Chapter 94 Yunshuiyao Dream Collaboration: Be yourself, that's all...

This Weibo post caused an uproar across the internet.

The official intervention, using phrases like "building a prosperous film industry together," practically proclaims "peace and love" on their faces.

For a moment, online public opinion seemed to be put on pause. The fan camps, which had been at loggerheads just moments before, looked at each other in bewilderment: Should the argument continue?

However, the general public began to speak in a celebratory manner:

[Holy crap? The authorities are personally intervening to mediate? I've never seen anything like this before.]

[This is impressive! My impression of the "Beauty" production team has instantly improved!]

Director Xu is so magnanimous! This is the kind of open-mindedness that true artists should have!

So... this means they've stopped fighting? They've shaken hands and made peace?

Just as onlookers were buzzing with discussion, Xiao Tang retweeted the Weibo post: 【Xiao Tang V: Looking forward to Teacher Zhu's (@Zhu Qingzhi) work~】

A simple repost, accompanied by a cute emoji and the phrase "Looking forward to Teacher Zhu," subtly conveyed a friendly signal, and the hashtag "[Red and White Beauties Break the Ice in the Century]" topped the trending searches.

[The celebrities themselves have confirmed the friendly relationship! I knew it! How much grudge could there be between actors? It's all just the fans making a fuss.]

[Xiao Tang did a great job this time, I'm a fan now, the pressure is on Zhu Qingzhi!]

What's going on? Can anyone in the industry tell me? I've never seen this kind of advertising before...

Meanwhile, on the set of "The Knot," Zhu Qingzhi had just finished filming on location when Dani immediately shoved her phone in front of her: "Quick! Emergency PR!"

Zhu Qingzhi's eyes were almost closed from sleepiness, but as soon as she took the phone and saw the contents, they widened in shock like saucers.

What's going on here?! Why are you including other companies in your advertising?! What are you up to, bro?!

She refreshed the page repeatedly to confirm that "Xiao Tang" was not a fake account, and then dialed Lu Yao's number directly. Before she could speak, Lu Yao interrupted her, saying, "Promoting one is promotion, promoting two is promotion, it's just a convenient thing."

"But this is really weird!" Zhu Qingzhi looked at the 999+ red dots on Weibo, her temples throbbing and her head buzzing. "Why didn't you discuss this with me first!"

"You said you'd move on once it was over, so why are you going back on your word now?" Lu Yao clicked his tongue, staring at the real-time Weibo posts scrolling under the hashtag 【Red and White Beauties Break the Ice】 on his computer desktop.

"That's not how you flip it!" Zhu Qingzhi really wanted to nail a hole in Lu Yao's head and climb in to see how this bizarre thought process was connected.

Lu Yao didn't actually intend to involve Zhu Qingzhi, but no matter how he planned the publicity, he couldn't avoid mentioning Zhu Qingzhi because of the "recasting controversy".

[The Beauty] Lu's investment accounts for 70%, giving him absolute say in the film. He initially chose the most conservative option, but public opinion still affected Zhu Qingzhi. He could tolerate others criticizing her, even if it was just himself.

Lu Yao was too lazy to explain the reason: "If you don't want to post it yourself, then have the studio's official Weibo account repost it. Make sure you make a good impression on me, so as not to leave any reason for criticism."

Zhu Qingzhi clutched her phone, fidgeting and whining for a long time. She was stuck in a rut, neither angry nor anxious, just feeling utterly uncomfortable.

"Stop whining." Lu Yao on the other side of the screen could almost see her conflicted expression.

He glanced at the unfriendly comments starting to appear under the entry, pressed his index finger knuckle against his eyes, shook his head helplessly, and played his trump card, "The money you earn is yours."

"Tch...who cares..." Zhu Qingzhi muttered under her breath, clearly lacking confidence, but her fingers betrayed her words as she obediently pressed the share button.

[Zhu Qingzhi V: Looking forward to Teacher Xiao's (@肖棠) dashing figure~]

A notification popped up on Lu Yao's computer screen, indicating that he had been given special attention. He smiled with satisfaction, closed the interface, and said with a smile, "I didn't finish what I was saying earlier. The money you earned is yours, a reward for your hard work."

Zhu Qingzhi was about to curse when Lu Yao cut her off. She stared at the darkened screen, silently raised her middle finger, and paused for a full ten seconds to show her attitude.

Dani silently turned off her phone screen. She had finally witnessed what "sibling rivalry" meant. The two adults, who appeared respectable and well-behaved in public, were like kindergarteners in private.

"President Lu had already spoken to President Wen about this beforehand, but since you were filming, we didn't inform you," she explained in a few words. "We discussed it and found that the collaboration plan was feasible and would also help with the future promotion of [Yunshuiyao]."

"I know." Zhu Qingzhi yawned, practically clinging to Dani. "I'm not unhappy!"

"There's nothing you can do if you're unhappy." Dani affectionately flicked her forehead and led her outside. "That's a wrap!"

Inside the work shed, Director Zheng looked at his phone, nodded in satisfaction, and said to Wen Qi, who was also looking at his phone next to him, "The ways of promotion are really diverse now. I've learned a lot."

The back-and-forth interaction between the two leading ladies from different dramas created a positive atmosphere of "heroes appreciating heroes," further boosting the popularity of "The Beauty" and "The Ballad of Yunshui."

Wen Qi gave Zhu Qingzhi a thumbs up, then put his phone back in his pocket, pressed down on the back of Director Zheng's folding chair to stand up: "Director Zheng, I've been both a guest star and your assistant for most of the day today, how much do you want for this?"

