Zhuang Yu kicked Ji Yun out of the group without a word, then blocked him.
A flood of question marks appeared in the group, and several people were bewildered: "What happened?"
Zhuang Yu couldn't say anything in front of Quan Jiu, so he created a new group chat for seven people.
"Ji Yun, that ungrateful wretch, Teacher Nine taught him hand-in-hand and even changed the original character's persona for him. After passing the audition, he got so arrogant he didn't know his own limits."
Then he explained the whole story to everyone.
Ren Kui was the first to roar after reading the message: "This guy is too heartless. Even if he wanted to refuse the role, he shouldn't have spoken about my boss like that. Is that even human language? I'm blocking him too."
Han Zhao, without a word, swiped his hand, found Ji Yun, decisively blocked him, and replied in the group, "Blocked."
Xiang Fei said indignantly: "I'm going to ask him and see if his heart is made of black garlic."
"Forget it, don't go," Zhuang Yu stopped him. "It'll make it seem like we can't do without him. Who does he think he is?"
Xiang Fei thought about it and felt it made sense, so he also blocked Ji Yun. People who don't know gratitude are useless.
After cursing in the group for a while, Zhuang Yu felt he should inform Quan Jiu, so he messaged her privately.
"Teacher Nine, Ji Yun said he's going to play the male lead arranged by his company and won't be with us anymore."
Quan Jiu glanced at it and didn't care. "Okay, it's fine, let him."
These few words immediately soothed the anger in Zhuang Yu's heart. Yes, what did it matter? Ji Yun wasn't important.
...
After being kicked out of the group, Ji Yun was furious. He quickly typed out a message and sent it to Zhuang Yu, but received a message: "You are not yet friends with the other party. Please send a friend request first. You can chat after the other party verifies it."
Ji Yun's face turned red with anger: "Damn it, he actually blocked me."
He then sent the message to Han Zhao, only to receive the same prompt.
Even Han Zhao blocked him? Ji Yun didn't believe it and sent the message to the others one by one. As a result, all seven had blocked him.
Ji Yun had never encountered such a situation where everyone ganged up on him. He felt both upset and angry. After thinking for a moment, he gritted his teeth and sent a string of text to Quan Jiu.
"I got selected by my own ability, so why should the credit go to Nine? You're really flattering her. She's just a screenwriter, do you really think she's a god? Han Zhao and Ren Kui are willing to jump into the pit, why should I give up my male lead for her?"
He had only intended to test if he was blocked in his anger without thinking, but the message was actually sent.
Ji Yun suddenly panicked and fumbled to recall the message.
Quan Jiu smiled faintly as she looked at the recalled message and then deleted Ji Yun with a single action.
It wasn't that she was petty or angry, but her friend list didn't have inactive or zombie friends. The two would definitely have no further contact, and there was no need to keep people with no connection and take up friend slots.
Then she called He Nian and informed him about Ji Yun's situation. He Nian didn't mind much, as Ji Yun wasn't so indispensable.
As for Ji Yun, after recalling the message, he didn't dare to send any more messages and simply deleted the chat history to make himself feel better.
Then he asked his agent: "Sister Orange, has my male lead role been finalized?"
Luo Ziju quickly replied: "It's done. As soon as they heard that He Nian wanted you to act, they finalized it without any hesitation."
Only then did Ji Yun feel relieved. Hmph, he had a male lead role, why would he care about supporting roles? Zhuang Yu and the others were just jealous.
After comforting himself like this, Ji Yun's frustration from being collectively blocked disappeared. They were all just jealous of him, so he only felt a secret thrill, not anger.
...
On her way home, Quan Jiu passed by a seafood market and suddenly thought of the dishes the old grandpa next door had ordered.
Since it was something the old man himself had requested, even though they were all strong flavors, Quan Jiu didn't want to suppress his preferences. So she went to the market and bought a Wuchang fish, a bighead carp, and a black carp, to be used for grilled fish, boiled fish slices, and Sichuan peppercorn fish respectively.
After leaving the market, Quan Jiu called Wang Feifei and invited her over for dinner that evening.
Wang Feifei was naturally delighted.
Quan Jiu returned home with three fish and various seasoning ingredients. Mimi and Tutu had finished their kindergarten homework and were watching a spy thriller that both siblings liked.
Seeing Quan Jiu carrying three fish, Tutu excitedly stopped watching TV and quickly got a basin from the kitchen. "Mom, steamed fish is delicious, but it's too bland. Can you make me grilled fish this time?" he asked expectantly.
Quan Jiu let out a soft sigh, wondering in her heart: Can taste preferences be inherited?
Chu Rong also loved grilled fish the most.
Thinking of that person, her heart suddenly sank. It wasn't painful, but it was a nagging discomfort, so she quickly banished that person from her mind.
"Okay, but you can't eat too much. Children's stomachs are too weak, and they'll get diarrhea," Quan Jiu reminded him.
"I'll only eat..." Tutu estimated with his eyes, "a quarter, that's enough."
Mimi's little hand reached out from behind and grabbed Tutu's ear, scolding, "Mom bought so many fish, she must be inviting Auntie over for dinner, and Grandpa next door. There are five of us, and you're going to eat a quarter each?"
Tutu hugged Quan Jiu's leg and kept hiding behind her. "Mom, quickly teach her. With Sister's personality, she'll definitely not find a husband in the future."
The force on his ear increased, and Tutu cried out in pain. He immediately changed his tune: "Sister, I was wrong. You'll definitely find a good husband and a good husband in the future. You are gentle, kind, understanding, intelligent, and virtuous. Who wouldn't like you?"
Quan Jiu watched her children bicker and felt extremely happy.
"Alright, alright, go play now. Mom needs to cook," Quan Jiu finally advised.
"Mom, I'll help you," Tutu said, running into the kitchen as if escaping.
Quan Jiu, however, remembered something else and stopped Tutu. "You help Mom with something else."
She took out her laptop, logged into her email, and opened the email she received at noon. "I checked the address last time, but it was at night. Today is noon, I want to see if it's the same address it was sent from."
Mimi and Tutu both leaned over to look. The email content was very simple. If the two children had the normal mental capacity of a four-and-a-half-year-old, they wouldn't have paid attention to the content, but they were exceptionally intelligent.
Mimi frowned worriedly. "Mom, are bad people going to cause trouble for us?"
Although she and her mother didn't consider their paternal great-uncle's family as relatives, there was still a connection, and she was afraid this fire would gradually spread to her mother.
Quan Jiu smiled reassuringly and stroked Mimi's head. "Don't be afraid, Mom will protect you. Mom will absolutely not let anyone hurt you and your brother, nor will she let anyone destroy everything Mom has now."
She was no longer the cowardly person she was five years ago.
Tutu sat on the sofa with Quan Jiu's laptop. However, compared to last time, he had to put in some effort. Fortunately, after a while, he still found the address.
But when he saw the address, he froze. After a moment, he called out dazedly, "Mom, I found it."
Quan Jiu and Mimi both gathered around.
Upon seeing the address, both mother and daughter's hearts clenched.
Chu Corporation Building.