, except for the ending, is mostly melancholic and heartwarming. The portrayal of good and evil isn’t very strong. Most of the time, it focuses on the daily interactions between Male Lead One and Male Lead Two in the Demonic Sect, highlighting Male Lead One’s conflict between his genuine affection for the young leader and his duty to the righteous factions. The young leader is completely devoted to him, sharing all his treasures with his master, and in the end, Male Lead One dies to save him, it’s a story of…” Ji Junxin thought for a moment. “A deep bond between master and disciple.”

A deep bond… your disciple climbs mountains every day to bring you wild game? Your disciple secretly sends away all the female disciples who have a crush on you? Your disciple, even when driven mad, still listens to your plea not to harm his family, then takes you to the mountain where you first cooked together and jumps off a cliff? You visit your disciple every night to cover him with his blanket? You secretly get rid of the girls in the sect who want to seduce your disciple? You kneel in the snow for your disciple, ruining your legs, and refuse to marry and have children even at your age? Did you even notice that Male Lead One is called Yue Qinghu, Male Lead Two is called Su Xichi, and the film is called “The Kettle and the Heart”? Such clever symbolism, all wasted on you… all the screenwriter’s efforts, wasted! Pan Xiang almost fainted from Ji Junxin’s pure interpretation.

“So, do you think there’s anything wrong with their deep bond?” Mi Hongdou asked carefully.

Ji Junxin thought for a moment and shook her head. “What’s wrong? It’s just a bit tragic… It’s fate. If they weren’t on opposing sides, it wouldn’t have ended so tragically. Perhaps they could have founded their own sect together.”

A pure love advocate… Mi Hongdou rubbed her aching forehead.

“Then… should we talk about ‘The Wolf Chronicles’?” Ji Junxin felt that their reactions were strange. Was her summary not good?

Pan Xiang gritted her teeth and forced a smile. “Go ahead…”

“The Wolf Chronicles’… set in prehistoric times. Male Lead One, as a child, is accidentally left behind in the forest by his parents and raised by wolves until adulthood. He grows up with the wolves, adopting their habits. Later, the wolf pack encounters two warring tribes. After they leave, the wolves go to eat the corpses. But one man is only injured, still alive. For some reason, Male Lead One doesn’t let the wolves eat him and even saves him, taking him back to their den, treating his wounds, and feeding him… Male Lead One saves Male Lead Two’s life, and they become friends. After Male Lead Two returns, his tribe is attacked, and Male Lead One, leading the wolf pack, saves them. But… later, a natural disaster causes a famine in Male Lead Two’s tribe, so they ask him to lure Male Lead One’s wolf pack, intending to kill them for food. Male Lead Two refuses, so they beat him, forcing him to howl in pain. Male Lead One, hearing his cries, arrives with the wolf pack. The wolves are ambushed and many are killed. Male Lead One rescues Male Lead Two but is then driven away by the remaining wolves. Injured and exhausted, they support each other, walking through the forest until they collapse, a clear lake appearing before their eyes, surrounded by fruit trees, flowers, and birds…” Ji Junxin finished and blinked, looking at Pan Xiang.

“A precious friendship,” Pan Xiang said gently.

Ji Junxin nodded in agreement and then turned to Mi Hongdou, “What do you think?”

I think… you’re probably not from this planet. Mi Hongdou forced a smile. “Um…”

Pan Xiang’s gaze softened. “Junxin, we’ve talked about three movies, and you haven’t mentioned any female leads or supporting actresses?” She had to be careful, she couldn’t just blurt it out and scare her away.

“Oh, right…” A look of confusion flashed across Ji Junxin’s face, and after a moment, she said hesitantly, “There were no female leads or supporting actresses? That doesn’t seem right… I think there was a female lead in ‘Spy Game,’ working with the two male leads in Faction C, and she seemed to have some ambiguous feelings for Male Lead One?” Ji Junxin couldn’t quite remember, but she thought there was such a character.

“What about the other two films?” Pan Xiang smiled.

Ji Junxin thought carefully, then shook her head. “I really can’t remember.”

“That’s because… even the female leads in the films you’ve seen this year are just vague memories, let alone those from previous years.” Pan Xiang’s smile deepened.

Ji Junxin thought Pan Xiang was just teasing her for not remembering and said, embarrassed, “Perhaps my memory isn’t very good…”

“No, no, no…” Pan Xiang waved her hand. “It’s not your memory, it’s their lack of presence. That’s Gu Tiansheng’s style. The two male leads are the focus, like a double male lead story, and everyone else, including the female leads, are just background characters… Do you know what people in the industry call his style?”

Ji Junxin shook her head. Mi Hongdou didn’t speak.

Pan Xiang was frustrated. “Ji Junxin, don’t you read entertainment gossip, browse Weibo, read comments on movies, read novels, or read fan fiction?” Do you even interact with the world?

Chapter 68: Trailer p2

This time, Qiao Rubai and Pan Xiang had no objections. But Ji Junxin spoke up: “If we take it out of context, the audience might think that the empress is just jealous. Her performance in that scene was very good, and if the audience sees that first, they might think the empress is just a simple villain. When the movie is released, they might not see anything beyond the jealousy, which would be a waste of Mi Hongdou’s efforts.” There was something Ji Junxin didn’t dare to say. During the initial publicity, they had announced that Miao Qianye, played by her, was the female lead, and the empress was her rival. So, if they showed the scene of the lonely empress out of context, it might be used by someone to say that the empress’s jealousy and sadness were so convincing because she was jealous of Ji Junxin. Ji Junxin, feeling particularly sharp-witted today, thought of this possibility, but she didn’t want to say it in front of Mi Hongdou, hoping Qiao Rubai would understand.

By now, everyone at the table could see that Qiao Rubai and Pan Xiang were considering the bigger picture, Director Pan, familiar with the filmed footage, was offering suggestions, and as for Ji Junxin… she was prioritizing Mi Hongdou’s interests.

Mi Hongdou also saw this. Being protected by her idol felt strange… Logically, she should be humble, not cause trouble, and stop Ji Junxin from arguing. But seeing Ji Junxin fighting for her so earnestly, Mi Hongdou’s heart melted, and she couldn’t bear to reject her kindness. She could only add more lamb to Ji Junxin’s bowl, hoping to distract her… And the fact that she omitted Bao Yueqiao’s surname, she would let it go for now.

So, the meal went late, and the little girl was already drowsy when they finally reached a decision. Ji Junxin won. They would use the estate cooking scene for the trailer. After all, compared to the lonely empress scene, the cooking scene was more positive when taken out of context. The main goal was to clear Mi Hongdou’s name, there was no need to introduce another negative element. As for the audience’s speculation about the plot, as long as the official channels didn’t respond, it could be considered generating buzz.

But what they didn’t expect was that, after all their arguments about whether the cooking scene would reveal too much of the plot, the audience did speculate, but not about the plot.

The day after the hot pot meal, Director Pan had the footage from the estate test shoot edited and processed. That day, Mi Hongdou had only made egg fried rice. The scene, with its skilled chef and tempting fried rice, looked good, but it felt a little thin, more like a cooking show segment than a movie trailer. So, they discussed it and added Ji Junxin’s shots.

That afternoon, the official Weibo account of “Imperial Secrets” first posted an announcement about the script revision a few months ago and the resulting cast adjustments. Then, it reposted an apology letter from “Donghuan Entertainment Weekly,” stating that the letter would be officially published in the next issue. The third post was a repost of Bao Yueqiao’s new Weibo post, in which she clarified that she withdrew from “Imperial Secrets” because of the script revision, and Mi Hongdou joined the cast after her departure. She expressed her support and best wishes for the new young empress and hoped that everyone would support Mi Hongdou. She also mentioned that after leaving “Imperial Secrets,” she immediately took on a more suitable role in Director Gu Tiansheng’s new film, “Promise in Troubled Times,” which was currently filming, and she hoped for everyone’s support.

Finally, the “Imperial Secrets” Weibo account posted a fourth post, the trailer.

Within minutes of its release, the trailer’s view count exceeded 100,000, with over 10,000 reposts, the comments almost filling the screen.

The official title of the trailer was “The Empress Invites You to Dinner~,” clearly the work of the mischievous screenwriter, Pan Xiang.

