The Fallen Film Queen’s Possessive Alpha - Chapter 50

[Magic Cube Industries President Du Xin attended the York Parliament hearing regarding the Magic Cube Information Research Institute, with company chairwoman Zhou Qiwei present as an observer.]

On screen, Du Xin was fielding hostile questions from parliament members while Zhou Qiwei sat slightly behind her, occasionally whispering to her assistants. According to recent news reports, the hearing wasn’t going smoothly. Song Haoyin tapped the news photo on her screen, zooming in on Zhou Qiwei’s stern expression.

It had been two weeks since they last saw each other. The previous meeting was when Zhou Qiwei had squeezed time out of her schedule to return from York to Luocheng just to accompany Song Haoyin and her sister to visit their family graves.

After the visit, Zhou Qiwei had rushed back to York, informing Song Haoyin that she wouldn’t be able to attend the Luocheng Film Festival.

Still, it was a shame. Song Haoyin set down her tablet and tilted her head slightly, allowing the makeup artist to touch up her foundation.

“Haoyin-jie, the welcome luncheon is ready, and we’ve received RSVPs from all the attending judges, directors, and actors. After the luncheon, you’ll head to LBS Television in the evening for your live interview the one on Spotlight ”

Yu Miao listed Song Haoyin’s schedule for the day, pausing when she mentioned the interview. Half a year ago, this very show had unceremoniously canceled Song Haoyin’s appearance. Now, they were practically groveling at the gates of Ferris Wheel, begging for her to grace their program.

How laughable.

“Su Ye has resigned, and you’re already swamped with work. You don’t need to double as my manager,” Song Haoyin said, meeting Yu Miao’s gaze in the mirror with an amused smile. “Your dark circles are beyond concealment now.”

Yu Miao grimaced. Su Ye’s sudden legal troubles had left her the deputy director no choice but to take over Su Ye’s responsibilities. But Song Haoyin’s affairs were something Yu Miao couldn’t afford to neglect. She had been searching for a suitable manager, but so far, no luck.

The qualifications Song Haoyin needed weren’t particularly high, but the bar for integrity was.

Yet everyone knew one universal truth: filtering out academic incompetence was easy, but how did one filter out moral incompetence?

Now that Song Haoyin was the chairwoman of the Director’s Foundation, a major shareholder of Ferris Wheel, and an actress determined to push her career further meaning she’d be constantly on set Yu Miao had to be extra cautious in selecting her manager. It would take time.

LBS’s Spotlight had maintained a stellar reputation for over a decade, but the past year had been unlucky. First, they’d listened to Top Profit’s nonsense and axed Song Haoyin’s appearance. Then, not only did Song Haoyin make a triumphant comeback, she also emerged as the industry’s top financial powerhouse.

Alas, faced with restless advertisers, the show’s team had no choice but to hold over a dozen meetings to select the most suitable host and prepare a stage for Song Haoyin before the Luocheng Film Festival’s opening.

At York local time in the morning, Zhou Qiwei turned on her computer right on schedule. The live broadcast of Song Haoyin’s interview on LBS was about to begin.

Song Haoyin wore a white sweater, classic jeans, and timeless loafers an effortlessly natural outfit. Zhou Qiwei’s face warmed slightly as she noticed online commentators praising how dashing the ensemble looked on Song Haoyin.

Dr. Zhou sat up proudly, as if someone had complimented her directly because the sweater was hers, and so were the jeans.

Last night, Song Haoyin had called to say she wanted to “requisition” Zhou Qiwei’s wardrobe. Dr. Zhou was stunned, what had she done to deserve the honor of having her closet commandeered by the renowned actress? Of course, she agreed immediately. “Take whatever you want,” she said, “just let me see what you pick.”

And so, the two spent the entire night on a video call or more accurately, Dr. Zhou critiqued Miss Song’s fashion choices from afar.

But Miss Song was far from satisfied. Zhou Qiwei, that hopeless woman, clapped and cheered for every outfit she tried on, utterly devoid of any critical judgment. Finally, Song Haoyin, wearing the black lace lingerie she had just bought, sat on the dressing room sofa, flipped her hair, and asked, “What about this?”

The intricate black patterns seemed etched onto her fair skin, making her appear both breathtakingly beautiful and bewitchingly alluring.

On the other end of the call, the other woman averted her gaze, her breathing suddenly uneven. Satisfied, Song Haoyin adjusted her pose and provocatively raised the phone higher.

Soft, wet sounds echoed in her ears, followed by a voice that grew increasingly high-pitched fragile yet sharp as a needle. Zhou Qiwei gently coaxed her, urging her to put on her pajamas, praising her as the most dazzling person no matter what she wore, and admiring her extraordinary presence.

In short, even if Song Haoyin were draped in a burlap sack, she’d still be the most stunning sack in existence.

[Welcome, Miss Song Haoyin, to our show.]

After the opening remarks, the host immediately got to the point: “With the Luocheng Film Festival approaching, I’ve always wanted to ask, why did Director Song Yu insist on organizing it despite immense pressure? And why did she persist in retaining the exhibition segment for young directors?”

