Chapter 30: The Call of the Wild

Shen Jinglan was driving to the film studio.
In between traffic lights, her phone screen lit up.
She tapped it open, and Beiye’s voice came through the earpiece.
The first half was a narration of events, the latter half a request for an opinion.
The word “bully” was delivered perfectly, the trailing note carrying a hint of elusive ambiguity.

The cold, elegant woman listened, her lips curving slightly.
With a tap of her finger, she made a video call.

The call was answered quickly.
Half a face squeezed into the screen, softly calling out, “Darling.”

The traffic light turned green.
Shen Jinglan stepped on the accelerator, her low voice giving a soft “Mm”: “Want to go play in the northwest?”

Beiye “hehe-ed” and said: “Yes, wifey.”

Shen Jinglan nodded: “I’ll go for the screen test first.
“Afterwards, I’ll see what Director Zhou’s situation is.
“If she hasn’t found a suitable candidate, I’ll mention it to her.
“Is that okay?”

Although she spoiled her wife, she was a very principled person at heart.
When Director Zhou first approached her, she explicitly refused to play the werewolf role.
Now that candidates had been selected, those artists had put a lot of effort into this role.
She couldn’t just step in and deprive them of their competitive opportunity.

So, she would wait for the results of the competition.
Only if all candidates failed to be chosen would she bring this up with Director Zhou.

Beiye understood.
It was precisely because of this sense of justice in her that she had so wholeheartedly pursued her back then.

The two chatted for a few sentences.
Only then did Shen Jinglan remember to ask: “How’s Jiang Wenting?
“Are her lover’s injuries all taken care of?”

Beiye turned her camera backwards, switched on the speakerphone, and aimed her phone at Jiang Wenting and Yi Lan, who were sitting on the bed: “Jiangjiang, my wifey is asking you, how are your lover’s injuries being handled?”

Jiang Wenting: “…”

‘Why “lover” again now?’ Jiang Wenting was speechless, but the person in front of her was holding the phone up seriously, so she had to look up and speak to Shen Jinglan: “They’re all taken care of, Lan Jie, thank you!”

Shen Jinglan: “Mm, good that they’re taken care of.
“I heard you’re planning to take your lover to the northwest?”

Jiang Wenting’s cheeks flushed.
She still found the term “lover” very strange, and even stranger coming from Shen Jinglan’s mouth.
Jiang Wenting bit her lip, answering through the heat: “Yes, Lan Jie, I’m planning to take her.
“I just don’t know if Teacher Zhou will agree.”

After speaking, a faint pink appeared on the tips of her ears.

Shen Jinglan smirked on the other side of the screen, her tone light and airy: “Mm, I’ll ask her for you later, if you can bring a family member.”

Jiang Wenting’s ears turned even redder: “Thank you, Lan Jie.”

Beiye was stifling laughter beside them.
No one knew better than her the calm coolness with which this serious person deliberately teased others.
Because she was so meticulous, whatever she said, no matter how outlandish, still gave people an undeniable sense of conviction that couldn’t be refuted.

The two wives, in cahoots, teased Jiang Wenting until she was as red as a cooked shrimp, then reluctantly hung up the phone.

A moment later, Grandma, leaning on her cane, came up to the third floor carrying a basket of roasted sweet potatoes: “Roasted sweet potatoes for sale!
“Three coins each, money back if it’s not delicious!”

Yi Lan heard the familiar hawking and looked towards the door immediately.
The old woman was leaning against the doorframe, her eyes narrowed to slits.
The smell of roasted sweet potatoes wafted in from the doorway.

Beiye impatiently ran over to take the basket from Grandma’s hand, but the old woman slapped her hand away: “Go on, go on!
“No money, no roasted sweet potatoes!”

She opened her shriveled palm: “Three coins each!”

Beiye made a smacking sound and pressed her small hand against the elder’s hand: “Three coins for you, I want to eat roasted sweet potatoes.”

Grandma pouted: “Hmph, you want to eat my roasted sweet potatoes without paying?
“How stingy!”

Jiang Wenting and Yi Lan watched the granddaughter and grandmother bickering at the door, a strange sense of warmth filling their hearts.

