Chapter 53 Butterfly "Come to my house tonight..."
On a gloomy morning, Ji Jiazhen and Fang Wei returned to City A.
Xia Xun is still being questioned by netizens, and filming will have to be suspended for at least two months. After all, Ji Jiazhen is currently seen by outsiders as someone with a dislocated arm, so all her work and activities have to be put on hold.
Various parties in the industry are eyeing the opportunity to grab a share of the pie during this period, and they also want to take this opportunity to curb Ji Jiazhen's arrogance so that she can rest for a while longer.
Press releases kept coming, negative stories were exposed every three days, posts criticizing her were piled up hundreds of times, and the online trolls attacking her were getting more and more vicious.
Ji Jiazhen was furious, and Fang Wei was equally enraged. He used all the tricks of a top agent, aiming to keep Ji Jiazhen in check for at least six months. However, he played a sophisticated game, not actually letting the name "Ji Jiazhen" go against everyone, but instead taking a God's-eye view of the whole situation. He first pulled Ji Jiazhen out of the game, and then let the rest of the game tear each other apart.
The most intriguing stories in Liaozhai are those about thousand-year-old foxes.
This isn't over yet.
Just when Ji Jiazhen thought she could finally have some peace and quiet, her name was back on the top of the trending searches.
She chuckled when she saw the entry, saying that the little fox was quite clever, finally realizing what was going on.
Fang Wei could tell something was wrong from her expression; something was definitely off. So he grabbed her phone to check and found that the trending topic was about Ji Jiazhen repeatedly acting like a diva and being unprofessional on set, leaving the director at his wits' end.
As for who the director mentioned here is, it's Xia Xun, who's currently in deep trouble.
Fang Wei then realized that Ji Jiazhen had been hiding something from her from beginning to end, and raised an eyebrow to ask, "What's your grudge against her?"
Ji Jiazhen was lounging with her legs crossed, applying a face mask. She looked relaxed and carefree, as if the trending topic had nothing to do with her.
"The holiday is long gone."
Fang Weizhong flicked her knee with his finger: "What's going on here?"
She pretended to rub her temples a couple of times, as if to say, "These people are so annoying." "The little princess does whatever she wants, and she can go wherever she pleases. With her father, an actor, backing her up, and her mother, a famous director, supporting her, she's had a smooth life and can do whatever she wants in the industry."
She slowly opened her eyes and glanced at Fang Wei, "But in this circle, it's enough for me to be the only one who's domineering; there's no room for her."
Fang Wei became interested and followed up with, "So?"
Too lazy to answer, she shrugged and said, "So that's how it is."
"I only see that she's targeting you."
Ji Jiazhen raised her left hand in mid-air, extended one finger and swayed it from side to side, but it was her middle finger that she extended. Fang Wei was disgusted by this and slapped her on the back of her hand.
"That's not targeting, it's a counterattack."
Fang Wei finally sorted out the cause and effect, and sat up straight to look at her: "Jumping into the sea, dislocating a shoulder, trending on social media, wasn't it all because of Wen Siyu?"
"That's true to some extent."
Ji Jiazhen didn't deny it entirely. Wen Siyu accounted for 10% of it, and the remaining 90% was still because of Xia Xun. But in Fang Wei's view, that 10% was equal to zero.
Fang Wei adjusted his posture and faced Ji Jiazhen directly: "Tell me about it."
She was her agent, and only by understanding what had happened could she help her navigate the rest of the journey.
Ji Jiazhen thought the face mask was getting in the way of her talking, so she simply peeled off the bottom half.
"No matter how much trouble those people cause, I don't take them seriously. Those who are as good as me are a generation older than me, and those who are about my age all have terrible acting skills. They are all minor characters to me and can't steal my spotlight."
But Xia Xun is different.
She was a year younger than her, debuted as a child star, had high national recognition, and a good reputation. While Ji Jiazhen was about to be demonized into a witch, she was a fairy who remained pure despite the mud.
This is very disadvantageous for Ji Jiazhen.
Besides, Xia Xun comes from an extraordinary family; Ji Jiazhen's background is nothing compared to hers. In terms of connections, Xia Xun has everything she needs, while Ji Jiazhen has to go through a drinking contest just to get a chance to talk to her.
