How About A Divorce? - Chapter 42
Chapter 42: Protection [VIP]
Wen Yu was stunned for a long time before she spoke. “Eleven years ago, wasn’t that high school?”
Lin Yanqing nodded.
Wen Yu said with a hint of disdain, “That was sophomore year, right? You wanted to have a relationship back then? And you wanted a girlfriend? You must have had it too easy with your studies.”
Lin Yanqing: “…”
Lin Yanqing grabbed Wen Yu by the collar and pushed her out of the kitchen. “Stand over there. Don’t get in the way.”
Wen Yu stood by the island counter, grinning. “Why won’t you let me talk?”
Lin Yanqing: “It’s not pleasant to hear.”
Wen Yu: “You’re already annoyed with me? We just started dating.”
“I’m not annoyed,” Lin Yanqing took half a second to kiss Wen Yu’s face. “I’m afraid you’ll affect my performance here.”
Wen Yu: “How will I affect it?”
Lin Yanqing: “I don’t need to turn on the stove. You’ve already made me angry enough.”
Wen Yu chuckled, moved to the sofa, and didn’t continue the topic.
The atmosphere quieted down. The only sound was the gurgling of the stove.
Wen Yu was playing with her phone, her mind elsewhere. She intentionally avoided the topic of their high school years. She didn’t want to hear about Lin Yanqing’s adolescent crushes, as she knew they weren’t about her.
Let Lin Yanqing’s feelings, the person she liked, or anything else from that time stay in the past. Don’t let them disturb my present life.
…
The variety show was being filmed at the TV station next to the Zero One headquarters.
The production team had rented out the second floor for the guests and mentors.
The next two days were for free promotion before the official filming began. Some of the promotional materials filmed during this time would be released before the show aired, and some would be released after.
Sang Yun had prepared a few hand dances. These simple routines could serve as a warm-up before filming began.
Yuan Yiyang had written a short video script—it kept the two-act rhythm of a regular short video and the nonsensical plot twists of a short drama. She was very satisfied with it and sincerely invited Wen Yu to play one of the roles.
After reading it, Wen Yu commented objectively, “This is insane.”
Yuan Yiyang snapped her fingers.
Lin Yanqing also read it and asked, “Wen Wen is playing a celebrity?”
“Yes,” Yuan Yiyang nodded. “I’m playing the director.”
Sang Yun: “Why doesn’t Sister Yuan play the celebrity? And let Director Shi play the director. We can get a cameraman.”
Yuan Yiyang glanced at Shi Li, who was adjusting the camera and not looking at them.
Yuan Yiyang said, “That’s boring. I want to play something different.”
Shi Li poked her head out and smiled. “I don’t want to be on camera. I’ll just be the one behind the camera for you.”
Her pink hair was shorter. It used to be waist-length, but now it only reached her shoulders. She had tied it into a low ponytail with a thin hair tie. The bleached strands in front of her forehead hung down, covering her eyebrows.
Her roots were growing out, showing a section of black hair.
Wen Yu: “Aren’t you going to touch up your roots?”
Shi Li paused. Seeing Yuan Yiyang looking at her, she shrugged. “I’ll do it when I have time. I’ve been too busy lately.”
Yuan Yiyang turned her head away.
Lin Yanqing was still looking at the script. “So, Yuan is playing the director, Wen Wen is playing the celebrity, and the two of you are falling in love?”
Wen Yu nodded.
Lin Yanqing gave Shi Li a thoughtful look. Shi Li didn’t even look up. She was focused on the memory card and said, “The ending is pretty crazy.”
Lin Yanqing: “Let’s not talk about the ending. The beginning is interesting, isn’t it, Director?”
Shi Li took out her headphones and put them on, pretending not to hear.
Lin Yanqing scoffed.
Wen Yu didn’t understand and leaned closer. “Why does Director Shi seem a little off?”
Lin Yanqing: “Someone is going to make her shave her head.”
Wen Yu: “?”
Lin Yanqing briefly explained the situation. “Her ex-girlfriend liked pink hair, so she dyed it. They were about to get married, but then they broke up, and she never dyed her pink hair black again.”
Wen Yu’s mind worked for a moment, and then a lightbulb went off. “Director Shi is going to move on? So she doesn’t want to keep this hair anymore.”
“Something like that,” Lin Yanqing raised an eyebrow. “I’m just guessing.”
“How does that relate to the script?” Wen Yu pressed. “Are you saying the script is an allusion to her?”
Lin Yanqing was genuinely surprised. “Are you finally getting the hang of emotions?”
Wen Yu nudged Lin Yanqing and then continued, “What’s going on?”
“You’ll have to ask them,” Lin Yanqing gestured to Shi Li and Yuan Yiyang, who hadn’t been talking much.
Wen Yu just wanted to gossip and didn’t want to cause trouble. After thinking for a while, she felt she had guessed the truth.
Something is going on between those two.
Sang Yun finally finished reading the script and sighed, “Wow.”
She said to Wen Yu, “I thought Sister Yuan was an artistic type.”
