I woke up to find I have a child - Chapter 59
Jiang LingYuan built a wonderful theater as she even built a row of rooms that could be used as accommodations for actors and decorated each room to reach the standards of a 5-star hotel.
Jiang Lingyan, however, has never been to this theater before and only knew that this theater bought by her sister was about to close down. After seeing the actors’ accommodations however, she turned to look at her little sister speechlessly, “Was it really necessary to do all this?”
Jiang LingYuan shrugged, “At the time, our new hotel in Sanlitun* was being renovated, and I saw there were lots of spare materials and furniture left over. They were just going to sit there anyway so I bought a few sets over.” (*T/N: An area of the Chaoyang District, Beijing containing many bars, restaurants, and stores. Popular for its fashionable dining and nightlife scene.)
Jiang Lingyan: “…”
High-end furniture needs daily maintenance, and if the regular furniture is this upscale, then the other daily necessities must be similarly high-end and upscale to match it. Then there is the fee that needs to be paid to the cleaning staff…
Now she knows why this theater is closing down.
Meanwhile, the contestants went into the studio one by one to shoot their individual interviews. The judges were able to go back to their rooms and rest. Jiang Lingyan planned to supervise everything and then go home after all the shots were finished. As she stood next to Nie Kaiyuan, who was happily talking about her spiritual journey, her phone vibrated and she got a message from Ye Mingxin.
She came to the parking lot as directed and searched for a long time before finding Ye Mingxin’s car. She sat in the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt, “You should take a note from my sister. Her cars all have distinctive colors so people can find it in one look.”
“Such as flashy red or that death Barbie pink color*?”
(T/N: ?????????, the first color is a type of red that is often associated with a provocative or daring look, while “death Barbie pink” refers to a shade of pale pink that has a gothic or edgy quality to it.)
Jiang Lingyan: “…The official names for those colors are ‘True Love’s Blood Red’ and ‘Tender and Beautiful Lotus Purple’.”
Ye Mingxin replied neutrally, “I still think my summarization is more accurate than the official ones.”
Jiang Lingyan was too lazy to argue with her and allowed Ye Mingxin to drive them to a bar. They chose not to sit at the counter but rather at a booth in the corner and ordered two glasses of wine before Jiang Lingyan asked her, “So tell me, what do you want to know.”
Ye Mingxin didn’t bother with small talk and asked her directly, “How did Han Yiren get onto your show?”
Jiang Lingyan knew right away this conversation would be about Han Yiren, so she happily told Ye Mingxin her prepared answer, “She was recommended by Director Cheng. There are a total of twelve contestants, and six of them were recommended by Director Cheng. I have about half of the decision-making power, so of course the final choice still depends on me. He recommended ten people, and I finally decided on six. Han Yiren’s background and other conditions seemed good to me, so I let her stay.”
Ye Mingxin placed her arms on the table, her fingers lightly tapping on the table to make a crisp, clacking sound, “So, it wasn’t because she was referred by someone else through the backdoor.”
Jiang Lingyan laughed, “Of course. You think this is the college entrance examination? Who would be recommended through the backdoor? On my show, no one can go through the backdoor. Did you know that after hearing Han Feixu was going to appear on?I am the protagonist?, my little sister badgered me for 7-8 days to let her come and work for me? She’s my blood sister and yet I still sternly and selflessly refused her!”
Ye Mingxin: “….”
You only refused her because you thought she might ruin your career.
Jiang Lingyan held her chin with one hand, “Why do you ask? Is there someone big backing Han Yiren?”
Ye Mingxin nodded.
Jiang Lingyan was curious. After so many days of filming, she hasn’t seen Han Yiren meet a single stranger.
“Who is it?”
Ye Mingxin held up her wine glass, staring at her fingerprints left on the crystal-clear glass. They seemed to sway with the golden-colored whiskey as she said, “Chang Hao.”
They had been investigating who was slandering Han Feixu all this time, and finally they found out that it was the current head of the Chang family, Chang Hao.
Ye Mingxin had thought he was doing this out of revenge due to the mishaps of his two sons that were due to the Ye family. After all, the reason why relations between them and the Ye family broke down was because of Han Feixu.
So when she found out, she felt that it was quite strange. Such retaliation seemed too crude and childish. There was no need to shift attacks to the entertainment industry, not to mention if Chang Hao wanted to take his anger out on Han Feixu he would have done far more than smear her reputation.
Even his smear campaign was not a massive one, but a gradual and subtle one instead. A sort of campaign that would slowly form a bad impression in the people’s mind until it’s deeply rooted into their hearts.
Ye Mingxin never understood why Chang Hao would use such petty means to deal with Han Feixu. She returned the favor by asking her father and younger brother to make things difficult for Chang Hao. Any asset that can be grabbed was grabbed. However, now she understood that it turns out the person behind everything was not Chang Hao, but Han Yiren.
She told her thoughts and everything else she knew to Jiang Linyan who nodded back in a daze, “Oh…I understand. Han Yiren wants to win, but because her opponent is Han Feixu, who is much too strong, she starts by manipulating public opinion in order to stop her from winning.”
“Wait, something’s not right.” Jiang Lingyan frowned, “How did she know that the last round of the show would be based on public votes? I didn’t even know as I decided on it just last week.”
Ye Mingxin raised her eyes slowly, “Who said she did all this just to win your game? Her ideals are big. How could she only focus on a small competition?”