The camera swept over a dilapidated village, then focused on a desolate courtyard. Not far from a few mud houses, Ji Junxin sat quietly on a bamboo stool, sipping water from a cup. Although she wasn’t wearing elaborate palace attire, just simple, slightly worn clothes, her every movement exuded elegance and grace, captivating the audience’s attention, making them unconsciously hold their breath, not wanting to disturb the tranquility.

Then, a faint sound, as if someone had stepped on dry twigs and leaves. The camera shifted to a girl with her hair tied up, a few loose strands framing her face, wearing a beige dress, entering the courtyard. She glanced at Ji Junxin, who was looking in another direction, didn’t disturb her, and as she turned towards the small kitchen shed, self-consciously smoothed her slightly disheveled hair.

A shot comparing the girl’s slightly disheveled appearance to Ji Junxin’s continued elegance.

Then, the egg fried rice making process, so aromatic that you could almost smell it through the screen. The girl skillfully used a traditional stove to make a plate of egg fried rice that made everyone want to lick their screens and then presented it to Ji Junxin.

Ji Junxin took the bowl, thanked her, but didn’t eat.

The girl who cooked the rice stood beside Ji Junxin, looking at her worriedly.

Finally, the camera shifted. Ji Junxin was alone in the courtyard again. She picked up the bowl and, bite by bite, meticulously finished the egg fried rice, not leaving a single grain.

The trailer ended.

It was very short, just over a minute.

The trailer was released while everyone was on set, so a strange scene unfolded. Although everyone was present, they weren’t filming. They were all on their phones, watching the trailer.

Ji Junxin and Mi Hongdou watched it together on one phone. The first time, they just watched the trailer. Afterward, Mi Hongdou asked Ji Junxin what she thought, and Ji Junxin silently gulped. The second time, Mi Hongdou turned on the comments… and they seemed to have stumbled upon a new world.

During the shots of the courtyard and the dilapidated houses, the comments were filled with questions. It was supposed to be “Imperial Secrets,” why did it look like “Rural Secrets”? Some even asked if they had opened the wrong video.

When Ji Junxin appeared, her fans flooded the screen with the usual comments: Goddess, you’re so beautiful! So cute! I want to have monkeys for you! And a few unique ones: Goddess, your sleeve is frayed, should I sew it for you? Goddess, it’s windy in the courtyard, there’s sand in your cup, don’t drink it!!

Mi Hongdou paused the video. “Was there sand in the cup?”

Ji Junxin, amused and exasperated, playfully punched her and pressed play.

Then Mi Hongdou appeared. The comments shifted from praising the goddess to a mix of everything. Some asked if this was the actress playing the young empress, others confirmed it, and then some asked why the empress was also wearing such simple clothes… Of course, there were also comments praising the young empress’s beauty, followed by counter-comments praising Ji Junxin’s beauty.

Mi Hongdou felt a little awkward being compared to Ji Junxin… She wanted to create a fake account and join the chorus of “My Junxin is the most beautiful!”

Ji Junxin, not caring about Mi Hongdou’s thoughts, was engrossed in the comments, even pointing out the interesting ones to Mi Hongdou.

Mi Hongdou looked at her sleeve, then at the comments, then at Ji Junxin. Just looking at her idol was enough.

Soon, the egg fried rice scene appeared, and the tone of the comments changed. The screen was filled with: Wow, so that’s how you start a fire… Damn, she’s not afraid of getting burned… is that lard? … Mmm, smells so good… Oh, I see, she’s making egg fried rice… It looks so delicious…

By the time the fried rice was almost done, the screen was filled with “Licking the screen…” “Licking the screen…” “Licking the screen…” …

“…Does it really look that delicious?” Mi Hongdou paused the video and asked Ji Junxin, a little unsure. “It’s not a very complicated dish…”

Ji Junxin looked at Mi Hongdou with a yearning expression: “I really want to eat it…”

“I’ll make it for you tonight…” Mi Hongdou smiled and pressed play.

On the screen, the bowl of egg fried rice was handed to Ji Junxin, and the comments quickly divided into two camps. One side shouted, “Put down that bowl, let me have it!” The other side said with relief, “Xinxin, eat more, you’ve lost weight…”

When Ji Junxin ate the fried rice, the comments unified again, a chorus of “Goddess, you didn’t even leave a single grain for me, I also want to eat!”

Ji Junxin, satisfied, closed the video, opened her Weibo, reposted the trailer, thought for a moment, and added, “Okay, I’m back, mwah~”

So, combined with the trailer’s title, it was like a conversation.

“The Empress invites you to dinner~”

“Okay, I’m back, mwah~”

Ji Junxin rarely managed her Weibo account. Most of her posts were about promoting new films, as requested by Qiao Rubai, or reposting other artists’ posts. If Qiao Rubai didn’t remind her, she could go months without updating. And yet, she still had tens of millions of fans.

After reposting, Ji Junxin suddenly remembered something and asked Mi Hongdou, “Aiya, should I have tagged you in the repost? Do you use Weibo? You should have an official account now, right?”

They had just watched the video together, and Ji Junxin had reposted it without thinking, not even hiding her typing from Mi Hongdou. That “mwah~”… made Mi Hongdou’s ears burn. Now, talking to Ji Junxin, her ears and head were buzzing, and she couldn’t even hear what Ji Junxin was saying.

“Hey… why is your face red?” Ji Junxin touched Mi Hongdou’s face and smiled. “Are you embarrassed by the comments? Being an actress is like this, people will always comment on you, you’ll get used to it. Besides, they were all praising you, don’t be shy.”

Are you an idiot? Mi Hongdou grabbed Ji Junxin’s hand, her face turning even redder, a mixture of embarrassment and anger.

“I haven’t applied for an official Weibo account yet, Yang Lianyi said she would take care of it. But I think she forgot.” Mi Hongdou thought for a moment. “I’ll remind her later, it’s not urgent.”

They continued chatting about Weibo. Pan Xiang, who had been browsing Weibo next to Director Pan, ran over and looked at Ji Junxin, then at Mi Hongdou. “Have you two seen the official trailer?”

“Yes,” Ji Junxin and Mi Hongdou nodded.

Pan Xiang’s gaze swept over them meaningfully. “Did you read the comments?”

“Yes,” they nodded again.

Pan Xiang typed on her phone, then showed it to them: “Did you see these comments too?”

[The Empress is calling Xinxin home for dinner~]

[Xinxin, remember to mwah first before eating~]

[The fried rice looks so good, can I also trade a mwah for fried rice~] [Get lost, the fried rice is for our Xinxin~]

[Get lost yourself, the Empress is also our Xinxin~] [Asking timidly, is the emperor dead? Why didn’t the empress invite him to dinner?] [The emperor must be dead!]

[Perhaps the emperor isn’t dead, the empress and Xinxin eloped~]

[Haha, yuri is the best!! A large serving of fried rice please!!]

The first few comments were still normal… but the later ones…

“I don’t know why, the comments were normal the first few times I watched, but just now, they’re all like this…” Pan Xiang said, puzzled, noticing the slight blush on their faces.

Ji Junxin, a little embarrassed, showed them her phone, her Weibo repost, and asked softly, “Could it be because of my repost?”

“I think… it probably is.” Pan Xiang looked closely and chuckled… then, looking at the embarrassed Ji Junxin, she thought she could write a story about a clueless person accidentally coming out of the closet.

Ji Junxin looked at her pleadingly, “Is it too late to delete it and repost with a different message?”

Pan Xiang looked at the repost, which already had over 120,000 likes: “I think it’s too late. Now, it’s just the fans having fun, if you delete it, it might cause more trouble.”

Ji Junxin checked the comments, which were mostly fans asking her to “mwah” with them, not with the empress, and she felt a little relieved. It seemed that the comments were just the fans having fun, it would blow over soon.

“By the way, let me tell you something… well, do you know why my grandpa was so angry when we mentioned Gu Tiansheng during the hot pot meal yesterday?” Pan Xiang hadn’t intended to bring this up, but looking at the clueless Ji Junxin and the slightly evasive Mi Hongdou, she couldn’t help herself.

As expected, Ji Junxin shook her head.

Mi Hongdou hesitated, then also shook her head.

Pan Xiang glanced at Director Pan, who had his back turned to them, and lowered her voice, “Let me tell you, but don’t tell anyone I told you.”

