CHAPTER 38 (PART 1)

“I don’t need anything,” Jiang Su refused without hesitation.

Right now, she was juggling intense filming schedules, variety show recordings, and music video shoots. She needed to maintain her peak condition—her face couldn’t get puffy, and her figure had to remain at its most aesthetically pleasing.

Jiang Su had always been highly professional.

“Nothing?” Cheng Yue’s fingers, which had been holding a pen, paused slightly.

There wasn’t a hint of being flattered in the girl’s tone.

So could it be inferred that her capabilities went far beyond what she had currently displayed? That she was even more formidable?

Because she had that level of confidence, she had no need to feel honored by anyone’s goodwill.

What kind of environment had raised someone like this?

“Mm.” Jiang Su hesitated, then changed her tone slightly. “…But coffee would be fine.”

She still needed to continue testing him.

Until she could be completely sure that he no longer posed any threat to her.

The original owner of this body had thought of Cheng Yue as perfect and charming.

But Jiang Su only found him terrifying.

Men—who knew what was going on in their minds?

The original owner had lived in Cheng Yue’s villa for years. Now that Dong Jiayu was gone, would a Liu Jiayu appear tomorrow? No matter who got close to Cheng Yue, they could all potentially see her as an eyesore.

But… I think I like this world a little.

I don’t want to kill anymore.

Countless thoughts flashed through Jiang Su’s mind in an instant. But in the end, the only words that left her lips were: “Tonight… eight o’clock.”

In reality, this body was slowly being influenced by Jiang Su’s soul, gradually aligning more with her original self.

And with her conscious efforts to train and improve, her stamina had gotten much better.

“I need to get back to filming.” Jiang Su coldly ended the call.

Just then, the secretary stepped in, clearing his throat softly. “There’s a new video about Miss Jiang. Would you like to see it?”

Leaning back in his chair, Cheng Yue tapped his chin lightly. “Mm, play it.”

The secretary quickly stepped forward, bowed slightly, opened the laptop, then cast the video from his phone onto the screen.

Wind Rises – Trailer

The four bold characters appeared at the start of the video.

“What’s this?”

“Looks like the trailer for Miss Jiang’s new drama.”

“…The one where she plays the villain?”

“Yes.”

The secretary’s voice was soon drowned out by the video’s sound.

Like countless other fantasy dramas, it opened with a dazzling display of CGI-enhanced “celestial realm” visuals, followed by a procession of white-robed immortals stepping forward one by one.

The male lead stood in the center, adorned with a jade crown, his robes flowing in the wind—exuding an air of aloofness and indifference.

Beside him, the tag displayed the name “Yi Fengyan.”

That was the male lead’s name.

An elderly sage stood atop a grand staircase, solemnly proclaiming words like, “From this day forth, the great responsibility shall be entrusted to you.”

Clearly, the male lead was supposed to be someone very powerful.

But in Cheng Yue’s eyes, there was no such thing as leads or supporting roles…

He wasn’t interested in these fantasy dramas.

A single glance, and he already found it boring.

Until a tag popped up beside it—Qin Xin.

A slender figure appeared on the screen.

“Who is that?”

“The female lead. Her name is Feng Jing.”

The innocent and carefree Qin Xin was sent to a sect by her parents. She formed a protagonist group with her senior brother, her junior uncle, and two outer sect disciples. Together, they went down the mountain for training.

However, Qin Xin lacked cultivation skills—one moment, she was being chased all over the mountains by a lion-scorpion; the next, she caused a lake to flood; then, she accidentally triggered an ancient cave’s restriction… The editing made it all look incredibly thrilling.

Cheng Yue was getting impatient. “This is the female lead?”

“Yeah.” The secretary scratched his head, not quite understanding why dramas nowadays liked to make the female lead a disaster magnet first, only for the male lead to swoop in later.

“Where’s Jiang Su?”

The secretary had no idea either. He had only caught a glimpse of the teaser and thought the boss might want to see it, so he quickly brought it over.

But this supporting role was truly supporting—she had yet to appear even after all this time.

Just as Cheng Yue voiced his impatience, the camera angle shifted.

A young girl with twin buns, dressed in a white top and a pink skirt, descended from the sky on a chubby, round immortal beast.

It was Jiang Su.

Cheng Yue almost burst into laughter.

“Who designed this look?”

If her face were a little rounder and her makeup a bit more festive, she’d look just like the New Year prints hanging in the Cheng family’s ancestral home.

Hearing this, the secretary couldn’t tell if the boss was pleased or displeased. Personally, he found it adorable… This Miss Jiang was quite charming.

As he continued watching, he even felt himself becoming a fan.

“This is the villain?” Cheng Yue subconsciously rubbed his fingertips.

It was an instinctive reaction to seeing something cute and beautiful.

How could someone like this exist?

When she’s fierce, she’s unstoppable, fearless, and doesn’t care about anyone’s face. But then, in the next moment… she’s damn adorable.

“Seems like it,” the secretary replied, a bit uncertain.

Jiang Su’s character first saved the female lead and then covered for the male and female leads.

Cheng Yue frowned. “…Does this character like Yi Fengyan?”

The secretary thought for a moment. “Based on my years of watching dramas, I’d say yes.”

Cheng Yue suddenly felt an inexplicable irritation.

The camera shifted again.

The boss made an appearance.

The two outer sect disciples were taken down first, followed by the female lead, Qin Xin. Upon hearing the news, the male lead, Yi Fengyan, defied his sect’s rules and rushed thousands of miles to rescue them.

Yi Fengyan spat out blood and broke his own path for Qin Xin.

