Rebirth from the Ashes

Chapter 631: Your Boyfriend’s at the Hotel Entrance

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Dad did not look well lately too. He was barely at home. He used to keep watch over Mom when she was ill. Yet, he was behaving rather indifferent this time around, or should Su Mushi say, cold-blooded.

“I’m not sure myself.” Su Ruowan was not worried that Li Jingran was sick. Li Jingran could die for all she cared. She was concerned about the reason behind the TV show being canceled from the weekly release. Still, she had to keep up the appearance. She inquired with worry, “How is Mom doing?”

“She’s okay.” Su Mushi’s voice reflected fatigue, but he still offered her comfort. “Don’t worry. Muxuan, Muyan, and I will take good care of Mom.”

Although he said so, the look on his face was nothing less than eerie and shrewd. Su Muyan got in trouble yesterday. Feeling peevish, he went out for a good time and messed around with women in the club. The paparazzi snapped photos of that and was now blackmailing him for money.

Su Mushi had been waiting for Su Muyan to slip up and here it was. Su Muyan was presently gathering the cash while keeping Dad in the dark. Dad was already swamped with the family business, so he would beat Su Muyan to death if he were to find out.

Since Su Mushi sold him out in the betting incident, Su Muyan was going to return the favor.

“Sure.” Su Ruowan answered and became hesitant. “Muyan, I… Take care of Mom. Get some rest and don’t strain yourself.”

Su Mushi was baffled by Su Ruowan’s behavior. Ever since he saw Su Ruowan’s real face on National Idol, he no longer thought of her as someone special. In fact, he was disgusted that she had been wearing a painted face even with family. Nevertheless, Su Ruowan was still the sister he adored and saw growing up. He showed concern. “What’s wrong, Wanwan?”

He could not resist comparing Shen Xi and Su Ruowan lately. Su Mushi found Su Ruowan unpresentable the more he drew a comparison.

Shen Xi might be evil at heart, but she was beautiful, talented, and a money-making machine. She even had the heirs of the higher society wrapped around her fingers. If she were to marry a young master of the rich and powerful in the capital, like Situ Zhangyou, the Su family could ride on her coattails.

Su Mushi finally understood why Dad threw away his pride to look for Shen Xi time and again. The Su family’s problems would go away if Shen Xi came home.

They could get Shen Xi to partner with Situ Zhangyou or ask for money from her good buddies in the International Class. If all those failed, they could make her sell Jin Yun. Her company was worth a lot of money.

“Mushi, Mr. Hu said that my latest TV series, Lady Luck did not pass the audit. The weekly release is canceled. I wanted to ask Mom if she knows what’s going on.” Su Ruowan asked. Her heart was pounding as if something bad was about to happen.

She had a clear feeling that things were getting out of hand and possibly taking a turn for the worse. She was thrown into a fluster.

“I’ll ask once Mom’s awake.” Su Mushi’s heart was bleeding to hear her talk about the new TV series. With a gloomy cloud hanging over him, Su Mushi tightened his grip over the phone.

The most regrettable thing he did in his life was turning down the leading role for The Smiling Nation. Regret sent shivers to his core at any mention related to Cloud Seven.

After hanging up, he furrowed his brows and looked at Li Jingran with detachment and hatred. He then got up and walked out. It was all their fault. Had they not stopped him, he would become the big shot in showbiz. Su Mushi would not have to sink so low and act in those trashy TV shows.

There was a commotion outside.

It was a blend of Su Muyan’s pleading voice and Su Yi’s angry scolding.

Standing by the banister, Su Mushi looked down and met Su Muyan’s eyes. Oh, Su Muyan looked so mad he could kill Su Mushi!

Su Muyan was about to lose his mind as animosity kicked in. Mushi must have told Dad while he was trying to cough up the money. After all, Mushi had a grudge since the betting incident.

The relationship between the brothers may seem okay on the surface, but the truth was, it had long fallen apart.

Su Mushi stood on the first floor and watched while turning a blind eye to Su Muyan’s sweeping glance. Su Muyan finally got what he deserved. The family was able to scrape the money together to pay off the betting platform.