Just then, Director Pan, as if sensing something, looked in their direction, his face a little dark.

Chapter 68: Trailer p1

Mi Hongdou wasn’t a newcomer just a few months into the industry. She understood Qiao Rubai’s implication: clarify immediately and lose the hype, or continue riding the wave of controversy.

In her previous life, Mi Hongdou had been signed with Mengguan, then Qiong Yu. Both companies were known for protecting their artists. Any negative press, they would fight back. So, this time, Mi Hongdou wasn’t too worried. If the sky fell, the higher-ups would hold it up. However, Qiao Rubai explicitly giving her a choice was unexpected.

She knew she could become famous through hard work and talent, she had proven it in her previous life. This time, with the opportunity to be in “Imperial Secrets,” she believed she would become famous even faster. Riding the wave of controversy to gain fame was something she would have disdained in her previous life. But now, she hesitated.

The desire to become famous quickly, to establish herself, to no longer need protection, to have the power to protect others, this desire clouded her judgment. There were many successful cases of rising from controversy, from being “black and red” to simply “red,” Mi Hongdou was tempted.

Qiao Rubai’s voice was low, and the diners at the red broth pot, too engrossed in their food, didn’t hear. Only Qiao Rubai and Ji Junxin noticed Mi Hongdou’s hesitation. Qiao Rubai had set a trap, waiting to see how Mi Hongdou would react. Ji Junxin, however, was anxious.

What was there to hesitate about? Mi Hongdou had the acting skills, the good script, and the connections were all here, gnawing on bones. With a little more time, she would definitely become famous. Wouldn’t fame earned through hard work and talent be better than fame gained through hype? Seeing Mi Hongdou’s silence, Ji Junxin couldn’t help but tug at her sleeve. “I think…”

“No, this is Mi Hongdou’s path, let her choose,” Qiao Rubai interrupted.

Ji Junxin hesitated. Qiao Rubai was… right. It wasn’t her place to choose Mi Hongdou’s path. She pouted slightly, not saying anything more, but her hand didn’t release Mi Hongdou’s sleeve.

The commotion at the white broth pot attracted the attention of those at the red broth pot.

“I think…” Mi Hongdou’s gaze cleared, and she smiled, squeezing Ji Junxin’s hand on her sleeve. “I think Ji Junxin is right.”

Qiao Rubai glanced at Ji Junxin and said to Mi Hongdou, “What did she say? She hasn’t even said anything yet, and she’s already right?”

Even without Ji Junxin saying anything, seeing her anxious expression, Mi Hongdou knew what she wanted to say. Ji Junxin had her own pride, she wouldn’t approve of using controversy to gain fame. Compared to a faster rise to fame, being liked by Ji Junxin was more important. Mi Hongdou quickly realized this, and her earlier temptation vanished.

Facing Qiao Rubai’s question, Mi Hongdou just smiled. “Whatever she says is right. I think… it’s better to clarify this quickly…”

The red broth group agreed with Mi Hongdou’s decision. Jiang Lingling looked away, feeling that Mi Hongdou’s public display of affection was becoming increasingly blatant. Had she discovered her feelings for Ji Junxin? Jiang Lingling gnawed on a bone. She had already freeloaded two meals from Mi Hongdou and felt a little embarrassed about her plan to expose her feelings. It seemed she wouldn’t need to intervene.

With Mi Hongdou having made her decision, Qiao Rubai could only offer some comforting words, filling the hole she had dug herself. She silently scooped bone marrow for the little girl, feeling puzzled. Mi Hongdou’s earlier hesitation had revealed an ambition different from her steady and cautious approach in her previous life. Why had it suddenly disappeared, as if it were just her imagination?

Life was full of choices, each choice potentially leading down a different path. Mi Hongdou slowly released Ji Junxin’s hand, the warmth and softness still lingering on her palm. At this moment, she knew that she needed to reach greater heights, to have the power to protect Ji Junxin, and at the same time, she couldn’t lose the right to protect her.

Since Mi Hongdou wanted to clarify things quickly, and Qiao Rubai and Yang Lianyi had the same intention, their conversation shifted to how to effectively clear Mi Hongdou’s name, while they continued gnawing on bones. The bones in the styrofoam box were replenished three times, and everyone had already eaten at least five.

When Mi Hongdou went to refill the pots again, only the ends of the bones were left.

The middle sections, with their tender and flavorful meat and rich bone marrow, were incredibly satisfying. But now, everyone knew that the supply was exhausted.

So, finally, they turned their attention to the plates of hot pot ingredients.

They added the ingredients to the pots, mixed their sauces, and without the distraction of gnawing on bones, they could finally have a proper conversation.

“I think we should focus on two things. One, have ‘Donghuan Entertainment Weekly’ issue an apology quickly. Two, Xiaomi is currently filming two dramas, should we release some trailers or promotional materials early? That way, although she doesn’t have any released works yet, people will at least have some idea of who she is and her acting skills,” Director Pan, who had been busy eating, finally joined the discussion, adding a plate of luncheon meat to the red broth pot.

Yang Lianyi quickly fished out a piece of luncheon meat. “Although she’s in two productions, the criticism is mainly about her replacing Bao Yueqiao in ‘Imperial Secrets.’ Even if we release trailers for ‘Divorce, So Be It’ to showcase her acting skills, it won’t be very effective. If we want to release something, it should be from ‘Imperial Secrets’.”

A pair of chopsticks appeared in Yang Lianyi’s bowl. Qiao Rubai, reaching across the table, snatched the luncheon meat. “It was just added, it’s still cold. Take some from the pot later when it’s cooked.” Qiao Rubai calmly took the luncheon meat and then returned to the topic. “We’ll have ‘Donghuan Entertainment Weekly’ issue an apology, and for ‘Imperial Secrets,’ we’ll see what kind of positive material we can release. Then I’ll have Bao Yueqiao issue a statement.”

“Since the script was revised, and the empress’s character changed significantly, no longer suitable for Yueqiao, which was why she was replaced, should we also announce the script revision?” Ji Junxin asked.

Qiao Rubai, not wanting to waste the slightly cold luncheon meat, ate it. The cold and spicy combination made her frown, and she took several sips of the hot bone broth before answering, “I think it’s time. We’ll publicly announce the script revision, which is a legitimate reason for the casting change.”

“Wasn’t that the reason for the change?” Ji Junxin seemed to sense something.

Qiao Rubai, realizing her slip of the tongue, exchanged a look with Pan Xiang and quickly corrected herself, “Yes, that was the reason, why else would we replace the actress? The point is, we know the reason, but the public doesn’t. After the announcement, everything will be clear, and Mi Hongdou replacing Bao Yueqiao will be justified, no more talk about her using connections. And with some trailers, the audience can see for themselves.”

Ji Junxin nodded in agreement. Qiao Rubai was relieved, she had managed to recover. She hadn’t been able to replace Jiang Duo and Zhang Zijing earlier, so she had wanted to bring Mi Hongdou in early and had asked Pan Xiang, who was famous in her previous life but still unknown now, to revise the script, to justify Bao Yueqiao’s departure. Of course, Bao Yueqiao was from Qiong Yu, Qiao Rubai wouldn’t let her suffer. After leaving “Imperial Secrets,” she immediately arranged another role for her, a leading role, so it wasn’t a loss. Wait, thinking of this, Qiao Rubai suddenly felt a sense of foreboding. As expected, Ji Junxin continued.

“I heard that after Yueqiao withdrew, she immediately took on Director Gu’s project, but there wasn’t much news about it. If she issues a statement, mentioning Director Gu’s film would be more convincing, right?” Ji Junxin said thoughtfully.

“Gu Tiansheng?” Director Pan frowned and put down his chopsticks. “He’s starting a new project?”

Qiao Rubai regretted her slow reaction… Director Pan and that Gu Tiansheng already had some conflict, oh, well, it wasn’t as intense as later…

“Ahem…” She had to clean up her own mess. Qiao Rubai put on a sincere expression and looked at Director Pan. “After the script revision, Bao Yueqiao wasn’t suitable for the role of the young empress anymore, and she couldn’t learn from you, Director Pan. She was very disappointed and unhappy. Coincidentally, Director Gu’s project was starting, and I thought, although she couldn’t be in your film, being in Director Gu’s would at least be some consolation for her, right?”