Just as things were spiraling into chaos, and it seemed everyone was doomed, the twin-bunned girl stepped in front of Yi Fengyan.

Cheng Yue’s brow twitched. “…A Huluwa Saving Grandpa situation?”

The secretary: “……”

He could tell that the boss was not pleased.

Unlike the lingering emotional build-up of the male and female leads, she didn’t ask, “Do you realize that if his immortal weapon strikes you, your body will be destroyed, and your soul will be annihilated?”

Qin Xin had said: “I know. But if we must die, we die together.”

Yet the twin-bunned girl simply stepped forward.

No unnecessary words—just like that, she took the attack for the male lead. Her soul shattered, her face instantly turning as pale as paper. She only managed to whisper, “Senior Brother, I kept my promise.”

Then, she fell silent.

A true supporting role—she didn’t even get a dramatic death scene.

Even the secretary felt his eyes sting.

This year’s idol contestants were on another level—her acting was completely immersive.

He suddenly grew curious about how the boss would react. After all, the boss never watched these “pointless” things. Not to mention, there were always rumors about how he was cold and heartless… He probably wouldn’t have any expression at all.

That was what the secretary thought—until he turned his head.

The boss’s face was dark, and from his throat came a low, strained sound:

“Hmm? This is the villain?”

It was clear he was extremely unhappy.

This was just the first teaser—there was still a lot of the plot left unrevealed.

The secretary opened his mouth, but before he could speak—

Cheng Yue: “Buy a coffee truck.”

The secretary: “…Huh? Oh—okay.”

By the time the secretary had arranged for a coffee truck and even hired a barista with thirty years of experience, the clock had already struck six in the evening.

Cheng Yue dismissed the staff for the day, held a video conference, and once it was over, he grabbed his suit jacket and strode out the door.

The secretary quickly caught up. “Mr. Cheng, where should the coffee truck be sent? To Miss Jiang’s film set?”

“Mm.”

“Where are you headed? Should I call the driver?”

“The set.”

The secretary had a sudden realization and immediately made the call.

As he looked at the lingering storminess on his boss’s face, he thought—

This feels exactly like when I watched a show where my favorite character got killed off, and I wanted to send knives to the writer and director.

The set is in danger.

—

On set, Jiang Su had just finished filming a scene when Xu Dazhi came over, handing her several contracts in one go.

“Two product endorsement contracts, one for a live-streaming gig, two new variety shows, and three TV dramas…”

“Live-streaming?” Jiang Su interrupted.

Xu Dazhi nodded. “Yeah, live-stream sales are all the rage now. Anyone with some fame takes these gigs. First, it’s easy. Second, the pay is great—just one session, and you’re looking at a couple million in placement fees…”

Jiang Su pulled out the contract and glanced at it. “What if I can’t sell the products?”

Xu Dazhi: “Uh. Well, you still get paid.”

“You don’t have to feel awkward about it—it’s not low-class. Even A-listers do this now. Nobody cares about image anymore; money in the pocket is what matters. The other members of the group have all signed deals. And there’s even a big brand that wants to bring the whole group on board—the price they’re offering is…”

He held up eight fingers.

“Eight hundred thousand?”

“Eight million!”

Feng Jing was sitting at a moderate distance, memorizing her lines. Upon overhearing their conversation, she couldn’t help but turn her head and whisper to her manager, “She just finished a talent show and is at the peak of her popularity. With so many fans, isn’t each one a potential cash cow? How could she possibly worry about sales? Could she be saying this on purpose for me to hear?”

Just as Xu Dazhi had mentioned, anyone with even a bit of fame these days would take on a livestreaming sales gig.

Feng Jing had done one herself at the end of last year.

She promoted two products, with a single promotion slot priced at 500,000. Yet, the total sales barely reached 100,000. The incident had even caused some unpleasant disputes with the brand.

Her manager quickly tried to calm her down. “You’re overthinking it.”

Feng Jing pressed her lips together. “Traffic really makes a difference, huh? The price is several times higher. Just sitting there, doing nothing. She hasn’t even taken any proper acting lessons…”

Her manager had no choice but to persuade her again. “Come on, you know you two aren’t even in the same category. Haven’t you figured it out after all these years? How many boys and girls debut through talent shows each year? They get squeezed dry by their companies for a couple of years, barely have time to improve themselves, and before they know it, their fans have moved on, and the company has a new trainee to push. Do you really think she’ll still have roles to act in by then? Can an idol last until their fifties or sixties? Two years—her commercial value will be completely drained. The production team isn’t stupid. What you have is long-term stability.”

Feng Jing fell silent.

Just then, the sound of a car engine approached.

Probably another visitor to the set.

Feng Jing didn’t even bother to turn her head.

But her manager, sitting beside her, let out a hushed exclamation. “Damn, this is the first time I’ve seen a Bugatti La Voiture Noire in real life…”

Feng Jing didn’t know much about cars. She knew luxury handbags better.

“So what if someone drives that?” she asked.

“This car made a sensation at last year’s UAE auto show—it’s the definition of a true luxury item. Priced at over ten million euros. And that’s before taxes,” her manager murmured, then started guessing aloud. “Could it be Young Master Yan from Sanjin? No, that doesn’t make sense. He isn’t favored enough in the Yan family to own something like this. There aren’t many people in Beijing who can afford this car.”

The car stopped just outside the set, neither driving away nor having anyone step out.

Feng Jing’s manager was puzzled.

Most others, however, weren’t as knowledgeable about cars, so after a brief glance, they simply turned away.