The Film Queen Is Cold and Ruthless, Only Sends Money - Chapter 33.1

Accustomed to Zhao Yiqing’s usual carefree demeanor, Su Yun was genuinely taken aback by her sudden seriousness.

Su Yun asked, “Is this matter really that serious?”

She silently wondered if Zhao Yiqing had encountered some difficulties while she was away filming the show.

At the thought, her brows furrowed slightly, her expression tinged with concern.

Still, Zhao Yiqing had always been good to her. If there was anything she could do to help, she wouldn’t hesitate.

However, the slight frown and worried look on Su Yun’s face, in Zhao Yiqing’s eyes, only confirmed her fear, that Su Yun was anxious about her feelings being exposed.

Zhao Yiqing could only sigh inwardly.

Though she was outstanding in her own right, and it wasn’t entirely surprising that someone might develop feelings for her especially compared to Jiang Zhi but unrequited love was a one-sided affair. Right now, she was solely focused on building her career and had no interest in romance. She certainly couldn’t lead her junior sister on!

Steeling herself, Zhao Yiqing said firmly, “This matter is indeed very serious.”

She hoped to impress upon Su Yun just how grave it was.

Su Yun nodded. “Take your time. I’ll listen carefully.”

“Then I’ll say it!” Zhao Yiqing took another sip of milk tea. “During the game segment on the show.”

Before she could finish, Su Yun interrupted, “You watched the variety show too? Weren’t you busy filming recently? You had time to watch?”

The fact that Auntie Liu had watched her show was shocking enough, but now Zhao Yiqing too?

“Of course I watched! I was worried you might get bullied on the show!” Zhao Yiqing repeated her usual excuse. And if she hadn’t watched, how would she have known about Su Yun’s feelings?

Not only had she watched this episode, but she planned to catch the next one too!

“Who would bully me?” Su Yun relaxed a little upon hearing it was about the show, assuming it couldn’t be anything too serious.

“Jiang Zhi!” Zhao Yiqing clung stubbornly to her bias, despite having seen the episode.

Su Yun immediately countered, “Jiang Zhi has been very good to me. If anything, we were the ones teaming up to tease the other guests.”

Zhao Yiqing: “…?”

For once, she wisely chose not to dwell on the topic.

She still remembered her purpose today. “On the show, there was a segment where you had to guess who the other person liked. Jiang Zhi wrote my name, and your team scored points, right?”

Su Yun thought back and couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, that’s true”.

At the time, she had guessed that Jiang Zhi liked Zhao Yiqing. Looking back now, she realized she might have wronged Jiang Zhi a little.

But she had barely uttered two words when Zhao Yiqing let out a heavy sigh!

Su Yun looked at her in confusion, only to meet Zhao Yiqing’s resigned gaze. “I’m not interested in that kind of thing right now, junior sister. You!”

In a flash, all the earlier oddities clicked into place, forming a clear picture that led to one conclusion.

After a moment’s hesitation, Su Yun asked, “Senior sister, you don’t actually think I have feelings for you, do you?”

Silence stretched between them for a full five minutes.

Both seemed to be deciphering the other’s words.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Zhao Yiqing blinked and broke the silence. “Isn’t that the case?”

Besides, even Jiang Zhi knew Su Yun liked her wasn’t that proof enough?!

Su Yun’s gaze was complicated. “That’s really not it.”

Su Yun explained to Zhao Yiqing, “During the show, we had to write down the name of a guest we liked, so of course I wrote someone I was familiar with.

Didn’t we just meet at the company before the variety show started? That’s why I wrote your name at the time.

I even mentioned our meeting to Jiang Zhi, so she could guess it too.”

Zhao Yiqing still seemed a little unconvinced: “It’s really that simple? You don’t actually like me?”

Su Yun: “It really is that simple. But my liking for you is just that of a junior for her senior not the kind you were thinking of.”

She had thought it was something serious!

Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that Zhao Yiqing could overthink a simple game to this extent!

Her explanation was clear, dispelling all of Zhao Yiqing’s doubts in an instant.

But now, she realized something even more awkward than being surrounded by people cheering her on while riding a bike had just happened!