Director Pan’s expression softened slightly. He took a meatball from the pot, ate it, and his expression returned to normal.

Ji Junxin saw this exchange and, although she didn’t understand what was going on, she didn’t mention Gu Tiansheng again.

Getting an apology from “Donghuan Entertainment Weekly,” a magazine with no integrity, was easy. Bao Yueqiao was from Qiong Yu, getting her to issue a statement was just a matter of asking. As for “Imperial Secrets,” the original plan was to start publicity after filming and post-production were completed, but starting a little earlier shouldn’t be a problem.

So the question now was, what kind of trailer should they release?

At the table, the only ones qualified to offer opinions on this matter were Qiao Rubai, Director Pan, and Pan Xiang, perhaps also Mi Hongdou, and maybe Ji Junxin.

These five people were divided into two camps.

Director Pan and Ji Junxin felt that a character’s brilliance should be shown within the context of the story. Since they were releasing a trailer, it should showcase the highlights, a few impactful scenes to demonstrate Mi Hongdou’s acting skills and promote the film.

However, Qiao Rubai and Pan Xiang disagreed. In their opinion, the film had just started filming, and the script was still being revised. The film itself wasn’t even a third complete, it would be difficult to capture the overall feel of the story with just a few clips. In this situation, even if the chosen scenes showcased Mi Hongdou’s acting skills or the brilliance of a particular scene, it might not be beneficial to the overall promotion of the film. Their suggestion was to edit some of Mi Hongdou’s individual scenes, just to give the audience a positive impression. As for how good or brilliant the film was, that should be experienced after watching the entire movie, they shouldn’t give the audience too many preconceived notions with the trailer.

As for Mi Hongdou, she didn’t express her opinion. But in her view, Qiao Rubai, having experienced many ups and downs in two lifetimes, still believed that good work would speak for itself. In the current industry environment, many movies, TV shows, and even variety shows, when releasing trailers or previews, would edit the most dramatic and conflicting parts to attract attention. But when the audience’s expectations were raised, and the actual film was released, either the only highlight was the part shown in the trailer, and the audience, their expectations too high, would be disappointed, or the content in the preview wouldn’t even appear in the final product, a complete waste of anticipation. This method guaranteed initial viewership or box office numbers, but the final word-of-mouth… There were even cases where the trailers showed so many highlights that the audience could piece together the entire story, losing interest in the actual film.

Qiao Rubai, with her experience from two lifetimes, could easily manipulate the trailers to generate hype. But she didn’t. Mi Hongdou thought that perhaps Qiao Rubai, like in her previous life, still hoped that the audience would watch the story patiently, without too many preconceived notions. This wasn’t necessarily the most effective method, but it was Qiao Rubai’s own form of idealism. Regardless, Qiao Rubai had stayed true to her principles, even after being reborn. And herself? … Mi Hongdou clenched her fists slightly. She couldn’t lose her own principles for the sake of quick success.

As Yang Lianyi and Jiang Lingling, who had no say in the matter, finished their fourth plate of beef and lamb rolls, Qiao Rubai and Pan Xiang finally persuaded Director Pan and Ji Junxin. And Director Pan even offered a helpful suggestion.

“If we’re just showing Xiaomi, I remember a scene that’s quite suitable. It’s the one from the investment…” Director Pan stopped mid-sentence, glanced at Jiang Lingling, coughed awkwardly, and continued, “It’s the scene from the estate test shoot, where the young empress makes egg fried rice, what do you think?”

“Good!” Ji Junxin was the first to agree. Good cooking skills were definitely a plus for attracting fans.

“No…” Pan Xiang objected. “That scene, although well-filmed, showcasing the young empress’s culinary skills and the tempting aroma, would have a positive effect on the audience. But it was filmed in the estate setting, such a dilapidated place, the audience will definitely speculate about the plot. More people, more wild imaginations, someone will definitely guess the major plot point of the upheaval in the palace. Revealing such a major plot point so early isn’t beneficial to the film.”

Qiao Rubai agreed, and Director Pan, after thinking about it, also felt that it made sense. “Then there’s the scene of the young empress alone in the palace, when the emperor didn’t visit her on the first and fifteenth of the month, and she drowned her sorrows in wine, then angrily smashed the cups. Xiaomi’s performance in that scene was also excellent, and it was just her alone in the palace, not revealing any plot points. What do you think?”

Chapter 67: Bone Broth Hot Pot p2

Yang Lianyi didn’t understand Qiao Rubai’s subtle cues. She thought Qiao Rubai was asking her to speak, so she answered directly, “We discussed this in the car. We had someone investigate the magazine. That article wasn’t written by their staff, it was submitted directly, and they published it after being paid. We haven’t found out who submitted it yet. But there’s something strange about it. That magazine, ‘Donghuan Entertainment Weekly,’ is known for publishing paid articles, anything scandalous, anything defamatory, anything that can’t be published in normal magazines. People’s living standards have improved, they love gossip, as long as the story is interesting, they don’t care if it’s true or not. Even though everyone knows that most of what’s published in ‘Donghuan Entertainment Weekly’ is fake, and the magazine seems to have some backing, it’s still quite successful. But this article, although it’s trying to smear Mi Hongdou, it’s based on the fact that the actors were replaced. The fact that actors were replaced in ‘Imperial Secrets’ is already big news, there’s no need to pay ‘Donghuan Entertainment Weekly’ to publish it. Any entertainment magazine would gladly publish it for free. So, the content itself is indeed smearing Mi Hongdou. But the fact that it was published in ‘Donghuan Entertainment Weekly’ makes it unclear whether it’s truly an attack or not.”

“Regardless of where it was published, it’s out now, and everyone knows. And the article is so suggestive, before people even know Mi Hongdou or her acting, they already have the impression that she got the role through connections, not through her skills. For a newcomer, the first impression is very important. If people have this misunderstanding from the start, then no matter how successful she becomes later, they will still bring this up. So, regardless of whether it’s a real attack or not, it ultimately harms Mi Hongdou.” Ji Junxin, having thought about it all afternoon, explained clearly.

Yang Lianyi smiled and looked at Qiao Rubai. “Your Ji Junxin doesn’t seem like someone who only focuses on acting. She seems to know quite a bit about the industry. And she looks so cute when she’s serious~”

So, in the middle of a serious discussion, suddenly throwing a flirtatious glance, what was that about? Everyone was speechless.

Only Qiao Rubai, the recipient of the glance, remained unfazed and even glared back at Yang Lianyi. “She’s signed with Qiong Yu, a long-term contract. Even if she’s cute, it has nothing to do with you.”

“It’s okay~” Yang Lianyi took a sip of water nonchalantly and smiled at Qiao Rubai, her eyes sparkling. “You’ll be signed with me sooner or later, and then, what’s yours is mine.”

If Jiang Lingling hadn’t gone to the kitchen, she wouldn’t need to stay for dinner, she would have to go treat her blinded eyes.

Pan Xiang, also a single dog, watched their interaction intently, her mind already crafting a story about two entertainment CEOs, rivals in love and business, “what’s yours is mine, and what’s mine is still mine.” But that was another story.

Although she knew that Yang Lianyi’s flirting was just a habit, Qiao Rubai still felt her heart flutter. She was such a menace… Qiao Rubai didn’t respond, took two large gulps of water, and then explained to Ji Junxin, “The current misunderstanding about Mi Hongdou is based on the article in ‘Donghuan Entertainment Weekly.’ But precisely because it’s ‘Donghuan Entertainment Weekly,’ a magazine known for publishing paid articles, it’s easy to clarify. Since ‘Donghuan Entertainment Weekly’ lacks credibility, we just need to release some official information, put some pressure on them, and have them issue an apology. That magazine has no integrity, it’s not their first time publishing something and then apologizing. They even wrote a false report about ‘Imperial Secrets’ a few months ago and had to issue an apology. The question now is, do we want to clarify it so quickly? Should we do it gradually, or all at once?”

“All at once, of course,” Ji Junxin immediately replied.

