I woke up to find I have a child - Chapter 70
“Marie Claire” is a magazine brand headquartered in Paris, France. It entered the Chinese market in the early 2000s and is famous for its bold style and its ability to consistently grasp first-hand fashion information.
For Han Feixu to receive the favor of this magazine was not easy. The magazine publishes 24 issues a year, with 18 of them featuring well-known models on the cover, and only 6 featuring A-list celebrities. Before using a celebrity, they conduct comprehensive investigations into the celebrity’s character and private life, making sure they won’t tarnish the magazine’s brand. Only then will they send their staff to negotiate with the celebrity.
As long as the picked celebrity has half a brain, they won’t refuse an invitation from Marie Claire. When Liang Zhu received a call from Marie Claire, she thought they had dialed the wrong number. After all, the October special edition issue is the most important issue of the year for a fashion magazine. Han Feixu hadn’t even walked the red carpet more than a handful of times, yet she was suddenly chosen for the cover of the October special edition, and it was a solo cover too.
After clarifying the details, Liang Zhu finally understood that for this October special edition, they planned to publish two thick volumes, with a total of four covers—two models and one exceptionally fashionable female actress in addition to Han Feixu. The combination of a model and an artist made Han Feixu quite lucky as her look and style matched one of the models, earning her a spot.
In the evening, while applying a facial mask, Liang Zhu sat beside her and chatted, “I searched online for previous October special editions. Models have their shoot indoors, while actresses have theirs outdoors. When they talked to me before, they mentioned that the location hasn’t been finalized yet, but it will definitely be overseas. The Chief Editor said they want to go to a tropical island to capture that summer feeling.”
Han Feixu, with her eyes closed, commented, “You can capture a summer feeling in Hainan Island too. Why not go there?” (*T/N: Hainan is an island province of China, known for its tropical climate and beach resorts)
Liang Zhu replied, “It’s not the same. There’s a huge difference between the different seas and oceans. Some sceneries are unique to the tropical areas. Otherwise, why do people like to have their weddings in places like Bali and the Maldives? Have you ever heard of anyone having their wedding on Hainan Island?”
Han Feixu responded softly, “I haven’t heard of anyone having any weddings. I don’t know where my high school classmates went, and I don’t even recognize any of my college classmates. I don’t even know where I got married myself, let alone other people’s weddings.”
Liang Zhu told her bluntly, “No need to ask about that, after all you didn’t have a wedding at all.”
Zhong Yuanyuan, shaking a bottle of the serum, chimed in, “Will we have enough time? The October special edition is at the end of October, and she hasn’t finished filming the drama yet. To go to an island for a shoot, she needs to free up at least three days, or else there won’t be enough time for the round trip.”
Liang Zhu nodded, “There’s enough time. Anyhow, the plot is about to get to the point where her character gets put under house arrest. Then there are going to be two more scenes after that. One where she’s crying for her son in her cold and deserted palace, while the other one is after hearing the news of Yingxius’ death where she hangs herself with a rope. These two scenes will be simple enough to shoot and can be done in one day. Then after you finish the filming we can return to Beijign and rest for two days.”
Han Feixu opened his eyes and looked at her excitedly, “So I can take a vacation? How many days can I take?”
Liang Zhu blew on the hot herbal tea in the thermos cup, raised her eyelids and looked at her, “Didn’t I just say it, two days.”
“….”
Two days off really means just two days off, but she thought that it was much more flexible than that TAT
After finishing the ad shoot, Han Feixu and the others returned to Hengdian to continue filming the palace drama. Liang Zhu, on the other hand, headed to Beijing. She had a lot to do when she got back. Su Jue was playing a supporting role in an idol drama, which would wrap up soon, so she needed to find a few follow-up scripts for her. On Han Feixu’s side, there were a pile of documents and endorsement deals waiting for her to handle. She was hard at work accepting what should be accepted and declining what should be declined. Additionally, the contract with Marie Claire hadn’t been signed yet, so she needed to visit Marie Claire’s Chinese branch to negotiate the terms.
Now, Han Feixu had fewer scenes as the concubine who had been completely neglected by the emperor. Most of her scenes were about showing how miserable her later life in her old age had become, and then pretending to be a grasshopper at the end of autumn*. After that, she could take a break.(*T/N: Chinese saying that someone/something is nearing their end.)
