232: Chapter 232 Song Siyi, who doesn't compete for favor, is the real trump card.

After Jiang Fan finished speaking, the hallway fell completely silent.

No one dared to make a sound.

Tang Yingxue looked at him, the cold expression she had worn a moment ago instantly fading away.

"Director Jiang, rest assured, I will definitely cooperate and act well."

Xu Qingya glared at Tang Yingxue and immediately chimed in.

"I will cooperate too. I will carefully study the romantic scenes between the Queen of the Daughter Kingdom and Tang Monk, and I'll practice extra tonight when I go back."

Su Yuyan cast a sidelong glance at the two of them.

"The White Bone Demon also has quite a few scenes with Tang Monk, so Director Jiang, please don't play favorites when the time comes."

Shen Nian bit her lip, her eyes glued to Jiang Fan.

"Me too."

Jiang Fan did not take the bait.

"You all may disperse."

He turned and walked toward the elevator.

The four women remained where they were, unmoving.

Xu Qingya stared at Tang Yingxue's face for a moment.

"What skincare products have you been using lately, Teacher Tang? You look so good."

Tang Yingxue touched her cheek.

"Nothing special, just good sleep."

Su Yuyan chimed in from the side.

"Good sleep is indeed nourishing, but I wonder, where exactly was this sleep had?"

Tang Yingxue turned her head to look at her.

"That is no concern of yours, President Su. You'd be better off spending your free time practicing your lines."

"Ding."

The elevator arrived, and the metal doors slid open.

Jiang Fan stepped inside.

The four women stepped forward almost simultaneously and followed him in.

The five of them squeezed into the same elevator car.

The doors closed slowly, with Jiang Fan standing in the middle.

The elevator car was cramped, and the four women began to intentionally or unintentionally close the distance between themselves and Jiang Fan.

Xu Qingya stood on his left, her fingers brushing against the back of Jiang Fan's hand as if by accident.

Tang Yingxue stood on his right, the tip of her high heel pressing against the side of Jiang Fan's leather shoe, staying close.

Su Yuyan stood in front and turned her head to look at Jiang Fan.

"I'm holding a concert at the Shanghai Stadium next week. I gave Sister Siyi two VIP tickets, so you two should go together."

The elevator car fell silent instantly.

Xu Qingya, Tang Yingxue, and Shen Nian all realized at the same time.

Sister Siyi.

The president of Qitian Culture, Song Siyi.

That woman who held all the copyrights to journey to the west.

Xu Qingya tilted her head to look at Jiang Fan, breaking the silence first.

"Director Jiang, there are still a few places in the Womens Kingdom script I'm not sure about. Why don't you come to my place tonight, and we can go over the lines?"

Tang Yingxue was not to be outdone.

"Jiang Fan, I still need to adjust the posture for Bodhisattva. I want to review the pose you taught me last night once more."

Last night.

As soon as these two words were uttered, the gazes of Xu Qingya and Su Yuyan pierced toward Tang Yingxue simultaneously.

Shen Nian stood in the corner, looking at Jiang Fan's bald head, and swallowed hard.

She wasn't qualified to compete for him, so she could only watch.

Jiang Fan watched the elevator floor numbers jump downward.

"Ding." The elevator arrived at the first floor.

Jiang Fan stepped out first.

"We'll talk about the script once we join the crew," he said, walking toward the main entrance without looking back. "I'm heading back to Qitian Culture to work overtime, so don't come looking for me."

The four women stood in the elevator, watching Jiang Fan's back disappear beyond the revolving doors.

Xu Qingya withdrew her gaze and glanced at Su Yuyan.

"Sister Siyi, is it? I'll go pay her a visit some other day."

Tang Yingxue stepped out of the elevator in her high heels.

"May the best woman win."

Jiang Fan walked out of the Times Media building.

The scent of four mixed perfumes still lingered on his nose.

He walked to the curb, hailed a taxi, and headed straight to Qitian Culture.

Twenty minutes later, the taxi stopped in front of the office building.

Jiang Fan took the elevator up and pushed open the door to the president's office.

Song Siyi was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, talking on the phone.

Hearing the commotion, she turned around.

She gave a few instructions over the phone and then hung up.

Her gaze lingered on Jiang Fan's bald head for two seconds before she walked over and reached out to touch it.

"Director Yang's requirement?" Song Siyi asked.

"Yeah." Jiang Fan walked over to the sofa, sat down, and poured a glass of water. "How is the animation department coming along?"

"I poached two supervisors; the team is starting to take shape, and three versions of the original art have already been produced."

Song Siyi walked over and sat beside him, sniffing gently.

Chanel No. 5, Jo Malone Wild Bluebell, Dior J'adore, and a faint scent of roses.

Four scents mixed together.

Song Siyi pushed up her gold-rimmed glasses.

"I'm familiar with President Su's perfume. As for the other three, it seems the auditions were quite lively today."

Jiang Fan looked at her.

"You can even smell that?"

"Tch." Song Siyi didn't press the issue; she picked up her tablet and pulled up a report.