So eager… Qiao Rubai frowned. Ji Junxin usually wasn’t interested in anything besides acting. When Ji Junxin first entered the industry, and Qiao Rubai hadn’t yet established herself at Qiong Yu, they had also been targeted by the media, but Ji Junxin had always been indifferent, leaving everything to Qiao Rubai. Qiao Rubai had become accustomed to Ji Junxin’s calm demeanor in the face of industry gossip. This anxious Ji Junxin was a new sight…

Actually, both Qiao Rubai and Yang Lianyi also preferred clarifying it all at once. After all, Mi Hongdou was talented and didn’t need to rely on hype. As long as she was given time and released a few works, she would naturally become famous. But seeing Ji Junxin so concerned about Mi Hongdou, Qiao Rubai felt like a parent who had painstakingly raised their daughter, only to have her heart stolen by the boy next door.

Had she been this concerned about Jiang Duo in her previous life? Qiao Rubai narrowed her eyes. Ji Junxin seemed a little too protective of Mi Hongdou, could it be that… Although Qiao Rubai had initially intended to use Mi Hongdou to deter Jiang Duo, seeing Ji Junxin’s concern, she was now a little worried. After all, in her previous life, Ji Junxin and Mi Hongdou were just friends.

Looking at Ji Junxin, who was waiting for her response, Qiao Rubai couldn’t help but ask, “You’ve been eating a lot of Mi Hongdou’s cooking recently, haven’t you?” Speaking up for her so readily after such a short time, could it be a budding romance? Or more likely, just feeling obligated after all the free food!

Ji Junxin paused and pursed her lips, the sweet taste of crème brûlée still lingering…

Seeing Ji Junxin blush and look away, Qiao Rubai was relieved. It was indeed because of the food.

Qiao Rubai was conflicted. She initially thought that Mi Hongdou was better than Jiang Duo in every way, and if Ji Junxin wanted to be with a girl, Mi Hongdou was clearly a better choice. But now, seeing Ji Junxin’s concern for Mi Hongdou, she was worried that it might be one-sided, after all, in her previous life, Mi Hongdou had only been her food buddy. Qiao Rubai didn’t even realize that although they were the same age, she was now acting like a mother worried about her daughter’s love life, afraid of her being taken advantage of.

So, when Mi Hongdou and Jiang Lingling returned to the private room, Mi Hongdou immediately felt Qiao Rubai’s gaze, different from her usual indifference, today it was… scrutinizing, appraising, and even slightly worried.

Mi Hongdou, feeling slightly guilty, quickly sat down next to Ji Junxin, avoiding Qiao Rubai’s gaze.

Fortunately, just then, the chefs arrived with the large hot pot. Two pots, one with red broth, one with white, both filled with pork bones, corn, and potatoes. The other chefs followed with carts laden with plates of meat rolls, meatballs, seafood, and various vegetables. As they were setting the table, the diners quickly divided themselves into two groups.

Director Pan, Pan Xiang, Jiang Lingling, and Yang Lianyi went for the red broth. Mi Hongdou, Ji Junxin, and Qiao Rubai, holding Yang Miemie, chose the white broth.

Yang Lianyi waved at Qiao Rubai: “Come to this side.”

Qiao Rubai, her face expressionless, held up the little girl: “Can she eat spicy food? Can she even eat hot pot by herself?”

“…” Yang Lianyi dejectedly took two steps towards the white broth pot, then stopped and resolutely returned to the red broth.

Qiao Rubai: “…”

Ji Junxin: “…”

Mi Hongdou: “…”

Yang Miemie: (My bad?)

Having just questioned Mi Hongdou’s reliability, and now eating her food, even demanding a separate pot, Qiao Rubai felt a little embarrassed. Fortunately, they were sitting in a row, with Ji Junxin between them…

The broth bubbled merrily on the induction cooktop, the rich aroma of pork bones filling the air. Plates of ingredients covered the table, with more on the side carts. A variety of sauces were already prepared on a separate table, with small bowls, just waiting for them to mix their own.

Normally, it was the waiters who served the food, but with the owner, Jiang Lingling, present, the chefs all wanted to show off, so they were the ones busily serving.

The pork bones in the bubbling broth looked and smelled delicious… but with the chefs piling so many dishes on the table, they couldn’t start eating yet.

Finally, after the thin chef placed a large stainless steel bowl, a pair of disposable gloves, a long, thin spoon, and a straw in front of each person, they felt that they could finally start.

They were all experienced eaters. As soon as the thin chef left, no one bothered with the sauces or the other ingredients. They all reached for the coveted pork bones.

They picked up the hot bones with their chopsticks, placed them in their stainless steel bowls to cool, and Jiang Lingling, putting on her gloves, impatiently poked the bones, waiting for them to cool down.

Mi Hongdou gave Ji Junxin a bone, then took one for herself. As for Qiao Rubai… she was too far away.

Qiao Rubai, just one person away from Mi Hongdou, put Yang Miemie in her high chair, briefly lamenting the fact that the little girl might soon be too big to fit, and then also took two bones.

After everyone took a bone, the two pots were almost empty, only a few pieces of corn and potatoes bobbing in the broth.

“What’s this?” After taking two bones, Qiao Rubai saw something floating in the pot and instinctively scooped it out, only to find a stainless steel ball with holes.

Mi Hongdou looked up. “That’s a spice ball. You put the things you don’t want to eat, like scallions, ginger, garlic, goji berries, inside, so you won’t accidentally pick them up.”

Who would be so stupid as to eat scallions, ginger, and garlic… Qiao Rubai was thinking this when Ji Junxin spoke, “That’s a good idea, let’s get one for our hotel room too?”

Only you would be so foolish, and why did it sound like she was planning to move in? Qiao Rubai’s face was full of black lines.

“We already have one, but we’ve been too busy to cook. Now that we’re filming the estate scenes, we might have more free time. We can make chicken soup sometime?” Mi Hongdou’s voice was soft, and even without seeing her expression, Qiao Rubai could imagine the gentle look in her eyes.

Why did she feel like she had lost without even fighting? Qiao Rubai put the spice ball back into the pot, feeling frustrated.

The bones in the two pots earlier were the middle sections, but most of the meat had been removed by the chefs before cooking, at Mi Hongdou’s request, leaving only the thin, most flavorful layer closest to the bone. So, the bones cooled down quickly.

Jiang Lingling was the first to lose her patience. After checking the temperature again, she picked up a bone, blew on it, and started gnawing on the meat.

And then, everyone started eating.

Table manners? What were those?

Compared to the eager diners at the red broth pot, those at the white broth pot were much more refined.

Mi Hongdou made sure the bone was cool enough before letting Ji Junxin eat. Qiao Rubai, seeing this, felt slightly better. It wasn’t just Ji Junxin who was being considerate.

When it came to food, Ji Junxin had been completely conquered by Mi Hongdou. She waited for Mi Hongdou’s approval before taking a bite. The meat closest to the bone, no matter how long it was stewed, wouldn’t be too soft. She had to tear at it, slightly compromising her image, to get the meat off the bone. It wasn’t very convenient, but once she tasted it, she felt that it was worth it. It was indeed the most flavorful part. Firm, chewy, fragrant, and flavorful, the bone from the plain broth retained its original taste, highlighting the aroma of the meat. Ji Junxin couldn’t stop eating.

Qiao Rubai tore off a piece of meat for Yang Miemie, then took a bite herself, and finally, couldn’t resist teasing Yang Lianyi, who had chosen the red broth: “Bone broth hot pot should be eaten with the plain broth, the original flavor, the bones are so fragrant.”

Yang Lianyi, without even looking up, her mouth full of bone, mumbled, “The red broth is more fragrant, you don’t understand.” She continued gnawing on the bone, ignoring Qiao Rubai.

Yang Miemie finished the meat and patted Qiao Rubai’s arm, whining for more.

Qiao Rubai glanced at Yang Lianyi, who was pretending not to hear the little girl’s cries. She was so tired… This child must have been born in a dream.

For a while, the room was filled with the sound of gnawing on bones, until Jiang Lingling started slurping. Everyone looked at her… Jiang Lingling, oblivious, had just tasted the bone marrow, it was so delicious, she didn’t have time for other people.

Soon, another slurping sound joined in… until everyone was slurping.

Mi Hongdou patiently scooped out the marrow that Ji Junxin couldn’t reach, feeding her spoonful by spoonful, even more attentive than Qiao Rubai, who was feeding Yang Miemie.

