Chapter 09
For a moment, a whirlwind of emotions surged through her.
Suddenly, she heard Shen Yunmiao let out a gentle sigh.
“Hanfeng, I’m truly grateful that you consider me such an important friend. But I really have to ask you not to come. I don’t need your help. Right now, I think the police’s help would be much more useful.”
“And please don’t ever say things like you wouldn’t mind losing your life for me. That only makes me feel frightened. Life is the most precious thing a person has. You aren’t living for me, and my life wouldn’t fall apart without you.”
“We both have our own things to do, Hanfeng. I’m hanging up now. Thank you again, and I wish you all the best.”
The call ended.
Shen Yunmiao leaned over and kissed her little cat again.
Little President Cheng stared blankly into those clear, beautiful eyes, as limpid as dewdrops in early autumn. Her heart pounded like a drum.
Chapter 8
My Wife Kissed Me Again~
The epicenter of the earthquake was still far away. After a series of evaluations and safety inspections confirmed that there was no danger, everyone returned home.
Even so, people remained on edge. After several days of tension, Little President Cheng was mentally exhausted, spending every day staring blankly with her pair of round cat eyes.
Back when she was human, she had far more energy than she did now. She had survived on only five or six hours of sleep a day for years without ever feeling tired, able to start working the moment she opened her eyes.
But now… perhaps because the world thought this vicious supporting female character had been far too energetic before, Cheng Jianian felt like she could sleep twenty hours a day.
She missed her original body more and more.
Just how could she get back?
The pure white cat sat upright in front of the surveillance camera, lost in deep thought.
After the incident with the water cup, Shen Yunmiao had installed this smart pet camera at home. It was a little round ball that could rotate its head 360 degrees and would even follow the cat wherever it went.
She didn’t know whether it was because she had become a cat, but her personality seemed to be becoming more cat-like as well. Looking at that little sphere made Little President Cheng inexplicably itchy inside.
She really wanted to scratch it with her paw.
Realizing what she was thinking, the little cat hurriedly moved away from the camera.
Unexpectedly, the camera seemed to have eyes of its own and immediately followed her every step.
…Damn it. Then this couldn’t possibly be her fault, right?
On the surveillance footage, the spotless little white cat sat upright with dignity, both paws tucked neatly beneath her tail, looking noble and elegant.
The very next moment, a fluffed-up cat paw came flying straight at the lens.
Even through the screen, one could almost hear the camera let out a pitiful cry. Fresh out of the factory not long ago, and now it had already met such a tragic fate.
“Wow, what an adorable kitty! Is it yours, Yunmiao?” Yuan Duan asked in surprise.
Shen Yunmiao, who had been completely absorbed in admiring her cat’s cuteness, was pulled back to reality. She calmly put away her phone and nodded.
“Yes, she’s my cat.”
“She looks even feistier than mine. Hahaha! That little brat at my house loves scratching the security camera too.”
Yuan Duan was the film’s second female lead. She had become famous through Jian Shen’s movies, and although she was still under thirty, she was already an internationally acclaimed Best Actress. She had agreed to play a supporting role this time purely because of her friendship with Jian Shen.
On the set, Shen Yunmiao barely knew anyone. She wasn’t the type to draw attention to herself, so during breaks she would quietly sit alone in a corner.
Only Yuan Duan, who had also once been an ordinary person before entering the entertainment industry and shared a similar background with Shen Yunmiao, would make a point of coming over to chat with her.
The two had become friends, so Shen Yunmiao was much more relaxed around her. Smiling, she said,
“Not at all. My little cat is usually very well-behaved. She only scratched the camera today because she was too bored.”
“Oh my, look at you,” Yuan Duan teased with a grin, her phoenix eyes narrowing into slits. “So protective of your baby, huh?”
“Alright, serious business.” Yuan Duan leaned closer and lowered her voice. “I’ve noticed that our leading actress doesn’t seem very pleased with you lately. Be careful.”
Jian Shen’s film was titled Silent Words, a historical female-led drama rarely seen in today’s market. It followed the turbulent life of the heroine, Yu Buyan.
Originally a princess of Liang, Yu Buyan became separated from her homeland during an autumn hunt and ended up in Song. By a twist of fate, she accompanied the Princess of Song as part of her marriage alliance to Ying, where the two women supported one another through life in the imperial harem. In the end, they succeeded in placing the princess’s son on the throne.
The young king, whom Yu Buyan had personally raised, hesitated to marry her because of their age difference and social conventions.
Heartbroken, Yu Buyan volunteered to marry into the Kingdom of Qu as a spy. Through countless schemes and tests of wit with the King of Qu, she regained both power and love, eventually uncovering the truth about her own origins. In the end, she unified the war-torn world and became the most powerful person of the new dynasty.
Adapted from historical events, Jian Shen had transformed the story into a gripping and deeply moving screenplay. Told from a woman’s perspective, it portrayed the hardships women endured under the feudal system.
Shen Yunmiao played the Princess of Song, a gentle beauty as radiant as the bright moon and as tranquil as a clear spring. After marrying into Ying, she was neglected by the king and spent lonely nights playing the qin by herself.
Later, after suffering endless torment in the harem, she chose to fight for the king’s favor. With Yu Buyan’s assistance, she eventually became a Queen Dowager whose name was recorded in history.
The heroine was played by the rapidly rising young television star, Qiao Jingshu.