"Get lost." Director Zheng rolled up the script and prepared to hit him, but Wen Qi dodged, and he missed. In that instant, his gray hair seemed to turn completely white.

Wen Qi picked up the walkie-talkie that had fallen to the ground for him, and said respectfully to Director Zheng, who was glaring at him, "Please don't get so angry that you suffer a work injury, otherwise I'll have to increase my investment."

The night was as dark as ink. Zhu Qingzhi had just finished removing her makeup when Wen Qi pushed open the door to the dressing room. Zhu Qingzhi had many scenes to film today, and the shooting time was long; she was the only actor in the dressing room at the moment.

When Xiao Zhou saw Wen Qi come in, she quickly ran out and thoughtfully closed the door behind her.

"I heard from Xiaozhou that you got scolded by Director Zheng again?" Zhu Qingzhi said to Wen Qi, who was walking closer in the mirror, as she combed her hair.

Without the elaborate makeup from the play, her eyes and brows showed obvious weariness, but also made her appear more gentle.

"Sigh." Wen Qi picked up her coat, which had slipped into her arms, and carefully draped it over her shoulders. Then, leaning against the dressing table, he looked at her with a smile on his lips. "You're quite pitiful."

"Stop playing the victim! I haven't even started to act pitiful yet!" Zhu Qingzhi glared at him with a smile, her tone more coquettish than accusatory.

She put down the comb and then happily told him some good news, "But I don't have a show tomorrow morning, I can arrive at one o'clock."

Wen Qi glanced thoughtfully at the wall clock: "13 hours."

"Huh?" Zhu Qingzhi felt she couldn't keep up with Wen Qi's train of thought. What 13 hours? It's only 10 o'clock now. Are they using different math textbooks?!

“Go back to the hotel, wash up, an hour is more than enough, the rest…” Wen Qi casually picked out a strand of her hair, twirled it around his index finger, and his gaze fell on a mark three inches below her neckline. There was a mark of varying depth there.

"?" Zhu Qingzhi snatched the hair back, clutching it tightly in her hand. Her expression shifted between speechlessness and indifference, finally settling on, "Can't you think about anything serious all day?!"

Wen Qi lowered his empty hand and asked seriously, "For example?"

"I...how would I know what your important business is!" Zhu Qingzhi grabbed her hair on both sides, crossing it under her jaw and pulling it tight, trying to hide her face, leaving only her blinking eyes showing. "I protest!"

Her eyes were practically overflowing with undisguised dissatisfaction, but Wen Qi's desire to tease her only intensified: "Then what do you think I took a vacation for?"

He leaned closer, his nose brushing against hers, their warm breaths mingling, as if he absolutely needed an answer from her. Zhu Qingzhi, unable to bear it any longer, slammed her forehead against his: "Wen Qi!"

The impact not only failed to break her free, but also caused her to see stars from the pain. Wen Qi chuckled softly, placing his warm palm on her slightly red forehead and gently rubbing it.

"fool."

"Who told you to get so close!" she protested gruffly, but she couldn't shake off his hand. "You scoundrel! You pervert!"

Wen Qi's fingers slid down her forehead to her ear, finally supporting the back of her neck and forcing her to tilt her head back. The warm yellow light from the dressing room fell into his eyes, rippling with delicate tenderness.

"The issue of replacing the actress in 'The Beauty' is still a knot in your heart." His voice was very soft. "Instead of letting others make a fuss about this, we should break the ice ourselves first. Turning passivity into initiative is the best strategy."

Zhu Qingzhi was stunned. She hadn't expected Wen Qi to say this to her, nor had she expected that such a seemingly absurd collaboration would hide such a profound meaning.

After a long pause, she finally managed to utter a dry "Oh."

"Back then, you said you'd let Xiao Tang's matter go and wouldn't pursue it anymore. But now you know, some things can't be resolved just by saying it."

"Hmm." She lowered her eyes, her sadness undisguised. Wen Qi's words were like a key, unlocking the box she had been trying to lock away.

“Actually…” she finally spoke, her voice a little hoarse, “I don’t care about that role.”

Wen Qi didn't speak, but just looked at her quietly.

“I do care…” Zhu Qingzhi took a deep breath, “I care about the feeling of being rejected. It’s like all my efforts can be easily erased.”

After she finished speaking, she flinched slightly, but Wen Qi's hand remained firmly supporting the back of her neck, providing her with silent support.

“You know what? Even now, every time I see advertisements for [Jiaren], this…” she pointed to her chest, “still makes my heart tighten.”

She spoke very slowly, each word seeming to be dug out from the deepest part of her heart.

Wen Qi reached out and gently placed his hand on the back of hers. His palm was warm, dispelling the chill from her fingertips.

“I understand,” he said. “But you have to remember that being replaced doesn’t mean you’re not good enough. Sometimes, it’s just bad timing.”

Zhu Qingzhi's eyes reddened slightly: "Then do you think... I'm good enough now?"

“You’ve always been good.” Wen Qi’s voice was firm. “Just being yourself is enough.”

Emerging from the dressing room, Zhu Qingzhi remained in low spirits. Wen Qi, holding her hand, intended to exit through a side door to avoid the reporters waiting outside.

But Zhu Qingzhi suddenly grabbed his hand.

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Author's Note: Kiyoshi [crying]: 55555

Wen Qi [hugs]: Pat pat

Ah Mei [crying]: 5555555