“Artistic types are the craziest. Your Sister Yuan is one of the better ones,” Wen Yu said.
The plot was a cheesy romance, and she liked it.
The script was about a director and a female celebrity who fall in love while working together. The celebrity and the director are friends and collaborate often. One day, after a scene, the celebrity casually teases the director and the director teases her back. Their relationship changes from that point on.
The celebrity has a locket with a picture of the director inside. The director discovers this secret, and the two of them grow closer. One time, the celebrity gets drunk, and the director takes her home, where she discovers that the celebrity’s house is full of photos of her.
The director is a slightly obsessive artistic type who is captivated by this kind of obsession and falls in love with the celebrity right away.
Later, when their feelings grow, the director finds a photo of the celebrity and her—but they had never taken a photo like that together. While the director is stunned, the celebrity hugs her from behind and says, “You really look like her.”
The story ends there.
Wen Yu commented again, “This is the ‘blessing’ of artistic types.”
Sang Yun laughed out loud. “Do you really dislike artistic people?”
“Not exactly,” Wen Yu said. “It’s just that a lot of them are frauds.”
She had dealt with an artistic type before.
This person was a pretentious artist who was obsessed with their own art. They said they were dedicated to their art, but everyone knew they were just money launderers for their family. They knew it themselves, but they still put on a show in front of Wen Yu—Wen Yu didn’t hold back and told them directly.
It’s crude and pretentious.
“Alright, enough chatter. Let’s start. Come here and I’ll show you where to stand,” Shi Li said.
Wen Yu: “If I don’t act well, will you scold me, Director Shi?”
Shi Li: “I wouldn’t dare. You’re the one funding this.”
“Then film your sponsor well.”
Shi Li laughed and led Wen Yu to the back of the chair where Yuan Yiyang was sitting. She told Wen Yu to put her hand on the back of the chair. “You’ll slowly get closer to her—”
Wen Yu interrupted. “That’s not right, Director Shi. That’s not what the script says.”
Shi Li was stunned. Yuan Yiyang looked at her, then looked away.
Shi Li looked at the first scene again. It said Wen Yu was supposed to be sitting next to Yuan Yiyang, having a casual conversation to lure her in.
It wasn’t supposed to be an aggressive move of putting her hand on the back of the chair.
Shi Li frowned slightly.
Sang Yun asked confusedly, “Director Shi, did you get the script wrong? That’s unlike you.”
“Who knows?” Lin Yanqing, who was watching from the sidelines, said, “Maybe she’s confusing real-life experiences with the script.”
Shi Li tsked and rolled the script into a tube, pointing it at Lin Yanqing. “Uninvolved people should not talk.”
Lin Yanqing chuckled. “Triggered.”
Shi Li: “…”
She and Wen Yu are a match made in heaven. They’re both sharp-tongued.
“I got it wrong. CEO Wen, just sit here,” Shi Li pulled up a chair and began directing.
Her attitude was back to normal.
Wen Yu hummed. “When Yuan rejects me, I’ll say that I like it when people reject me, right?”
Shi Li: “Yes, but you have to say it in a playful tone. The celebrity isn’t taking this seriously right now. She’s just saying it casually.”
Yuan Yiyang nodded. “She doesn’t really like the director at this point.”
Shi Li glanced at Yuan Yiyang.
Wen Yu gave a thumbs-up.
This scene was done in one take. They didn’t have to keep trying. After all, it was just a short promotional drama. It was all about having fun.
They went outside to film a few more fast-cut montage shots. Sang Yun had a small cameo.
Finally, the group went to the photo room—Yuan Yiyang had someone set it up in advance. It was covered with photos of herself in all sorts of poses, from standing to lying down. It really looked like a room set up by a crazy person.
Wen Yu gasped. “I’m such a pervert.”
The camera was on.
Yuan Yiyang looked at the wall of her photos and became interested in the sleeping Wen Yu outside—the slight change in her expression made everyone outside the lens feel the shift in her emotions.
Sang Yun sighed afterward. “I have a lot to learn.”
The scene changed. Yuan Yiyang was still standing in front of the wall of photos, but the lighting and her clothes were different. She was holding a photo of herself and Wen Yu, looking puzzled.
Just then, Wen Yu hugged Yuan Yiyang from behind, resting her chin on her shoulder.
Wen Yu’s voice was low and suggestive. “You really look like her.”
The photo in Yuan Yiyang’s hand fell to the floor.
“Cut,” Shi Li yelled.
Lin Yanqing immediately went over and pulled Wen Yu away. She tidied her hair and patted her clothes, asking, “Is it over? Was it fun?”
Wen Yu felt it was a new experience. “It was okay.”
Lin Yanqing: “Good thing you’re not an actress.”
Wen Yu: “Hmm?”
“It bothers me to see you with other people,” Lin Yanqing said honestly. “You’re not doing this again.”
Wen Yu was amused. “It’s just for fun. For the sake of my friends. In a normal situation, who could afford me? It’s more likely that they’d be begging me to invest.”
