007

By the time Jasmine found out, the situation was already under control. This whole incident ended up being free publicity for the drama. Now, everyone who loves watching TV dramas knows that Blue Studio is about to release a controversial youth idol drama. Many people plan to watch a few episodes after it airs, even if it turns out to be a bad drama, they won't lose anything and will have a reason to criticize it later. 

This is the reverse marketing wave. 

Directors hire internet trolls to bash their own work until even bystanders can't stand it anymore, thinking "It can't be that bad," "The drama hasn't even aired and it's already getting criticized so harshly, this is outrageous," "Did they offend someone?"... Once these thoughts arise, there will always be people wanting to find out more. 

The TV is right there, it doesn't cost anything to watch, might as well check it out. 

Check out this advertising effect. 

A drama that didn't have a high starting point gained widespread attention because of this online criticism, and many people are waiting for the premiere to see the truth. The director is ecstatic. 

As for Jasmine, she acted as if nothing happened from beginning to end, even if she knew the drama was being criticized, she didn't care. She told Ben that the drama was well-made, the quality should be decent, and when it airs, someone will apologize to the production team on Facebook, naturally whitewashing the situation. 

"Alright, I was ready to comfort you, but you don't seem to care." 

"...Sorry for making you worry for nothing." 

"If you really feel sorry, how about making a call for me?" 

Ben's mother, Ms. Yuan Hong, was watching them nearby, finding it more and more peculiar. Her son couldn't get along well with relatives' daughters, but he seemed to be closer to outsiders, maybe he was looking to start a romantic relationship. 

He was very different with Miss Lee who visited today. 

Politeness with hidden warmth, warmth with respect within. 

Ms. Yuan had been quiet until now but couldn't help but mock him, "What kind of person still needs help to make a call, do you not have hands to dial?"

Ben closed Facebook, found the Empress Dowager in his contacts, and handed the phone to his mother, "You have hands, go ahead and make a call." 

Ms. Yuan took a look - 

"Unlucky child, teasing your mother! You think writing a name like this I won't recognize? Isn't this your grandmother's old phone number?" 

"It's her number, Mom, can you make the call or not?" 

Ms. Yuan: ... 

"Can you make the call? Show me." 

Ms. Yuan looked at her son with disdainful eyes, saying he shouldn't behave like this, even if he offered her fish and meat daily, his grandmother wouldn't bless him if he joked like this about her. 

While the mother was speaking, the son handed his phone to the guest who had come to their home. 

Ben was quite a good "Kiss-Ass", arranging for butlers, coffee carts, and ice cream carts for Jasmine. Recently, he even helped get "The All-Round Girlfriend" on Blue Studio. By being so successful, he gained Sister Lee's favor. Without reaching for her phone, she pressed the bright green dial button and put it on speakerphone. 

The prolonged beep -- beep -- sound began. 

Ms. Yuan was genuinely surprised and thought this must be a trick her son and his friend were playing, like magic! 

But then a familiar voice came from the phone. 

Even though it had been a long time since she heard it, she recognized it immediately - it was her mother-in-law!!! (・ ・)

"Mother in law" called out in a familiar tone.

Yuan Hong felt a tingling sensation on his scalp, took two steps to his son's side, and twisted his ear: "You're addicted to teasing your mom? Still daring enough to call your grandma's phone number with a voice actor to deceive me. I should just end you. If your dad and grandpa find out, they'll skin you alive!" 

Similar scenes were not new to Jasmine, who remained calm.

Ben's ears were in pain, grimacing: "Usually so old-fashioned, but now you're trendy. You even thought of involving a voice actor. Tell me, which voice actor could imitate my grandma perfectly??? Grandma is not a celebrity." 

Ben retorted, and his mother added more force.

"I don't know what tricks you're playing, I just know your grandma is gone, long gone..."

"Who are you cursing, you unlucky daughter-in-law? I'm telling you, it's you who's gone!!! What did you do to my good grandson? Let him go!!!"

... ...

... ...

 The furious voice on the phone sounded exactly like her deceased mother-in-law from three years ago.

Yuan Hong was reluctant to believe such a situation but still unconsciously let go.

"Are you really mom?"

"If I'm not, are you?"

"But mom, you passed away three years ago..."

"So what? I died? Who said you can't contact me after death? I'm doing well down here. Just the other day, I even met your father-in-law. He's not happy with you guys!" 

Yuan Hong couldn't believe she would end up on a call with her deceased mother-in-law and even talk about her father who passed away earlier. It was a nightmare-inducing scenario. She couldn't process it, but Ben stepped in at the crucial moment, rubbing his ear and calling out to his phone, "Grandma."

"Grandma, let's talk about something serious. Are the braised pork elbow, Dongpo pork, crab tofu, and lion's head I made tasty?"

"Delicious, but not much to chew."

"I deliberately chose these dishes, easy to eat without much chewing. Is it because your teeth are not good?"

"My teeth were bad before, but they're fine now. I can eat anything."

"Great, I'll send you some beef jerky later, and let my mom personally roast some lamb chops for you, okay?"

The old lady hummed, "Don't bother the chairman's wife."

Yuan Hong, realizing it wasn't a joke, immediately lowered her stance, apologized, and expressed disbelief in the situation. If she had known they can contact, why wait until today to call? You know how worried the folks at home are. 

