Since he had put it that way, Pei Liang turned around and went to the supermarket to buy groceries.
There was a supermarket near the Pei residence specifically catered to the local residents. It stocked everything imaginable, including premium ingredients from all over the world, yet there were never many customers coming and going each day.
With her film now released, Pei Liang might not have become a household name, but she had gained considerable recognition. The days when she could show her face while shopping without being bothered were more or less over.
One advantage of the modern world over ancient times was that ingredients and spices of every kind were readily available. Through continuous selective breeding and improved farming, they tasted better and better, too.
If the master chefs she had known in her previous world could see the dazzling array of ingredients in this supermarket, freely available for them to choose from, they would probably be as thrilled as mice in a rice bin.
After buying the groceries, Pei Liang casually picked out a small bouquet of flowers as well, tucked it into an eco-friendly paper bag, and left the supermarket.
For the past half year, everyone around her had been working nonstop. Today, Pei Liang had given all of her assistants, including Fang Yuan, the day off.
She drove alone to the address the elementary-school kid had “accidentally let slip.”
When she knocked on the door, Xie Chen answered it dressed in light colors—soft gray and pale blue, with a white jacket over them.
His hair was a little shorter than it had been in Las Vegas, making him look cleaner and sharper, his handsome features all the more pronounced.
His clothes seemed relaxed and casual, yet every detail showed off the advantages of his physique. There was not a single obviously tightened or deliberately provocative element to the outfit.
And yet he looked utterly delectable, as though he were just waiting to be picked.
Put more pretentiously, it was high-end sex appeal.
Pei Liang did not hide the admiration in her eyes. Before opening the door, Xie Chen had spent over an hour agonizing over and repeatedly reconsidering this outfit, feeling somewhat uneasy.
What if she preferred the dark, cool, dangerously sexy look he had worn in Las Vegas?
Now that he saw her obvious attraction, he was immediately so pleased with himself he nearly floated off into the clouds.
As expected of him. He could pull off any style.
Xie Chen might be dramatic and finicky, but he was not entirely devoid of manners. Pride showed on his face, but his hand naturally reached out to take the grocery bag from Pei Liang’s arms.
When he noticed the bouquet inside, his heart was instantly drenched in honey. Still, he maintained his lofty pose.
“At least you know how to behave. You even brought flowers to apologize.”
“The flowers are only so-so, but it just so happens the flowers at my place have been looking a bit wilted. They’ll do as replacements.”
Pei Liang smiled. “It’s their honor to decorate Best Actor Xie’s mansion.”
Xie Chen loved being flattered. He gave a proud little smile. “Hmph. Why didn’t I realize you were so good with words when we were abroad?”
The two walked inside. Like the lavish presidential suite in Las Vegas, Xie Chen’s living room had floor-to-ceiling windows offering an unobstructed panoramic view of the river.
It was not fully dark yet. Once night fell and the whole city lit up, endless splendor and extravagance would stretch out beneath them.
Pei Liang praised it. “Nice view. I like these floor-to-ceiling windows. They really make one look forward to things.” Pinning someone against them and fucking them would definitely feel amazing.
Look forward to what?
Xie Chen paused at Pei Liang’s abrupt remark. Taken literally, it sounded as if she simply meant the spectacular night view was something to anticipate.
But perhaps he was overthinking it; he could not help feeling that she meant more than that.
Besides, what exactly was a woman doing in a man’s home, talking about “looking forward to things”? It was her fault his thoughts had gone off in all sorts of directions.
He put on an unconcerned expression. “It’s all right. What I really value is the privacy here and the strict access control.”
Then, unwilling to let Pei Liang’s attention stay on his apartment, he set down the bag and turned to face her.
His tone was casual, but his entire body was desperately radiating the energy of a peacock displaying its feathers.
He asked lazily, “Come to think of it, it’s been half a year since we parted in Las Vegas, hasn’t it?”
Pei Liang smiled. “No. About five months.”
“Five months and you think that’s short—cough, cough. What I mean is, a mere five months, and Miss Pei has changed quite a lot.”
“From leaving the group and disappearing from public view back then, to turning things around in one stroke now. Your acting career may only be beginning, but as a producer, you’ve already caught the attention of major investors. I’m sure plenty of people have been approaching you, haven’t they?”
Pei Liang nodded. “It’s certainly much better than when no one cared about me.”
