After Jiang Mengran’s scheme was exposed and she fled home, she was restless. She had only considered that things might not go smoothly, but she never expected to be discovered.
The pressure on her neck seemed to linger, and the terrifying expression on Chu Rong’s face made her tremble like a sieve.
No, she couldn’t fail here. She hadn’t gotten everything in that walk-in closet yet.
In a panic, Jiang Mengran took out an old phone from a drawer and quickly dialed.
On the other end, the voice was still low and lazy, “Did it work?”
“Do one thing for me, or we’re both finished,” Jiang Mengran quickly stated her request.
The person on the other end pondered for a long time before softly humming an “mm” and hanging up.
…
On Monday, the Director of the Technical Department came to the CEO’s office of Chu Corporation to report on the previous hacker incident.
“The Technical Department tracked and investigated all hacking incidents in M City, Country G, for the past three years and discovered a similar case in terms of technique. We traced the hacker’s identity, but it showed as canceled. We only saw their account name, ‘Mitu,’ and age, four.
This identity information is definitely fake, so we shifted our approach and traced the people related to that hacking incident. This is the list of individuals. The Technical Department is currently investigating whether these people are connected to that hacker.”
Chu Rong took the list and glanced at it a few times, his gaze finally falling on an English name: nine.
Her again.
He asked, “Has anyone investigated this ‘nine’?”
“A preliminary investigation was conducted. This person emerged three years ago abroad. After their debut work became a hit in the foreign film and television industry, they became a well-known screenwriter, collaborating with many famous foreign artists and directors.
Recently, she returned to the country, and the company also invests in the crew she is part of. Currently, there are no anomalies.”
“Investigate and get the results as soon as possible,” Chu Rong said at last.
…
After Deng Jie posted messages on Weibo and other platforms, she had been monitoring the situation. Unfortunately, the screenwriter circle was not widely followed, and those who paid attention to her were mostly acquaintances and collaborators like directors and actors, who couldn’t create much of a stir.
She was unwilling to let it end like this. After much thought, she decided she needed to build momentum. So, she paid several entertainment gossip influencers to help push the trending topic.
At that time, Quan Jiu was discussing her desire to move with Wang Feifei. Wang Feifei was quite confused by this.
“I’ve seen that apartment complex. It’s a high-end and convenient neighborhood. You’ve only lived there a few days and want to move? Did something happen?”
Quan Jiu had never told Wang Feifei about her past, not even that she was the former young madam of Chu Corporation. She hadn’t told anyone, including her children.
“It’s too noisy upstairs; I’m afraid it will affect the children’s sleep,” she used an excuse.
Wang Feifei was no longer suspicious. “Then why don’t you just move in with me? I have plenty of empty rooms, and my parents are always clamoring to hold their grandchildren. If I bring two back at once, the elders will definitely be delighted.” With such adorable twins, let alone her parents, she herself wanted to get married and have children.
However, Quan Jiu didn’t want to trouble Wang Feifei too much and politely declined, “Moving back and forth is troublesome, and besides, Mimi and Tutu are still attending school there. I’ll find a new place as soon as possible. You can also help me keep an eye out for a quiet, comfortable place with schools nearby.”
Wang Feifei didn’t insist further. Just as she was about to get to work, she saw the assistant director talking to Jiang Nanchen. Out of curiosity, she leaned closer and saw that they were discussing a trending topic.
After listening for a few sentences, Wang Feifei immediately understood what was happening. She quickly opened her phone and indeed, Deng Jie’s previous post had been reposted and promoted by major influencers. There was even a trending topic on Weibo: #WhoIsNine#.
Looking at the comments, there were many keyboard warriors making uninformed attacks.
Wang Feifei was so angry that she cursed, “Damn it, this Deng Jie is too disgusting! Director Jiang, quickly issue an official statement. It’s clearly her own problem, and she’s trying to smear our Jiu Jiu.”