Once a person’s honor and ranking comes from underhanded means, she will always be on guard and in a state of alarm. Whenever there’s anything amiss in her surroundings, she quickly becomes alert and assumes an attacking posture, determined to eliminate any potential threat.
And for Han Yiren, that potential threat is Han Feixu.
She had joined this variety show just to get close to Han Feixu and see what she’s like. Her feelings towards Han Feixu are very complicated. On the one hand, this is the idol she once dreamed of meeting. Until now, she can still remember every little thing she likes about Han Fei Xu. On the other hand, there is no room for two tigers on the same mountain and two people cannot walk side by side on a single-spaced bridge. Han Feixu has returned and her current starting point is only slightly lower than Han Yiren’s. Her previous results are still there too, so it won’t be long before people remember her past and fall in love with her acting once again.
And after watching Han Feixu with her own two eyes, this line of thinking got even more worse. Because Han Feixu really is too powerful. Unlike Han Yiren, her personality is real. Every frown and every smile is from the heart. In terms of charm she was just too strong and much better than Han Yiren.
Everyone in the show’s crew likes Han Feixu, but not everyone likes Han Yiren. This is because Han Yiren’s facial expressions and movements are the same, as if they were mass-produced from a factory. Although Han Feixu is face-blind, acts like a high schooler, has a very poor memory, and has a bit of a little temper, every move she makes is genuine. Even the cleaning auntie looks at her with admiration, so much so that she’s too busy admiring instead of cleaning the floor = =
Such a cute little girl, who wouldn’t like her?
Even Han Yiren likes her.
However, like is just like, how she treats her is different from her like. Ever since she decided to become an actress, she put all her personal preferences aside. Everything she does know is for the sake of her dream. As long as she can achieve her goals, she is willing to do whatever it takes.
The smear campaign was just the beginning. She wants Han Feixu out of the entertainment circle completely.
The plan seemed easy, but reality is often harsh. She always compares herself to Han Feixu, without realizing that they are fundamentally different. She only sees what Han Feixu has on the surface, but fails to see what Han Feixu has on the inside.
Raised by a pair of warm and gentle parents, a harmonious family, and prosperous/wealthy life. And her most powerful point, she has Ye Mingxin by her side = =
So the first few rumors and gossip were spread by her. When she saw the photos of Yin Jiahe and Han Feixu taken by the paparazzi, she planned to fan the flames of their relationship. She has been in the entertainment circle for two years, and of course she has also heard about Yu Tingxue’s crazy possessiveness over Yin Jiahe. She wanted to use Yu Tingxue’s hand to push Han Feixu to the bottom of the pit, but unexpectedly, not only did Han Feixu not fall to the bottom, but not even a splash of water was made. In fact, when she saw Han Feixu again, she heard that Yu Tingxue had given her a bulletproof car.
It was completely different from what she expected. Since one plan failed, she resorted to another plan. She is one of Chang Hao’s newest mistresses. Chang Hao gave her some money and some people she could use, but only called her when he wanted her. He never brought her out in public or back to his residence. This is exactly the sort of support/backing she wants, a type of support that brings her many benefits without affecting her reputation. She also never asks Chang Hao to bring her out in public and meet people, which makes Chang Hao feel satisfied with her.
She does not have the qualifications to enter the upper class, but she can quietly spread rumors among them. Money and capital is everything. Once investors figure out that Han Feixu’s reputation isn’t as good as they thought, they will no longer look for her to act in their films, let alone let her endorse their products. At the same time, they will look for someone else and of course Han Yiren, who resembles Han Feixu the most, naturally is the best choice.
It was a disgusting scheme, but if implemented, was bound to work. She just didn’t know that Han Feixu herself is one of the upper class. She had expected rumors to reach Han Feixu’s ears only after a month, when it was too late, only for it to spread to her by the third day and it was all because of Chang Hao’s youngest son who personally told Han Feixu = =
Because of this incident, the Chang family was in chaos. Chang Hao suffered a significant loss and was furious, but fortunately, Han Yiren concealed herself too deeply. Chang Hao did not find out that the source of the rumors was her, otherwise she would be finished.
From then on, Han Yiren knew that Han Feixu was not as simple as she thought, and that the Ye family had a close relationship with her. Otherwise why else would their whole family stand up for her? Therefore, Han Yiren changed her tactics and began to smear Han Feixu’s reputation little by little, using the most subtle and gentle way in hopes of getting rid of her.
Yin Jiahe’s words today, however, exposed her to everyone. Now she was afraid that Han Feixu had already guessed that she was the one behind everything, but she was even more afraid of what Ye Mingxin would do to her.
Walking out of the studio, the friendly smile on Han Yiren’s face gradually disappeared. She walked silently to her room, but bumped into Yin Jiahe who was sitting by the window and looking out at the night scene.
She immediately was alert. Yin Jiahe seemed to have been waiting for her this entire time. The woman in question turned her head and smiled brightly, “So you’ve finally come out.”
Han Yiren raised her foot to leave and pass Yin Jiahe, when her wrist was suddenly grabbed by her. Yin Jiahe’s grip was so strong she almost cried out. She frowned and said, “Let go.”
Yin Jiahe rolled her eyes, “I’ll let you go after you answer my question.”
T/N:
Starting next chapter, the chapter length will double. Updates may become more sporadic due to increased workload, we’ll see~