17
In the original story, because of the intervention of her billionaire tyrant father, Gu Qiwen lowered his proud head and was forced to be with the original owner, her billionaire tyrant father threatened him using Guan Xin, so he gave in.
But given Gu Qiwen’s personality, how could he bow his head so silently?
Since he couldn’t overpower someone else’s money and influence, and Jiang Mian liked him, he decided to exploit that affection.
So, Gu Qiwen gave the original owner an agreement. If she signed it, they would become boyfriend and girlfriend.
The requirements listed in the agreement could be summarized as follows: first, she must not target Guan Xin; she must avoid her completely. Second, she could make their relationship public, but without his consent, she could not engage in any intimate contact with him. Third, she must not interfere with his life, and lastly she must not see or interact with other men.
—The original owner was beautiful and wealthy. Although she had a bad temper, she still had many suitors, and she often went out partying with those male friends.
The original owner was very angry when she received the agreement. Gu Qiwen stated bluntly that if she didn’t sign, or if she told her father about the agreement, he would go all out—threatening her with suicide.
The original owner liked him so much that she couldn’t bear to see him hurt, so she finally signed the agreement.
For the original owner, as long as Gu Qiwen was with her, he would one day discover her good qualities and fall in love with her.
She even carefully read through the agreement and, from the clause “must not see or interact with other men,” concluded that Gu Qiwen cared about her. Otherwise, why would he mind her being close to other men?
She was quite pleased, thinking that Gu Qiwen was saying one thing but meaning another, and that his poor treatment of her in the past was only because Guan Xin was in the picture.
What she didn’t know was that Gu Qiwen included that clause simply because he didn’t want the original owner getting close to other men in their forced relationship and putting a “green hat” on him.
In short, in the original book, Jiang Mian’s heart was completely devoted to Gu Qiwen. Her love was quite humble.
Well, that description is actually somewhat generous.
In Jiang Mian’s view, this was just being brainless. If it weren’t the case, the original owner wouldn’t have met such a tragic end.
But none of this could really be blamed on the original owner.
After transmigrating, Jiang Mian carefully analyzed the original owner’s personality. By all rights, she shouldn’t have been this foolish. Everything had to be attributed to the original author—the original owner’s life had been written out, and the outcome was already sealed.
She had thought that by transmigrating and changing the plot, this agreement plotline wouldn’t appear. Unexpectedly, it not only appeared but also came early.
Unlike in the original book, this time no one was forcing Gu Qiwen. He had come forward on his own.
Regardless of what the original owner had done to make Gu Qiwen believe she was desperately in love with him, Jiang Mian, since transmigrating, had shown him no kindness whatsoever.
Now he comes strutting over from on high, handing over an agreement with a condescending tone. Jiang Mian feels an urge to crack open Gu Qiwen’s skull and see what’s inside his brain.
Who gave him that kind of confidence???
Yesterday, when Jiang Mian used her spiritual power to twist his heart, Gu Qiwen genuinely believed she wouldn’t bother him anymore.
But after Guan Xin returned from the hotel, she left out Shen Shiqing’s presence and gave a half-true, half-false account of what happened at the hotel. Only then did Gu Qiwen realize that Jiang Mian’s words about leaving him alone were all lies.
She was just trying to retreat in order to advance.
Gu Qiwen had seen how much effort Guan Xin had put into this role and how much hope she had placed on it. If Jiang Mian interfered and caused her to lose the role, and if all of that happened because of him, he would never forgive himself.
He had no money now and couldn’t find any good way to clear the obstacles for Guan Xin. The only thing he could do was compromise—first, get Jiang Mian under control.
Since Jiang Mian wanted to be with him, he would give her what she wanted. All he needed was time, and he would take revenge for every humiliation he suffered.
So, he came to her door.
Gu Qiwen thought Jiang Mian would be overjoyed to hear his words. He never expected her reaction to be like this making his face turned extremely ugly. Enraged, he reached out to grab Jiang Mian.
The next second, a cool voice rang out: “Annoying.”
Before Jiang Mian could even make a move, she saw Gu Qiwen suddenly fly through the air. Then the elevator opened again, and Luo Jiale stepped out. As if Qi Yanshu knew exactly who it was, he said without even looking up, “Get him out of here.”
Luo Jiale froze for two seconds, took in the situation, understood who his boss was referring to, walked over to Gu Qiwen who was on the ground, his face pale and struggling to catch his breath—and half-dragged, half-pulled him away.