Jiang Nanchen also frowned in anger. Just as he was about to ask Public Relations Manager Zhao to write a post, Quan Jiu stopped him.
Quan Jiu smiled slightly, “Let’s wait a bit longer. When the trending topic reaches the top three, I’ll have my own way to ‘repay’ her.”
…
In a private room at Ronghui Pavilion, Deng Jie couldn’t help but smile when she saw that her matter had become widely known and her Weibo followers had increased by over thirty thousand in just half a day.
The directors and screenwriters at the same table looked at her.
Zhao Ziwen was the first to ask, “What good news has screenwriter Deng encountered?”
Deng Jie laughed heartily, “It’s nothing major. You all know that person named nine, right?”
“She’s a very famous screenwriter abroad. I wanted to collaborate with her this time, but I didn’t expect her to choose such a newcomer as Jiang Nanchen. I guess her judgment isn’t as good as the rumors say,” a director sneered.
Deng Jie became even more smug, “Exactly. What fame? She’s all hype. She has no skill but a big temper. You all must not be fooled by those foreign news reports.”
Zhao Ziwen asked doubtfully, “I’ve seen the scripts she wrote; they’re very interesting. As long as she doesn’t have ghostwriters behind her, she should have real talent. Have you met her?”
Deng Jie harbored hatred in her heart but said, “That’s hard to say. I’ve met her. She dresses like a nightclub hostess, with no semblance of a screenwriter.”
“After all, her previous achievements were abroad. I think there must be a lot of exaggeration involved,” another screenwriter chimed in. “Otherwise, why wouldn’t she choose a renowned director like Director Zhao and instead pick a newcomer? If the drama turns out to be a flop, she can easily blame it on the director not filming it well.”
“That’s too scheming. Why did she come back to the country? If she has the ability, she should have stayed abroad,” another screenwriter added disdainfully.
Seeing that everyone was on her side, Deng Jie was very pleased. Then she looked at Zhao Ziwen.
The dinner party today was personally hosted by Zhao Ziwen. Although Zhao Ziwen had only been in the industry for five years, he was very talented and had won the Best Director award for three consecutive years. Collaborating with him would greatly benefit her status as a screenwriter.
“Director Zhao, you’ve been resting for more than half a year. When will you return to the arena? We people are all eagerly awaiting your comeback.”
Zhao Zhen, also a screenwriter, understood Deng Jie’s intention to get in on the action first. Although Zhao Ziwen hadn’t said anything, calling several assistant directors, executive directors, and screenwriters to dinner together definitely meant he had plans.
She smiled and said, “Sister Deng, what you said is incorrect. Director Zhao hasn’t retired, so there’s no need for a comeback.”
Deng Jie was choked by her words and felt a bit awkward. She cursed inwardly but laughed it off, saying, “They say screenwriter Li has a sharp tongue, and seeing it today, it’s true. I’ve witnessed it.”
Li Zhen snorted, “Truth is built on skill and status.” As a popular screenwriter who had won the Best Screenwriter award multiple times, she considered her skill and status to be beyond what a second-rate screenwriter like Deng Jie could match.
Zhao Ziwen smiled and ate his food, while others tried to smooth things over. Finally, after only a few words were exchanged, Zhao Ziwen stood up.
“You all eat slowly. I have something to attend to, so I’ll be leaving now.” He then went directly to pay the bill.
Deng Jie and Li Zhen and others were confused. However, Deng Jie soon started talking about “nine” again. After listening to everyone’s opinions, they had completely turned against “nine,” and some even reposted Deng Jie’s Weibo. The trending topic thus climbed even higher.
…
Zhao Ziwen exited Ronghui Pavilion, and soon a Bentley stopped in front of him. A woman was driving and leaned out to ask, “Did you find out anything?”
Zhao Ziwen’s handsome features lost their friendly demeanor from the dinner, and he got into the car with an impatient expression. “Deng Jie knows nothing. You wasted my time.”