Chapter 73

Ten minutes later.

The same group of netizens came back after reading the first three chapters of the new book. This time, they didn't talk about patriotism anymore; they were just excitedly screaming.

-The female lead's character is so captivating.

On the surface, she's a gentle, wifely woman, but behind the scenes, she's the leader of an organization. February Sky knows exactly how to manipulate my heart!

Yang Boyuan acts all respectable in public, but at home he has to be incredibly obsequious to the female lead. Does anyone understand the thrill of that?!

-The female lead is the real mastermind behind everything.

- No doubt about it, this is a real big shot, the head of the Shanghai underground party's intelligence group. Judging from the description in the article, the female lead is their organization's leader here.

-This dance party feels so exciting, everyone is all smiles but hiding daggers, saying one thing to your face and another behind your back.

- LOL, it's impossible to tell who's a good guy and who's a bad guy.

All I can confirm right now is that the female lead and her husband are a good couple; after all, she's the main character. [bitter smile]

- It's so complicated. There's the Special Higher Police, the Military Intelligence Bureau, and the underground Communist Party to which the female lead belongs. So many forces are deeply entrenched in Shanghai. It looks like it's going to be very exciting later on.

-I think Ye Xun from the intelligence department seems quite extraordinary; he'll likely become a major problem for the female lead in the future.

-I also think so. He's so strange. Why did he suddenly set his sights on the female lead?

I'm really looking forward to the scenes where the female lead navigates the various forces involved; it looks like it's going to be thrilling. I love this kind of plot! Author, I won't allow anyone to say you have a problem with your thinking. We're clearly just writers and readers!

- Strength is the only true measure of success; nobody's talking about those negative posts on the forum anymore.

- Nobody paid any attention to them; they were just a bunch of self-talking trolls.

......

After lunch, Xu Ying went to check out the Taxue Forum.

She doesn't usually browse forums, but since she just started writing a new story today, she wanted to see what readers thought of it. So she randomly opened a post with the tag "Code Name: Dodder Flower".

Seeing netizens commenting on the complex power dynamics in the novel, she paused her scrolling, wondering if she should describe it in more detail...

This is no longer the world she came from. The people in this world don't know about the Republic of China, let alone the Military Intelligence Bureau and the underground Communist Party.

She decided to add a patch later in the story, providing a brief overview of the origins of these forces so that readers could better understand the plot.

Um.

Keeping this in mind, Xu Ying scrolled down again and saw that someone had a premonition that Ye Xun was the main villain and that he would definitely cause trouble for the female lead in the future.

She couldn't help but burst out laughing.

All she could say was that this netizen was wrong. Ye Xun would not only not cause trouble for the female lead, but would actually be another important storyline she planted for her.

Xu Ying read the comments for a while, then put down her phone and sat back down at her computer. She didn't have any drafts ready for tomorrow, so she decided not to think about it too much and just focus on writing tomorrow's update first.

*

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

The crew of "Legend of the Qing Dynasty" is already in place, and the actors have begun to try on costumes and take makeup photos.

Xu Ying went over and took a look.

With Liu Meng and Ya Ya on set, there was nothing for her to worry about. If any of the actors' costumes didn't fit, the two of them could make alterations on the spot, making them very efficient.

And then there's Teacher Liu, who seems to find the flowerpot-shaped shoes quite interesting; she even tried them on herself for a day while training her students.

"I'm old, and it's really tiring to wear these clothes for a long time. Let these young people wear them."

Yinyin followed beside her grandmother, watching the pretty girls wearing beautiful clothes and having their hair done. She looked on with envy and said, "Grandma, I want to wear that too..."

Xu Ying squatted down and teased her, "If you're wearing our costumes, you have to play our roles, right? Yinyin, would you like to be our little helper?"

"Legend of the Qing Dynasty" needs many child actors. If Yinyin is willing, she could make a cameo appearance.

Yinyin nodded quickly: "I do!"

She wanted to become as beautiful as the older girls in the training room.

“Teacher Liu, look…” Xu Ying stood up and looked at Teacher Liu. Yinyin was her granddaughter, so in the end she still had to ask for her opinion.

