Rose Manor: Tycoon's Relentless Chase-Chapter 376 - 352: Paying the Price

During the Spring Festival, "Western Palace Banquet" was released nationwide and stood out among several New Year comedy films, gaining an extremely high level of attention.

On the fourth night of the new year, Shen Jianian watched this movie again in the cinema, accompanied by Bai Changxia and Zhao Shunyi.

Bai Changxia held a giant bucket of popcorn in one hand and carried three cups of milk tea in the other. Looking at the two women beside her wearing hats and masks, she shrugged helplessly and said, "Why did I have such an urge to come watch a movie with two female celebrities?"

Zhao Shunyi helped her with the popcorn, then pointed to Shen Jianian beside her, "Don’t drag me into this. To be honest, she’s more popular than me now. Even when I give her a shout-out on Weibo, it seems like I’m trying to ride on her fame!"

Thanks to the success of "Western Palace Banquet," Shen Jianian’s current popularity is no less than an A-list actress, and she’s recognized wherever she goes, once again proving Director Wang Kelun’s ability to make stars. The saying that "Lun Girls" enjoy decades of benefits is not an exaggeration.

Sandwiched between the two, Shen Jianian blinked her exposed eyes and took a cup of milk tea from Bai Changxia, "Can’t I treat you to a big meal after the movie?"

To avoid being recognized and causing a commotion, Bai Changxia was tasked with buying things, while Zhao Shunyi acted as Shen Jianian’s bodyguard, alert to everything around.

Upon hearing that Shen Jianian was treating, Bai Changxia and Zhao Shunyi exchanged glances and high-fived each other, expressing their satisfaction.

The three women, like fugitives, stealthily slipped into the screening room just in time for the movie to start.

The lights in the theater were already dimmed, and in the glow of the screen, they crouched down to find their seats and breathed a sigh of relief as they sat down.

Bai Changxia twisted her neck, scanning the surroundings, "This occupancy rate is terrifying. Even the corner seats are taken. A box office of 5 billion is in the bag."

As an industry insider, Zhao Shunyi took a sharp breath, tilted her head, and looked past Shen Jianian in the middle to Bai Changxia, "Why don’t you exaggerate even more, 5 billion, how’s that possible? Given the limitations of the theme, getting 20 to 30 billion would be quite impressive."

Bai Changxia was concerned about one thing, "Jianian, as a significant role in the movie, do you get a share of the box office?"

"No." Shen Jianian sipped her milk tea through a straw, "The contract I signed says fixed remuneration, which was paid a long time ago."

"How much?" Bai Changxia was curious.

Shen Jianian used her fingers to indicate a number, and Bai Changxia swallowed; it wasn’t a small amount.

"But I’ve already spent it all."

"What did you buy?"

Shen Jianian raised her left hand, with the back of her hand facing Bai Changxia, but Bai Changxia didn’t understand, "What do you mean?"

Shen Jianian bent her ring finger, on which a wedding ring was set with a circle of tiny diamonds, less flashy than the previous engagement ring, simple and elegant.

"I customized a pair of wedding rings." Shen Jianian turned her hand to admire it, "Although spending the money felt a bit painful, seeing the actual thing makes me really happy and satisfied."

"No way! You bought the wedding ring for Boss Fu and yourself?" Zhao Shunyi was surprised, "Shouldn’t Boss Fu have prepared it?"

Bai Changxia nodded, sharing the same thought.

Shen Jianian said, "The engagement ring was bought by him. I thought it was too extravagant for everyday wear and suggested a simpler pair of wedding rings, so we went to choose this one. I wanted to give him a gift, so... I paid for it."

Bai Changxia gave her a thumbs-up, showing admiration. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

The movie was about to start, and the three of them fell silent and focused on watching.

It was the first time both Bai Changxia and Zhao Shunyi watched it, so they were particularly attentive. Shen Jianian, having seen it before, found that watching it again offered a different experience.

Moreover, she made a new discovery: the role Tong Yan played, Yin Dai, had almost no scenes. The content presented in the movie was far less than what was shot. Except for two important scenes, all of Tong Yan’s footage was cut.

Two hours flew by, and both Bai Changxia and Zhao Shunyi were deeply engrossed, forgetting to eat the popcorn they’d bought.

Zhao Shunyi even reconsidered, "I underestimated Old Wang’s strength. It might really break 5 billion!"

The three of them left the cinema, and Shen Jianian searched for nearby restaurants on her phone.

Right after the Spring Festival, the city was adorned with lights and decorations, and cheerfulness filled the air. A few days ago, it had snowed, and patches of snow could still be seen on the treetops and rooftops.

As Bai Changxia walked, she suddenly stopped, bringing her index and middle fingers together to form a sword, pointing it at Shen Jianian’s chest with a cold expression. Imitating Prince Zhe’s tone from the movie, she said, "I always knew your musical skill was exceptional. Might I have the privilege to witness your swordsmanship today?"

Shen Jianian was stunned.

