As soon as Du Shiming heard it was Jiang Li on the phone, he immediately tried to cut off the conversation.
He said bluntly, "Sorry, Miss Jiang. It was Baijiao's fault for terminating the contract so hastily this time. But it's an order from our superiors. We're just following the rules."
After saying that, he was about to hang up.
"Mr. Du!" Jiang Li suddenly raised her voice. Her tone was assertive, and her aura was extremely intimidating. "Even if your company is just following the rules, you should at least let me know clearly. Who on earth have I offended?"
The next second, the person on the other end of the phone paused, looking a bit hesitant to speak. "Miss Jiang, don't make things difficult for me."
Jiang Li hesitated for only a second, then immediately said with certainty, "It's Mr. Sheng, isn't it?"
Du Shiming didn't answer right away. He just mumbled evasively, "Even if I tell you, there's nothing you can do. That person has made up his mind."
After hanging up the phone, Jiang Li stared at her phone, lost in thought.
Now she was sure that this contract termination was the doing of Sheng Shuocheng.
She always felt something was off.
Her intuition told her that she must have been misunderstood by Sheng Shuocheng, but she had no clue about the reason for the misunderstanding.
Xiaoye was also worried when she heard about this. She sighed and said, "It's an innocent disaster! We haven't been on any schedules recently. We just went to visit Ms. Cheng. Who could we have offended?"
Her innocent remark made Jingyi, who was also deep in thought, slap her forehead. "Is it possible that Mr. Sheng is a relative of Ms. Cheng?"
As soon as the words were out, everyone fell silent for a while.
Cheng Yingchun's daughter's childhood name was "Azhi", and Sheng Shuocheng happened to have a teahouse named "Nianzhi Teahouse".
Cheng Yingchun's daughter died young, and Sheng Shuocheng's beloved wife also passed away early.
Jiang Li was in a daze for a long time.
Could it be such a coincidence?
Thinking of all this, combined with what Zhang Yi had conveyed, Mr. Sheng's words "Don't be too smart", she instantly understood where the misunderstanding came from.
Sheng Shuocheng was hinting at her not to be opportunistic and try to build a good relationship with Cheng Yingchun in order to get his support.
After Jiang Li figured it out, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry for a moment.
Xiao Yanzhi was really right.
Her so - called backbone and pride were just a way to please others in the eyes of these rich people. It was just a little playfulness, not real at all.
A show - business person who relied on attracting attention and applause was still delusional about getting respect?
"Forget it." Jiang Li took a long breath, as if letting go. "Since things have come to this, let nature take its course."
Jingyi was a bit unwilling. "But you were misunderstood. Are you just going to let it go like this?"
"Not every misunderstanding can be cleared up, and not every mistake will be forgiven."
Sister Chen walked over and stroked Jingyi's head. "Little girl, you're still young. You have a lot to learn about how to conduct yourself in the world."
Yes, for a person of Sheng Shuocheng's status, he believed that the facts were what he thought they were.
If she kept pestering him, it would be Jiang Li who didn't know her place.
"Don't look at the online comments recently. Just focus on preparing for your new movie."
Sister Chen reminded Jiang Li again. "I'm afraid a new wave of negative public opinion will soon surface. Don't let those people's remarks affect your mood."
Jiang Li understood. She looked up and smiled. "Don't worry, Sister Chen."
She wasn't a newbie in the industry. She wouldn't doubt herself because of the overwhelming scolding, nor would she lose her composure because of some negative public opinion.
The greater the slander one could endure, the greater the praise one could receive.
——
A few days later.
Ying Chengqi's official Weibo announced the shooting plan of a new movie, and the names of several lead actors were also announced accordingly.
Jiang Li's name was prominently on the list. The spoiler said that her character in this movie was an embroideress.
As soon as the movie's official announcement was released, as expected, scolding voices arose.
[Director Ying, you've made so many good movies before. You really misjudged this time! How could you choose a disgraced artist as the lead actor? You're really confused!]
[An artist that the brand is willing to pay the liquidated damages to terminate the contract with. Ying Chengqi, how dare you? Are you crazy? I don't think your movie will be approved!]
[I was quite looking forward to it after reading the introduction. I didn't expect the lead actor to be Jiang Li. I'm afraid it will be another bad movie.]
[What a lousy lead actor! All the plots are so boring! It's a bad movie. Whoever watches it will be unlucky!]
...
Besides the scolding, there were also Jiang Li's fans enthusiastically defending her.
[Without knowing the truth, we won't comment. Please be rational.]
[The official hasn't given a positive response to the brand's contract termination. How can you just talk nonsense? I feel so sorry for our Lili. She has suffered so much injustice.]
[How many times has this kind of misunderstanding about our Lili happened since she debuted? Can netizens stop believing rumors so easily? Aren't you afraid of getting slapped in the face later?]
[Our Lili's box - office has never depended on you. If you don't like it, no one is forcing you to buy tickets. Please note!]
"Fortunately, the netizens' comments aren't one - sided." Since Director Ying Chengqi announced the movie shooting plan, Sister Chen had been constantly monitoring the trend of public opinion.
And Jiang Li "turned a deaf ear to the outside world" and immersed herself in the script.
In this movie, her lines weren't many, but it was very challenging for the character's expressions and emotions.
This meant that she needed to repeatedly ponder and deliberate, experience the character's most real emotions, and express them with her eyes and body.
Sometimes she would spend a whole day studying the script. She was almost isolated from the outside world, and nothing could arouse her emotional fluctuations.
Sister Chen was very pleased.
——
A Mercedes - Benz with a single - digit license plate drove on the asphalt road, then passed through a winding path in the woods, and stopped at the entrance of the village where Cheng Yingchun lived.
The atmosphere in the car was very tense.
Zhang Yi glanced at his boss through the rear - view mirror, then got out of the car, opened an umbrella, walked to the rear - door, and respectfully bent down to open the door. "Mr. Sheng, we're here."
Sheng Shuocheng's mind was still on the media information he had just seen.
"Let's go."
Sheng Shuocheng walked towards the village house, and Zhang Yi followed closely behind. The two walked in silence all the way.
...
In the clean and tidy courtyard, Sheng Shuocheng, in a suit, was sitting upright on the bench where Jiang Li had sat before. His face was extremely unhappy.
"Mom, she's not an ordinary girl."
This "she" referred to Jiang Li.
"Maybe." Cheng Yingchun was still embroidering. She replied indifferently and slowly, "Not all ordinary girls are allergic to milk like Azhi."
Mentioning Azhi, there was a stabbing pain in Sheng Shuocheng's eyes. "She may be faking it. You know how many women have tried to..."
"Come on, I know you're popular."