The Film Queen Is Cold and Ruthless, Only Sends Money - Chapter 25.1

[Wait, am I seeing this right? Who did they both write?]

[Zhao Yiqing is that the Zhao Yiqing I’m thinking of? Could there be someone in the entertainment industry with the same name?]

[And both Su Yun and Jiang Zhi wrote Zhao Yiqing. Stop arguing, I need to think.]

[I never expected the showdown I was waiting for would actually happen between you two???]

The shock among the guests was no less than that of the netizens. They first observed Su Yun and Jiang Zhi’s expressions calm.

So calm that they couldn’t tell if it was an act or the eerie quiet before the storm.

Lin Yan silently planned in her heart: if the two of them started fighting, she and Xu Zhi could each pull one away that should still be manageable, right?

The moment Su Yun revealed her answer on the board, she saw Jiang Zhi’s response. She blinked and said, “What a coincidence.”

Liu Yangran: “…” At this moment, should she praise Su Yun for being thick-skinned?

She screamed internally: How is this a coincidence?!

And you both like the same person since when is that a coincidence? Since when is that something to be happy about?!

Lin Yan had already prepared some words to smooth things over and ease the tension, but Su Yun’s reaction nearly made her forget what she was about to say.

Having worked with Jiang Zhi before, she knew the other woman’s temperament. Though Jiang Zhi wasn’t one to talk much, she was no pushover either. When she got angry, even Lin Yan wouldn’t dare to intervene.

Unexpectedly, when she glanced at Jiang Zhi, she saw the woman actually crack a faint smile and say, “It is quite a coincidence.”

Huh?

This world had gone mad. She couldn’t keep up anymore, what kind of lovers’ game was this?

[Su Yun and Jiang Zhi are sworn enemies turning into lovers? My novel-reader DNA is tingling.]

[This is delicious. Someone recommend me some novels, I want to read more!]

[What do their words mean? Provocation? Declaration of war?]

[I always thought romantic relationships only had two states good or bad. Who knew it could be this complicated.]

Unlike the earlier situation with Lin Yan and Xu Zhi, everyone knew that was just a difference in preferences, something played up for the show to give the audience more to discuss.

But with Su Yun and Jiang Zhi, the guests genuinely couldn’t tell if it was a joke or the truth. Combined with their cryptic remarks earlier, it only fueled endless speculation.

In the end, it was Su Xue who couldn’t hold back anymore. She cautiously asked, “Why did you both write Zhao Yiqing?”

They were all in the entertainment industry, so of course they knew Zhao Yiqing.

Though Zhao Yiqing’s acting style differed from Jiang Zhi’s, the two were widely regarded as the pillars of young talent in the industry.

Every year, they were direct competitors for awards. Though Jiang Zhi had won more, no one would deny Zhao Yiqing’s skill.

Zhao Yiqing had even once said in an interview that her goal was to surpass Jiang Zhi.

They were outright professional rivals.

How could Su Yun possibly write that Jiang Zhi’s favorite celebrity in the industry was Zhao Yiqing?

Jiang Zhi was actually quite curious too. Her long lashes lowered slightly as her gaze settled on Su Yun, listening intently.

Su Yun had initially considered making up an excuse, but she ultimately decided honesty was the best policy. “I thought that someone liked by the esteemed actress Jiang Zhi must be very talented and charming. But there are too many such mentors in the entertainment industry, so the odds of me guessing correctly were too slim.”

Jing Zhaozhao chimed in, “So you decided to go the opposite way? And guessed Zhao Yiqing, who’s completely unrelated?”

Su Yun nodded eagerly. “Mhm! What if I got it right? What do you all think?”

The guests hadn’t expected Su Yun to turn the question back on them in the end!

Jiang Zhi: “…”

[HAHAHAHAHAHA!! Such a bizarre reason, no one else would think like that!]

[Classic Su Yun! Her thought process is so unpredictable! Even though she’s answering randomly, I inexplicably want to believe her, LOL!!]

[Jiang Zhi: You went a bit too far in the opposite direction almost out of bounds.]

After hearing Su Yun’s explanation and confirming there wasn’t some hidden grudge or dramatic backstory between them, everyone relaxed.

Jiang Zhi’s reason for guessing Zhao Yiqing was much simpler not only was she Su Yun’s senior, but Su Yun had also mentioned her just a few days earlier.

Though when writing down the name, Jiang Zhi had felt a strange, fleeting emotion.

The director announced, “Su Yun’s answer is incorrect. Jiang Zhi’s answer is correct, one point.”

Jiang Zhi’s idol was a highly respected performing artist in the industry who hadn’t appeared on the big screen in recent years, so it was understandable that no one could guess correctly.

After all, for some of the younger audience members, they might have seen her movies or dramas but wouldn’t necessarily know they were her works.

[This one was really hard to guess. Most people probably wouldn’t get it right.]

[Same here. I just looked it up online today I learned something new!]

[But Su Yun’s answer was truly unexpected! Should we just chalk it up to her being Su Yun?!]

–

On a remote film set.

After finishing a scene, the director, considering the sweltering heat, gave the cast and crew extra break time.

