However, if she were to claim that everything in the past was just a misunderstanding and that the misunderstanding had now been resolved with Shen Manyu and Hua Yanqiu becoming fast friends upon their first meeting the fans certainly wouldn’t buy it.
They would believe that their goddess was being bullied on set, and that Shen Manyu was playing the villain to the fullest, making things difficult for their “older sister” at every turn.
They would think the production crew was intentionally forcing their goddess to swallow her grievances and play along with Shen Manyu’s act just to hype up the new drama.
Regardless, Shen Manyu would come out looking bad either way. No matter how the public speculated, the one common denominator was that the fans would eventually turn their spears and strike at her.
Every muzzle would be aimed at her, unleashing a barrage of senseless, frantic bombardment.
…A world where only Shen Manyu got hurt had been achieved.
She really is miserable, Shen Manyu lamented, instantly losing all desire to go. She absentmindedly tapped at the chat box, feeling a sudden impulse to withdraw the message she had sent earlier.
Reason and emotion tugged back and forth, but in the end, reason gained the upper hand.
She knew she had to go. This was an attempt made by Hua Yanqiu, a test of their compatibility. If Shen Manyu truly felt an extreme repulsion toward her proximity or touch, Hua Yanqiu wouldn’t force it.
But if that happened, Shen Manyu’s current script would likely have to be scrapped.
Shen Manyu felt a tightness in her chest and slowly exhaled. That wouldn’t do; she hadn’t yet helped the original owner of this body fulfill her wish.
The chat history scrolled up automatically as Hua Yanqiu sent a cat emoji making an “OK” gesture while nodding solemnly.
The cat’s eyes were round and bulging. While its furry face showed little expression, the corners of its mouth curved upward, resembling an involuntary smile.
Shen Manyu’s fingers couldn’t help but curl slightly, her gaze lingering on the cat emoji for a long time.
So cute. Want to pet it.
She wanted to rub that big cat head, and at the same time, she felt a strong urge to ruffle Hua Yanqiu’s hair.
Hua Yanqiu was truly playing foul. Such a seemingly aloof, “ice-capped flower” of a woman should have a voice that sounded like it was laced with shards of ice. With a faint, indifferent glance and emotionless eyes, it should seem as though no one could ever knock on the door to her heart.
Yet, her considerate attitude, her careful concern, and the meticulousness hidden beneath her cold exterior revealed the “cold outside, warm inside” nature of her character a delicate side of her temperament that few people ever saw.
And she actually used she actually used such a cute cat emoji!
Because of this, the contrast was overly stark, and the dignified celestial being was brought down to the mortal realm.
It was like a cold, arrogant predator holding its head high with a superior posture, only to roll over the next moment and expose its softest belly for Shen Manyu to rub.
If paired with a calm, seemingly indifferent gaze, the scene would instantly become vivid and lifelike.
How can she be this cute?
Shen Manyu searched for a long time before finally finding a picture of a beast tamer holding a small whip, where a proud big cat was forced to lower its head in humiliation due to the threat of force.
Despite this, the big cat still looked defiant, shrinking its neck and baring its teeth—appearing both arrogant and completely cowardly at the same time.
Hua Yanqiu immediately replied with a meme of a hamster falling from the sky and stepping right onto her face.
Shen Manyu couldn’t help but chuckle, a smile gracing the corners of her mouth as the two successfully initiated a meme battle.
Hua Yanqiu’s cold exterior was the polar opposite of her warm heart. She came from a good background and had the confidence to be proud, yet she wasn’t arrogant toward others. Even if her words and actions weren’t exactly easygoing or gentle, they were at least restrained and polite.
Who wouldn’t like a woman like that?
As they went back and forth with the memes, the official app for her SIM card finished downloading. Shen Manyu logged in using her phone number and pulled up the detailed call logs from recently.
Upon checking, the results turned out to be quite interesting.
Shen Manyu’s interest was piqued instantly. She sat up straight and flipped through the original owner’s call records from the past month; unexpectedly, the entire list could be summarized in just two pages.
The original owner’s social circle was extremely simple. Aside from her manager, Mo Cheng, who would occasionally give her a call, there were very few other contact numbers.
After filtering out several harassment calls, one call lasting dozens of seconds caught Shen Manyu’s attention.
She noted down the number and did a quick search on Baidu. The page that popped up caused her brows to knit together instantly.
This string of digits was actually the phone number for the private assistant to the CEO of Yaoxing the company she was signed to.
Things were starting to feel more and more suspicious.
Yaoxing was a small company. Even if it had a powerful backer, that backer was a titan in other industries and didn’t place much importance on its assets in the entertainment circle.
Based on the information she had gathered recently, the internal atmosphere of the company seemed relatively laid-back.
The company had no great ambitions and didn’t demand stellar performances from its artists. Its resources were neither high nor low just mediocre and “good enough.”
The company boss was away most of the time. Even if there were matters to discuss with Shen Manyu, they should have contacted her manager, Mo Cheng, first, and had him relay the message to her.
Yet, before or after this call, Mo Cheng hadn’t called her to explain anything or ask about the situation.
Shen Manyu’s drowsiness vanished as she regained her focus. She entered the phone number, preparing to call back to test the waters, when a new call suddenly broke through.
Shen Manyu had seen this number several times in the call logs just now and had already guessed who it was. With a faint glance and her sharp memory, she had already memorized most of the digits.
“Manyu, are you staying at the hotel?”
Shen Manyu had guessed correctly; it was indeed Mo Cheng on the other end. He seemed to have just woken up, his voice hazy and carrying a hint of hoarseness.
Shen Manyu didn’t know his purpose for calling, so she simply gave a brief acknowledgement.
Mo Cheng rolled over and sat up in bed.
As he moved, the phone drifted closer and further away, making his voice muffled: “He Hanqiao and Kong Yingying just finished their press tour. They’re getting off the plane now and heading to the set. I’m preparing to go pick them up.”
“Your relationship with them is pretty good. Their billing in this drama isn’t as high as yours, and they’re arriving later than you. During your time on set, try your best to look after them.”
Shen Manyu narrowed her eyes, her expression becoming exceptionally subtle.
Those two were also artists managed by Mo Cheng. On the list Mo Cheng had written for Shen Manyu yesterday, these two names were ranked at the very top.
Their relationship with the original owner seemed decent. Compared to the other numbers Shen Manyu had screened which were mostly restaurant owners, delivery drivers, and couriers, indicating the original owner’s shut-in nature these two actually had a deeper connection with her.
Furthermore, being artists from the same company and working on the same set meant there were indeed tangled interests between them.