Xie Chen choked.
That was not the reaction he wanted. Had he picked the wrong topic to start with?
Right. If he wanted her to notice what made him special now, work was not the place to begin.
So he changed the subject. “Miss Pei, did you change your style? Your hair looks a little shorter, and your makeup style seems somewhat different from before. But it suits you very well. Your bone structure is excellent—you can pull off any look.”
After saying that, he stared at Pei Liang with sparkling eyes, the very picture of: All right, I started things off. Your turn to compliment me.
But Pei Liang merely said, “Is that so? Thank you!”
Then she turned around and began taking the vegetables, fruit, and meat from the paper bag. The carefully selected produce was not only of excellent quality, but flawless in appearance.
In Pei Liang’s fair, slender fingers, it looked like a bright, pleasing photograph.
But Xie Chen was in no mood to appreciate it. All he felt was the hollow sensation of having missed a step and fallen into thin air.
That was it? Just “thank you”?
He had noticed even the slightest changes in her and made a point of praising her. Why did she have no reaction at all?
Shouldn’t she be looking to see what had changed about him? Weren’t girls supposed to be especially observant about such things? He had even changed his hairstyle. Had she not noticed?
Was she really going to be this perfunctory toward someone of the opposite sex who was interested in her? Could it be that she had already forgotten what he had looked like in Las Vegas?
Xie Chen was so aggrieved he could barely stand it. He glowered in silence at Pei Liang as she washed the vegetables.
Then he heard her ask, “What would you like to eat?”
“Whatever!”
“Then how about I make a few simple home-style dishes?”
“I said whatever. Why are you still asking me?”
“Of course I can’t just do whatever. You’re thinner than you were in Las Vegas. You need to eat properly.”
With that one sentence, the storm clouds in Xie Chen’s heart instantly gave way to clear blue skies.
He lifted his head at once, like a sulking dog who had not been given a bone, only to discover that its owner had long since prepared an entire bowl for it.
He could not suppress the curve of his lips. Turning his face away, he tried his best to maintain a reserved air.
“H-How could you tell?”
He had not lost much weight. It had been for his new role: in it, he played a young man who still retained a trace of adolescent immaturity. A more normally built physique would have weakened that impression.
To deliver an outstanding performance on screen, every aspect of preparation mattered.
So Xie Chen had lost a little weight, making his frame look slightly leaner in order to create that lingering hint of youthful innocence.
However, once filming ended, he immediately resumed his workouts to regain it. In truth, he was not all that different from how he had been in Las Vegas; only a professional fitness coach would be able to spot the subtle changes.
Yet Pei Liang replied, “Your jawline is more defined. You must have lost weight and then gained some back within a short period of time. And the definition in your arms hasn’t fully returned yet, either.”
Pei Liang smiled and gave him a playful wink with her left eye. Her voice was full of teasing. “I’ve basically seen every inch of your body. How could I fail to notice even the slightest change in such a perfect physique?”
“You—you…” Xie Chen’s ears turned red, and his whole body seemed to boil like a pot of water. “Shameless~”
That was what he said, but inside, he was both delighted and smug.
See? How could anyone remain indifferent in the face of his perfect body? It turned out she had already memorized every inch of him.
So he had misunderstood her just now. She really had only noticed things like his change of hairstyle or his different fashion choices—those were all superficial.
True attention came from caring about his body from the heart, rather than merely focusing on details of his appearance.
This woman definitely liked him. As expected, no one could resist his charm. All his earlier worries had been completely unnecessary.
Xie Chen was so happy he was practically wagging his tail like a puppy. He wished he could dig out every good thing in the house and put it in front of Pei Liang.
He told himself that since he was so outstanding and had countless admirers, it was only natural for her to put in a little effort if she wanted to stand out among his competitors.
His mouth, however, was perfectly honest as he rattled off a string of numbers: “563215.”
Pei Liang was washing vegetables. At that, she looked up. “What?”
“The password to my front door and bank cards—I mean, the wine cellar password. I was thinking of opening a bottle of wine.”
The moment Xie Chen opened his mouth, he realized how embarrassing that sounded. With his tail between his legs, he walked away and said, “Forget it. You’re busy, and I don’t want to make you do it. I’ll get it myself.”
With that, he hurried out of the living room as though fleeing for his life. When he reached the hallway around the corner, he almost slapped himself.
