Rank
Alternative
Author(s)
Tag(s)
Shen Zeyu was driven to the brink of madness.
Her girlfriend, Shang Qiuchi, was suddenly rumored to have entered a whirlwind marriage with a wealthy businessman. Following the scandal, Shen’s endorsements were canceled, her funding dried up, and the film she was halfway through shooting was forced into a hiatus. Even the trophy that should have been hers slipped through her fingers due to her rival’s machinations.
By the time she returned from the hospital, the industry had been turned upside down; there was no longer a place for her to stand.
At her lowest point, Xu Luosu—the third young lady of the Xu family, the wealthiest clan in Nanjiang—approached her with capital in hand: “I can invest in your film, Teacher Shen, but I want to be the leading lady.”
Shen Zeyu, a woman who had never before “bowed for five pecks of rice,” hesitated for only a moment. “…Fine.”
Shen Zeyu made a triumphant comeback, collaborating with Xu Luosu on three consecutive films and reclaiming her pride at the film festival.
At the victory banquet, Xu Luosu—elegant in a green mermaid gown—asked tentatively, “People out there are saying that I’ve ‘sponsored’ you, Teacher Shen. Does that bother you?”
Shen Zeyu, cradling a bottle of champagne while swaying on a balcony swing, replied cheerfully, “Not at all. I’d be thrilled if Miss Xu sponsored a few more films so I could satisfy my craving for directing.”
Xu Luosu chuckled softly, clinking her glass against Shen Zeyu’s. “Very well. Then I shall be even more generous: I’ll sponsor every film for the rest of your life.”
She leaned in, the moonlight catching the tassels on her dress until they shimmered like ripples over Shen Zeyu. “And not just your films—let me sponsor your entire life as well.”