Jiang Mian watched Luo Jiale’s figure disappear. Efficient, fast—clearly not the first time he’d done this kind of cleanup.
Jiang Mian looked at Qi Yanshu, her gaze shifting to his left hand.
If she hadn’t mistaken what she saw, Qi Yanshu had used that hand to send Gu Qiwen flying.
She seemed to have consistently underestimated Qi Yanshu’s combat ability.
Right now, the thought running through her mind was: In the inner courtyard of the reception, if Qi Yanshu hadn’t pulled back his strength, between him and her, who would have won or lost?
As if sensing Jiang Mian’s gaze, Qi Yanshu’s left hand moved slightly, coming to rest naturally on the cast on his right hand. The action snapped Jiang Mian back to reality. She coughed lightly. “Sorry you had to witness that, Uncle Qi.”
Qi Yanshu paused for a moment, then asked, “Who is he?”
Jiang Mian suddenly remembered that Gu Qiwen was the illegitimate child of the Qi family, and Qi Yanshu was his uncle.
While thinking this, she didn’t hesitate to say out loud, “Just a classmate from school.”
Qi Yanshu: “A persistent admirer of yours?”
Uh…
“Judging by what he just said, does he sound like an admirer to you?”
Qi Yanshu pressed his lips together slightly but said nothing.
Jiang Mian noticed the agreement had fallen to the ground. She picked it up, glanced at it—it was more or less the same as in the original book. She clicked her tongue, casually tore the paper to shreds, and threw it in the trash.
Luo Jiale returned quickly. He greeted Jiang Mian first, calling her “Miss Jiang.” Then he noticed the cast on Qi Yanshu’s right hand and was shocked. “Sir, your hand!”
Jiang Mian coughed, about to admit it was her handiwork, when Qi Yanshu said calmly, “An accident.”
Luo Jiale: “…”
What kind of accident? Just say it!
With Qi Yanshu answering that way, Jiang Mian felt awkward about coming out and claiming responsibility. But as a cultivator, she believed in cause and effect, and the more nonchalant Qi Yanshu acted, the more embarrassed she felt.
Luo Jiale hurriedly said he would call for a family doctor and also hire a caregiver. Jiang Mian felt foolish just standing there, so she went back to her own room.
With his assistant taking care of him, Qi Yanshu should be fine.
After she returned to her room, Qi Yanshu interrupted Luo Jiale’s non-stop chatter and told him to retrieve the agreement Jiang Mian had torn up from the trash can.
Though utterly confused, Luo Jiale obeyed his boss and picked up the pieces of the agreement Jiang Mian had torn into several shreds.
“Sir?” Once inside the room, Luo Jiale held the handful of shredded paper, awaiting instructions.
He didn’t know this was paper torn by Jiang Mian, nor did he know who the man Gu Qiwen was that Qi Yanshu had him drag away, nor how Qi Yanshu’s hand had been injured.
As a special assistant specially sent by Old Master Qi to take care of Qi Yanshu, Luo Jiale felt his job was slipping away.
Qi Yanshu sat on the sofa, his expression unchanged. “Piece it back together.”
With those words, he raised his hand and removed his light-shielding glasses. Luo Jiale’s heart jumped. When he saw that Qi Yanshu’s eyes were closed, his anxious heart settled back into place.
The man’s closed eyelids were very pale, and his long lashes, under the warm white light, cast a soft, gentle shadow. If not for his expressionless face and tightly pressed lips, he would have looked like a warm and elegant painting just sitting there.
Luo Jiale thought to himself that his boss’s looks really put many male stars to shame.
Then, when he heard Qi Yanshu tell him to piece together the shredded paper, Luo Jiale couldn’t help but let out a questioning “Huh?”
Qi Yanshu tilted his head slightly in his direction. Luo Jiale quickly said, “Okay, okay, I’ll put it together right away.”
Jiang Mian hadn’t torn the agreement into tiny pieces, so it wasn’t difficult for Luo Jiale to reassemble. It took him less than ten minutes.
“…A Dating Agreement?” When he saw the big characters at the top, he was stunned for a moment.
After reading through the contents of the agreement, Luo Jiale couldn’t help but say, “Who’s this shameless person making these rules? Do they think they’re some kind of heartthrob?”
After Qi Yanshu listened, he asked, “What’s the signature?”
“Hold on, this part is a bit more shredded.” Luo Jiale examined it carefully. “It looks like… Gu Qiwen. Yes, that’s the name.”
“He’s from the film academy,” Qi Yanshu said. “Look into him.”