Who was this cheap, shameless pushover?
Xie Chen seriously suspected that Pei Liang had cast some kind of spell on him. Otherwise, how could he have blurted out the passwords to his house and his savings?
It wasn’t as though he had no sense of caution. He wasn’t some clueless man-child who couldn’t even travel alone despite being fully grown. He had been carrying a backpack and traveling around with his friends since middle school, so he had plenty of experience being out in the world.
There was absolutely no way this was his fault.
After dawdling for a while, he took out the most expensive bottle of wine and returned to the living room. From there, he could see Pei Liang’s brisk, capable figure moving about in the open kitchen.
She didn’t seem to have paid much attention to his earlier stupidity, and only then did Xie Chen adjust his expression.
He perfectly concealed his embarrassment and awkwardness beneath an air of arrogant self-importance before coming to the counter and setting down the wine.
“I’ll decant this first. Hopefully, the dishes you made won’t be wasted on my good wine.”
Pei Liang tossed the contents of the wok. The food flipped in a graceful arc around the rim before landing steadily back in the center.
Not a single drop splashed out. The entire movement was as smooth and fluid as a close-up from a gourmet cooking show.
Xie Chen was a little surprised. He had acted in a food-themed film before and visited quite a few renowned chefs.
During that time, he had also learned to make several signature dishes, and his cooking skills were considered decent by ordinary standards.
But techniques that required years of practice could not be replicated in a short time.
Take the wok toss Pei Liang had just performed. Though it was merely a basic skill that every professional chef had to master, Xie Chen had watched plenty of master chefs do it.
Even from a layman’s perspective, Pei Liang’s movement was remarkably practiced and fluid.
She was making salted egg yolk seafood tofu in a thick sauce, yet there wasn’t a single splash of oil or water around the stove. That alone showed how precise her control was.
Xie Chen asked, “Have you studied cooking before?”
Pei Liang nodded. “I learned it as a hobby. Bring me a plate.”
Xie Chen hadn’t been home for several months, and the extra tableware had been put away. A dish with this much sauce needed a serving dish with a slightly deeper base.
There were wide-mouthed bowls in the cabinet below, but Xie Chen felt that using such casual tableware for a dish this beautiful would be a waste.
Besides, they were about to open a bottle of very expensive wine. Naturally, the meal needed a sense of occasion.
Thus, Xie Chen convinced himself that he had every legitimate reason to do so and walked behind Pei Liang while she worked.
He reached up and opened the cabinet above her. His entire presence enveloped her from behind, as though he had drawn her into his arms.
When he took out a plate, he deliberately brushed against her.
“Ah!” Xie Chen said, sounding slightly surprised. “I thought I was standing far enough away. My arms are a little long, and I accidentally touched you. Sorry.”
Pei Liang smiled. “It was only your arm. What’s there to be sorry about?”
Xie Chen had been secretly trying to create a romantic mood, so when Pei Liang treated the whole thing with such casual indifference, he became dissatisfied.
He felt that this woman lacked the necessary caution, so he said, “How could it be nothing?”
“Normal physical contact is nothing to worry about, of course. But you should know that plenty of people use that excuse to flirt and harass others, probing their boundaries step by step.”
“You need to be wary of people like that. You look so sharp—how could you not even think of something so obvious?”
Pei Liang nodded and said, “Then stand farther away from me.”
Xie Chen froze. The next moment, he realized that he had just shot himself in the foot.
He instantly exploded, both embarrassed and guilty. “I wasn’t talking about myself! Do you think I’m that kind of person? Does Xie Chen need to resort to such low-class tricks?”
She had made him sound like one of those clumsy, manipulative flirts.
Pei Liang plated the dish and handed it to him. “Take it to the table.”
All the self-conscious excuses Xie Chen had been preparing were stuck in his throat. His eyes reddened from holding them back.
Seeing him standing there foolishly, Pei Liang gave a soft laugh. “It’s good that you weren’t talking about yourself. I thought you were uncomfortable with touching me. Honestly, I was a little disappointed when I thought that was how you saw me.”
The blush on Xie Chen’s face immediately deepened. He carried the dish out of the kitchen as though a ghost were chasing him, fleeing all the way to the dining room.
Pei Liang moved quickly. There were only four dishes and one soup, so she finished cooking before long.
