Let's Get Married on the First Day of Rebirth - Chapter 30

Qu Ange paused mid-sentence before speaking.

Truth be told, she was definitely going to play the victim card and act pitiful next. But if she did that in front of these two, wouldn’t her hard-earned reputation be ruined in an instant?

Not to mention, if Xu Mi heard it, she might even worry about her.

With that in mind, she turned around and walked toward the bedroom, saying as she went, “…In the contract I signed with our company, I don’t have the authority to decide my own salary, so the issue of raising my pay was brought up by my agent, Zhou Yue… I, uh, had a bit of a disagreement with him…”

By the time she finished speaking, she had reached the bedroom and closed the door behind her. Her previously restrained voice now trembled slightly, as if she was struggling to hold back from showing vulnerability.

If Wang Jia hadn’t fully grasped the contract situation earlier, the phrase “had a bit of a disagreement” made everything crystal clear. If she still didn’t get it after that, she might as well have wasted her ten years in the entertainment industry.

Normally, she wouldn’t want to meddle in such matters. After all, she was just a screenwriter. People usually treated her with respect out of courtesy, but when it came to facing real capital, she had little influence. Yet, thinking of Qu Ange’s acting skills—and that bowl of cold noodles she had craved after Qu Ange’s remark during the audition. She couldn’t help but ask one more question.

“What kind of contract did you sign?”

Qu Ange gave a brief explanation, and Wang Jia let out a curse before exclaiming, “You signed that kind of contract? Are you stupid?”

Seems like everyone who heard about this couldn’t resist calling her stupid.

Qu Ange replied, “My agent manages several artists, and they all signed the same contract.”

Her tone was calm, but that very calmness made Wang Jia’s heart ache even more. Was this composure born of indifference? No! It was born of helplessness.

Then, she heard Qu Ange add, “But I’m preparing to terminate the contract now. If we don’t get to collaborate this time, please don’t forget about me next time.”

Her voice turned bright again as she said this, as if she were the one comforting Wang Jia. Overcome with emotion, Wang Jia blurted out without thinking, “If you ever need anything, come to me anytime. I’ll help however I can.”

Qu Ange was genuinely moved. After all, the two of them were practically strangers. Wang Jia had always been kind-hearted. Gratefully, she said, “Thank you, thank you.”

After hanging up, Wang Jia thought for a moment and called Shen Xinlong. Meanwhile, Qu Ange ended the call and opened the bedroom door to find Tan Zhenzhen leaning against the wall outside, looking flustered. Xu Mi, however, was nowhere in sight. Peeking further, Qu Ange saw her busy in the kitchen.

Pointing at Tan Zhenzhen, Qu Ange teased, “Tsk tsk tsk, with your legs in that state, and you’re still so nosy?”

Tan Zhenzhen laughed awkwardly. “What? I was just passing by, passing by…”

She had vaguely overheard Qu Ange’s words inside, her heart rising and falling with every sentence. Yet when Qu Ange emerged, she looked completely unfazed. Tan Zhenzhen couldn’t help but silently applaud her, thinking that Qu Ange was definitely cut out for this industry.

After another busy stretch, the meal was finally ready. The braised lamb ribs were fragrant and flavorful, accompanied by a plate of stir-fried okra and drunken swamp shrimp, freshly taken out of the fridge and still cool to the touch. When Qu Ange saw the shrimp, she froze for a moment. Last night at Xinglin Pavilion, she had eaten drunken red prawns and even sent a photo of them to Xu Mi. Surely this couldn’t be a coincidence, could it?

With this thought in mind, she felt a little uneasy as she took her seat. Tan Zhenzhen, making herself at home, peeled a shrimp first and exclaimed with delight, “So delicious! Sweet and fresh. Hey, Qu Ange, you should try it too. Didn’t you post a photo of drunken shrimp on Weibo yesterday? Compare and see whose is better.”

