Five years later.
A City International Airport Hall.
Wang Feifei stood on tiptoe, searching through the crowd. Soon, she spotted a striking, radiant, and captivating figure. Due to her exceptional beauty and aura, even with sunglasses, she drew frequent attention from those around her.
"Jiujiu, here, here," Wang Feifei waved happily.
Quan Jiu also saw Wang Feifei. She tightened her grip on her left and right hands and jogged over.
Taking off her sunglasses, a stunningly beautiful face was fully revealed. Even as a woman, Wang Feifei couldn't help but blush and sigh, "You truly are a daughter of Nuwa. Pure, you are an innocent maiden; alluring, you are Medusa." Anyone, man or woman, who looked at you would be petrified.
Quan Jiu chuckled at her teasing. She lowered her head, "Mimi, Tutu, say hello quickly."
A pair of dragon and phoenix twins, as beautiful as porcelain dolls, looked up and called out in milky voices, "Godmother."
Wang Feifei's heart melted completely. She crouched before the two adorable babies and poked their incredibly cute cheeks, "Oh, my little darlings."
Tutu, born one minute later, extended his hands, "Godmother, a meeting gift."
Quan Jiu smiled helplessly and tugged her son's ear, "How many times have I told you, don't ask for gifts the moment you meet someone."
"Why? Godmother likes me. It's only natural for elders to give gifts to juniors." Not giving one would be abnormal. Tutu pouted.
Mimi bit her finger, "Mom, don't blame brother. He only asks from people he's close to."
One sentence softened Wang Feifei to the point where she wanted to sneak into Quan Jiu's house and steal the children in the middle of the night. She smiled, "Godmother has prepared gifts. I'll give them to you when we get back tonight."
Then she looked at Quan Jiu reproachfully, "You truly don't know what it's like to be hungry when you're full. Such adorable children, I would cherish them day and night."
Quan Jiu gave a wry smile, "That's because you don't know how mischievous he is. I've changed his schools five times in two years."
"Those teachers are no good. I have no interest in learning. Mom, let me go directly to university. Attending kindergarten with a bunch of brats is truly a waste of life," Tutu complained with a pout.
"You're so clever," Quan Jiu retorted.
"Alright, let's go quickly. Jiang Nanchen has been talking about you for days. The auditioning actors should have arrived by now. We'll go straight to the set." She then took Quan Jiu's suitcase and hurried towards the parking lot.
...
Chu Rong, who had just exited the airport, was waiting for his assistant's car. However, his gaze shifted, and he caught sight of a familiar figure. His body stiffened. Just as he tried to get a clearer look, the figure disappeared around a corner.
Chu Rong pursed his lips tightly, his expression chilling. It couldn't be that woman. That woman had been gone for five years. How could it be such a coincidence to meet her at the airport? Impossible.
The airport was inevitably congested. Wang Xiao drove over and, seeing his boss's grim expression, assumed it was due to the wait and quickly explained, "The airport is too congested."
Chu Rong got into the car without a word and said coldly, "Arrive at the company within an hour. One minute more, and your year-end bonus will be reduced by a hundred thousand."
Wang Xiao trembled inwardly, his hands shaking as he steered. He floored the accelerator all the way and finally arrived within the time limit.
But as soon as he got out of the car, a junior assistant ran over, looking troubled and disdainful, "Boss, the young madam's family is here again."
...
Upon arriving at the set, Wang Feifei first arranged for Mimi and Tutu to be in the lounge before leading Quan Jiu into the main hall of the set.
Jiang Mengmei was impatiently waiting outside the set hall. If it weren't for the company's requirement, she would never have come for an audition. The director was an unknown person; how could there be ratings and traffic?
"What a waste of time. How much longer do I have to wait? This lousy place doesn't even have air conditioning. It's so hot. I really don't know what the company is thinking. I'm a big star," Jiang Mengmei complained angrily.
Her assistant tried to comfort her with kind words, "This is a rare and excellent script. The screenwriter, Nine, is very famous abroad. Every actor who has appeared in Nine's scripts has become immensely popular, with two even winning Best Actress awards for it. The headquarters has evaluated this crew and believes it has great potential and is preparing to discuss investment."
Jiang Mengmei scoffed, "Just a behind-the-scenes screenwriter, what's so great about that? Even if this drama becomes popular, it will be because of my popularity."
The assistant inwardly grumbled: If you weren't backed by the Chu family, you'd be ranked 10086th.
"This time, Nine God has returned to the country, and many famous directors are eager to collaborate with her. The fact that she chose Jiang Nanchen, a new director, shows that she herself has potential."
Jiang Mengmei picked up her phone to search. Jiang Nanchen looked quite handsome, like a cultured young master from a noble family, with an scholarly air. She flipped her hair and then searched for Nine. However, she couldn't find a photo, and scornfully said, "No photo at all, and you claim to be famous? What a big boast. It's best not to reveal your true colors upon returning to the country."
The assistant explained, "Nine God works behind the scenes and has never publicly disclosed personal information. However, it's rumored to be a woman."
"So it's an old hag. I'll see how much longer she can brag," Jiang Mengmei said disdainfully, staring at the entrance of the hall. Then she saw two people walking in, one after the other. The person in front looked like an agent, while the one behind, wearing sunglasses and a mask, was hard to see. However, her aura and shapely figure were enough to indicate she was no ordinary person.
"Vixen," she cursed enviously, her voice rising, speaking sarcastically, "Oh, are you using connections? Look at that hot body. Her sugar daddy must be very fortunate."
Wang Feifei turned her head and exclaimed in disgust, "What is this person spouting nonsense? So uncouth."
Quan Jiu also looked over, but at a single glance, she froze. It was Jiang Mengmei. In an instant, five years of buried memories resurfaced, stabbing her mind like knives. Jiang Mengmei's humiliating words seemed to have been spoken just yesterday, echoing in her ears. Some things, even if the surface had scarred over with time, would still feel like salt in a wound when recalled, because beneath that scar lay flesh that could never heal.
Quan Jiu trembled slightly. Her eyes, hidden beneath her sunglasses, were sharp as knives: Jiang Mengran, Jiang Mengmei, the hypocritical faces of you two sisters, I, Quan Jiu, will tear them off inch by inch.
"Even if this person is truly capable, she won't get into our crew," Wang Feifei thought Quan Jiu was angry and was about to rush forward to defend her.
Quan Jiu shook her head and held Wang Feifei back. She suppressed all emotion and said calmly, "It's fine, let's go in."
Wang Feifei had to glare hard at Jiang Mengmei before pulling Quan Jiu into the set hall.
Seeing that woman walk away without acknowledging her, Jiang Mengmei's sense of defeat made her clench her jaw. She cursed, "Just a cheap slut who sells her body, and she doesn't even know her body isn't worth much. I have the Chu family backing me, how can she compare to me?" With her status and background, wouldn't Jiang Nanchen hand the female lead role to her on a silver platter? Jiang Mengmei proudly flipped her hair.