Yinyin tugged at Teacher Liu's sleeve, her eyes pleading, "Grandma, I want to act!"

"Since Yinyin has agreed, I have no objections."

She knew Xu Ying, Zhou Xingyun, and all the other actors in the crew, so she had no worries about Yinyin acting in this production.

"It's settled then, but Yinyin's school starts soon, so you'll have to come over to film on weekends!"

The child actors' scenes are in the latter half, and the director will likely film them all within a single timeframe.

"It's okay. We'll see how the production schedule goes. If it doesn't work out, I'll ask my teacher at school for leave. I'll just let Yinyin experience it for herself."

Her family members' professions are more or less related to the entertainment industry, so she is not opposed to her granddaughter acting at all. Moreover, Xu Ying's production team is visibly high-standard and highly professional, so filming this drama will only bring benefits and no harm.

*

"Oh dear, school has started!"

Mo Yun dragged her suitcase back to the dormitory, which was empty; she was the only one there.

Mo Yun: "......"

I never expected my roommates to be even more of a procrastinator than her. It seems they won't come from home until the very last minute.

The lamb loves to eat grass: When are we going out to eat?

Mo Yun had just sat down when Yang Hui sent her a message.

Silence is golden: I'm too tired, let's rest for an hour before going out.

The lamb loves to eat grass: OK.

Mo Yun turned on the dormitory air conditioner, sat on her stool, took out her phone, and opened the familiar Fei Hong page.

She heard that Eryuetian has started a new novel, so she has to go check it out.

She reads all of Er Yuetian's works, but the reason she only clicked on this one half a month after it was published was because she and Yang Hui had been working part-time during the summer vacation.

They did earn some money, but the work was much more tiring than they had imagined, to the point that neither of them had the energy to read novels anymore.

Now that she's back at school, she can finally relax and read novels.

Code Name: Dodder Flower?

Mo Yun frowned. She knew about dodder flower; it was a vine that could only survive by parasitizing other plants. Why did the new book have such a name? It didn't sound like a good word.

Thinking this, Mo Yun opened the novel on her phone without hesitation.

......

Lin Jingshu and Yang Boyuan have different social statuses, so they did not hire a cook or nanny. To outsiders, it seemed that Lin Jingshu was taking care of all the household affairs.

Early in the morning, she went out to buy groceries as usual.

As she walked, Lin Jingshu keenly noticed a little tail following her. She pretended not to know and naturally made her way to the market. Only on her way back did she deliberately stop for a moment in front of the photo studio at the street corner before continuing on her way home.

"Mrs. Lin bought a chicken and a bunch of green vegetables..."

Almost as soon as Lin Jingshu returned home, her movements that morning were immediately reported in detail. Ye Xun leaned back in his office chair, and when he heard the words "photo studio," he raised his eyelids thoughtfully.

"What about Yang Boyuan?"

"He went to work as usual, but there's something I'm not sure if I should say..."

"explain."

“On my way back, I ran into a friend who was drinking with me. He told me that he went to the bank to buy stocks a couple of days ago and saw Yang Boyuan getting very close to a female employee.”

Ye Xun raised an eyebrow: "Female employee?"

Are Yang Boyuan and his wife deeply in love?

"Dog said the two of them always appear together in the bank lobby. I think they might be secretaries or something, so I want to investigate and report back to you."

"Go check."

With the recent stock market turmoil, the Special Higher Police (STPP) has undoubtedly taken advantage of the situation to make a fortune. Based on his years of experience in intelligence work, he suspects that the newcomer, Yang Boyuan, is problematic.

......

In the afternoon, Ye Xun drove to the photo studio his subordinate had mentioned. Unexpectedly, he ran into Lin Jingshu, who was there to have her picture taken. The two met at the entrance of the photo studio, and Lin Jingshu looked surprised and at a loss.

She stepped forward and greeted him politely: "Director Ye, what a coincidence."

Ye Xun corrected: "It's deputy director."

Lin Jingshu smiled: "Deputy Director Ye..."

