After Divorcing the Scummy Alpha Movie Queen, I Became Extremely Popular - Chapter 27

Tan Jizhu, I Don’t Need You

The others looked toward Luo Jingyun. They all knew that this person had been persistently pestering Tan Jizhu, yet Tan Jizhu had almost never mentioned her in public, only for things to eventually spiral down to the point of divorce. As if that wasn’t enough, after the divorce, the two of them ended up participating in the same variety show. Not to mention the netizens, even the few of them were extremely curious; they were filming the show while quietly “eating melons,” gathering at night to discuss the relationship between Tan Jizhu, Luo Jingyun, and Chen Shidong.

When the program team announced that Luo Jingyun had won first place and gained the right to be the first to choose a teammate, they all assumed Luo Jingyun would choose Tan Jizhu. However, to everyone’s surprise, Luo Jingyun chose Park Soo-ah, and Tan Jizhu chose Chen Shidong. This meant the others couldn’t gain exposure by teaming up with Chen Shidong or Tan Jizhu, so they had to huddle together to fight for more screen time.

One of them asked, “Jingyun, then what are your thoughts?”

Luo Jingyun said, “I think we need to lower the price.”

“How can we lower the price? After we sell them, we can help the manufacturer with promotion; this isn’t something that can be settled for a dozen or so yuan.” They tried to pull Tan Jizhu and Chen Shidong into the same camp. “Take Seniors Tan and Chen, for example—their status in the entertainment industry is so high that sometimes even money can’t get them to endorse a product. And yet, you want to lower the price? Are you lowering the price of apples? This is lowering your own worth!”

Before Luo Jingyun could argue back, Chen Shidong spoke up first. “What’s all this about ‘worth’? It’s not that serious. In my eyes, apples are more important than those luxury goods. At least you can eat an apple; can you eat those luxury goods?”

The others did not give up. “But our goal is to help Tongxi Village sell apples. If we lower the price, won’t there be no profit?”

Luo Jingyun said, “When I say lowering the price, it’s definitely under the premise of ensuring we don’t lose money. Perhaps originally we could make a 5-yuan profit; I just want to lower it to a 4-yuan profit.”

“Even if it’s still profitable, the profit is less. Isn’t that still lowering the price?”

“My so-called price reduction comes with conditions,” Luo Jingyun pointed at the apples. “Tongxi Village isn’t the only place with apples; they are grown in many places across the country. Since there are so many choices, why would a manufacturer specifically choose Tongxi Village? Your method of using ‘celebrity effects’ to attract buyers is indeed one way. It might work for a year or two, but what about ten or twenty years later? Can you guarantee you’ll persist with this consistently? What happens to the apples then?”

The others looked at each other. Everyone had career plans and commercial endorsements, but those certainly did not include endorsing agricultural by-products. In their circle, people took pride in endorsing luxury goods or jewelry; this kind of thing would turn them into a laughingstock.

Luo Jingyun continued, “Even I can’t guarantee that I will help Tongxi Village promote every year in the future, so I think we can reduce some profit to sign a long-term contract with a manufacturer. This would form a supply chain and ensure that Tongxi Village’s apples can be sold every year.”

The others pondered for a moment but still couldn’t agree. They said, “No, we absolutely cannot lower the price. If we can’t reach a consensus, we can split into groups.”

Luo Jingyun was somewhat speechless. “We can’t split into groups. Our goal is the same; we should be united.”

Perhaps not wanting to argue any further, they asked Liu Yuqi directly, “Director, can we sell the apples separately?”

Liu Yuqi shook her head from behind the camera. “It’s better not to.”

While the two sides were at a stalemate, Chen Shidong suggested, “In that case, let’s decide by a vote. The minority follows the majority.”

Park Soo-ah said, “But there are eight of us here. What if there’s a tie?”

“Yeah, we can’t exactly ask one of us to abstain.”

Park Soo-ah stood next to Luo Jingyun and said, “Anyway, I definitely won’t abstain.”

One of them pointed at Liu Yuqi. “The director can participate in the vote, or a staff member can come over to vote. That way, with nine people, there will definitely be a result.”

Liu Yuqi pointed to the person next to her and said, “We staff members won’t participate. However, Teacher Peng Yi from the Tongxi Village Primary School has come to the market with us to purchase supplies. We can let her participate in the vote.”

Peng Yi stepped forward; she was the teacher who had previously guided the guests on how to turn the soil.

