Goddess Strategy GL - Chapter 31

Ye Ruoqing said: “Susan asked me to go with her to look at the surveillance footage.”

Zhao Xin said: “This matter has nothing to do with you. You take me back first. I have things to do tomorrow and need to wake up early.”

Seeing Zhao Xin’s insistence, Susan knew she had her own plans, and said: “Then you two go back first. Zhao Xin, if you need anything, call me. I’ll be here all night.”

“Okay, be careful.”

Zhao Xin pulled Ye Ruoqing out the door. Ye Ruoqing’s gossip soul was burning fiercely. Even without the chance to spectate, she was determined to pump Zhao Xin for some inside information. She had just made an eye contact agreement with Zhao Xin, after all.

“Zhao Xin, let me ask you, who exactly is that ‘Little Zhao Xin’?”

“She’s an actress.”

“I know she’s an actress! What’s her name? Where is she from? Was she badly hurt this time? Will it affect your film?”

“She scraped her forehead until it bled. I guess the injury shouldn’t be too serious.”

“Then where is she from? What’s her name? Something like this happened, her backer should have an opinion, right?”

Ye Ruoqing clung to Zhao Xin like a little tail, constantly asking questions. Zhao Xin suddenly stopped and asked her: “Watch more, ask less.”

Ye Ruoqing pouted: “I’m asking because I don’t know! I barely know any celebrities.”

“Aren’t you busy preparing for the audition recently? Why are you inquiring about so many irrelevant things?”

Upon hearing about the audition, Ye Ruoqing looked distressed: “Don’t mention it. If I successfully pass the preliminary round, I will need to cooperate with the program to prepare a short film. Brother Pidan told me today that this short film is quite important for the contestants, and I should take it seriously.”

Zhao Xin nodded: “That’s right, a good short film can indeed help you.”

Ye Ruoqing was full of sorrow and was too embarrassed to say that her terrible acting skills couldn’t even be tolerated by Brother Pidan, a mere “vase.”

Zhao Xin guessed part of it and asked: “So, Dali (Strong Power) said he would help you make the short film? You don’t agree with that?”

“Not really. Brother Pidan is quite enthusiastic, it’s just that my acting ability is desperately lacking… I completely fail to grasp the true meaning of acting…”

Even Ye Ruoqing found her own acting skills poor. Zhao Xin recalled Director Chen’s praise and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. This was truly asking for trouble. This girl was focused on developing a singing career, but was repeatedly shut out. She didn’t want to pursue an acting career, yet she was favored by two major directors. Director Chen was a persistent director, and now that he was interested in Ye Ruoqing, he would certainly choose a time to meet her. If he wasn’t interested, that would be fine, but if he genuinely became interested, it would inevitably cause a huge commotion.

Furthermore, a last-minute change of role would undoubtedly be a bolt from the blue for the originally scheduled leading actress.

Just like her and Ren Xi.

Zeng Jiarou’s instant pale face when she heard Ye Ruoqing’s name suddenly flashed in Zhao Xin’s mind. She was certain Ye Ruoqing and Zeng Jiarou knew each other. As for the extent of their acquaintance and the depth of their relationship, she was unsure. As the two got into the car, she deliberately sat in the passenger seat and, under the guise of chatting, talked to Ye Ruoqing about her friends in B City.

“Sister Xiaoli will probably be back next month after settling her parents. I want to treat her to a meal, so I was wondering if I could get an advance on two months’ salary?”

“You can. Are you just inviting her alone?”

“And Guo Donglin… he’s a group leader who looks like Guo Donglin. He was the one who took me to be an extra that time. He seems to be interested in Sister Xiaoli.”

“Oh, so you want to help set them up?”

“Not really, I’ll let fate decide. I just think Guo Donglin is a good person, except he’s bald.”

“…”

Zhao Xin asked again: “Do you have any other friends in B City? The gentleman who looks like Guo Donglin is also half an insider. What about others? Don’t you know any actors or singers?”

“Do you and Xiao Yuan count?”

“Before us.”

Ye Ruoqing hesitated for a moment, then shook her head: “No.”

Her action did not escape Zhao Xin’s eyes. Ye Ruoqing was actually a very honest girl who couldn’t keep secrets, but this time, her reaction was the same as when Zhao Xin asked her a long time ago if she had any other reason to stay in B City—she was hiding something from others.

Since Ye Ruoqing was unwilling to talk, Zhao Xin did not continue to press. After returning home, she took a shower, then went to the study and called Susan.

“Sister Susan, it’s me, Zhao Xin.”

“Not sleeping yet?”

“Not yet, are you not sleeping either?”

“I guessed you had something to talk about, so I was waiting for your call.”

“I do have something, about Zeng Jiarou.”

“Her manager just called and said the problem wasn’t serious. It’s mainly because she just had hyaluronic acid injected into her forehead, which might have some impact, but she’ll be fine after a period of rest. But I just spoke with Director Chen, and he seems inclined to change the actress.”

This incident finally made Director Chen determined to re-select the actress for the role of Li Ruyuan.

“I know about this, he mentioned it to me. Sister Susan, I’ve had a change of heart regarding Zeng Jiarou’s contract issue for the time being. Could you help me investigate her background, the more detailed the better?”

“Okay.”