"The fourth printing of the physical copies of journey to the west is out. Huaxin has settled the second payment, plus the advance payment for merchandise licensing. Qitian Culture's current cash on hand is enough for you to produce three TV series on your own."

Jiang Fan scanned the number at the bottom of the screen.

580 million.

This was Song Siyi's confidence.

She didn't need to rely on selling her looks, nor did she need to fight for favor in the hallways; solid, tangible performance was her greatest source of confidence.

Jiang Fan reached out, wrapped his arm around Song Siyi's waist, and pulled her into his arms.

Song Siyi leaned in and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Her fingers traced over his smooth, bald head.

"Accompany me to the Orphanage this afternoon. Mother Fang said Huzi has been pestering her every day to hear the rest of journey to the west."

Jiang Fan put down his water glass, his hand sliding up along Song Siyi's waistline.

"We'll talk about this afternoon later; let's attend to business first."

Song Siyi pressed down on his hand.

"Go lock the door first."

She stood up and walked to the door to press the lock button.

On her way back, the top two buttons of her shirt were already undone.

An hour later.

Jiang Fan leaned back on the sofa, the system panel popping up at the edge of his vision.

[Deep Compatibility ×1, Lifespan Value +500]

[Current Lifespan Value: 112,300 points]

Song Siyi tidied her clothes, redid her hair, and picked up her phone to send a message to Mother Fang.

"Let's go. Mother Fang has stewed pork ribs waiting for us."

Jiang Fan stood up and straightened his shirt.

"Yeah, let's call Brother Cheng first and buy some more food to bring over."

2:30 PM.

A commercial van stopped outside the iron gates of the Songjiang Sunshine Childrens Welfare Institute.

Li Cheng opened the car door, jumped out, walked to the trunk, and started unloading boxes of milk and snacks.

Song Siyi carried a few bags of autumn and winter children's clothing.

Jiang Fan walked in the back.

He was carrying several freshly printed hardcover editions and color picture books of journey to the west.

As soon as the iron gate was pushed open, a commotion erupted in the courtyard.

Huzi led a few half-grown boys charging out of the activity room.

"Brother Fan! Sister Siyi!"

Huzi ran up to them, his eyes landing on Jiang Fan's bald head, his eyes widening into saucers.

"Brother... Brother Fan, did you become a monk?"

Huzi pointed at Jiang Fan's bald head.

The little brats nearby joined in the teasing.

"Brother Fan has turned into a monk!"

Jiang Fan slapped Huzi on the forehead.

"Become a monk my foot. This is for work."

Song Siyi covered her mouth and laughed from the side.

Mother Fang walked out of the kitchen, holding a large iron ladle in her hand.

Seeing Jiang Fan in this state, she was also stunned, walking up to take a closer look several times.

"Why did you shave all your hair off?" Mother Fang reached out to touch the top of Jiang Fan's head. "But you do look spirited."

"Mother Fang, these are some warm clothes for the children to change into when the weather gets cold." Song Siyi handed the bags over.

"Oh, spending money recklessly again. It's not easy for you to earn money yourselves, why do you keep contributing here?"

Mother Fang complained, though her tone was warm.

"Huzi, take some people and move these things inside!"

A group of children swarmed in to help move the items.

After Huzi finished moving the last box of milk, he turned his attention to the books in Jiang Fan's hand.

"Brother Fan, what's this?"

"journey to the west." Jiang Fan handed him the book. "Aren't you always pestering me to hear what happens to the monkey later? Read it yourself."

Huzi took the book, flipped through two pages, and his face fell.

"There are so many words, how can I recognize them all? Brother Fan, you'd better tell me. The monkey was pressed under the Five Finger Mountain, what happened after that?"

A few little brats also crowded around, tugging at Jiang Fan's pant legs.

"Tell us a story! Tell us a story!"

Jiang Fan was dragged by them to sit on a bench in the middle of the courtyard.

Song Siyi moved a small stool to sit nearby, helping to open snack packages and hand them out to the children lining up.

Jiang Fan cleared his throat.

"Last time, I talked about how The Monkey King was pressed under the Five Elements Mountain by the Buddha. He was pressed there for five hundred years."

The courtyard fell silent, leaving only the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the locust trees.

"Five hundred years later, a high monk appeared in the Great Tang of the East, named Xuanzang. Tang Emperor Li Shimin sent him to the Great Thunderclap Temple in the West to seek the true scriptures. This Monk Xuanzang rode a white horse, brought two attendants, and left Chang'an City."

Huzi chimed in.

"Does this monk know kung fu?"

"No. He wouldn't even dare to kill a chicken," Jiang Fan said.

"Then isn't he just courting death by going to the West? There are so many demons on the road."

Jiang Fan looked at Huzi.

"Exactly, so when he reached the Twin Forks Ridge, he was captured by demons. The two attendants were eaten alive by the demons, and he was scared half to death. Fortunately, the Great White Planet descended from heaven to save him."

The children below shrank their necks in fear as they listened.

Huzi curled his lip. "This monk is such a loser."