Daily Life of a Villain at Work [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: The Protagonist’s Second Day of Action~

As Chu Ke set off for the high-speed rail station with her backpack, the final live broadcast of Heartbeat Signals came to a successful conclusion.

At the thought of the production team paying her a fee of over ten million after taxes, Wen Qingyun showed a rare pleasant expression and accepted the invitation to a celebratory dinner.

“Teacher Wen, I’d like to offer you a toast. I hope we have more opportunities to cooperate in the future,” the director said with a beaming smile.

He was a full cycle older than Wen Qingyun and considered a senior in the industry, yet he put on no airs at all. When he raised his glass, he even kept the rim slightly lower than hers.

“If the price is right, there will definitely be more chances,” Wen Qingyun smiled, clinking her glass of plain water against the director’s glass.

The director didn’t mind the water and smiled as he took a sip of his liquor. “I look forward to our next collaboration.”

“Teacher Wen, let me toast you. Please forget any unpleasantness between us,” Observer No. 3, Qian Tuo, followed up immediately.

When Qingyun turned and tapped her glass against his, her tone was sincere: “To be honest, I don’t feel like there was any unpleasantness. As long as you don’t take it to heart, it’s fine.”

The smile on Qian Tuo’s face stiffened for a second, but upon further thought, his eager grin returned. “Teacher Wen misinterprets me. I haven’t taken it to heart; I was just worried that you might be unhappy because of some things I said.”

Wen Qingyun smiled, took a sip of her water, and didn’t follow up.

Unhappiness? There had certainly been some, but Wen Qingyun had already fired back on set. She wasn’t the type to swallow her anger and let herself suffer.

An hour later, the dinner—filled with flattery and social niceties—came to an end.

Wen Qingyun was the only person there who hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol. Her face wasn’t flushed and her gait was steady, making her look even more standout among a group of drunks.

“Teacher Wen, let me walk you out.” Qian Tuo, swaying slightly, took a large step forward to stand beside her.

Smelling the sudden wave of alcohol breath, Wen Qingyun took a step to the side to avoid his proximity. “No need.”

“Teacher Wen, I heard you’re in contact with the crew of Green Bamboo. I happen to have some connections with the director. Would you like me to introduce you?” Qian Tuo continued to press closer.

Wen Qingyun’s eyebrow twitched slightly. “Where did you hear that news?”

Sister Xiao was indeed trying to secure the third female lead role in Green Bamboo for her, but the production hadn’t officially released casting news yet. They were only in the tentative contact phase. A “variety show star” like Qian Tuo shouldn’t have a way of knowing.

Qian Tuo gave a confident smile, his tone carrying a hint of smugness and arrogance. “My uncle is the assistant director. Except for the male and female leads, he has a say in all the casting.”

“Teacher Wen, would you like me to recommend you? My uncle and I have a great relationship; he’ll definitely take my word seriously.”

Wen Qingyun used her phone to press against Qian Tuo’s shoulder, forcibly maintaining distance. The disgust in her eyes wasn’t hidden in the slightest.

“If I had to guess, your uncle found out you were on the same show as me and asked you for information about me, didn’t he?”

A flash of confusion crossed Qian Tuo’s face—he hadn’t expected his lie to be seen through so quickly. He scrambled to explain: “Of course not! I just saw the list of artists who actively contacted him from my uncle’s side.”

“If you don’t have the brains for it, don’t lie. It just makes you look like a clown,” Wen Qingyun shook her head and sighed. “A poor clown who tries so hard to perform but can’t make the audience laugh.”

A flash of anger sparked in Qian Tuo’s eyes. “Wen Qingyun, aren’t you worried I’ll go complain to my uncle?”

“Complaint?” Wen Qingyun raised an eyebrow, her tone exaggerated. “Oh my god, haven’t you been weaned yet? You’re going to cry and find your parents just because someone said a few words to you?”

“Wen Qingyun!” Qian Tuo’s temper began to flare. He almost wanted to throw his plan out the window and charge forward to give her a piece of his mind.

“Boss, the air conditioning in the car is already on. Would you like to head back now, or get some fresh air first?” A plainclothes bodyguard appeared by Wen Qingyun’s side out of nowhere, flanking her protectively.

The four new bodyguards had been hand-picked by Sister Xiao—either former military or martial arts prodigies. Every one of them was over 175cm and looked like someone you shouldn’t mess with.

Having to look up at the bodyguard caused Qian Tuo’s heated emotions to instantly cool down. The anger on his face turned into awkward embarrassment.

This made Wen Qingyun laugh without giving him any face. She couldn’t be bothered to deal with him further. “Let’s go back. There’s nothing interesting about watching a child throw a tantrum.”