Qu Ange shot Tan Zhenzhen a sharp glare, thinking to herself: Is this girl doing this on purpose?

Xu Mi suddenly spoke up, coolly: “They can’t be compared. What she posted was red prawns—one of the most expensive shrimp in the world.”

Qu Ange’s scalp prickled, and she hurriedly said, “What? Yeah, they really can’t be compared. Mimi’s cooking is way better.”

Xu Mi lifted her eyes, her gaze serious: “You haven’t even tasted it yet, but you already know?”

Qu Ange: “…”

She quickly grabbed a shrimp, peeled it, and stuffed it into her mouth. The chilled shrimp meat was firm and springy, infused with a sweet and savory marinade laced with the aroma of wine and a hint of lemon refreshing and appetizing. Qu Ange was tempted to suck the juices off her fingers but restrained herself since Tan Zhenzhen was present.

She swallowed hastily and blurted, “Yours is a hundred times better. Compared to yours, theirs is tasteless.”

Xu Mi replied, “With good ingredients, you really don’t need much seasoning.”

Qu Ange: “…”

If the food hadn’t been so delicious, this meal would have surely given her a stomachache.

But with Tan Zhenzhen at the table, hesitation wasn’t an option. So, without overthinking it, she dove into the dishes—the stir-fried okra was crisp and tender, while the braised lamb ribs were so tender they fell off the bone, the rich sauce clinging to the succulent meat. It was so good Qu Ange could have swallowed her tongue.

She and Tan Zhenzhen engaged in a fierce eating contest, but Qu Ange soon lost to Tan Zhenzhen’s superior appetite. Resentfully, she watched as Tan Zhenzhen polished off the remaining food, though Tan Zhenzhen did leave a small portion aside, saying it could be Yue Mei’s late-night snack when she returned from overtime work.

After the meal, Tan Zhenzhen went back to her room to sort through photos, while Qu Ange dutifully washed the dishes. Once done, she dried her hands, straightened her clothes, cleared her throat nervously, and entered the bedroom.

Her hands were clasped behind her back, holding the gift she had prepared for Xu Mi.

Inside the room, Xu Mi sat at her desk as usual, seemingly oblivious to Qu Ange’s entrance. Qu Ange coughed twice, but Xu Mi still didn’t react. Finally, Qu Ange spoke up: “Mimi, I’ve finished washing the dishes.”

Xu Mi gave a noncommittal “Hmm,” still not turning around.

Qu Ange sighed and walked over, sitting at the foot of the bed and staring at Xu Mi. Worried that Qu Ange might peek at what she was writing, Xu Mi closed her notebook and turned to face her. Unexpectedly, Qu Ange suddenly leaned in and pecked her on the lips.

Before Xu Mi could process what had happened, Qu Ange pulled out a DSLR camera from behind her back and said, “A gift for you.”

She still remembered the consequences of her last “surprise,” so this time she didn’t get too carried away and quickly explained, “I made some money from stocks. I noticed you’ve been taking photos for the public account lately, all with your phone—the resolution isn’t great. A camera would be useful, right?”

Xu Mi looked at the camera in Qu Ange’s hands and was silent for a long moment before asking, “You made money from stocks?”

Qu Ange replied, “A huge profit—doubled, in fact.”

Xu Mi frowned. “Stocks are unpredictable. In half a month, they might crash.”

“No way, no way. The bull market will last at least another two months.”

Xu Mi fell silent again. Thinking she was still worried, Qu Ange added, “I promise I won’t spend recklessly from now on. But this is a necessity, right? You really need a camera, and this one can even record videos…”

Qu Ange turned on the camera and demonstrated its functions to Xu Mi. When she raised the camera toward Xu Mi, Xu Mi covered the lens with her hand and said, “I get it! Thank you.”

Qu Ange’s eyes widened. “Th-thank you? No, how can you thank me?” Her expression even looked a little horrified.

