She Wants to Divorce Me

Chapter 66

"How come you have time to call me? Shouldn't you be busy dealing with those flying rumors?" Ji Yaoguang lazily leaned back on the sofa, her voice full of light teasing. She had been following the online dynamics, watching those indignant people realign themselves, finding it both amusing and satisfying.

Isatis Root on the Throne—this person who seemed concerned about originality had their true identity completely exposed. Wasn't it someone from the "Heart at Peace" restaurant? No wonder their words were all about protecting An Muyu and making things difficult for Ji Yaoguang. It wasn't hard to guess who was behind this. Playing weak was no longer effective; An Muyu could only shrink into a corner without making a sound, while netizens dug out some content related to An Muyu from "Time Traveler's Inn". Her pretentious act of going out in the rain, the fierce and hateful look towards Siren, and the subsequent disdainful words further stimulated the vast number of netizens. Not only did they make her into memes, but they also initiated topics like #AnMuyuGetOutOfEntertainmentIndustry# and #AnMuyuGetOutOfCulinaryWorld#.

An Muyu had become famous shortly after entering the entertainment industry. Sheng Tang Era wanted to protect their artist, but they couldn't avoid being attacked by netizens and eventually fell into silence.

"It's hard to explain over the phone. If you have time, come to my place," Ji Yaoguang said with a light laugh, hearing the voice from the other end. Previously, Su Ci had asked her in WeChat to help take care of the new junior, but now she seemed to have noticed something amiss. She no longer talked about helping An Muyu, but focused on their inexplicably strange relationship. From Su Ci's outsider perspective, this coldness, distance, and even disgust seemed to have no reason.

After hanging up the phone, Ji Yaoguang hugged Siren, who was running wild around the house, into her arms. Rubbing its head, she whispered, "Are you so naughty because Chang Yu isn't home? You're an internet celebrity cat now, have some self-awareness, okay?" Of course, Siren didn't pay her any attention, even baring its teeth and looking unhappy when she took out her phone to snap a photo.

—Ji Baby is really carefree, there's a vile servant trying to harm you! And you're still posting cat photos!

—My Siren is mighty!

—Your Highness Siren looks shocked. Why do I find it more and more attractive the more I look at it? Is there something wrong with my aesthetics?

—Yes, there is.

—No, actually you're seeing through the appearance to the essence. It may be ugly, but it has a beautiful soul!

The fans on Weibo quickly returned from the battlefield to Ji Yaoguang's latest Weibo post, complimenting Siren's beautiful soul. Ji Yaoguang scrolled through the comments one by one, finding it interesting at first, but gradually her smile faded and she sighed. Chang Yu, who had promised to discuss travel plans with her, was called out by a phone call from Qiao Xi. She had just returned from the "Time Traveler's Inn" set and was now immersed in a new round of busyness. The ringing doorbell pulled her out of her bored state. Looking through the peephole and seeing a familiar figure, Ji Yaoguang opened the door to let Su Ci in. They could hardly be called collaborators anymore.

"Siren has gotten much fatter," Su Ci said as soon as she entered, putting the cat food aside and searching the house for the restless Siren. Her finger poked Siren's belly, her words seemingly containing a hint of disdain.

"Being fat feels better," Ji Yaoguang replied. "It's already so ugly, if it were skinny, how scary would that be? I might be leaving for a while, so I'll leave Siren with you first."

"Where are you going?" Su Ci sat opposite Ji Yaoguang, her tone as casual as old friends chatting.

"Going to have some fun," Ji Yaoguang winked, and seeing Su Ci's look of disgust, she tilted her head and smiled, "Sister Su, when I come back, I'll probably terminate my contract with Sheng Tang Era. Are you sure you don't want to consider my previous suggestion? Come to Huahan, we won't treat you badly."

"You think I care about those benefits?" Su Ci glared at Ji Yaoguang. After all, they had been together for several years, with almost all her energy spent on this troublesome person. And now, with such a background that she had been hiding, insisting on struggling in the circle on her own, wasn't she going back in the end? With a sigh, she said, "Let's talk about the real issue. Do you have a grudge against An Muyu? Did she offend you?"

"You're not here to speak up for her, are you?" Ji Yaoguang cast a light glance at Su Ci.

"She's an artist under my management," Su Ci's lips curled into a bitter smile. After a moment of silence, she added, "She's not suitable for this industry. The company has really thrown me a difficult problem."

