After Breaking Up with the Stoic CEO - Chapter 52

Chapter 52: Learning Materials

“Let me introduce everyone. This is President Li, the primary investor for our Echo project.”

“President Li has taken time out of her busy schedule to visit the set. Let’s all give her a warm welcome!”

Du Hengxu was from the Northeast; his height and frame were larger than the average person’s. However, he was clearly unprepared for the sudden visit from the financier. He instinctively hunched his shoulders and rubbed his hands together, appearing somewhat nervous and constrained.

In contrast, Li Jin was a native of Sichuan. Standing only 170 cm tall, her aura was exceptionally commanding. Simply by standing there, she exerted a pressure that made people hesitate to look her directly in the eye.

The actors present didn’t know exactly who this “President Li” was, but they all understood the significance of an investor to the production crew—she was someone who could not be offended. Thus, for a moment, everyone smiled and followed Du Hengxu’s lead, rising to greet her.

“Hello, President Li!”

“Good day, President Li!”

Lu Wu rose with the crowd, adding a neutral “Hello, President Li.” Her voice held no extra emotion, sandwiched between several flattering or fawning greetings, making her quite inconspicuous.

Once everyone had offered their greetings, it would have been customary for the investor to say a few auspicious words; after all, a hit movie translated into a return on investment. But Li Jin remained silent, delaying her speech. The atmosphere turned quiet and momentarily subtle.

Though he didn’t understand what was happening, Du Hengxu spoke up to smooth things over. “President Li, our location is a bit remote. You must be tired from the journey. Let me lead you to the lounge to rest first. Screenwriter Lu, you take everyone and continue the script read—”

Li Jin withdrew her gaze and interrupted him. “No need. It’s the same here.”

the assistant director across the table was a sharp one, accustomed to reading the room. He stepped back several paces without hesitation. “President Li, please sit here. I’ll move further down.”

Li Jin nodded slightly and took his seat. Du Hengxu was still stunned. “Here…”

Li Jin tapped the tabletop, her voice a reminder: “You all continue normally.”

Du Hengxu finally snapped out of it, sat in the head seat, and signaled for the others to sit as well. “Sit down, everyone. Just act as you normally would. Continue sorting out the characters and the plot.”

At his word, everyone sat back down. But after such an interruption, no one spoke first for a moment. Du Hengxu turned to Lu Wu. “Screenwriter Lu, where were we in the discussion?”

The assistant director’s seat happened to be directly opposite the screenwriter. Lu Wu didn’t want to meet those eyes, so she kept her head down, staring at the table. But there was no avoiding her; suddenly called upon by Du Hengxu, she answered instinctively.

“We were sorting out the emotional line between the two leads…”

As she looked up, her gaze inadvertently caught the other person’s neck. Between the slightly protruding laryngeal bones sat a small mole—she had kissed it, and she had touched it with her own hands. Putting aside other emotional factors, Li Jin was indeed very beautiful; her mere presence was enough to draw the eye.

Lu Wu pursed her lips, and the second half of her sentence stopped abruptly. Lin Shengjiao kindly spoke up to fill the gap.

“We just mentioned that Screenwriter Lu has emotional experience, and I wanted her to help us master the ambiguous chemistry between the two female leads as quickly as possible. Screenwriter Lu even said that ‘a good horse doesn’t turn back to eat old grass.’ I thought that was particularly interesting, hahahaha…”

Lin Shengjiao had a frank and straightforward personality. Bringing this up now was clearly meant to liven the mood. Everyone present laughed in agreement.

“Screenwriter Lu is really going all out for this movie.”

“She’s sacrificed too much! We’ll have to compensate her properly at the wrap party!”

The atmosphere was harmonious. Except for two people.

Li Jin’s gaze narrowed slightly, revealing no emotion. Lu Wu pressed her temples; her forehead throbbed, and she couldn’t bring herself to smile.

As a product of that contract years ago, the rights to Echo had always been in Li Jin’s hands. However, the Li Group’s investments had never touched the film and television industry. Even when the IP’s adaptation plan was made public, Lu Wu had simply assumed the rights had been sold to someone else. That was why she had agreed to serve as the screenwriter when the crew sent the invitation.

In her original plan, she only needed to do her job. If the filming went well and won awards, that would be best; if it missed the awards, it would at least guarantee the reputation of her work. It was a win-win. But the current situation was clearly not that simple.

Running into an ex at work was bad luck. To be teased by everyone in good-natured fun while under that indecipherable gaze made the bad luck a hundred times worse. Wasn’t Li Jin very busy? Where did she find the leisure to audit a minor script reading? Or did she take time out of her busy schedule specifically to see her ex-girlfriend’s embarrassment?

Oh, almost forgot. Not even an ex-girlfriend. Just a pastime.

Lu Wu took a deep breath, bringing the topic back on track as if nothing were wrong. “There are many learning materials regarding the emotions between two women. I can send them to everyone privately. Let’s end this part here. Does anyone have any questions about the general plot framework?”

