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Chapter 15: Putting the Wife to Sleep
Jiang Yaoyao was stunned.
A single Weibo post from Gu Jinling sent movie fans into a frenzy, all frantically searching for information about Jiang Yaoyao.
The photo she had just posted was quickly screenshotted and placed side by side with Gu Jinling’s post.
Entertainment reporters flooded social media with posts about Jiang Yaoyao, subtly fanning the flames of controversy.
Within minutes, the hashtag #JiangYaoyao skyrocketed up the trending list, dominating the top ranks:
Jiang Yaoyao: “…”
In just a few minutes, gossip accounts had gone from claiming she was cast as the lead in Gu Jinling’s final masterpiece to boldly declaring her the next Best Actress.
The pressure was immense.
Standing by the small garden, she absentmindedly poked at the tree trunk with her finger, leaving a tiny crescent mark on the bark. Just then, she overheard passersby discussing:
“Who’s Jiang Yaoyao?”
“The new leading lady for Gu Jinling—how do you not know this? Mark my words, she’s definitely winning Best Actress next year!”
This meteoric rise felt so surreal that the delicate beauty stood frozen in place, too afraid to even move.
“…”
Her phone continued buzzing non-stop with endless Weibo notifications.
At almost the exact same moment, her phone rang again—it was Xu Lu. As fiery as ever, she spoke urgently:
“Jiang Yaoyao, how do you know Director Gu?”
Jiang Yaoyao answered truthfully: “I don’t.”
There was a moment of silence on the other end.
Xu Lu: “Your Weibo account is now under company management. Don’t bother with the negative comments—we’ll handle them.”
“Also, opportunities like this don’t come often. Some people spend their entire lives in the industry without even landing a minor role in a Gu Jinling film.”
“I don’t know what kind of tricks you pulled, Jiang Yaoyao, but you’d better wake up—”
“No plastic surgery. Gu Jinling will never allow a surgically altered face in his film.”
The little beauty on the other end obediently murmured, “Oh.”
No arrogance, no overwhelming excitement.
Her calm, composed response made even Xu Lu—who had known her for years—feel like she was talking to a completely different person.
After hanging up, before her account was officially taken over, Jiang Yaoyao sat on the garden steps and scrolled through the comments.
“How the hell did Jiang Clout-Chaser land this opportunity? Did she save an old man on the street and later discover he was Gu Jinling’s father?”
“So this is Jiang Yaoyao? She’s actually really pretty! Such a fresh, natural aura—why is the comment section so harsh?”
“Is Gu Jinling losing his mind? He’s casting a plastic-surgery face as his lead actress? He must be getting desperate.”
“Shut the hell up! Do you think Gu Jinling is a rookie? The man’s first film alone swept national and international awards! Who are you to criticize his casting choices?”
“You can always trust Gu Jinling’s judgment. If he chose Jiang Yaoyao, then her face is definitely natural.”
“LMAO at the people throwing shade before the movie even starts filming. Gu Jinling has won more awards than you have brain cells, and you think you’re qualified to question his decisions?”
“Let me put on my tinfoil hat for a second—so Yan Leyao and Cen Zhiruo’s passive-aggressive comments today were actually their way of trying to suppress Jiang Yaoyao?”
“I’ve been side-eyeing Yan Leyao for a while now—always acting so fake and pretentious. What’s her deal?”
Before Jiang Yaoyao could finish reading the comments, her account was suddenly taken over.
Moments later, she saw her account had reposted the company’s official statement:
[Official Statement: Regarding recent online attacks and false statements about Ms. Jiang Yaoyao, our company has appointed a law firm to take legal action against all infringing parties. We will protect Ms. Jiang Yaoyao’s legal rights!]
Attached was a list of Weibo accounts spreading false rumors.
The internet suddenly fell silent.
The little beauty sitting on the garden steps let out a soft “wow” and, using her alternate account, quietly liked the post.
Xu Lu’s speed? Impressive.
The next second, she refreshed her feed and saw Yan Leyao’s Weibo post.
Yan Leyao had just liked a comment:
“It’s just an invitation, not an official lead role. What are Jiang Yaoyao’s fans celebrating? With that plastic-surgery face, can she even pass the Gu Jinling test?”
A moment later, Yan Leyao unliked the post.
She then posted a new message:
“Sorry, I accidentally liked that post earlier / cute.”
The handsome man, with a warm smile on his face, thanked the young man across from him, who was wearing glasses:
“Gu Uncle, Yaoyao is very smart, she won’t disappoint you.”
Gu Jinling was unnerved by the “Uncle” address.
He and Pei Heng had grown up together, but their seniority was different.
In the past, no matter how much Gu Jinling threatened or coaxed, Pei Heng always addressed him by his first name. Today, calling him “Gu Uncle” felt strange and uncomfortable.
Gu Jinling grabbed the cup and took a sip of the tea that Pei Heng had handed him.
“Let’s make it clear first, this is my wedding gift to both of you. If you two can’t get married, you’ll owe me!”
The smile in the man’s eyes was shallow, holding a hint of unnoticeable gentleness:
“Of course.”
“When Yaoyao and I get married, I’ll make sure to bring her to toast you, the great matchmaker.”
Gu Jinling snorted, “Let’s continue with the script. The one you had written is really impressive…”
Of course, it was impressive.
The screenwriter mumbled to himself.
A strong female lead who cannot be bullied, has an appealing personality, no risk of negative backlash, grand ambitions, but no love plot, and no intimate scenes—
Listen to this!
Can anyone actually ask for this?
Though in the end, the love plot was changed—
It was changed to allow a love story!
But the princess is deceived by a scoundrel, breaks her heart, and then goes on to achieve great things.
Listen to that!
Pei Heng had clearly put all his effort into promoting that small-time, no-name actress, Jiang Yaoyao.
The sunset hung in the sky, casting a golden ribbon of light across the horizon.
It was still early afternoon, but some people already saw the usually stoic, workaholic CEO, Pei Heng, taking the private elevator downstairs, walking briskly toward the exit.
The tall, handsome man, with strong brows and a towering height of nearly two meters, exuded an aura so strong it felt like he could reach two meters.
Within a few meters of him, except for the assistant walking beside him, there was not a soul in sight.
As they walked past the center of the lobby, people vaguely heard the man’s low voice, tinged with a barely noticeable laugh, as he was refusing the person on the other end of the phone:
“I’m not coming.”
The person on the other end must have said something, as the usually cold-faced man finally cracked a smile.
“Mr. Sheng, I’m really sorry for ditching you.”
“Our situations are different.”
“I’m going home to put my wife to bed.”