Shen Yunmiao had barely exchanged a few words with her, so Yuan Duan’s warning left her completely baffled.
Seeing Shen Yunmiao’s blank expression, Yuan Duan sighed helplessly.
“It’s normal that you don’t know. You see, her girlfriend also auditioned for your role… but she didn’t get it.”
Shen Yunmiao nearly choked on her own saliva.
G-Girlfriend?
But… wasn’t this a female role?
Yuan Duan was a straightforward person. After spending several days together, she had come to regard Shen Yunmiao as a friend, so she spoke frankly.
“You weren’t in the industry before, so it’s understandable. Her little girlfriend just graduated from an acting academy. Qiao Jingshu wanted her to play your role so they could promote themselves as a CP and use the opportunity to launch her straight into show business.”
“I watched her audition. Her acting wasn’t bad at all, but she looked too cute. You fit the character much better, so she was eliminated.”
Shen Yunmiao genuinely hadn’t expected that simply being pulled off the street to audition could end up blocking someone else’s path.
Awkwardly, she asked, “Sister Yuan… do many people know about this?”
“There are no secrets in the entertainment industry.” Yuan Duan waved her hand dismissively. “You’re the only one who was completely in the dark.”
Shen Yunmiao quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as she hadn’t suddenly stumbled upon some deadly industry secret.
She still wanted to live a few more years.
Seeing that she didn’t seem concerned, Yuan Duan grew anxious.
“Don’t brush this off! Let me tell you, Qiao Jingshu’s backing isn’t as simple as you think.”
Shen Yunmiao hugged her knees and blinked at her. Her almond-shaped eyes were just as crystal clear as the little cat’s eyes from the surveillance footage.
Yuan Duan: “…”
She sighed.
“Sigh… I guess I’m worrying for nothing. Fine, let me explain and you’ll understand. You’ve heard of Mercury Entertainment, right?”
Mercury Entertainment…
The company occupied nearly half of the entertainment industry and was currently the most influential entertainment company in the country. Even people who rarely followed entertainment news had heard of it.
Of course Shen Yunmiao knew about Mercury Entertainment.
But not because of its countless celebrities or famous productions.
It was because…
Mercury Entertainment was backed by the Cheng family.
The Cheng family was an old and prestigious clan that had successfully seized the opportunity to transform itself, combining deep traditional roots with cutting-edge technology.
The previous family head had long since retired from the spotlight.
As for the current head…
It was the name she had hidden deep in her heart for so many years.
Seeing the subtle change in Shen Yunmiao’s expression, Yuan Duan relaxed a little before continuing,
“Everyone knows who the president of Mercury Entertainment is. Qiao Jingshu is pretty favored by President Cheng. Just… be careful. It’s always better to stay on guard.”
Although she hadn’t expected much of a reaction from this seemingly slow-to-catch-on young woman, she certainly hadn’t expected Shen Yunmiao to firmly shake her head.
“She wouldn’t.”
“Hm?”
Shen Yunmiao took a deep breath. It seemed like she simply had to say it.
“I think… President Cheng is a very good person. She wouldn’t let one of her artists bully or harm someone.”
President Cheng…
Yuan Duan had once worked with that famous president.
Her temper…
Well, Yuan Duan couldn’t agree with Shen Yunmiao at all. But it wasn’t appropriate to bluntly say that she didn’t think Little President Cheng was exactly a good person.
So she swallowed her thoughts and said tactfully,
“Uh… it’s hard to say. People at that level don’t always know the whole truth, right? Besides, I heard President Cheng has been sick lately and hasn’t shown up for quite some time. Maybe Qiao Jingshu is just borrowing her authority to throw her weight around.”
Sick?
Shen Yunmiao slowly clenched the sleeve of her costume.
Then she suddenly realized something and hurriedly loosened her grip.
She couldn’t possibly afford to pay for damaged costumes…
After thanking Yuan Duan, she quietly kept the matter in mind.
Only after becoming a cat did Little President Cheng realize how important money really was.
If Shen Yunmiao had a little more money, she wouldn’t have to spend her holiday filming instead of staying home to keep her company.
She remembered very clearly that today was Labor Day. School should have been on break long ago. Shen Yunmiao had left so early this morning just to film, and now she still wasn’t home this late.
She really didn’t love staying home at all.
Even the toys beneath her paws had become boring.
She pushed the fuzzy ball aside and once again turned her claws toward the surveillance camera.
Although she had never personally used one before, she knew exactly how it worked.
Shen Yunmiao could see her through it.
If she’d seen her already, why wasn’t she coming home?
Little President Cheng scratched at it without hesitation.
The camera dodged again.
As expected of a pet cameraāit was incredibly agile.
Her competitive spirit flared up.
She poured all the frustration of spending an entire boring day alone at home onto the poor little camera, chasing it all over the room.
As if it had a mind of its own, the little sphere fled straight toward the front door.
The fluffy long-haired white cat’s hunting instincts were fully awakened.
She lunged.
At that exact moment, the front door opened.
All she saw was a patch of flowing white fabric.
The instant Shen Yunmiao opened the door, a little ball of cat came flying straight into her arms.
Laughing, she caught the cat and hugged her close.
“Why are you so enthusiastic today, sweetie? Did you miss me?”
“…Meow.”
Miss you, my paw.
I was chasing that useless thing you left at home.