She remembered something and pouted. “It’s only because I’m not in charge. If I were in good health and managing the company with my mom or working with my sister, I wouldn’t be out in the public like this.”
Lin Yanqing: “If I give you a healthy body, would you go and learn management?”
Wen Yu said decisively, “No.”
Lin Yanqing burst out laughing.
“The first half of my life was on my mom, my young adulthood was on my mom and my sister, and in the future, it’s on you,” Wen Yu gave Lin Yanqing a big responsibility. “Go, Comrade Lin!”
“Thank you for your trust, leader,” Lin Yanqing squeezed Wen Yu’s hand.
Over there, Yuan Yiyang was watching the footage with Shi Li. The effect seemed to be good. The two of them were whispering something, but no one could hear them.
A few minutes later, Shi Li turned her head to them. “Let’s call it a day. Let’s go to dinner together.”
The group laughed and talked as they walked outside. While waiting for the elevator, Wen Yu noticed that the elevator was coming from the second basement level and didn’t stop.
The second basement level was for commercial parking.
Beep. The elevator door opened.
A big man was talking flattering words to a tall woman who was standing slightly behind him. “Miss Chen, this is our production team’s—”
The man’s words stopped.
Shi Li recognized him. “Director Wang.”
The man was one of the assistant directors of the variety show.
Assistant Director Wang: “Teacher Shi, you’re here…”
His gaze lingered on the camera bag in Shi Li’s hand. He then continued. “…filming a video.”
Shi Li nodded. “We’re done filming. We’re going to dinner now.”
Yuan Yiyang nodded at Assistant Director Wang. “Then we won’t bother you.”
The group walked toward the elevator. Suddenly, the woman who hadn’t said a word spoke. “CEO Lin.”
Lin Yanqing’s footsteps paused.
The woman turned around and faced Lin Yanqing. She smiled. “Long time no see.”
She extended her hand, but Lin Yanqing didn’t shake it.
Wen Yu lifted her chin. “Who are you?”
Chen Wei clearly recognized Wen Yu and smiled. “I’m the new artistic director of Zero One. I’m here to check out the sets.”
Wen Yu raised an eyebrow. “What artistic director? I asked for your name.”
The smile on Chen Wei’s face faded.
“This is CEO Chen’s daughter. She’s one of our production team’s partners,” Assistant Director Wang realized something was wrong and quickly tried to smooth things over. He also gave Shi Li a look, telling her to finish up quickly and leave. “Teacher Shi, you’ll have a chance to meet Miss Chen again in the future.”
He didn’t recognize Wen Yu and just assumed she was some small influencer for publicity. His eyes were only on Shi Li.
Shi Li pretended not to see him.
When the big bosses are fighting, it’s best to keep my mouth shut.
Wen Yu didn’t give Assistant Director Wang any face. She tsked. “CEO Chen? Which CEO Chen? Chen Liangsheng?”
Chen Wei’s face fell.
“It really is her. How boring. Let’s go,” Wen Yu waved her hand and took Lin Yanqing’s hand. “Let’s go eat.”
“There’s no need to be so rude, CEO Wen,” Chen Wei suddenly said. “And you don’t have to be so protective of CEO Lin. I don’t have any ill intentions.”
“Oh?” Wen Yu stopped and turned slightly. “Have you disowned your mother? You’re saying you don’t have any ill intentions?”
Chen Wei: “…”
“I just feel sorry for CEO Lin not having a job and hanging out with a bunch of weirdos to film videos,” Chen Wei said, forcing a smile. “It would be better for her to return to Zero One. I can arrange a position for her so she can be my colleague.”
She really has no ill intentions, huh.
Wen Yu’s expression was blank.
Lin Yanqing squeezed her fingers.
Wen Yu suddenly tilted her head and said to Sang Yun, who didn’t dare to make a sound, “Do you remember what I told you?”
Sang Yun was completely out of it. “Huh?”
“I said I hate frauds the most, especially those who have no real ability,” Wen Yu pointed at Chen Wei. “Here’s a living example. It’s fine to pretend, just don’t pretend in front of me.”
Chen Wei’s face turned dark, and she glared at her.
“Chen Wei, right? I’ve heard of you. You studied at some third-rate art school abroad and held an art exhibition after you came back. You invited my mom and me, but we didn’t go. In the end, your art exhibition didn’t sell much, did it?”
Wen Yu took two steps closer.
“Just because you have a position doesn’t mean you have any real ability. Has your mom secured her position yet? You’re already daring to jump around in front of me,” Wen Yu sneered. “Idiot.”
Chen Wei’s eyes moved slightly. She pressed her lips together and then said, “You’re only here because of your sister—”
“So what?” Wen Yu curled her lips. “Are you jealous?”
Chen Wei clenched her fist.
“Don’t you dare mess with Lin Yanqing,” Wen Yu sneered. “You don’t have the right.”
Wen Yu turned back and walked to Lin Yanqing’s side. Her voice didn’t stop. “Tell your mom for me to be more careful. That’s enough. Let that generation of old coots fight amongst themselves. Don’t bother my girlfriend.”