Now that the company was in deep sh*t, Dad certainly had no money to fix Su Muyan’s mistake.

Su Muxuan soon arrived dressed in the nines like an elitist. Catching a glimpse of Su Yi beating the cowering Su Muyan to the ground, he went over to stop them. “Dad, what are you doing? Don’t hit him. You’re going to beat Muyan to death.”

Su Yi was already burned out from business and Yuan Heng. On the brink of losing his sh*t, he struck Su Muxuan with a rod and yelled, “Get lost!”

Losing his footing from the staggering blow, Su Muxuan could feel the burning pain on his back. Still, he rushed over. “Dad, we can talk about this. I have begun the process. Fifty million. The paparazzo’s demanding a lot. I’ll have his head on a platter.”

Su Muxuan would not have murder in mind if the paparazzo was not greedy to blackmail so much from their family. To demand fifty million, the paparazzo was asking for it.

Su Yi halted his beating as his vision turned blurry. With Yuan Heng’s face emerging before his eyes, Su Yi trembled in fear and withdrew to get ahold of himself. He then faced Su Muxuan with a menacing look. “Can you handle it well?”

Giving a nod, Su Muxuan replied wickedly. “I found a close contact and offered five hundred thousand in exchange for his life.”

Fifty million yuan could afford a hundred lives!

Su Muyan gratefully looked at Su Muxuan before struggling to get up. The godd*mn paparazzi were always up to no good and as sickening as the rats in the sewer. Exterminating these paparazzi was not enough to ease his anger.

Clenching his teeth, Su Yi pointed at them. “I’ll beat you losers dead if you can’t take care of this matter.”

He then scurried into the study and shut the door.

With the show over, Su Mushi returned to his bedroom while debating whether he should leak out that Su Muyan and Su Muxuan were hiring murderers. That way, no one could fight with him over the Su family’s assets.

Su Muyan stared at Su Mushi’s bedroom dead in the eyes as resentment overtook his every being. It must be Mushi’s doing, and he shall pay for it.

Looking at Su Muyan, Su Muxuan earnestly spoke, “Muyan, Dad’s upset over the business. Tread carefully when you’re out. Don’t let anyone catch you.”

Su Muyan nodded. A murderous intent flashed in his downcast eyes. “Got it, Muxuan.”

Su Muxuan picked up his briefcase and went to his bedroom. He waited until the door was shut before letting out a scoff.

Dad was in the midst of talking business with the Li family. If the deal was closed, the Su family would take off in society. Since Dad was disappointed with Mushi and Muyan, the family business was bound to be handed to Su Muxuan.

Nevertheless, it would be perfect if the two fought to the death. With them done and dusted, there would be no one fighting over the family inheritance.

…

Time passed quickly and it was soon December. The temperature was dropping fast.

On set, Su Ruowan carried on with hard work and perseverance, gaining everyone’s approval and even pity. With no one going as hard as her at filming, the production crew trusted that it made perfect sense why Screenwriter Cloud Seven picked her to play second fiddle.

Su Ruowan might not be a natural at acting, but boy, did she put in the effort.

Undeterred and without a peep, Su Ruowan gave her all into the shoot, be it reshooting ten times, twenty times, or thirty times. Through sickness and fever, she persisted in filming.

One fine day, she was burning up to 40 degrees Celsius, yet she tried to plow on. In the end, she fainted on set and was sent to the hospital.

Entering her ward with a basket of fruits, Hu Zheng said with a smile, “Wanwan, Screenwriter Cloud Seven sent me to give you this. He told me to tell you to get a good rest. Don’t force yourself if you can’t handle the shoot tomorrow.”

Su Ruowan smiled weakly. “I’m fine, Mr. Hu. I can do it.”

Hu Zheng bobbed his head and responded delightfully, “That’s great. Have a nice rest. I should get going.”

Su Ruowan watched as Hu Zheng left and closed the door behind him before her face grimaced like an evil spirit. She picked up the fruit basket and smashed it to the ground while letting out an eerie laugh.