This is a gap, an unbridgeable chasm; something you weren't born with, you can't obtain even with a lifetime of effort.
"She's aiming to elevate her status with this film. Her two capable parents will pave the way for her, and all she has to do is walk the path. This film doesn't even need to win awards; just an international nomination will be enough to propel her to stardom. From now on, all the titles bestowed upon her will include 'best' and 'number one.' No one can rival her popularity."
Now that Ji Jiazhen has realized this, he will not allow it to happen.
"There are only so many positions. If someone gets promoted, someone else has to be demoted. Her room for promotion is very small now because she is already in a high position. There is only one person ahead of her in line."
That's Ji Jiazhen.
Ji Jiazhen supported Xia Xun's career change to making movies, thinking it was a good thing because fewer people would be sharing the pie, meaning she would get more, and she would be happy to benefit from it.
However, whether Xia Xun is nominated or wins an award, it will be detrimental to her in every way. At that time, Xia Xun's popularity and media attention will surpass hers, and his commercial value and net worth will multiply. Then, Xia Xun will be more than just a threat to her.
She's neither a saint nor a philanthropist. She's spent eight years in the industry not to witness others' success, but to use certain methods to solidify her own position when necessary.
Whether it's good or bad, from the very beginning, a good reputation has nothing to do with her. She accepts everything, whether it's positive or negative, as long as the result is beneficial to her, the process doesn't matter.
Anyway, nobody in this circle is clean.
Fang Wei's expression was amused; he found this situation quite interesting. Wen Siyu had acted like a fool, only to be treated like a dog in the end. He was focused on his relationship with Ji Jiazhen, but Ji Jiazhen was only concerned with how to make more money.
That's good; she appreciates it.
"You did a good job, but next time you should let me know in advance. There's no need to put yourself in this situation."
Ji Jiazhen didn't respond to Fang Wei's words. She was scrolling through the trending topics, her thumb slowly swiping across the screen. She memorized every negative comment about her and analyzed: Who is behind these negative comments that are actually supporting her?
“I used to have too many concerns. I empathized with them and the same difficult path I had walked. I knew that becoming famous was not easy, so I always hesitated. But no one felt sorry for my eight years of struggle, and no one even thought that I had it hard.”
Her phone rang twice. She looked at the message Duan Qiyin had sent, smiled, and replied with two words: "Wait."
"Everyone wants to step on me to reach a higher level, everyone wants to stand on my head and boast about how popular they are. Let's continue and see if I can maintain my position or they can build their own empire."
Ji Jiazhen tossed her phone onto the sofa and said to Fang Wei, "You should rest now. You'll be busy for the next few days."
Fang Wei sensed something was off about her words and narrowed his eyes, asking, "What else do you want to do?"
Ji Jiazhen didn't answer, she just smiled.
Just now, Duan Qiyin sent her:
Come to my house tonight.
*
It was past seven o'clock in the evening when Ji Jiazhen stood in front of Duan Qiyin's house. The night was cool, and she was dressed in thin clothes, wearing a silk shirt and jeans. The jeans had an elaborate waistband design with three buttons fastened, and the fit was very close to her waist and hips, making the belt seem a bit unnecessary.
She had an empty bag slung over her shoulder, but she held something in her hand: a stack of papers with the words "Contract Terminated" written on them.
She stood alone under the tree, looking up at the warm light from the second floor, her eyes vacant.
She didn't know exactly how long she stood there, her mind completely blank during that time. Duan Qiyin was probably getting impatient and called her to ask why she hadn't arrived yet.
She then took a step forward and said she was at the door and asked him to come out and meet her.
Duan Qiyin arrived quickly. He frowned slightly when he saw her, pulled her into his arms, rubbed her shoulders with his hands, and said in a slightly reproachful tone, "You're dressed so scantily."
Ji Jiazhen brushed the hand off his shoulder and slapped the papers in his hand against his chest. He had no choice but to stop and look at the contents of the papers, while Ji Jiazhen looked at him and observed his expression.
Duan Qiyin glanced at the paper briefly before throwing it on the ground. His voice and expression remained unchanged, but the way he put his arm around her shoulder carried a hint of unquestioning authority as he led her inside with an even more forceful attitude.
"I don't like repeating the same thing over and over again. Stop trying to test the waters about terminating your contract. Just stay by my side."