He was just another useless guy eyeing her beauty, trying to act tough based on someone else’s power, only to have his scam mercilessly exposed. No need to pay him much mind.

…Or so she thought.

Waking up the next morning, Wen Qingyun looked at Sister Xiao in a daze, appearing completely out of the loop.

After Sister Xiao, who had dragged her out of bed, repeated herself, Wen Qingyun’s face instantly paled. She looked as if she had just bitten into a bug.

“What did you say? Scandals about me and Qian Tuo are on the trending searches? When would I ever have feelings for him? Did I not scold him harshly enough?”

Sister Xiao massaged her temples and handed over the phone. “I told you, there are plenty of people in this circle who are caught in the shadows. You need to watch your behavior.”

Wen Qingyun swept her messy hair back and took the phone to look. Her frown was deep enough to crush a mosquito.

On the phone was a blurry video. The audio didn’t capture much of their dialogue, but one could clearly see her holding her phone against Qian Tuo’s shoulder.

Wasn’t this when she was mocking him for not being weaned? How could this be spun into a scandal?

“What the heck? ‘Rising starlet Wen flirting with fellow guest at restaurant entrance; suspected sweet interaction off-screen after bickering on-screen?'”

Wen Qingyun read it aloud in disbelief, then made a gagging gesture. “Sister Xiao! I’m tainted! Hurry up and get this filth off me! Quick! Quick!!”

“Qian Tuo is likely eyeing your popularity and intentionally arranged for someone to secretly film the two of you in the same frame,” Sister Xiao analyzed calmly. “If you come out to clarify this, you must have evidence. Otherwise, you’re just giving him free publicity.”

“There should be surveillance at the restaurant entrance, right? Arrange for someone to buy the footage and release it,” Wen Qingyun said, thoroughly disgusted.

Sister Xiao didn’t speak, just looked at Wen Qingyun in silence.

Wen Qingyun felt a bad premonition. “The cameras are broken?”

Sister Xiao nodded. “I asked immediately. The business said the surveillance system has been under maintenance for the last two days.”

“Was the restaurant Qian Tuo’s suggestion?” Sister Xiao asked.

Wen Qingyun shook her head. “The director suggested it. He arranged the private room and the menu.”

Sister Xiao pressed her fingers to her temples. “It seems that the right eyelid twitch really was a bad omen. The show wasn’t trying to ‘black’ you; they were just leeching off your heat from start to finish.”

“I’d rather they just ‘black’ me,” Wen Qingyun’s beautiful features crumpled into a ball.

Sister Xiao didn’t know whether to be angry or laugh. “For now, the ‘cold treatment’ is best. Qian Tuo probably won’t dare to go too far; he’ll likely clarify it by tonight.”

“No way! I won’t suffer this injustice! I don’t want to be associated with garbage!” Wen Qingyun slapped her thigh.

“What are you going to do?” Sister Xiao asked. “Even if you publicly bash him, it’ll just give him another wave of free heat. It’ll just end with some marketing accounts apologizing.”

“It’s fine, I have a way.” Wen Qingyun jumped out of bed and ran barefoot to the closet. “Sister Xiao, quick! Help me pack! We’re heading back to the capital as planned!”

Since insulting him didn’t solve it, she was going home to find a “thicker leg” to cling to! She would show Qian Tuo what it actually meant to “complain to your parents”!

…

Chu Ke changed out of her white shirt and put on a custom fan T-shirt gifted to her by a fellow fan—the front featured a Chibi version of Wen Qingyun, and the back had her flamboyant signature.

“You came for the airport greeting and didn’t bring anything?” the group leader asked, looking at the empty-handed Chu Ke in confusion.

“Should I have brought something?” Chu Ke asked humbly.

“Sister, is this your first time? We usually prepare a letter or a small handmade gift in advance,” the leader said with a smile, sharing her experience.

“Wen Qingyun won’t take expensive gifts, but she’ll accept inexpensive things if she’s in the mood.”

The leader pulled something out of her bag and stuffed it into Chu Ke’s hand. “Since you didn’t prepare anything, do me a favor and see if you can give this to her. Wen Qingyun only takes one item from the same person.”

Chu Ke looked down. In her hand was a 10cm small plushie. It looked just like the Chibi on her T-shirt—big eyes, a cat-like mouth, and whiskers. It was incredibly cute.

“Did you make this yourself?” Chu Ke couldn’t resist squeezing the plushie’s face, a smile tugging at her lips.

“In a way. I drew the design and commissioned a plushie factory to make it. If people like it, I’ll make a bunch to keep at home!” The leader’s tone became excited.

Chu Ke found it impressive and mysterious. Looking at the crowd of exclusively female fans around her, she felt that Wen Qingyun’s “women-only” lottery rule was more correct than ever.