QTIMP -Chapter 175 Character Persona – Overachiever (Part 7)

Si Qiu was just about to snap back at him when she heard him speak again.

“I’ll pay you. As compensation for your emotional distress—one million each time.”

The words that had reached her lips instantly changed direction. “Five million.”

Tang Chaoyun took a deep breath. “Fine!”

Si Qiu felt she had asked for too little, but since the words were already out, it wasn’t appropriate to argue further.

So she immediately agreed, “Alright then. Rest assured, I’ll perform well.”

Although Tang Chaoyun was relieved that Si Qiu was no longer crying or making a fuss, he couldn’t get used to her current sharpness and money-driven attitude. Still, he had no intention of looking into it too deeply.

With the company expanding into overseas markets, he wasn’t just busy—he was under immense pressure. He simply didn’t have the energy to deal with such trivial matters.

Thinking that she had indeed been wronged today, he decided to have his assistant buy a gift and send it to the villa for his wife.

After finishing his work, he had the driver take him to a private club. A few of his buddies quickly gathered around him.

Qian Ruifeng asked curiously, “Brother Tang, you look exhausted.”

Gu Qu curled his lips disdainfully. “How could he not be? He’s carrying the company on his own over here, and his wife isn’t exactly easy to deal with either.”

Leaning back on the sofa, Tao Yi swirled the wine in his glass. “I heard Sister-in-law invested a hundred million in that Dong family girl and even started an entertainment company with her classmates. That clearly means she wants financial independence—and then to abandon love altogether. Brother Tang, I think you should pay more attention to your wife.”

Qian Ruifeng nodded in agreement. “Si Qiu is beautiful, gentle, and even gave you a smart son. You’re going to spend your lives together—Brother Tang, you should really devote more attention to her.”

“Tch! Give me a break. You can’t spoil women like that. If she hadn’t been so troublesome this time, would the child have been lost? And about that investment—the Dong family girl may have some ability, but the potential of short video platforms is still uncertain. As for that entertainment company, I heard her makeshift team has put together a production crew, but it’s so shabby it looks like child’s play—basically just throwing money into a pit,” Gu Qu said with obvious disdain.

“Hahaha, why don’t you just say your three companies already monopolize the entertainment industry? Quzi, how about giving Sister-in-law a little something to work with for Brother Yun’s sake?”

Tao Yi nudged him with his shoulder, teasing.

Despite everyone in the industry being pessimistic about this low-cost, low-investment production team, filming still began after intense preparations.

At the same time, it was finally time for Si Qiu to finish her postnatal recovery period. She eagerly prepared herself a fragrant rose bath.

Bathing and showering—one is a necessity of life, the other is an enjoyment of it. They bring entirely different feelings.

Her stylist matched her with a complete outfit and makeup for daily outings. Then, she took the Maybach driven by her chauffeur to the filming location.

Why this particular car? It wasn’t about status—it was simply because the car wasn’t under her name. When she reviewed her assets, she discovered that out of the eight cars in the garage, only four belonged to her.

If she were to sell a car secondhand, ownership transfer procedures would be required. She figured that if Tang Chaoyun found out she was selling used cars, he would definitely stop her.

So she left those four cars untouched. Since she couldn’t sell them, she might as well use them to the fullest—after all, they weren’t hers anyway.

Following the location, Si Qiu arrived at the filming site—only to find that no shooting was taking place. Instead, a heated argument was underway.

Under the protection of her bodyguards, she stood on the outskirts, listening in.

A middle-aged man spoke loudly, his tone far from polite. “Didn’t President Wu say that since you arrived first, the venue should be yours? But our contract was signed earlier than yours.”

“But we’ve already set up the entire venue, and our contract is also completely valid. If you want to hold someone accountable, you should go to the party who signed the contract with you—not us.”

Wu Ying was arguing her case firmly.

“That’s not how it works. Our filming schedule is tight right now—”

At that moment, the villa’s management rushed over. “Oh dear, oh dear—so sorry, so sorry.”

Though he kept apologizing, his words were nothing but vague appeasement. He neither wanted to offer compensation nor had any real solution to allow both parties to use the villa. Worse, it was obvious he was siding with the other group, deliberately making things difficult for them.

Escorted by her bodyguards, Si Qiu stepped into the middle of the dispute.

“Apologies are useless. I’ll give you two options,” she said calmly. “First, we continue filming—after all, the set is already fully arranged. Second, you compensate us for damages and downtime, and we’ll move to another location.”

Wu Ying tugged lightly at her sleeve and whispered, “How can we just give in? Finding another villa will delay everything—and it won’t be easy either.”

Though she spoke in a low voice, those nearby could still hear her clearly. The villa manager was counting on exactly that, deliberately pressuring them in hopes of squeezing out more money.

After all, he had heard that President Gu of Yuanhang Entertainment had openly said he wanted to see them make a fool of themselves.

So while he kept saying “sorry,” his expression told a completely different story.

Si Qiu cast him a casual glance. “Do I look like someone who lacks property?” she said lightly. “What do you want—an European-style villa or a traditional Chinese courtyard?”

Wu Ying stood there, mouth opening and closing for a long moment before suddenly clapping her hands together. She pulled out her phone and made a call.

“Hello, Lawyer Zhao? Please bring a team over to handle a case for us. The villa we rented has been leased out a second time by management. I expect them to compensate according to the contract.”

Whatever was said on the other end, she ended the call with a decisive snap and lifted her chin, looking at the middle-aged man.

“Manager Sun, you can discuss this with our legal department’s Lawyer Zhao. We’ll withdraw now so we don’t interfere with your handling of the matter.”

The rest of the crew quickly caught on. Ignoring Manager Sun’s attempts to stop them, they began dismantling the set and loading everything onto trucks.

Manager Sun immediately panicked. He absolutely could not let them leave like this—if they really pursued the matter, he would have to pay a hefty sum in compensation.

More importantly, it suddenly dawned on him—this woman was the wife of the Tang Group’s CEO. Even if she wasn’t favored, she was far beyond the reach of someone like him to offend.

He hurriedly stepped forward to block Wu Ying and slapped himself hard across the face.

“President Wu, you see, you’re just a bit hot-tempered,” he said hastily. “The set is already arranged—taking it apart will be troublesome. Let’s sit down and discuss this properly.”

This time, Wu Ying stood her ground.

“You’re right—our schedule is tight, so we don’t have time to argue with you. You can talk to our legal team.”

When the company was first established, the very first department Wu Ying had secured was legal. She understood this industry too well—without reliable legal support, you could be cheated to death.

She had discussed this with Si Qiu before, and Si Qiu had fully agreed.

After making arrangements, Wu Ying brought the two male leads over to greet Si Qiu.

That’s right—their first short drama featured dual male protagonists.

In fact, the novel this drama was based on hadn’t even finished updating yet.