Ji Jiazhen glanced back at the white papers scattered on the ground and asked expressionlessly, "Duan Qiyin, am I your pet?"
“At least pets are obedient.” Duan Qiyin looked down at her waist, his index finger hooking her belt so tight that not even a finger could squeeze in. “Are you keeping an eye on me?”
Chi Chia-chen countered, "Can you defend against it?"
Duan Qiyin smiled, a rare occurrence, and closed the door behind him. He then pulled her into his arms and pinned her against the wall, squeezing one leg under her knee. He then grabbed her wrists, crossed her arms behind her back, and forced her to straighten her chest and tilt her head back.
What do you think?
The disparity in size and strength was too great, and Ji Jiazhen had no advantage whatsoever.
What if I say I don't want to?
Duan Qiyin lowered his head, placed one hand on the belt around her waist, and studied how to unlock it.
"You should have thought this through before you came. It's too late to say you don't want to now."
That means he has to get her tonight, whether she likes it or not.
Ji Jiazhen didn't try to break free, and knew she couldn't anyway. "Do you remember why you brought me home in the first place?"
Duan Qiyin didn't even look up, and replied, "I remember it very clearly."
The reason he was able to bring her home was because her stepfather had designs on her, and she had nowhere to go after running away from home, which gave him the opportunity to get close to her.
How can this not be considered taking advantage of someone in distress?
Isn't the point of her bringing this up now to say that his behavior is no different from her stepfather's?
After fiddling with it for a while, he finally managed to undo the belt. He didn't have the patience to undo the three buttons on her pants anymore, so he pulled the belt out, threw it on the ground, and kissed the tip of her nose.
"You used me to get rid of Wen Siyu, so you should give me some decent reward."
After saying that, he turned his head to kiss her, but Ji Jiazhen dodged him. He stared at her profile, said nothing, and kissed her earlobe before reaching out to turn her face away.
"This isn't the first time we've kissed, why are you avoiding it?"
Before Ji Jiazhen could speak, he sealed her lips with his. Duan Qiyin had his eyes closed and didn't see the complex emotions in her eyes.
That was a kind of courage to fight to the death and a determination to gamble everything.
In the quiet night, the faint sound of sirens could be heard; she knew it was time.
Duan Qiyin was so engrossed in the kiss that he didn't notice the sounds getting closer outside. Ji Jiazhen bit his lip with almost all her might, and within five seconds, her mouth was filled with the taste of blood.
He winced in pain and turned his head away, instinctively reaching out to touch the wound on his lip. It was at that moment that he heard the clear sound of a police siren.
Everyone has a bit of curiosity, especially in this wealthy area, so it's unusual for a police car to come here.
Duan Qiyin took two steps back, wanting to look at the outside view through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the living room, but Ji Jiazhen's actions interrupted him.
With a "rip," he turned around. Ji Jiazhen tore open her shirt from the collar, buttons popping off and bouncing on the black tiles like white jade beads. With her shirt open, her body unexpectedly entered his field of vision.
She unbuttoned the top button of her pants in front of him, and Duan Qiyin frowned, his heart tightened for no reason, and a sense of unease swept over his whole body.
"Did you like the surprise I gave you?"
The next second, Ji Jiazhen opened the door when Duan Qiyin was completely unprepared, and the sound of police sirens poured into the house like a flood, surrounding Duan Qiyin's ears and making him dizzy.
Ji Jiazhen ran outside wrapped in a shirt that could still cover her vital parts. After a few steps, she fell on the lawn, enveloped in red and blue light.
Duan Qiyin was completely stunned, his reaction became sluggish, and he dragged his heavy steps to the door. He saw Ji Jiazhen kneeling on the ground, the police rushing out of the police car, and the reporters who had somehow gotten the news and were taking pictures of Ji Jiazhen.
Ji Jiazhen looked at the police with trembling hands, pointed in Duan Qiyin's direction, and cried out in tears, "He...raped..."
Duan Qiyin was restrained by two policemen, his shoulders and body forced to bend down. He looked at Ji Jiazhen who was crying, at Ji Jiazhen being comforted by the policewoman, and at Ji Jiazhen who was accusing him. Suddenly, he wanted to laugh.
rape.
This was the surprise she gave me.
That's true.
surprise.
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