Xu Mi was speechless at Qu Ange’s reaction. This time, she was genuinely pleased. Earlier that afternoon, she and Tan Zhenzhen had discussed whether to buy a camera. Tan Zhenzhen’s salary was low, and she was on the verge of being fired, so Xu Mi couldn’t possibly ask her to chip in. She had planned to research cameras that evening, but to her surprise, Qu Ange had already bought one.

While the camera was undoubtedly overpriced, it was still a thoughtful gesture from Qu Ange.

In the past, Qu Ange had either neglected to give gifts or sent random things without considering Xu Mi’s needs. This was the first time she had actually thought about what Xu Mi might want and given something appropriate.

Did this mean Qu Ange cared about her more than before?

Her heart swelled with joy, but seeing Qu Ange’s horrified expression, she sighed and said, “I’m thanking you because I like the gift.”

Qu Ange protested, “But we’re legally married! The money I spent is yours too. If you’re happy, that’s enough! No need to thank me.”

Xu Mi: “…” Now that she thought about it, that was true.

And currently, thanks to Qu Ange, their shared assets were in the red.

Shaking her head helplessly, she took the gift from Qu Ange’s hands. Seeing Qu Ange staring at her like an eager puppy, she thought for a moment and said, “I’m happy.”

Qu Ange’s face instantly brightened.

That night, it seemed like some of the knots between them had loosened. Though Xu Mi still pushed Qu Ange away when she tried to hug her, firmly stating she was busy, Qu Ange sensed that this time, Xu Mi genuinely had things to do. Satisfied, she drifted into a sweet, peaceful sleep.

But that same night, someone else didn’t sleep so well.

Zhou Yue had broken his phone and had to rush out to buy a new one. After setting it up, he checked his email and found a new message from The Flowers of the Ming Palace, they had agreed to their request for a higher salary. The email explicitly stated it was out of admiration for Qu Ange’s talent. At first, he thought he must be seeing things and rubbed his eyes several times.

Is this for real? In his memory, Qu Ange was still that small-town girl who stumbled over her lines. He couldn’t fathom how the production team would agree to his request out of admiration for her talent. In a moment of impulsiveness, he couldn’t resist raising the price again. Immediately after sending it, he regretted it, realizing how blatantly obvious his move was. But since it was already sent and couldn’t be retracted, he once again blamed Qu Ange for it, convinced that she had driven him so mad that he’d done something so outrageous.

What was even more outrageous was that Qu Ange had gone viral on Weibo. Because her statement was vague and ambiguous, it shot to the top of the trending list. Everyone was debating whether the statement was true or false. If it was true, who was this musician who cared nothing for fame and fortune? If it was false, why would this girl lie?

The discussion grew so heated that it eventually spiraled into conspiracy theories about the entertainment industry, with all sorts of rumors running rampant.

Zhou Yue was so furious he couldn’t sleep all night, gnawing at his fingernails in frustration. One of his artists had gone viral, yet she was completely disobedient—this infuriated him beyond measure.

Early the next morning, Wang Jia also saw the Weibo post. Moreover, she learned that Guangju had raised the price again, which further convinced her that Qu Ange’s claims were true. Her personal freedom must indeed be restricted by Guangju. Wang Jia pondered and concluded that Qu Ange might have made this choice to prevent Guangju from profiting. The thought of someone so beautiful and talented being shackled by an unfair contract stirred Wang Jia’s admiration for talent. After much deliberation, she made a phone call.

When the call connected, she said, “President Qiu, good morning. I’ll cut to the chase—no pleasantries. Last time, you mentioned wanting to break into the entertainment industry and asked if I had any promising talents to recommend. Well… I actually do have one, but there’s a bit of a problem…”

If Qu Ange knew how hard Wang Jia was working on her behalf, she would have been deeply moved. But for now, she remained unaware. She had a wonderful dream, woke up refreshed, opened Weibo, and saw that her account had exploded.

Qu Ange: “…” No, this isn’t the outcome I wanted.