With the lead speaking, everyone settled down. Someone asked a serious question: “Screenwriter Lu, regarding the scene with Yang Yuanshu and Lu Zhixiu in the disaster zone…”

But before that—

“Can Screenwriter Lu send me a copy as well?”

“The learning materials.”

The financier, who had been silent, suddenly spoke. the person asking the question consciously swallowed the rest of their sentence.

Lu Wu paused, her tone steady. “Alright. I will have Director Du forward it to you.”

Li Jin also appeared natural, her voice flat. “I don’t have his contact information. Just add me directly.”

Lu Wu frowned, looking directly into those cold eyes for the first time. “It’s not very convenient. My work WeChat is already full.”

She knew Li Jin; the woman had always been proud. If this were just a game, this level of rejection should have been enough of a counterattack. However, in the next second, the other woman’s phone was handed over, the QR code swaying in front of her.

“Then your private WeChat.”

In front of everyone, Lu Wu couldn’t say anything too harsh. She scanned the QR code, set her phone aside, and prepared to continue. But Li Jin, uncharacteristically like a piece of sticky candy, followed up immediately.

“Nothing is showing on my end. Did Screenwriter Lu approve it?”

Lu Wu tapped “Accept,” saying with a fake smile, “Oh, I missed the button just now.”

The notification for a new friend sounded, and Li Jin finally seemed satisfied, saying nothing more. The discussion proceeded normally. Midway through, Lu Wu felt too stifled and went out alone to breathe some fresh air.

She stood at the corner of the stairs. the cold wind from the window blew in, hitting her face lightly and clearing her head. But while the dull pain in her brain eased, an uncomfortable feeling welled up in her heart.

As for the reason—in the days following their breakup, Lu Wu hadn’t given up, shamelessly sending Li Jin numerous messages. She reflected on her faults and pleaded for a chance to meet again, truly humbling herself to the dust. At first, the other party didn’t reply; later, she was blocked directly. the only link between them was severed.

It took Lu Wu a long time to accept the fact that Li Jin felt nothing for her. It wasn’t until she stood on that glamorous awards stage the following year that she finally resolved to say goodbye to the past and deleted her from her WeChat list. Now, a mere WeChat contact didn’t mean much, but the situation was still grating.

Lu Wu opened the chat interface and decisively hit the “Delete Friend” button.

According to the process, after sorting the plot, everyone gave their insights on their characters. By the time the reading session ended, it was five o’clock. Li Jin had audited the entire session in silence, and Du Hengxu couldn’t tell if she was satisfied or not.

He and the assistant director exchanged several looks before he tentatively spoke up. “It’s almost dinner time. There’s a Chinese restaurant nearby that uses all-natural ingredients—mountain-raised pork and termite mushrooms. the taste is quite good. Does President Li have time to come try it with us?”

It was a casual question, but surprisingly, Li Jin actually agreed. “I can.”

Du Hengxu was excited. It seemed the financier was satisfied with the movie. If he stayed with her and she was happy, she might even add more investment. He smiled so wide his mouth almost wouldn’t close, then turned to the others. “Everyone should be free, right? Let’s all get together for a bit, make it lively—consider it a good start for the movie.”

Everyone responded, “Okay.”

Only Lu Wu packed her script materials and stood up. “Director Du, I won’t be going. I still have some matters to handle.”

Du Hengxu thought about it; the actors and director were enough to show respect, and the screenwriter’s presence didn’t make much difference. “Alright, then you go ahead with your business. I won’t see you off.”

“Okay. Have fun, everyone.”

Lu Wu didn’t look at Li Jin from start to finish. She smiled and said goodbye to everyone present, then turned and walked out. the car was in the parking lot downstairs, not far away. As soon as Lu Wu went down, a loud argument could be heard from a distance.

Walking over, she saw Xiao Yin standing in the middle of a crowd, arguing with someone. Lu Wu approached and asked, “What’s going on?”

Seeing Lu Wu arrive, Xiao Yin seemed to find her pillar of support. With a flushed face, she said, “Sister Lu, this kid slashed our tire. His parent refuses to admit it and won’t take responsibility.”

Lu Wu followed her gaze. the car tire was completely flat, with a small utility knife still stuck in it. Not far away, a man in a suit was on the phone, while a small boy poked his head out from behind him and stuck his tongue out at them.

Lu Wu understood the situation, nodded, her gaze steady and calm. “I see. Let me handle it.”

Her voice wasn’t intentionally lowered, so the man naturally heard her. He looked her up and down, his tone somewhat disdainful.

“And who might you be? A woman driving such an expensive car—obviously some starlet kept by a rich man.”

Lu Wu looked down at the footage on the dashcam, ignoring him. the man found her lack of reaction dull and threw out a threat.

“I don’t care which starlet you are. My brother is a director here. I said my son is innocent, and you’re still trying to frame him. I’ve already called him. Just wait to be blacklisted!”

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