Egg fried rice without scallions… dishes without scallions, ginger, or garlic… even the hot pot had all the spices contained in a spice ball, Qiao Rubai thought as she scooped marrow for the little girl.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. A cart with a large styrofoam box was pushed in. The thin chef, pushing the cart, saw a circle of people with bones in their mouths looking at him and, with an awkward smile, quickly left.

Mi Hongdou, after feeding Ji Junxin the last bit of marrow, took off her glove and opened the styrofoam box.

Inside was a huge stockpot.

Mi Hongdou looked around the table, took a slotted spoon and a stainless steel bowl, and then, one by one, transferred the bones from the stockpot to the two hot pots on the table.

The red broth group immediately abandoned the bones they had gnawed clean and reached for the new arrivals.

Qiao Rubai, who had been about to tease Yang Lianyi about how she found the red broth more fragrant, yet snatched a bone from the white broth pot as soon as it was added, glanced at Yang Lianyi, who was now engrossed in gnawing on the new bone, and decided not to bother. What “cute”? What “signing her to Mengguan”? In front of food, she forgot everything.

“Ahem… Mi Hongdou… this incident, it’s not difficult to resolve. We have two options. One, clarify it directly, but then the hype will die down quickly. The other, take it slow, don’t clarify it yet, wait for the hype to build, then gradually reveal the truth, to maintain the buzz. Which do you prefer?” After finishing a bone, Qiao Rubai was no longer as conflicted. But she still wanted to test Mi Hongdou.

Chapter 67: Bone Broth Hot Pot p1

Sweets should be irresistible to a foodie. Mi Hongdou hadn’t missed the way Ji Junxin’s eyes were glued to the crème brûlée when she took it out of the refrigerator. Why was the adorable little foodie now so serious? … Could it be because she made her wait too long after caramelizing the sugar?

Mi Hongdou thought she was right and held the spoon out to Ji Junxin again, her voice softening. “I was afraid the sugar would be too hot, so I asked you to wait. It should be cool now. Try tapping it, the caramelized layer is thin and crispy, it’s delicious with the pudding.”

Ji Junxin pulled her hand back, away from the spoon, glanced at the crème brûlée, and subtly gulped before looking at Mi Hongdou seriously. “That fire-spitting thing earlier, it’s too dangerous, don’t use it again.” She had been startled when Mi Hongdou took out that metal object and suddenly a long flame appeared, raising the temperature around them. For a moment, she thought it was malfunctioning and almost cried out. Fortunately, the next second, she saw Mi Hongdou calmly caramelizing the pudding, and she managed to control herself. But her heart hadn’t calmed down, that fire-spitting thing was too dangerous, so dangerous that she didn’t even dare to interrupt Mi Hongdou, afraid she would get burned if distracted. Her palms were sweaty.

“Haha, my bad, I should have explained. I wanted to show off my skills, don’t you think it’s amazing, the way the torch melts the sugar?” Mi Hongdou, touched by her idol’s concern, picked up the torch again and ignited it. “This kind of kitchen torch is quite safe, don’t worry.”

Ji Junxin, startled again, felt even more uneasy. Amazing? It wasn’t amazing at all, she was just worried, and a little angry.

Mi Hongdou finally realized that Ji Junxin was truly angry and quickly put down the torch. “This kind of kitchen torch is commonly used in kitchens, for caramelizing desserts, or searing fish and meat, it’s very safe.”

It was clearly dangerous, how could a long flame in your hand be safe? Ji Junxin looked at the unrepentant Mi Hongdou and suddenly smiled: “Then let me try it when you caramelize the other pudding.”

Mi Hongdou shook her head repeatedly: “No, it’s too dangerous!”

Ji Junxin: “…”67

Mi Hongdou: “…”

They looked at each other, and Ji Junxin’s eyes shone with triumph.

“…Okay, I won’t use it again.” Mi Hongdou, unsurprisingly, lost again. “We’ll make crème brûlée without a torch next time.”

“What about the one in the refrigerator for Yang Miemie?” Ji Junxin asked, her gaze fixed on Mi Hongdou.

Mi Hongdou surrendered: “That one will remain a quiet egg pudding forever.”

On the highway, the little girl who was sleeping in Qiao Rubai’s arms suddenly stirred, her lips pouting, her legs kicking, as if having a bad dream. Qiao Rubai smiled and smoothed the little frown on her chubby face, chiding herself for overthinking. What bad dream could a foodie have?

Ji Junxin finally let Mi Hongdou go and took the spoon, ready to eat the crème brûlée.

The translucent brown caramelized sugar layer on the pudding looked incredibly tempting. Ji Junxin quickly suppressed her excitement, determined not to let Mi Hongdou do such dangerous things again.

The small stainless steel spoon easily broke through the thin caramel crust, creating cracks like on a sheet of ice. Crème brûlée, naturally, had to be eaten with the caramel. The small spoon scooped up a generous portion of pudding, along with the trembling caramel shard, and she put it in her mouth. The first thing she tasted was the smooth, silky pudding, the thin caramel melting quickly, the sweet syrup and the shard, enveloped by the pudding, sweet but not greasy, adding a rich and fragrant depth to the dessert.

It was incredibly delicious! After one spoonful, the joy on Ji Junxin’s face was uncontainable. Desserts were meant to be comforting and delightful, and a delicious dessert brought even more enjoyment and happiness. Unable to hide her joy, Ji Junxin’s expression conveyed a message to Mi Hongdou: she was no longer angry.

Mi Hongdou breathed a sigh of relief. The little foodie, when serious, could be quite stubborn. But the fact that she had refused the spoon earlier, so concerned about the danger of the torch, meant that at that moment, her concern for Mi Hongdou’s safety had outweighed her desire for dessert… She wondered why she was so happy about winning over food.

While Ji Junxin was happily enjoying the crème brûlée, the pork bones were also done blanching. The blanched bones, the meat having shrunk slightly, looked smaller than before, but forty pork bones piled together was still a spectacular sight.

Mi Hongdou circled the pile of bones twice, frowned, and called the thin chef over.

Time flew by.

Qiao Rubai’s professional meal-crashing trio arrived at the restaurant a few minutes before five, quite punctual. Mi Hongdou had taken out the egg pudding from the refrigerator an hour earlier and warmed it slightly in a bowl of warm water.

Seeing the egg pudding, Yang Lianyi’s eyes lit up, but hearing that there was only one, for Yang Miemie, she pushed it towards Qiao Rubai with a slightly regretful expression.

Qiao Rubai resignedly took the bowl and was about to check the temperature when Yang Miemie, in a swift movement, buried her face in it.

Fortunately, there was no caramelized sugar crust… Mi Hongdou and Ji Junxin exchanged glances, a shared relief in their eyes. The little girl was so enthusiastic, if she had hurt herself on the caramel, it would have been troublesome.

Although the little girl’s face was only buried in soft pudding, it still kept Qiao Rubai busy. But fortunately, she had become a professional feeder recently and could handle this kind of situation with ease.

Mi Hongdou sat down and chatted with them for a bit. Both Yang Lianyi and Qiao Rubai told her not to worry, they would take care of it. Facing their reassurances, Mi Hongdou couldn’t tell them that she wasn’t worried at all, so she just smiled and thanked them. With Ji Junxin next to her, Mi Hongdou suddenly felt uncomfortable. She didn’t want to appear weak and helpless in front of Ji Junxin, although that was currently the case.

Using the excuse of preparing the ingredients for dinner, Mi Hongdou said she was going to check on the kitchen and practically fled.

Ji Junxin didn’t follow… Mi Hongdou stood by the door for a while, then went to the kitchen, a subtle sadness on her face.

Shortly after the meal-crashing trio arrived, Director Pan and Pan Xiang also arrived. They didn’t go upstairs, coming straight to the kitchen. They also offered their condolences to Mi Hongdou, telling her not to worry, that this kind of thing happened often in the industry, and they would brainstorm a solution together.

Their reassurances were sincere. Mi Hongdou understood that in their eyes, she was just a small-time newcomer with no background or experience, being scared was normal. She was touched. They had only known each other for a few months, how could she deserve their trust and support? …

Mi Hongdou’s heart was warm, but she also felt a sense of helplessness. She had to become stronger, so she wouldn’t need their protection, so she could protect others. Mi Hongdou clenched her fists, her desire even stronger than her desire to get closer to Ji Junxin in her previous life.

