Chapter 68

While everyone was enthusiastically feasting on the drama, Secret Crush successfully entered everyone's field of vision by being mentioned again and again.

Just thinking about how this drama, before filming, during filming, and now after filming ended and right before its official broadcast, had spun out countless juicy scandals and dragged in countless people made netizens’ blood boil. They wished they could see the drama’s plot and performances, even more melodramatic and exquisite than the real world, as soon as possible.

You could say Secret Crush witnessed Xu Chun's comeback from adversity all the way to her soaring popularity as a rising top star; it also witnessed Yu Sui'an's steady fall from a delicate, innocent white lotus with decent popularity to her retirement from the industry.

With all these events strung together, everyone's anticipation for this drama, which combined melodrama and twists, was simply immense. They wished the production team would immediately release the extended, uncut original footage for them to enjoy.

The director had been grinning so widely all evening that his face was about to split, and the production company’s executives were even happier. One of them, seeing how good the situation and buzz were, couldn’t resist suggesting, “How about we move up the broadcast date? Look, we’ve got all the attention and heat we could want right now, and the main cast have all successfully entered the public eye. Doesn’t this perfectly match that saying about the right time, the right place, and the right people?”

“If we miss this once-in-a-blue-moon opportunity, by the time we actually premiere, netizens might have long forgotten about us.”

“In today's society, nothing matters more than heat and traffic, and right now we have both. So if we miss this chance, it won't come again.”

His words won approval from quite a few people, but others felt the broadcast date had long been set and couldn’t be changed easily. Once one thing changed, the whole chain would be affected. All their plans would be disrupted, and everyone from top to bottom would be running around in chaos.

Moreover, if they moved up the broadcast now, wouldn’t everyone think they were deliberately riding the hype? Would people think they knew their drama was no good and wanted to cash in on the heat while they still could? Once someone raised that point, it would tank their reputation in a lot of people’s eyes and might even provoke disgust.

Both sides argued. Each had their reasons, and neither was willing to back down. After a period of deadlock, someone stood up. “I’ll go ask President Qin.”

The rest immediately looked at her. The woman smiled. “After all, President Qin is our boss, isn't she?”

Everyone fell silent at once. True—Qin Yao was the real boss behind the scenes. Whatever decision they wanted to make now could only be implemented after Qin Yao nodded and agreed. Qin Yao had just entered the film and television industry; this was the first drama she had officially invested in, so she surely valued it greatly. No matter how fiercely they argued now, without Qin Yao's approval, it was all pointless.

After the woman left to consult her, the others exchanged glances. After a moment of silence, someone muttered softly, “Could this be the emotional damages, or compensation, Jiang Zhaolie gave Xu Chun when she called off the engagement?”

After Xu Chun was jilted, she hadn't kicked up a fuss or made a scene; she'd immediately joined a production without missing a beat. With her reputation at the time, most people definitely wouldn't have dared take her on for such a big IP and major production.

At the time, Xu Chun was mired in rumors of cheating and infidelity and was notorious as a sewer rat everyone wanted to stamp out. If they cast her, at best they’d be forced to replace her midway because of her scandals and start all over. At worst, all their filming would be wasted, dragging down the entire crew and killing the whole project.

So the fact that Xu Chun had not only joined the production seamlessly but landed such a hot IP, entered such an impressive crew, and met such a capable director felt strange just to think about it.

Someone else didn’t buy the connection. “Jiang Zhaolie compensated Xu Chun. What does that have to do with President Qin? Isn’t President Qin the one fully in charge of this drama?”

“Don’t you know? Jiang Zhaolie and President Qin are closely connected. That’s why President Qin covered for her.”

“So what kind of relationship would make President Qin willingly clean up Jiang Zhaolie's mess, handle all the aftermath, and even, for that reason, disregard the risk and resolutely back Xu Chun alone?”

“That...” Of course they didn't know, but that didn't stop them from speculating wildly.

Who knew what relationship they had? In any case, Qin Yao making such a firm choice under those circumstances was simply strange and baffling.

Businesspeople were all profit-driven, especially a woman like Qin Yao who had already taken her career to the extreme. Unless something was profitable, she would never make a move lightly or take even the slightest risk. But the current situation was clear: she not only did so, but without a hint of hesitation.

