Strategy to Conquer the Vicious Female Supporting Character [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 20

Qi Lin pointed at the slip that read Stir-Fried Lettuce with Pork, tilted her head toward Dong Zheng, and said, “Ah Zheng, how about we pick this one?”

Dong Zheng paused for a moment, then nodded. “Okay.”

Qi Lin smiled, her dimples showing.

– “Goddess An and Film Queen Dong are whispering to each other? What are they talking about? I’m so curious!”

– “The camera is right on you two, mind your image a little!”

– “That smile from the sweetheart goddess is adorable, but why do I feel such top energy coming from her…”

– “I don’t know if it’s just me, but I always feel like Film Queen Dong becomes so… soft and cute when she’s next to An Xiaoxiao?”

– “Hahahaha let me point you to every AnDong video where they appear together! — Film Queen Dong is always soft and cute around Xiaoxiao! Even in their only drama together, “The Bl00d-Stained Hairpin“, her character’s whole role was to constantly act spoiled and cutesy toward Xiaoxiao’s character!”

– “Come to think of it, they’ve only worked together on that one drama, huh… I really hope they collaborate again. I’ve rewatched “The Bl00d-Stained Hairpin“ for two or three years and I still can’t get enough.”

– “Ahhh it’s my Kai and the composer’s turn to choose! If it’s a dish I like, then I’m going to believe he picked it just for me! No arguments!”

– “It seems like the chef and Brother Li Kai have different opinions?”

– “Better to leave this kind of thing to the professionals — what’s Li Kai even doing trying to call the shots?”

– “But what if their group plans to have Li Kai cook later? Why shouldn’t he get to voice his opinion?”

– “In the end, the Michelin chef gave in — what did they choose? Smashed Cucumber Salad? Hahahahaha did Brother Li Kai purposely pick the simplest dish?”

– “The superstar’s group chose Cold Jellyfish Salad, which also seems pretty simple?”

– “The look on the supermodel partnered with the superstar is meme-worthy, hahaha! She looks like she really hates jellyfish.”

– “My boyfriend can only take the last remaining one, ughhh! Wait — Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs?! That’s the hardest one out of all five recipes!”

– “They’re starting to cook now! Wow, the runner-up chef really is a pro. So cool! So efficient!”

– “OMG, Film Queen Dong actually knows how to cook! I just have to say — she’s so beautiful. How can someone make cooking look so elegant and graceful?!”

– “She makes a regular home apron look like a high-end gown. Her visuals, aura, and figure are insane.”

– “Sure enough, Brother Li Kai is the one making the Smashed Cucumber Salad, hahaha! His movements actually look pretty skilled? Not bad, not bad. In “I Am the God of Cooking”, the last group is eliminated each round until the winner is crowned — looks like brother is safe this episode!”

– “Brother (LK) in an apron is so cute!“

– “Over at the superstar’s station, the vibe is… hmm. Just because someone likes to eat doesn’t mean they know how to cook. The supermodel sister is standing way off to the side — she really must hate jellyfish.”

– “At least the supermodel’s side still looks like cooking. The male streamer’s station is already a disaster zone… That’s salt, not sugar, bro! Are you trying to make sweet-and-sour ribs or salt-and-vinegar ribs?! Wait no — soy sauce ribs?? Please, I’m begging you, at least smell it first! That’s soy sauce, not vinegar!”

– “So where are those fans who claimed he’d streamed cooking before…? Are you sure it was cooking and not just eating?”

– “I think I did catch one stream — he made instant noodles. I guess that technically counts as cooking…”

As expected and plain to see for the audience, the male streamer’s group was eliminated.

The superstar and supermodel group placed fourth, Li Kai and the Michelin-starred chef-composer placed third, and the dishes from the AnDong group and the runner-up chef group were visually tied in quality. After taste-testing by the other three groups, the AnDong group won 2–1 against the runner-up chef group.

When the host asked the three groups acting as judges why they voted the way they did, the male streamer who voted for AnDong answered bluntly, “I like meat.”

