Slap…

Su Man slapped the coffee table. “These people are too much.”

She raised her eyes and saw Wang Xiaoke wolfing down a bowl of instant noodles. “As if the emperor isn’t in a hurry, but the eunuch is!”

Su Man muttered under her breath, feeling deflated like a hydrogen balloon pricked by a needle. She collapsed weakly onto the couch, exhausted.

“Aren’t you going to stand up for yourself? You’re really useless.” Despite her reluctance, Su Man couldn’t help but add another comment.

“My dad was there, I couldn’t make a move,” Wang Xiaoke mumbled through the noodles, her words unclear.

Su Man’s sharp nails almost dug into Wang Xiaoke’s temples as her face clearly showed her frustration, reading like “You’re hopeless!”

“I can’t believe you’re still writing scripts. With all your experience in screenwriting, you should know that the most rational thing to do in a family feud is to hold your temper for a moment.”

“It’s not like I didn’t hold it in, but reality is more sudden than expected. Besides, with the situation at the time, who could have controlled their temper?” Wang Xiaoke propped her face up with one hand, staring vacantly ahead.

“I can tell even without you saying it. I just couldn’t resist lecturing you a bit more.”

Su Man, frustrated with her friend’s actions, began to lecture, “Look at what you’ve done now. You managed to push your dad, who should be on your side, over to their side. Don’t you have any brains?”

“Don’t you know how to act cute and play the good girl? If you can’t do that, at least act a little pitiful to win some sympathy from the crowd. It’ll help you earn some goodwill in front of your dad. Once you’ve built up enough favor, you can rip off the masks of those hypocrites, and see how they act then.”

“Are you saying I should go back and try to please my dad?” Wang Xiaoke blinked her bright eyes and looked at her friend seriously.

“Of course not. You’re heartbroken right now, right? Just go up to him shamelessly and try to please him. Don’t even mention your dad—I’d think it’s weird if I were watching.”

“Let’s make him worry a little first.” Su Man clearly liked to take control of the situation, shaking her head in disapproval. “We need to plan carefully when it comes to dealing with trash like him.”

Wang Xiaoke sighed in relief. “That’s good. I’ve already run away and had a falling out with him. Going back now would be too embarrassing.”

“Since you’re so pitiful, you can stay at my place for now.” Su Man suggested.

Wang Xiaoke thought for a moment. She really had nowhere else to go.

“Su Man, you’re the best.” Wang Xiaoke rushed over to give her a big, enthusiastic hug.

“Hold on.” Su Man quickly took two steps back and kept a safe distance from her. “You can stay here, but just so you know, I expect rent. I’m not looking to support a freeloader.”

“Of course, that’s only natural.” Wang Xiaoke was just happy to have a roof over her head.

Moreover, she was very familiar with Su Man’s sharp tongue and soft heart. Su Man’s mention of rent was just her way of making herself feel justified for letting Wang Xiaoke stay. The rent would be just a token amount, nothing more.

“And that script you owe me, you need to finish it today,” Su Man said as she stood up to pour herself a glass of water.

“My draft is on my computer,” Wang Xiaoke hesitated for a moment before obediently adding, “The computer is at home.”

“Spit!”

Su Man immediately sprayed the water she had just sipped. “What did you say? What about my script? I promised Director Zheng I’d have it in his hands by tomorrow at the latest!”

“You can’t expect me to climb back over the wall and go home now, can you? If we get caught, we’d both lose face,” Wang Xiaoke tried to reason with her, appealing to her emotions.

“Since you caused this mess, you should come with me to see Director Zheng tomorrow,” Su Man’s mind worked quickly, and she came up with a solution on the spot.

“Huh?” Wang Xiaoke froze.

Su Man, what is going on in that head of yours? This turn of events is a little hard to accept!

Seeing Wang Xiaoke’s confused expression, Su Man explained, “I recommended you to write this script, and Director Zheng also mentioned that he hopes to have the opportunity to discuss the storyline with you. But considering it might affect your writing style, I politely declined at that time.”

It was clear now that Su Man wanted her to go and apologize. Wang Xiaoke immediately understood and thought to herself that she could lower her pride for this.

Su Man continued, “Anyway, you can’t just produce a ready-made script, so you might as well take this opportunity to redeem yourself. Discuss it with him, stimulate your brain, and maybe you’ll learn something. It’s better than staying at home all day, living like a lazy old woman in her sixties.”

Wang Xiaoke immediately rejected the idea, “Wait, Man Man, you’ve disliked me for a long time, haven’t you? You’re so eager to push me out there.”

Su Man crossed her arms, raised an eyebrow, and looked Wang Xiaoke up and down with obvious disdain.

“What kind of look is that? Don’t think I don’t know, you’re just jealous of my beauty,” Wang Xiaoke, under the pressure of Su Man’s gaze, gave in and decided to strike first.

“Tch!” Su Man didn’t try to hide her contempt. She grabbed Wang Xiaoke by the collar and pulled her toward the mirror. With her height disadvantage of only 1.57 meters, Wang Xiaoke had no choice but to comply.

“Take a good look at yourself!” Su Man pointed at Wang Xiaoke’s reflection in the mirror, her words sharp and cutting. “Who is this disheveled, pale-faced person with no sense of style, looking like a shriveled-up old woman?”

The girl in the mirror was wearing a loose, casual long skirt. The contrast between the wide skirt and her slender frame, along with the slippers she was wearing, made her resemble the character Sadako from the TV screen in an uncanny way.

Her long, black hair was a bit messy, and her pale complexion… Well, considering the events from last night, it wasn’t exactly a flattering topic, so she decided not to mention it.

Wang Xiaoke stood there with her mouth slightly open, staring at herself in the mirror, at a loss for words.

“Do you still think you’re beautiful?” Su Man asked leisurely, watching Wang Xiaoke’s reaction.

Wang Xiaoke replied, “Well… let’s get back to the original topic.”

In the end, Wang Xiaoke couldn’t escape Su Man’s relentless tactics and reluctantly surrendered.

The next day, Su Man woke Wang Xiaoke up early.

As soon as Wang Xiaoke finished washing up, she saw Su Man holding five or six outfits.

“These should suit you better. Try them on, let me have a look,” Su Man’s voice was commanding.

“Just pick one, aren’t you in a hurry for work?” Wang Xiaoke’s scalp tingles at the sight of Su Man’s determined stance.

“No, if you just pick randomly, you’re not just embarrassing yourself, you’re embarrassing me too,” Su Man insisted.

Wang Xiaoke thought to herself, “I’m starting to regret having this friend. What do I do now?”