She had made modest portions of each dish to prevent leftovers from going to waste.
By the time everything was served, the wine Xie Chen had opened was ready to breathe.
Outside the windows, the city was already ablaze with lights. Beside the floor-to-ceiling windows, they could enjoy the beautiful night view while dining.
Xie Chen poured wine for Pei Liang. The moment she lifted the glass and smelled it, she knew it was an extraordinary vintage.
She took a small sip. The fine wine slipped smoothly across her tongue, mellow and rich, its fragrance deep and lingering, with an aftertaste that seemed endless.
Pei Liang smiled. “What a lovely wine. Thank you for having me.”
Xie Chen, however, had no time to bask in her praise. His eyes were fixed on the dishes Pei Liang had made. He had barely been able to eat these past few days, but now his hunger had suddenly begun gnawing at him.
The dishes were all familiar home-style recipes, yet their presentation was impeccable, combining perfect color, aroma, and appearance.
Xie Chen scooped up a spoonful of the salted egg yolk seafood tofu. The instant he tasted it, he felt as though he had ascended to heaven.
The salted egg yolk sauce was rich, savory, and intensely fragrant. The mellow flavor of the cured yolk blended with the freshness of the seafood, coating the tender white tofu. The broth had seeped deeply into every bite, creating a perfect balance of freshness, softness, fragrance, and richness.
Even after the seafood had given up its essence to the sauce, it was not bland in the slightest. Instead, it complemented the sauce perfectly, each bringing out the best in the other.
One mouthful was enough to awaken every taste bud and fill him with incomparable satisfaction. Yet the dish was not heavy or greasy. Before he had even swallowed, he was already looking forward to the next bite.
Xie Chen had originally planned to take advantage of the romantic night view, have a few drinks with Pei Liang, and chat leisurely.
But after taking his first bite, he couldn’t stop eating. He didn’t want to lose control like this in front of her, but his hands simply refused to obey him.
Perhaps because she had taken his recent efforts to maintain his figure into consideration, several of the dishes were light yet nutritious.
One of them was tomato and scrambled eggs, such a simple home-style dish that Xie Chen knew how to make it himself—and not badly, either.
But faced with the plate before him, Xie Chen suddenly felt that what he had cooked in the past could hardly be called food. And he had even been so pleased with himself.
This dish was flawless. Not a trace of browning marred the golden eggs, and almost every piece was cut to the same size. The tomatoes had clearly been cooked until they released their perfect, rich fragrance, yet they were neither mushy nor falling apart.
A few scallions had been sprinkled over the top. The presentation alone put every dish made by any famous chef he had ever seen to shame.
That wasn’t to say those chefs cooked badly. It was simply that none of their dishes had ever looked this outrageously perfect. It was practically art designed to satisfy an obsessive-compulsive mind. You could take a picture of it without any retouching or special lighting, and it would be good enough for a poster in a top-tier restaurant.
The flavor was just as incredible. Xie Chen had never imagined that tomatoes could be cooked to such a rich, concentrated deliciousness, with such a delicate texture, wrapping around eggs fried until they were springy and smooth. A common home-style dish had been elevated straight to heaven.
In the end, all four dishes and the soup nearly ended up in Xie Chen’s stomach. He wasn’t a particularly big eater—just about average for a normal man.
But counting the rice, he had eaten far more than usual. The crucial point was that even after eating so much, he still hadn’t had enough.
Sitting in his chair, Xie Chen was torn between lingering satisfaction and a crisis of faith.
So here was the question: What exactly had he been eating all his life?
For a while, he actually couldn’t remember having eaten anything truly delicious. He had visited countless Michelin-starred restaurants and sampled the handiwork of top chefs.
Pei Liang smiled at that moment. “We’re a little short on time today. If you like it, I’ll make you a proper feast another day.”
“563215.”
“Hm? We haven’t finished the wine yet.” Pei Liang raised her glass.
Who cared about this lousy wine that cost one or two million a bottle? Xie Chen said, “That’s my house password. Just come in yourself.”
“That doesn’t seem quite appropriate, does it?”
“Hmph. Don’t get the wrong idea. I just heard that the movie you’re preparing has a rather questionable outlook, and I’m worried you’ll have a hard time if it bombs. Your cooking skills seem passable, so if that happens, I might be able to give you a job.”
