After returning home, Jiang Yao had just sat down when her phone received a message from Lin Shuangshuang:
【Yaoyao, Sister Ye asked me to tell you that filming officially starts on January 10th, the first day of the kids’ winter break. Please make your preparations.】
Jiang Yao replied with an “OK” before tossing the phone aside.
Su Jingyang walked out of the study and noticed the smile on her face.
“Negotiations successful?”
“Yep.” Jiang Yao leaned lazily against the sofa. “I squeezed a nice sum out of her.”
Although she had not managed to extort back all the money the original host had spent on those people, at least she recovered part of it.
Thinking about how much the original host had spent on them made Jiang Yao feel sick.
Su Jingyang sat beside her.
“Be careful. Ye Qing isn’t someone easy to deal with. If there’s anything you’re uncertain about, let me take a look. Be careful she doesn’t dig a trap for you.”
Open attacks were easy to avoid, but hidden schemes were difficult to defend against.
And based on what he had learned from Jiang Yao, the Lu Corporation behind Ye Qing was definitely not harmless.
Of course, neither was he.
If anyone dared bully Jiang Yao, he would not be polite either.
“I know.” Jiang Yao looked at him, light flickering in her eyes. “But what she doesn’t know is that neither am I.”
Su Jingyang stared at her eyes in silence for a moment before suddenly smiling.
When this man smiled, the cold sharpness of his features softened, making him unexpectedly handsome.
Jiang Yao quickly looked away and cleared her throat awkwardly.
“Um… have you eaten yet?”
“I have.”
“Oh.”
The two fell into brief silence.
Upstairs, Su Muzhe’s voice suddenly rang out.
“Mom! Where’s my laptop?”
Jiang Yao immediately stood up.
“Coming, coming. All day long you only know how to call for Mom. Why don’t you call your father…”
As she spoke, she headed upstairs, leaving Su Jingyang sitting alone in the living room.
The man watched her retreating figure, and a trace of amusement flashed through his eyes without him even noticing it himself.
Late at night, Jiang Yao sat cross-legged on the bed with her eyes closed in meditation.
The cultivation method using faith value was an ability she had only discovered after transmigrating.
As long as people paid attention to her, liked her, or admired her, those intangible emotions would transform into spiritual energy and nourish her sea of consciousness.
Although each strand was weak, quantity could accumulate into something substantial.
How could she use the program to make millions of people recognize her…
Jiang Yao slowly opened her eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them.
Ye Qing wanted to embarrass her?
Then they would just see who ended up becoming whose stepping stone.
Over the following days, Jiang Yao continued staying home most of the time.
Lin Shuangshuang secretly invited her out several times—shopping trips, outings, entertainment.
But Jiang Yao did not even need to guess what she really wanted.
Wasn’t she simply trying to pry for information?
Meanwhile, Su Jingyang continued following his usual routine, though lately he had been coming home earlier and attending fewer social engagements.
Even Su Muzhe found it strange.
As for Su Muzhe himself, his days were miserable.
Every day, his father forced him to study.
At school, when teachers questioned him, he could still act tough and ignore them.
But at home?
Try doing that there.
Finally, the last week of December arrived.
When the bell signaling the end of final exams rang out, Su Muzhe tossed his pen onto the desk and slumped back in his chair with a long sigh of relief.
“Brother Yan, where are you going during winter break?”
Jin Jiaxin leaned over excitedly, eyes sparkling.
“My dad said he’s taking me to the Maldives. Wanna come?”
Su Muzhe lazily packed his bag.
“No.”
“Why?”
“I’ve got plans.”
Jin Jiaxin looked suspicious.
“What plans could you possibly have? Another fight?”
Su Muzhe rolled his eyes and said nothing.
His phone vibrated.
It was a message from Jiang Yao:
【Finished your exams? Wait for me at the gate.】
He grabbed his backpack and left immediately, leaving Jin Jiaxin shouting behind him,
“Hey! At least tell me what plans you’ve got!”
Jin Jiaxin continued yelling from behind, but Su Muzhe quickly left him far behind in just a few steps.
