Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
“Look through the script first. Anything else can be negotiated after you take this job,” Or else everything would be just empty talk.
Du Changrong was as stubborn as ever. He was already in his fifties. Even after getting banged up in the entertainment industry, he still couldn’t learn how to handle things diplomatically.
Yun Xiangxiang heard that his wife had already divorced him because of his temper. Even his children couldn’t stand his obstinacy.
“Sure. Please, have a cup of tea first,” Yun Xiangxiang sat across of Du Changrong. She picked up the script and perused it.
The film was named “Villainess”. It was a historical film. The female protagonist was called Jiu Se.
Jiu Se was born in the red light district. Her mother was a poor woman that was sold to a brothel. She was taught how to pleasure men since she was little. She had already forgotten about her parents and her home.
Jiu Se’s mother was absolutely smashing. Her debut saw countless men fawning on her. A warlord later kept her all for himself. Her days were better than most people. She didn’t have to go back and forth among different men.
The good life didn’t last long. Her man died on the battlefield when she was pregnant with Jiu Se. When the news reached her after she gave birth, the invading army had already breached the city where they lived in. She took her newborn daughter and her erstwhile maidservant to escape amidst the chaos.
Most of her money was stolen by the maidservant when they were hiding here and there. Left without a choice, she found a place where she could stay temporarily. This family also fell into decline because of their matriarch’s opium addiction. The whole family hid in a farming village.
The villagers felt that Jiu Se’s mother was an indecent woman when they looked at her. They ostracized their family. Jiu Se’s stepfather died in grief with her mother following not long after.
Jiu Se was only fifteen at the time. Some men in the village lusted after her because of her beauty, but they scorned her at the same time. Some women were jealous of her while vilifying her at the same time.
Jiu Se lived in her stepfather’s house with her mother since she was little. She saw through a lot of things and could endure silently. Even though some of the villagers weren’t friendly, most of them were still kind. They cared about this girl who did nothing wrong and was left to fend for herself.
However, even villages weren’t safe during warring periods. Thugs harassed the village frequently. The family who protected Jiu Se were beaten to death by the thug because they had a dispute with him. The villagers called Jiu Se as a jinx, just like how her mother was.
It was during this moment that Jiu Se seduced the thug herself and became his woman.
The villagers were furious about this but they didn’t dare to even squeak about it since Jiu Se was protected by the thug.
Jiu Se seemed to be really proud of herself after that. She would frequently go to the village to brag and arrogantly bully the villagers.
The thug forbade anyone else from getting near the village to make her happy. Everyone in the village were Jiu Se’s playthings. She could do whatever she wanted to them.
Jiu Se became the most hated woman in the whole village.
Jiu Se’s good life didn’t last long. The thug suddenly died. Nobody knew why. It was like he didn’t wake once he slept.
The villagers thought that it was karmic retribution. Those who were humiliated by Jiu Se all wanted to catch her for punishment. However, they found out that Jiu Se had vanished without a trace.
Later in the biggest club of Shanghai Bund, the place of worldly pleasures; a dancer called Jiu Se appeared. She was eye-catching and lustrous. Men sought after her. The sixteen year old Jiu Se became the mistress of a sixty year old wealthy businessman.
This wealthy businessman was also a hated traitor to the country at the same time. He did dastardly deeds that included plundering the people’s wealth, selling opium, and forcing women into prostitution.
Jiu Se lived in the most extravagant house in Shanghai Bund. She had people follow her wherever she went, listening to her orders. In the end, she became the evil woman that the people of Shanghai Bund regarded with disdain who held a candle to the devil.
But so what? She still lived a lavish life. She still looked at those who despised her from atop her throne.
But it didn’t even take a year before the wealthy businessman died too. He died in his own home. It was because he got intoxicated from excessive intake of opium.
Jiu Se took her luggage and left Shanghai Bund in disgrace. Two years later, an eighteen year old Jiu Se became an authoritative figure’s concubine. He was fifty years old and had immense power. But he was also a traitor who sold the nation to the Japanese.
Wherever he went, he would bring Jiu Se, who was now a femme fatale with him. Jiu Se was as vain, reckless, and arrogant as usual. She didn’t have the shame of being a concubine.
She would abuse her power to bully those she didn’t like. All the wives of the notable families wanted to tear her apart. She even whispered in the ear of the authority and harmed the innocent and loyal.
So Jiu Se became the evil woman in the hearts of the nation’s people who had a conscience.
Her days of glory lasted for a mere five years. The Japanese army surrendered after that. The man she relied on was executed in jail.
In the end, she was sent to Hong Kong in secret and lived in a luxurious house with a courtyard. Her days were spent peacefully tending to flowers and plants.
Yun Xiangxiang sighed softly after she finished reading the script. Oh, Du Changrong’s script was still as indirect as ever.
The film was called “Villainess”. However, was Jiu Se truly an evil woman?
Just because the thug had his eyes on her, a revered villager who gave her warmth and protection was murdered. She became the thug’s woman after that.
She frequently went to the village to bully the villagers after she became the thug’s woman. The thug didn’t interfere in the village’s matter from then on just to make her happy. There was no bloodshed and death by oppression in the village after that.
The villagers were blind to that. All they could see was the torture and humiliation they suffered at Jiu Se’s hands.
Was it really because they didn’t notice it? Or was it because they were loath to admit it even after noticing it? They couldn’t admit the fact that they led better lives now was because of an indecent woman who sold her body for glory in their eyes.
How did the thug die? How could a weak woman like Jiu Se manage to elude the eyes and ears of the thug and escape?
And how could a woman who didn’t receive any training since she was little enter the most bustling club? How did she manage to adapt and make a name for herself in such a short time? How did she become so sought after and quickly became a target for a wealthy businessman?
As for the businessman who sold opium, he didn’t consume it for the past ten odd years. So why did he get addicted to it after just a year of getting together with Jiu Se and died under such bizarre circumstances?
Did those who were waiting for the chance to laugh at Jiu Se’s misfortune really nott think about any of this? Or was it because they couldn’t accept the fact that the person they spent all their efforts on hating and scorning was responsible for all of this?
Jiu Se disappeared for a couple of years. How did she rise from a dancer who only knew how to flirt and seduce someone who could go toe to toe with the nobles as the concubine of an authoritative figure? Was it really all because of her beauty?
Why did the powerful regimes that made Beijing descend into chaos and cause a headache for countless people for ten odd years collapse after just five years of inducting Jiu Se? Was it really destined?
Then why did Jiu Se, who had harmed countless innocents by whispering in her man’s ear was sent to Hong Kong in secret? How was she able to continue living her life in peace?
These things became terrifying when they were thought in detail.