"Are you two here to have your picture taken? Please come in, please come in," the photo studio owner greeted them warmly as soon as he saw the couple standing outside. "Are you a couple here to take a picture together?"

"Boss, you've misunderstood. This person and I are just friends," Lin Jingshu said after carefully considering her words, using the word "friends."

friend?

Ye Xun withdrew his gaze from the shop and looked at Lin Jingshu, his eyes revealing a hint of doubt and a pleasure he himself was unaware of.

Lin Jingshu smiled at him.

Ye Xun seemed to have been burned and quickly looked away. He said to the shop owner, "I won't take the picture, let her take it."

"Alright, alright, please come in, miss." The boss didn't care whether the two were really a couple or not; he was happy to have business. He raised his arm and eagerly pointed the way, and Lin Jingshu followed him inside.

Ye Xun followed.

Under the direction of the photo studio owner, Lin Jingshu sat on a chair in front of the curtain, smiling at the camera. She wore a top hat, a lotus-colored cheongsam, and carried a small handbag. She sat there gently and gracefully.

How beautiful!

Ye Xun stood outside the shed, swinging his car keys in his hand, but his eyes were fixed on Lin Jingshu's face.

He wondered if Mrs. Lin knew that her husband was having an affair with another woman, would she still be able to smile so beautifully?

Lin Jingshu took photos for 15 minutes, while Ye Xun stood outside for 15 minutes.

After Lin Jingshu came out, he took out his wallet, casually pulled out a hundred-yuan bill and placed it on the counter: "I'll pay for this lady's bill."

After saying that, before Lin Jingshu could refuse, he waved the car keys in his hand at her: "Mrs. Lin, shall I take you home?"

They've been targeted.

Lin Jingshu thought to herself that this was troublesome.

Ye Xun was a notorious vicious dog in Shanghai. Anyone who was targeted by him never had a good ending; even if they didn't die, they would be severely injured.

“Okay, but I don’t know if Deputy Director Ye has time. I’d like to go to Zhan Yun Ji to buy some snacks.”

They really treated him like a driver.

Ye Xun stared intently at Lin Jingshu, but Lin Jingshu remained unmoved.

"Of course I have time, it's my pleasure, please, Madam."

In the car, Ye Xun tentatively asked, "I heard that Madam and the bank president have a very good relationship. Last time, when the Special Higher Police invited the bank president to dinner, Madam was extremely worried and even went to the restaurant to pick him up herself?"

"Yes, he has a low alcohol tolerance and a weak stomach. I was worried he might not know his limits and accidentally drink too much, which is why I rushed over..."

In reality, she was afraid that Yang Boyuan wouldn't be able to handle the Special Higher Police officers alone, so she made up an excuse to appear at the dinner table.

"I also heard that Madam doesn't have a nanny at home, and you have to cook all the meals yourself. Isn't Director Yang being a bit stingy? Your family isn't short of money to hire a maid, is it?"

“You misunderstood. It’s not that Boyuan didn’t want to invite him; it’s that I wanted to cook for him myself. He has a weak stomach and often has to entertain clients, so it would be easier for me to cook for him.”

"Mrs. Lin is really devoted to President Yang. President Yang should cherish you."

Ye Xun felt a little sorry for Madam Lin.

As they were talking, the car arrived at Zhan Yunji's place.

Lin Jingshu got out of the car to buy some snacks. Ye Xun parked the car on the side of the road, sat inside, and looked at her back, seemingly lost in thought.

After a while, Lin Jingshu returned from queuing, carrying two more bags of pastries.

"They're gone."

Ye Xun started the car and drove her home.

On the way back, the two did not speak again until they were about to get off the car. Suddenly, Lin Jingshu handed a bag of snacks to Ye Xun.

"I didn't know what you liked to eat, so I bought a few snacks that I thought were delicious, as a way of thanking you for bringing me back and for paying for the photos."

Did you buy it for him?

Ye Xun sat in the car, holding the snacks, lost in thought. Only after Lin Jingshu got out and went inside did he finally snap out of it, turn the car around, and drive away.