221: Chapter 221 Let me calm you down

After finishing the roast duck, the two drove back to the No. 1 Courtyard.

Tang Yingxue had just entered the door and changed into her slippers when she turned around, hooked her fingers into Jiang Fan's collar, and dragged him toward the bedroom.

"What are you doing?" Jiang Fan asked.

"You rarely come to the capital, so I have to make up for the last half month."

Jiang Fan was pulled into the bedroom by her.

Tang Yingxue had learned her lesson this time; she didn't try to be brave and simply lay there obediently, letting Jiang Fan take the lead.

But even so, she started begging for mercy before the first round had even finished.

An hour later, Tang Yingxue was lying on the bed, her face buried in the pillow, gasping for air.

"That's enough, right?" Jiang Fan reached out to grab the water glass on the nightstand and took a sip.

Tang Yingxue rolled over, stared at the ceiling, and took a long while to recover.

"One more time."

Jiang Fan put down the glass and turned to look at her.

"Don't you have a public appearance tomorrow?"

Tang Yingxue turned on her side and traced a finger along Jiang Fan's leg.

"The appearance is in the afternoon. I can catch up on sleep in the morning."

She rolled over and sat astride him, her back to Jiang Fan.

"That thing you taught me last time... I want to try it again."

After tossing and turning until midnight, Tang Yingxue didn't even have the strength to speak and fell fast asleep.

The system panel popped up at 1:00 AM.

[Deep Compatibility × 2, Lifespan Value + 4000]

[Current Lifespan Value: 95800 points]

The next morning at 10:00 AM, at the departure hall of Beijing Daxing Airport.

Tang Yingxue, wearing a mask and a baseball cap, stood outside the security checkpoint.

"Remember to send me the script the first chance you get once it's finished."

"Got it." Jiang Fan took the boarding pass.

Tang Yingxue took a step closer.

"Also, let me know in advance next time you come to the capital. I'll push back all my public appearances."

Jiang Fan glanced at her.

"Teacher Tang, are you reluctant to see me go?"

Tang Yingxue pulled her mask up. "Don't flatter yourself."

At 2:00 PM, the plane landed at Hongqiao Airport.

Jiang Fan hailed a taxi to head to the company.

When the car passed Nanjing West Road, there was a traffic jam ahead.

The driver muttered, "What are they buying? Why are there so many people? They've blocked the whole road."

Jiang Fan looked out the window.

In front of the Huaxin Bookstore, the line stretched from the entrance all the way to the curb, with security guards maintaining order nearby.

A large sign at the entrance read: "journey to the west" Deluxe Collector's Edition Arrives Today!

Jiang Fan asked the driver to pull over for a moment and rolled down the window.

There were people of all ages in the line.

Middle school students in uniforms, young mothers with children, and several elderly men with gray hair.

A middle-aged man wearing glasses stood in the middle of the line, talking on his phone.

"...Yes, Huaxin Bookstore. You need to get here quickly; there are only a few hundred copies of the deluxe edition left. I'm buying a set for my son, and there's a limit of one set per person."

Jiang Fan withdrew his gaze and rolled up the window.

"Let's go."

Song Siyi was very efficient, and the distribution speed of the second batch was faster than expected.

As the car merged back into traffic, Jiang Fan leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes.

After returning, he needed to focus and finish organizing the entire script for journey to the west within a week.

After returning to the Studio, Jiang Fan locked himself in his office, spending all his time writing the script except for eating and sleeping.

At 11:00 AM on Wednesday, Jiang Fan typed the final period on his keyboard.

He saved the file and took a thick stack of A4 paper from the printer.

Jiang Fan picked up the coffee on his desk and took a sip when his phone rang.

It was a voice message from Su Yuyan.

"Come to my company."

There was no pleasantry, and her tone was sharp.

Jiang Fan could roughly guess what it was about, so he picked up the printed script and walked out of the office.

At the Times Media headquarters, Jiang Fan was led directly to the door of Su Yuyan's office by the receptionist.

Jiang Fan pushed the door open and entered.

Su Yuyan was sitting behind her desk, wearing a gray cashmere sweater with her hair up, her face expressionless.

A contract was spread out on the desk.

Jiang Fan walked over and glanced down at it.

The first party on the contract was Tianyu Entertainment—with the seal of Manager Chen, Xu Qingya's agent.

The content was for Xu Qingya to play the "Queen of the Daughter Kingdom" in the "journey to the west" TV series, with an asking price of ten million.

Su Yuyan crossed her hands on the desk and looked at Jiang Fan.

"Xu Qingya playing the Queen of the Daughter Kingdom. When did you decide that?"

"Last week."

"Did you check with me before casting the role?"

"I haven't had the chance yet."

"I'm very angry." Su Yuyan's voice was flat, but her eyes weren't smiling.

Jiang Fan leaned against Su Yuyan's desk.

"What are you angry about?"

"This is my project, and I've already signed the valuation adjustment mechanism agreement. You made a decision on casting, such a big matter, without consulting me."

