Liu Jinhua: "This Luo Ying is really stubborn! I begged him at his doorstep, and he still won't sell to me!"
Liu Jinhua: "He's a washed-up screenwriter, how dare he be so uncooperative!"
Liu Jinhua: "Zhou Man, tell me, is it because he thinks the money is too little?"
Zhou Man: "Teacher Luo isn't that kind of person..."
Liu Jinhua: "Why not! Then what reason does he have not to sell me his script!"
Liu Jinhua: "Keep it! Keep it until you're in the coffin! Let him die poor!!!"
Zhou Man sighed. Luo Ying was once a very famous editor in the industry. Zhou Man's first work was also written by Teacher Luo.
But as Zhou Man's fame grew, Luo Ying gradually disappeared from public view.
Others didn't know why screenwriter Luo was unwilling to continue in this line of work, but Zhou Man knew it all too well!
Liu Jinhua was still complaining. A great script was right before her eyes, but she couldn't get it no matter how much she begged. The exasperated agent felt like she was going through menopause!
Zhou Man: "I have something to do, I'm going out for a bit."
Liu Jinhua: "Hey? Where are you going? The boss is coming for a meeting this afternoon."
Zhou Man: "Give me a leave of absence. Say I'm not feeling well!"
Liu Jinhua: "Hey? Hey? Hey? What are you going to do!"
Zhou Man put on her coat, grabbed her bag, and put on her sunglasses before leaving Xi'ou.
***
The receptionist recognized Zhou Man at a glance.
Receptionist: "Sister Zhou Man, without Mr. Yan's invitation, you can't go up."
Zhou Man: "Call him. Tell him I'm here."
The receptionist looked a bit troubled.
Zhou Man: "What's wrong?"
Receptionist: "Sister Zhou Man, the management specifically instructed. Mr. Yan ordered that you are not allowed to come to Juying."
Zhou Man: "Alright then, I won't trouble you."
The receptionist thought Zhou Man was going to leave, but in the next moment, Zhou Man walked to the executive elevator. She took out her iC card from her bag and swiped it.
The news about Zhou Man once being Yan Shizong's mistress was treated as a rumor, believed or not.
And this card, which granted direct access to the CEO's office, was a special privilege Zhou Man received when she was by Yan Shizong's side.
Firstly, it showed Zhou Man's status at Juying, and secondly, it was for Yan Shizong's selfish convenience to dote on Zhou Man.
As expected, Zhou Man smoothly took the express elevator.
After exiting the executive elevator, Zhou Man could bypass the employee offices and go directly to Yan Shizong's office.
Coincidentally, the door to Yan Shizong's office was ajar. She didn't even need to knock.
Zhou Man had thought the office might have been renovated after she left, but seeing it now, it was still the same with the same old furnishings. Such a boring man.
She checked the time. It should be Yan Shizong's nap time. Was he not in the office?
Heh, Zhou Man sneered. She knew this scoundrel's schedule better than his secretary.
Yan Shizong had a mild case of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Every Wednesday, he had to "exercise" at noon. Sometimes, when Zhou Man wasn't around, he would find a substitute.
Zhou Man crept to a door behind the large desk. She listened closely, and indeed, there were some creaking sounds from inside the room.
Just as Zhou Man was about to place her hand on the doorknob, intending to open it and see who the moaning woman inside was, she changed her mind. Forget it, why bother? It would make her seem like she cared.
Turning around, Zhou Man saw a wall covered with Juying's achievements over the years.
Countless trophies and photos, bearing witness to Yan Shizong's glorious past. Of course, among those eternally beautiful faces, Zhou Man was also present.
Her first Best Actress trophy was placed right in the center of the shelf. Yan Shizong had treated her well; he knew she was Juying's most outstanding actress!
It was the first time Zhou Man had ever looked at the achievement wall so attentively and carefully. But as she looked, she started to smile.
Although Zhou Man's debut work couldn't compare to the dazzling award-winning pieces that followed, it even had some embarrassing photos. She had played the role of a village girl.
Zhou Man: "They even put this still photo up..."
