After Reuniting with My Aloof Movie Queen Childhood Friend - Chapter 19

Ji Youyi was in a daze when she got into the car.

She felt like this situation defied all logic. In all her years, she had hugged people more times than she could count. Just a few days ago at the wrap party, a girl had cried saying she’d miss her, and Ji Youyi had held her to comfort her. When she looked up, a crowd of people was watching with teary eyes, asking, “Director Ji, can we have a hug too?” She ended up hugging every single one of them.

But now, she was actually… feeling lightheaded from a hug from Meng Xingshu??

Why?

First of all, this was a kind, good-hearted girl who was offering a gesture of comfort and humanitarian care after providing help. Secondly, her breathing hadn’t been restricted at any point.

And yet… she felt like the oxygen was getting thinner and thinner, and her legs went weak.

Meng Xingshu was the first to let go.

Ji Youyi’s head was spinning and her feet felt like cotton. She stumbled, and Meng Xingshu caught her with both hands, asking in a low voice, “Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

Her brain short-circuited completely, and she actually blurted out: “You smell so good.”

…What on earth was she saying!!

Ji Youyi’s face flushed hot. She had originally wanted to ask why Meng Xingshu appeared on such a dilapidated street, but now she was too embarrassed to ask anything. She rolled down the car window and inhaled fresh air for a long time, yet it felt as if her lungs were still filled with Meng Xingshu’s scent.

This state lasted until they arrived at the police station, where Ji Youyi’s attention was finally successfully diverted.

Once the questioning of both parties concluded, they entered the mediation phase. Meng Xingshu, seemingly in a hurry, chose to refuse mediation. She had already contacted a lawyer to proceed directly with a lawsuit. However, Ji Youyi felt she should at least say a few words, so she followed the police officer to see Qiu Xiaoya first.

Meng Xingshu didn’t say more, she walked quietly behind Ji Youyi. When Ji Youyi took a seat, Meng Xingshu pulled out the chair beside her and sat down, remaining silent throughout.

Qiu Xiaoya’s hatred for Ji Youyi was irrationally firm. She refused to apologize and repeatedly emphasized: “Ji Youyi is a slut! What’s wrong with hitting a slut? Sluts hurt my ‘Brother,’ I just wanted to teach her a lesson!”

“Watch your language!” The officer barked, rapping the desk as a warning.

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Ji Youyi waved her hand hurriedly, smiling at the officer to show she didn’t mind.

She looked at Qiu Xiaoya with a helpless tone. “Young lady, you say I ‘hurt’ him, but have my actions caused him even a shred of actual harm? He’s still a top-tier star, he has his popularity, his fans, and his money. On the contrary, I was fired by the company, I can barely afford to eat, and I live in a dump like that.”

“That’s because you deserve it! People like you should just die!”

“Okay, okay, let’s not talk about me.” Ji Youyi didn’t want to argue about that, she followed the girl’s logic. “I know you care about your ‘Brother,’ but shouldn’t you consider yourself a bit more?”

Ji Youyi had looked into Qiu Xiaoya’s background briefly. She was a girl not even twenty years old, who started working after graduating from a vocational school. With little education and limited life experience, her mind wasn’t mature enough. She was obsessed with her idol, and all the money she earned went to supporting him.

She was slightly similar to the “Little Ji Youyi”, both were so deceived by the beautiful facade of an idol that they lost themselves. One chose to attack others, the other chose to destroy herself.

Ji Youyi said, “Think about it. By sticking your neck out for him, what benefit do you get? You injured me, so you’ll be detained and have to pay medical bills. If you had killed me, you’d have to pay with your own life. Is it really worth it?”

As a director, Ji Youyi often had heart to heart talks with her crew. Once she started talking, she sounded exactly like a veteran school dean.

“If you don’t want to apologize, then forget it. You have your own beliefs, and I respect that. But I think you must realize one thing.”

“You aren’t wrong for hating me, and you aren’t wrong for hitting me. You are wrong because, in a society ruled by law, you shouldn’t intentionally infringe upon the personal rights of others.”

