Yu Shuman's filming wrapped up quite quickly. They started during summer vacation and finished by the Mid-Autumn Festival, so it didn't affect their plans to return home for the holiday. During National Day, she and Qin Ran also took a solid break and went out to have fun for a few days. On their flight back, while scrolling through her phone, Yu Shuman suddenly saw that Ling Miaohan had announced her engagement, but the person wasn't Pei Qi.
This was Ling Miaohan's second engagement announcement. Unlike the grand fanfare earlier this year on New Year's Day, this time, she quietly posted the news in her circle of friends, but someone sent it to a marketing account, causing it to stir up a storm.
However, this time it was a real engagement, not just empty talk. The photos in the post showed her in an evening gown, arm in arm with a man, her smile looking somewhat faint. Just by her expression, Yu Shuman could tell that Ling Miaohan definitely didn't like the guy.
She instinctively asked, "Why didn't Ling Miaohan marry the president of the Pei Group?" Yu Shuman had wanted to say his name directly, but since she wasn't very familiar with these people, after thinking for a while, she couldn't recall the president's name and ended up saying that long sentence instead.
Qin Ran leaned over to look at the picture. She did know who the man Ling Miaohan was holding onto was—the same guy who used to bully and tease her in middle school before being beaten up by Ling Miaohan's second brother and hospitalized. That guy had really liked Ling Miaohan back then. Who would've thought, after all these years, he still liked her and was willing to marry her even with the current state of the Ling family.
This was purely a marriage of convenience. For Ling Miaohan, it didn't matter who she married. When Pei Qi began arranging blind dates to try and extend the fate of the Pei Group, it symbolized the end of any so-called true love between them.
Since Pei Qi could go on blind dates, Ling Miaohan could also have her own backup plan, her own fallback. Now that true love was shattered, it didn't matter whom she married. She might as well marry someone who liked her. Maybe that was her mindset.
In response to Yu Shuman's question, Qin Ran nonchalantly replied, "Their feelings broke apart, I guess."
Yu Shuman sighed, "I thought they were pretty in love. Didn't expect it to end so suddenly." Yu Shuman's sentiment was likely shared by many. After all, since Ling Miaohan debuted, the two had been inseparable, and the Pei Group had even publicly announced their relationship. Now that they've split, it truly makes one sigh.
But only those within the circle knew—there was never that much true love involved. It was all about mutual interests.
However, even if Ling Miaohan married this man, it wouldn't change much. After all, even the family of the man she was marrying was eyeing the Ling Group's share of the pie, eager to claim a piece. Their willingness to let their disappointing son marry Ling Miaohan was simply to justify their actions.
After returning home, Yu Shuman didn't remain idle either. She stayed busy with filming. With her role as the Empress Dowager in a political drama, her career path expanded further, and directors saw even more potential in her. To directors and producers in the industry, Yu Shuman was like a golden ticket—any production she was part of would never need to worry about finances. This alone was enough to make production teams flock to her. Not to mention, Yu Shuman wasn't just beautiful but also very talented, making her an investment that always paid off.
Invitations from film crews poured in like snowflakes, leaving Yu Shuman overwhelmed with choices. Luckily, she had Sister Li, her reliable agent, who helped filter out the untrustworthy productions. The remaining options were hers to choose from, as long as her schedule allowed it.
Qin Ran, on the other hand, had to focus on her graduation thesis. In her senior year, internships and thesis work were the most important. Qin Ran didn't need an internship—she only needed to take her documents to the HR department to get them stamped. The thesis, however, was something she had to write seriously.
At that moment, Qin Ran was especially tempted to slack off. She called out to her assistant, "Can you write my thesis for me?"
"Boss," Assistant Wu adjusted her glasses, "That would be academic fraud. If you insist on doing this, I wouldn't be able to refuse for the sake of my job. But to be safe, I'll have to report it to Miss Yu Shuman."
Qin Ran fell silent upon hearing that. She stared at Assistant Wu, who met her gaze with unshakable determination, as if backed by some moral righteousness.
With no choice, Qin Ran could only grit her teeth and say, "You win."
These days, the company staff no longer feared her. While they still diligently completed tasks and vied for bonuses, they had also learned to ignore Qin Ran's sarcasm and jabs. If she became too much to handle, they would simply bring up Yu Shuman.
Qin Ran found this approach shameless, but it was effective.
Everyone in 99 Entertainment and Qin Ran's other companies had realized that currying favor with the boss wasn't useful. Only Yu Shuman was the true guiding light in their darkest times.