"It's just a problem. If you don't want to solve it, pass it to someone else," Ji Yaoguang said lightly. "You're a senior with some seniority in the company. There's nothing wrong with exchanging artists with other managers. Besides, wasn't An Muyu assigned to you in the hope that she would become famous? But given the current situation, that's obviously impossible. Why keep her under your management?"

Su Ci stared at Ji Yaoguang with wide eyes: "You mean—"

"Let me be straightforward," Ji Yaoguang's face seemed to wear a smile, but her eyes flickered with a kind of cruelty and indifference that allowed no compromise. "She can't survive in this circle anymore. No one dares to let her act, especially since she has no acting skills at all. Internet celebrity, no, internet black sheep might suit her better. It's one thing that she smeared me, but why does she covet Chang Yu? Do you think I can let her stay so close?"

"So that's how it is," Su Ci laughed wryly. "It turns out I was wrong from the beginning. I saw Lu Yusheng and Chang Yu both reposting and promoting An Muyu's restaurant before, and thought you were all very close. In fact, it was using your connections to push An Muyu into the 'Time Traveler's Inn' crew, unexpectedly causing so much trouble."

"To say there's no resentment at all would be an outright lie, but you were indeed unaware," Ji Yaoguang shook her head and laughed sarcastically. "I won't help An Muyu. As for you, if you help her, I have nothing to say. After all, work is work, although I'm not happy to see such a situation."

"You can rest assured about that. I know what to do," Su Ci laughed, teasing, "Even if you return to Huahan later, we're still friends. If one day I'm expelled from Sheng Tang Era and end up sleeping under a bridge, I'll be waiting for you, Young Miss, to come rescue me."

Ji Yaoguang blinked and said, "You're welcome to switch jobs anytime."

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The spinning pen circled her fingertip once before falling, drawing an irregular line on the clean white paper. Another day was about to pass in busyness. After signing several artists in succession, there was finally some time to catch her breath. Chang Yu rubbed her eyes, staring at the photo frame on the desk for a while. She thought that person must be restlessly scrolling through her phone at home, occasionally adding fuel to the online discussions?

"Sister Qiao, clear my schedule for the next month. Push back all activities. I have some personal matters to attend to," Chang Yu suddenly looked up and said to Qiao Xi, who was flipping through documents.

Finally realizing the need for a break? Qiao Xi's eyes contained a hint of surprise, but more of a sense of relief. She nodded and smiled faintly, "Alright, go ahead and take your baby out for a good relaxation." As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly remembered something, opened her phone's memo app and glanced at it, her face showing a troubled expression.

"What's wrong?" Chang Yu asked, puzzled by her hesitant look.

Qiao Xi was silent for a moment, then sighed lightly and said, "M Magazine sent an invitation. It's scheduled for a week from now. Do you want to decline?" She saw Chang Yu's eyes light up at the mention of M Magazine, then gradually dim a moment later. "Decline it." These two words carried no emotion, but Qiao Xi could sense some of Chang Yu's feelings from the changing aura around her. There must be some regret, right? Domestic publications were one thing, but M Magazine was the most famous publication globally. Very few people in the country could grace its cover—being on its cover was a greater honor than receiving any industry award, and more of a proof of strength. Some people wait a lifetime and never receive such an invitation.

Yet Chang Yu declined it.

Qiao Xi tentatively asked, "Can't you push back your trip and do the shoot first?"

Chang Yu shook her head. She slightly pursed her lips, leaning back in her chair, releasing all her strength as if this could really relax her tense nerves. Fragments of images flashed through her mind. There were some things not only Ji Yaoguang but she herself wanted to know. The longer it was delayed, the more anxious and restless Ji Yaoguang might become at night. She didn't know where things had gone wrong. That feeling of helplessness and anxiety that swept over her when she woke up in the middle of the night to see the person curled up beside her—all she could do was hold her tightly and let all her sighs melt into the dark night.

"I have an appointment," Chang Yu said softly. "And Yaoguang has been looking forward to this trip for a long time. I can't disappoint her."

Is it with the master at the Moon Goddess Temple? Since when did Chang Yu believe in such things? When helping her inquire about it earlier, Qiao Xi had many doubts in her mind, but didn't know how to ask. She gave Chang Yu a deep look, then nodded slightly. She didn't try to persuade her, knowing Chang Yu had made her choice. "That's good too. Since you've decided, put this matter out of your mind. I hope you and Yaoguang have a good time."