CHAPTER 770: CHAPTER 760: CAN ONE PERFORMANCE SEAL THE DEAL AS A LEGEND?

The sweet scent lingered indoors.

Jiang Lingxi walked to the incense burner and took a gentle sniff.

Turning back to look at Shen Yunqing, who was closing the door.

"Your butler is really thoughtful."

Shen Yunqing turned around and smelled the fragrance, and the originally icy face was instantly tinted with a hint of blush.

"Ahem, acted on his own."

"But, I quite like it."

After being away for training for so long, it had been days of abstinence, and now that the thoughts of *that* when feeling satisfied and warm were real, with beauty right before the eyes and the atmosphere just right, there was no reason to be reserved.

The faint blush that initially colored her cheeks quickly spread to the corners of her eyes and lips, and continued to spread downward.

"Your Majesty..."

A soft whisper sounded beside her ear, soon drowned in the embrace of lips and teeth.

Outside the window, a sudden storm of wind and rain knocked down a ground full of red flowers.

...

Tong Yue rushed to Xiyuan early in the morning. After drinking a cup of tea in the guest lounge and eating two green dumplings, she finally saw someone wrapped in lazy homewear, clearly just getting out of bed.

Seeing the satisfaction revealed in the corners of her eyes and brows, it was obvious why it took so long for her to arrive.

Had she known earlier, she wouldn’t have come so early!

But the green dumplings were quite tasty.

"You haven’t eaten yet, have you?"

"Mm, just got up."

"Understandable, absence makes the heart grow fonder." Tong Yue nodded, glancing at the butler who had just brought her green dumplings and tea, who now also delivered breakfast. Raising her hand, she said, "You eat first, and we can chat after you finish."

"I’ll eat, you talk."

Hearing this, Tong Yue simply put down the tablet she had just picked up, "When I found out that among those competing with you is Chen Keyun, I really sweated for you. Just in time, President Shao gave me two scripts. I took them, fearing that in case you couldn’t compete..."

Others may not know, but she used to accompany Jiang Lingxi to practice driving. General vehicles had only recently become familiar to her, let alone racing — there was no foundation at all to compete with professional racers who’ve formally participated in races.

She genuinely didn’t have much hope.

But precisely because of this, upon learning that her artist had defeated even professional racers to win the role, the surprise was simply indescribable.

"However, the two scripts President Shao picked for you are quite good."

So it’s understandable if she’s aiming high.

Jiang Lingxi took a sip of soy milk, "What scripts?"

"One is based on ancient detective stories. Though the main character is male, the female lead is quite impressive, and the characters have stark contrasts. The other one is an adapted fantasy script where you can choose any role. But, after reading the script, I was more impressed by the second female lead than the first. Aren’t you on a break these days? It’s a good chance to take a look."

"Mm, but if I take them on, can I schedule the time?"

If there was no time to shoot them at all, Jiang Lingxi felt there would be no need to even look.

Where there is gain, there must be some loss. Watching might only increase anxiety if one gets tempted.

Tong Yue gritted her teeth, "Did Director Feng tell you the filming cycle of ’Gale’?"

"One to two months. The pre-production is already in place, and these few days are for the crew to adjust. Once adjusted, we can start shooting directly."

"One to two months." Tong Yue said, tapping her tablet to calculate the time.

After she had worked out the timing, Jiang Lingxi had also finished her breakfast.

"How does it look?"

"The costume detective drama is still in the casting preparation stage. I roughly calculated, and formal shooting might only start two months later, possibly even longer, so it can be staggered. But the fantasy script has almost finished preparations, with only a few female roles yet to be cast. Once done, it can start immediately. If you can finish shooting ’Gale’ in a month and a half, there’s still a chance."

"Then I’ll first take a look at the script."

If the script turns out to be exceptional, she might as well give it a shot.

Tong Yue immediately pulled the scripts out of her bag and handed them over. Seeing Jiang Lingxi was about to start reading, she said, "No rush on that. ’Empress of Yuan Zhao’ finished broadcasting its finale while you were in closed training. Don’t you want to see the data from its airtime?"

"I even specifically had Zhengzheng and Yaoyao collaborate on a PPT."

Jiang Lingxi had to put the script down and take the tablet handed by Tong Yue.

Tong Yue volunteered to be the PPT presenter.

"The first page shows the viewership ratings for every episode of ’Empress of Yuan Zhao’ during its broadcast. Look, the episode where you ascended the throne and the final episode scored the highest ratings, shooting straight up to twelve. The rest never fell below eight. These figures are quite staggering."

"The second page contains online reviews they screened, currently rated at 9.2. It’s into the nines! It’s been years since a drama scored over nine."

"Every year around April and May, there’s a significant Mulan award in the TV industry, and your ’Empress of Yuan Zhao’ happens to catch it this year. I think there’s a high chance of getting a nomination."

Jiang Lingxi looked towards Tong Yue, whose eyes were filled with longing as she spoke, "Might even win an award."

Tong Yue: "...I dream about it."

If she could actually win the Best Actress award with ’Empress of Yuan Zhao’, it would truly make her famous for a single drama!

Just thinking about it is exciting, right?

Jiang Lingxi poured her a glass of water, "Sister Tong, don’t forget Director Li’s ’Survival’."

"I haven’t forgotten. But, if you take on both scripts on the table, you’ll likely be working non-stop in the first half of the year."

Jiang Lingxi accepted it straightforwardly, "Then I’ll rest in the second half of the year."

Tong Yue: "...You’re really daring in your thoughts."

With such popularity still high, she even thinks of working in the first half and resting entirely in the second!

"Let’s see then, working harder in the first half, arranging a more relaxed schedule in the second half. It’s impossible to use the entire second half for rest."

Jiang Lingxi stated that she was just saying, "Oh right, Sister Tong, can I advertise personally?"

"Advertising, what kind of ads, advertising for what?"

"Just a beauty product for lightening spots and removing scars. No ad fee, just casually recommending it to those in need."

"Why did you suddenly think of advertising such a product? You neither have spots nor scars on your face; you don’t need such a product."

"It’s a product from a family relative, but its effect is absolutely guaranteed. But I remember there was a clause in a previous contract that I can’t take ads on my own."

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have even asked.

"Indeed, you can’t engage in advertising privately. The company and product side must have a registered contract. However, if you’re simply recommending personally favored products to netizens and your fans without any financial transaction involved, this loophole can still be exploited." Tong Yue said with a wink.

Jiang Lingxi comprehended immediately, "Got it."

Tong Yue continued to give her advice, "Isn’t this perfect? Your account has been idle for a month anyway. You can casually post something these days, and when you’re taking photos, include the product you want to recommend. Many netizens and fans don’t know how to choose effective skincare products, and they love referencing the ones used by stars. Look, like those who can even dig through every inch of a celebrity’s dressing table that appears on screen, there’s no need for you to specially recommend; they will search for it themselves."

Jiang Lingxi: "I’ve learned something new!"