Grandma carried the sweet potatoes in, her eyes narrowed as she looked at Yi Lan, smacking her lips and calling out: “Oh dear, some people don’t listen, secretly ran out to chase someone and still didn’t catch them, turned into a little dumpling~”

Jiang Wenting: “…”

This family, they definitely had some comedic genes in them.

Yi Lan had a blank expression, saying nothing.
The old woman picked out a sweet potato from the basket and held it in front of her: “Little dumpling, do you want to eat roasted sweet potatoes?”

Yi Lan reached out, preparing to take it, but the old woman suddenly pulled back: “Three coins each, pay first!”

Yi Lan retracted her outstretched hand and glanced at Jiang Wenting’s face.

Jiang Wenting smiled: “Grandma, don’t tease Yi Lan anymore.”

The old woman let out another “Aiyoh,” turning her focus to Jiang Wenting: “Now some people feel sorry for her?
“Why didn’t you feel sorry for her when you abandoned her in the sand and gravel heap early this morning?”

She said, glancing at Yi Lan, and started to sow discord: “If I had backbone, I wouldn’t sit on the same bed and eat buns with her!”

Jiang Wenting: “…”

Beiye gloated from the side: “Grandma, you really know how to rub salt in wounds!”

Grandma: “Go on, go on!
“Rubbing salt makes it heal faster, what do you know, you little furball.”

Beiye: “…”

The room was filled with teasing, yet the atmosphere inexplicably became sweet.
Finally, Grandma peeled a sweet potato for Yi Lan.
Yi Lan took the peeled sweet potato, taking large bites.
“Old woman, eat slower, no one’s going to snatch it from you!”

Someone who had spent a long time in military camps ate in a certain way, but Yi Lan still unconsciously slowed down, taking small sips and bites.

Seeing this, Grandma sat beside her, contentedly putting her arm around Yi Lan’s shoulder, then looked at Jiang Wenting, her brows furrowed like a scolding child: “Jiangjiang, you, listen to Grandma, later, treat Yi Lan better.
“A girl’s heart is very delicate, did you hear that?”

Jiang Wenting: “Understood, Grandma.”

Grandma: “And you’re not allowed to go film that… what’s it called, wolf-dog drama?
“Can money ever be earned enough?”

Beiye, hearing this, couldn’t help but correct her: “Werewolf, Grandma.”

“I don’t care if you’re a wolf or a dog!
“You’re just not allowed to go!
“Money is never more important than a person.
“If your body breaks down, you’ll have nothing,” Grandma glanced at Yi Lan, then pointed at Jiang Wenting’s nose and scolded: “Her heart isn’t good.
“You, you almost died from not resting well during your previous filming.
“You still haven’t learned your lesson.
“The northwest is so far away, can your small bodies handle staying there?”

She lectured her continuously.
Jiang Wenting listened, her eyes welling up.
It had been a long time since anyone had cared for her so much, and suddenly, it felt a little unfamiliar.

Beiye saw the old woman getting worked up and daintily leaned over, clinging to her: “Oh, Grandma, it’s not as serious as you say~”

The old woman lost her temper with Beiye’s clinging.
After a few more scolding words, she stopped.
A moment later, she pulled out a money pouch from her pocket, took out a silver bank card from inside, and pressed it into Jiang Wenting’s hand: “Take this.
“This is the pocket money I’ve saved all these years.
“Yi Lan is sick, and you’ll need a lot of money.”

Jiang Wenting’s tears immediately fell.
She choked back a sob, trying to refuse: “Grandma, I don’t want it.
“I’m grown up now, I can earn my own money.”

“Even grown up, you’re still my child,” the old woman said, then became vigilant again: “You’re not allowed to go filming, understood?”

Jiang Wenting nodded repeatedly: “Understood, Grandma.”

Grandma firmly put the card in her hand: “Take it.
“If you don’t let this old granny help you, are you still hoping for that Jiang family to help you?
“It’s good enough if those beasts don’t harm people!”

Grandma gnashed her teeth whenever she mentioned the Jiang family.

Jiang Wenting had no choice but to accept the card.
She leaned in and hugged her: “Thank you, Grandma.”

The old woman was pleased.
She patted Jiang Wenting’s back, comforting her: “This is my good grandchild.
“You must be well!”

Beiye chimed in, feeling a little sour: “Grandma, then what am I?
“I also don’t have money to spend, why don’t you give me some?”

