Huayu Chunqiu, starting from being adopted by a fairy mother

Chapter 363 The incident came to light
rustling...

The room was quiet, with only the sound of drawing.

Liu Jing is currently drawing the special effects scene of Long Kui sacrificing herself for the sword. This is Long Kui's last scene and also the most important scene for the little lion.

Filming this scene was still a long way off, but he felt there was something wrong with the director's design, so he designed the special effects shots himself.

Ever since filming the scene where Jiang Guo marties with his sword, he's had this idea in mind. Striving for perfection, he's been drawing it for several days, but he still doesn't feel quite satisfied.

He wasn't alone in the room; Jing Shao was filming on set and rarely spent time alone in his room.

Yang Mi lay on the bed, cupping her face in her hands, silent, completely mesmerized by her older brother's focused expression.

The eldest brother sometimes closes his eyes to think, and sometimes he writes furiously; he looks incredibly handsome like that.

As for her older brother drawing special effects for the little lion next door, she wasn't jealous at all, since her older brother had done more for her.

It was ten days ago that she brought her older brother to meet with Zeng Jia.

That day, the older brother made a promise to Zeng Jia, and he also made a promise to her.

She still vividly remembers the scene from that day.

Zeng Jia went back to the car to get her things, while Yang Mi was most concerned about Rong Xinda. Old Cai said that her former company was showing signs of decline, but she didn't see it at all, and she was still skeptical of Old Cai's analysis.

She even asked her older brother, who immediately retorted, "Whether it's declining or booming, what does it have to do with you? Do you want it to be good or bad?"

Yang Mi thought about it carefully. It would be better if her former company went bankrupt; she would feel much better that way. She just wanted to confirm the news; there was no worry or blessing involved.

She believed any normal employee would think the same way. But these were thoughts she couldn't express, and if she could only offer her blessings, she kept them buried deep inside.

Zeng Jia returned with a voice recorder. She recorded the entire scene of her secret meeting with Boss Wu that day, from beginning to end.

Yang Mi was secretly alarmed. Was this still the kind and gentle Zeng Jia? This woman didn't seem like a good person. She didn't listen carefully to what the recorder played, but instead secretly recalled the past few years. Had they said anything inappropriate in private conversations or on the phone?

After thinking for a few minutes, Yang Mi breathed a sigh of relief. She had indeed said quite a few unpleasant things, things she shouldn't have. However, none of them were matters of principle, and even if they were exposed, they wouldn't have a significant impact on her.

Yang Mi secretly became wary, realizing she had to be extra careful and cautious when interacting with Zeng Jia in the future.

She only became interested in listening to the recording after she figured things out.

Mr. Wu was very eloquent, even better at making empty promises than Zeng Jia. He talked about equity incentives, forward options, and the possibility of becoming a director in one year and a president in three—it all made Zeng Jia's heart flutter.

The conversation was in full swing when a phone call came in. Mr. Wu went to the side to answer it. The sound from the recorder was faint, but it could still be heard even when turned up to the maximum.

The voice recorder couldn't capture the voice on the other end of the phone. Mr. Wu was speaking Japanese, so it could be determined that the other party was probably a Japanese person.

Yang Mi's knowledge of Japanese is limited to a few words, some of which were taught to her by her older brother and a few she learned on her own.

Seeing that her older brother's expression hadn't changed, she felt relieved.

As for Old Cai, who was frowning, he didn't actually understand a word; it was just a habitual expression as he pretended to know something.

"Young Master Jing, this recording should be useful to you, right?" Zeng Jia smiled gently.

She didn't understand Japanese either, but she later broke the passage down into several parts and deciphered it.

Based on what Boss Wu said, she deduced the truth: Xiao Rizi was going to mess with Liu Jing.

The movie "Under the City Wall" is about to be released, and they're urging Boss Wu to launch his operation as soon as possible. As for how to do it? Apparently, they possess a shocking secret about Liu Jing.

What was the secret? Mr. Wu didn't say, and the person on the other end of the phone couldn't hear it either, but Zeng Jia was still very curious.

If things don't go well when she meets with Liu Jing this time, she'll use this recording to break the deadlock.

"Old Wu's offer is quite good," Liu Jing replied.

And then? Zeng Jia waited for more than ten seconds, but heard nothing more.

"I've heard that Young Master Jing is fluent in foreign languages..."

“Japanese is a dialect, I don’t understand it,” Liu Jing shook his head.

He understood it, of course. The recording was not useless to him, but not very useful.

He was certain of one thing: Xiao Rizi was indeed going to cause trouble through Lao Wu. It had only been speculation before, but now it was confirmed.

It's of no use whatsoever.

Zeng Jia was speechless. What a ridiculous joke. She wasn't even sure if Liu Jing understood Japanese; she only knew that he was fluent in English and Korean, which he had used in public.

