Chapter 57
Chapter 57: Offended, Scheming Brother Yan
Jiang Xu Lin didn’t follow entertainment news, but he understood exactly what Quan Zhao Ning represented.
At banquets, celebrities were the ones offering her toasts.
She controlled resources in film, fashion, and endorsements. Even major entertainment companies had to negotiate with her.
“All right,” Jiang Xu Lin said quickly. “Boss and I will wait for you, Aunt.”
He ended the call and waved his phone. “My aunt will be here soon.”
Ye Wan Lan’s brows lifted. “Good. We’ll wait by the costume coordinator’s area. I’ll check your hands again once President Quan arrives.”
Jiang Xu Lin wanted to refuse, but the 100-million insurance made him sit down obediently.
Still, doubt gnawed at him.
Su Embroidery—revived in Shen Zhou, restored, brought overseas, crowned across the world?
That was something his parents, and generations before them, had failed to achieve.
He was still young.
But Ye Wan Lan had healed his hands. If she could do that, maybe she could do the impossible, too.
What kind of eighteen-year-old young lady carried this kind of terrifying resolve?
What secret was she hiding?
Outside, the Thousand Autumn Years crew moved like a storm—people rushing, shouting, hauling racks, barely touching the ground.
About an hour later, Quan Zhao Ning arrived.
She brought only two bodyguards. No special assistant, no entourage.
“President Quan?!” The producer went pale and hurried forward. “President Quan, you’re here—why didn’t you tell us in advance?”
The biggest investor in Thousand Autumn Years was Zhao Yan Group. Quan Zhao Ning was the top director. Even employees at headquarters might not see her once a year. What was she doing on a set?
“It was sudden,” Quan Zhao Ning said lightly, removing her sunglasses and then slipping them back on. “Where’s the costume coordinator?”
“This way, please.”
The producer walked beside her, voice low and anxious. “President Quan, filming officially starts tomorrow. Everyone is extremely busy today, so we may not have time to host you properly. Please don’t take offense.”
“No need.” Quan Zhao Ning’s tone was cool. “I’m just looking around. You don’t have to guide me. Go handle your work.”
The producer immediately understood. “Yes, President Quan.”
Quan Zhao Ning signaled her bodyguards to fall back and keep their distance.
She never appeared publicly. Without someone introducing her, most of the crew didn’t even know who she was.
She stopped suddenly, turning toward a tree-lined walkway.
Under a pavilion not far away, Ye Jia Ling stood in a wide-brimmed sunhat, blocking Nie Shuang Yi’s path.
Her face was openly arrogant—nothing like the gentle persona she wore on television.
“Nie Shuang Yi,” Ye Jia Ling said, looking down at her, “don’t think that just because the company tossed you into the Thousand Autumn Years crew, you can turn into a phoenix overnight.”
She smiled coldly. “Behave. Don’t cause trouble. Otherwise, you’ll never film again. You won’t even get to be an extra.”
Nie Shuang Yi folded her arms and stared her down. “Do you know I bought a new recorder yesterday?”
Ye Jia Ling’s expression changed. “What are you trying to do? You think anyone will believe you? Hand it over!”
Nie Shuang Yi’s eyes turned icy. “Relax. I’m kidding. Look at you—terrified.”
She leaned in a fraction. “If you’re scared, then act scared. Stop showing your face in front of me, or I’ll slap you.”
“You—!”
Ye Jia Ling’s anger spiked, but then she seemed to remember something. Her mouth curved into a smile. “Nie Shuang Yi, you’d better cherish your life while you still can.”
They separated, each walking away in opposite directions.
Only then did Quan Zhao Ning turn back and head for the costume department.
“Aunt, you’re—ah!”
The moment Jiang Xu Lin opened the door, a sharp smack landed on his head.
He clutched his skull, stunned. “What was that for?!”
“This brat hasn’t caused you trouble, has he?” Quan Zhao Ning asked Ye Wan Lan, handing her a gift bag.
“Aunt, what are you talking about?” Jiang Xu Lin hissed. “I’m the gentlest one in our family.”
Cheng Qing Li stared. “…The gentlest?”
What did the worst look like?
“No,” Ye Wan Lan said with a small nod. “He’s been very well-behaved.”
Quan Zhao Ning sat down, relaxed. “Don’t be so formal. It’s fine. I just arrived and already got a front-row seat to some gossip.”
Cheng Qing Li leaned forward. “What gossip?”
Quan Zhao Ning summarized it in a few lines. “Celebrities these days are interesting.”
Cheng Qing Li immediately identified them. “Female lead Ye Jia Ling and the fifth female role, Nie Shuang Yi.”
“Nie Shuang Yi…” Quan Zhao Ning frowned. “I’ve never heard of her. Her profile says she has a lot of anti-fans. With a face like that, she shouldn’t.”
“With that temper, and no one backing her,” Jiang Xu Lin said, shrugging, “how does she survive? It’s obvious. The company wanted her to ‘accompany’ people for resources. She refused, so they shelved her and crushed her.”
Quan Zhao Ning’s expression turned cold. “A company like that is unacceptable.”
She hated using capital to force people. But she didn’t mind returning poison with poison.