Grandma snorted: “With a big company like Shen Jinglan’s, would you ever be short?”

Shen Jinglan, who was already on set for the screen test, inexplicably sneezed.
The artist acting opposite her immediately got up from the floor, asking concernedly: “Teacher Shen, are you feeling unwell?”

Shen Jinglan waved her hand, her expression calm: “It’s nothing.
“Continue!”

“Three, two, one, action…”

The girl again crouched on the floor, making “hiss-hiss” wolf growls.
Shen Jinglan instantly softened, reaching out.
Her water-filled eyes watched the person in front of her: “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid.
“I won’t hurt you…”

“Awooh,” the person in front of her bared her teeth, her chin sharply lifting, and Shen Jinglan’s palm was bitten.

“Stop!” Zhou Jing called out from the side, a hint of impatience in her alluring fox-like eyes.
She didn’t say what she was dissatisfied with, just waved her arm, dismissing it: “Next!”

The girl got up, disheartened.
She glanced at Zhou Jing, bit her lip, and silently retreated.

Zhou Jing and Shen Jinglan exchanged a look: “This is the third one.
“I spent an entire week picking this group, and not one of them is usable.
“Tell me, tell me about these young people now.
“They don’t think about how to improve their acting skills…”

Shen Jinglan had also risen from the floor, her tone businesslike: “Alright, Teacher Zhou, it’s already good for newcomers to act to this extent!”

Zhou Jing immediately bristled: “This is already good?
“If they film dramas like this, what’s the point for the audience?!”

Shen Jinglan was left speechless by her retort.

Zhou Jing’s face darkened.
She motioned to her assistant: “No more auditions.
“Tell those outside to go home!”

The assistant was about to comply when Shen Jinglan called out: “Teacher Zhou, wait a moment.”

Zhou Jing heard her, tilted her head, her face still displeased.

Shen Jinglan spoke, her tone calm: “Let them finish.
“The artists have prepared for a long time for this.
“You can’t dismiss the later ones just because the earlier ones didn’t do well.”

Zhou Jing looked at her assistant, hesitating for a few seconds: “Let them come in!”

The tedious screen tests began once more.
Shen Jinglan accompanied them for an entire afternoon, her shoulders aching and heavy.
She sat on a studio chair, massaging them with her hands.
Zhou Jing’s fox-like eyes were wide and round, as she incessantly accused the person on the chair: “I told you it wouldn’t work, didn’t I?

“But you insisted on trying.
“And what’s the result?
“Is there even one usable?”

Shen Jinglan stopped massaging her shoulders, lifting her eyelids to look at the other party: “Then, Teacher Zhou, what do you think of me?”

Zhou Jing was still immersed in her indignant state, somewhat slow to react: “What did you say?”

Shen Jinglan: “I said, Teacher Zhou, what do you think of me?”

Zhou Jing reacted, her face beaming with delight.
She almost jumped up from the floor: “Ah ah ah ah ah!”

She was so happy she jumped up like a madwoman.
After her outburst, she spread her arms and leaned in, wanting to hug Shen Jinglan, who was sitting on the stool, but Shen Jinglan deftly dodged her.

Zhou Jing wasn’t embarrassed.
She patted the dust off herself, the smile in her eyes uncontainable: “Didn’t you say you were very busy?
“Why did you suddenly change your mind?
“And if you changed your mind, why didn’t you tell me earlier, forcing me to stay up late for several nights to select this pile of…”

She wasn’t a bad person, but she had always been blunt.
At this moment, due to Shen Jinglan’s aura, the word “trash” that was stuck in her throat was swallowed whole.

Shen Jinglan’s demeanor remained stable throughout, her voice still low and pleasant: “Yes, I don’t have much time, but the one at home wants to go, so I can only make time.”

When she said “the one at home,” there was an imperceptible hint of doting in her eyes.

Zhou Jing, fed an unexpected mouthful of PDA, didn’t care.
She clasped her fists: “Ah, then I must thank Xiao Ye, thank you, for finally finding a candidate for my wolf girl!”

Shen Jinglan: “Teacher Zhou, don’t rush to thank me.
“What if I’m just going there to be a body double for you?”

“Body double?” Zhou Jing’s pupils widened in shock.

Shen Jinglan nodded: “Mm.”