Lying on the bed in the RV, Han Feixu looked at the last page of the script, muttering to herself as she memorized her lines.
Ye Mingxin quietly approached her from behind. “Are you rehearsing your lines?”
A sudden voice in the quiet space startled Han Feixu, and she almost threw the script out of her hand. Fortunately, she didn’t feel like rehearsing anymore and she put the script aside and turned over, lying on her back. She extended her hand towards Ye Mingxin. “Hug.”
Ye Mingxin walked over, sat beside her, and Han Feixu rolled over, ending up with her head on Ye Mingxin’s thigh. She wrapped her arms around Ye Mingxin’s waist and found a comfortable position before lazily speaking, “When do you finish filming?”
Ye Mingxin replied, “About two weeks.”
Two weeks will fly back quickly. Han Feixu thought back to the two months she had spent here. Apart from filming a variety show, Ye Mingxin hadn’t been involved in any other activities. She raised her eyes and locked gaze with Ye Mingxin. “You’re not even taking any endorsements now.”
Ye Mingxin gently massaged her scalp. “I’m not taking any new ones. I still have two luxury brand endorsements, one ending in February next year and the other in November. Once these two are done, I won’t be endorsing anything else.”
It looks like she really was planning to retire. Han Feixu tightened her arms around Ye Mingxin’s waist. “You’re putting a lot of pressure on me. The responsibility of providing for the family will fall on me.”
Before, Han Feixu had thought taking care of the family would be fun and had confidently said she could handle it on her own, but now, faced with the reality, she felt nervous.
Ye Mingxin didn’t mention the issue that had been weighing on Han Feixu’s mind. She just softly reassured her, “Retirement doesn’t mean I won’t do anything. I’d like to start a small company in the future, like Ming-De or the second Jiang sister, doing some small business here and there.
Han Feixu sat up, her eyes shining. “What kind of small business do you want to do?”
Ye Mingxin had considered this question but hadn’t made up her mind yet. “Ideally, something where I can invest and have employees manage everything. How about the retail business? Opening a chain of retail supermarkets, as long as we acquire a steady supply in the early stage, build a factory, and hire some cashiers we can start with ten stores in Beijing as a pilot. If it goes well, we can expand nationwide.”
“….This is considered a small business?” Han Feixu sounded skeptical.
Ye Mingxin blinked. “Isn’t it? A supermarket only takes up only a few dozen square meters after all.”
It seems that they have different definitions of the word “small” = =
After a pause, Ye Mingxin continued, “We can talk about all of these things later. My actual retirement won’t be until at least the end of next year, and there’s plenty of time in between for us to consider our options. If I can’t find anything interesting, I’ll just start my own film company, one specifically made to support you.”
As she finished speaking, she leaned in and kissed Han Feixu. Han Feixu wasn’t particularly interested in Ye Mingxin’s post-retirement plans; she could pursue whatever interests her after all. If she wanted to pursue her hobby, then Han Feixu didn’t want to interfere.
Han Feixu lay back down, took out her phone, and started scrolling through Weibo. Ye Mingxin patted her cheek gently. “Get up, lying down and using your phone is bad for your eyes.”
Han Feixu resisted for a moment but didn’t move. Ye Mingxin raised an eyebrow, prepared to surprise her by moving her leg and making her sit up. However, before she could do that, Han Feixu suddenly sat up on her own.
She was staring intently at her phone.
Ye Mingxin furrowed her brow. “What’s wrong?”
Looking over, Han Feixu’s phone displayed a Weibo post from Han Yiren’s fandom group. The post appeared to be a standard promotional message from the fandom group, encouraging everyone to support Han Yiren’s upcoming movie and events.
Before she could understand what was wrong with this post, Han Feixu got up and said, “I’m going out to call Liang-jie. I’ll tell you everything later.”
When she said “going out,” she actually meant going to another room. She sat in the mini office usually dedicated to Liang Zhu’s inside the RV and called her. As soon as Liang Zhu answered the phone, Han Feixu asked directly, “Is Marie Claire hiring another actress and is it Han Yiren?”
That couldn’t be possible. They must be out of their minds to Han Yiren as everyone knew about the awkward relationship between Han Feixu and Han Yiren. Having these two on the same stage would create countless problems.
