Chapter Volume 1 _2_3_ 38 part1
Chapter Volume 1 _2_3_ 38 part1
Chapter 38, part 1 | Arc 2.
Note: This chapter is triple the normal length, and hence there will be three parts.
When <Lovers> had reached the midpoint of its filming, <Jiang Jia of the Inner Palace> was finally released to the public. As a minor character though, Su Yu naturally did not pay much attention to this matter.
His only concern was that, as the series was aired, his main task finally made some progress and Qi Chen’s IQ rose from 0% to 10%, even though he didn't seem like he was IQ deficient in the first place.
And despite being a main actor of the show, Qi Chen also did not care much about the series after the obligatory publicity stunts, because he felt that there were too few scenes between himself and Su Yu in the drama.
And so without either of them paying much attention to it, <Jiang Jia of the Inner Palace> quickly became very hot, with the first episode gaining ratings of 1.072, and then experiencing explosive growth afterwards, to the point that the 13th episode broke through the 2.0 mark.
Two days after the premiere, several other channels also began to air the TV series, and although they were behind the official release by a few episodes, the ratings were still very good. In this period of time, as long as one turned on the TV, it was pretty much guaranteed that <Jiang Jia of the Inner Palace> would be playing somewhere.
It's also worth mentioning that as the plot advanced in <Jiang Jia of the Inner Palace>, Qi Chen's fame became bigger and bigger, and his standing as the National Male God became more and more firm. Also, as Su Yu had expected, Lu Manni's reputation became worse as the series progressed, and whether it was about the play or about her in real life, she was ridiculed with the fervour of dog blood dramas.
With the wonderful debut the TV series had achieved, Zhang Jin decided to hold a celebratory banquet, and Qi Chen and Su Yu were both invited. The former because of his role in the drama and the latter due to his real life identity as a formidable president.
“Do you want to go to this celebratory banquet?" Nowadays, Qi Chen was extremely sticky to Su Yu. If it weren't for the fact that he had to act in plays, then he would probably have stuck himself to Su Yu’s side 24 hours a day.
“Yes, of course I'm going." Su Yu's lips quirked up. In this celebratory banquet, Lu Manni will also be there – how could he miss this rare opportunity to appreciate the other’s downfall?
After the hype a few months ago, Lu Manni couldn't find any more gigs for herself other than <Jiang Jia of the Inner Palace> which was still being filmed. She couldn't find any plays to work in, or even commercials, and she also had not signed with any entertainment company. This directly led to her having some difficulties covering even her most basic day-to-day living costs.
Therefore, even though she knew she would be subjected to all kinds of stares and gossip, Lu Manni couldn't help but bite her teeth and participate in this banquet, because perhaps this celebration will be a turning point in her life?
On the day of the celebration, Su Yu and Qi Chen walked in, hand in hand, with no intentions of hiding their relationship. At this time, Lu Manni had already been observing from a corner with a cup of juice in her hand for quite some time.
Seeing the two familiar figures walk in, Lu Manni eyes instantly grew bigger, and the fingers holding the cup began to turn white, as if she were about to crush the glass.
It was all due to these two people – if not for them, then she would not have ended up like this!!
Lu Manni clenched her teeth and stared viciously at the two men, wanting nothing more than to rush up and splash the juice she held on them. However, she knew that she couldn't do that, because otherwise, all her careful preparations for today would have been in vain.
Today, Lu Manni was wearing a form-fitting black miniskirt with her cleavage unabashedly exposed, and her face had heavy makeup on. Such a look was not very appropriate for attending a celebratory banquet, but it was very in line with her purpose.
Lu Manni's purpose was very clear, and that was to find herself a sponsor.
As long as she could find someone willing to be her sugar daddy, then she will definitely be able to get back on her feet again! Lu Manni was convinced of this.
Lu Manni struggled as she ripped her resentment-filled eyes off Su Yu and continued to calmly scour the room, looking for a target. A few minutes later, her gaze fell on a handsome man in a wine-red suit.
