WBSGVS Chapter 169 V2

Once they got the photo, it was professionally retouched and posted by a marketing account, sparking a frenzy among fans.

“Our girl looks even more stunning now!”

“What’s there to brag about? You still can’t beat our girl!”

The fans were ecstatic. And because Huo Qingli was no longer clinging to anyone like a lovesick fool, her public image among casual viewers also improved. Seeing her in such a fierce, powerful role won over even more admirers.

“Is this the post-divorce glow-up? So cool!”

“I love it! When does it air? Even the title sounds awesome!”

【Is she the main female lead? She looks amazing!】

In the end, Qīnglí alone managed to withstand the combined star power of Yì Xuě and the young male idol.

This made Yì Xuě, the female lead of “Pursuit,” start to panic.

Both she and Qīnglí were second-tier actresses—not breakout stars, but well-known enough. However, it was clear that the company was favoring Qīnglí.

Yì Xuě had landed her role thanks to Xǔ Yīn’s behind-the-scenes help. Although Yì Xuě had paid a steep price for it, this major IP project was too valuable—many people had their eyes on it.

On top of that, she’d been trying to switch agencies for a while but didn’t want to shoulder the massive breach of contract penalty. Some companies had approached her, promising they’d cover the fee if “Pursuit” became a hit.

Yì Xuě had pinned high hopes on this show. She had spent a week carefully selecting just a few perfect photos for the promotional stills—only to have them completely overshadowed the moment Qīnglí’s images were released.

Furious, she sent Yì Yáng over to the screenwriter to demand better scenes.

She wanted cool, powerful scenes too!

Meanwhile, the male idol team from the same show also scrambled to negotiate with production. If the female lead got flashy moments, they wanted theirs too—they couldn’t let just one person steal the spotlight!

In contrast to the chaos over at “Pursuit,” the set of “Heaven’s Fate Archives” was much more orderly—Qīnglí practically had the final say on everything.

As the main investor and the female lead, Qīnglí was the boss. The rest of the cast were mostly recent graduates from acting academies, and the director and screenwriter were from her team. Whatever she wanted written into the script, they made happen.

Qīnglí was determined to build her career. Besides investing in the show, she wanted to go head-to-head against “Pursuit.”

Did Xǔ Yīn think Qīnglí would fail just because she wasn’t part of “Pursuit”?
Not.

She would find an even better script.

Having inherited the memories of the original Qīnglí, she knew that when “Pursuit” eventually aired, it didn’t live up to expectations at all.

A great show needed both good actors and a good script. The original Qīnglí, as the favored princess of Tiānshèng Entertainment, had no shortage of money, and the production had plenty of funding. She was obedient and sweet, which meant the director had full creative control.

Without a strong director and screenwriter calling the shots, shows often ended up a mess.

“Heaven’s Fate Archives” was another female-centered drama, just like “Pursuit.”

Qīnglí crafted the female lead’s character arc to be striking: starting naive and awkward, growing into someone confident and mature.

Even the supporting roles were carefully written, so the students who joined the cast were genuinely happy—they knew landing roles like this was a rare opportunity.

No one dared to slack off. Everyone worked hard to bring their characters to life.

The series had eight story arcs, filmed by two teams (A and B groups), aiming to wrap filming in four months, followed by editing and post-production.

The bulk of the funding came from Huo Qīngyú, with a smaller portion from Qīnglí herself. Huo Chāngróng, hearing she was producing a show, also contributed funds.

That extra funding was earmarked for promotion, because no matter how good a show was, without marketing, it could easily flop.

Halfway through filming, since Qīnglí had told her parents she wanted to run the family company, Huo Chāngróng handed her an invitation.

He told Huo Qīngyú to take her to a high-society party to help her build connections. If she ever needed investors down the line, she’d know where to find them.

Two days later, Qīnglí, arm-in-arm with Huo Qīngyú, arrived at the Zheng family mansion.

Smiling, they handed the invitation to the servant at the gate and walked toward the main hall.

On the way, Huo Qīngyú muttered under his breath, “I don’t care what Mom and Dad say. Since they trained me all these years to take over the company, there’s no way I’m handing it over to you.”

It made no sense for him to work so hard all those years, only for the company to be handed to her just because she said a few words.

There was no way he was going to allow it.

Qīnglí maintained her polite, mask-like smile and said softly, “Don’t worry. I only want Tiānshèng. I’ll build the rest myself.”

“Hmph!” Huo Qīngyú snorted disdainfully.

As they entered the main hall, a middle-aged man passed by. Huo Qīngyú immediately called out, “Uncle Zhang! It’s been so long! This is my sister, Qīnglí.”

Then he turned honestly toward Qīnglí and added, “Sis, this is Uncle Zhang—the one who gave us those giant toy cars for our tenth birthday. Remember?”

Qīnglí smiled warmly. “Of course I remember. Uncle Zhang, you still look so young.”

The middle-aged man laughed heartily. “For a second, I thought little Qīngyú had brought a girlfriend. I didn’t expect it to be Qīnglí—look at how beautiful you’ve grown.”

“Come on,” Huo Qīngyú waved his hand, trying to brush it off.

Qīnglí quietly pinched his arm.

His face stiffened instantly, and he quickly ended the small talk, leading her further inside.

They crossed the main hall into the rear garden where the real party was being held, only to run straight into Shěn Yànjūn, who had just finished greeting other guests.

The two sides froze instinctively—especially Shěn Yànjūn and Huo Qīngyú.

Meanwhile, Qīnglí, seemingly unaffected, asked with a tilt of her head, “Why aren’t you walking?”

That broke the tension. Huo Qīngyú quickly picked up his pace and led her away.

Left behind, Shěn Yànjūn couldn’t help but turn around to watch Qīnglí walk away.

The silver fishtail dress hugged her figure perfectly, elegant and breathtaking, drawing countless admiring glances wherever she went.

Within moments, a young man approached her, inviting her to dance.

Shěn Yànjūn instinctively frowned and took a few steps toward them, only to stop himself.

He had no right to interfere anymore.

They were in the middle of a divorce.

If it weren’t for some pending paperwork regarding the property transfer, they would already be officially separated.

A sharp, bitter pain twisted in his chest, but even though he tried to look away, his eyes were glued to her.

Especially when he saw how easily she chatted and laughed with the young man.

His eyes narrowed, and a cold smile tugged at his lips.

There was no way Qīnglí, who had once loved him so much, would dance with someone else so easily.
It had to be an act.

But at that very moment, Qīnglí placed her hand in the young man’s and accepted his invitation to dance.

Shěn Yànjūn’s breath caught.
The sharp pain in his chest deepened into a dull, bitter ache, spreading through his body, making even the tip of his tongue taste sour.