Chapter 83: The Will to Survive

During the National Day holiday, tourists flooded every corner of the country. The flights from the provincial capital to the film city were already sold out, so Yu Qian and Wen Xiu first bought tickets to Hangzhou, planning to take a car to the film city from there.

As Yu Qian was purchasing tickets to Zhejiang, Zhou Jingchen in Zhejiang was informed by his subordinate about the scandal, and his whole demeanor changed drastically. He turned and stared at You Si for several minutes, his face dark, before leading his team back to the hotel.

You Si noticed Zhou Jingchen’s gaze lingering on her and thought he had finally recognized her beauty, expecting him to come over and speak to her. To her surprise, he simply left with his people.

Although You Si was not particularly clever, she could read people’s expressions to some extent. Zhou Jingchen’s sour mood gave her a sense of foreboding, as if something unpleasant was about to happen.

But then she reassured herself: she hadn’t released the video, nor had she posted the news, and she hadn’t said anything inappropriate on Yunbo. She believed Zhou Jingchen wouldn’t be so lacking in gentlemanly conduct as to target her.

So, she relaxed.

If You Si were still the little starlet with a manager to clean up after her, her agent would surely scold her for being naïve. Zhou Jingchen’s expression was hardly that of a gentleman, and it was clear he was about to handle the baseless rumors with his team.

Unfortunately, after her contract was terminated, no manager was willing to take her on.

Thus, she continued to harbor unrealistic expectations.

Returning to the hotel, Zhou Jingchen immediately unleashed his anger on Chen Chao, manager of the Yunbo project team.

He hadn’t expected that, after he had subtly emphasized Yu Qian’s importance to him, Chen Chao would foolishly allow such an inappropriate rumor to arise.

Seeing his superior’s expression on set, Chen Chao knew he was doomed.

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Arms crossed and face grim, Zhou Jingchen sat on the sofa, watching Chen Chao stand by the coffee table. He struggled to restrain himself before speaking: “That woman is old and unattractive. Do you really think I’d be blind enough to fall for her?”

Chen Chao was speechless.

She was at least a starlet, even if she’d faded from fame—how could she be described as old and unattractive?

“You might be blind, but do you think I’m as blind as you?”

Again, Chen Chao was left without words.

“Is your life so comfortable you’ve lost basic common sense?”

What did common sense have to do with this?

“You can’t tell what should or shouldn’t be done. You’re no longer suited to be a manager.”

Chen Chao finally looked up at Zhou Jingchen.

He had expected punishment, but hadn’t thought he’d lose his position entirely.

“Mr. Zhou… I…”

Zhou Jingchen raised his hand, cutting him off: “Go learn from those below you. When you understand subtlety, you can return to this role.”

Knowing Zhou Jingchen had made up his mind, Chen Chao felt a wave of discouragement.

“Go on. I trust you now know how to handle this matter.”

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“I understand. I’ll return to the company then?” He wanted to say more but couldn’t find the words, so he quietly agreed and then left.

Watching Chen Chao go, Zhou Jingchen raised his hand and rubbed his forehead. He wasn’t sure if his “little darling” had seen the news; he could only hope she hadn’t.

But then he worried: if she had seen it, and noticed he hadn’t responded, she’d surely be angry and upset.

Upon arriving at the film city, the first thing Zhou Jingchen did was log onto his computer to clarify the rumor.

Zhou Jingchen v: “She’s old and unattractive, lacking self-restraint, unknown and unliked. The person in my heart is a little darling, not a lunatic. [Picture]”

The accompanying photo showed the silhouette of a girl playing the guzheng.

She wore a T-shirt and shorts, her long hair pinned up, the graceful lines of her body and slender legs visible.

Even her back was so beautiful; her face surely wouldn’t be any less so.

Wen Xiu instantly recognized the practice room in the photo as their own, and the girl as Yu Qian.

She nudged Yu Qian with her elbow, urging her to check Yunbo.

Yu Qian glanced at Yunbo and couldn’t help but want to laugh.

Zhou Jingchen’s survival instincts were truly strong—she wondered when he had taken that picture.