Thankfully, no one posted this online otherwise, she might as well pack up and quit the industry!

Zhao Yiqing’s expression was wooden as she watched Su Yun laugh so hard she could barely stand straight. “Uh, just pretend I never asked, okay?”

She glanced around, fiddled with her hair, and even put on the sunglasses clipped to her clothes.

People always seem unusually busy when they’re embarrassed.

Biting back a laugh at Zhao Yiqing’s actions, Su Yun nodded earnestly. “Don’t worry, we didn’t say anything just now.”

But she couldn’t resist asking one more question: “Senior, do you not go on variety shows often?”

Su Yun thought that if Zhao Yiqing did appear on more shows, her manager would probably have to camp in front of the screen the whole time to prevent her from saying anything shocking.

“Yeah,” Zhao Yiqing recalled, “my manager told me to avoid variety shows as much as possible. But how did you know?”

“Just a guess,” Su Yun deflected, noticing that Zhao Yiqing’s milk tea was already half gone.

Remembering how her own manager had refused her earlier, she asked curiously, “Where’s your assistant? She’s letting you drink milk tea right now?”

At that, Zhao Yiqing instinctively covered her cup and whispered, “I haven’t had any since I joined the crew.”

That was why she had been so thrilled when Su Yun offered to bring her some.

“Does that make me your accomplice?” Su Yun mused.

Zhao Yiqing finished the last sip and prepared to toss the cup. “If I finish it now and destroy the evidence, they’ll never know.”

But just as she turned to look for a trash can, she locked eyes with her assistant, who had just rounded the corner.

Their gazes met, then simultaneously dropped to the empty cup in Zhao Yiqing’s hand.

Zhao Yiqing: “…”

Su Yun: Well, well. The jig is up.

–

Su Yun hesitated for a second should she stay and watch the drama unfold, or make a quick escape?

But remembering that she was the one who had brought Zhao Yiqing the milk tea, she decided to slip away while Zhao Yiqing was busy making excuses to her assistant better not get caught in the crossfire.

She headed to the recording studio she had visited last time and, following the production team’s revised lyrics and melody, re-recorded her parts.

The later stages of recording were exhausting, but they ensured the best possible result.

After singing the full song twice, Su Yun and the staff took a short break.

She picked up the water on the table to moisten her throat, only to glance up and see Zhao Yiqing standing outside.

Compared to earlier, the other woman now wore an expression of utter despair.

She waved at Zhao Yiqing, signaling her to come in.

“Why did you just abandon me and run off earlier?” Zhao Yiqing stepped inside, leaning against the nearby table, her eyes filled with accusation and regret directed at Su Yun.

Even now, the memory of that moment still made her regretful.

If only she had been just one second faster, she might have escaped the piercing gaze of her assistant!

Su Yun smiled and asked, “What did your assistant say afterward?”

“Squats and treadmill said I had to burn off every calorie from the milk tea I drank.” Zhao Yiqing let out a long sigh. “Will I even get to sleep tonight?!”

As Su Yun chatted with her, her mind was still preoccupied with how to handle a particular lyric.

But as she pondered, it occurred to her though Zhao Yiqing had transitioned into acting, she had debuted as an idol. Her singing skills couldn’t possibly be bad.

Wasn’t this free labor right in front of her?

Su Yun immediately flashed a flawless smile and pointed out the part she was struggling with to Zhao Yiqing. “Senior, could you help me figure out how to handle this part?”

Zhao Yiqing eyed Su Yun’s smile suspiciously. “Why do I feel like this isn’t going to end well?”

Su Yun feigned surprise. “How could that be? Isn’t it just because you’re so much better at singing than I am, and I wanted to learn from you?”

Truth be told, who didn’t love being praised?

So, after just a second of feigned hesitation, Zhao Yiqing eagerly examined the part Su Yun was struggling with.

Her fundamentals were solid, and when she saw the issue Su Yun had circled, she was even a little surprised. “Did you figure this out yourself, or did your teacher point it out?”

The problem Su Yun had raised was about breath control in a particular line, a very subtle detail. If overlooked, it wouldn’t make much difference.

But being able to identify it meant the person was not only attentive but also skilled.