During Qin Ran's winter break of her senior year, the integrated shopping district she co-developed with Miss Zhao and the real estate tycoon finally opened. Qin Ran boldly claimed a large section of it to create a Rabbit Amusement Park. But it wasn't just a claw machine arcade—it was a massive theme park, offering a variety of fun activities like escape rooms, archery ranges, street dance rooms, VR experience zones, and rock climbing.
Not only was it incredibly cost-effective, but the best part was that the admission ticket covered everything, with no hidden costs. Children under 12 even got half-price tickets.
The Rabbit Amusement Park occupied a huge area, and the rent was always prepaid without delay. Miss Zhao had readily agreed to it, though she didn't cut Qin Ran any slack, offering not a single discount.
Qin Ran didn't mind. After all, she had a wife now. After the New Year, she took Yu Shuman to play in the new Rabbit Amusement Park, and that alone made her feel the venture was worth it. Seeing the genuine smiles of other visitors and hearing them say they would come back often reassured her that it was a worthwhile investment.
Even after the New Year, Qin Ran remained incredibly busy, but no matter how hectic her schedule got, she always found time to go home and cook for Yu Shuman. Her cooking skills had improved considerably. From the days when her fish slices were unevenly thick and tasted strange, she could now make dishes like squirrel fish. Though still a bit clumsy, she was making progress.
The film Yu Shuman had been working on was also nearly complete, scheduled for release over the May Day holiday.
Before Qin Ran's graduation, Yu Shuman had already begun nationwide tours with the film crew to promote the movie. As the film's release date approached, Yu Shuman also had to attend pre-release screenings and go on promotional tours in several major cities.
Even after Qin Ran had finished her thesis, Yu Shuman was still busy promoting the film.
Whenever Yu Shuman had downtime, she would check online reviews. The film was well-received, but it wasn't particularly a box-office hit. The niche theme, despite being well-crafted, made it likely to flop. Fortunately, the film's major investors didn't care much about turning a profit.
During this time, Yu Shuman became rather downcast. Even when she came home to rest, she would curl up on the sofa with a cushion, looking dejected. Seeing her like this, Qin Ran set aside her own work to comfort her. Even someone as positive as Yu Shuman couldn't help but sigh over the underwhelming box-office results.
"This is your first movie as the lead. Manman, you've already done great! And it's still early—there's plenty of time before it's out of theaters. Who knows, it might just go viral!" Qin Ran reassured her, hugging her tightly.
Snuggling into Qin Ran's embrace, Yu Shuman sighed again, "It would be great if it turns out like you said." After a moment, she perked up, cupped Qin Ran's face, and kissed her. "It'll definitely work out! After all, you're my lucky star!"
With that declaration, Qin Ran had no choice but to employ some "financial tricks." She booked multiple showings, invited her company employees to watch the movie, and even launched a campaign at the department store where she offered high-stakes raffle prizes to anyone who shared a picture of their movie ticket. The prizes were incredibly diverse, and the odds of winning were high. It wasn't until Yu Shuman stepped in to stop her that Qin Ran finally stopped the raffle.
Qin Ran's efforts did bring some people to the theater, but it barely made a dent in the overall box office. She could have gone so far as to buy up all the seats to make it look like the movie was selling out, but Yu Shuman didn't want that, leaving Qin Ran frustrated.
But then, something unexpected happened. Perhaps Qin Ran truly was Yu Shuman's lucky star—thanks to the raffle she had initiated at the department store, many casual moviegoers entered the theater, and some of them became enthusiastic fans of the film.
#WatchGongSuoran# quietly started trending, and soon the film's name surged in popularity.
One earnest review from a netizen encouraged even more people to check out the film.
[Honestly, it's been a long time since I've seen such a powerful portrayal of women. This is exactly what I want from a strong female lead story. Gong Suoran's battlefield wasn't in the imperial court or the inner palace—it was in the art she created with her brush. The whole production team clearly put a lot of heart into the costumes, sets, and scenery. The clothing from the Jin Dynasty had an exotic feel to it, but it was historically accurate.
Then there's Yu Shuman's portrayal of the Taoist priestess Gong Suoran. I'll be honest, when I first saw that she was cast as a Taoist, I thought it would feel off since her style is usually more bold and glamorous. But not only did it work, she was amazing! She's definitely one of the best actresses of her generation!
And the film didn't just focus on the lead character, Gong Suoran. It showcased several other women of that era. Rather than calling it a story about a single strong female lead, it was more of a collective portrait of women. There was even a mention of Wang Zhaojun, and her determination made me cry.
All in all, this movie was fantastic. Go see it—you won't regret it. It's a true strong female lead movie.
The most surprising thing? The production didn't even market itself as a strong female lead movie. Other productions that claim to be 'female-led' could learn a thing or two from this one.]