After Becoming a Film Queen, She Dumped Her Financial Sponsor - Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Come! Drink This Cup of Forgetfulness

Back at the guesthouse.

After finishing her wash-up, Qiao Sijin sat down. Though the place was nestled deep in the mountains, fortunately it had Wi-Fi and other necessities—it wasn’t like living in a cave, totally cut off from the world.

Her group chat with two friends was still very lively. She had spent the entire day familiarizing herself with the set and the surrounding terrain, and before she knew it, they’d already had an entire lengthy conversation without her.

“Big trouble, Sijin-jie!”

Li Ke burst through the door of the guesthouse in a panic, face full of anxiety, leaning on the doorframe, panting heavily.

“What’s with the rush? Did your pants catch fire?”

Qiao Sijin looked over and put her phone away, ready to give Li Ke her full attention.

Li Ke had been working as her assistant since she got the job, and she rarely acted this flustered. Qiao Sijin figured something must have happened with the director’s team.

“I just… I just saw… President Fu… Fu Qingyun’s car.”

She could barely speak clearly.

Who else could “President Fu” be referring to?

Aside from Fu Qingyun, Qiao Sijin couldn’t think of anyone.

She lifted her eyes and looked out the glass window. Under the twilight eaves hung a warm yellow lightbulb—an old-style bulb you’d only really see in rural villages these days.

But here, it was probably more decorative than functional. In the distant mountains, the evening sky looked like ink, spreading and soaking across the heavens.

Besides a swath of gray-black clouds and the last hints of sunset, Qiao Sijin couldn’t see anything else.

“She… really came?”

In the past, whenever Fu Qingyun came to visit her on set, it was always in passing, never deliberate. She never made a special trip just for her.

That surprised Qiao Sijin.

“Absolutely! Sijin-jie, do you think President Fu might get mad and shut down the whole production?”

And honestly, that wasn’t just wild speculation. With Fu Qingyun’s current power…

In recent years, Nanshan Group had been gradually devouring chunks of the film industry. Their competition with Zhaoxing Entertainment had reached a fever pitch.

“Why do you all think she’s like that? She’s not that scary.”

Compared to the version of Fu Qingyun people described, Qiao Sijin knew a more complete picture—Fu Qingyun wasn’t what they said.

In fact, she was more rational and composed than anyone imagined.

She would never act purely on emotion.

“Did I hear that right?”

“Sijin-jie, this is life-or-death stuff! We can’t take chances.”

Li Ke said seriously. If Fu Qingyun was merely observing the set now, what if she did a full investigation next time and cut funding entirely? Then what?

“Are you the boss or am I?”

“Li Ke, remember this—from now on, I don’t want to hear anything about those three words again. If she really does something like that, I’ll deal with it myself. I won’t let the entire crew suffer.”

After all, this was a mess she created herself.

If it truly happened, Qiao Sijin would accept her fate. But she wanted to take a gamble, like she did in her past life—dying alone in an apartment no one knew about.

Fu Qingyun didn’t shed a single tear. Didn’t even care she was gone.

“Wow! When did you get so tough?”

Li Ke raised two thumbs up and nodded enthusiastically, totally backing Qiao Sijin’s decision.

“A career woman like us should totally be like this—cut all emotions, pure ambition!”

“Here! Drink this cup of Forgetfulness Water!”

She handed over the thermos she’d been carrying. The water inside was still warm—part of her duties as an assistant, after all.

Qiao Sijin was completely amused by her antics. She knew Li Ke was just worried, that’s why she’d acted like that earlier.

“Alright, your room should already be arranged. You’re not going to bed yet?”

Taking the thermos, Qiao Sijin unscrewed the lid and took a sip of hot tea. It was a little bitter, but drinkable.

“Going now. Good night, boss!”

Staying energized until the last moment of the workday was one of Li Ke’s life mottos—and she’d never changed it.

“Boss, you should get some rest too. Don’t overthink things.”

She waved to Qiao Sijin and dashed off to the room next door.

Honestly, the director was being generous this time. Maybe because the guesthouse was in the mountains, the cost wasn’t too high.

They didn’t have to squeeze in. As the only assistant Qiao Sijin brought to the set, Li Ke had good treatment—her own private room.

That way, she could keep a constant eye on Sijin’s wellbeing.

….

“To celebrate our partnership, President Fu, come, come—I toast you! You’ve really been our savior!”

At the banquet, Fu Qingyun sat among a group of forty to fifty pot-bellied men. She gave a faint smile and reached out to take their offered drink.

The clear liquor swirled in the white glass cup, emitting a sharp, pungent scent—yet there was something seductively fragrant about it too.

“President Fu, I just took on a new movie. You know how these traffic stars are nowadays—so hard to please! One of them insisted on meeting you in person.”

“I couldn’t really say no, right?”

“So… what do you think, President Fu?”

After a few rounds of drinks, they finally got to the real topic. The man had waited until the contract was sealed before bringing it up.

“Who is it?”

Fu Qingyun was already tipsy. Normally she could hold her liquor well, no matter how tough the client or negotiation.

But lately, she’d been drinking cup after cup, one stronger than the last.

It was as if she wanted to drown herself in the sweet haze of alcohol—a dream she didn’t have to wake from.

Her fingers dipped into the glass, resting against the inside rim, now pinkish at the tips. It was hard to tell if she was smiling or just wearing her usual cold expression.

“Ning Wuxia.”

At the mention of that name, Fu Qingyun smiled—not from unfamiliarity or contempt, but rather a helpless familiarity.

“Fu Qingyun… I’ve been waiting here forever, can’t you at least come out and see me?”

A woman wearing sunglasses walked up to Fu Qingyun. Before she could get close, she was hit by the overwhelming smell of alcohol.

Fu Qingyun had never drunk like this before. Not even at the toughest meetings or wildest parties.

So at that moment, Ning Wuxia hesitated.

A faint answer rose in her heart—clear and undeniable.

But she didn’t want to face it. Instead, she chose to bury it deep down where no one would ever find it.

The two bodyguards who had been about to step in recognized Ning Wuxia once she took off her sunglasses.

“Miss Ning… our boss is drunk.”

Ning Wuxia waved impatiently, signaling she understood.

“What are you two so nervous about? I’ll help your boss into the car in a minute.”