“I thought of it myself,” Su Yun replied. “Want to listen to the full version I recorded earlier?”

Hearing the problem in the context of the whole song would make it easier for Zhao Yiqing to offer advice.

Zhao Yiqing hesitated. “Alright.”

If Su Yun had really identified the issue herself, then surely she wouldn’t be subjected to some ear-piercing melody.

Five minutes later.

As the full recording of the theme song finished playing, Zhao Yiqing’s jaw dropped in astonishment.

She blinked, then stared at Su Yun, gripping her shoulders and turning her around as if inspecting her. “Are you really Su Yun? Since when do you sing this well?”

Even she would struggle to find three flaws in that performance!

The only thing she could point out was the breath control issue which Su Yun had already identified herself!

“Of course it’s me,” Su Yun said, patting Zhao Yiqing’s shoulder with a light laugh. “But if even you say it sounds good, then I should have no problem passing muster with the production team.”

“You’ll definitely pass!” Zhao Yiqing thumped her chest confidently. “If they don’t approve it, send them to me!”

She remembered how, earlier, she had avoided entering the recording booth, convinced she needed to protect her ears.

Now, in hindsight, she had clearly overreacted!

–

After discussing revisions and performance techniques with Zhao Yiqing and re-recording twice, Su Yun finally wrapped up her work for the day.

Back home, she opened Weibo, ready to repost the official post from the Dear Them production team.

The previous content was live-streamed, allowing viewers to tune in anytime, anywhere.

However, due to time constraints, it was still impossible to watch the livestream around the clock.

As a result, the edited version of Dear Them was also highly anticipated and generating a lot of buzz.

Their seven-day livestream in Herong County would be edited into two episodes, released weekly during the two weeks when the guests weren’t filming.

Today marked the release of the first episode of the variety show, and Su Yun, along with the other guests, would be sharing it on their social media.

Having not logged into her Weibo for a while, Su Yun was surprised to see her follower count had increased significantly since the last time she checked.

Almost immediately after reposting the show’s announcement, her page experienced a slight lag.

Once the lag cleared, hundreds of comments had already flooded in under her repost, and the number was still rapidly growing.

[Finally, the edited version is coming out! I’ve been waiting so long!]

[Su Yun, you’re finally online! Life without seeing you on Weibo has been tough!]

[Did you all see the other guests’ reposts?! Every single one of them mentioned Su Yun, hahaha!!]

[I’ve watched most of their livestreams, but I still want to rewatch the edited version! It’s hilarious, fun, and so authentic!]

[+1, can’t the production team just start the second season’s livestream right away?! How am I supposed to survive these two weeks?!]

[Sacrificing the eight guests’ well-being for the happiness of all viewers, what a bargain!]

Su Yun: “…?”

Their lives matter too, you know.

Still, after reading the comments, she decided to check out the other guests’ Weibo posts.

[Su Xue: @Su Yun, next time you ride the electric scooter, can you take me and Chaochao along? We don’t want to walk!]

[Su Yun: Sure! The electric scooter and tractor are both great options feel free to ask Director Lin for her opinion too!]

[Lin Yan: @Su Yun @Jiang Zhi, for the next episode, can I hitch a ride with you two? [Cat hugging legs emoji] [Cat high-five emoji]]

[Su Yun: Not sure I trust Director Lin, let’s talk later!]

[HAHAHAHAHAHA!! Why are you guys still so funny off-camera?!]

[Director Lin’s probably just saying this as a temporary truce. Once the competition starts, it’ll be back to backstabbing as usual.]

[You nailed it! Put all of them together, and you still wouldn’t find a single ounce of sincerity, hahaha!!]

[Liu Yangran: @Su Xue @Jing Chaochao @Su Yun. Ever since returning from the show, I’ve been practicing my cooking. Hope to impress you all next episode.]

[HAHAHAHAHA!! Liu Yangran actually tagged every single guest just to say this!]

[Yangran, your chili oil tofu last time traumatized everyone isn’t that a win in its own way?!]

[If I hadn’t watched the livestream, I’d never have guessed Liu Yangran and Ye Ying cooked like that, hahaha!]