She was about to explain when the other person continued, "Isn't Old Wu trying to poach you? I suggest you go. While you're at it, do me a favor and translate these few sentences in Japanese. The more of this stuff, the better."

Zeng Jia was stunned. You're not asking me to translate, you're asking me to go undercover!

"What does Young Master Jing mean?" Zeng Jia asked cautiously.

"Work hard at Chengmei. When Yang Mi is promoted to a top-tier position, that will be the day your dream comes true." Liu Jing's tone was full of encouragement before he stuffed the recorder into his pocket.

First-tier cities are the foundation of independent portals.

His plan for Yang Mi was to provide her with funding and resources after she became a top-tier star, allowing her to work independently.

Setting up a film and television company is easy; you can register it at the business registration bureau. But running a successful film and television company is not easy. Having money isn't always enough, especially when you don't have any.

Fan Xiaopang has opened her own studio, so raising tens of millions of yuan shouldn't be a problem for her. But why does she still need to rely on Zhang Min? Because a film and television company is not just a single company; it involves many aspects.

Liu Jing has been building a complete industry chain over the years. Among all the film and television companies in China Entertainment Group, none has a more complete business model than Chunqiu.

Having people, money, resources, and connections is the foundation of a normal company.

Liu Jing can provide Yang Mi with funds and channels, but a hero needs two helpers, and the fact that she doesn't have her own team is also a big problem.

Fan Bingbing recently poached Yang Tianzhen, a very good agent. With someone managing her business, she can finally focus on her work.

Fan Xiaopang can suppress Yang Tianzhen, but Yang Mi can't suppress Zeng Jia. This is Liu Jing's biggest worry.

"Young Master Jing really thinks highly of me." Zeng Jia said bitterly, now certain that he wanted her to be an undercover agent.

She suddenly began to doubt her life choices. Could I not go? Do I look that much like a spy? You really believe I can do a good job?
You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub; we've already done it.

The scene from that day flashed through Yang Mi's mind. She sighed softly, "Your heart is divided into countless pieces, and how much of it do I occupy? Even just one piece is so precious. Liu Yifei is truly blessed."

Who wouldn't want to be Liu Yifei? No matter how hard it is, we'll still follow her.

Favorability +1
Liu Jing suddenly stopped writing, looked up at him, and asked, "Weren't you supposed to be memorizing your lines?"

"I've memorized it. My memory seems to have improved a lot recently." Yang Mi got out of bed barefoot. Her silk pajamas were very smooth. She swayed and bounced with each step, showing off her graceful figure.

She poured her older brother a cup of tea and gently placed it on the table. The scene had been too beautiful to disturb.

"The more you use your brain, the better it becomes; if you don't use it for a long time, it will rust," Liu Jing said casually.

Yang Mi leaned on her older brother's shoulder, staring at the special effects on the manuscript paper. She didn't quite understand them, but the drawing skills were truly impressive. Love welled up in her heart. "My man is so talented. If he ever stops being a director, he could definitely become a cartoonist."

Everything in the painting is good, except for one thing: Longkui is painted too well. Liu Shishi is not nearly as beautiful.

"Shishi really nailed the role of Long Kui. Scheming woman, brother-obsessed, scheming, and split personality—it's all a perfect portrayal of her. She didn't need to act at all," Yang Mi mocked.

Today we were filming scenes in Leizhou City, and Long Kui kept stirring things up, but it didn't feel out of place at all.

She had never been optimistic about Liu Shishi's acting skills. What kind of acting ability could a ballet dancer who switched careers and took a few months of acting classes possibly have?

Yang Mi joined the production with a sense of superiority as a professionally trained actress, and with an attitude of taking it extremely seriously. She understood that, barring unforeseen circumstances, her older brother wouldn't be filming television dramas anymore, and his opportunities as an actor would be very limited, at most making cameo appearances.

She decided to give it her all, cherish this hard-won opportunity, and not let her elder brother down. She also planned to outshine Liu Shishi with her acting, letting her know why the flowers are so vibrant, and that her older sister would always be the older sister.

Their first scene together was a fight scene, outside the local temple, where Hong Longkui battled Tang Xuejian.

Yang Mi had a very deep impression of that scene. Just a moment ago, the innocent and harmless little flower suddenly turned fierce with a shout of "Action!" The script supervisor was so startled that he dropped the clapperboard.

Yang Mi's heart skipped a beat, and under the little lion's intimidating gaze, she actually felt a little guilty.

The little lion was agile and swift, striking Yang Mi in the chest with a paw. Yang Mi stumbled back a few steps and fell to the ground on her bottom.

Yang Mi felt that if she weren't so thick-skinned, she might have broken several ribs. This woman was really ruthless.

Liu Shishi is not only adept at action scenes, but also surprisingly skilled in dramatic scenes, making Yang Mi no longer dare to underestimate her.

