Shang Yechu was silent for a moment, then smiled wryly and said, "Thank you, Ji. Really... thank you."
"No need to thank me," Ji Juntao said nonchalantly. "You're my cash cow, how can I let other worms eat away at you?"
Shang Yechu chuckled: "Looks like I'll have to make the most of my remaining years and shake some gold coins for you. So, where are you staying?"
"I don't go home often, and I don't keep important things there, so don't worry." The sound of slurping coffee came from Ji Juntao's end. "That couple has no shame, and that little boy is such a nuisance! He's always asking for this and that—game cartridges, a high-end computer, and some kind of model. I had no choice but to buy them for him. A tattered model cost several thousand yuan! Does my money grow on trees?"
Shang Yechu paused for a moment, then said, "I'll transfer the money to you when I get back."
"Do we really care about this little bit of money?" Ji Juntao blurted out. "What I mean is, raising a brother is much more troublesome than raising parents... Ye, to put it bluntly, our parents will pass away before us sooner or later, and once you get involved with a good-for-nothing brother, it's a lifelong problem. Your brother," Ji Juntao finally said those two words, "is no pushover."
It's common for celebrities in the entertainment industry to have strained relationships with their families, and Ji Juntao has extensive experience in handling such situations. However, having brothers is a particularly tricky issue. Let alone the mainland entertainment industry, even in Hong Kong in its early days, when triads were rampant, the biggest stars were helpless against their brothers, forced to blindly accept being exploited!
“CTS is now considering you as their charity ambassador. If you are selected, you'll have access to resources that are otherwise unavailable in the Chinese entertainment industry. You absolutely cannot expose your family problems at this time,” Ji Juntao said solemnly. “If you ask me, the best strategy is to stall. First, say you're filming in Taiwan, or if that doesn't work, say you're filming abroad. Wait until CTS makes the official announcement, when the die is cast, then you can come back and deal with this family slowly.”
Looking at the call interface on her phone screen, Shang Yechu suddenly said, "Why didn't you advise me to play the good daughter and pretend to be friendly with this family for a while?"
Ji Juntao was taken aback, and after a long pause, he said, "I did think about that method. But then I thought, what's the difference between that and telling you to eat excrement for a few months first, and then rinse your mouth afterwards?"
Ji Juntao became quite eloquent when talking about scatological humor, which made Shang Yechu, who was initially in a gloomy mood, burst out laughing: "You're supposed to be a CEO, a top student, and this is all you know?"
Ji Juntao scoffed, "I was just trying to lighten the mood... Anyway, some things you don't want to do, once you're forced to, will leave you with a lifetime of disgust. I guess this family has already disgusted you enough. They could have stalled for time to resolve this, so why would I want to kick you into the swamp again?"
"Please, please stop using metaphors." Shang Yechu said, both amused and exasperated. "Then I'll stay on the island for a while, as you wish. I just recently got a script, and I was originally planning to stay on the island for two months anyway."
"Wait a minute!" Ji Juntao exclaimed in surprise. "You took the notebook without telling me? And Lu Ji didn't tell me either? That Ye guy—"
"Beep beep".
Before Boss Ji could unleash his fury, Shang Yechu hung up the phone.
The car's tailgate was lowered. Shang Yechu's smile had vanished without a trace, as if the smile just now was merely an illusion.
Since it was a secret trip to the capital, Shang Yechu did not bring Aunt Cai with him, but instead hired another driver.
Shang Yechu took out her phone and transferred 1,000 yuan to the driver: "Sorry, I have some things to take care of. You'll have to take a taxi home yourself."
The driver hesitated and asked, "Do you have a driver's license?"
"have."
Li Yiming needs to drive, and sometimes he needs to assassinate others in the car. Shang Yechu got her driver's license a long time ago, but she doesn't drive herself often.
The driver took the money and left. Shang Yechu got into the driver's seat and slowly turned the steering wheel.
The vehicle drove away. Initially, the speed was normal, but gradually, it headed in the opposite direction from the city. The speed increased, faster and faster. Finally, when it entered a sparsely populated area, it was almost flying!
Shang Yechu lowered the car window, letting the howling wind from the suburbs rush into the car, pulling her hair out the window and making it dance wildly. The numbers on the dashboard grew larger and larger, and the mechanical voice kept warning "You are speeding," "You are speeding," the sound shrill, but Shang Yechu ignored it.
The scenery outside the car window stretched into two Gaussian-blurred curtains, leaving the bustling capital city behind her. Shang Yechu's expression was terrifyingly cold, revealing no emotional fluctuation whatsoever.
Judging from his current state, no one would guess that the person in the driver's seat had just experienced one of the most triumphant moments in his life; and at the height of his arrogance and self-confidence, he was suddenly doused with cold water by the person closest to him by blood.
The car was going so fast that it almost left a trail behind it. The autumn wind was chilling, chasing after this azure dragon soaring through the clouds.
Suddenly, the car slammed on the brakes, came to a screeching halt, and screeched as it scraped against the pavement.
Shang Yechu's body suddenly lurched forward, her chin slamming into the steering wheel. Her teeth drew blood from her lower lip.
"Bang!"
Shang Yechu slammed his fist on the steering wheel in frustration. Not satisfied with just one slam, he slammed it several more times!
As she continued smashing, the movements gradually became less frequent. Suddenly, she buried her head in the steering wheel and began to sob softly.
This is a wasteland.
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