Director Pan and Pan Xiang ran into Jiang Lingling, the last member of the freeloading group, on their way upstairs. When they entered the private room, Yang Miemie had eaten two-thirds of her pudding.

The sweet aroma of eggs, milk, and sugar filled the room. Pan Xiang, upon entering, thought she had walked into a cake shop. That enticing smell, had someone brought cake? …

Director Pan’s reaction was much faster. He immediately saw the pudding bowl in Qiao Rubai’s hand and… the eagerly waiting Yang Miemie. This scene felt strangely familiar, even the orange-yellow stuff in the spoon looked familiar.

Jiang Lingling was the quickest to react. She scanned the room, taking in the situation. “Did Mi Hongdou make this?” she asked, pointing at the pudding.

Yang Lianyi raised an eyebrow languidly. “Yes, but I heard there’s only one, for the child.”

Director Pan slapped his thigh. That’s why it looked so familiar, just like the dumpling soup last time, only the little chubby girl got to eat, while everyone else could only watch! Thinking about that delicious dumpling soup he missed last time, he touched his nose, feeling a little frustrated. It was better not to remember.

Just one, for the child? … Jiang Lingling’s suspicious gaze swept over Ji Junxin, again and again…

Jiang Lingling’s intense gaze made Ji Junxin uncomfortable. She felt a little guilty and unconsciously touched her stomach.

Hmph, so Ji Junxin did eat some! Jiang Lingling mentally praised her “gaze pressure” tactic.

CPs really were… hurtful to single dogs.

So, everyone sat and watched as Qiao Rubai fed Yang Miemie pudding. Their gazes were even more intense than Jiang Lingling’s earlier, and even Qiao Rubai, the powerful CEO of Qiong Yu Entertainment, felt a little uncomfortable under such scrutiny.

If she gave each of them a spoonful of this pudding, would they stop staring? Qiao Rubai scooped a spoonful, hesitating.

A fluffy little head leaned forward, and chomp, the spoon disappeared into her mouth. Qiao Rubai again faced the dilemma of retrieving the spoon without hurting Yang Miemie. After getting the spoon back, she sighed inwardly. If she dared to share this child’s food, it wouldn’t just be stares…

Qiao Rubai thought this and could only speed up the feeding process. Fortunately, the little girl always cooperated at times like these. Although she was happily eating, her hands and feet moving constantly, humming and giggling, she didn’t slow down at all. After the last spoonful, Qiao Rubai put down the bowl and breathed a sigh of relief.

The empty bowl had a few pudding crumbs left, and the sweet aroma lingered in the air. Everyone’s gaze was fixed on the empty bowl for a moment, then shifted away.

They were really hungry… The freeloaders felt a pang of sadness. This empty bowl was even more appetizing than an appetizer.

Jiang Lingling’s stomach growled loudly in the quiet room.

Everyone felt a little awkward. Only Jiang Lingling, carefree as ever, stood up and said, “I’ll go check if Mi Hongdou is done, I’m starving.”

The freeloaders agreed silently, but they were too embarrassed to say it out loud.

Jiang Lingling didn’t wait for their approval and happily went to the kitchen. Her cold was better, she could enter the kitchen now, she could be the first to taste the food~ Earlier, when Yang Lianyi said that there was only one pudding for Yang Miemie, Ji Junxin had been too embarrassed to say that she had also eaten some, the one with the caramelized sugar. Then, Jiang Lingling’s knowing gaze had made her even more uneasy, and she hadn’t dared to say anything more. Now, with Jiang Lingling gone, Ji Junxin finally had the chance to ask Qiao Rubai about this incident.

Ji Junxin wasn’t very close to Yang Lianyi, but she was very close to Qiao Rubai, so her first instinct was to ask Qiao Rubai. And Qiao Rubai had to answer, but compared to the clueless Ji Junxin, Qiao Rubai looked at Yang Lianyi first.

Chapter 66: Crème brûlée p2

Facing the extravagant Jiang Lingling, Mi Hongdou silently swallowed her words, “If not, then it’s okay, we can make something else.”

“Just a few people, a large hot pot will be fine, not the traditional Beijing copper pot, just a regular stockpot. For the bones, just pork bones, lots of marrow, delicious.” Mi Hongdou calculated the number of people. “Um, let’s prepare six pork bones… have the kitchen staff cut them and soak them in water, I’ll be there soon to handle them. For the other ingredients, just the usual hot pot stuff, meat and vegetables.”

As Mi Hongdou was speaking, her phone chirped.

[Heard the little empress is in trouble, don’t worry! I’ll help you figure something out~~ See you tonight!] Sender: Director Pan.

“Did you see Pan Xiang this morning?” Mi Hongdou put away her phone and looked at Jiang Lingling and Ji Junxin.

Ji Junxin shook her head, Jiang Lingling nodded.

Director Pan’s wife had gone home over a month ago and wasn’t with the crew anymore. Mi Hongdou thought for a moment and said to Jiang Lingling, “Make it eight pork bones…”

Jiang Lingling gave a thumbs-up and went off to send a message.

Well, no matter what, Jiang Lingling could be reliable sometimes. She would forgive her earlier schadenfreude then, Mi Hongdou thought.

An hour later, arriving at the restaurant kitchen, Mi Hongdou was stunned by the numerous basins of bones soaking in water… Jiang Lingling, was your math teacher also your PE teacher? Did she think that just because the bones were cut, she wouldn’t notice that there were far more than double the amount she asked for?

Mi Hongdou called the thin chef over and pointed at the basins. “How many bones are there?”

“Forty, as Boss Jiang requested, not one less!” the thin chef said proudly. “We were worried that the ones bought outside wouldn’t be cut properly, too many bone fragments, so we bought whole pork bones and cut them ourselves. We cut off the ends, then cut the ends in half, keeping the middle section with the marrow intact. Two bones per basin, twenty basins here, the water was just changed, are you satisfied, Miss?”

Heh… well played, Jiang Lingling. Did you buy all the pork bones in the market? Or did you buy two whole pigs and have them slaughtered? Does your godfather know how good you are at math? Tell him to come, let’s have a chat!

Stewing pork bones took a long time, and the process was tedious. Mi Hongdou had originally planned to come early, prepare everything, and have Ji Junxin come over just before dinner, so she could get some rest. These past two months had been exhausting.

But Ji Junxin insisted on accompanying her, so the one stunned by the twenty basins of pork bones wasn’t just Mi Hongdou, but also the little foodie.

“These pork bones… can we even finish them?” Ji Junxin looked at the twenty basins with a conflicted expression.

“You won’t be asking that after they’re cooked.” Mi Hongdou smiled and wanted to pat Ji Junxin’s head, but she restrained herself.

Ji Junxin blinked, confused, then understood, and punched Mi Hongdou playfully.

The soft little fist landed on Mi Hongdou’s arm, seemingly forceful, but actually without any strength. Mi Hongdou’s heart suddenly pounded, and she instinctively grabbed Ji Junxin’s small fist, her movement faster than her conscious thought.

Their friendship had blossomed in this life, and this wasn’t the first time Mi Hongdou had held Ji Junxin’s hand. But looking at the slightly angry, actually just tsundere little foodie, Mi Hongdou felt the small fist in her hand heating up, the warmth spreading from her palm to her heart. So warm, so tingling, yet also a little painful…

Mi Hongdou discreetly released Ji Junxin’s fist, as if she had just been stopping her from hitting her.

No one knew, not even herself, that she had simply been unable to resist the urge to touch Ji Junxin.

These past two months, Mi Hongdou had become increasingly skilled at controlling her occasional loss of control. But these moments seemed to be happening more and more often. She didn’t want to analyze why she always wanted to see and touch Ji Junxin, didn’t want to think about why she was starting to have different feelings about normal physical contact between friends. It seemed that as long as she didn’t think too deeply, everything could remain as beautiful as this moment.

“Are you angry? Did I hurt you?” Ji Junxin, her hand first held, then quickly released, was worried that she had hurt Mi Hongdou, but she hadn’t used any force…

“No, I’m fine.” Mi Hongdou couldn’t bear to have Ji Junxin feel guilty and quickly changed the subject. “These bones still need to soak for a while. How about I make you some dessert? We can have it while waiting for the bones to be ready, okay?”

