Shang Yechu invited Li Kui, Su Ge, Qin Tianye, and others on the grounds of personal friendship. Li Kui was currently preparing for her postgraduate entrance exam and couldn't attend. Qin Tianye also declined. Su Ge, who usually stays at home, however, generously attended the premiere.

After "Yun Qing Ji," Su Ge's reputation and popularity had just begun to recover when the following drama, "Love's Chocolate Toast," slammed her back down to rock bottom, sparking another wave of ridicule. Su Ge had been on hiatus for several months, with virtually no activities other than magazine shoots. Her return was remarkably swift.

With Su Ge's fame, she could easily have swaggered around the city, generating some buzz for this utterly unpopular film. However, she arrived very discreetly today, fully disguised, with no one following her, and no reporters or stalkers.

Shang Yechu tucked Su Ge into the best viewing spot, with Aunt Cai on her left and her assistant Xiao Wang on her right, fully protecting her.

Ji Juntao skillfully navigated between the actors, staff, and director present, her tongue spinning like a top, charming everyone to her delight. It was a talent that Shang Yechu could only envy.

Shang Yechu unscrewed a bottle of mineral water and walked towards Ji Juntao.

Ji Juntao turned his head and saw Shang Yechu. He snatched the water bottle and gulped down half of it.

"The lipstick is of good quality," Shang Yechu joked. "What are you talking about?"

"That's bullshit." Ji Juntao gestured towards Zheng Bohan with his lip. "Why don't you go and flatter Zheng Bohan?"

"Why don't you go?" Shang Yechu asked in return.

Ji Juntao glared at Shang Yechu: "You're closer to him. Besides, I heard that Zheng Bohan seems to have some mental issues. I'm not familiar with him, so you can pave the way for me first."

Shang Yechu could put on a smiling face and act innocent to Zheng Bohan, but she wasn't so polite and hypocritical to Ji Juntao.

"Don't even mention it. Remember that promise Zheng Bohan made?" Shang Yechu lowered her voice. "It fell through."

"Huh?" Ji Juntao almost showed his surprise, but thankfully he managed to stop himself in time. "Who took it?"

"Wei Xuan." Shang Yechu told Ji Juntao about Wei Xuan's origins in Ruguan Province.

After saying that, Shang Yechu concluded dejectedly, "I can't compete with this advantage."

Ji Juntao broke out in a cold sweat: "It's really over? There's no way to salvage it? This is—this is a major production!"

"No." Shang Yechu shook her head, also feeling frustrated. "Zheng Bohan is only the screenwriter this time, not the producer. The subject matter is also unusual. Plus, Wei Xuan is also—"

Wei Xuan is not Yang Huanyi.

Ji Juntao glanced at Zheng Bohan, licked his lips, and said, "Is there really no other way? Could you—"

Ji Juntao made a subtle gesture: "Let's get it working?"

"How does it work?" Shang Yechu flicked Ji Juntao's hand back. "Can you change my place of origin to Ruguan Province, or give Wei Xuan a blood transfusion? With money? Let's bundle the two of us and Qingping Entertainment together and sell them off, and see if Ruguan TV will even bother with us?"

This is precisely where there's no room for compromise. This drama isn't Zheng Bohan's personal dictatorship; spy dramas generally don't need the support of popular celebrities; Wei Xuan is dedicated and has excellent acting skills, unlike Yang Huanyi who has an opening. The off-screen conditions are also ridiculously high. Therefore, Shang Yechu practically gave up hope the moment she heard Wei Xuan's name.

Ji Juntao said regretfully, "I think your acting skills are no worse than Wei Xuan's. If, if..."

"If what?"

“Zheng Bohan’s influence is different now than before. If he insists on using you, there might still be a sliver of hope.” Ji Juntao was still unwilling to give up. “Are you really not going to give it another try?”

"Why should someone take this burden for me? Do you really think we have a deep and unbreakable bond, a teacher-student relationship that moves heaven and earth?" Shang Yechu said helplessly, "You're even more naive than I am."

"Alright then." Ji Juntao also looked dejected. "Let's take it one step at a time. We're in talks about a few other scripts recently, so we won't run out of material."

-----------------

The premiere of "The Mute Woman" was very simple. Ji Juntao couldn't bear to hire a professional host, so he asked a new recruit from Qingping Entertainment to host the event, and the recruit memorized the script fairly fluently.

Ji Juntao, representing the film's production company, took the stage to introduce the film's background and process. His presentation was more impressive than his singing, practically touting "The Mute Woman" as a masterpiece of Chinese art films in 2017. Shang Yechu, for one, couldn't believe that the film had only taken a month from preparation to completion.

After Ji Juntao finished speaking, the applause was sparse, perhaps because everyone was embarrassed by her boasting.

Shang Yechu, with her deadpan expression, shamelessly clapped for Ji Juntao, drawing stares from many people. Ji Juntao, however, remained unfazed, standing confidently on the stage, waiting for the next group of people to come up and embarrass themselves together.

After the production team finished their presentation, it was the director, screenwriter, and lead actors' turn. Gu Wenhua, Qi Ming, and Shang Yechu went on stage as representatives. Ji Juntao's eyes narrowed, and he gave a wink in a certain direction. Shang Yechu noticed Ji Juntao's assistant tugging and pulling in a corner. After a while, a young man who looked like a student reluctantly moved onto the stage.

Across Qi Ming and Gu Wenhua, Shang Yechu questioned Ji Juntao with her eyes: Is this the screenwriter? Why didn't you tell me you invited her here? I could have paid her a visit.

Ji Juntao returned the look with a meaningful glance: The screenwriter is shy, he arrived early and has been hiding.

Fearing that Shang Yechu might not understand, Ji Juntao secretly tapped his own face.

The original author of the script for "The Mute Woman" is Jian Xiaojun, but Shang Yechu's impression of her online name and profile picture, "Pork Belly Fried with Sauerkraut," was already deeply ingrained. Even after the host introduced Jian Xiaojun's name, he almost blurted out, "Hello, Teacher Pork Belly."

The creative team members needed to share their creative insights and feelings one by one. The director, of course, took the lead. It was only at this point that Gu Wenhua belatedly felt a pang of shame—everyone else was dressed neatly and presentably, while he looked like he had just been pulled down from a wild mountain.

The direct consequence of his unstable state of mind was that Gu Wenhua recited his manuscript haltingly, making Shang Yechu want to knock his teeth out.

Having finally endured Gu Wenhua's torment, it's time for the screenwriter to speak.