The comment section immediately exploded with laughter.

The superstar voted for the runner-up chef group. His reason followed the same vibe, “The last meal I had before joining “I Am the God of Cooking” was Stir-Fried Lettuce with Pork. I don’t like eating the same dish twice in a row.”

Li Kai voted for the AnDong group, changing the tone slightly, “The Hot and Sour Shredded Potatoes were amazing at first bite, but they’re not as satisfying over time. I could really taste the care and attention in the Stir-Fried Lettuce with Pork.”

The host teased, “Are you sure it’s not just because it was Film Queen Dong who cooked it?”

Li Kai joked back, “Goddess An is watching me right now — are you really going to ask that?”

Qi Lin very cooperatively wrapped her arm around Dong Zheng from the side. “Of course it’s not just good! She’s my partner!”

The term “partner” was something most viewers could understand and easily accept.

As for the CP (couple pairing) fans, they were already howling with joy like it was a holiday.

Dong Zheng still looked indifferent, showing no reaction on the surface, but her heart stirred at the word “care” that Li Kai had used.

When she was making that dish… the only person on her mind was Qi Lin.

After the live broadcast of the first episode, Qi Lin originally planned to have a proper talk with Dong Zheng. But before he could, he received an important message.

The crime investigation film “The Fourth Dagger” had entered the pre-production stage and was currently casting.

In the original novel, “The Fourth Dagger” was the film that ultimately earned An Xiaoxiao the Best Actress award at the Golden Film Awards. If Qi Lin wanted to fulfill the career storyline of this world, she absolutely could not miss out on this opportunity.

Because 403 had reminded her, ‘dual-track’ missions must be completed before the original ending to achieve a “perfect score”. Otherwise, the score would ‘decrease’ the longer the host took to finish.

“The Fourth Dagger” was the last film to appear in the original plot. If she missed it, the next chance to aim for the Golden Film award for Best Actress would have to be something Qi Lin found on her own, with no original story to refer to. The time and energy that would take were impossible to estimate, and Qi Lin’s goal was a perfect score for ‘both tracks’ — no exceptions.

But Qi Lin didn’t feel good about it.

In the original plot, toward the final arc, Dong Zheng tried to kidnap and murder An Xiaoxiao but failed, and ended up dying while trying to save Gu Fei. It was only after almost losing An Xiaoxiao that Gu Fei realized his true feelings and immediately secured the lead actress role in “The Fourth Dagger” for her.

That role should have been Dong Zheng’s in the first place.

An Xiaoxiao simply took over a resource that became available after Dong Zheng’s death.

Thinking of that, Qi Lin completely lost any desire to fight for the lead role.

After all, the original story went out of its way to show how powerful the male lead was and how deeply he loved the female lead — so much so that the film’s casting requirements were absurdly high, practically screaming that no one but the male lead could get the role for the female lead. With Qi Lin’s current status and connections, the best she could hope for was a background role. She might as well not bother.

But reason reminded her that letting this affect her mission completion could impact the reintegration of Ji Huaixu’s mental fragments within Dong Zheng — and that, in turn, would affect Ji Huaixu’s condition in the real world. No matter how she looked at it, it wasn’t worth the risk.

Small sacrifices must be made for the greater goal.

Qi Lin’s face was so dark that even his assistant, Xiao Sun, didn’t dare approach him.

Letting out a long, heavy breath, Qi Lin got up. Without greeting Dong Zheng, he went alone to the president’s office of Yingda.

It had been a long time since Qi Lin last saw Gu Fei. She had only heard that Gu Fei was failing in both love and business, his condition worsening all around — but she hadn’t expected it to be this bad.

Looking at the man before her — who could only be described as haggard and disheveled — Qi Lin didn’t recognize him at first. When she did on the second glance, she couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

The once-charismatic president of Yingda now looked like a washed-up drunk on the street.

But ultimately, these were all consequences of his own actions. What mattered to Qi Lin was whether she could achieve the purpose of this visit.