“I heard everyone’s discussion just now, so let’s begin the vote.” Having frequently organized activities for students, Peng Yi handled this with ease. “Those who support raising the price, stand to the right. Those who support lowering the price, stand to the left. Everyone, let’s get moving.”

As soon as Peng Yi finished speaking, the other four guests huddled together and stood on the right, indicating their support for raising the price. Park Soo-ah immediately stood with Luo Jingyun on the left.

Chen Shidong looked at the situation on the field. “I support Jingyun’s idea.”

Peng Yi followed her over. “Yes, me too.”

“Oh, now the score on the field is four to four.” Liu Yuqi’s voice was full of excitement. This kind of choice-based segment was perfect for editing as a selling point!

“So, Jizhu, as the last person who hasn’t made a choice yet, your vote is crucial. Now, make your choice!”

Tan Jizhu stood in the middle. Without any hesitation, she walked to the left. “I also support Luo Jingyun’s side.”

Luo Jingyun was somewhat surprised. she thought that based on the relationship between her and Tan Jizhu, this person would definitely not support her. But then she reconsidered—since Chen Shidong supported her, Tan Jizhu would definitely follow along.

Liu Yuqi announced, “Alright, the results are in. Everyone, let’s sell the apples according to Jingyun’s idea!”

Even though those four people were somewhat dissatisfied, the result of the vote was out. Tan Jizhu and Chen Shidong—the two most famous people—had both supported Luo Jingyun, so opposing further would make them look too “special.”

The market grew more and more crowded and gradually became lively. It was the time for selling agricultural products, and manufacturers soon arrived to make purchases.

After briefly explaining her ideas, the manufacturer was very supportive of establishing a production supply chain and invited Luo Jingyun to find a place to chat in detail.

“Wait, Jingyun,” Tan Jizhu suddenly spoke up. “I’m not worried about you going alone. I’ll accompany you.”

“Tan Jizhu, I don’t need you.” Luo Jingyun waved her hand with great disdain. “I can go by myself.”

Liu Yuqi, Chen Shidong, and Park Soo-ah all walked over and advised, “Jingyun, it’s not safe for you to go alone. It’s better to bring a few more people with you.”

“Fine,” Luo Jingyun compromised. “Then let Soo-ah come with me.”

“I want to go too.” Hearing this result, Tan Jizhu strongly requested that she go as well.

“What are you going for?”

“To protect your safety!”

“I have Soo-ah to accompany me, that’s enough.”

“She’s a Beta, how can she protect you?”

Park Soo-ah stepped forward. “Senior, I may be a Beta, but I have undergone systematic training. My physical strength is no worse than an Alpha’s!”

Liu Yuqi rubbed her temples and made the final decision. “Alright, alright, stop arguing. Why don’t the four of you go together?”

“Four?” Chen Shidong pointed to herself. “This fourth one… it wouldn’t be me, would it?”

“Yes, you are the fourth. You guys head out quickly; we’ll wait here.”

Chen Shidong was shocked and bewildered, but finally accepted her fate and led the team forward. Witnessing the scene of Tan Jizhu and Luo Jingyun arguing, she finally understood why, after all of Tan Jizhu’s hard work, she had only received a bottle of sunscreen.

The party of four, plus several staff members from the program team, was such a grand procession that they didn’t look like they were negotiating an apple deal, but rather like they were going to pick a fight. The negotiation process went quite smoothly. Luo Jingyun had originally planned to sign a long-term contract with the manufacturer by lowering the price, but she hadn’t expected that the manufacturer’s estimated psychological price wasn’t low; the converted price for the three types of apples was about the same as the price provided by the villagers. The manufacturer even proposed to go directly into the village for future procurement, which eliminated transportation costs and increased profits.

Returning with the contract, Liu Yuqi was very curious about the result. The purpose of “Journey of the Cultivating Heart” was for Tongxi Village to have good development. The methods proposed by the other guests were only effective in the short term and could not guarantee long-term income; fortunately, Luo Jingyun had proposed forming a production chain. Now, the village wouldn’t have to worry about apple stagnation for a long time.

“How was it? How was it?”

Luo Jingyun brought the contract over. “It’s all settled.”

Liu Yuqi looked at the specific details on the contract. “Wow, you guys are too amazing! Not only did you sign a long-term contract, but the price remains consistent with the original.”

