Time was too tight. Shang Yechu immediately realized this problem.

"Spy films are a major genre, and the acting requirements are extremely strict." Ji Juntao twirled his pen. "Love and joy can be set aside, but pain cannot be taken lightly. Suppose in a scene, a comrade-in-arms is killed in front of you, and you grieve in such a detached way—what's the point? Who are you being fair to?"

Ji Juntao, quick to speak his mind, silenced Shang Yechu with a scathing rebuke: "Are you still in a hurry? Opportunity won't wait for you; it will only run wildly, waiting for those who can run faster to seize it!"

Looking at Shang Yechu's expression, Ji Juntao delivered the final blow: "Of course, you can also bet that Zheng Bohan won't finish writing the script this year, and that this spy drama won't start filming until December 6th next year!"

"Okay." Shang Yechu immediately made up her mind, no longer hesitating about whether to film it. "Let's not waste any more time. Tell me your plan."

The two are a community of shared interests, and they don't need to put on any pretense in front of each other; they only need to show their most authentic selves.

Shang Yechu spoke faster: "Who the director is, where to find the cinematographer and crew—those are your concerns. I don't care. I'm only asking you, how do you plan to let me film multiple projects simultaneously in a completely legitimate and reasonable way?"

Ji Juntao didn't waste any words and asked, "What kind of person is Yi Tianzhao?"

Shang Yechu said, "She is ambitious and capable. She doesn't like to offend people and is not a bad person. Generally speaking, she is very tolerant of actors with powerful connections. But because of Yang Huanyi's incident, she is very wary."

“This is enough.” Ji Juntao started writing and drawing on the paper again.

"Can your plan really work?" This was a serious matter, and Shang Yechu dared not be careless. "I must emphasize again, I can take on multiple projects simultaneously, but I must remain completely innocent throughout this whole affair, like a pure white lotus rising from the mud, untainted. I don't care what happens in private, but in the eyes of the audience and netizens, I must be a dedicated actor with both virtue and talent!"

"I know, I know," Ji Juntao said impatiently. "Can't you trust me a little more? I'm not worried about you doing a bad job acting in two movies at the same time, but you're worried about me not arranging things well?"

"Then tell me your plans."

Ji Juntao finished writing on another sheet of paper, looked up and said, "It's very simple. You're inexperienced and naive, and you were tricked into signing a contract by this unscrupulous and heartless boss of mine. I'm forcing you to make this low-budget rural film!"

What a fine Ji Juntao!

"Tell me in detail," Shang Yechu pressed. "How did you deceive me? What kind of contract of servitude did you sign? How did you coerce me? How did you make people believe I was forced?"

"Using shares as bait; fabricated contracts of servitude; the coercion process is left for the audience to guess; you're only twenty years old, I don't need to teach you how to act when a twenty-year-old is being coerced."

Shang Yechu pondered for a few seconds and nodded: "That's feasible."

"Very good. Now let me tell you the general story: You are an innocent and pure young man who is just starting out, full of love for acting and expectations for the future. After becoming famous, you are unwilling to be tainted by the filth of the entertainment industry, so you want to sign with a company where you can make your own decisions."

Shang Yechu didn't even blink: "After several disappointments, I met you. You pretended to be a boss full of passion and dreams..."

Ji Juntao chimed in, "I'll tell you, 'Work with me, and I'll give you shares and make you the second-in-command.'"

Shang Yechu smiled and said, "In my naivety, I chose to believe."

“I used 2.6% of the shares as bait to trick you into signing a contract that sold you into servitude. The contract stated: You cannot refuse any script I ask you to act in, otherwise it would be a breach of contract.” Ji Juntao laughed as well. “Then, everything you have will belong to me.”

Shang Yechu was very satisfied: "This press release is quite good. Let the paparazzi take a few more photos of me secretly wiping away tears, and we'll be all set."

Ji Juntao made the final decision: "That's the general plan. Find a day to act this out with Yi Tianzhao. I'll buy you press releases, online trolls, marketing accounts, find a director, a filmmaker, and extras. We can discuss the more detailed parts later."

This private conversation, which would have surprised fans and viewers, came to an end. The two were so candid with each other that the tension from their earlier argument had lessened considerably.

Ji Juntao thought for a moment, and finally added, "These are all minor details. You need to know what is truly important."

Shang Yechu's heart stirred: "I understand."

Ji Juntao gave Shang Yechu a deep look, said nothing more, and hung up the call.

Shang Yechu certainly understood what Ji Juntao meant.

What's truly important isn't these pretentious off-screen behaviors, but rather Shang Yechu's performance in the play.

If Yang Huanyi had performed as well in "Tianji Tower" as she did in "The Special Envoy of the Dangerous City," then even if a hundred thousand Shang Yechus racked their brains to pull dirty tricks, they wouldn't have been able to overthrow her. Netizens would have shown amazing tolerance, public opinion would have treated this matter like a fart, and Xiao Fengque's original fans would never have fought for it.

Yang Huanyi was not replaced because he was juggling multiple projects, but because of his incompetence and carelessness.

Shang Yechu didn't want to follow Yang Huanyi's old path, so he had no choice but to film "The Mute Woman" while performing as well as he had in the third part of "Xiao Fengque"—no! He had to perform even better than before! Only in this way could he silence the critics and gain lenient treatment.

This is a gamble.

Ji Juntao gambled her reputation, disgracing herself and becoming a predatory boss who signed indentured servitude contracts. Gambling merchant Ye Chu would bring her a satisfactory return;

Shang Yechu was also betting on her abilities and potential, betting that she could not only play Xiao Fengque well, but also be reborn in another rushed filming.

A broken pot with a rotten lid. Both women are equally shameless and unscrupulous, using everything at their disposal. This is the first time they've shown their true selves to another person.

Ugly, greedy, hypocritical, and arrogant. They relentlessly extract profits while wearing the mask of a saint.

Yet these two people are the only ones in the world who would never betray each other.

Shang Yechu seemed to hear the cold laughter of the Creator.