Liang Zhu had obviously seen the Weibo post from the fandom group as well. They had congratulated Han Yiren on being invited to shoot the October special cover for Marie Claire, but when Liang Zhu called the person in charge at Marie Claire, they had no idea what was going on either.
Liang Zhu didn’t sound pleased. “I suspect Han Yiren saw that you hadn’t signed the contract yet, so she took the initiative to talk to the magazine. That troublemaker probably used bribery again to get in the magazine!”
Han Feixu was puzzled. “Is all her gains from ill-gotten money? It’s just one cover, and she wants to compete with me for it?!”
This wasn’t just any cover; getting on the cover of a prestigious fashion magazine could lead to opportunities to participate in major fashion shows in October and November. By participating in multiple shows and wearing fashionable outfits, you could attract the attention of luxury brands. As long as there were no major issues with one’s reputation, it would likely lead to endorsement deals in a few months.
Liang Zhu felt like her lungs were about to explode. She dropped the documents in her hands and spoke in a low voice, “Don’t worry about this matter. I’ll negotiate with them. They’re underestimating me if they think they can do whatever they want and that I won’t clean them up for it!”
Without waiting for a response, Liang Zhu hung up the phone. Han Feixu stared at her phone screen, which had returned to her home screen, in silence for a while before finally opening the door and leaving.
Liang Zhu had studied abroad for six years in her early years, from the age of 12 to 18 and during that time, she had seen all sorts of ruthless competition among students at the prestigious Juilliard School. Juilliard sounded high and mighty, and people called the students there the future of musicians, but nobody knew how intense the competition was among these musicians.
An opportunity to perform on stage was enough to make them fight tooth and nail with their lives on the line.
Liang Zhu’s accident that led her to give up her music career was partly accidental and partly deliberate. The other person was her understudy, and she had just wanted to give Liang Zhu a cold so that she couldn’t perform on the day of the show. However, something unexpected happened afterward. A minor cold almost took Liang Zhu’s life, and while she had survived, she could no longer sing.
Back then, Han Feixu had said she greatly admired Liang Zhu for being able to overcome the shadow of the accident so quickly. When she said those words, they sounded light, but only those who had truly experienced it knew how heavy they were in reality.
After two years of seeing a psychologist, Liang Zhu had only managed to let go of the incident and no longer harbored resentment toward the people who caused her accident. Following Han Anni’s advice, she started learning other things and developed other hobbies. It had taken her until now to finally find inner peace and not wallow in self-pity. (T/N: reminder that Han Anni is Han Feixu’s paternal aunt)
Han Yiren’s actions recently reminded her of the past. There were plenty of people in the entertainment industry fighting for opportunities, but none were like Han Yiren, who was focused on one person, one target, and that person was Han Feixu, whom she had personally watched grow and develop throughout her career.
Liang Zhu was furious. She drove all the way to Marie Claire’s office building. She requested to see the Chief Editor, but without an appointment, they wouldn’t let her in. She argued with the receptionist for a while and finally compromised by meeting with the Deputy Chief Editor .
Marie Claire had just changed its Chief Editor last month. The new Chief Editor had previously worked at the company’s headquarters in France and was a genuine French citizen. They were still in the process of familiarizing themselves with the new company and its environment, so most of the power still rested with the Deputy Chief Editor.
As the saying goes, when there’s no tiger in the mountains, the monkeys become kings. The Deputy Chief Editor spoke over Liang Zhu, giving her a whole rambling speech, but the crux of the matter was that Han Yiren was now a better candidate for the cover shoot. He expressed his regret that they couldn’t work with Han Feixu anymore.
Liang Zhu sneered. She crossed her legs, lifted her chin slightly, and looked down at the gay-looking* middle-aged man across from her. “You should know that Han Yiren is the third party, right?” (*T/N: in the original text the author actually used the english word for gay)
The Deputy Chief Editor’s expression stiffened for a moment. Of course, he knew, but he also knew that Han Yiren’s conditions were too good to pass up. She would bring many benefits to the company, and he himself would receive a considerable cut of the money. The difference between Han Yiren and Han Feixu wasn’t significant; they were both film actresses, and Han Feixu was even lowering her status to act in a television series. Who knows, maybe she will only do tv series from now on. In that case, it would be better to have Han Yiren for the cover shoot.
