Chapter Fifty-Three: This Precedent Cannot Be Set

Jiang Yunzhu felt a surge of anger rushing straight to her head. She stepped out from behind Shen Tingxiao, her words sharp as she declared, "Mr. Shen! If I hadn't stopped things in time just now, no one knows if Shao Shu would still be alive. And you want me to just let this go? On what grounds?"

"You yourself said 'if.' Right now, Shao Shu is unharmed. You also slapped Qingpei already. What more do you want?" Shen Ruizhang's anger was mounting. He had never imagined that the once obedient Jiang Yunzhu would one day become so rebellious.

In the past, no matter what he said, Jiang Yunzhu would always listen.

But now, after coming to Country M, she seemed to have grown bolder, even daring to talk back to him.

"Are you saying you think Yunzhu's slap was too harsh?" Shen Tingxiao spoke leisurely.

His words sounded reasonable at first, but if you listened carefully, you could tell he was fanning the flames.

This incident certainly needed to be addressed, but the fault lay with Zhou Qingpei's assistant, and she was Zhou Qingpei's personal assistant.

Whether or not she would be fired was, of course, up to Zhou Qingpei.

In this way, all the pressure now fell on Zhou Qingpei.

But if Shen Ruizhang insisted on protecting her, then Shao Shu would be forced to swallow her grievances in silence, unable to utter a word of protest.

Jiang Yunzhu was already seething with anger, and upon hearing Shen Tingxiao's words, memories of her days back home flashed before her eyes, making her emotions boil over.

Back then, her connections and resources were nowhere near as strong as they were here in Country M; she had to rely on others and constantly compromise.

But now, she was on her own turf. If she still let her artists suffer such injustice, she would truly be useless, unable even to protect her own people. Who would ever want to work with her again?

"Mr. Shen," Jiang Yunzhu said firmly, "there must be an explanation for what happened today! Shao Shu is unharmed only because she was lucky! Only because I happened to be here and witnessed it. If I hadn't, she might be fighting for her life right now! I demand an attitude from her!"

She raised her hand and pointed at Zhou Qingpei.

Zhou Qingpei frowned slightly, half her face swollen and red, looking disheveled and pitiful. With Jiang Yunzhu pointing at her nose, tears streamed down her face. "Yunzhu, I truly didn't know the dagger was sharpened. If I'd known, I would never have used it."

"Jiang Yunzhu, don't go too far!" Shen Ruizhang's patience was wearing thin, his face darkening. "We're still filming here. Are you going to keep harping on about this trivial matter and delay everyone's progress?"

Very well.

Now he was accusing her of holding things up.

Jiang Yunzhu felt a wave of grievance but only grew fiercer in her resolve.

"Director Shang," Shen Tingxiao interjected, his tone meaningful, "while it's important to keep up the filming schedule, the safety of the artists is just as crucial. If an incident like this gets out, who would dare take part in your productions in the future?"

Director Shang understood the implication immediately and turned to Shen Ruizhang. "Mr. Shen, today is just the first day of filming. There's no rush with the schedule. But this kind of incident must be handled properly."

The issue had made a full circle and landed right back where it started.

Since even Director Shang had spoken, Shen Ruizhang could no longer pin the blame on Jiang Yunzhu. His expression grew increasingly sour.

If this had happened back home, would he ever have been forced into such an awkward position?

As the matter dragged on endlessly, Zhou Qingpei suddenly turned around, dropped to her knees before Jiang Yunzhu with a heavy thud, and knocked her forehead to the ground several times, dirt smearing across her brow, making her look all the more pitiful.

"Yunzhu, it's my fault, all my fault," she pleaded, shuffling forward on her knees and clutching Jiang Yunzhu's clothes. "My assistant is a pitiful girl. Her parents are sick, and she alone supports her family. This was truly just an accident. I believe she didn't do it on purpose. Please, let her go. If there are any problems, I'll take the blame. I'll apologize to you, or if you're still angry, you can slap me a few more times."

No one had expected such a reaction from her.

Even Jiang Yunzhu was startled, frowning as she took a step back. "Moral blackmail? She did wrong—shouldn't she bear the consequences? Was it my fault her parents are sick? Just because she's pitiful, does that mean she can be forgiven for anything?"

Zhou Qingpei shook her head, tears streaming down as she choked out, "Yunzhu, I'm not trying to morally blackmail you. I genuinely want to apologize on her behalf. She is always careful with her work; this was just a moment of carelessness that almost led to disaster."

Jiang Yunzhu nearly laughed in exasperation. Whatever the situation, Zhou Qingpei was always the best at playing the victim.

On the surface, she seemed to be begging for mercy, but in reality, she was subtly threatening Jiang Yunzhu.

If Jiang Yunzhu refused to let the matter go, she would be painted as petty and cruel, the villain who pushed others to the brink.

But if she simply swept it under the rug, she would truly be unable to swallow her anger.

Why should someone who intended harm escape all consequences?

Among all her artists, Shao Shu had never been particularly strong-willed, having suffered suppression in the past. After going through this ordeal, who knew what psychological scars she would be left with?

But if she insisted on pursuing the matter now, it would only implicate Shao Shu as well.

Shao Shu still had to continue filming with the crew. If Jiang Yunzhu was too aggressive, others might see her as overbearing and avoid working with her, which would do Shao Shu no favors.

Yet to simply swallow this humiliation was unbearable.

Suddenly, Shen Tingxiao began to applaud, his tone cold. "They say that without rules, nothing can be accomplished. But it seems that saying doesn't apply to Miss Zhou."

All eyes turned to him.

Zhou Qingpei's face went pale, her heart pounding with anxiety, her throat tightening for no apparent reason.

Every time Shen Tingxiao suddenly spoke, she felt disaster looming.

"This time, your assistant nearly caused someone's death through negligence. You kneel, knock your head on the floor, look pitiful, and beg for mercy—so that's enough? Next time, if Shao Shu's assistant carelessly mishandles a prop and a dagger nearly ends up in your stomach, should Yunzhu kneel and weep about how hard Shao Shu's life has been, and then call it settled?"

Shen Tingxiao's words startled everyone present.

Until now, they had thought Shao Shu only suffered a minor injury, and that things had gotten blown out of proportion.

But as his words sank in, a chill crept down their spines.

"This precedent must not be set," Director Shang thought anxiously.

After all, there were countless actors in a film crew—who knew what grudges might fester among them?