As if... she knew Xu Chun would ultimately make a comeback and become a huge hit.

And yet, from what they'd learned before, Qin Yao and Xu Chun had had no contact at all.

While they were puzzling over this, the woman who had walked out of the meeting room had already dialed Qin Yao's number. She explained the situation respectfully and carefully, and the answer she received was indeed to proceed according to the original plan. The woman nodded, then began: “But they think...”

Mid-sentence, Qin Yao cut her off. “Are their opinions important?”

The air went quiet at once. Qin Yao's unhurried voice came through the phone. “So they don't even want to listen to me now?”

That was a heavy accusation to pin on them. The woman immediately didn't dare say anything more and hurriedly assured her: “I'll go talk to them properly right away.”

Qin Yao gave a slight nod and ended the call. Her gaze moved from the phone screen to the memo on her monitor. What she intended to accomplish was now more than half done.

Her career and company were flourishing, her net worth had multiplied several times over. Not only had she firmly secured the leading position domestically, but abroad she was also aggressively seizing and carving out a share of the market. In a while longer, even if a god descended to earth, her position at home and abroad would be unshakable.

Her eyes shifted slightly. By then, she would have absolute say.

With a light tap of her fingertip, she closed the memo and summoned Secretary Zhao. “Go call the company's lawyer.”

Secretary Zhao nodded instinctively, then asked casually, “What arrangements does President Qin have in mind?”

Qin Yao's red lips parted slightly. “Transfer some shares.”

“Okay... what?!” Secretary Zhao's eyes widened instinctively. Transfer shares? To whom? Given the current Qin Group, even one percent of the shares was enough for a person to live lavishly and worry-free for a lifetime! Secretary Zhao suddenly felt her mouth go dry. She couldn't help swallowing and asked cautiously, “President Qin, who do you plan to transfer them to?”

Qin Yao lifted her eyes and quietly regarded her. Secretary Zhao's heart tightened, and she quickly lowered her head. “Sorry, I spoke out of turn. I'll go call the lawyer right away.”

With that, she hurriedly left, and for a long, long time afterward she couldn’t snap out of it. She kept wondering why Qin Yao would suddenly make such a decision. Had someone deceived her?

But on second thought, she felt it was unlikely. Who had the ability to deceive Qin Yao? Not being deceived by Qin Yao would already be an achievement.

Yet Qin Yao's actions today were truly too abnormal, forcing Secretary Zhao to stay alert. Suddenly, her footsteps paused. Was Qin Yao planning to transfer her shares to Jiang Zhaolie? But Jiang Zhaolie already held three percent...

All the way there, Secretary Zhao racked her brains but couldn’t figure it out. Uneasy, she brought the lawyer to Qin Yao’s office. When she heard Qin Yao say “Xu Chun” unhurriedly, as if casually, Secretary Zhao’s body trembled. She felt both surprise and a sense that it made perfect sense.

Yes, besides Miss Xu, no one could make Qin Yao so attentive.

Even for her sake, Qin Yao had long ago registered various companies, and when they negotiated partnerships with other companies, she would drop hints and secure quite a few resources for Xu Chun, quietly delivering them to her through various means and methods.

Because everything she did was so covert, no one knew about Qin Yao’s silent efforts behind the scenes except Qin Yao herself and Secretary Zhao, her handler. Not even Xu Chun knew.

Secretary Zhao couldn't help recalling how Xu Chun had once been surrounded by enemies on all sides, about to be blacklisted and unable to survive in the entertainment industry. If Qin Yao hadn't stepped in in time back then, the current entertainment world would probably have long since wiped her from its records.

She didn't quite understand why Qin Yao would help Xu Chun so much, even though Jiang Zhaolie had done wrong by Xu Chun.

But these weren't things an employee should worry about. So Secretary Zhao collected her thoughts, held her breath, and focused intently, preparing to listen to Qin Yao's next plan. Little did she expect that just as she pricked up her ears, she heard Qin Yao say: “Fifteen percent.”

Secretary Zhao: “?!”

She immediately looked at Qin Yao in disbelief. “President Qin...” Have you gone crazy today?!