Park Soo-ah said, “Actually, it was mainly Jingyun doing the talking. The three of us just stood behind her, acting as bodyguards.”

The other guests also crowded around. “So you mean, all the apples have been sold?”

Luo Jingyun smiled. “Yes, we can rest now.”

The few who hadn’t supported Luo Jingyun before were not stingy with their praise. “Luo Jingyun is indeed quite capable. She saved us so much time. I thought it would take a long time to sell all these apples.”

Luo Jingyun was a bit embarrassed by the praise. “Oh, stop praising me. I just learned some negotiation techniques in university and applied that knowledge.”

“No matter what, you are the hero of Tongxi Village.” Liu Yuqi said, “Then, congratulations to everyone for completing the task early! Let’s wait for Teacher Peng Yi to finish her shopping, and then we’ll head back to Tongxi Village.”

Peng Yi said, “Director, there are quite a lot of things to buy this time. Can someone help me?”

Liu Yuqi nodded. “Sure, sure. I’ll go with you…”

Before she could finish, Luo Jingyun raised her hand as enthusiastically as a primary school student eager to answer a question. “Teacher Peng, I’ll go shopping with you.”

Peng Yi smiled. “That’s good. Director Liu, you’re quite busy with coordination and all; let Jingyun come with me.”

“That works too. Let Jingyun accompany you then.”

Luo Jingyun whispered to the person beside her, “Soo-ah, is there anything you need me to bring back for you?”

After suffering for several weeks, Park Soo-ah didn’t hesitate at all. “Bring me a bottle of a sweet drink; as long as it’s sweet, it’s fine.”

“Got it!” Giving an OK gesture, Luo Jingyun jogged to catch up with Peng Yi.

On the way there, Peng Yi expressed her gratitude. “Jingyun, thank you for helping the village so much.”

“It’s what I should do.”

Peng Yi asked, “You’re going to the small shop to buy snacks, right? If there’s anything you want to eat, I’ll help you buy it.”

“Eh?” Luo Jingyun scratched her head. “How did Teacher Peng know I was going to buy snacks?”

“You’ve already called me ‘Teacher.’ I can spot even the slightest movement from a student; your behavior just now was too typical.”

Luo Jingyun gave an awkward laugh. “Hehe, I’ve been eating home-cooked meals in the village these past few days, and I’m really craving some snacks. Teacher, you won’t tell on me, will you?”

“I won’t. Go buy them.”

The small shop at the market had a fairly rich variety, though the brands on the shelves were all ones Luo Jingyun had never heard of. With a “give it a try” attitude, she bought some snacks for herself and a sweet drink for Park Soo-ah.

“Teacher Peng, let me pay for everything together.”

Peng Yi declined. “No, no. The school approved funds for me; I can’t use your money.”

“It’s fine, it’s not much in total. I’ll just pay for it all.”

“It really won’t do,” Peng Yi still refused. “You’ve already helped the village so much. It would be wrong to let you pay.”

“But…”

“Jingyun, please give the village a chance to thank you.”

Being pushed back like this, Luo Jingyun didn’t say much more and only paid for her own things. She decided that when she went back, she would discuss it with her mothers and donate to the Tongxi Village Primary School.

Just as they were about to leave after settling the bill, Peng Yi suddenly remembered something. “Jingyun, wait for me a moment. I’m going to pick out a few red pens.”

“Mm-hmm, I’ll wait for you here.” Luo Jingyun stood in front of the shop counter holding her snacks. The owner was watching a television in the corner, and she watched a bit too out of boredom.

Peng Yi quickly made her selection and walked to the counter to pay. The owner glanced over. “5 pens for 10 yuan.”

“Here.”

“This station reports that recently, two suspects involved in a kidnapping and extortion case have fled to avoid punishment; their whereabouts are unknown. Citizens are asked to remain vigilant. If you encounter the two suspects shown in the pictures, please contact the police immediately.”

The owner took the 10 yuan and continued watching TV. Luo Jingyun also stared at the screen without blinking. Just as she wanted to see what the criminals looked like, Peng Yi picked up half of the items and called out, “Jingyun, we should head back. Let’s go!”

“Coming!” Holding her own snacks and the other half of the items, Luo Jingyun followed Peng Yi outside.

After taking two steps, she instinctively looked back, trying out of curiosity to see the faces of the two criminals in the report. Unfortunately, the angle was wrong, and she saw nothing.