Screenwriter Cloud Seven.

Great!

He sure took extra care of her!

Yesterday, Su Ruowan acted out the scene of getting wet in the rain twenty-three times. She counted and remembered every single retake.

It was minus three degrees Celsius yesterday. The director conveyed Screenwriter Cloud Seven’s message that Su Ruowan could choose not to shoot the scene if she was not up for the challenge.

How could she not? The scene was very important and a pure torture that it could pull on the viewer’s heartstrings. A harrowing scene was what drew fans in.

With the scene set in the summer, Su Ruowan had a dress on when cold rain was sprayed all over her. Just then, she decided that a payback after fame would mean going easy on Cloud Seven. She wanted to kill Cloud Seven instead.

That was right.

Kill him.

Cloud Seven was a top screenwriter and a genius. If he were to die after filming the TV series, it would make Lady Luck his last work. Surely, the show would be a big hit. Su Ruowan had even come up with the headlines. “The nation mourned as God takes away the life of the young and gifted Screenwriter Cloud Seven.”

With Cloud Seven dead, the world was deprived of a talented screenwriter. Su Ruowan needed not to worry anyone outdoing her after she found success. After all, no other screenwriters could make TV series quite like the genius Cloud Seven.

Now, Su Ruowan must put in the extra mile since this would be her first and only big break. The fans and people would remember her in the hall of fame as her name would go down in the history of TV series.

This was also Screenwriter Cloud Seven’s last TV show. To thank him for making her a star and for his sacrifice, Su Ruowan was not going to disappoint him.

…

Back in the production team’s hotel.

Shen Xi did not have an ounce of energy in her. Her Aunt Flo came to visit, and she was drained from a cold. Afraid that Li Yuan would find out, she sent him a text message to tell him she needed absolute peace to work on the script.

The drizzle, coupled with the loud breeze, was foretelling of the chilling temperature. The weather in December was horrible.

Shen Xi was not lying about writing the script. With toilet paper stuffed in her nose, she sat on the sofa and wrote the fifth episode on the laptop on her lap.

She was telling the truth about the script being written on the spot. She drafted the episode as it was shot. Nevertheless, it was her doing that the TV series did not pass the auditing. The theme of the series was never an issue as she did not incorporate porn, politics, and mafia in her show.

Amid the silence, the clock was ticking away.

Following a knock on the door, Hu Zheng’s voice was heard on the other side. The director had the pleasure of meeting Screenwriter Cloud Seven a few days ago. It never occurred to him that the screenwriter was a young and beautiful girl. With looks like hers, she could conquer showbiz if she wanted to.

Shen Xi listlessly opened the door. “Can I help you, Mr. Hu?”

Did she not tell him to contact her on the phone instead of coming straight to her? It would be bad if anyone, especially Su Ruowan, saw them. It was not time to blow her cover.

Hu Zheng glanced at her with guilt. Screenwriter Cloud Seven told him against looking for her, but he could not get her through the phone despite calling her multiple times. Since it was an emergency, he had to take the risk. He cautiously inquired, “Screenwriter Cloud Seven, your boyfriend’s at the hotel entrance. Did you guys fight?”

While Hu Zheng was returning from the set, he caught sight of her boyfriend in front of the hotel, looking up under an umbrella. However, the boyfriend showed no indication of heading inside.

Hu Zheng thought her boyfriend was waiting for her. He went down to buy a pack of cigarettes when he noticed the boyfriend was still there. It was nearly two hours since Hu Zheng first saw him.

He happened to spot a photo of her and her boyfriend on Cloud Seven’s mobile screensaver. Her boyfriend had charming looks that were hard to forget.

As a director, Hu Zheng had a high standard when it came to the actors’ looks. He paid extra attention every time a beautiful face passed his way.

Out of a director’s desperation for talent, Hu Zheng probed. It was made clear that the man in the photo was her boyfriend and had no intentions of going into showbiz.

Following his words, the girl remained dumbstruck before disappearing out of sight along with the wind. She still had pajamas on, and the door was left wide open..