Fifteen percent... that was practically five times what Jiang Zhaolie had!

Hearing her voice, Qin Yao glanced at Secretary Zhao indifferently. With just one glance, Secretary Zhao unconsciously shut her mouth. President Qin must have her reasons and calculations for doing this...

That said, Secretary Zhao didn't believe it for a second.

Staring at Qin Yao signing the document, Secretary Zhao’s gaze darkened. She felt as if her own heart were bleeding on Qin Yao’s behalf. With that one signature, Xu Chun would leap to become one of the country’s top wealthy women, the kind whose every fart would be fawned over by a crowd of socialites.

Secretary Zhao clenched her hands. Somehow, a sudden flash of insight struck her—

Could this be their President Qin's utterly ordinary little trick for winning a girl's heart?!

The more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. President Qin was ruthless and didn’t talk much, and she was especially pragmatic and profit-driven. Her willingness to give up so many good things today could only mean she loved Xu Chun to the bone.

Convinced she had seen through to the truth, Secretary Zhao relaxed—which earned her several glances from Qin Yao.

After receiving Qin Yao's reply, the woman on the phone temporarily suppressed the others' desire to change the plan. Secret Crush's arrangements remained as before. On the surface, the online commotion had no effect on the production team; everyone went about their business as usual, and all was calm.

Because they received no response, everyone became even more eager, even threatening to gang up and steal the drama's master tapes, which drew a chorus of agreement. Of course, that was just a joke—if they dared steal it, they could be sure they'd be sent straight to jail. So although they were itching with desire, everyone could only wait obediently for the broadcast.

After browsing through all the online commotion, Xu Chun was about to put down her phone when her left eyelid started twitching madly. She instinctively tore off a tissue to press against it, meaning to “cancel the twitch,” but Zheng Yanran grabbed her hand. “What are you doing?”

“A twitching left eye means wealth; a twitching right eye means disaster. Your left eye is twitching so hard right now. You’re definitely going to strike it rich!”

Xu Chun slowly typed out a row of question marks: “?” Superstition.

But Zheng Yanran was fired up, staring at her with shining eyes. “What did you secretly invest in behind our backs to be about to make such a huge fortune?” She looked Xu Chun up and down, then instantly switched to a fawning expression. “Sister, if you get rich, don't forget me!”

Xu Chun was momentarily speechless, then deadpanned a joke: “Probably means I'm about to become wildly popular from this drama and be known in every street and alley.”

Zheng Yanran thought about it and found it quite reasonable. Her eyes darted, and she immediately made to leave. “I'm full. I'm heading home first.”

With that, she picked up her bag, stood, and muttered to herself, “Better hurry and ask Mom for some money. See if I can squeeze in another investment and make a quick buck.”

Xu Chun and Jiang Banxia, having heard every word: “...”

“I've eaten my fill too. Let's go.” Jiang Banxia stood and paid the bill. After going downstairs with Zheng Yanran, Xu Chun politely declined their offers to drive her home, jingling her car keys. “I drove here.”

“Then drive safely, and remember to text when you get to the hotel.”

Xu Chun nodded. “Okay.”

The whole way, Xu Chun's left eyelid wouldn't stop twitching. Over the next several days, it twitched on and off. When her manager heard about it, she fell silent for a long while, then replied: 【Ask the crew for leave and go to the hospital to get it checked.】

Xu Chun also fell silent for a long while: 【...Okay.】

Superstition really was no good.

Xu Chun simply dragged He Qingli along for a thorough examination, but the doctor's conclusion was only excessive fatigue and a recommendation to rest well for a while. Xu Chun and the doctor stared at each other for a long time, and finally the doctor compromised, reluctantly prescribing her some medicine. Only then did Xu Chun get up and pull He Qingli away.

He Qingli looked at the prescription in her hand and her eyelid twitched too. Thankfully, they'd finish filming in at most a month and a half; otherwise, if they kept shooting like this, He Qingli truly didn't know whether she and Xu Chun could hold on.

After all, they were delicate young women; working in these remote mountains where they knew no one was already a huge challenge, not to mention the massive amount of filming every day.

