She Wants to Divorce Me

Chapter 44

The beautiful days passed like a drunken dream steeped in wine. By the time they came to their senses, they were already seated in the car returning home. S City wasn't far from H City; it seemed like only a dream's time had passed before they arrived. A soft call rang out, and Ji Yaoguang, who had been resting her head on Chang Yu's shoulder, opened her sleepy eyes, yawned lazily, and reluctantly got up.

She had already selected from the scripts Su Ci had sent over before the New Year. After hesitating for a long time between the wuxia-themed "The Blade of Love" and the anthology-style "Legend," she finally chose "Legend." She had also asked for Chang Yu's opinion, but Chang Yu had told her to make her own decision. "Legend" was tentatively scheduled to start filming in early March, and in the meantime, there was over a month to focus all her attention on a variety show called "Time Traveler's Inn." She only had a brief introduction in hand, and even though this was a show produced by their own company, it was difficult to pry any useful information out of Ji Kaiyang's tightly sealed lips. He only said that all filming authority had been given to the executive director, Zhao Beiting.

Having been in the entertainment industry for several years, the name Zhao Beiting was more than familiar. This former film emperor, after winning various major awards, resolutely chose to leave the big screen, going abroad to study directing theory. Upon his return, he transitioned from in front of the camera to behind it, completing a perfect transformation. Now, as an actor, he was gradually being forgotten, but a new image was being established in people's hearts. Compared to Li Ou's volatility and obsession with film, Zhao Beiting was known for his gentleness and meticulousness. He was involved in many fields; besides movies and television, his presence could be seen in various variety shows. With his status as a veteran star and gold-medal director, he always chose to film what he himself liked. At this time, there were variety shows, but not many, and willing investors were extremely rare. When the newly established Beidou Entertainment approached Zhao Beiting, he immediately made the decision.

"Huahan Media was once an industry pillar after all. After its sudden collapse, many eyes are focused on it. Whether this show succeeds or fails will have a certain impact on the company's development," Ji Yaoguang said, narrowing her eyes slightly as fragments of memory slowly pieced together in her mind. Ji Kaiyang had asked her to write several lyrics, mostly related to historical progression. Hearing the name "Time Traveler's Inn," could it be a historical reenactment show? With thoughts swirling, she reached out to poke Chang Yu and asked curiously, "Do you know which guests have been invited?" The show's promotion had started before the New Year. Apart from the news of their participation being revealed, the other participants maintained mysterious facades, with even the portraits on the posters being mere silhouettes, waiting for the real people to turn around.

"I don't know," Chang Yu shook her head and got up to open the door. The doorbell had been ringing persistently for a while, but Ji Yaoguang seemed not to have heard it, her legs propped up on the coffee table, quite lazy and impolite. The first thing to enter their vision was a cat carrier, followed by the faces of Su Ci and Qiao Xi squeezed in together. Of course, their managers were the first to be notified of their return. "Did you come together?" Chang Yu pressed her lips together and let them in.

Qiao Xi shook her head and said, "No, we met at the entrance of the complex." She glanced at Su Ci, who had become the cat's nanny, really not understanding why the two young mistresses would get such an ugly-cute little cat. Siren, who had been curled up in the cat carrier, was still lazy, but as soon as it was let out, it became excited as if injected with chicken blood. Tail raised, it walked elegantly, inspecting its former territory, and then nimbly leaped onto the sofa, giving the daydreaming Ji Yaoguang a big fright. Reaching out to scoop the restless Siren into her arms, Ji Yaoguang stroked its smooth fur and hummed lightly, "You ugly thing, still living the good life? You've gotten fatter." Siren meowed several times in protest at being called an "ugly thing."

"According to convention, variety show filming doesn't require managers or assistants to accompany. You two can go together when the time comes, right? The location is in Meng Village on the outskirts of H City, not really a remote place," Qiao Xi said.

"That's fine," Chang Yu nodded and said, "Sister Qiao, you stay in H City. There's some wrap-up work for the studio that I'll leave to you."

"With your abilities, I'm sure you won't be bullied during the show's filming," Qiao Xi smiled slightly, "But Yaoguang's contract is almost up, right? What are your plans then?" This was actually what Ji Yaoguang had been thinking about. As soon as she heard Qiao Xi's words, she immediately pricked up her ears, anxiously waiting for Chang Yu's answer. For her, the best outcome would be joining Chang Yu's studio—as they say, "wives united in heart can cut through gold." The worst outcome would be continuing to slave away for Sheng Tang Era.