“I will pursue tonight’s matter to the end. It’s not targeting you, nor is it out of hatred or revenge. I just hope you realize that public safety is maintained by everyone. Because hurting an defenseless person is just too easy! If you could hurt someone today and go unpunished, then tomorrow, you might be the one getting hurt by someone else.”

“You’re only twenty, young and strong. You have so many possibilities in your future. Don’t snuff them out yourself, okay?”

Qiu Xiaoya looked at her with a cold sneer. “What possibilities? I’m just trash. If I die, I die.”

“That’s not true. You have the ability to support yourself, and you have the ability to do so much for someone you like. You’re already very capable, how could you be trash?”

Ji Youyi looked back into Qiu Xiaoya’s eyes, her words sincere. “The path is forged by yourself. Don’t let yourself rot in the mud. You can walk out of it, truly.”

Suddenly, Qiu Xiaoya’s emotions flared up. She lunged from her chair toward Ji Youyi.

Meng Xingshu leaned forward, blocking Ji Youyi. Seeing the girl being restrained by the police, she backed away inconspicuously and leaned back into her chair, relinquishing her line of sight. Her cold, sharp eyes looked down slightly, her expression indifferent as if she had merely adjusted her seating position.

“What right do you have to judge me! What do you know? Do you know what kind of life I’ve had since I was a kid? Do you know what Zhou Wenchen means to me? No one loves me! No one cares about me! Except for him, no one loves me anymore!”

The restrained Qiu Xiaoya struggled, screaming as tears fell. “I have to protect him! I have to protect him well, he only has us! And I only have him…”

The conversation could no longer continue. Ji Youyi stood up and left.

In the traffic economy, the most important lesson is psychology.

Market friendly personas, mass-produced hormones, news of unknown authenticity, inciting wars, exploiting “protective” fan instincts, and weeding out dissent, as long as you can refine the most easily controlled group of fans, you can profit effortlessly.

The so-called “emotional value” is using fans’ emotions to manufacture value. Capital takes all the benefits, while fans hollow themselves out, content just to hold onto those two words: “emotional value.”

Ji Youyi had no intention of taking responsibility for someone else’s life, she had plenty of her own matters to attend to. She stood at the entrance of the police station, looking out at the dim night. Just as she was about to walk out, she was suddenly held by the person beside her.

Meng Xingshu gripped her wrist. “Go get an exam.”

“Huh?” Meng Xingshu’s fingers felt like a heat source pressed against her skin, causing a jolt in Ji Youyi. She had spent the whole night trying to ignore Meng Xingshu’s powerful presence, she instinctively pulled her hand away and tucked it behind her back. “No need, I’m fine.”

She had only been dragged away for a short while, and before she could even use her first rate escape skills, Meng Xingshu had shown up and flipped the guy over. What could possibly be wrong?

Meng Xingshu put her hand back into her trench coat pocket, her fingers, still holding the lingering sensation of contact, curling slightly. Her expression remained flat. “It’s for the injury assessment. The process requires it.”

Ji Youyi went silent.

For some reason, Meng Xingshu seemed to really want to escalate this matter. She didn’t seem worried at all about how the negative news would affect Zhou Wenchen once it broke. On the way to the station, she had already arranged a lawyer, her efficiency was staggering.

Could it be that she wanted to clean up the “fandom culture”? That was the only reason Ji Youyi could think of. The demonization of fandom was a serious issue, and wanting to rectify it was indeed a good thing.

The Great Film Queen is indeed a great person! Putting justice above personal ties!

Ji Youyi naturally cooperated. She gave her authorization on the spot and hopped into Meng Xingshu’s car to go to the hospital for a full check-up.

She had quite a few flesh wounds, bruises and purplish marks in several places and her head was scraped, with a large bump forming.

The medical staff left after cleaning her wounds, and she had to wait for a while for some test results. She waited alone, bored, and took out her phone to check messages. There were several missed calls from Wu Buxing, and one from Li Zhulan.

After the screenwriter Li Zhulan woke up from her hangover the day after the wrap party, she had watched her own dancing video thanks to Ji Youyi’s “friendly” reminder. Her already fragile dignity had shattered, and she had been hiding for days to recover. Now, she seemed to have emerged from hibernation.