And on top of that, Xu Chun also trained in self-defense for an hour every day, which made He Qingli admire her beyond words.

Although to He Qingli it looked like asking for trouble, unexpectedly, Xu Chun actually gritted her teeth and persisted for over half a month.

During that half month, Xu Chun lived as if in hell, suffering tremendous torment and torture both mentally and physically. But there was also good news from home during this period: her parents had completely boarded the ‘Tianyu’ ship, and moreover, they had built good relationships with Qin Yao, Zheng Jinchan, and Zhao Ciying.

Occasionally, there were some courtesy exchanges between them, which made the other people eyeing the Xu family covetously not dare to act rashly for the time being.

Seizing this excellent opportunity to develop quietly, Tang Shiyu dragged Xu Chun's father into working overtime frantically. So the two of them, plus the efforts of all the company's employees, quickly solidified the company's foundation and established a firm foothold in a short time.

Some previously accepted projects proceeded in an orderly manner, and meanwhile, thanks to the benefits brought by relying on Qin Yao and the others, various projects came pouring in like snowflakes, almost making Tang Shiyu dizzy with choices.

Among them were quite a few investors and advertisers who had previously collaborated with Xu Chun, seeking to get closer to the two of them so as to facilitate further cooperation with Xu Chun in the future.

Only now did the two finally truly feel what it was like to have help from the gods. It seemed they could easily obtain returns that used to require long effort without much extra strain. This feeling only strengthened Tang Shiyu's determination to further expand the company's scale.

But it was still too early to talk about that. Their top priority now was to execute the projects in hand to perfection and establish their reputation and brand.

That way, when more business came through other channels in the future, they could swallow it all.

Tang Shiyu's ambition had never been small, and the current timing gave her exactly the opportunity to give full play to it. So she picked and chose among a bunch of people for a long time, and finally set her sights on Qin Yao.

After all, in every aspect, Qin Yao was impeccable.

She was capable enough herself, and in just over a year she had adjusted her strategy and was developing toward higher ground, something few people could achieve. Some people, upon reaching a certain level, either rested on their laurels and enjoyed themselves or let their thoughts wander and went astray, until ending up with nothing and losing everything seemed only a matter of time.

But Qin Yao hadn't. She focused intently on one goal and strove for it, never relaxing for a moment.

Toward this kind of career woman who had nothing but her career in her eyes, Tang Shiyu felt both worry and joy.

The joy was that someone who could constantly restrain herself like this was presumably extremely responsible. The worry was whether someone so single-mindedly focused could really have any other thoughts.

She still remembered clearly what her daughter had said that day.

Actually, it wasn’t just Tang Shiyu. Even Xu Chun herself wasn’t quite sure.

When a person is somewhat outstanding, one might develop some interest in them and want to win them over. But if a person is outstanding enough—so outstanding that people look up to them—one can't help but beat a retreat.

Two people too far apart in stature can never walk to the end together; only two who are evenly matched make the best marital relationship.

And clearly, as Qin Yao deviated from the book's plot and grew more and more formidable, the distance between Xu Chun and her grew farther and farther.

Back when they were filming the variety show, she hadn't felt anything special. But now, with a casual browse online, she could see media outlets lavishly praising how formidable the Qin Group's business empire was, how devoted Qin Yao was to her career, how successful, how sought-after. After reading too many such articles, the little hope in Xu Chun's heart gradually settled down.

Especially after seeing news videos of Qin Yao surrounded by all those elites in suits, her bright, deep features growing ever more aloof on camera and impossible to fathom, making people keep their distance. That feeling reached its peak.

In just a few short months, Qin Yao seemed to have leaped from an A-rank ordinary card to an S-rank supreme overlord card, and her aura, along with her business success, had suddenly acquired a noble, unapproachable sense of distance.

It was like having a pretty good multimillionaire friend by your side, then watching her succeed step by step and become the richest person, someone even kings would treat with courtesy. Only the person involved could understand that subtle, complicated feeling.

Xu Chun had always been self-aware. She had to admit that by now, she no longer dared harbor too many fantasies about Qin Yao.

After all, the story of a prince falling in love with Cinderella was only a fairy tale.

And she was merely a cannon fodder character in this world.

