Monday.
They woke up in the same bed again. After three or four days of sleeping together, Zhu Chongyan had grown accustomed to waking up with someone in his arms. He skillfully withdrew his hand, acting as if nothing had happened.
The vibration of his phone rang out. He thought it was his, but when he picked up his own phone, no one was calling him. It was Zhu Jin’s.
He nudged the person beside him. "Your phone is ringing."
Zhu Jin let out a soft groan. "You answer it for me. Ask them what it's about."
Zhu Chongyan crawled over her and picked up the phone on the other side. There was no contact name saved, so he answered, "Hello, may I ask what this is regarding?"
"Gu Jin!" Gu Fu, on the other end, exploded instantly. "Who are you? Where is Gu Jin?"
Zhu Chongyan reflexively replied, "She's still sleeping. May I ask what you need?"
"...Sleeping! Who are you? Have her answer the phone immediately!"
Listening to his furious voice, Zhu Chongyan became increasingly bewildered and annoyed. "If you have something to say, say it. Otherwise, I'm hanging up."
"You!" Gu Fu nearly coughed up blood in anger. "I am her father! Have that disobedient daughter answer the phone! I don't care what your relationship is, thinking of climbing the social ladder to become a phoenix, you dream on! I will never acknowledge you! Hurry up and tell that disobedient girl to answer the phone!"
*Snap.*
Zhu Chongyan hung up the call directly.
"Who was it?"
"A spam call, selling insurance."
"Oh." She didn't suspect a thing. "Sleep a little longer. Why are you up so early?"
"I'm joining the crew today, I need to get there early."
Zhu Jin, still lying down, reached out and pulled him. "I'll take you later."
"No need, I can take the subway..."
"Sleep."
Zhu Jin directly pushed him back down. She gripped his shoulder with one hand, and Zhu Chongyan was immediately unable to move, having no choice but to obey her.
His role in the play wasn't very important, barely considered male lead number six. However, this was a major production with an investment of over three hundred million. Even as male lead number six, he had quite a few scenes.
His performance during the audition that day was very good, and Sheng Jiangchen had personally put in a word for him, so the director readily agreed.
He couldn't refuse anyway; he was working for someone and couldn't just walk away.
Zhu Chongyan chose this path for two main reasons: firstly, his own excellent appearance made it easier to stand out if given the chance; secondly, he genuinely loved acting. He had originally intended to apply to a film university just like his sister.
Unfortunately, before he could even take the entrance exams, his sister had that incident.
He entered this industry and, after a brief initial splash, remained unknown for several years. It had been three to four months since he last received a role. Being able to act again, he outwardly showed little reaction, but inwardly, he was extremely happy.
Thinking about joining the crew today, he was so happy he couldn't sleep.
While lost in thought, his phone vibrated again.
He thought it was the same person from before, so he quickly grabbed it and hung up directly.
Soon, the phone rang again. This time, there was a contact name.
"Sheng Jiangchen is calling you."
Zhu Jin took the phone and answered. After asking what it was about, the person on the other end said something. She pushed back the quilt and sat up, her eyes clearing instantly. "I'll look at it now. Have someone hold them for me first, I'll resolve it soon. Also, help me investigate who is behind this."
The person on the other end said something else. She moved the phone away from her ear and said to Zhu Chongyan, "You go get ready first. I'll take you to the set in a bit. Don't bring too much."
Zhu Chongyan knew they had something to discuss, so he nodded and went out in his pajamas.
As the door closed, Zhu Jin's expression instantly turned grim. "I recall you have some cooperation with the Cheng family, right?"
The person on the other end immediately pledged loyalty. "We can also do without it."
"Whether we do or not is not important. Within your capabilities, help me blacklist her. Also, find a way to acquire Guang Yue Media. I never want to see whoever did this again!"
Sheng Jiangchen was stunned by her domineering CEO aura, which was even more intense than his own. After a long moment, he said, "That's just a shell company making quick money. Can't you just terminate the contract? Why waste money?"
"We don't have to waste it."
Just as Sheng Jiangchen thought she was agreeing to find a way to terminate the contract, he heard Zhu Jin say, "I'll make it go bankrupt, then you can acquire it."
Sheng Jiangchen: "..."
Impressive!
Truly worthy of being the future tech overlord.
He had been somewhat brainwashed by the things Zhu Jin had shown him. From previous suspicion and indecision, he had become a firm believer, willing to "work" for her.
"Alright then, I'll wait for it to go bankrupt."
After hanging up the phone, Zhu Jin first went online.
The trending topics were filled with "black material" about Zhu Chongyan getting into the crew through the back door. For a minor role, the general public wouldn't have reacted so strongly, but someone was stirring up trouble. Connecting it to previous events, it instantly exploded.
This was not the worst of it; as long as a few parties came out to explain, there wouldn't be any major problems.
But this was just a prelude. People were already spreading rumors that Zhu Chongyan was the brother of the "pure and desire goddess" Zhu Keqing.
"Pure and desire goddess" was originally a compliment to Zhu Keqing. After that incident, it turned into accusations and insults, interpreted by countless people with all sorts of vile language, as unpleasant as could be.
Zhu Jin frowned and picked up her laptop. She navigated to a pre-prepared website and searched for some information about that woman. She first released a prelude.
Then, she began to crack the code.
She knew nothing about these things originally. After watching the system operate for so long, she had learned even more complex skills. Cracking passwords and retrieving information was incredibly easy.
Even the system was taken aback.
It had been thinking of making a profit, but it seemed that would be difficult!
Sheng Jiangchen had agreed to cooperate, and she sent him a message. He immediately bought a trending topic.
#Cheng Yingxin Has Heart Disease#
Her celebrity status was far above Zhu Chongyan's. She was a noble lady from a wealthy family, elegant as a lotus, a skilled actress, highly intelligent, a student of a top international pianist, and proficient in painting, singing, and composing... she was practically perfect.
So, when she appeared, Zhu Chongyan's trending topic was pushed down. Zhu Jin quickly deleted the information about him. Within minutes, his trending topics had dropped over ten places, and under the manipulation of those with intentions, they gradually began to develop in a positive direction.
As for Cheng Yingxin, Zhu Jin watched as many people were already discussing her. She then released more information.
#Cheng Yingxin Scalds Assistant With Hot Water#
#Cheng Yingxin Slaps Staff Member On Set#
#Cheng Yingxin Throws Tantrums#
...
Once the fire was lit, she waited to watch the show.
In just over ten minutes, a crowd surged into the topic, initially intending to criticize. However, they witnessed scenes of their "goddess" repeatedly slapping a female subordinate.
Amidst the voices of support or those who felt it was just part of the drama, there were many dissenting opinions.
"Heh, the lotus goddess's kind persona is ruined."
"My fists are clenched watching this, unfollowing."
"Is this woman crazy! Even if there was a conflict, hitting once would be enough. She hit six times. Isn't she afraid of damaging her own hand, which is insured for thirty million?"
"I stand with the staff. My face hurts watching this. If it were me, I'd fight back even if it meant death!"
"..."
This was exactly the kind of reaction Zhu Jin wanted.
Zhu Chongyan gently opened the door and poked his head in. "I made breakfast, do you want some?"
Zhu Jin put down her laptop. The screen had returned to the desktop, everything normal.
"Yes, eat!"