At the school gate, Jiang Yao leaned casually against the car.
She wore an off-white coat, her long hair draped over her shoulders, drawing frequent glances from passing students and parents alike.
“Isn’t she the fairy-like parent who saved someone at the gate last time?”
“Wow, she’s so pretty. You seriously can’t tell her son’s already in high school.”
“I think she’s Senior Su Muzhe’s parent from second year. No wonder Senior Su’s so handsome. The original template is already stunning.”
“Why isn’t Auntie in the entertainment industry? I want to become her biggest fan.”
Jiang Yao met the curious gazes from the students and smiled at them.
The spiritual energy around her increased slightly again.
From afar, Su Muzhe immediately spotted Jiang Yao shining like a bright pearl among the crowd.
He walked over casually, tossed his backpack into the backseat, then opened the front passenger door and sat down.
“How’d the exams go?”
“Not bad.”
Su Muzhe fastened his seatbelt.
“At least I didn’t hand in blank papers.”
Jiang Yao burst out laughing.
“Your standards are pretty low.”
“Didn’t you say grades weren’t important?”
“I said they weren’t everything. I didn’t say you should completely give up.”
Jiang Yao started the car.
“Oh right, the production team sent a message. Filming officially starts during winter break. Starting next Saturday until before New Year.”
Su Muzhe shrugged indifferently.
“I didn’t have plans anyway.”
“Wasn’t Jin Jiaxin inviting you to the Maldives?”
Su Muzhe narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her.
“You peeked at my phone again?”
“I peeked at your phone? Don’t slander me! Jin Jiaxin asked me whether you were going, and I told him you’d be filming the show.”
Su Muzhe huffed and leaned back angrily into his seat.
He did not even know why he was angry.
His chest just felt stuffy and sour for some reason.
Naturally, Jiang Yao noticed none of his little emotions.
Her phone rang again.
It was Su Jingyang.
“Hello?”
“Come back to the old residence for dinner tomorrow.”
The man’s voice came through the car’s Bluetooth speaker.
“They heard about the show you’ll be filming and want to gather together beforehand. I’ll pick you both up tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
After hanging up, Su Muzhe asked,
“My dad?”
“Mm. He said Grandfather and Grandmother want us to go back tomorrow for dinner.”
The boy fell silent for a moment before suddenly asking,
“Have you visited the old residence recently?”
Jiang Yao answered decisively.
“No.”
From the time she transmigrated until now had only been a few months, and her nominal in-laws had not contacted her even once.
According to the original host’s memories, they only met once or twice a year at most.
In short, they were not close.
Still, one thing was undeniable: the elderly couple genuinely adored Su Muzhe.
Ever since he moved out last time, he had not returned there even once.
They were probably missing their grandson.
Meanwhile, in a luxurious apartment in the city center—
Ye Qing sat on the sofa reading a message on her phone, a smug smile curving her lips.
Lin Shuangshuang leaned closer.
“Sister Ye, everything’s arranged with the production team?”
“Of course.”
Ye Qing leisurely sipped her red wine.
“The theme of the first episode is ‘Everyday Life of Wealthy Families.’ Let them enjoy themselves for a couple more days.”
“And then?”
“And then…”
A sinister glint flashed through Ye Qing’s eyes.
“Once the audience develops expectations for them, we’ll reveal their true colors.”
Lin Shuangshuang immediately gave a thumbs up.
“Sister Ye, that move is brilliant! Even ten Jiang Yaos wouldn’t be your match!”
Ye Qing set down her wineglass and suddenly remembered something.
“By the way, did that bitch Jiang Yao include any clauses in the contract restricting our editing rights?”
Lin Shuangshuang froze briefly.
“Yes. She requested approval rights over the final cut.”
Ye Qing sneered coldly.
“Approval? What use will approval be once the show airs? At worst, we’ll just edit two versions—one for her to review and another to broadcast.”
Lin Shuangshuang’s eyes lit up.
“Sister Ye, that’s genius!”
Ye Qing leaned back against the sofa in an excellent mood.
“Just wait, Jiang Yao. This time, I’m going to ruin your reputation completely.”