Su Yun couldn’t help but laugh as she read. She instinctively took a screenshot and sent it to Jiang Zhi before leaving a comment under the post.

[Su Yun: Keep it up! When the next episode starts, Xue’er and Chaochao will definitely be the first to taste it!]

[Su Yun: Last night’s chili oil tofu, [photo], take a look!]

Brave people enjoy the world first, while timid people like her should not try too easily.

She also posted a photo of the dinner from last night, successfully whetting everyone’s appetite.

【It’s not even lunchtime yet, why am I already hungry just from seeing the picture?!】

【Su Yun and Jiang Zhi actually made spicy tofu last night, could it be that they wanted to taste the original flavor of this dish?!】

【Hahahahaha!! Xue Er and Zhao Zhao are on their way here, I’ve already given them a heads-up!】

【How come you guys can be so funny without any tasks or live broadcasts? Please just stay on Weibo from now on!】

After Su Yun retweeted the program’s news and replied to other people’s comments, she returned to her own homepage.

Because it seemed she had discovered two new options on her page, namely Su Yun’s Super Topic and CP Super Topic.

Su Yun: ???

It turned out that even her fan Super Topic was newly created!

–

Her performance on the show attracted quite a few passersby, but when they wanted to learn more about Su Yun, they found that she didn’t even have a Super Topic; all the resources and activities were just news on Weibo.

As a result, her fans created a Super Topic themselves, and there were quite a few people in it.

Su Yun clicked in to take a look, and unsurprisingly, it was filled with screenshots of her segments from the variety show.

After just a few glances, she exited, feeling like she was attending a conference summarizing her embarrassing history.

Especially, why was the profile picture of the Super Topic a photo of her with mud on her face while doing a farming task!

After exiting her Super Topic, Su Yun remembered another new Super Topic she had seen earlier her and Jiang Zhi’s CP Super Topic.

Compared to her own Super Topic, the photos selected for the CP Super Topic were much more normal and beautiful, depicting the two of them riding back to the production team on their little electric scooter after completing their tasks the next day.

The sunset was gentle, the sky and water blended together, and the radiant gold became the most beautiful backdrop. The two of them stood side by side, and one could vaguely see the smiles at the corners of their lips.

Moreover, the people in the Super Topic had specially edited the photos to enhance the couple’s atmosphere.

Anyone who saw it would have to say the photo was beautiful, and the couple in the picture matched perfectly.

Even though Su Yun herself was one of the people in the photo, she knew that her relationship with Jiang Zhi had not crossed the boundaries of friendship.

But upon seeing it for the first time, she couldn’t help but admire it for a couple of extra seconds before clicking into the Super Topic.

The Super Topic was lively, with posts refreshing quickly, mostly expressing anticipation for the edited version of the variety show, saying they wanted to ship the couple.

Su Yun was also curious about how everyone was shipping them, so she clicked into that post.

The main content of the post discussed their chemistry, how they could immediately understand each other with just a word, no matter what the other wanted to do.

Both of them remembered each other’s favorite foods and would casually bring a jacket for the other when going out at night not to mention how they recalled their initial meeting and arguments.

Every word was filled with concern and affection for each other, and they remembered every little detail so clearly!

【Moon Pumpkin: If they aren’t true love, then all the CPs I’ve shipped in the past twenty years were for nothing!】

Su Yun: “There’s really no need to say such things.”

However, looking at the sweet summary, she found it quite sweet. In the past, she would have definitely jumped into the fandom without hesitation.

The CP supertopic was filled with rich content. After reading one post, Su Yun habitually scrolled down.

Suddenly, several bold red headlines flashed before her eyes.

#Yun Zhi [Marriage Before Love, Long-Lost Reunion], 18+ Only, 5000 Words#

#Yun Zhi (Timeline Synchronized with Present) Alternate Universe: When the Two of Them Are Locked in a Room They Can’t Leave Until They Do It#

#Main Zhi Yun (Warning: Other CPs Like Chao Xue May Appear) If Their Mission Was to Build a Nest#

#Yun Zhi, Tentacles.

Su Yun: “!!!”

So weird? Let me look again!

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