Zhao Shunyi immediately understood that Bai Changxia was reenacting the film’s final scene—Ruoyu’s undercover identity was exposed, and she confronted Prince Zhe in the forest.

"Another one has gone crazy." A passerby who just finished watching the movie witnessed Bai Changxia’s actions and whispered this to a companion.

Zhao Shunyi burst into laughter.

*

Based on online reviews, Shen Jianian found a highly-rated Chinese restaurant conveniently located near the cinema, and decided to walk there.

Online reviews mentioned the food comes out slowly, and true to form, they sat for a long time with no dishes served, so the trio drank tea and chatted about the movie.

Bai Changxia was deeply affected, grabbing Shen Jianian’s arm and staring unblinkingly at her: "Who would’ve thought the killer Ruoyu would be sitting right next to me!"

Shen Jianian took a sip of tea and calmly corrected her: "I’m Shen Jianian, thank you."

Bai Changxia couldn’t hear her, like a crazed fan: "No, you’re Ruoyu! Tell me, did you die when Prince Zhe shot an arrow at you?"

Not wanting to ruin the film’s tone, Shen Jianian gave her a noncommittal answer: "It’s an open-ended conclusion. If you think she died, then she did. If you believe she survived, then she lives."

The thought of Ruoyu dying was unacceptable to Bai Changxia: "You must have survived, you’re so skilled in martial arts, how could an arrow have killed you!"

Zhao Shunyi calmly pierced her bubble of fantasy: "But that arrow was shot right into Ruoyu’s back, right through her heart. There’s no way she could survive. Think about Prince Zhe’s personality, would he really let such a threat live on?"

Bai Changxia: "..."

Bai Changxia stopped talking to them, took out her phone to seek allies on Weibo, and clicked on the trending topics to see several related to the movie.

Ever since the premiere, discussions about "Western Palace Banquet" remained consistently high.

"Those who criticized Shen Jianian’s fight scenes without watching the movie, come out and apologize! Even the seasoned film critic Wu Guofeng praised Shen Jianian’s fight scenes and acting skills. What, you think you’re better at critiquing than Senior Wu?!"

"Honestly, seeing Shen Jianian in the movie was refreshing, dressed all in black with a sword almost as wide as her waist, yet she wielded it so adeptly. During the pipa-playing scene, the audience was audibly amazed."

"Honestly, Old Wang has knack in casting. When Shen Jianian stands there, the story in her eyes seems to leap off the screen. I suspect she’s actually worked as a killer once, hahahaha."

"Thinking about how she openly said she won’t act anymore is such a loss. I feel like I can’t find a substitute. I wish she would take on different roles and portray different lives. Sigh, what a pity..."

"There’s a saying ’live long enough to see everything’, maybe one day she’ll return to acting."

"Having one representative work in a lifetime is already remarkable."

"The online buzz drew me to the theater, and I have to say, Wang Kelun, each frame is breathtaking."

"Everything was fine until the final scene, when Old Wang delivered the blow. You’ve got me, Old Wang!"

Bai Changxia browsed the comments, replying line by line, discussing passionately with friends online.

"Stop looking at your phone, the food is here." Shen Jianian reminded her as she poured hot water and prepared Bai Changxia’s utensils.

Zhao Shunyi’s eyes lit up at the sight of food, already reaching for chopsticks, then remembered something and told Shen Jianian: "Tong Yan’s scenes in the movie weren’t much, yet she was so active in the crew."

During "Western Palace Banquet" filming, Tong Yan got injured, causing Shen Jianian to be cyberbullied. Zhao Shunyi even spoke up for Shen Jianian on Weibo, assuming Tong Yan had substantial scenes in the movie and was worried about being overshadowed by Shen Jianian. But once released, she barely had any screen time.

Shen Jianian ignored the phone-obsessed Bai Changxia and started eating: "When filming, there wasn’t that little; maybe the director made some cuts during editing."

For instance, most of the scenes with her and Tong Yan focused on her; Tong Yan’s appearances were fleeting, and similar cuts were made for many others with Tong Yan.

Zhao Shunyi: "Tong Yan did star in a hit series, yet hasn’t been talked about online for months. No idea what she’s been doing."

Shen Jianian seemed reminded, paused for a few seconds, then took out her phone and searched for Fu Feibai, guessing he might know the reason, and sent him a message.

Shen Jianian: "Did Tong Yan’s scenes in ’Western Palace Banquet’ get cut?"

If it was merely an editing choice, then Tong Yan’s scenes were drastically reduced.

Fu Feibai must have been on his phone, responding promptly: "You just realized? She caused trouble in the crew, thinking Director Wang was a fool. So, during post-editing, Director Wang cut as much of her scenes as possible, since it didn’t affect the overall plot. Also, Director Wang is well-respected in the industry; when he casually mentioned Tong Yan at other parties, who would dare hire such a troublesome actor? It seems unlikely she’d continue in showbiz."

Shen Jianian replied with "I see" and set down her phone, picking up her chopsticks to eat, her thoughts drifting to Tong Yan.

Tong Yan ultimately paid the price for what she did.