Gu Fei had clearly been drinking heavily. His face was unnaturally red, his eyes dazed and unfocused. Only when he recognized Qi Lin did a glimmer of light appear in his eyes.

An Xiaoxiao…

She was the one woman Gu Fei had desired for years but never managed to get.

The more unreachable something is, the more one desires it — especially since An Xiaoxiao had brought so many surprises to the entertainment industry in just two or three years. With a woman so captivating, Gu Fei’s obsession only grew deeper.

Although drunk, Gu Fei’s mind was still mostly functional — otherwise, he wouldn’t have made it to the office. He looked at Qi Lin and chuckled. “Sweetheart goddess, here for “The Fourth Dagger”, aren’t you?”

The smell of alcohol on Gu Fei’s breath permeated half the office. Qi Lin frowned as she sat on the sofa but nodded. “Yes.”

“That’s one hell of a great opportunity,” Gu Fei kept smiling. “Even you, An Xiaoxiao, are willing to come beg me for it for the first time.”

His gaze became more blatant and fixated on Qi Lin, like he wanted to strip her bare. “An Xiaoxiao, you should know what I want, right?”

Qi Lin ignored him, calmly sipping the tea the secretary had brewed for her before leaving.

…It didn’t taste nearly as good as the one Ah Zheng made.

In the real world, Qi Lin built her company from the ground up. Before the company grew big, because she was young, beautiful, and had a great figure, she endured more than her fair share of harassment — both overt and subtle, in all sorts of forms. Back then, even without any foundation, she was still able to carve out a bloody path forward. All the more reason she could do it here.

It was just that here, she still had to play the role of An Xiaoxiao.

Qi Lin spoke, her sweet voice calm and unhurried,
“Mm, if you want to ask someone for a favor, of course there’s a price to pay.”

Gu Fei curled his lips in satisfaction.

“But it seems like President Gu has misunderstood something.” Qi Lin’s tone remained emotionless. “This time, I’m not the one asking you for a favor. It’s you who are asking me.”

Qi Lin met Gu Fei’s eyes directly — eyes still glinting with lingering arrogance:
“You’re the one who needs to ask me not to acquire Yingda. And the price is, you have to give me the rights to “The Fourth Dagger”.

Gu Fei was completely stunned. “What did you say?!”

Understanding that a drunkard’s brain might not be working well, Qi Lin slowly explained,
“You’ve heard of a company called April, haven’t you, President Gu?”

April? Of course Gu Fei had heard of it. It was a company that had risen rapidly in the past two years, with products spanning multiple fields. In just a short time, it had become a giant in the business world, one that everyone had to show some respect to.

Let alone Yingda, which had already fallen from grace — even at its peak, it couldn’t compare to April at all.

“I’m the founder of April,” Qi Lin continued, “and currently serves as its chairwoman. In five minutes, I’ll be acquiring 40% of Yingda’s shares. That should be enough to prove I’m telling the truth. The remaining 60% is mostly in your and your inner circle’s hands. It may be harder to buy, but considering Yingda’s current situation, I’m sure there are plenty of people who’d be happy to sell.”

Qi Lin gave a sweet, harmless smile.
“President Gu, what do you think?”

Back when she was semi-blacklisted by Gu Fei, Qi Lin had already spent a lot of time studying the market trends of this world. Plus, with the advantage of having knowledge of the original plot, she was able to analyze things more deeply and strategically.

In business, Qi Lin was undoubtedly a genius. You could tell just by looking at how well April was doing in the real world. But talent and information weren’t enough without money. So for a time, Qi Lin took on idol dramas and other high-paying gigs, commercials, and events, using the earnings as seed money. She succeeded in founding a company in this world also named April — one that could likewise shake the business world.

As for why she didn’t borrow money from Dong Zheng early on to start the company, the first reason was that Qi Lin was only used to giving her wife money, not asking her for it. The second reason was that the process of earning money also greatly helped with the mission.

Why was the company called “April”?

Because Huai Xu (槐序) is an ancient term that refers to the fourth month of the lunar calendar — April.