Ji Youyi sent her congratulations.

“Little Ji Baby! Are you finally resting? I have great news for you!” Li Zhulan sounded like she was in excellent spirits.

Ji Youyi smiled. “Go ahead.”

“I figured out how to change the title!”

Previously, they were filming a romance, so the title Life as if First Seen was appropriate. But since the main plot had shifted, the two had discussed changing it. Li Zhulan had racked her brains to no avail, but after a few days of rest, she had a sudden flash of inspiration.

She announced proudly, “It’ll be called. The Price of Bone! Think about it, think carefully, the double meaning, the charm… isn’t it wonderful? I know you’re busy with post-production, so I wanted to tell you quickly to give you some inspiration.”

“Wonderful, truly wonderful.” Ji Youyi didn’t mention the afternoon’s events in H-City, she just praised her with a smile. “As expected of our Writer Li.”

“Of course! Remember to send it to me as soon as you’re done. This is my first show, I’m ready to watch it until the file wears out! Also, let me know the moment it’s sold.”

As Li Zhulan spoke, her tone became even prouder. She had always been an insecure person, this was the first time Ji Youyi had heard her speak with such confidence.

“You know, when I resigned from my civil service job, my family absolutely refused. I even had a huge fight with my mom and almost cut ties. She always thought I was useless and would be bullied everywhere outside the system, what a joke, as if I wasn’t being bullied inside the system!”

“By joining this crew, I’ve been holding back a big surprise for her. I’m just waiting for the promotion to scare her to death, haha. Let her see that her daughter is gold and will shine wherever she is!”

Li Zhulan was very happy, so happy that she didn’t sound like she had heard anything about the changes in the production.

Ji Youyi guessed that Wu Buxing planned to conquer her first before talking to Li Zhulan or perhaps, he never intended to tell Li Zhulan at all. It was common in the film industry to disrespect screenwriters. Contracts were full of traps, changing from “Sole Screenwriter” to “Second Screenwriter” often didn’t even require the person’s consent.

Ji Youyi chatted with her for a few more minutes and then used an excuse to hang up.

The surroundings were quiet. No one was around. She looked toward the door, walked to the farthest corner by the window, and dialed Wu Buxing’s number.

“I’ve made up my mind. I can sign a new contract, but I have three conditions.” Ji Youyi’s voice wasn’t loud, but every word was clear.

“First, I want 500,000.”

“Second, it must be in my account within three days, otherwise I won’t continue with any post-production.”

“Third, my name doesn’t need to appear in the credits at all. However, Li Zhulan must be the sole screenwriter.”

Wu Buxing paused for several seconds before saying, “We can talk about the rest, but the screenwriter thing…”

Ji Youyi didn’t want to hear about his “difficulties.” What’s so difficult about plagiarism? Is it the difficulty of overcoming the desire for money?

She interrupted Wu Buxing, simply emphasizing: “Li Zhulan. Must. Be. The sole screenwriter.”

In early April, the cold air still visited frequently.

After finishing the call, Ji Youyi stood by the window for a while. Feeling a bit cold, she sat back down in the chair.

To be fair, she thought she had made an excellent deal. She was going to leave this shitty film industry anyway once she paid off her debts. A credit didn’t matter much; tricking them out of more money to pay her debts was the priority.

She was just a “rat”; what use did she have for “the price of bone”?

She sat dazed for a while until she heard footsteps approaching. Turning around, she saw Meng Xingshu walking in with the test results.

Meng Xingshu stared into her eyes for a second and closed the door. “In a bad mood?”

Ji Youyi found the question baffling. She curled her lips into a smile and blinked. “No.”

“That smile is very fake.”

She was being so cute, and yet she was called fake again.

Ji Youyi’s smile vanished in an instant. Meng Xingshu really didn’t like her. Don’t look if you don’t like it. She was in a good mood, believe it or not.

Meng Xingshu didn’t ask further. She handed over the report. “A mild concussion. You need plenty of sleep recently. The doctor said…”