"Dad often mentions you, and so does my husband. The other day, I made some sour fish, and he even said it wasn't as tasty as when his mom makes it." 

"That's because I made the pickled vegetables myself. How can they compare to what you buy?" 

"Mom, you're not mad, right? We really really really miss you a lot." 

The old lady didn't answer directly, but asked, "Is everyone at home doing well? How is the old man's health?" 

"He's very healthy." 

"!!! So, if he misses me, I might as well be dead. If he misses me so much, he should follow me with worry and become sick with longing, right?"

This hands-free device is really a great choice. Jasmine almost burst into laughter listening to the banter between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law duo. 

She had dealt with many strange people before, and among them, this old lady definitely stood out as one of the most peculiar. 

Mrs. Yuan was almost overwhelmed. She explained, "When you just left last time, Dad was in a really bad state, not eating well, not sleeping well. Not to mention the brothers from the Air Force and Navy, even his older sister and younger sister rushed back to take turns persuading him. It was only after a lot of effort that we managed to convince him to stay. Otherwise, he might have really followed you." 

"So now that he's eating and sleeping well, he's already thinking about finding a second spring without missing me?" 

"..."

Yuan Hong felt like even her breath was wrong. 

At a critical moment, her own son stepped forward. Ben mentioned that during Qingming Festival, he accompanied his grandfather to sweep the tomb and overheard his grandfather muttering that he wanted to wait a little longer for his grandmother. He even wanted to hold his great-grandson, saying he would be satisfied once he did. 

When it came to this old lady, she speechless. 

She considered herself a progressive grandmother, but even though she was open-minded, it was still frustrating that all three grandsons from both households were single. However, since the young people were not willing to settle down, she couldn't just randomly force someone to marry them. The grandsons were unreliable, so she shifted her focus to her granddaughter, asking about Yi and Meng's situations.

Yuan Hong sighed, "They are all the same, claiming to enjoy the happiness of dating but not willing to get married even though they have boyfriends."

"When will they have the next generation then?"

*

This phone call unraveled many doubts in Yuan Hong's heart. She finally understood why her son had such a strange attitude towards the girl who came to visit today. 

Her son even asked her if she had never heard of Master Lee? 

"You know, I'm usually the least superstitious about these things... Unfortunately, this timing is just not right. If your dad and grandpa were here, who knows how happy they would have been. By the way, this isn't your first time, right? Did you contact the old lady a long time ago? Keeping it from the family?" 

Ben dared not say that he had schemed to impress her. 

No, he didn't.

He glanced at Jasmine, who smiled and said, "Ben always wanted to invite me over several months ago, but I couldn't make it as I was busy on set." 

It suddenly clicked! 

This little girl was an actress. 

"You have the ability, so why did you still go to film?" 

"Just to kill time. I had nothing else to do." 

Mrs. Yuan asked some questions about TV dramas, and Jasmine told her that the drama was called "My All-Powerful Girlfriend," airing at 7:30 p.m. on August 18th on Blue Platform and Yuzhou Satellite TV simultaneously. 

"The title of the drama is quite straightforward. Are you playing that all-powerful girlfriend?" 

"No, I play the best friend and control group of the all-powerful girlfriend, a self-respecting and self-loving girl who runs a fish farm (fish farm: In Chinese, it's means playgirl)."

Mrs. Yuan, who had also watched many TV dramas, furrowed her brows upon hearing this, "The screenwriter must be crazy. I've only heard of boyfriends renting fish ponds for their girlfriends, not a supporting character going out to run a fish farm in an idol drama. It's like a rural love story." 

Jasmine kindly explained to the screenwriter, "She dreams of being the Sea Queen, a girl who dreams of riding the waves in the sea." 

"It's a bit expensive to go on a cruise on the sea, so they changed it to rowing a boat in a fish pond for fun?" 

Jasmine thought about it and nodded. 

Listening to the conversation between his mother and Jasmine, Ben began to question if he had read a fake script. Upon careful consideration, it seemed plausible. The second female lead, Gu Pan, was indeed a despicable "fish pond owner."

As they chatted, Mrs. Yuan and Jasmine became increasingly happy, to the point where they almost wanted to officially make Jasmine their goddaughter. 

For the first time, Yuan Hong felt a bit embarrassed and only managed to take a photo with Jasmine with the help of her son. 

While the internet was buzzing, Ben updated his Facebook.

Ben V:

Invited her to my house to hang out, but she ended up sitting on the couch introducing the TV drama she's in to my mom.

Sister Jasmine: The drama is called "My All-Powerful Girlfriend."

My mom: You play this girlfriend?

Sister Jasmine: No, I play her best friend plus control group, a self-respecting and self-loving girl who runs a fish pond.

My mom: Opening a fish pond in idol dramas? The style seems a bit low.

Sister Jasmine: She originally dreamed of being the Sea King and sailing on the sea with the wind and waves.

My mom: No wonder, cruises are a bit expensive.

...

@My All-Powerful Girlfriend Crew Official Facebook, @Screenwriter Qi Yuling, @Director Zhou Hang

Netizens on Facebook laughed a lot.

- The damn self-respecting and self-loving girl who runs a fish pond!

- I can't handle this, help!

- Such a good and understandable conversation, truly a talented actress who skyrocketed to stardom right after debut. /(⑅˃◡˂⑅)

- Hahaha, this recommendation cracked me up.