Ye Wan Lan’s smile was calm. “President Quan, would you be interested in signing her to Zhao Yan Group’s entertainment subsidiary?”
“Sure.” Quan Zhao Ning didn’t even hesitate. “I was planning to put you in charge of that subsidiary anyway. Consider it a gift. Don’t feel burdened.”
Ye Wan Lan arched a brow. “President Quan, you’re not worried I’ll carve up your group?”
“You cured Little Lin,” Quan Zhao Ning said with a sigh. “As his family, I owe you. A subsidiary is nothing.”
Her gaze sharpened. “My health is secondary. What I won’t tolerate is someone stealing my power through dirty means.”
Ever since Ye Wan Lan warned her that someone close to her had poisoned her, she’d been on full guard.
But to avoid alarming the enemy, she acted the same as always on the surface.
“You taking over will put my mind at ease.” Quan Zhao Ning paused, her voice lowering. “And if you can find the person who killed my sister and brother-in-law…”
She exhaled slowly. “Then even if I give you Zhao Yan Group, so what?”
Cheng Qing Li’s pen slipped from her fingers and clattered to the floor.
If those words got out, the entire industry would think Quan Zhao Ning had gone mad—and it would infuriate every vulture circling her fortune.
“I’ll investigate,” Ye Wan Lan said, gentle but firm. “Not for power.”
Quan Zhao Ning stared. “Then for what?”
“For Shen Zhou,” Ye Wan Lan said softly.
Anyone who blocked Shen Zhou’s revival and rise to the top of the world was her enemy.
Quan Zhao Ning went still, then let out a long breath. “My vision was small.”
She nodded once. “Fine. If you need me, I’ll be there immediately.”
A notification chimed. Ye Wan Lan glanced down—an incoming voice message.
[Patient No. 1]: Drunk Among Flowers Teahouse has prepared some food. When will Miss Ye come check on this patient?
The words were refined, and the voice was clear and pleasing.
But Ye Wan Lan’s mind filled with the image of Little Gold Mountain: white hair, cold eyes, a presence like winter steel.
She typed a reply.
[Okay. I’m almost done. I’ll come over soon.]
“I’m going to eat dinner,” Ye Wan Lan said, waving lightly as she stood. “At the end of the month, Finance will transfer your overtime pay with your salaries.”
Cheng Qing Li immediately started counting on her fingers, calculating how much she’d earn.
Jiang Xu Lin didn’t care about money. He’d never lacked it.
He cared about one thing. “Is she going on a date? If it’s dinner, why isn’t she bringing us?”
Cheng Qing Li whipped around, furious. “You hopeless romance addict!”
Jiang Xu Lin stared. “…I just asked!”
—
After leaving the set, Ye Wan Lan took the subway.
At 5:30 p.m., she arrived at Drunk Among Flowers Teahouse.
A small bridge arched over running water. Pipa music drifted through the air, light and bright, like pearls striking jade.
In the private room, delicate pastries were served on small plates.
“Come, come—Classmate Ye, eat.” Rong Yu pushed the dishes toward her. “They say the chef here comes from imperial cooks. These are the kinds of treats only royal relatives could eat in ancient times. We have to try them.”
Ye Wan Lan picked up a lotus pastry.
It melted in her mouth, sweet without being cloying.
Not quite as perfect as what she’d tasted in her last life, but close enough to make something inside her ache.
That was why Shen Zhou hadn’t truly broken—because a few people had always kept passing things down, flame to flame, generation to generation.
Yan Ting Feng didn’t touch the pastries. He only sipped tea, unhurried.
After Ye Wan Lan finished, she turned to him. “Did you take the medicine I gave you?”
“I did.”
Yan Ting Feng held out his hand, smiling gently. “Want to check?”
His fingers were long and clean, the skin pale with a sickly translucence.
Ye Wan Lan placed her hand over his palm.
Still cold—but compared to last time, the chill had eased, no longer biting to the bone.
“Keep taking it,” Ye Wan Lan said. “But this is only the first stage.”
Yan Ting Feng blinked once, docile as a lamb. “All right. I’ll be very obedient.”
Rong Yu was numb by now.
If he didn’t know what his brother was like on the inside, he might have been fooled too.
Rong Yu snorted.
Sure. Keep acting.
—
The next day, Thousand Autumn Years officially began filming.
After paying respects to the mountain god, the director gathered the crew to start work. Actors changed into costume and moved into position.
The producer stayed near Quan Zhao Ning, unable to guess why she was still on set. Anxiety crawled up his spine.
“Why isn’t the female lead wearing the outfit we provided?” Quan Zhao Ning asked suddenly. “Didn’t we agree on this? Is it dissatisfaction—or contempt? Give me a clear answer.”
The producer went rigid. “This… isn’t your outfit?”
Quan Zhao Ning didn’t answer. She only took a sip of tea and checked her watch, calm as ever.
That calm was worse than a tantrum.
Quan Zhao Ning wasn’t just powerful—she was the kind of person who could kill resources with a sentence. Even Ye Jia Ling, as popular as she was, had no real leverage in front of her.
The producer hurried to grab an assistant and barked orders. “Go—get Ye Jia Ling’s team here now! President Quan has questions!”