Susan had a wide network of contacts. The next morning, an email was sitting in Zhao Xin’s inbox. She opened it and saw Zeng Jiarou’s entire life and educational experience listed.

She was like most girls who come to B City to chase their dreams: a girl with poor academic performance but enough beauty who went to an art school in the provincial capital C City to prepare for the two acting schools in B City. Later, because she failed to get into either school, she attended an extracurricular training class at one of the schools, then changed her name and worked as a young model. Not long after, she was noticed by a boss.

Change of name… Zhao Xin only then noticed the biggest highlight of the email. Before Zeng Jiarou’s current name and English name, there was a name she had used for eighteen years—Zeng Jie.

Zhao Xin’s hand holding the mouse paused.

Zeng Jie.

It was the exact same name Ye Ruoqing had called out that night, and the art school Zeng Jiarou attended was in Ye Ruoqing’s hometown.

If this Zeng Jiarou was the “Zeng Jie” Ye Ruoqing spoke of, then all questions would be answered: for example, why Ye Ruoqing insisted on staying in B City, why she was so determined to enter the entertainment industry, and why that night, even though the body lying beneath her was clearly female, Ye Ruoqing’s enthusiasm did not diminish.

Zhao Xin felt a bit unsettled. She tossed the mouse aside, leaned against the headboard, and wearily pinched the bridge of her nose.

These truly were a bunch of difficult problems.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

“Zhao Xin! Boss Zhao! Proprietress Zhao! Why are you still not up! I’m going to make breakfast.”

Ye Ruoqing leaned against the door, knocking weakly. Zhao Xin went upstairs as soon as she came back yesterday, and she forgot to ask Zhao Xin if she needed to call the housekeeper to make breakfast today.

“I’m up, just make whatever.”

“Then I’ll go steam cream small steamed buns and make soy milk.”

“Go ahead.”

Listening to the footsteps gradually fade away, Zhao Xin threw back the light blanket and got out of bed. She called Director Chen again.

“Director Chen, am I disturbing you at this hour?”

“Zhao Xin, no problem, I just woke up. What is it?”

“It’s about Zeng Jiarou. I heard Susan say you’ve decided to change the actress?”

“Yes, I was a bit hesitant at first, but now that this has happened, I’ve decided to change. Although her month of recovery isn’t a big issue, and the film won’t start shooting that early. But honestly, I’m still not satisfied with her playing Li Ruyuan.”

“Are there any issues with the investors?”

“The investors? Haha… Zhao Xin, I haven’t fallen to the point where I must follow the investors’ every command, have I? I was already unhappy with all the hype surrounding Zeng Jiarou this time. Now that their people have caused me such trouble, I’d like to see what pressure they can still put on me.”

“Director Chen, don’t rush. It’s better not to disclose the news of changing the role for now, in case they try to use this incident for counter-hype. Since Zeng Jiarou is injured, why not send her to B River for a month of recuperation? During this month, you can look at other actresses. If you find someone better, use the better one. If not, Zeng Jiarou will still be a good alternative.”

“That’s what I was thinking. Is your Xiao Ye there? Let’s all have a meal together sometime.”

“She has other commitments these few days, so you might have to wait a few days. I still advise you not to hold too much hope. She herself cries to me every day about how bad her acting is.”

“I know, I know, I’ll just take a look. Let’s settle it this way for now. I’ll go see Zeng Jiarou at the hospital later.”

Zhao Xin also planned to visit Zeng Jiarou at the hospital. Some matters are more effective to discuss with the clever party than with the persistent one.

She chose to go on the evening of the next day. Ye Ruoqing stayed at the studio to practice singing. Zhao Xin bought a bouquet of flowers and drove to the hospital alone.

Zeng Jiarou was staying in a single room. She had no relatives there, so the accompanying person was the nanny from the villa. The room door opened just as she finished dinner. Zhao Xin noticed that in front of Zeng Jiarou, a box of stir-fried cucumber had only a few slices eaten, and a box of fruit was about half empty. It seemed that this was her entire dinner.

She placed the bouquet on the bedside table, then sat down by the bed and asked: “How do you feel today?”

Zeng Jiarou lightly touched the gauze on her head and smiled: “Thank you for your concern, Miss Zhao, I’m fine.”

“You shouldn’t be dieting while recovering from an illness. It’s not good for your health.”

“I’ll be careful, thank you for your concern.”

The conversation seemed to have reached a dead end. Zhao Xin looked out the window and suddenly said: “Why go to such lengths?”

Zeng Jiarou’s smile did not fade: “Miss Zhao, I don’t understand…”

Zhao Xin asked: “Yesterday, why did you hit that drunk woman?”

Zeng Jiarou said a bit defensively: “How would I know that she would suddenly rush up and start cursing and hitting me… I could only resist…”

“No, what I meant was, Miss Zeng, why did you slap that woman first?”

“Did she say that? How could that be? She was drunk… so…”

Zhao Xin interrupted her: “Miss Zeng, I think you should understand something before answering my question.”

“What is it?”

“The bathroom at that ecological restaurant indeed has no camera, and it cannot film what happens inside. But there is a camera outside the bathroom, and it’s a very sensitive one. Any loud noise inside the bathroom can be heard in the footage. If I didn’t mishear, the noise in the bathroom last night started with that lady’s sentence: ‘Why did you hit me?'”

The smile on Zeng Jiarou’s face gradually froze.