Late into the night, Song wrapped up work, thanked the crew, and got into his car to head back to Shanghai.
The moment he sat down, he called Zoe.
Having been unconscious all day, Zoe wasn't sleepy at all and was reading a book. Surprised by the call, she answered.
"Why are you calling so late?" she asked.
"Lan said you're awake. I just finished work, so I'm checking in on you," Song replied. "See? I told you—speak kindly and build karma. Being a sharp-tongued menace, karma came for you, huh?"
"I'm a bona fide patient now! How can you talk to an injured person like this? Can't you say something nice?" Zoe retorted.
Song chuckled. "You want sweet words from me? In your dreams."
"Ha."
"So why are you still awake? I thought I'd try calling, didn't expect you to actually pick up."
"Couldn't sleep. What, are you trying to say I'm lying awake thinking about you?" Zoe fired back.
"Bingo! You finally admit it," Song teased, his gaze on the passing city lights, the glow reflecting in his eyes.
"Song, where does your confidence come from? It's honestly shocking."
"Admit it—you secretly adore me."
"You're seriously disgusting. Can you get to the point?"
Song smirked. "Fine. There's a variety show that wants to feature the two of us. Interested?"
"Huh? What variety show? Lan hasn't mentioned anything."
"She's on her way to discuss it with the producer right now," Song explained. "The show approached me first. Initially, I was going to decline, but they're pretty sincere. Plus, it's a documentary format, so it won't interfere with our schedules. They'll just capture snippets of our daily lives."
"Daily lives? What's the point of that? Who would even watch?" Zoe sounded unconvinced.
"Guess the name of the show," Song said, smirking.
"Something like The Goddess and Her Loyal Dog?"
"Ugh."
"That's called karma."
"Reverse karma. Try harder."
"Are you five?!"
"Childish? Who's the one claiming to be a goddess in her twenties?"
"Exactly—twenty-something is peak goddess age!"
"You're hopeless," Song muttered. "Anyway, the show's called After the Rumor. It's genius, really. The concept lets them ride our buzz, and we can use it to clear up the rumors."
"Clear up rumors? On a show called After the Rumor? You think that's going to work?"
"Look, it's easy money and keeps your name out there. You're trending right now, even first-tier stars are jealous. Don't you want to stay relevant?"
"And you? What's in it for you?" Zoe asked.
Song laughed softly. "To help my leading lady maintain her buzz, of course. Gotta make sure investors feel secure."
"Investors? Didn't your company and Yuehai already fund this project?"
"Jiang signed on to direct, which upped the budget. I'm still working on securing additional funding."
"Oh, please. Like you didn't already plan for Jiang from the start. I don't believe you."
"You think funding is easy to come by?"
"For you, yes."
"You're out of touch with reality."
"Excuse me? Goddess, remember?" Zoe deliberately exaggerated her tone.
"I'm hanging up now before I actually vomit," Song said, cutting the call.
Zoe stared at the screen in disbelief. "He hung up? Just like that?!"
She seethed for a moment but then thought about Song's mention of funding. Could he really be short?
Then another thought struck her: she had no idea how much she was earning for Asking the Heart. Considering she was at her peak when the deal was made, her fee should be substantial. But how did budgets for films even work?
Lost in thought, Zoe eventually fell asleep.
The next morning, Zoe underwent another round of checkups and scans. Once it was confirmed she only had a mild concussion, she was discharged and returned to her apartment.
As soon as she got home, her phone rang—it was He.
Smirking, Zoe let it ring a little longer than usual before picking up.
"President He, to what do I owe the honor?" she asked with a faint edge to her voice.
"Zoe! I stopped by the hospital, but you'd already been discharged. Just wanted to check on you. Feeling better? Take all the time you need to rest."
"Oh, I wouldn't dare take time off," Zoe replied, her tone cool. "Every moment I'm not working is a moment closer to being replaced, right?"
"What? No! Don't think like that. You're irreplaceable!" He said hastily.
"Really? Irreplaceable?" Zoe's tone turned sharp. "I got injured filming your show, fell from a height like that, and the production team doesn't even take responsibility? Is that what being 'irreplaceable' means?"
He began to stammer out a response, but Zoe didn't wait to hear it. She ended the call with a decisive tap, a cold smile lingering on her lips.