Before coming here, Lu Manni had done her homework and so she knew at first glance that this young man was the younger brother of Liu Entertainment's President, a company which was on par with Zhao Entertainment. She also knew that he was currently the vice-president of Liu Entertainment.
Such a handsome young man, with a lot of money, was very much in line with Lu Manni’s appetite.
Lu Manni slowly straightened up and looked over her slim, pretty figure before walking over to the young man with a slightly raised chin.
She had already planned out how to attract the attention of the other, and so every step was calculated. When she finally arrived behind the young man, she successfully tripped and threw the juice all over her upper body, and prepared to fall into the young man. Suddenly, a hand stretched out from behind and held her steady, preventing her from falling all the way.
Lu Manni subconsciously looked back, and when she saw Su Yu's laughing eyes, she felt her whole person become unwell!
“Miss Lu, if you can't maintain your balance, then do not wear such high shoes. This is very dangerous. Also, you're so heavy, if you hit someone, what will they do?" After Su Yu helped Lu Manni straighten up, he immediately withdrew a handkerchief and slowly wiped his hand, as if he had just touched something dirty.
Lu Manni's whole face twitched. She had clearly planned out everything, but it was all destroyed at the most crucial moment! Damn it, Zhao Qingsong, why didn’t he just go die!
The young man had also turned around at this point due to the commotion behind him, and saw Lu Manni's pitiful appearance. He couldn't help but raise his eyebrows in surprise and ask, “What is this?”
“Nothing, this lady almost tripped because her heels were too high, so I kindly steadied her.” Su Yu completely ignored Lu Manni’s cramped expression and smiled as he answered.
With that, Su Yu also aimed a look at Lu Manni's chest which was wet due to the juice, and displayed an expression of clear disgust.
Looking at Su Yu’s deliberate mocking face and his eyes thick with disdain, and thinking of the fact that her plan had just been destroyed by this person, all of Lu Manni's resentment, anger, and grievances broke out in a flash and she no longer cared about the setting or the gathering of people. With a sharp voice distorted by a low roar of rage, she said, “Zhao Qingsong, why do you have to destroy everything I do, why don’t you just go die!"
At the roar, the whole banquet became silent. Qi Chen, who was following behind Su Yu, became cold-faced as he heard these words. “Miss Lu, if you want to display your insanity, please change your target. Ah' Song is not someone you can mess with."
At the sight of Qi Chen, Lu Manni’s resentment suddenly escalated to the next level, and she continued to vent, “Qi Chen, what right do you have to say that to me? You two are just some perverted gays, and my eyes feel dirty when I see you!"
Qi Chen's face became more cold and condensed, and he was just about to open his mouth when Su Yu tugged on his arm and sent a smile to Lu Manni, saying, “Miss Lu should be referring to the film that Qi Chen and I are currently filming, right? Although we know that Miss Lu is trying to kindheartedly provide publicity for us, but for you to promote it in such a way, aren’t you a little too dedicated? Also, seriously, we don’t need Miss Lu to try so hard to help us. After all, your reputation is already very bad."
“Zhao Qingsong, don't try to twist my words, you and Qi Chen are just a pair of disgusting gays, don’t think you can evade this matter just by saying all that!" Lu Manni clenched her teeth and stared at Su Yu with a hideous look as if she wanted to eat him.
Su Yu could only helplessly shrug. “Since you've already brought the conversation to this point, then I can only say one thing. 'As long as you're happy.'"
At this time, the security guard which had heard the commotion came over, and politely asked about the situation with a smile. Not waiting for Su Yu to open his mouth, Liu Entertainment's vice president which had been watching the whole scene unfold explained. “It's this lady, she's deliberately messing around here and causing trouble. You can escort her out.”