“Just passable?” Pei Liang glanced at the spotless plates on the table.
Xie Chen’s ears turned red, but he stubbornly replied, “At least you won’t starve.”
“But don’t think I’m taking advantage of you. The people around me are all part of the best film crew in the industry. You’ve made up your mind, and I won’t try to talk you out of it. Everyone has something they want to do no matter what, after all. I’ll only say this: if you really run into a wall, at least you’ll still have a chance to start over, learn from your mistakes, and rise again.”
This man’s words were affected and pretentious, but his heart was soft.
Judging from the signals Pei Liang had been sending, her next film was almost certain to flop. Even though the box-office glow of The Missing Bride was still dazzling, quite a few investors had withdrawn after she stubbornly insisted on moving forward. The only ones who remained were those unwilling to invest much but hoping to cash in on The Missing Bride’s success.
For instance, they could use The Missing Bride’s original creative team to market the next film and, preferably, persuade Xie Chen to make a cameo. Then, even if it was an unquestionably doomed domestic horror movie, its low production costs would still make it a sure profit.
But Pei Liang had no interest in investors like that.
Based on the current state of domestic horror films, Xie Chen also found it difficult to feel optimistic about Pei Liang’s next project.
If her next film received a poor response, the advantages brought to her by The Missing Bride’s success would almost entirely disappear. Her shortcomings as a first-time producer would be itemized one by one and laid out in investors’ analyses. By then, she would no longer have the fresh box-office success to protect her.
Making a film was impossible as a one-person operation, nor could she rely solely on Director Liu and the others to assemble a crew. A producer without connections and a team of her own could not be considered qualified.
Besides, thanks to The Missing Bride’s tremendous success, Director Liu and the others’ talents had been brought back to people’s attention. Pei Liang had demonstrated the correct way to use them, so naturally others would follow suit.
Director Liu and the other key members had become much more valuable, and the compensation they deserved for working themselves to the bone on The Missing Bride had completely eased their financial crisis.
Perhaps out of gratitude and loyalty, Director Liu and the others might reject lucrative offers from other productions and choose to work with Pei Liang again.
But relationships weren’t meant to be drained like that. As filmmakers, once they had regained their footing, they would certainly be eager to shed their reputations for making terrible movies.
They would not be willing to plunge back into that swamp.
So Xie Chen’s suggestion could genuinely be described as a labor of goodwill.
Pei Liang naturally appreciated his concern.
She looked at Xie Chen with an air of absolute confidence.
“Then thank you for your kindness. You’re very sweet.”
Was she acting spoiled with him?
Xie Chen felt secretly delighted. In an instant, he was convinced that, in Pei Liang’s eyes, he had become a tall, noble, and dependable figure she could safely rely on.
Then she continued, “Since you’re being so kind, I’ll definitely fulfill that unfulfilled wish of yours.”
For example, the dream of working on his beloved intellectual property, which he had missed out on because of a certain idiotic director and producer.
It was obvious that Xie Chen was still deeply frustrated about turning down The Universe Alliance. It was a franchise he had loved since childhood, and the film he had most wanted to appear in ever since entering the industry. He had already had one foot inside the palace of his dreams, only to be forced to give it up for such disgusting reasons.
But everyone had principles they had to uphold. In the face of those principles, no reason could make them compromise.
Yet in Pei Liang’s view, this was not an absolutely insurmountable problem.
As long as it was handled properly!
They only wanted the intellectual property. The director and producer could be replaced by anyone.
However, it was still too early to reveal this plan.
So Pei Liang took out a stack of scripts and placed them in front of Xie Chen. “Actually, I came here today to ask you to play the male lead in my next film.”
“Hm?” Xie Chen, who had just been quite candid about his lack of faith in the project, thought he had misheard her.
He looked at Pei Liang. Her expression was serious and businesslike, the same way it became whenever movies were involved.
“You should understand that playing the male lead and making a cameo are two completely different things.”
A cameo might not even count as part of his filmography, but as the male lead, he would have to shoulder the quality and reception of the entire film.
Seeing that Pei Liang showed no sign of backing down, Xie Chen continued, “I’m expensive. And my principle is that I don’t appear in bad movies.”
Pei Liang extended a hand toward the scripts. “You can read the screenplay first.”
“If you still reject me after reading it, I’ll leave immediately.”