Off-screen, Zhou Qiwei nodded in approval. The host was doing well those pre-show meetings hadn’t been for nothing.

[ My mother once discovered several talented young directors, but only two of them are still in the industry today, still striving to create. The others either switched careers or focused on commercials, abandoning their dreams of becoming film directors.]

[There are many reasons family circumstances, industry environment, even sheer luck. As the child of a filmmaker, I’ve certainly benefited from my mother’s influence. But allowing the industry to devolve into clique culture, squeezing out new actors and directors, is detrimental to the art itself.]

[My mother wanted to infuse fresh blood into the industry, which is why she insisted on showcasing young directors’ works. I’m not just fulfilling her legacy I believe in her vision.]

The live broadcast was going smoothly, and the moderators had done their job well. The comments scrolling across the screen were overwhelmingly positive and supportive. Questions from viewers focused on Song Haoyin’s career and this year’s Luocheng Film Festival theme.

Sipping her coffee, Zhou Qiwei gave the interview high marks. The host was now discussing the future direction of “Skywheel Productions” and how to “support young directors and actors, injecting new vitality into the industry,” as well as “Song Haoyin’s personal career aspirations.”

Similar topics had been discussed early on between Zhou Qiwei and Song Haoyin. Wearing slippers, Zhou shuffled to the dining room for breakfast. By the time she returned, the interview was still ongoing. Dr. Zhou simply treated the program as background noise while reviewing the latest experimental reports from the institute.

“There’s one more question many fans are curious about,” the host smiled as she showed the question to Song Haoyin. Both women chuckled before the host asked: “Is Haoyin currently in a relationship?”

Zhou Qiwei nearly spat out her coffee. Damn it! Why ask such questions!

Her ears perked up, awaiting Song Haoyin’s answer. Part of her hoped Song wouldn’t admit it to avoid unnecessary public discussion about their relationship. Yet another part knew Song probably would.

If circumstances were different, Zhou naturally wished her girlfriend would publicly acknowledge her. Hugging her knees, the anxious professor waited for Song’s response.

On screen, Song Haoyin looked slightly embarrassed, tilting her head with a smile before answering honestly: “Yes, I am. She’s not from the entertainment industry, so I hope everyone won’t pay too much attention it would put great pressure on her. Thank you all for respecting our privacy.”

“So it’s Zhou Qiwei, right? It has to be Zhou Qiwei!”

“Obviously! Wow, what incredible luck for Song Haoyin single for so long then draws an SSR in one try!”

“Who says it’s even a real relationship? Might just be a sugar daddy situation”

“That idiotic comment reveals your rat-brained mentality. The Ferris Wheel project, Director’s Foundation and Rubik’s Industries or more accurately, Zhou Qiwei herself have become inseparable benefit partners. Sugar daddy my ass!”

“If any sugar daddy worked this hard to gild their canary cutting piece after piece of cake to feed it they’d deserve Citizen of the Year in Luocheng. What a living bodhisattva!”

“Your language is disgusting. Has our Song Haoyin caused any losses? It’s mutually beneficial cooperation, not some one-sided advantage.”

“Exactly! Clearly the anonymous Zhou party is the lucky one here!”

“Our queen is so sweet, always caring for her girlfriend’s feelings! ”

Zhou Qiwei unconsciously broke into a foolish grin, only for her smile to freeze upon seeing the flood of comments. And these were the filtered versions. who knew what the unfiltered discussion looked like. This was precisely why she agonized over going public. Zhou genuinely loathed this kind of public scrutiny and external influence.

Another person sharing this distaste for online commentary was Madam Zhou Qing. Sitting in her office between scheduled international video conferences, she watched Song Haoyin’s interview.

Truth be told, Zhou Qing was quite satisfied with Song Haoyin. Anyone who could tame her Weiwei deserved considerable regard. Moreover, Miss Song’s appearance, education, and family background were all impeccable.

Her only minor dissatisfaction stemmed from the inevitable unsavory comments that came with dating a public figure like now.

Still, if Qiwei herself was willing, then Zhou Qing had nothing further to say.

Sigh, if it weren’t for that lunatic causing trouble resulting in Weiwei getting slapped and incidentally exposing their relationship, who knows how long this little ancestor of hers would have kept it hidden. Zhou Qing rubbed her temples. Last month, Qiwei had been busy moving houses. The apartment she originally lived in belonged to Jiuzhou Real Estate, and the new place she moved to was also a Jiuzhou property.

Zhou Qing had gotten the news immediately: her daughter was living with her girlfriend. At this point, shouldn’t they at least introduce each other to their parents?

But then, her youngest daughter went on a business trip for over a month, while Miss Song was busy preparing for a film exhibition. Zhou Qing’s unease only grew was Weiwei serious about being a “no-marriage advocate”? Would Miss Song even agree to that?

A knock sounded at the office door, and in walked Zhou Mu. Seeing her second daughter, Zhou Qing couldn’t help but sigh.

Zhou Mu and Li You’s engagement had been in the process of being called off, but for some reason, Zhou Mu had stopped mentioning it. Then there were Zhou Zhao and Ji Xubai those two were tormenting each other, caught in an endless feud.

Children truly are life’s debts.

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