“Will do.”
No matter how many questions Luo Jiale had, he knew not to ask what he shouldn’t. Anyway, the first time was strange, the second time was familiar. Last time, his boss had also asked him to look into a small-time thug named Brother Qiang.
Qi Yanshu sent Luo Jiale away, then got up and walked into the bathroom. Inside was a large mirror, the kind that reflects your entire body.
He seemed to want to open his eyes. His lashes fluttered repeatedly, but in the end, they remained still.
Then, he accurately took a clean white cloth from the cabinet next to him and skillfully pressed it over his eyes.
After that, he heard the doorbell. The electronic display by the door carried Jiang Mian’s voice: “Uncle Qi.”
Qi Yanshu was stunned for two seconds. Then he walked to the door, hesitated for a moment, and opened it.
Immediately, he was met with the rich aroma of food.
After returning to her room, Jiang Mian had taken a shower, changed out of her formal gown, and put on comfortable pajamas.
Suddenly feeling a bit hungry, she opened the refrigerator to check the ingredients—Aunt Liu never left leftovers; if there were any, she would throw them out.
There were plenty of ingredients. As a private housekeeper earning a high salary, Aunt Liu was very skilled at taking care of Jiang Mian. Occasionally, she would have specialties sent from her hometown, then bring them over to cook for Jiang Mian.
Freshly cooked rice would require side dishes as well, so Jiang Mian used carrots, greens, bacon, preserved local ham, and other ingredients to make a bowl of nutritious noodles.
While cooking, she thought that Qi Yanshu probably hadn’t eaten much at the reception either. She was hungry, so he probably was too. So, she made a bit extra and brought it over.
The process was simple, but the final result, sprinkled with scallions, was perfect in color, aroma, and taste. Just the smell wafting over was enough to whet the appetite.
The corner of Qi Yanshu’s brow twitched involuntarily—he was indeed hungry.
Besides the fragrance of the food, he also caught a scent of floral notes—the body wash Jiang Mian had mixed herself.
“I made some noodles. Would you like some?”
Qi Yanshu’s lips curved upward slightly. He stepped aside, making room.
Jiang Mian: “…”
She had intended to just hand the noodles to Qi Yanshu and then go back. But his gesture clearly meant for her to bring the noodles inside.
Thinking that his one hand was incapacitated, she really should bring them in. So, Jiang Mian carried the noodles into Qi Yanshu’s home.
The overall layout was similar to hers, but the decoration style was completely different—the original owner had a bad temper, and her four fathers had raised her like a little princess. As a child, she absolutely loved pink lace, but when she hit her rebellious phase, she came to despise it.
Thus, the house’s decoration was very cold and hard. A few days ago, Jiang Mian had someone replace the living room sofa and all the curtains, which finally made it look a bit softer.
If her home’s decoration style could be called “dark,” then Qi Yanshu’s was “asexual minimalist”.
Jiang Mian placed the noodles on the coffee table. Then it occurred to her that Qi Yanshu’s right hand couldn’t move. Could he use chopsticks with his left hand? Last time at the restaurant, she remembered him eating with his right.
Fortunately, her concern was unnecessary. Qi Yanshu picked up the chopsticks with his left hand and used them very skillfully.
“I’ll head back then. I’ll come by later for the bowl,” Jiang Mian said.
Qi Yanshu, his eyes covered by the white cloth, turned toward her. “You haven’t eaten yet? Bring yours over and we can eat together.”
He said it so naturally that Jiang Mian didn’t find it strange at all. “Alright.”
Eating together was always more enjoyable than eating alone. So, Jiang Mian went back, got her own bowl of noodles, and brought it over. The two of them sat facing each other and finished both bowls completely.
“Thank you,” Qi Yanshu said, setting down his chopsticks. “Excellent cooking.”
“You’re welcome,” Jiang Mian replied. “There’s more in the pot. Do you want some more?”
Qi Yanshu: “…No, thank you.”
Jiang Mian took the two empty bowls back to her place and put them in the sink. With a full stomach, it was naturally time to cultivate.
The next morning, when Jiang Mian came out of her bedroom, Aunt Liu was still busy in the kitchen. “Just a moment, miss. It’ll be ready soon.”
“Aunt Liu,” Jiang Mian called out, raising her voice. “Make a little extra breakfast and send a portion to Uncle Qi across the hall.”
Aunt Liu acknowledged the request. She had delivered most of the chicken soup before and was no stranger to Qi Yanshu.