The Deputy Chief Editor adjusted his expression and said sincerely, “I understand your feelings, but this matter was a misunderstanding by our subordinates. I’ll ask them to negotiate with you, but it is not final yet. They misunderstood my intentions and so I apologize to you for that.”
Liang Zhu was tempted to pour her glass of water directly on the Deputy Chief Editor’s face. It was clear he wanted to break the contract and was trying to use a scapegoat to place the blame on. However, her upbringing prevented her from doing such a thing and instead, she picked up her bag, stood up, and offered a smile devoid of warmth, saying, “I can see your sincerity. When I return, I will inform my superiors and my friends about what your company has done. I hope they can also appreciate your sincerity.”
The Deputy Chief Editor didn’t take her threat seriously at all. He gave a disdainful snort in his heart but maintained a polite smile on his face. He stood up but didn’t move, indicating that Liang Zhu should leave on her own.
Liang Zhu didn’t say anything more. After she exited the room, she closed the door and dropped her smile as a dark expression overtook her face.
Damn it, just you wait! When she gets back, she’ll sell the photos of Han Yiren’s company being vandalized to the most shameless tabloid agencies and accounts she could find. How could a mistress like her act so arrogantly? With such incriminating evidence in her hands, she still dared to conspire with others to bully Han Feixu? It seems she’s fed up with living!
While waiting for the elevator, Liang Zhu considered for a moment and changed her mind.
She won’t sell the photos right away. Instead, she should wait until they finished shooting the cover and were about to print the magazine. At that time, she will dip into her own pocket and hire a social media marketing account to severely criticize this magazine. Hmph, some french magazines like them aren’t all that! If she wanted to, she could tarnish their reputation with a single chop!
When the elevator doors opened, several people exited. At the front, a tall, Caucasian-looking woman suddenly turned her head and frowned as she watched the elevator doors close. She had auburn hair and blue-gray eyes, fitting the standard Caucasian appearance. She stared at the elevator for a bit too long, prompting her secretary behind her to ask, “Chief Editor, what’s wrong?”
The person addressed as the Chief Editor turned her head to look at the secretary. “Was that Han Feixu’s manager just now?”
The Chief Editor spoke in Mandarin with a proper, standard accent, even if her Mandarin was a little stiff. This was also an important reason why the French headquarters sent her here. After all, if you want to work in another country, you should at least know the country’s language.
The secretary could neither confirm nor deny the identity of the person who had entered the elevator earlier. Even if she had seen who it was, she wouldn’t know if it was Han Feixu’s manager, as the negotiations with Han Feixu were being handled by other departments.
The secretary replied in a whisper, “I don’t know.” She made a mental note to check Han Feixu’s manager’s information when she got back. As a secretary, she should be aware of everything her boss asked about; otherwise, what was the point of having her as a secretary?
The Chief Editor didn’t reprimand the secretary. Instead, she went to the Deputy Chief Editor’s office. The Deputy Editor was leisurely drinking tea, and when he saw the Chief Editor suddenly arrive, he immediately stood up.
Behind the Chief Editor were three people: her two secretaries and the head of the HR department.
The deputy Deputy Chief Editor was bewildered. “Chief Editor, what are you….”
The Chief Editor didn’t even spare him a glance. She simply raised her arm and waved her hand lightly. “Go hand over your duties to Deputy Editor Yang. The Deputy Chief Editor will no longer be selected from within the company. We’ll conduct a nationwide external recruitment to find a replacement.”
The head of the HR department was afraid to raise his head. When the Chief Editor had come with her secretaries earlier, she had reported six names, and they had all been fired. The head of HR didn’t know what had happened and thought that the company was planning massive layoffs. It was only the secretary who informed him that those people had all been in contact with Han Yiren’s company.
Firing junior employees was one thing, but firing the Deputy Chief Editor as well? The Chief Editor had only been with the company for a month and hadn’t made any significant achievements. She hadn’t even followed the traditional rules of making bold changes* as a new leader of the company. People behind her back company, thinking that she, as a Frenchwoman, didn’t adhere to their customs. (*T/N: The official saying used here is “A new official kindles three fires upon taking office.”???????)
Now it seemed that it wasn’t that she didn’t adhere to them; she was just late in doing so.