“But if you’re interested in the plan after reading the script, then we can continue discussing it.”
Xie Chen felt somewhat dissatisfied. What did she mean, he would leave immediately if he rejected her? It made it sound as though they had nothing else to talk about besides movies.
So this guy being so nice to him today couldn’t possibly be for just this one reason, could it?
With that thought souring his mood, Xie Chen opened the screenplay.
At the same time, the president’s office at Huiyuan Entertainment was also brightly lit.
Several reports lay spread out before President Chen. Aside from him, Director Ke, Zhu Qian, and members of the public relations department were all present.
Perhaps driven to fury, President Chen suddenly shot to his feet and kicked over his office chair.
His eyes were bloodshot, his face twisted as if he could devour someone alive. “That filthy bitch. Damn filthy bitch. I underestimated her.”
The first report on the desk detailed how Zhu Qian had gone back with her assistant and combed through their memories and phone records to determine who each photograph had been sent to. They had then followed the trail, doing everything they could to pry open the mouth of the person who had sold her photos, and finally traced them to Pei Liang.
Although they had no direct evidence, Pei Liang was the only person who had business interests entangled with their Immortal Path and who fell within the same circle of contacts. There was no one else it could be.
President Chen was trembling with rage, and Director Ke was hardly any calmer.
This film had been a catastrophic failure for him, destroying the reputation he had built over many years. Even if he didn’t have to bear the financial losses himself, how could he not be furious?
Director Ke said, “That explains all the strange things that happened starting with the May Day holiday.”
“We thought she’d simply gotten lucky—that she had taken advantage of us clearing out the competition and seized the box office, then, thanks to Xie Chen’s influence, the film’s potential had exploded ahead of schedule. She’d merely reacted quickly and boldly, immediately adjusting her marketing strategy. Combined with our bad luck, that was how we suffered such a devastating loss.”
“From the beginning, I felt everything had lined up far too perfectly, as though every event had been working toward making The Missing Bride a success. In less than a day, it became a surprise hit by riding on Xie Chen’s name and the audience’s complete lack of expectations. Then, just as we quickly formulated a counterstrategy, a fatal scandal happened to break.”
“On top of that, the scandal targeted the audience’s sense of disgust toward the film and destroyed their immersion in it. We could have reached the answer simply by following whoever benefited most from the incident, but we underestimated our opponent. We thought she was just a young girl who had only recently entered the film industry, and overlooked both her methods and what she might be capable of.”
“Exactly. Back when she was only a mediocre idol, she was already capable of taking Cui Ying down. Now Cui Ying’s top-tier resources and most of his fans have been divided among several other celebrities. He’s fallen so far that there’s no chance of his making a comeback.”
“With such a ruthless style—striking directly at the enemy’s weak point—how did we ever assume it wasn’t her doing?”
President Chen sneered. “What else could it have been? Xie Chen.”
“Our film had been promoted on such a massive scale, with you at the helm, and Zhu Qian playing a type of immortal heroine she was best known for. Add in the original work’s established audience, and who wouldn’t be intimidated?”
“But while that frightened all the competing films released at the same time, it couldn’t fool Xie Chen.”
“That kid is famous for having an exceptionally sharp eye when choosing projects. His rejection of Immortal Path probably wasn’t solely because he wanted to audition for The Universe Alliance. After all, he may be a blockhead, but his company and agent are both shrewd. If they truly had faith in our film, they would have been more likely to keep us hanging until the audition over there produced a result.”
“But Xie Chen rejected us outright this time, which shows he had already formed an opinion about the film. He and that bitch were all over each other while filming in the gambling city. He must have revealed the details of our movie to that Pei woman then.”
Pei Liang’s film was only a comedy, with no deeper substance and everything serving the punchlines. It wouldn’t require much time in postproduction, so from the moment filming began, it was possible to determine which competitors she would be facing.
With an analysis from Xie Chen—a Best Actor standing at a higher vantage point and seeing farther than most—that was enough to convince her to take the risk.
She had therefore drawn up a plan to attack Immortal Path in advance, based on her understanding of the film, with the sole aim of tearing away its Golden Week box office.
Zhu Qian’s face twisted with rage. “Are you saying there’s nothing we can do about her?”
Someone from the marketing department said, “We already released the scandals about The Missing Bride’s production team. As expected, Xia Yu’s scandal didn’t attract much discussion.”
