Hating Her, While Still Having to Address Her as Mother - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: An Excellent Master

Chapter Introduction: And an Obedient Dog

In truth, Jiang Shenwei had already given Jian Yu a heads-up about the double-female lead drama.

So, when Kevin brought it up, Jian Yu wasn’t surprised at all. She had agreed readily, almost too quickly.

The person who had extended the olive branch to Jiang Shenwei was one of her producer friends. When Jiang Shenwei joined the project and they asked if she had any recommendations for the other lead role, she had recommended Jian Yu without a moment’s hesitation.

In all the years they had been involved in their secret affair, this was the first time Jiang Shenwei had mixed business with pleasure.

It was the first time she had ever acted out of self-interest in such matters.

Previously, although they had never explicitly agreed not to interfere in each other’s careers, there was a tacit understanding to remain “invisible” in the other’s professional sphere.

Partly, it was out of fear that the public would discover their relationship if they were linked too often. But on the other hand, both women had their own reservations.

Jian Yu’s standing in the entertainment industry was essentially that of a “traffic star”—the type whose acting was non-existent and whose career relied entirely on her face. To put it bluntly, she was a “vase.” Labeled the “Acting Jinx,” she was the subject of countless Bilibili montages mocking her exaggerated performances.

She existed in a state of “black-red” fame—her relevance fueled entirely by the constant friction between her anti-fans and her die-hard loyalists.

Aside from the occasional romantic scandal, the thing that generated the most buzz for her was her perceived rivalry with Jiang Shenwei.

Jian Yu was fiercely proud. She didn’t want—and couldn’t stand—to be a “worthless” version of herself who ultimately had to cling to Jiang Shenwei to gain public attention.

This was why Jian Yu never meddled in Jiang Shenwei’s business. From a practical standpoint, she didn’t have the power to do so anyway.

In terms of resources, she had nothing to offer Jiang Shenwei. In terms of connections, hers paled in comparison to Jiang’s wide network. In terms of backing, Jian Yu had none.

Jiang Shenwei, for her part, had never interfered in Jian Yu’s affairs either, and Jian Yu had never overanalyzed it. In their relationship, it was a kindness if Jiang Shenwei helped, but it was perfectly reasonable if she didn’t.

After all, Jian Yu wasn’t a canary kept by Jiang Shenwei. From the beginning, Jiang Shenwei had never promised her anything material in exchange for their time in bed.

Proud as she was, Jian Yu would never be the one to open her mouth and ask. Even if her resources were poor and she couldn’t land a good script, she wouldn’t ask Jiang Shenwei for a favor.

And yet, this double-female lead drama was the first time in their five years together that Jiang Shenwei had introduced her to an outsider.

…

When Jiang Shenwei first mentioned it, Jian Yu had just stepped out of the shower, rubbing her damp hair with a towel.

She clearly hadn’t heard what Jiang Shenwei said and asked her to repeat it.

Jiang Shenwei tilted her head with an affectionate look. “Come here~”

Jian Yu walked over blankly and sat on the edge of the bed. Jiang Shenwei patiently took over, drying Jian Yu’s hair for her.

“I said, I recommended you to Director Zheng.”

“Remember? The double-female lead script I told you about that had a really interesting premise.”

“I remember. Is the title ‘The Story of Me and My Stepmother’?”

“Yes, that’s the one. The rights were bought from the Zhima website. The author is a veteran who used to write romance; she has a huge, stable fanbase. This is the first time she’s sold the rights to a ‘Baihe’ (Girls’ Love) novel. Every drama adapted from her work has been a massive hit. Plus, you know Director Zheng; I don’t need to tell you how capable he is. The producer is a long-time friend of mine. The crew is basically a circle of acquaintances.”

Jian Yu blinked, looking at Jiang Shenwei with confusion. “So… why me?”

“There must be plenty of actresses suited for a double-female lead drama,” Jian Yu said, watching Jiang Shenwei’s expression. “Like Cui Kui? You worked with her before and it went well, didn’t it? When that drama aired, there were plenty of ‘CP fans’ shipping you two for real.”

Jiang Shenwei’s hand stopped.

For a rare second, her eyes turned solemn, but it vanished before Jian Yu could even capture it. The surface remained that same beautiful, smiling face.

“I think the positioning of this drama suits you perfectly. I’ve read the script; the character ‘Su Zhixi’ is a great fit. I feel like you can handle this role, so I recommended you. It’s that simple.”

Jian Yu rubbed her own hair, looking incredulous. “Really? Is it really that simple?”

Hearing the follow-up question, Jiang Shenwei suddenly let out a charming laugh. “What else would it be?”

She took a step forward, then another, closing in on Jian Yu. Her pale, smooth knee wedged into the gap between Jian Yu’s legs. Jiang Shenwei reached past her, pressing her left hand onto the bed behind Jian Yu.

“What else? What do you want me to admit? That I want to date on the company’s dime? That I want to see you, look at you, and touch you every second of the workday?” As she spoke, her cooling fingertips brushed a stray water droplet from Jian Yu’s cheek.

Not satisfied with just words, Jiang Shenwei leaned in and bit Jian Yu’s throat—a greedy, excessive little nip on that smooth skin, leaving a blatant mark of her “crime.”

