Liu Yifei's words plunged the car into a brief silence.
A few seconds later, Liu Mom asked in a shocked tone: "Martin's new project? Which Martin? That Martin Meyers? How do you know him? Why would he give you a role? Is it confirmed?"
Liu Yifei smiled. "Mom, so many questions—which one do you want me to answer first?"
"Stop grinning—answer them one by one."
"Okay."
Liu Yifei pursed her lips, then said: "Yes, it's Martin Meyers. He has a new project next year—a DC comic adaptation. I met him through Yang Mi, and she asked him to give me the role. Martin agreed verbally, and he said we can sign the contract anytime."
"Wait, wait?" Liu Mom's face grew even more puzzled. "Yang Mi introduced you?"
"Yes!"
"But how does she have that kind of pull? She's only been in two of his films, right? Even if she has some connection with him, could she really say something like that?"
"Mom, I'll just tell you straight—didn't I say before that Yang Mi is Martin's friend? Yeah, I remember you didn't believe it, saying she was just gilding her own lily. But actually, Yang Mi isn't just his friend—she's Martin's girlfriend!"
"What?!"
Liu Mom looked utterly stunned.
"Real or fake? Like a proper girlfriend, or the casual fling kind?"
"Mom, how can you say that? She's my friend."
"Ah, Mom's tone was off—sorry." Liu Mom apologized half-heartedly, then eagerly asked, "So which is it?"
"It's a proper girlfriend."
"But from what I've read in the papers, that Martin has a whole bunch of women—and he picked Yang Mi?"
"What's wrong with Mi? She's great too. But, uh, those bunch of women in the papers are actually all Martin's girlfriends."
At this point, Liu Yifei's face heated up a bit—because she herself had become one of that bunch.
Liu Mom frowned, then relaxed. So Yang Mi was just one among many—that eased her mind a lot.
Then she said to her daughter: "Alright, then you should keep up a good relationship with Mi."
"We've always been close." Liu Yifei said
"Yes, yes—you've always been tight; you have good judgment. Lately Mom has some free time; call Yang Mi and invite her out. I'll treat her to dinner."
She paused, then added: "Hmm, if we can get Martin to come too, that'd be even better."
"Also, we should get the contract signed soon, to avoid any hitches. Now Mom sees it—Martin's films are guaranteed blockbusters. That genius title is well-deserved."
"Of course!" Hearing her mom praise Martin, Liu Yifei suddenly felt a sense of shared pride.
Then Liu Mom spoke meaningfully: "Feifei, but don't follow Mi's example. We don't need to rise up that way."
"Mom, there you go again."
"Alright, alright—Mom won't say it."
Seeing her daughter a bit unhappy, Liu Mom quickly changed the subject, asking more about that role.
Then the conversation shifted to Liu Yifei's classmate, Jiang Yiyan.
"When it comes to scheming for the top, your bestie counts as one, but that classmate of yours, Jiang Yiyan, isn't far behind."
"For The Four's role, she not only funded her way in but also buttered up some bigwig in the industry—that's how she edged out that Hong Kong star and got the director to cut your scenes. Shameless."
"And Feifei, you're too trusting. She invites you somewhere, and you just go. That woman's full of schemes—calling a bunch of media to the airport to snap her, without telling you. You showed up barefaced, she all dolled up, then she blasts out press releases overshadowing you. Infuriating."
"Oh, and I heard for her 2010 collab with Huang Bo in Fake Couple, she used unspoken rules to bump out Wang Luodan—supposedly made Wang cry."
"The worst was her third-wheeling that 'cake seller.' His original wife supported him financially when he was down and out selling cakes, backed his startup unconditionally. But once the husband made it big, Jiang Yiyan wormed her way in, and the poor woman got dumped. Is that even human?"
"Sigh, too bad that ex-wife is too high-minded to bother with that immoral pair of dogs—letting your classmate off easy. What a bargain for her."
"Ugh, Mom, stop already. I haven't hung out with her in ages. Bad deeds get their karma." Liu Yifei said.
Liu Mom snorted. "I see that woman living it up—where's the karma?"
Little did the mother-daughter duo know, karma was coming next year.
At the 2015 Golden Horse Awards, Jiang Yiyan—who'd climbed by "talent"—won Best Supporting Actress for her role as Ji Yaohua in The Four.
And Xue Jiaqi, whose role she'd stolen, was the presenter for Best Supporting Actress. Right there on stage, Xue mocked her:
"Ah, in the film we never see her face (covering it), turns out to win an award, you just need no shame."
That takedown shook the earth.
It's common for stars to feud in the industry, but public drags like Xue Jiaqi's were rare.
You could tell how much she hated her!!!
Right now, this Jiang Yiyan still had her "artsy goddess" image in public. But starting next year, with scandals exposed one by one, she'd flip from "artsy goddess" to "lying queen."
From homewrecking to stealing resources, this woman's wild love life involved 10 men falling for her—her misdeeds endless, exposing her ruthless ambition and unscrupulous climb.
The mother-daughter pair chatted all the way home.
Before getting out, Liu Mom summed up: "Daughter, don't blame me for being so strict. This industry's a mess—no one's truly unstained by the mud. You're so naive—I worry you'll get eaten alive, bones and all!"
Liu Yifei's face flushed.
How could Liu Mom know—her obedient darling had already been devoured, bones and all, in the few days she was away. And multiple times at that.
Honestly, while Liu Mom lacked script sense, she excelled at protecting her daughter.
Otherwise, Martin wouldn't have gotten the first taste!!!
Back home, after unpacking a bit, Liu Yifei called Yang Mi at her mom's urging.
The next day, Yang Mi came over to Liu Yifei's for a visit.
Hmm, and the shameless Martin tagged along.
"Auntie, hello!"
Martin's humble demeanor immediately won Liu Mom's favor.
Look at this international Hollywood superstar—so low-key and modest. Unlike some domestic folks who get famous and float away.
Little did she know, Martin was visiting with the attitude of a son-in-law meeting his mother-in-law.
Uh, even if he had quite a few mothers-in-law.
---
[GodOfReader: Damn, so many Chinese names keep popping up. If I'd just started rewriting them in English from the beginning, neither I nor you (the reader) would be suffering right now.]