During the break, Zhao Yiqing reopened the livestream of Dear Ladies.

Despite having warned Su Yun earlier, she was still worried her junior might let her infatuation get the better of her. So when the show began airing, she tuned in right on time.

Her original intention was to make sure Su Yun wasn’t being bullied, but she soon found herself unable to look away Su Yun was just too entertaining!

The only downside was missing parts of the livestream while filming.

Unwilling to wait for the edited version of Dear Ladies, she secretly sought out fan-recorded clips at night to catch up.

Her dark circles had noticeably worsened because of this, much to her makeup artist’s frustration.

Her assistant, also taking a break nearby, noticed Zhao Yiqing sneakily shielding her phone screen and knowingly asked, “Watching Jiang Zhi and Su Yun’s variety show again?”

“…” Zhao Yiqing jerked her head up and coughed. “I’m just making sure Su Yun isn’t being mistreated on the show. She is my junior, after all.”

Her justification was perfectly reasonable.

The assistant was used to it by now similar conversations had been happening for days.

At first, the assistant had believed Zhao Yiqing’s explanation.

She thought Zhao Yiqing was going above and beyond, even enduring a show featuring Jiang Zhi for Su Yun’s sake!

In the past, Zhao Yiqing would avoid even walking past Jiang Zhi’s posters!

Truly, Zhao Yiqing was the most dedicated senior at New Star Entertainment!

But after watching the first day, they all realized, who could possibly bully Su Yun on a variety show?

If she didn’t scam or deceive the other guests, it was only because Su Yun had a kind heart.

The assistant had assumed Zhao Yiqing would finally relax and stop tuning into the livestream.

Unexpectedly, when the assistant arrived the next day, she found Zhao Yiqing glued to her phone, watching the livestream with a delighted smile, so engrossed she didn’t even notice the assistant’s footsteps.

Assistant: “…”

She had been too naive. This wasn’t about caring for her junior, it was clearly just about enjoying the show!

So now, hearing Zhao Yiqing’s explanation again, the assistant simply nodded and casually asked, “Is it fun?”

Zhao Yiqing, still immersed in the tense moment when Lin Yan and Xu Zhi had guessed the wrong celebrity, answered instantly, “So fun!”

Only after speaking did she realize what she’d just revealed. “I mean, it’s good that Su Yun isn’t being bullied.”

Assistant: “I get it.”

Once the assistant finished briefing her on the day’s work, Zhao Yiqing went back to watching the livestream, just in time for the reveal of Su Yun and Jiang Zhi’s answers.

Zhao Yiqing was curious, what answers had these two given?

She’d only known before that Su Yun liked Jiang Zhi, but if Jiang Zhi was excluded, she couldn’t guess who else it might be.

As for who Jiang Zhi liked? She didn’t care!

Viewers in the livestream were also speculating, with a flood of comments scrolling past, it was practically a who’s who of the entertainment industry.

Countless names, both familiar and unfamiliar to Zhao Yiqing, popped up.

Even though the livestream had no editing or background music, the viewers managed to create an atmosphere thick with tension and excitement.

When the answer boards were finally revealed, Zhao Yiqing immediately sat bolt upright, nearly leaping out of her chair!

Why was her name on there?!

Did both of them have a crush on her?!

It seemed unlikely, but then again, Zhao Yiqing considered herself from any angle, she was undeniably outstanding. Maybe it wasn’t so far-fetched after all!

Jiang Zhi’s feelings were whatever, but if Su Yun had shifted her affections rejecting her outright would surely break the junior’s heart.

So when the assistant came in again, she found Zhao Yiqing looking both thrilled and conflicted. “What’s wrong?”

Hearing the assistant’s voice, the still-tormented Zhao Yiqing decided to seek outside help. “Well, it’s like this. A friend of mine has a close friend who’s fallen for her, but she doesn’t feel the same way. Directly rejecting them would hurt their feelings. Any good solutions?”

Though she had no idea who had Zhao Yiqing in such a twist, the assistant could say with certainty, “Your friend is just imagining things.”

One of life’s three great delusions: She likes me.

“Ah, you don’t understand,” Zhao Yiqing sighed at the assistant’s response.

They had no idea the magnitude of the dilemma she was facing.

She absolutely had to find a perfect solution before meeting Su Yun again, one that would resolve this crisis flawlessly!

Assistant: “Alright, I don’t get it. But put the show aside for now, time to go film.”

Zhao Yiqing: “I hate work!”

–

Director: “The first two questions have been answered by everyone. Currently, aside from Team Su Xue, who answered all four questions correctly and earned four points, every other team has three points. So for the third question, give it your all!”

[The scores are so close between the teams this round!]

“I want to see what other questions the production team can come up with! The first two questions made the audience very happy!”

“Why do I feel like the director was particularly confident when he said the last sentence, as if he was sure the guests would be able to differentiate themselves?”

After wiping the words off the question board, the director asked the final question of this round: “Please write down what the other person likes the most (only one thing).”

This was the last item they had filled out on their information sheets.

When the director asked this question, Liu Yangran was puzzled: “Director, isn’t there something missing in the question? Like favorite food, favorite sport, or something like that?”