Ji Junxin, who had been slightly apprehensive, immediately brightened and nodded.

This was the life she wanted. Mi Hongdou’s eyes softened. “What do you want to eat? Not something too filling, or you won’t be able to eat the bone broth hot pot later.”

Ji Junxin silently removed dumpling soup from her mental menu. “Crème brûlée!” she said, quickly finding a second option.

It wasn’t a complicated dessert, but the chilling time… Mi Hongdou looked at the eager Ji Junxin, unable to refuse.

“Okay, crème brûlée it is.” Mi Hongdou agreed. Anyway, with the cold weather, not chilling the pudding too much might actually be a good thing.

At Mi Hongdou’s request, the restaurant wasn’t closed today, which meant that it would be open for business as usual, and the kitchen would be preparing and serving other dishes.

Fortunately, it was only a little past one in the afternoon, and the kitchen wasn’t too busy. Besides the two familiar chefs, there were only a few new faces. Mi Hongdou asked the thin chef to change the water for the bones every fifteen minutes and then went to get the ingredients for the crème brûlée.

Crème brûlée was a basic dessert for beginner bakers. Simple ingredients, simple techniques.

First, separate the egg whites and yolks, keeping only the yolks. Mi Hongdou washed the eggs, cracked them against the side of the bowl, and gently separated the shells. Holding half a shell in each hand, she tilted them back and forth, letting the egg white flow into a bowl below, then transferred the yolk to another bowl. One egg separated.

After finishing one egg, Mi Hongdou looked up and saw Ji Junxin watching her with interest. She suddenly remembered that in her previous life, Ji Junxin couldn’t cook, but she was quite good at making desserts. She had also made crème brûlée, and later even learned to bake cakes. Thinking about cakes, Mi Hongdou recalled some unpleasant memories, she shook her head and smiled at Ji Junxin. “It’s boring just watching, want to try?”

She handed Ji Junxin a washed egg.

Ji Junxin blushed and shook her head, her hands behind her back. “I can’t…” She could even burn scrambled eggs, she didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of Mi Hongdou. Always afraid of losing Mi Hongdou as a fan, Ji Junxin didn’t want to show her incompetence.

“It’s easy.” Mi Hongdou put down the egg. “Wait a minute.”

She walked away.

It wasn’t easy! Even scrambled eggs required cracking eggs, and Ji Junxin often got eggshells in the bowl, having to pick them out carefully. Cracking eggs was already difficult, let alone separating the yolks and whites using the eggshells like Mi Hongdou did. While Mi Hongdou was away, Ji Junxin looked around, wondering if it was too late to go back to the hotel and pretend to be asleep.

So, when Mi Hongdou returned with a tool, she saw Ji Junxin looking at the kitchen door with a mixture of apprehension and longing, like a startled bird.

Have some pride! You’re going to be a cake-making master in the future! She was still hoping to taste that ice cream flavored cream cake!

“Here, try this.” Ignoring Ji Junxin’s refusal, Mi Hongdou placed a plastic, spoon-shaped object in her hand, then held her wrist, positioning the spoon above the bowl of egg whites.

“Hold it steady.” Mi Hongdou cracked an egg directly onto the spoon.

The egg white flowed through the holes in the spoon, leaving only the round, orange yolk.

“See? With this, you can do it too. This is specifically for separating egg yolks and whites.” Mi Hongdou took the egg separator and handed Ji Junxin an egg. “Try it, crack it gently, then hold it over the separator and separate the shells.”

Mi Hongdou’s demonstration was smooth and simple. Although the tool was small, it was very useful, and Ji Junxin was intrigued. Under Mi Hongdou’s encouraging gaze, she took the egg.

Whether it was Mi Hongdou’s encouragement or just luck, Ji Junxin cracked the egg without breaking the shell and perfectly separated the yolk and white with the separator. She was thrilled.

Why did seeing Ji Junxin successfully separate an egg feel more rewarding than making a whole table of dishes? … Mi Hongdou again resisted the urge to ruffle Ji Junxin’s hair and smiled. “There’s another method, want to see?”

Ji Junxin, basking in the glow of her success, nodded vigorously.

So, three minutes later, Ji Junxin learned another egg-separating technique, using an empty plastic bottle. It was so easy and fun!

When they finally stopped, there were more than ten egg yolks in the bowl…

She had only intended to separate three yolks for the crème brûlée… Mi Hongdou glanced at the basins of bones, well, getting carried away was understandable.

Mi Hongdou figured that hot pot was very filling, and they probably wouldn’t be able to eat crème brûlée after the meal, so making too much would be a waste. She kept six yolks, planning to make one pudding each for Ji Junxin and Yang Miemie. The rest were mixed with the egg whites to make egg crepes for the hot pot later, no waste.

She heated the milk and cream together, then set it aside to cool.

She added sugar to the six egg yolks and mixed well, then slowly poured the cooled milk and cream into the bowl, stirring constantly. Mi Hongdou poured, and Ji Junxin stirred.

It suddenly felt like her previous life, when Ji Junxin had just started learning to bake, always needing Mi Hongdou’s help.

It was good, she was still here, and so was she…

After mixing, she strained the mixture, and the pudding went into the oven. Setting the timer for thirty minutes, the crème brûlée was almost done.

The water for the bones had been changed twice, four times including the earlier changes. Mi Hongdou figured that after one or two more changes, they could be blanched.

But should she really stew all forty bones? Even if each person could eat two, that would only be twenty…

Jiang Lingling didn’t understand Mi Hongdou’s dilemma. Jiang Lingling, who had ordered forty pork bones, was currently video chatting with her godfather, Dong Yuannan. Or rather, video supervising him.

After their last meal together, both Qiao Rubai and Mi Hongdou had subtly conveyed the same message to Jiang Lingling, although in different ways: “Your godfather needs to lose weight, being overweight is unhealthy.” Mi Hongdou had tactfully said that studies showed that a healthy diet and exercise could help middle-aged and elderly people maintain their vitality and live longer. Being overweight could lead to cardiovascular diseases and should be prevented early. Qiao Rubai was more direct, besides saying similar things, she also sent Jiang Lingling some case studies of strokes in middle-aged and elderly people, which scared Jiang Lingling.

Dong Yuannan treated Jiang Lingling even better than his own daughter, and to Jiang Lingling, he was irreplaceable. If Mi Hongdou’s words were just a reminder, then Qiao Rubai’s message was like hitting her with a sledgehammer.

Since then, for the past two months, Jiang Lingling had diligently studied health and wellness for the middle-aged and elderly, supervising Dong Yuannan’s diet and exercise. From his three meals a day, his fruits and snacks, to his daily walks and blood pressure checks twice a day, she was even more meticulous than his family doctor. Although Dong Yuannan jokingly said that with Jiang Lingling’s constant supervision, his doctor could retire, he didn’t stop her. A daughter’s filial piety, no matter how troublesome, was always welcome!

Mi Hongdou and Qiao Rubai had no idea that their well-intentioned reminders had strengthened the bond between Jiang Lingling and Dong Yuannan. Of course… some problems also emerged faster.

Dong Yuannan was taking a walk, and Jiang Lingling felt guilty about having bone broth hot pot without him. She decided to spend more time with him and go to the restaurant later, since she couldn’t help with the cooking anyway. She didn’t know that this decision would make her miss out on a delicious dish.

The pork bones were simmering in a large pot of water, and the chefs, following the thin chef’s instructions, diligently skimmed off the foam.

So, Mi Hongdou had time to complete the last step of the crème brûlée.

The pudding, after baking for thirty minutes, had been chilling in the refrigerator for half an hour. Although it ideally needed more time, if they didn’t eat it soon, the little foodie would be unhappy if she couldn’t eat the hot pot later.

The cold weather meant faster chilling in the refrigerator. The small bowl of pudding was frosty when she took it out. Mi Hongdou sprinkled some brown sugar on top, told Ji Junxin to step back, and took out her final weapon: a kitchen torch.

The flame caramelized the sugar, forming a smooth, even layer on top of the pudding. After the flame was extinguished, the caramelized sugar hardened into a crisp crust.

Mi Hongdou waited for the sugar to cool, then handed a small spoon to Ji Junxin and told her to tap the crust. It was hard and brittle.

Unexpectedly, the little foodie didn’t take the spoon.

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!”