Su Yuyan slapped the contract. "And she's asking for ten million. Who does she think she is?"

Jiang Fan reached out to take the contract back, flipped to the remuneration page, picked up the pen on the desk, crossed out "10 million," and wrote a number next to it.

1 million.

Su Yuyan looked down at it.

"One million?"

"She's never acted before." Jiang Fan put down the pen. "What gives her the right to ask for ten million? One million is enough."

Su Yuyan stared at the number for three seconds.

The corners of her mouth lifted slightly.

"Then I'll actually reply to her like this. If she throws a fit, that's not my concern."

"As you wish."

Jiang Fan stood up, walked around the desk, and went to the door.

Click, the office door locked.

Su Yuyan sat in her swivel chair, watching him.

"What are you doing?"

Jiang Fan walked to the front of the desk and braced his hands on the edge.

"You're too fired up. Let me help you cool off."

Su Yuyan leaned back.

"Don't mess around. I have a meeting later."

Jiang Fan went around the desk, grabbed the armrests of the chair, and pulled her and the chair back half a meter.

He bent over and picked Su Yuyan up.

Su Yuyan struggled twice, and one of her high heels was kicked off.

Jiang Fan carried her directly to the large floor-to-ceiling window.

Outside was the bustling traffic and crowds, and the glass curtain wall of the office building opposite reflected blinding light.

"Are you crazy?" Su Yuyan lowered her voice, her hands pressed against the glass.

"This is a one-way mirror. What are you afraid of?" Jiang Fan pressed against her back.

Su Yuyan's legs went weak, and her hands pressed tightly against the glass.

There were hundreds of pedestrians waiting at the traffic lights on the street, and private cars drove past underneath them.

The feeling of being exposed to the eyes of thousands of people at any moment stretched her nerves to the limit.

Jiang Fan unzipped her pencil skirt.

"There's one more thing I haven't told you."

Su Yuyan asked, panting: "What is it?"

"Shen Nian has also joined the cast. She's playing the Jade Rabbit Spirit."

Su Yuyan turned her head to glare at Jiang Fan. "You got her involved too?"

"Not just her." Jiang Fan supported her waist. "And Tang Yingxue is coming too. She's playing the Bodhisattva."

Su Yuyan's mind went a bit blank.

She steadied herself against the glass with one hand and dug her fingernails into Jiang Fan's arm with the other.

"Jiang Fan! Do you think my production crew is your harem?!"

Su Yuyan's voice rose by two octaves.

"Do you have any idea how chaotic the set will be if these people are all together? The PR department will go crazy just dealing with their trending topics every day!"

Jiang Fan didn't respond; he lifted Su Yuyan's leg—the one without the high heel—and changed the angle.

Su Yuyan couldn't hold on any longer.

She realized that Jiang Fan was different today than before.

Usually, she could hold her own for a while, but today, Jiang Fan's strength and frequency were completely beyond her capacity to endure.

Her hands pressed against the glass, and her body kept sliding down.

"Don't... spare me... I'll do whatever you want, okay..." Su Yuyan's voice trembled.

Jiang Fan wrapped one arm around her waist and hoisted her up.

"You had plenty of energy just a moment ago, didn't you? Keep scolding me."

The traffic outside the floor-to-ceiling window was still moving, and in the office, there was only the sound of rapid breathing.

An hour later, Su Yuyan completely surrendered.

She collapsed into Jiang Fan's arms, and he carried her back to the swivel chair behind the desk.

Su Yuyan lay on the desk, her hair disheveled, and her pencil skirt still bunched at her waist.

She turned her head to look at Jiang Fan. "Did you take something today?"

Jiang Fan adjusted his clothes, pulled over a chair, and sat down.

"This is just a basic skill."

Su Yuyan closed her eyes, not wanting to deal with him anymore.

The system panel popped up before Jiang Fan's eyes.

[Deep Compatibility × 1, Lifespan Value + 1000]

[Current Lifespan Value: 96800 points]

Jiang Fan pushed the script on the desk toward her.

"This is the complete script for journey to the west. The costumes and props must be made strictly according to the annotations in the script. Not even the slightest deviation is allowed."

Su Yuyan opened her eyes and looked at the thick stack of A4 paper.

She reached out and flipped through two pages.

It was densely packed with annotations.

From scene arrangements to the tone of the dialogue, everything was written clearly.

Su Yuyan's hand, which was flipping through the document, stopped.

She looked up at Jiang Fan. "You wrote this in a week?"

"What else? Finalize the cast list as soon as possible. Apart from those few, prioritize selecting the remaining supporting roles from your company."

Su Yuyan closed the script.

"Fine. I'll hold a meeting in a bit."

She paused and looked at Jiang Fan.

"If those women start causing trouble on set, who's going to be responsible?"

Jiang Fan stood up and walked toward the door.

"I'll be responsible."

He placed his hand on the doorknob and opened the door.

"You focus on your money and publicity. As for matters on set, I have the final say."