The director shook his head: “The question is fine. Everyone can think about what came to mind first when the other person was filling out the information sheet.”

If they really defined the scope, then the question would be too simple and wouldn’t match the style of their production team!

“!!! What was originally a simple question has turned into a real test of tacit understanding after the production team removed two words!”

“I love watching this! After a few minutes, when the question board is revealed, I can already imagine the director saying ‘wrong answer’ one by one, hahaha!!”

“The guests might have almost forgotten the answers they filled in at the time, after all, how could a person only like one thing!”

The once confident guests were now looking like wilted eggplants.

They were trying hard to recall what their girlfriends were thinking when they filled out the forms. Food, colors? Or perhaps the parks they liked to visit?

When the director announced that time was up, they picked up their answers from the boards, still filled with uncertainty.

Lin Yan’s answer: Flowers.

Xu Zhi’s answer: Beads.

The director compared the two answers with the information sheets they had filled out and said, “Lin Yan’s answer is correct, but Xu Zhi’s answer is wrong.”

Xu Zhi was a bit surprised and looked at Lin Yan, asking, “Aren’t you the one who likes beads the most?”

There was even a cabinet at home specifically for the beads Lin Yan had collected from various stalls, some cheap and some expensive, which was enough to show that Lin Yan really liked them.

The audience in the live stream guessed correctly; Lin Yan had indeed forgotten what she wrote. She looked at the director and asked, “Are you sure there’s no mistake? My first instinct was to write beads too, right?”

Moreover, it seemed like that was her only niche hobby.

The director replied, “No mistake, you filled in black and red.”

Xu Zhi: “…”

“Hahahahaha!! Not even close!”

“This segment looks really difficult; both Lin Yan and Xu Zhi made mistakes!”

Liu Yangran and Ye Ying were even worse off, as they also failed to answer correctly, making the same mistake as Xu Zhi.

After the director revealed the answers, Liu Yangran froze in place, saying, “Um, director, can I say that what I wrote back then I don’t like anymore?”

The director replied, “No, you can’t.”

“Hahahahaha!! Liu Yangran: When I get serious, I even hit my own face!”

“What does liking matter! Points are the most important!”

Ye Ying and Liu Yangran exchanged glances: “We won’t end up with the spoon, will we?”

Their iron shovels hadn’t even warmed up yet, and now they were facing the risk of getting the spoon right away.

Lin Yan was still pondering why she had written “black-red” at the time. Hearing the others’ words, she comforted them, “Maybe the other two groups are in the same boat as you and won’t get it right either?”

“That makes sense!” Encouraged, the two of them turned their eager gazes toward the remaining groups whose answers hadn’t been revealed yet.

Written plainly on their faces was the hope: “We hope you all get it wrong.”

Jing Chaozhao: “Isn’t that a bit too obvious?”

This time, it was Su Xue’s group and Su Yun’s group who revealed their answers simultaneously. The correctness of their answers in the second round of tool allocation would determine the rankings for all of them.

Su Xue and Jing Chaozhao were brimming with confidence, their answers being “singing” and “painting,” respectively.

[Though Director Lin’s reasoning makes sense, it’s hard to imagine Xuexue and Chaozhao getting it wrong, right? After all, they deal with painting and singing every day it must be ingrained in their subconscious.]

[+1, agree with the above. Like how Xu Zhi instinctively wrote “flower.”]

[Doesn’t that mean they’re practically guaranteed first place this round?]

Seeing their answers, Liu Yangran thought the same Su Xue and Jing Chaozhao’s answers were surely correct and could be ruled out immediately.

Thus, she pinned all her hopes on Su Yun and Jiang Zhi. May the curse of the spoon stay far away from her!

Su Yun’s answer was: “acting.”

Jiang Zhi’s answer was: “God of Wealth.”

[Su Yun’s answer is probably right! But Jiang Zhi’s answer is hilarious, LOL!!]

[I love the God of Wealth too, wuwuwu!! I wouldn’t be surprised no matter who wrote that!]

[Count me in for worshipping the God of Wealth!]

[I can’t find any flaws in either group. Director, hurry up and reveal the answers! I’m getting nervous!]

The other two groups felt the same, their eyes involuntarily turning to the director. However, the answers they heard were completely unexpected.

Director: “Su Xue’s answer is incorrect, Jing Chaozhao’s answer is incorrect, Su Yun’s answer is correct, Jiang Zhi’s answer is temporarily undetermined.”

[??? Did I hear that right? Chaozhao and Xuexue both got it wrong?]

[What do you mean by “undetermined,” LOL?? I’m so curious, what did Su Yun write on her info sheet?]

Of course, the most shocked were Su Xue and Jing Chaozhao themselves. “Both of our answers are wrong?” Su Xue couldn’t believe she would have written anything other than “painting”!

Director: “At the time, you wrote ‘taro cake’ on your info sheet. Chaozhao wrote ‘jasmine.'”

With the director’s reminder, Su Xue finally recalled, “When I was filling out the form, I must have been craving taro cake. So, when I got to the last question, I just wrote it down without thinking.”

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