Daily Life of a Villain at Work [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: The Protagonist’s First Day of Action~

Wen Qingyun lay on a bean bag chair, her slender legs crossed and resting on a small footstool, faintly revealing the toned contours of her muscles.

She held a paper calendar in her hand, using a black sign pen held between fair, elegant fingers to occasionally make marks, planning her upcoming vacation.

“Today is the final live broadcast of Heartbeat Signals. Considering the high fee the production team is paying you, try to be a bit more restrained during your commentary today. Cooperate with the other observers and say some appropriate, polite social pleasantries,” Sister Xiao urged earnestly while coordinating Wen Qingyun’s outfit for the day.

“It’s already the ninth episode. The audience and the crew should have gotten used to me by now. Besides, aren’t they happily buying trending searches based on what I say?” Wen Qingyun replied, putting down the calendar.

“That’s true, but I feel like the production team has been a little too indulgent with you.” Sister Xiao paused her movements, raising a hand to touch the corner of her eye.

“Plus, my right eyelid has been twitching like crazy since I woke up. They say ‘left eye twitch for wealth, right eye twitch for disaster.’ I have a bad feeling about this,” Sister Xiao said, her heart filled with unease.

Sister Xiao knew Wen Qingyun’s personality and temper all too well; any show she participated in usually resulted in some sort of stir. Yet, from the start of Heartbeat Signals until now, she hadn’t landed on a single negative trending search. The topics the crew promoted were all focused on increasing the show’s discussion—it was far too abnormal.

“The worst-case scenario is just that the crew is up to no good and planning to set a trap for me,” Wen Qingyun said indifferently, pulling back her long legs to sit cross-legged on the sofa.

“But what trap could they possibly set? Say I’m acting like a big shot? Call me sharp-tongued? Hypocritical? Or claim I’m inciting gender conflict?” Wen Qingyun began counting on her fingers. “Or maybe that I’m reckless with my words, bullying the other observers? Looking down on the civilian guests?”

Sister Xiao was momentarily speechless and couldn’t help but start thinking.

Wait, does my artist already have that many potential ‘black spots’ on her record? Even if the crew sets a trap, it seems they can’t really come up with anything new.

“It’s my fault as a manager. I’ll find a way to clarify these negative points,” Sister Xiao said with a deep, somber expression, a hint of guilt appearing in her eyes.

“Well, they aren’t all exactly ‘false’ scandals. I am sharp-tongued and double-standardized; I say whatever is on my mind, and I really don’t think much of the male guests,” Wen Qingyun admitted candidly. “Even if you ‘clarify’ these things, people will just produce ‘ironclad proof’ immediately anyway.”

After three seconds of self-reflection driven by guilt, Sister Xiao took a deep breath and lunged forward, grabbing Wen Qingyun by the shoulders.

“That’s exactly why you need to restrain yourself in the final episode! In the entertainment industry, people will pin things on you that you haven’t even done—let alone things you actually have! Don’t leave so much ammunition for those marketing accounts to use!”

“Wen Qingyun! You’re supposed to make this studio bigger and stronger! Do you want to become a ‘Scandal Queen’ Best Actress? A ‘Scandal Boss’ who brings up a bunch of infamously popular artists?”

Sister Xiao roared, her tone filled with the frustration of “hating that iron isn’t becoming steel.”

Wen Qingyun slumped back into the bean bag like a salted fish, giving a very perfunctory reply: “Mm-hmm, I get it. I’ll watch my words and behavior.”

“Really?” Sister Xiao was skeptical, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Wen Qingyun opened her eyes wide to meet Sister Xiao’s gaze. Seeing the other woman begin to waver, she broke into a grin. “Haha, of course I’m lying~”

“Wen Qingyun!” Sister Xiao completely blew her top.

…

For the final episode, Wen Qingyun arrived exactly on time as usual. After giving a brief nod to the three other observers, she took her usual seat.

Thinking of Sister Xiao’s repeated warnings, Wen Qingyun uncharacteristically played the role of a quiet beauty. After sitting down, she began striking poses, allowing the viewers in the live stream’s small window to admire her beauty.

However, once Wen Qingyun stopped talking, the most restless person was the show’s director. He didn’t care if netizens scolded Wen; he cared about the ratings!

Twenty minutes into the broadcast, Observer No. 3 cleared their throat and spoke up. “Teacher Wen, what do you think of their final choices?”

Wen Qingyun shifted her angle to better showcase her profile. “Respect and blessings.”

“Does that mean you approve of them being together?” Observer No. 2 chimed in.

Wen Qingyun: “Since the production team hand-picked them, their quality is a bit higher than someone you’d grab randomly off the street. If they must fall in love, I suppose they can make it work.”

“It seems Teacher Wen is still somewhat dissatisfied with these male guests,” Observer No. 3 lamented. “I imagine Teacher Wen’s standards for a partner must be very high?”

“I only have one standard,” Wen Qingyun replied, sensing a trap.

Observer No. 1 couldn’t help but be curious: “What is it?”

“That I actually like them,” Wen Qingyun said with a straight face.

【Hahaha, isn’t that just saying nothing at all?】 【Lol, why are these people gossiping about Wen Qingyun? Over there, the couple who just successfully confessed is about to kiss!】 【Those poor guests—nobody cares about them. Everyone’s attention is on Wen Qingyun.】

Looking at the comments scrolling across her phone screen, Chu Ke let out another long sigh.

How was she supposed to bring this up? Didn’t the Director know that when Wen Qingyun was attacked, she had looked right into the camera and emphasized that she would never accept a settlement and would definitely bring the perpetrator to justice?

Why are leaders always so unreasonable, tossing the problems they can’t solve onto their subordinates?

Chu Ke pinched the bridge of her nose and switched to a group chat in the background.

This was a fan group for Wen Qingyun enthusiasts who were keen on organizing airport greetings. To enter, one had to correctly answer 100 questions related to Wen Qingyun.

Chu Ke had used the same grit she used for the civil service exam to successfully infiltrate the group in just one week.

She clicked on the group announcement, which listed Wen Qingyun’s studio schedule—tomorrow afternoon, Wen Qingyun would be landing at the Capital Airport.

The group leader had already compiled the list of attendees. Including Chu Ke, there were thirty-three fans in this 2,000-person mega-group (suffix -11) who had the time to go.

Although she had already booked her high-speed rail ticket, Chu Ke was still hesitating about whether she should actually go to handle a matter destined for failure.

Buzz—Buzz—

Her phone vibrated. It was a new message from the Director she had just been cursing in her head.

【Director: Xiao Chu, the investors are already scouting locations for the factory. You need to handle things on your end quickly; don’t let anything go wrong.】

Handle things? How am I supposed to handle this?

Chu Ke really wanted to swear, but her superior’s word was law, and this task was now bolted firmly onto her shoulders.

Furthermore, Chu Ke truly hoped the completion of the processing plant would improve the villagers’ lives. Once they had money in their pockets, it might discourage some from selling their daughters for bride prices.

【Xiao Chu: Copy that, Director. I’ll take the high-speed rail there tonight.】

Fine. She would stick to the original plan and give it a shot.

Even though the odds were slim, what if Wen Qingyun decided not to hold a grudge?