Chapter 10

Sang Yu found joy in The Demolition Office. Had a 'real' job now. Confidence when talking to family.

Leaving early, coming home late — fully justified.

Rare free moment. Dropped by Sang Ying's pet shop. Found her in the exam room, crying, hair stuck to her face.

Sang Yu froze. 'What happened?'

Bullied?

At work? In love?

First instinct: throw weight around, meet violence with violence. Snapped back fast. Asked Sang Ying what happened.

Sang Ying, tears streaming: 'Ma Zhu's dead. They dug him up and ate him. Missing one bite of meat?!'

She gagged describing it.

Sang Ying loved animals since childhood. Anything with fur, big or small.

High school, her older brother took off. She went to college for animal medicine. Opened her own pet shop.

This year, she'd built up some regulars.

Today, a client told her — their dog accidentally ate poison. Someone dug the dog up from its grave and ate it.

So disgusting. So evil...

Sang Ying couldn't hold it together.

Sang Yu frowned listening.

Same as Sang Ying — missing one bite of meat? Dig up a grave to eat it? Not afraid of leftover poison killing them?

'Can I help?'

Sang Yu asked directly. Legal routes, other routes — anything works.

Sang Ying paused, shook her head hesitantly: 'I'll ask Ma Zhu's mom first. Bro, can you come with me?'

Ma Zhu's mom traveled a lot for work. Ma Zhu often went to daycare.

Unused membership fees. Stored dog food, leash, little backpack, all sorts of stuff.

Sang Ying would return them.

All Ma Zhu's things. Owner could keep them as mementos.

'Sure, let's go.'

Sang Ying can't drive.

Technically she has a license. But she can't merge with the car. Always worried about hitting someone or a post.

So Sang Yu drives.

On the road, Sang Yu and Sang Ying discussed opening a funeral department at the hospital. Cremation and burial. Stop grave-digging at the source.

Sang Ying rubbed her nose, voice muffled: 'Back on set again? Got money again?'

Sang Yu flipped the left turn signal, preparing to U-turn: 'You bet. While big bro's in a good mood, ask fast. This offer won't last.'

'Yes yes yes—'

Sang Ying grabbed another tissue, wiped tears, brought up her screenwriter career.

'Grandpa and grandma keep asking what TV show I actually wrote. When I publish my pen name, they'll rush to brag.'

Sang Yu: 'I'll keep it hidden until I die. If it gets out? Every pig-feed seller back home will know my pen name.'

Before, when she was small and hadn't made it big, neighbors from the next complex came to see the 'great author.'

If it really got out...

No way.

Keep it hidden.

·

Sang Yu doesn't keep pets. So he doesn't feel what Sang Ying feels. But that act still made him sick.

Normally he doesn't notice cats and dogs on the street. Lately he glances twice. Chatting with Chihong Chen, curious about pet dogs.

Didn't know others were speculating, deliberately trying to please him.

So after revealing a little, everything flooded in.

Anyone who adopted a cat — Chihong Chen's 'eye for opportunity' had everyone starting to write stories about dog ghosts seeking revenge.

Chihong Chen: Whether it goes in the script is one thing. Writing it — definitely writing it!

Original author. Adding custom content for the moneybags? Too easy.

Just look at peers — original authors basically can't get on set. No say in how the drama turns out.

Next door, a big female lead drama got blown up into a big male lead drama. Nothing they could do.

Chihong Chen's first film and TV sale. Got on set. Participating in screenwriting. Veto power on script changes. Burning high incense.

For an author, no less than a dying hallucination.

Chihong Chen almost knelt to Sang.

Though the guy definitely didn't want that.

Sang Yu: '...'

Sigh. Add it in.

Sang Ying called — the owner consulted a lawyer. Results weren't good.

A mutt dug up for meat — hard to define specific compensation in law. Especially emotional value.

Lawsuits take time and energy. Further damage to the owner. Might not even get an apology in the end.

Owner broke down.

Preparing to move.

If The Demolition Office could insert a small episode, film some 'evil gets evil' stuff, might comfort the owner a little.

Like that. Script grew a few more pages.

Don't know how other crews' script progress is. In Sang Yu's view, The Demolition Office's progress is good.

Soon, the full script will be done. Can apply for filming filing with the outline.

Male lead Xuan Leron — his training in the action studio was getting better.

Today Sang also watched.

Last time Sang watched, Xuan Leron had just started training.

Unfamiliar with moves, practicing terribly. Sang watched a while, said nothing, left. Xuan Leron was on edge for days.

Knew that if Sang wanted to swap actors, he could anytime.

This time, Xuan Leron was like a student being quizzed. Head high, chest out. The action director usually tried hard, now tried harder.

Xuan Leron was surrounded by two stuntmen. Fists and feet flying. Looking fierce.

'Turn, sweep — yes! Pull back, don't actually kick!'

...

One round done. Xuan Leron started reading the room.