As Zhou Man reached out to take it, she suddenly realized that perhaps smashing these achievements would be more interesting.
So she grabbed a chair and threw it directly at the wall.
Trophies lined up in rows scattered across the floor with a clatter. After breaking the glass, Zhou Man reached out to tear down the still photo.
Startled by the violent commotion in the office, the two immediately stopped their activities. Yan Shizong, buttoning his pants, rushed out.
Yan Shizong looked at the mess inside, then at Zhou Man standing amidst the wreckage, reaching into the sharp glass casing with her bare hands.
Yan Shizong immediately shouted to stop Zhou Man, but Zhou Man merely looked at him indifferently, then continued to tear at the photo. Yan Shizong watched helplessly as Zhou Man's wrist was cut by the glass again.
Yan Shizong: "Are you crazy!"
Zhou Man: "What? Did we disturb you?"
Zhou Man's gaze flickered, and Luo Yu, disheveled, poked her head out of the room.
Yan Shizong: "Who let you in!"
Zhou Man: "You did."
Yan Shizong: "Impossible!"
Zhou Man once again took out the card that granted her free access to the CEO's office and tucked it into Yan Shizong's shirt pocket.
Yan Shizong: "You've left Juying, and you still have the nerve to come back?"
Zhou Man: "Even if I've left, you can't bear to remove me from your life."
Zhou Man waved the old still photo in front of Yan Shizong, ignoring the cuts on her wrist.
Yan Shizong grabbed Zhou Man's hand. The fresh blood mingled with the old scars from her wrist-slitting attempt, piercing Yan Shizong's eyes deeply. But this time, he wouldn't be soft-hearted.
Yan Shizong: "Yes, trash. It should be thrown away. So thank you for leaving, making room for the new generation's Best Actress!"
Zhou Man: "Hmph, she's not worthy?"
Yan Shizong: "What, did you come back to make a scene to help me throw out the trash?"
Zhou Man: "If you want to deal with me, do it professionally. Don't use such despicable means. Forcing Mr. Ou to give you ten percent of the shares, you really have some nerve!"
Yan Shizong burst into laughter.
Yan Shizong: "What's wrong? Worried about your little boy toy? You were a woman by my side, Yan Shizong. How could you fall for that coward?"
Yan Shizong sized up Zhou Man. After many days apart, the woman seemed even more beautiful. Even the scent she exuded was completely different from before.
Yan Shizong forcefully pulled Zhou Man's waist, forcing her to look at him. He stared intently into her beautiful eyes, just as he had at their first meeting when he had been smitten at first sight.
Yan Shizong: "Did you sleep together?"
Zhou Man: "You're insane, let go of me!"
Yan Shizong: "Answer me, did you sleep with him or not?"
Zhou Man: "What business is it of yours!"
Just as Yan Shizong was about to force a kiss, Zhou Man slapped him hard across the face.
Yan Shizong was not one to take such an insult lying down; he retaliated with a slap of his own.
Zhou Man, covering her face, stared at Yan Shizong with fierce hatred, while Yan Shizong's eyes burned with rage. He wished he could kill this ungrateful bitch.
Yan Shizong: "I was being polite when I demanded ten percent of Ou Yunchen's shares. Go back and tell him that in the entertainment industry, I am the emperor. If he dares to be presumptuous in front of me, I'll take his life! And you, if you continue to be uncooperative, you'll be his burial object!"
Zhou Man clenched her fists, gritting her teeth. She was always overestimating herself. She was no match for Yan Shizong, or perhaps Yan Shizong never saw women like her as anything significant. If one Zhou Man left, another would take her place.
See? Luo Yu was standing in the corner, gloating at them. The fiercer they argued, the happier Luo Yu became. The happier Luo Yu was, the more Zhou Man felt like a defeated dog...
She was truly foolish. She had intended to discuss things calmly, or at least persuade Yan Shizong not to target Ou Yunchen.
But if she hadn't seen Luo Yu's smug expression, she wouldn't have lost her temper.
Zhou Man shot Luo Yu one last glare, clutching the still photo. She had finally decided to make them irreconcilable enemies.