Little Lion had vented her anger over the slap, but Yang Mi was still seething with resentment. She couldn't find an opportunity for revenge. Just a few days after Little Lion joined the crew, Nangong's mother arrived. With such a third wheel, Little Lion maintained a respectful relationship with her senior on set, so Yang Mi had no chance to organize a get-together.

She sparred with the little lion several times in private, but she lost more often than she won, and ended up getting hit in the chest quite a few times.

Little did the younger brother know that the elder brother, being impartial, secretly helped the little lion level up while Nangong's mother was away.

Liu Jing didn't help Tang Yan level up. His sister-in-law had many opportunities, but her favorability was stuck at 89 points and she couldn't raise it any higher.

"Shishi has a split personality?" Liu Jing wondered. Could it be another Shu Chang? He hadn't noticed any signs of it.

"Yeah. She acts like a lady on the surface, but she's actually a man. She's all prim and proper in public, but in bed..."

Snapped……

Liu Jing slapped him across the face, saying, "Don't talk about the little lion like that."

Yang Mi grunted, "Qianqian is a brother-supporting demon, and Shishi is a brother-obsessed man. Someone is really lucky."

"What are you?" Liu Jing asked.

"I...I'm also a brother-supporting demon." Yang Mi chuckled twice.

“Then I can only be a brother-obsessed brother,” Liu Jing retorted.

"Waaaaah, I'll bite you to death, you brother-obsessed bastard."

With their brotherly bond strong enough, they were about to perform the sworn brotherhood ceremony when Yang Mi's phone rang.

“Zeng Jia…”

"Ignore her, call her back later."

"No way! She submitted her resignation these past two days, something must have happened."

The older brother wouldn't let it go, and Zeng Jia's phone rang again.

"Dad, please, I'll do it myself later, so you won't have to worry about me drawing the shots," Yang Mi pleaded. It concerned her career, and she couldn't afford to be careless.

Liu Jing was just teasing her; he wasn't really lustful.

"Sister Jia, I was just brushing my teeth." Yang Mi made up an excuse without any preparation.

"Mimi, it would be so nice if you were in Yandu, let's have a couple of drinks." Zeng Jia's voice came from the phone, and Yang Mi immediately put it on speakerphone.

Liu Jing looked up in surprise.

Yang Mi smiled broadly and said, "I never make phone calls behind your back."

Liu Jing scoffed, "I don't want to hear it either; it's affecting my work."

"Jia-jie, what's wrong? Is it because President Li won't let you leave? You're a key employee in the company. If I were her, I wouldn't let you go so easily either. A promotion and a raise would be offered, and she'd definitely try to persuade you to stay. Maybe she'd even give you company shares," Yang Mi comforted her.

"Shares? Heh, neither of them are as generous as Zhang Min." Zeng Jia said dismissively, then sighed softly, "A film crew handed me a script that's quite suitable for Lin Shen. I went to her house that night, and she invited me to stay for dinner. After having a few drinks, I told President Li that I was resigning, and she agreed."

Of the four top female leaders, Zhang Min is the most magnanimous; this is a consensus among everyone.

When Jiahe went public, every manager and many employees benefited.

Spring and Autumn split the business, and all managers in charge of the branch companies are eligible for equity incentive plans.

During holidays and festivals, there are a constant stream of gifts, both big and small, and generous benefits.

The second most generous was Wang Jinghua, who gave away a significant number of shares in the new company.

Cai Yinong and Li Xiaowan are evenly matched, holding onto their shares tightly and not even bothering to make any promises.

However, Cai Yinong's views have recently changed, and she is planning an employee stock ownership plan to deeply bind artists and executives together.

"She...she didn't try to stop me at all?" Yang Mi's voice rose an octave, filled with surprise and disbelief.

“She said, ‘Congratulations.’” Zeng Jiaman said bitterly.

"That's it?" Yang Mi blinked rapidly, pondering the deeper meaning of those words.

"Ah."

"So heartless?" Yang Mi exclaimed in surprise. It seemed that her former boss had long harbored resentment towards Zeng Jia.

“Eight years. I’ve been with the company for eight years. I may not have made any great contributions, but I’ve certainly put in a lot of hard work. And in the end, all I got was a single sentence…” Zeng Jia started crying as she spoke.

Liu Jing really wanted to interject, "You're the one who wanted to leave, not the boss who kicked you out. Do you expect your former boss to kowtow to you? What a pretentious jerk."

One seeks comfort, the other seeks comfort.

Yang Mi comforted them with a whole repertoire of words, and soon the two women were envisioning their future together.

"Sister Jia, Chengmei is also a listed company, with a market value of 2 billion at its peak. It has dropped a lot now, and with the economic crisis, it's been declining non-stop. Why don't you have a positive outlook on such a company?" Yang Mi had long wondered about this question. She didn't think she had much charm to make the other person make such a choice.