“I’m telling the truth, why are you doing this to me, you can’t do this to me!” Lu Manni was so angry that she wanted to cry. Clearly she was the victim here, so why were these people doing this to her?!
But her appearance in the eyes of the bystanders only appeared like she was planning to become more unreasonable. The security guard couldn't just lay hands on a woman, so he walked up to her and said, “This lady here, please follow me.”
“I’m not leaving! Why do you want me to leave, it should be those two perverts leaving!" “Lu Manni roared hysterically, obviously having completely lost her mind.
As the various participants of the banquet looked over, the security guard also made a face of embarrassment and thought about whether it would be better to just use force. Just then, a person slowly walked up to him. “She is not in a good state of mind right now, can you let me say a few words to her?”
The security guard froze for a moment, and then politely retreated two steps
Su Yu stood close to Lu Manni – who was on the verge of collapse – and slowly encroached on her space, saying with low voice, "Lu Manni, look at yourself. A person with the golden finger of rebirth, and yet falling to such a state. Do you not think you are very useless?”
Lu Manni instantly looked up with red eyes, staring at Su Yu. He really…. Sure enough, he really was the same as herself!
“Shh, some things should not be said. Because even if you say it, others will only think you are insane,” Su Yu, seeing Lu Manni's trembling gaze, smiled as he lifted an index finger to his lips. “I'm just telling you this at this time, because I wanted you to know that the difference between rebirth and rebirth, between you and me, is this big. Some people, even if they have a very good hand, can still make a rotten play. This must also be some kind of skill, don't you think?"
The remark caused Lu Manni to stiffen, and her whole being almost collapsed. As all sorts of tumultuous thoughts flashed through her mind, only one was left in the very end.
It shouldn’t be like this, everything shouldn’t be like this!
But why…… Why did everything turn out to be like this? Why had she fallen into such a deplorable state?!
Lu Manni wanted to loudly question this, but couldn't even find a person to aim her questions at. Because this endless abyss before her, it was all her own two feet that walked step by step down the path.
“Oh, by the way, there is one more thing I want to say to you,” Su Yu, while admiring the view of Lu Manni wallowing despair and helplessness, lit up as if he'd suddenly thought of something. “Thank you for trying to drug me that time, if not for that, then I might not have caught him. It's all due to you that Qi Chen and I are together now. This matter, I will always remember it.”
With this, Su Yu smiled and straightened up, backing up two steps and walking back to Qi Chen’s side.
Lu Manni stared wide-eyed at Su Yu and Qi Chen standing side-by-side, and at this moment, her spirit finally collapsed. She fell to the ground and started to wail uncontrollably, crying out loud.
But the jarring sound didn’t last long, because the security guard quickly carried Lu Manni out of the party.
After Lu Manni left, Su Yu and Qi Chen also quickly left the banquet. Su Yu's original purpose was to come see Lu Manni, and now with the entertainment gone, they naturally should also get going.
As for what the other people who stayed at the party thought, this didn't concern Su Yu at all.
After attending the celebration banquet, Su Yu and Qi Chen soon re-immersed themselves into the small, refreshing world of <Lovers>.
Four months later, <Lovers> officially completed its filming. Then, the problem arose: although the film had entered into its final stages, it was – after all – a gay themed romance movie. How could they release it smoothly, and have the public accept it?
Although Liu Mingzhen experienced all kinds of emotional agitation during the filming process, she still inevitably had some worries when it came time to release the movie.
But to this, Su Yu only leisurely waved his hand. “Director Liu, rest assured, I will deal with this matter. Once the film is complete, directly pass along the matters of review and approval to me."
“Since he has said this, then Director Liu, please rest assured." Qi Chen smiled and added from the sidelines.
Liu Mingzhen, although she still had some worries, didn’t say much about it after that.
One month later, <Lovers> finally completed with the post-production work and on the same day, Su Yu sent the film to trial for approval status. The next day, the results of the review were released.
It's a pity, but the results were 'Not Approved'.