Because of this inexplicable sense of loss, Xu Chun didn't even have the heart to pay attention to Yu Sui'an's movements. She sat in the sunlight with faint sorrow between her brows, her long hair cascading like seaweed, exceptionally radiant in the sun.

As soon as He Qingli finished filming and saw her looking so despondent, she couldn't resist wiggling her toes and walking over. But before she got close, He Qingli spotted the other's fingertip tapping incessantly on the screen.

Only when she got closer did she realize Xu Chun was numbly and mechanically repeating a tap on the wooden fish on her screen, and with each tap, text floated up at the top: “Merit +1” “Merit +1” “Merit +1” “Merit +1...”

He Qingli couldn't help but say: “...What are you doing?”

Xu Chun snapped back and reflexively opened her mouth: “Doing good deeds and accumulating merit.”

He Qingli couldn't help slowly typing out a row of question marks, then said: “You seem to have gotten very superstitious lately.”

She sensed something off about Xu Chun's mood but didn't know exactly why, so she bent down and sat beside her, casually mentioning: “President Qin's momentum has been fierce lately. Not only has she attended many domestic events and occasions, but a couple of days ago she was even lavishly covered by foreign media.”

Given the nature of those foreign media outlets, being able to report objectively on Qin Yao's success was already no easy feat.

Although part of the reason was that on this trip abroad, the people clinking glasses with Qin Yao were all renowned big shots from various industries, famous at home and abroad.

And hearing He Qingli say this, Xu Chun felt even more melancholy.

Qin Yao's life upgrade path seemed to have no summit. She was ascetic, had immense self-discipline, and was extremely goal-oriented. Xu Chun admired her from the bottom of her heart.

After all, an ordinary person like herself might, upon earning some money and completing a milestone goal, immediately think about resting and slacking off to reward herself. Life is short; enjoying the moment is the way to go.

But Qin Yao wasn't like that.

She seemed tireless, as if she didn't understand stopping, striving every moment for her dreams and goals.

Earlier, Xu Chun had guessed whether Qin Yao was reborn. But now, whether she was or not, Xu Chun admired her. If she wasn't reborn, Xu Chun admired her perseverance; if she was reborn, Xu Chun admired her even more for her unwavering resolve, unshaken by anything external.

After all, people who could withstand temptation were truly rare.

As she thought, Xu Chun found the gap between herself and Qin Yao growing even wider.

She was feeling dejected when He Qingli suddenly asked her, “Sister Xu Chun, what's your life goal?”

Xu Chun turned to look at her. He Qingli gazed back seriously. After a moment's hesitation, after long deliberation, Xu Chun answered: “To become as excellent as I can be, with all my ability.”

She didn't know how far she could go, nor when her life might end, so she didn't dare say anything too certain.

He Qingli's eyes flickered. “Then what do you think of President Qin now?”

Xu Chun didn't understand why she asked, but answered honestly and concisely: “Unattainably high, like a deity.”

“So don't you want to see such a person you like bow down only for you, step down from the altar only for you, and offer all her passion and sincerity unreservedly to you alone?”

“In this world, you are her only favoritism.”

Xu Chun's chest gave a violent throb, and the tip of her heart trembled uncontrollably.

She didn’t deny it. In that moment, she was fiercely tempted.

After a long silence, Xu Chun's gaze gradually grew firm. She slowly raised her eyes and spoke softly: “I understand.” She took a deep breath. “Since such a wonderful person has appeared before me, there's no reason for me to miss out.”

“If I can't get her easily, then I'll just go take her by force.”

“Right?”

He Qingli: “?” I wanted to cheer you on and tell you not to belittle yourself, but I didn’t want you to become overconfident or even take a crooked path and transform into a domineering, unreasonable bandit hooligan!

TL Note:

eating melon (吃瓜) = internet slang for watching gossip or drama unfold.

white lotus (小白花) = slang for a seemingly pure, innocent girl, often with hidden scheming.

cannon fodder (炮灰) = a minor character sacrificed for the plot; here, someone insignificant.

tapping the wooden fish (敲木鱼) = a Buddhist practice of tapping a wooden fish to accumulate merit; the floating “Merit +1” parodies this.