“But in the end, the issue was resolved successfully,” Zhou Peiyun said nonchalantly. “Actors don’t really care if they’re attacked. What matters most is their fame and reputation. Even if it’s because of degrading comments, they’re still getting attention. The worst thing is being invisible, not having anyone know who you are. Despite all the hate from the internet trolls, you ended up winning. Yan Junyi’s clarification on Weibo helped push you to the hot search as well. Now, you’re getting plenty of positive attention. In the end, it’s a blessing in disguise. Once the K Family’s couple’s watch ad that you two collaborated on is released, you’ll likely experience another wave of fan excitement. A lot of people would kill for that. So, be content.”

Su Yaya stuck her tongue out, conceding. Well, at least she had benefited from it in the end.

“Alright, it’s getting late. I should go now. I’ll bring the assistant tomorrow.” Zhou Peiyun glanced at her watch and reminded Su Yaya before heading out.

After Zhou Peiyun left, Su Yaya gathered the dishes and took them to the kitchen to wash. She was grateful for the dishwasher; it spared her from doing the washing by hand, saving her delicate hands.

Her hands were beautiful—slender, gentle, with cleanly trimmed nails that had a soft pink hue. They were the kind of hands that deserved careful care; no one could bear to see them damaged.

In her rush this morning, she hadn’t had time for a full facial, but now she had returned to her routine, finishing an hour later.

Su Yaya picked up her phone and opened WeChat, finding Chen Xiuqi’s number. She quickly sent him a message.

Yaya: Hubby, I already miss you even though you’ve only been gone a few hours. When are you coming back? [sends a cute emoji]

She waited, but there was no reply. She had no idea if he had seen the message yet.

Su Yaya thought about calling him but hesitated. She recalled his serious face earlier that morning. He’d clearly been dealing with a difficult problem. If she called now, she might just interrupt him. She decided against it, putting her phone down.

Su Yaya decided not to disturb Chen Xiuqi for now. Instead, she went to find the script for Flourishing Palace. She had already gone through it once and was now reading it again. The script was filled with her notes, highlighted passages, and various annotations. It was clear how seriously she was taking her role.

Flourishing Palace had originally been a novel about the intrigues and power struggles within a palace, focusing on the legendary life of the female lead, Senior Concubine Tong. Su Yaya particularly enjoyed playing the role of the second female lead. She quickly became absorbed in the script, losing herself in the world of the story.

Time passed unnoticed. When Su Yaya finally snapped out of her reading trance, she saw that it was already dark outside—8 p.m.

Panicking slightly, she put the script away, made herself a quick meal, and then rested for a while. Afterward, she went to the bathroom to freshen up. She had makeup photos scheduled for the next day and wanted to look refreshed and full of energy. After completing her skincare routine, she went to bed early, hoping to get a good night’s sleep.

She slept soundly through the night.

The next morning, Su Yaya was woken by the alarm. After dressing and rinsing off, Zhou Peiyun arrived with an assistant in tow. The assistant, Xiao Yu, was a girl in her early twenties with a baby face and round eyes. She always wore a sweet smile and greeted Su Yaya with a cheerful, “Sister Yaya.”

Hearing her call her that, Su Yaya thought of the online celebrity Xiao You, who also called her “Sister Yaya,” but with a much sweeter tone than Xiao Yu’s.

“I’ll be relying on you in the future,” Su Yaya said kindly.

“No worries at all!” Xiao Yu replied. “It’s my job to take care of you, Sister Yaya. I couldn’t sleep last night because I was so excited about being your assistant. I’m a huge fan of yours!”

Su Yaya smiled and turned to Zhou Peiyun. She really wanted to ask where she had found such an interesting assistant.

Zhou Peiyun raised her eyebrows and said, “The company arranged for Xiao Yu to be your assistant. She’ll be taking care of you from now on.”

Su Yaya made an “okay” gesture, seemingly accepting the arrangement.

After that, the three of them walked out the door. Xiao Yu drove the car, with Zhou Peiyun sitting in the passenger seat and Su Yaya in the back. As they drove, Zhou Peiyun turned around to talk to Su Yaya about what she needed to pay attention to and the procedure for the makeup photos. Su Yaya listened carefully and took her words to heart.

Soon, they arrived at their destination. Coincidentally, Director Zhou Tongguang and Producer Yu Hui were also there. Zhou Peiyun quickly led Su Yaya over to greet them.

“Hello, Director Zhou, Producer Yu.”

Zhou Tongguang gave her a cold glance, not paying much attention. He turned to look at Yu Hui, seemingly wondering who she was.

However, Yu Hui recognized Zhou Peiyun. He smiled warmly and said, “You must be Su Yaya’s manager. Are you here for the makeup photos?”

“Yes,” Zhou Peiyun replied with a smile. “Yaya is very hardworking.”

At her words, Director Zhou Tongguang gave a cold humph, his face clearly expressing disdain.

Su Yaya clearly heard the humph, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw the expression on Director Zhou’s face.

She heard him coldly say, “Don’t change just yet. First, act out the scene where the second female lead, Imperial Concubine Shu, is sent to the cold palace by the Emperor and kneels on the ground, begging for mercy.”

=^_^=

The author has something to say:  Zhou Tongguang: “Let’s begin by acting out the scene where the second female concubine is thrown into the cold palace by the emperor. She kneels down and begs for mercy.”

Shen Xiuqi: “Kneel down for me first!”