"Mr. Wu has Japanese backing; he's just a front man. In our line of work, money isn't everything. Coal mine owners have money, right? How many of them have successfully transitioned into other industries? Big directors like John Woo and Peter Chan approached him because of the money. Many others who sought cooperation with Orange Sky were also after the money. Old Wu realized this, so he spent nearly 100 million to poach Wong Jing-hua's team. With Wong Jing-hua, he could break into the Beijing entertainment circle and establish himself. It's a pity..." Zeng Jia sighed. It was a pity that Wong Jing-hua left, and Orange Sky went back to its old ways. Even if she went there, there wouldn't be a better solution.

"Why did Sister Hua leave Chengmei? It's a listed company." Yang Mi didn't understand.

"Old Wu brought Japanese capital back to China to start an entertainment company, aiming for an IPO. He planned to cash out and leave as soon as the market value reached a certain level. But then the economic crisis hit, and this plan was temporarily halted. Sister Hua wanted to cultivate the artist's value, while Old Wu wanted to inflate the stock price and make quick money. The fundamental conflict between them couldn't be resolved, so a breakup was inevitable. Furthermore, Old Wu made reckless investments, mostly in projects that looked impressive but were actually hollow. Once he loses the support of Japanese capital and can't raise other funds, he'll have to pay the price." Zeng Jia patiently explained that this was a future partner, no longer the small-time artist she once was.

“He thought money could quickly build an entertainment empire, neglecting the most basic content output. He wanted to manage these creative talents with a financial mindset, which inevitably led to the loss of core creativity. Having money is a good thing, but making people think that all you have is money becomes a bad thing,” Yang Mi murmured.

"Your insight is quite unique," Zeng Jia said in surprise.

"I don't have such insights. What Mu Tou told me, I'm just repeating what he said," Yang Mi said with a grin.

Zeng Jia was very clever and immediately realized that Yang Mi should be with Liu Jing. She silently thought to herself, "Looks like I really was brushing my teeth just now."

"Old Wu's cash flow won't be cut off for the time being. This time, in order to deal with Young Master Jing, Xiao Rizi is supplying him with funds. You should tell Young Master Jing that their plan should be in the next day or two."

"Okay." Yang Mi glanced at Liu Jing, whose older brother was drawing and seemed not to have heard her.

"It's getting late, you should get some rest. I'm going to Hengdian in a few days, then we can talk again." Zeng Jia glanced at the time; it was past ten o'clock. She didn't want to disturb the young couple's time together.

After hanging up the phone, Yang Mi sat on the bed, lost in thought.

"Wood, do they know that Sister Min is pregnant?"

She has been thinking about this problem for ten days.

My elder brother has many secrets, but there aren't actually many that he can't reveal to others.

The man was unmarried, and the woman was unmarried; the affairs between the older brother and these women were merely romantic escapades. Compared to the murky world of their respective circles, they were a breath of fresh air, utterly insignificant.

After much thought, the only truly shocking thing she could come up with was Zhang Min's secret about giving birth to a daughter.

Liu Jing paused writing. "It doesn't matter if you know, Sister Min has already taken precautions."

“They don’t know, so they’ll definitely make a big deal out of it.” Yang Mi changed the subject and continued to speculate, “Besides, you’re filming ‘Under the City Wall,’ standing on a moral high ground. If it’s proven that you’re morally corrupt and can’t stand firm, then this work will be ruined as well.”

“I haven’t committed treason, murder, arson, or broken the law. Aside from a moral flaw, I’m otherwise fine.” Liu Jing put down his pen, rubbing his temples. “Your concerns are probably valid. Think carefully, what other morally reprehensible things have I done?”

"I thought about it for ten days and finally came up with Min-jie. What we have is nothing at all. At worst, if it gets out, we can just say we dated. It's normal for boyfriends and girlfriends to sleep together, isn't it?" Yang Mi said, distressed.

"Damn, you really want to?" Liu Jing said, annoyed. "You've been thinking about it for ten days? Why don't you want to think about it for ten years?"

"Could it be about you and Fan Xiaopang?" Yang Mi lowered her expectations a notch. These days, when entertainment reporters talk about big gossip, it's really just hype, nothing more.

“We already pulled one last time, so it’s not worth rehashing old news. Besides, for Fat Bing, this is just giving him a boost in popularity.” Liu Jing shook his head.

"Hey! You didn't do anything behind my back, did you?" Yang Mi asked suspiciously.

"What can I do?"

"I'm not your wife, how would I know?"

Sometimes, your brother knows more than your wife.

As the two brothers were racking their brains, trying to deduce Liu Jing's life from the past, their assistant called. As usual, Yang Mi openly eavesdropped.

The first sentence made her jump up: "Boss, your affair with Sisi has been exposed."

(End of this chapter)