158 Chapter 158: What does what An Nuonuo did yesterday have to do with today's An Nuonuo?

If one were to calculate according to the mind of the unscrupulous.

Zhou Qingyue initially approached An Nuonuo for a peaceful resolution with the purpose of lowering An Nuonuo's guard.

Then, in their daily chats, she incessantly praised how lucrative the entertainment industry was.

When the timing was right, she would lure An Nuonuo away from her studies and persuade her to enter the entertainment world.

By then, she might give An Nuonuo contracts laden with traps.

And bind An Nuonuo.

Even more viciously, Zhou Qingyue might use the contract to force An Nuonuo into accompanying others for drinks and the like.

Completely destroying her.

As for why Zhou Qingyue would do this, it was naturally as a way to retaliate against herself.

Jiang Xu never minded harboring the worst assumptions about others.

Because often, it could help him avoid a lot of troubles, even crises.

What if Zhou Qingyue truly had such intentions?

Then An Nuonuo, who originally had a bright future, would be cast into the abyss.

Even if An Nuonuo's father was rich, Jiang Xu could step in.

But if such a thing truly happened, it would undoubtedly cause harm to An Nuonuo.

Thinking here, Jiang Xu felt the impulse to blow Zhou Qingyue's head off.

This Zhou Dongxi, constantly causing trouble, was truly disgusting.

However, outwardly, Jiang Xu didn't say a word and quietly watched the television.

Soon, the second episode was over.

They only showed two episodes a day.

Then, Jiang Xu spoke seriously to An Nuonuo, "The college entrance exam is not far off.

You're not allowed to go out and play with anyone other than me from now on, all your time should be spent studying, got it?"

An Nuonuo caught on immediately with her cheeks puffing up, "You just eavesdropped on my chat."

Jiang Xu denied vehemently, "Nonsense, I did not."

An Nuonuo: "Liar, liar, pants on fire."

Jiang Xu: "Woof, woof, woof!"

An Nuonuo: "..."

Facing the thick-skinned Jiang Xu, An Nuonuo was defeated in an instant.

She couldn't win, just couldn't.

"Fine, I'm leaving." An Nuonuo stood up, it was almost ten o'clock.

Usually, she would go to bed around nine or nine-thirty.

Upon reaching the door, Jiang Xu still couldn't hold it in.

His hands on An Nuonuo's shoulders, he looked straight into her eyes.

He was very serious as he shared all his thoughts with An Nuonuo.

He wouldn't be like some silly TV dramas where the male lead would clam up and the female lead wouldn't ask.

A small misunderstanding could turn into a massive misunderstanding that was dragged out for dozens of episodes.

Only to be resolved in the final episode.

This was literally insaneness, serious insaneness.

Speaking out directly could have prevented many follow-up problems from occurring.

"This... shouldn't happen, right?" An Nuonuo hesitated.

She was too kind-hearted, always viewing things positively.

Sometimes Jiang Xu wished she could keep her innocence.

But other times, he wished she could stay vigilant against the outside world to avoid being bullied.

A little like a father's mentality.

Gently patting her head, "You're too naive, the world is very complicated.

Just listen to me, I definitely won't harm you, right?"

"Oh, okay, I understand." An Nuonuo nodded.

Seeing her take in his advice, Jiang Xu finally felt relieved.

Once again he reminded, "Remember, no one is allowed to invite you out for these few days.

Stay good at your home, or our home to study."

"Got it, I'm leaving now."

An Nuonuo got into the car, fastened her seatbelt, and started the car.

The car window suddenly rolled down.

She stuck her tongue out at Jiang Xu, "Then I won't go out anywhere in the future, you're also a bad person."

Jiang Xu was furious, "An Nuonuo, you are quite bold!"

An Nuonuo quickly stepped on the accelerator and zoomed off.

Jiang Xu yelled, "Wait for me, I'll deal with you tomorrow."

The next day.

Liu Yue woke up early and sent messages to several TV stations she was collaborating with.

She wanted to know first-hand the TV ratings of "Those Bygone Years" from the day before.

The first response came from the head of a provincial TV station.

0.526!

"Phew, that's great!" Liu Yue breathed a sigh of relief.

Though this rating isn't extraordinary, it's reasonable enough.

Typically, a TV rating of 1-2% is considered passable.

But for a drama to be a massive hit, its rating needs to surpass 5%.

Some exceptional dramas might even reach 10%.

However, this is something that happens only once in a blue moon.

It might take three to five years, or even longer, for such a drama to come along.

Take "Empresses in the Palace," which came out a few years later, as an example. It was a phenomenon.

That said, considering the limited promotion by the TV station and the non-exclusive broadcasting rights,

this result had definitely exceeded Liu Yue's expectations.

Minutes later, responses from several other TV stations trickled in.

The rating from another provincial TV station was 0.599.

The ratings from the remaining four regional stations were 0.302, 0.289, 0.269, and 0.308, respectively.

Moreover, a few stations had included a detailed breakdown.

The channel switching rate, the average viewing length, and more—all were top-notch.

This indicated that the potential of the drama was huge.

The heads of the four regional stations called later, one by one.

They assured her that the drama would receive more weighted promotion from now on.

At the same time, they also proposed purchasing the broadcasting rights to the movie version of "Those Bygone Years."

"Great!" Liu Yue gave a triumphant punch into the air, "This drama is a surefire hit!

I need to allocate more funds for promotion.

Who knows, this drama might just become the face of the company this year!"

She believed that with the improving ratings, more TV stations would reach out to buy the copyrights.

She couldn't help sharing the good news with Chen Xueyi, Zhou Qingyue, and Jiang Xu immediately.

...

"Speak up: how do you wish to die?"

When they reached school, Jiang Xu gripped An Nuonuo's neck with one hand, looking menacing.

This girl was really gutsy the night before.

"Ah, it's itchy, let me go..."

Caught off guard by the sudden attack, An Nuonuo's neck pulled back, and she struggled fiercely.

Jiang Xu leaned in a little closer.

From this close distance, he could see that her skin was flawless—he couldn't spot a single pore.

Her body exuded a faint, pleasant scent.

It was a peculiar, yet beautiful mix of osmanthus and roses.

Jiang Xu's heartbeat quickened a bit.

He eased back a little, and his harsh expression softened somewhat.

But he still held onto her neck, "Still acting up?"

An Nuonuo blinked.

In a soft and innocent voice, she asked, "What has today's An Nuonuo got to do with what yesterday's An Nuonuo did?"

Jiang Xu: "???"