The Film Queen Is Cold and Ruthless, Only Sends Money - Chapter 8.1

As Su Yun stood up, her gaze met Jiang Zhi’s at the door.

Jiang Zhi was dressed modestly, her slightly loose black jacket accentuating her graceful figure. Fine strands of hair fell beside her ears, faintly obscuring the subtle glint of her earrings.

When she looked over from the doorway, her eyes were clear and cool, like a breeze rustling through a bamboo grove, stirring a faint whisper in Su Yun’s heart.

An untimely thought crossed Su Yun’s mind was this what it felt like to witness the descent of the God of Wealth?

Wang Yue, noticing Jiang Zhi’s return, retreated to her filming position, ready to resume recording.

Su Yun had always been articulate, but face-to-face interaction was different from chatting on a phone screen. For once, she felt uncharacteristically nervous.

Standing in place, she greeted Jiang Zhi with a simple, “You’re back?”

In contrast, Jiang Zhi seemed far more at ease. She walked over and sat down beside Su Yun, responding with a soft hum. “The reshoot didn’t go smoothly, so it took two hours longer than expected.”

Su Yun sat down as well, maintaining a comfortable distance between them. “Was it for Clear Mirror?”

“Mhm. You know about this project?” Jiang Zhi’s gaze lingered on Su Yun.

From the moment she entered, she had noticed something different about Su Yun less enthusiasm than usual, replaced by an indescribable air.

But one thing was certain: it wasn’t affection. It felt more like the way a fan would look at her.

Jiang Zhi’s upcoming film was highly anticipated online, and Su Yun had done her research, so it wasn’t hard to guess.

Su Yun smiled in response. “I’m looking forward to it too.”

Their striking looks made them a perfect pair when seated together.

Wang Yue was convinced that if their photo were used as the show’s promotional poster, anyone would immediately recognize it as a dating program and click on it without hesitation.

But upon closer observation, Wang Yue still sensed something off.

They were being too polite.

Question and answer, back and forth, it didn’t feel like a couple but rather like two strangers maintaining careful boundaries.

“…”

Wang Yue could already imagine the audience’s reaction after the episode aired. They might genuinely start doubting the authenticity of their marriage.

But she couldn’t intervene. All she could do was scream internally.

For heaven’s sake, couldn’t strangers at least kiss or something?!

Su Yun remained oblivious to Wang Yue’s silent plea, but she personally thought her conversation with Jiang Zhi was going well.

The Goddess of Wealth not only gave generously but also didn’t make things difficult for her.

If her boss in her past life had been Jiang Zhi instead of that bald, greasy middle-aged man, she would’ve loved her job!

Of course, social insurance, housing fund, and triple overtime pay were still non-negotiable.

They had lunch together, and the filming gradually drew to a close.

Wang Yue handed them two task cards prepared by the production team and explained, “Ms. Jiang, Su-jie, the final segment today requires you both to write down your own and each other’s strengths and weaknesses on these cards. You can also include your expectations for this relationship.”

This segment was a long-standing tradition of Dear Them. Every season began with these cards, but their contents wouldn’t be revealed until the finale keeping the audience hooked.

To ensure secrecy, Su Yun and Jiang Zhi even wrote their answers in separate rooms.

Su Yun picked up the pen and stared at the blank card in front of her. Listing her own strengths and weaknesses was easy, she’d done it countless times on resumes before.

But one thing Jiang Zhi was certain about regarding Jiang Zhi’s virtues and flaws generosity was definitely on the list.

It was as if a Bodhisattva had descended to liberate her.

Once she started, Su Yun wrote with remarkable speed, not even pausing when envisioning her future love life.

As a mere cannon fodder character, she naturally wouldn’t dare compete with the protagonist blessed by divine providence.

Jiang Zhi didn’t love her, but even an apology for being late came with a compensation of at least 500,000, what more could she ask for in love?

The protagonist’s storyline would begin after the variety show ended, and by then, she would gracefully bow out, making way for the protagonist.

She would never covet a love that wasn’t hers!

After finishing, Su Yun left the room and handed the card to Wang Yue.

But she didn’t see Jiang Zhi in the living room and only then realized the other woman hadn’t finished writing yet, so she was still in her room.

Five minutes later, Jiang Zhi finally emerged with her card and placed it in the box prepared by the production team, nodding lightly at Wang Yue. “Thank you for your hard work.”

Wang Yue sealed the box even as a staff member, she couldn’t open it casually.

Hearing Jiang Zhi’s words, she smiled. “No trouble at all. The production team will keep it safe.”

After Wang Yue and the crew left with their equipment, the villa grew much quieter.

Su Yun was considering whether to take out the ice cream from the fridge, it was the best brand she’d ever tasted but she wasn’t sure if Jiang Zhi would like it.

Just as she was about to speak, Jiang Zhi asked, “Did you know Wang Yue before?”

Su Yun looked up, meeting Jiang Zhi’s gaze. Her clear eyes flickered slightly in curiosity. “No, I just met her today. Why do you ask?”

Jiang Zhi undid the top button of her shirt near her collar and replied indifferently, “I just heard her call you ‘Sister Su,’ so I thought you might have known each other before.”

Su Yun understood and explained how Wang Yue had been tricked by the director. “Wang Yue is still an intern. The head director deceived her, and no one told her the truth. Maybe that’s why she called me ‘Sister Su.’”