“On top of that, Xia Yu directly released the records of the money she had transferred to her family since she began working, and the domestic-abuse records involving her husband have also been dug up. Public opinion online has already turned in her favor.”
“The news that Xie Chen had failed his audition and been rejected by The Universe Alliance also backfired, just as expected.”
“Xie Chen’s agency reacted very quickly. The Universe Alliance also didn’t want to offend an actor with such a large domestic fan base, so they issued a statement saying only that the role wasn’t a good fit for him. Both sides had enjoyed their discussions, but ultimately regretted that they couldn’t collaborate.”
“Besides, the news ended up winning sympathy from his fans. The Missing Bride’s box office has even seen two consecutive days of countertrend growth.”
President Chen angrily swept the report off the desk. “Useless. You’re all useless.”
“Several days have passed. Have any of you thought of a way to deal with this?”
The people from public relations lowered their heads. Given Zhu Qian’s level of popularity, and with no major news available to divert attention, it was impossible for the internet not to discuss the matter.
Deleting the posts and photographs was useless. Delete too many, and it would only provoke netizens’ rebellious streak.
Even Xie Chen’s news was, at the end of the day, merely the result of an audition during an actor’s career. How could that compare with a top-tier young star being someone’s mistress—and already having a child? That was far more explosive.
“A bunch of useless idiots!” The flesh on President Chen’s face trembled as he realized that the film was beyond saving.
“There’s no way I’m swallowing this without a fight.” President Chen sneered. “She’s nothing but a little girl, yet she dares to scheme behind our backs and stab us in the dark.”
“If she refuses to play by the rules, then she can’t blame us for showing her no courtesy.”
He then said to the people in marketing, “Get in touch with Cui Ying. He may be finished, but the fans trained under his system are still easy to command. Point them in a direction, and they’ll attack.”
“Cui Ying’s studio would love nothing more than to tear that Pei woman to pieces. They definitely won’t refuse to work with us. We can even save a huge amount on public-relations expenses.”
“And what about that little girlfriend of Cui Ying’s who was exposed? Wasn’t she Pei Liang’s teammate for two years? She must have plenty of useful material.”
“If she had anything, she would have released it back when Pei Liang was leaving her with no way to survive,” Zhu Qian said. “That girl was called First Love, right? I remember now.”
“She’s washed up too. That spineless bastard Cui Ying broke up with her a long time ago to retain part of his girlfriend-focused fanbase. She used to market herself as an innocent goddess, but now that persona is gone. On top of that, Cui Ying’s fans attack her every day. She can’t get any decent work and has already started acting in cheap horror films where she plays overly sexualized schoolgirls.”
“If she has nothing, we can always fabricate something.” A vicious look appeared on President Chen’s face. “Don’t think hiring a lawyer will keep her safe from scandals.”
“And if that girl is filming a horror movie, isn’t that perfect? Our Miss Pei’s next film is a horror movie too, isn’t it?”
“She tore flesh from us with her mouth. Others can do the same to her.”
Director Ke shook his head. “The Universe Alliance will dominate the National Day holiday box office. All the major films are sure to avoid going head-to-head with it again. This year, nearly all the genuinely competitive films have been concentrated in the Spring Festival period.”
“That Miss Pei probably knows it herself, which is why she chose to make a low-budget horror film. It’s obvious she never had high expectations for its box-office performance.”
Horror films already had a limited audience in theaters, and it was being released in the same window as a blockbuster. How could she possibly be aiming to make money?
Director Ke said, “She’s probably just using it to generate some buzz, then focusing on online streaming so she can sell the rights at a good price. Using her former teammate’s film to make a splash won’t cost her much anyway.”
“Besides, The Missing Bride is entirely her own investment. Any money it makes goes straight to her. And considering the Pei family’s wealth, she probably wouldn’t even blink at losing money on ten low-budget films like this.”
President Chen said, “You don’t need to worry about that. She may have money now, but anyone can pull the rug out from under someone else.”
“You mean—”
President Chen gave a cold smile. “What if the Pei Corporation runs into trouble? As the Pei family’s heir, could she really stand by and watch the company fall into crisis without putting up money to save it?”
“I don’t know much about the food market, but if a brand wants to expand, it can’t avoid cooperating with us.”