"If necessary, we don't need to wait for the contract to end," Chang Yu said calmly. Meeting Ji Yaoguang's expectant eyes, she smiled and said, "When the time comes, you'll sign with Beidou Entertainment."

"Oh," Ji Yaoguang hung her head, not quite satisfied with this answer. Her brother's side was certainly not bad, but wouldn't it be even better to be where Chang Yu was? She must think her acting skills would drag her down. Quite resentfully, she glared at Chang Yu, and her hand stroking the cat's fur became rough, causing a sharp meow to echo in the room. Ji Yaoguang quickly let go, giving everyone a sheepish smile.

"The original purpose of establishing the studio was to gain greater freedom for development in the industry. Under Sheng Tang's control, many things still had to be done according to the company's wishes," Chang Yu explained calmly. "Now that Ji Kaiyang has taken over Beidou Entertainment, my studio will ultimately fall under its umbrella. Don't overthink it." If everything were kept bottled up waiting for Ji Yaoguang to discover on her own, who knows how long it would take. The conversation with Ji Kaiyang had been lingering in her mind, and the once knotted worries were slowly dispersed by time. After healing the wounds, what she wanted was to more cautiously explore that path leading to the future.

A smile suffused her eyes and brows as Ji Yaoguang rested her chin on her hand, her gaze turning to Su Ci, who hadn't said a word since entering the room. "Sister Su, what I said before still stands. Do you want to come with me?"

Su Ci had been very surprised when Ji Yaoguang's identity was revealed at the time. After all, people in the industry would use all their resources, and even if they had poor relationships with their families, they would do everything possible to seek maximum benefits. Who would have thought this young miss would fumble around in the circle on her own? Many things that could be easily obtained with money, she insisted on stumbling through on her own—wasn't that just foolish? She had thought, as the media claimed, that Ji Yaoguang was an illegitimate daughter, not knowing that her relationship with her family was actually very good, just that she didn't want people to know. Their thoughts often didn't align, and as a small-town commoner, while envious, Su Ci still had quite a few sighs. As a manager, she had protected Ji Yaoguang all along; this was her job responsibility and duty. If it had been another artist back then, she would have done so without hesitation. Occasionally feeling exasperated at Ji Yaoguang's inability to improve, even as a "vase," Ji Yaoguang had never brought her little. But she couldn't do like Qiao Xi and directly leave Sheng Tang. With a somewhat complex expression, she swallowed the sigh that had almost reached her lips and replied in a joking tone, "It's settled then. When Sheng Tang kicks me out and I'm left homeless on the streets, I'll come to you for refuge."

Being kicked out by Sheng Tang rather than resigning on her own—just this one sentence revealed a lot of information. Ji Yaoguang nodded thoughtfully. She had heard Su Ci mention the kindness shown to her by Sheng Tang's CEO, and with her personality, it would be difficult for her to leave actively. A smile curled at the corners of her lips as she blinked and replied, "Of course. Not only will I open the door for you, I'll open a thousand windows."

Su Ci drove away the melancholy in her heart and smiled gently, "Just don't suddenly close the window when I'm about to come in, catching my forehead." Seeing Ji Yaoguang waving her hands repeatedly, her gaze fell on Siren wandering at her feet. These two hadn't been back long and were about to leave again, so— "What about Siren? Will it stay at my place again?" The thought in her mind naturally came out as a question. There are no ugly cats in the world; if you look long enough, all cats become cute creatures.

Ji Yaoguang smiled and said, "No need to trouble you."

Su Ci felt a little disappointed. Could it be that because she couldn't go with her, Ji Yaoguang had found someone else? Such thoughts surfaced in her mind, brewing a little sourness. "Are you planning to leave it at Qiao Xi's place? Or give it to a pet shop?"

"No," Ji Yaoguang replied, "I'm planning to take it to the show. I heard pets are allowed, right? We're simulating life on that show, aren't we?" As she spoke, she turned her gaze to Chang Yu. The show's wishes weren't important; as long as Chang Yu nodded, all problems would be easily solved.

Chang Yu looked at Siren, whose face seemed smeared with black dye, her expression somewhat complex. The show allowed pets to be brought to increase interest and bring some unexpected, surprising effects. But this cat, wasn't its appearance a bit unsuitable? Originally, she hadn't felt there was anything wrong, but when Ji Yaoguang proposed bringing it into the show, Chang Yu also began to struggle between ugly and cute. "If you like, then bring it along," Chang Yu finally said, looking away and speaking softly. She had already anticipated the effect after the show aired—this cat would become the biggest winner.