“You seem very familiar with these kinds of situations,” Jiang Zhi remarked.

Jiang Zhi was usually busy with work, often staying on set for months at a time. If the production required it, she might even spend three or four months in remote locations without outside contact.

Because of this, she and Su Yun had only met twice.

The first time was when they followed their families’ arrangements and went straight to the civil affairs bureau to register their marriage to save time.

The second time was today.

Counting their interactions, the number of words they’d exchanged could probably be tallied on two hands.

But she had never realized that Su Yun was so perceptive about human nature. Combined with the differences she’d noticed on Weibo recently, a completely different image of Su Yun was slowly forming in her mind, one that didn’t match her expectations at all.

After the initial nervousness upon seeing Jiang Zhi, Su Yun quickly relaxed into her most natural state. “Of course I’m familiar with it. Otherwise, it’s easy to get tricked if you’re not careful.”

She thought for a moment and then retrieved the ice cream from the fridge. “You can eat this, right? It’s actually not that high in calories?”

For actors, controlling weight and physique was fundamental. Depending on the role, some even had to undergo extreme weight loss or gain.

Watching Su Yun enter the kitchen, Jiang Zhi had assumed she was getting fruit, only to see her return with ice cream.

She accepted it. “I can eat it. I’m taking a break right now, no new roles lined up.”

Su Yun, having gotten her answer, lifted her head slightly, particularly pleased that she had successfully promoted the ice cream. “That’s good then. It’s really delicious, I’ve personally certified it!”

Jiang Zhi’s fingertips, holding the ice cream, felt slightly cool as she asked, “Have you been very busy this month?”

“Not busy at all. I’ve had plenty of free time,” Su Yun tilted her head, watching Jiang Zhi eat the ice cream.

Her slender, fair fingers curled slightly, making her knuckles look as smooth as jade, almost as if they were glowing.

Even such a simple motion was enough to draw attention. Her posture was almost lazy, yet one could still sense the innate grace in her demeanor.

In a way, even if Jiang Zhi had no acting skills, Su Yun would still be willing to pay for her beauty alone.

“Then why haven’t you contacted me?” Jiang Zhi’s voice was soft, as if brushing past her ear.

But Su Yun still shivered.

The original owner had liked Jiang Zhi, so naturally, she would have gone out of her way to stay in touch.

But Su Yun was different she didn’t want to trouble Jiang Zhi, so she avoided bothering her unless absolutely necessary.

Even on social media, she wouldn’t engage with topics related to Jiang Zhi.

Apart from expressing thanks, she only replied when Jiang Zhi initiated the conversation.

As for the speculation from others and netizens about their relationship, Su Yun didn’t care. Theirs was a marriage of convenience, after all, it made perfect sense for there to be no love involved.

Unlike the original owner, who had crossed boundaries and suffered the consequences.

Besides, Su Yun firmly believed that love couldn’t compare to money. If she converted Jiang Zhi’s transfers into affection, she’d already be drowning in Jiang Zhi’s love completely submerged in an ocean of it!

“I was afraid of causing you trouble,” Su Yun answered honestly, thinking Jiang Zhi would understand.

But to her surprise, as soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Zhi denied her reasoning. “Why would you cause me trouble?”

“Ah?” Su Yun took a moment to react, wondering if the busy actress was unaware of the online situation. She clarified, “My online reputation isn’t great. If I interacted with you.”

“It wouldn’t affect me,” Jiang Zhi interrupted before she could finish.

Su Yun naturally met Jiang Zhi’s gaze. Her amber eyes were like clear glass, calm yet undeniably earnest. “If I cared about that, I wouldn’t have agreed to do the variety show with you in the first place.”

Oh, right.

No matter how much she avoided interaction, once the show aired, Jiang Zhi would be completely tied to her.

Seeing the light dawn in Su Yun’s eyes, Jiang Zhi asked, “Figured it out now?”

Su Yun nodded emphatically. “Figured it out.”

Jiang Zhi was about to nod in return when Su Yun added, “I should’ve told my agent to cancel the contract back then. I shouldn’t have agreed to this show.”

And she shouldn’t have worried about the penalty fee!

Jiang Zhi: “…………”

So this was what it felt like to cast pearls before swine.

Still, despite her regret, Su Yun was only joking. Deep down, she was grateful for Jiang Zhi’s reassurance. “I’ll do my best on the show, I won’t drag you down!”

She looked full of fighting spirit.

Jiang Zhi: “Just go with the flow. Be yourself, like the ‘life coach’ netizens call you?”

“???” Su Yun’s eyes filled with confusion. How did Jiang Zhi even know about that nickname?!

When Su Yun saw this nickname online, she might have chuckled to herself, but hearing it called out in real life made her face flush bright red in an instant!

It was like someone casually using your internet handle in daily life utterly mortifying!

A faint glimmer of amusement flashed in Jiang Zhi’s eyes.

“That was just netizens joking around.” Su Yun tried to shift the blame onto the online crowd.

At the same time, she mentally scolded herself, how could she have assumed that the award-winning actress didn’t spend much time online?

Now she was paying the price for that assumption.

“Still, some of the things you’ve said make a lot of sense,” Jiang Zhi remarked earnestly. “I actually agree with quite a bit of it.”

Su Yun: “…”

Thanks for the compliment, but she just wanted this topic to be over already.

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