“Recently, there’s been an outside brand making a pretty aggressive push, hasn’t there? Both online and offline, it’s cutting into the Pei Corporation’s market share. Even its shelf presence in major shopping malls has changed.”
“The Pei Corporation is already in a state of panic. Let’s add fuel to the fire.”
“Oh, right. What was the name of the spokesperson for that competing brand again?”
“Yu Wenqing,” the assistant answered. “She used to be Pei Liang’s teammate too.”
“Then this should get interesting.” President Chen said. “Since young people don’t understand the rules, we’ll teach her a couple of lessons—show her what it feels like to be abandoned by everyone and left with nothing but chaos.”
*
Pei Liang ultimately recruited Xie Chen into the production team. He even took the script home, intending to study it carefully once more.
After reading it, Xie Chen agreed to play the male lead without another word.
Pei Liang had even teased him at the time. “Aren’t you afraid the crew won’t be up to standard? Or that I won’t be capable of doing the script justice?”
When it came to films, Xie Chen had never been afraid of offending people with his bluntness. “It’s fine. I can recommend a director for you.”
“If you still can’t pull it off in the end, you can sell the script to me. I’ll find a producer who can do it justice.”
Pei Liang did not know whether to laugh or cry, though she admired his single-minded dedication.
With Xie Chen on board, the remaining preparations became far easier. While filming The Missing Bride, Pei Liang had rapidly absorbed professional knowledge and built industry connections.
This time, she could put together an entire crew without even going through Director Liu.
The story was set in an old mansion in a deserted village. Pei Liang visited many locations before choosing one, and by the time everything was ready, The Missing Bride had reached its final box-office tally.
Its cumulative box office came to 3.2 billion yuan. Since Pei Liang had been its sole investor, the investor-distributor share all went straight into her pocket.
After deducting various expenses, her share came to nearly 1.3 billion yuan.
Pei Liang had originally set aside 100 million yuan for the investment, but in reality, she had spent less than 70 million. In other words, she had made a net profit of 1.2 billion yuan.
That was an astonishing achievement anywhere.
People in the Pei family’s social circle had known that Pei Liang was making a movie. At first, they had assumed she simply could not let go of the entertainment industry and was throwing money at it for fun.
Instead, she had made such an enormous profit in one go. More than a few people could not help making sour remarks in front of Pei's dad.
Pei's dad should have been beaming with pride and celebrating his daughter’s windfall. Yet whenever Pei Liang saw him lately, he had looked troubled and anxious.
That night, Pei's dad did not return home until very late. His face was full of worry and irritation.
When he saw Pei Liang sitting in the living room, he asked, “Why are you still up so late?”
“I was waiting for you,” Pei Liang said.
Pei's dad had been exhausted by recent events. He said wearily, “Does your new movie need more funding? I’ve been busy lately, so just go through the finance department. Didn’t you already have someone calculate the budget before?”
“But the company’s cash flow is tight right now. There isn’t much more I can give you.”
Pei Liang smiled. “What are you thinking, Dad? Your daughter just made 1.2 billion yuan. I have more than enough money to make any movie I want.”
Hearing this, Pei's dad finally found a piece of good news amid all the worries weighing on him lately.
His expression softened. “Were you waiting for me to celebrate with you? You’ve accomplished something huge. We really should throw a proper celebration, but I truly don’t have the time right now.”
“Once this busy period is over, we’ll make it up to you. Be good, okay?”
But Pei Liang simply handed him a bank card.
It was the first time in his life that Pei's dad had received a bank card from his daughter. In the past, he had always been the one giving her money.
“What’s this?”
“Didn’t we agree before? The fifty million was your support for your daughter’s career—the seed funding for my venture. The remaining thirty million counts as your personal investment.”
“The revenue share hasn’t come in yet, so I’m giving you an empty card for now. Once the money reaches my account, I’ll transfer your portion directly to you.”
Pei's dad thought he could hardly ask his own child for money. Still, he instinctively asked, “How much?”
“The total production cost was seventy million yuan. Your thirty million accounted for nearly forty-three percent, so after calculating it…”
“Five hundred million yuan!”
Pei's dad drew in a sharp breath.
That sum could not compare to the Pei Corporation’s market value, but it was five hundred million yuan in cash. At a time when the company’s cash flow was tight and it was being aggressively attacked by competitors, it could turn the entire situation around.