“Or do you want me to admit that I want to do this with you on set, in front of everyone?”

With that, Jiang Shenwei unceremoniously pushed Jian Yu with her middle finger. Jian Yu fell back onto the soft bed, her hair splaying out like a blooming chrysanthemum dropped into boiling water.

“You… Jiang, my hair isn’t dry yet!”

“It’ll be a bit. One way or another, it’ll get dry.”

“…”

…

Afterward, Jiang Shenwei brought the hair dryer to finish the job. Ignoring Jian Yu’s indignant glares, she used the warm setting first, then the cool.

Once finished, Jiang Shenwei leaned down and kissed Jian Yu’s forehead. “I want everyone to know that my A-Yu is very, very excellent.”

“Why that face? What ‘dog’ wouldn’t want people to see their master?”

“Hmm? Isn’t that right? I also want to show my master off to other people’s dogs.” Jiang Shenwei rubbed against Jian Yu like an affectionate pup herself.

“I don’t have that kind of exhibitionist streak,” Jian Yu said coldly.

“?” A question mark slowly formed in Jiang Shenwei’s mind.

“I’m telling you now, I am absolutely not going to whip you on set. Don’t even think about it,” Jian Yu said with total gravity, looking entirely serious.

“Pfft.” Jiang Shenwei burst out laughing. “Right. I still care about my reputation. Whipping at home is enough.”

After a bit more coaxing, Jiang Shenwei checked the time. It was late, so she went to warm some milk for Jian Yu.

Jian Yu had poor sleep quality. A doctor had suggested a glass of warm milk before bed might help. Since then, Jiang Shenwei has made it a nightly ritual.

Leaning loosely against the kitchen counter in her oversized bathrobe, Jiang Shenwei watched the flickering gas flame. She reached into her pocket for a lady’s cigarette, but pulled it only halfway out before sliding it back in.

Instead, she took out an electronic cigarette from her left pocket. The smell wasn’t as sharp; if she smoked a real cigarette, Jian Yu would smell it even through the door. Jian Yu couldn’t stand second-hand smoke, so Jiang Shenwei never smoked in front of her—one of the few things she kept hidden.

She puffed on the e-cigarette. It tasted of peaches—cloyingly sweet. Soon, the kitchen was filled with the sugary scent of peaches. Her eyes were misty as she watched the fire and took out her phone.

She dialed a contact labeled “Cowardly Turtle.”

The phone rang three times before the other party reluctantly answered.

“Hello, Boss… If I don’t answer after midnight in the future, can you not dock my pay?”

“Depends. If you don’t answer when there’s an emergency, I might not.” Jiang Shenwei habitually reached for an ashtray, realized she was vaping, and pulled her hand back.

“Well, I have an emergency.”

“What emergency?”

“I’m an adult. Having normal physiological needs at night is… normal, right?”

“Fine. If you can get the person sleeping next to you to answer the phone within three seconds, I’ll never call you at night again.”

“Three… one.” Jiang Shenwei skipped two entirely.

“…”

“Let’s get to the point, Nan Xi.”

“Please, go ahead.”

“We can start on the double-female lead drama.”

“Okay. Have you cleared it with Miss Jian yet?”

“No,” Jiang Shenwei said with total confidence, even reflexively flicking her e-cigarette as if to wash it.

“And you say that so proudly?”

“Just do it. I’ll take responsibility for everything.” Jiang Shenwei blew a few imperfect vapor rings toward the window.

“If I may be blunt, Boss, this method of promotion will be a devastating blow to Jian Yu’s side. Every time you two are tied together for hype, her PR team’s entire yearly workload happens in those few days.”

Jiang Shenwei chuckled. Seeing the milk bubble, she walked over and turned off the gas. “So? If they take the money but don’t do the work, are they looking for a free meal? They get paid to work.”

“Understood…” Nan Xi sighed.

Nan Xi was good at everything except for being a bit timid. Jiang Shenwei’s manager for years had been Nan Xi’s aunt, Nan Jiang—a true veteran of the industry. But Nan Jiang’s health had declined recently. She had suggested she could no longer continue and recommended an “equally excellent talent”: the fresh university graduate, Nan Xi.

Nan Jiang had made it sound easy, saying she was helping a “Gen Z” with the difficult job market, then dumped Nan Xi onto Jiang Shenwei in the blink of an eye.

Nan Xi wasn’t incompetent; she was just too soft for the job. She hesitated and overthought Jiang Shenwei’s decisions. Jiang Shenwei planned to replace her after the New Year if things didn’t change. Hence the nickname: Cowardly Turtle.

Jiang Shenwei also had a strange habit of giving everyone different nicknames. For example, her contact for Jian Yu was: Master Yu, the Super Elementary Schooler who Cries while Hugging her Wife.

Of course, Jian Yu had no idea about this childishness.

Jiang Shenwei poured the milk into a mug. She naturally untied her bathrobe and tossed the smoke-scented garment into the washing machine.

Carrying the mug, she pushed open the bedroom door with a sweet, obedient smile.

“Master, the milk is ready.”

Jian Yu had no idea that after this seemingly ordinary night, a storm was waiting for her tomorrow. She simply took the warm mug, accepted Jiang Shenwei’s tenderness, and returned a gentle smile.