Watching Sang's micro-expressions.

Sang — nervous or not, Sang was like a stable anchor. Gave everyone inexplicable confidence.

'Pretty good.'

Sang Yu watched a while, expressed satisfaction. Finally not that 0.5x slow-motion stuff. That kind of fight scene is tiring to watch.

Didn't expect Xuan Leron, who looks refined, thin even, to have such intensity.

Not surprising either. Xuan Leron was sharp-tongued online, clapping back at haters before.

After Xuan Leron's whole stunt, his fan forum sign-ins actually went up.

Along with it, The Demolition Office's follower count hit a small peak.

Sang Yu was satisfied.

He didn't care about the drama's eventual ratings. But follower count, comment count — better numbers, happier him.

Maybe vanity is baked into human nature.

Sang Yu found a corner — too obvious a spot had staff filming behind-the-scenes, avoid it — to watch training.

Actually after that stunning set was done, it repeated. Pretty boring.

Sang Yu watched a while, left again.

Had a dinner meeting.

The non-drinking kind.

A bit, Sang Yu wanted to thank the tycoon system again.

Working a job, called to dinner meetings. Must drink. Must toast. Must give face to random people. Not anymore.

Dinner meeting. Just dinner.

No tea, no alcohol. Milk as the drink. People still praise him for health.

The Demolition Office — a three-no product. But investors weren't few.

Everyone assumed The Demolition Office would flop. Giving Sang Yu face.

Making friends mainly. Investing secondarily. Using money that won't recoup for favors. Hoping for next time's dealings.

After all, Sang Yu had the strength.

This dinner's other guest — Huajing Entertainment Group's newly-appointed president. Xi Xingfa.

Aurora Entertainment currently rents space in Huajing International. One of Huajing's properties.

Huajing started in the hotel business. Later expanded continuously — real estate, finance, entertainment, jewelry, etc.

Twenty years ago — the last golden age of actors in entertainment. Also Huajing Entertainment's last glory.

Old-school stars lost their appeal. Can't keep reheating cold rice. Nostalgia's a use-once thing. Easy to lose value.

New stars — qualifications aren't bad. But weirdly, can't make them blow up.

Entertainment business half-dead.

So the new president — Huajing Group chairman's third son — decided to adapt to the times. Shouted a slogan:

[Revitalize the entertainment sector. Make the group's various industries intersect more deeply and diversely.]

Xi Xingfa was serious.

Or not — Sang Yu wasn't sure. But the cosplay-as-successful-person itch kicked in. Ready to go to dinner and play adult.

Before leaving, hit the bathroom.

Sang Yu usually doesn't let people follow. At the corridor corner, accidentally overheard people talking. Mentioned Xuan Leron.

Not bad-mouthing. Body?

'Men and women are built differently. Look — chest, waist, legs, dimples. Key point: no little belly.'

'Can you train into that?'

'Mainly genetics, right?'

'Still gotta train. Pure starving won't work. Otherwise why would the circle have so many big-head, thin-body stick insects?'

'I can't train. Eating that little every day, can't even poop. Train more, feel like equipment will snap my legs.'

'Cheekbones stick out. Bad on camera. Fill the temples? Push inward?'

Inject some material. Fill sunken temples. Makes face shape smoother.

Addition method. Easy to look swollen. Big head, small body. Good thing: reversible.

Reduction method. Remove extra bone. Needs general anesthesia. Irreversible.

'Here...'

...

Sang Yu unethically finished eavesdropping.

Xuan Leron's body is good?

Didn't notice.

At the audition, too many people. All thin. Didn't pay attention.

Sang Yu finished in the bathroom. Decided to go verify the new intel.

Xuan Leron was training.

Defusing moves, sidestepping a punch, squatting into a sweep. Clean moves. Muscle lines tightening with force.

Not big chunks, washboard-when-pumped muscles.

Hmm?

Has substance, but doesn't show off?

Xuan Leron's head sweated. Semi-sheer short-sleeve clung to him. Sweat-darkened spots — dark here, light there.

No shoulder pads. No baggy clothes blurring leg-torso ratio. Looking closely, Xuan Leron's various proportions were all good.

Broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs...

Matched up.

As for dimples — haven't seen yet.

Don't know. Xuan Leron's face plus that body — there's a contrast.

Female lead, female supporting falling for male lead — seeing the body, being moved by looks — more reasonable than the universal 'gentle' halo.

Girls also like guys with curves front and back. Front curve: chest. Back curve: butt. Just don't say it easily.

Sang Ying's like that.

How would Sang Yu know?

Because Sang Ying uses Douyin. Didn't turn off that contact recommendation. Clicked recommended videos easily spreading to Sang Yu's homepage.

Sang Yu had liked who-knows-how-many male bloggers with special-effect-covered faces, wearing high-neck black sweaters, dancing. Without even realizing.

Sang Yu's also a little shit.

Never mentioned it.