After Becoming a Film Queen, She Dumped Her Financial Sponsor - Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Fifty Thousand – Deal or Not?

Is there anything worse in this world than your ex becoming your direct boss? No. Absolutely nothing is worse than that.

Qiao Sijin went on a rampage in the group chat, spamming and tagging everyone like crazy.

“@DogInTheTrash @Autumn Anyone free to come out tonight? I need to drink, a lot. I’m treating—whatever you want, it’s on me!”

This was a classic case of bait before the hook—tempt them with food first, then drop the heavy stuff. Because from what she knew about these two, they’d never stick around if she got all emotional right away.

Sure enough, the bait worked. Out came the rats.

Xu You popped up with a sneaky meme, replying from a bush on a hill where she was squatting near the set of some A-list actor’s film shoot.

She’d been hiding so well that not even the security patrol had spotted her yet. The only issue was the damn mosquitoes—way too many of them. Her phone buzzed nonstop in her pocket. She sighed and pulled it out.

Who the hell had the nerve to text her now, of all times?

But even with this risky “mission,” she never muted her phone—because the whole hill was crawling with paparazzi. If anyone had to bolt, they needed to alert each other and run together.

When she opened her phone, no surprise—it was Qiao, the Drama Queen, being a pain again.

“@Sijin What now? I’m working! Why drink again? You seriously need to reflect on your life choices!”

Xu You pulled out a tiny bottle of mosquito repellent from her jacket pocket and gave herself another few sprays. She’d already used most of it over the last couple of nights.

Despite the harsh reply, Qiao Sijin wasn’t mad—this was just how their trio talked.

“@Sijin Don’t listen to her. I’m free tonight. Want me to keep you company?”

“I just accepted a script recently. Been stuck reading it all day. Good excuse to get out and clear my head. We can discuss it over dinner.”

That was no lie. At that moment, Qiu Zhirou was lying on her sofa, script in hand. She was about halfway through and could jump into filming anytime. It wasn’t some big-name IP project, but still a solid supporting role on a network drama—so she was giving it her all.

“Nope, both of you are coming. I have something very important to talk about!”

“@DogInTheTrash Xu You, name your price for the night. I’ll pay whatever. Just come eat with me.”

This kind of rich-girl behavior—Qiao throwing money around like air—had to have rubbed off from Fu Qingyun. She reeked of that money-smug superiority now.

Xu You, however, was not one to be bribed.

“Do I look like that kind of person? Like I’d sell out for money?”

“Fifty thousand. Deal?”

“Everyone gets a cut. But if you don’t show, I’ll give all of it to Zhirou.”

Xu You froze mid-type. She wasn’t money-hungry per se—but the idea of Qiu Zhirou pocketing the full 50K while she got squat? That made her way more uncomfortable.

“@Sijin I’m in!”

Seeing that reply made Qiao Sijin smirk. She knew exactly how to handle Xu You.

That said, Fu Qingyun was about to officially take over in a few days. Qiao Sijin huffed softly to herself—when the time came, she’d die before bowing to her.

Besides, the contract stated clearly that there was to be no emotional involvement between them. If anyone violated the terms, it wouldn’t be her.

“@DogInTheTrash Xu You, maybe just don’t come. I’d rather enjoy good food, good company, and all this cash with Zhirou alone.”

“Why ruin the mood?”

“@Autumn You shouldn’t have said that. Now I’m definitely coming. I live to ruin your romantic moments. Hehehe!”

You couldn’t see her face, but it wasn’t hard to imagine Xu You grinning wickedly.

The three of them met at a restaurant they often frequented. It had good privacy, so their identities were safe.

As always, Qiao Sijin tossed the menu at them. She wasn’t picky about food—plus, with a movie shoot coming up, she had to diet anyway. She really just wanted to discuss a strategy. Tao Yi, her manager, was competent and kind, but at the end of the day, Qiao knew she was a businesswoman first.

And let’s not forget—Fu Qingyun had introduced her to Tao Yi. So sure, she could talk to her—but never too much.

“Still upset about that? Didn’t I already tell you Fu Qingyun’s buying your company? Didn’t you prepare yourself mentally?”

Xu You sighed and cracked open a bottle of red wine. After camping out for days in the mountains, this was as good as a vacation.

“Xu You, you’re surprisingly in-the-know. You even knew about the South Mountain acquisition. Care to spill the tea about that big actor’s rumored divorce? I’ve been following it for weeks and still can’t figure it out.”

“Come on, give me the scoop!”

Xu You nearly choked on her wine and stared at Qiu Zhirou, trying to read her expression. Nothing but cluelessness. Phew—she hadn’t blown her cover.

“What? Is the wine that bad?”

Qiao took the bottle from her and poured herself a glass, sniffing it lightly—seemed fine.

“Why are you so curious about that actor’s divorce anyway? Don’t tell me you like that two-timing playboy?”

If that were true, Xu You felt it was her duty to drag this girl back from the cliff’s edge.

She sipped the wine, looking smug and wise like a sage about to drop some wisdom.

“I just think… his wife’s really pretty. But I heard it was a business marriage. That true?”

“Yeah, it’s true.”

“But the divorce is real too—he cheated. Papers are already in motion. So if you were shipping them as a couple, drop it.”

She wasn’t trying to crush anyone’s fantasies—just telling the truth. No need to let Qiu Zhirou waste any dreams on a guy like that.