Because of Su Ying's lateness, Zhu Jinzhao and Jiang Jingwen's extra scenes were all postponed to the afternoon.

The Time Mirror is the same.

He came alone and had no friends on set. Zhu Jinzhao was the only person he knew there, so he naturally mingled with them.

"You scumbags and bitches, I'll make you pay for my child's death!"

"Hahahaha, this line is so cringeworthy, it sounds like some kind of non-mainstream oath. Director Zhao, please change this line..."

"Do I have to kneel on the ground to say this? What a stupid design! The female lead shouldn't kneel down so easily! Change it, change it..."

,

"Fuck him, how can a scumbag be so disgusting? Just thinking about how 'I' slept with him makes me want to vomit..."

It was another scene rehearsal, and Su Ying was swearing while adding and changing her own lines. The director and producer stood by with stiff smiles, occasionally offering a couple of suggestions that no one paid any attention to.

"Oh my god..." Jiang Jingwen put her hands into her sleeves, and the look in her eyes when she looked at Su Ying was indescribable.

"How did someone with such poor character become a top celebrity?"

"Heh..." Shi Jing scoffed coldly, "If you create a good persona, buy a lot of online trolls, and release a lot of announcements, plus you're lucky enough to act in a few decent TV dramas, you'll be promoted by your fans."

Zhu Jinchao frowned deeply: "Her fans like her so much, if they knew she was like this in private, they would probably be heartbroken."

Shi Jing shook his head: "You're overthinking it. The current fan culture is bad; most fans don't have their own brains. Forget about swearing; even if Su Ying broke the law, committed treason, or betrayed the country, they would still be fans."

"My God, how dare you say that about Su Ying? Aren't you afraid her fans will attack you?"

A strange young girl suddenly interrupted, and Jiang Jingwen turned her head upon hearing the voice, asking in confusion, "Why are you afraid?"

The young girl leaned closer and explained in a low voice, "Su Ying's fans are notoriously rabid dogs in the Chinese entertainment industry. If you dare to say a single bad word about her idol, they'll hunt you down across the entire internet! I'm a living example."

"Huh?" Zhu Jinzhao's eyes widened in shock. "You were hunted down by her fans across the entire internet?"

The young girl nodded emphatically: "Yeah! I just said 'the persona is a bit fake' in her rant post, and her fans chased after me and cursed me for seven days and seven nights. They almost cursed me so badly that they didn't recognize their own mothers."

Jiang Jingwen clicked her tongue in surprise: "That bad? Then why did you come to her film crew as an extra?"

The young girl gritted her teeth and said, "Who wants to be her extra? I snuck into the crew to secretly film some dirt on her and expose her! But who knew the crew would confiscate my phone? I can't film anything and I still have to work here like this."

"But it's okay, if I can't get any photos, I can still post anonymously. I'm determined to smear Su Ying to the very end!"

"Haha..." Jiang Jingwen gave her a thumbs up, "Then good luck, I wish you success."

Zhu Jinchao echoed, "I also wish you success."

The young girl waved her hand and started a new conversation with the two of them. Shi Jing stood to the side, not saying a word the whole time, only occasionally glancing at Zhu Jinzhao out of the corner of her eye.

Zhu Jinzhao's extras were dressed in similarly drab gray clothes, yet it didn't detract from her refined air. She wore makeup, her round face deliberately darkened, making her look like a country girl at first glance. But if you looked down, you could see that her real skin was porcelain white and supple.

The feng shui of the capital city is auspicious, but it's also extremely expensive. Zhu Jinzhao was born into such good fortune; theoretically, he shouldn't lack money.

Moreover, if Shi Jing wasn't mistaken, the necklace Zhu Jinzhao was wearing was the latest top-of-the-line model from D brand, worth seven figures. The jade bracelet on her wrist was a collector's item released by Nanxiang Pavilion a couple of years ago; only two were made nationwide, and its price has now been inflated to over twenty million.

She can afford such expensive jewelry, so her family must be very wealthy. Why would she be doing part-time work to earn such a pittance?

Shi Jing was really curious, so he reached out and touched her arm, whispering in her ear, "Why did you come out to do a part-time job?"

Zhu Jinzhao's answer was straightforward: "Because I'm short of money."

"Short of money?" Shi Jing was taken aback. He glanced at Zhu Jinzhao, his disbelief visibly evident: "You? Short of money? Your necklace and bracelet could buy an apartment in the capital, how could you possibly be short of money?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jinzhao looked down at the necklace around her neck and earnestly explained, "I really am short of money. This necklace and bracelet were gifts from others, and I don't know exactly how much they cost. I just wear them casually."

"Just wearing it casually?" Shi Jing's sharp eyes narrowed slightly. "You don't know what brand this necklace is?"

Zhu Jinzhao looked up at him, her eyes clear and sincere: "I don't know. This necklace is ordinary, does it even have a brand?"

"..." Shi Jing fell silent.

Zhu Jinzhao looked honest and didn't seem to be lying at all. Moreover, both times he saw her, she was working part-time. If her family wasn't short of money, she wouldn't need to work so hard at her age.

But what about her necklace and bracelet? Are they fake?

Shi Jing thought to herself, then glanced at Zhu Jinzhao's necklace again.

The necklace is studded with small diamonds, and a teardrop-sized sapphire hangs at the end. The gemstone is crystal clear and of excellent quality. If it's a fake, the craftsmanship is incredible; it's so realistic that it's almost indistinguishable from the real thing.

Shi Jing slightly curled the corners of her lips, her smile somewhat unnatural.

Zhu Jinzhao tugged at her collar to cover the necklace, and asked in return, "And what about you? Why are you doing a part-time job too?"

Shi Jing: "Just like you, I'm short of money."

"You're short of money too?" Zhu Jinchao was a little skeptical. "You don't look like you're short of money."

Shi Jing sighed helplessly: "I wasn't short of money before, but because I offended my father, I was kicked out of the house and left to fend for myself. My father doesn't give me a single penny, and I refuse to admit my mistake. If I don't want to go hungry, I can only come out and do odd jobs to earn some living expenses."

"I see. You've got guts, haven't you?" Zhu Jinzhao praised him sincerely.

Shi Jing arrogantly raised an eyebrow: "Of course."

...

At 8 p.m., the three extras finally finished their scenes.

They found a corner to squat in and waited for the staff to call a car to take them home.

Zhu Jinzhao's phone was almost out of battery, so she didn't dare to watch videos or read posts. She could only browse her WeChat Moments out of boredom.

But I unexpectedly stumbled upon Zhu Mingyue.

Zhu Mingyue never posts on WeChat Moments; this is her first post.

—"The taste of home".

Below the brief yet heartwarming caption was a photo of her and Zhu Xingye.

The photo was taken in an upscale restaurant. Zhu Mingyue is resting her face on her hand, and behind her is Zhu Xingye, who is smiling at her.