Being fired so suddenly made the Deputy Chief Editor immediately grow anxious, “You want to fire me? Why? Did I do something wrong?!”
“You changed the actress we wanted for the cover without authorization and also accepted bribes from another actress and even formed a clique inside the company for personal gain. Do you think you’re filming a palace drama? The company has been tossed around by your troublemaking so much that it is not surprising that performance has been declining for the past two years.”
As she spoke, Chole looked around the decoration of the Deputy Chief Editor’s office. Then she turned around and said to her secretary, “Before the new Deputy Chief Editor is hired, we must decorate this office and buy some new furniture. This place doesn’t give me the feeling of an office dedicated to fashion production and enhancing the aesthetics of clothing. Instead, it seems more like… How do you Chinese describe such places?”
The secretary also took a look at the decoration here, and then guessed: “Like a nightclub?”
Chloe shook her head.
“A bar?”
Chole shook her head again.
“Like a rustic cardroom?”
Deputy Cheif Editor: “….” What nonsense is this?!
Chloe shook her head again, and then it struck her, “I remember it now, the red light district.”
Deputy Editor: “….”
He’d rather go back to the rustic cardroom description.
The Deputy Chief Editor couldn’t accept being dismissed so easily, but there was no point in arguing. Chloe was the Chief Editor, and whatever she said goes.. Chloe gave a few instructions to her secretary, who was much more efficient than the Deputy Chief Editor, and everything was arranged quickly.
When Liang Zhu received an apology call, she was surprised. However, after learning that the Chief Editor had been unaware of the situation and that even the Deputy Chief Editor had been fired, she no longer cared about the matter.
On the other side, Han Feixu sat at the dining table and once again marveled at Liang Zhu’s efficiency to Ye Mingxin, “Liang-jie is really amazing! It hasn’t even been that long, not even half a day in fact, and Marie Claire has already clarified and dissolved the collaboration with Han Yiren. How did she manage to do that?”
Ye Mingxin smiled and replied, “As long as the problem is resolved.”
Han Feixu sent a WeChat message to ask Liang Zhu what she said to the other party. Liang Zhuo didn’t reply but instead made a WeChat call. Han Feixu was having dinner at the time, enjoying a bowl of Yangrou Paomo*. She held her chopsticks in one hand and a spoon in the other, leaving no hand to hold the phone. So she decided to place the call on speaker. (*T/N: a specialty of Shaanxi cuisine, a soup cooked in lamb broth, served with lamb meat and steamed flatbread)
Liang Zhu’s voice came through, and she explained everything that had happened today, emphasizing the fact the Chief Editor’s secretary had personally apologized several times. She then mentioned that she had signed a contract with them, and the location had been set for Harbour Island in the Bahamas. Due to the string of unexpected events earlier with Han Yiren, the Chief Editor had expressed willingness to accompany Han Feixu to and treat her to a meal as well.
Han Feixu, enjoying her meal, happily accepted the invitation, saying, “Of course, why not go when there’s a chance to eat a free meal with someone.”
After conveying all this information, Liang Zhu hung up the phone. Han Feixu continued sipping her soup, but Ye Mingxin’s chopsticks remained motionless.
Confused, Han Feixu asked, “Why aren’t you eating? Did you lose your appetite?”
Ye Mingxin shook her head and replied, “No, it’s just that Liang Zhu mentioned before that it was the Chief Editor’s idea in the first place to invite you for the cover shoot.”
Although she wasn’t sure why Ye Mingxin brought it up, Han Feixu nodded and said, “Yes, that’s right.”
“And when she found out that the Deputy Chief Editor wanted to replace you, she immediately fired a bunch of people, including the Chief Editor. She even managed to switch you back, even though the Chief Editor had already decided to sign a contract with Han Yiren.”
“Yeah, it’s all thanks to her,” Han Feixu agreed.
Ye Mingxin put down her chopsticks and raised her eyebrows, “Now, she wants to treat you to a meal, and the location is on the famous Pink Sands Beach. One of the so-called “sexiest” places in the world.”
Han Feixu smiled brightly, “She’s a really good person, isn’t she?”
“Haha, yes,” Ye Mingxin said through gritted teeth and then sat up straight and decisively said, “I want to go to Harbour Island too.”