Jiang Mian had been waiting to see if Shen Shiqing would come looking for her, but he never did. Her Film Emperor Dad had indeed taken care of it for her.
Then, she received a call directly from Director Zhang himself, inviting her to play the female lead.
Jiang Mian was a bit surprised. “Director Zhang, don’t I need to re-audition?”
“No need.” Director Zhang’s voice carried a smile; his mood seemed quite good.
Jiang Mian: “What about that investor, Mr. Shen…”
“Mr. Shen is a businessman. Why would he hold a grudge against a young girl like you?” Director Zhang said, implying something. “Also, I’ll be casting Guan Xin as the second female lead. Whatever issues you two young ladies have privately, I don’t care, but once you join the production, don’t cause trouble and just focus on acting.”
Finally, he added a reminder: “Remember, in this circle, having money doesn’t guarantee fame. What matters most is your own ability.”
“I understand. Thank you, Director Zhang.”
After hanging up, Jiang Mian was very satisfied with this outcome.
If Shen Shiqing hadn’t appeared, and if the male and female leads hadn’t come around to disgust her, she wouldn’t have been so eager to film Director Zhang’s movie.
Since the female lead wanted to disgust her, this time she would truly disgust her back.
They had both competed for the top female role. Now that she had been cast as the lead and Guan Xin was relegated to the second female lead, the other woman was probably furious.
She recalled the plot of the original book concerning this drama. The separation of the male and female leads was closely tied to the second female lead.
In the original story, Guan Xin played the female lead in this drama and became an instant hit, receiving countless accolades. Meanwhile, the actress playing the second female lead, despite her outstanding performance, was heavily criticized, leading to resentment.
Why should Guan Xin get praise and fame for the same drama while she got insulted?
Driven by jealousy, the supporting actress constantly schemed against Guan Xin in the later stages. Eventually, one of Guan Xin’s admirers—not Shen Shiqing, but another male supporting character—took her out.
In other words, unless Guan Xin refused to play the second female lead, accepting the role would mean that the consequences originally faced by that supporting actress would be the very consequences Guan Xin would face in the future.
But although the supporting actress was criticized, she also became widely known through the role and subsequently enjoyed abundant resources. If Guan Xin hadn’t been protected by the female lead’s halo, she might not have necessarily won against that supporting actress.
Zhang Zhixin was a renowned director. For a freshman at a film academy to star in Zhang Zhixin’s movie right from the start was already a step ahead of everyone else, even if it’s not the lead role—the second female lead was still significant.
As long as Guan Xin wasn’t foolish, even if she’s angry inside, she won’t refuse Zhang Zhixin.
Sure enough, Jiang Mian soon received word that Guan Xin had agreed to play the second female lead.
The filming start date was set: in half a month, she would head into the mountains to join the production crew.
Qin Jingrun was fully aware that Jiang Mian was going to the mountains to film. Her billionaire tyrant father and her Taoist Dad did not know, and Jiang Mian didn’t plan to tell them.
If her billionaire tyrant father found out she was going to a remote mountain area, he would probably send a private jet loaded with supplies.
As for her Taoist Dad, he had taken on a big job and gone to a provincial capital city; he wouldn’t be back anytime soon.
The filming schedule was long, so Jiang Mian needed to request leave from school. She put in some effort and successfully got it approved.
She was supposed to join the production crew tomorrow. Jiang Mian was getting ready to pack her things when she received a WeChat message from Professor Jiang, asking her to come to his office.
Looking at the message, Jiang Mian was a bit puzzled. When had she added Jiang Xunian on WeChat?
The original owner’s memories didn’t seem to cover this either.
Puzzled as she was, Jiang Mian still showed up at Jiang Xunian’s office on time.
Jiang Mian pushed open the office door. “Professor Jiang, you wanted to see me?”
Jiang Xunian was organizing documents. When he saw her enter, he stopped what he was doing and took a USB drive from his drawer, handing it to her. “You’ve requested a month-long leave. This drive contains the animal simulation course material for that month. Study it well during your break. If you have any questions, you can contact me.”
Jiang Mian: “…”
Professor Jiang, aren’t you being a bit too conscientious!
“Alright, thank you, Professor Jiang.” Jiang Mian took the drive and prepared to leave.
“Wait,” Jiang Xunian called her back.
Jiang Mian: “?”
Jiang Xunian seemed to hesitate for a moment. Then, slowly, he said, “I heard that Gu Qiwen from the directing department hit you. Is that true?”
**