Song Wu's Surprise

The small production crews in the country truly understand their audience.

When it comes to brothel scenes, it's all about fluttering silk ribbons.

Song Wu and Bai Xin didn't dare to leave. If they walked away now, even getting background roles in the future would be difficult.

After changing into period costumes, their long black hair was left to cascade freely.

In the grand brothel adorned with red lanterns and silk curtains, a gang of thugs suddenly burst in.

Without a word, they started grabbing women, killing them on the spot.

Of course, before killing, there had to be... well, that.

That's how the script was written—brothel women running in all directions.

Those who ran too slowly were dragged to the ground and rubbed against it mercilessly, while the faster ones had industrial fans blasting at them.

Everything the distinguished audience wanted to see had to be blown into view. As for what shouldn't be seen... well, tough luck.

Bai Xin's tiny embroidered undergarment was already small to begin with. With the constant gusts of wind, she was on the verge of tears.

Even the director praised her acting skills.

Song Wu wasn't much better off. If one take wasn't good enough, they had to redo it.

Chen Pingsheng watched from the doorway as they shot seven or eight takes before finally wrapping up.

The two changed back into their own clothes, collected their pay, and prepared to leave.

Song Wu felt incredibly awkward. Bai Xin, on the other hand, wasn't too bothered—at least she had pasties, so nothing too important was exposed.

"Uncle, weren't you going to treat us to a meal?"

"Yeah, there's a buffet hotpot place nearby. Let's go together."

He didn't address Song Wu directly, and she wasn't thick-skinned enough to start a conversation with him either.

Bai Xin found it strange—wasn't this supposed to be a brother-in-law and sister-in-law relationship?

At that moment, all of Song Wu's former arrogance was gone. All that remained was embarrassment and discomfort.

It was as if the relative she once looked down on had reappeared, only now they were far beyond her reach.

Only those who had truly experienced such things could understand the feeling.

The three of them went to a high-end seafood buffet next door—598 yuan per person.

Bai Xin remained cheerful, calling him "Uncle" at every turn.

Meanwhile, Song Wu kept her head down, feeling both dissatisfied with her current self and guilty about the past.

"Uncle, don't you need to ask your boss for leave?"

Bai Xin was amazed at his freedom. A working man's dream.

"No need. My boss is too busy to even manage me."

"Wow, you're really lucky."

Bai Xin ate delicately. She was often invited to such fancy meals by guys, but she usually turned them down.

The reason? Most of them had ulterior motives.

But Uncle was different—he had no inappropriate thoughts about her.

Chen Pingsheng asked curiously, "For extras like you, how much can you make in a month?"

"Seven to eight thousand on a good month, three to four thousand on a bad one. It all depends on how many gigs we get."

That kind of income in Beijing, with no meals or lodging covered, barely kept one afloat.

But they all held onto dreams of stardom.

Bai Xin asked, "What about you, Uncle? Didn't you work as an extra before?"

"Back then, I made over a thousand per day."

"That's amazing!"

Bai Xin was shocked. Chen Pingsheng just smiled without elaborating.

He finished his meal quickly, wiped his mouth, and said, "Your sister is pregnant. I mentioned your situation to her today. When you have time, go visit her. She still cares about you a lot."

Song Wu nearly cried.

Back when she lived in her ivory tower, she was naive and ignorant.

Now that she was out making her own money, she finally understood how difficult it was.

And she could better appreciate how hard her brother-in-law had worked back then.

Ever since he came to Beijing, he had been grinding day and night for four to five years straight, without a single break.

All of it was for the sake of giving her sister a stable and happy home.

Yet she had been clueless, always blaming him for his lack of education, his lack of credentials, and the fact that he wasn't a registered Beijing resident.

Worse still, she constantly pressured her sister to divorce him.

Looking back now, she felt utterly ashamed to even face her brother-in-law.

Let alone ask him for help.

"Your sister is working on her own beauty business now. If you have time, you should go help her out."

With that, Chen Pingsheng left.

Bai Xin was completely dumbfounded.

"Senior, why didn't you talk to Uncle at all?"

She wanted to—but she didn't have the face for it.

Song Wu turned the question around, "How do you know him?"

"I met him while getting a rideshare."

Bai Xin smiled. "You wouldn't believe it, but Uncle drives an amazing car every day. I hit the jackpot in Shijingshan when I got a premium ride for just 25 yuan!"

"A rideshare?"

Song Wu frowned. Was he still doing rideshare gigs?

"You seem to know nothing about Uncle."

Bai Xin found it odd. "Isn't his boss Zhao Liying? He just takes on some private gigs on the side."

"Zhao Liying is his boss?"

Song Wu scoffed. "Looks like he didn't tell you the truth. If not for him, Zhao Liying would still be a struggling extra like us."

"What do you mean?"

"He invested in her. Legend of Lu Zhen was funded by him too."

"What are you talking about?"

Bai Xin's brain immediately played the iconic "What are you talking about?" line from Mermaid.

She jumped up in shock. "You're saying Uncle's boss isn't Zhao Liying—he's actually her boss?"

"He always has been."

Song Wu explained, "Back then, Zhao Liying was just his neighbor. He was selling durians on the street, and she was a struggling extra in Beijing who couldn't afford a house or a car. It was only after meeting him that she rose to fame as a big star."

"Uncle used to sell durians? Then how did he afford to invest in Zhao Liying?"

Bai Xin thought about it. A show like Legend of Lu Zhen must have needed tens of millions in funding.

Even if he sold durians his entire life, he wouldn't have made that much!

"He hasn't been selling durians for a long time. You live in Shijingshan, right? Tengsheng Fruits is his business. So is Shui Yun Jian."

"That's incredible!"

Bai Xin's eyes sparkled. "Tengsheng Fruits is everywhere in Shijingshan! Whenever they open a store, other fruit shops basically go out of business."

"Strange. Since Uncle is so successful and he's your brother-in-law, why are you still working as an extra? He's an investor—you could easily get good roles through him."

If it weren't for the past, that would've been possible.

But...

Song Wu's eyes dimmed. "I used to insult him all the time."

"Huh?" Bai Xin's jaw nearly dropped. "Uncle seems like such a good person. Why would you do that?"

Song Wu didn't respond, but Bai Xin understood.

It must have had something to do with his unimpressive past.

Who would've thought Uncle had such a story?

She had just randomly taken a rideshare, and it turned out to be Zhao Liying's boss.

With luck like this, if she didn't become famous, it would be a crime against fate.

She just wondered if she'd ever get another ride from Uncle again.

She was really looking forward to it.

---

Meanwhile, Chen Pingsheng had rushed back because the author of The Journey of Flower had arrived.

He needed to negotiate the novel's adaptation rights and invite her to be the scriptwriter for the project.

These things couldn't be delayed.

The author, a young mother, was receiving her first-ever offer for a TV adaptation.

Chen Pingsheng didn't beat around the bush—he offered five million yuan for the full, permanent adaptation rights to The Journey of Flower.

This included TV dramas, movies, games, and all related merchandise.

If the TV series became a hit, the value of The Journey of Flower's brand would skyrocket.