Chapter 434 What Did She Go Backstage For?

Chapter 434: What Was She Doing Backstage?

Ding Jianan was about to agree when Jiang Yu's voice came from beside her: "Jiang Ningning, mind moving?"

Jiang Ningning hadn't achieved her goal yet and wasn't willing to leave just like that.

She glared at Jiang Yu. "Does this chair have your name on it?"

"No, but I’m sitting here. Move," Jiang Yu replied.

Jiang Ningning refused, sneering, "I haven’t finished talking to Director Ding yet. If you wanna talk to her, get in line."

Like she didn’t know Jiang Yu’s game—trying to secure a role from Ding Jianan, just like her.

With everyone watching, she had to lock in her role first.

Ding Jianan had meant to say hi to Jiang Yu, but Jiang Ningning's words left her momentarily awkward.

Jiang Yu just smiled. "Fine, take your time. I can sit later."

Only then did Jiang Ningning smirk, satisfied, and turn back to Ding Jianan.

"Director Ding..."

"Jiang, get up. I saved this seat for Jiang Yu. We still need to talk."

Jiang Ningning's smile froze, her nails biting into her palms.

Fortunately, she could roll with punches. Her expression darkened only briefly before quickly returning to normal.

She stood up. "My bad, Director Ding. You go ahead. I’ll catch you later."

Jiang Ningning bolted, afraid that even a second’s delay would expose her to Jiang Yu’s mocking gaze.

In truth, Jiang Yu didn’t even glance her way.

This was Jiang Yu’s first time meeting Ye Zhu, and she gave her a bright smile.

Ye Zhu grinned. "Director Ding has been telling me she discovered a total knockout, a perfect fit for the role of Lu Xiaoqin. Today, I finally get to meet you in person."

Ding Jianan laughed proudly. "Beautiful, isn’t she?"

"Absolutely stunning. I’m outclassed."

Ye Zhu wasn’t being modest—she genuinely thought Jiang Yu was gorgeous.

Jiang Yu shook her hand with a smile. "Ye, stop—you’re making me blush. The whole country knows Xi'er’s a beauty."

Ding Jianan steered the conversation back on track. "Have you made up your mind? Will you take the role of Lu Xiaoqin? You’ll get to act opposite Ye Zhu, you know."

Jiang Yu covered her lips with a chuckle. "I wasn’t gonna do it, but after meeting Ye today, how could I say no?"

Finally getting her answer, Ding lit up.

"The Spark’s a sure hit with you."

Now she could stop stressing about casting Lu Xiaoqin—Jiang Yu was the perfect choice.

"By the way, what was Jiang Ningning’s deal earlier?"

Ding Jianan said, "She’s going for the role. Ye Zhu thinks her demeanor fits the role of Li Donggui’s sister. What do you think?"

Jiang Yu stayed silent and replied calmly, "I don’t get involved in casting. Director Ding can decide."

Ding Jianan voiced her true thoughts: "Li Qiuhua may seem fragile, but that’s only on the surface. She’s resilient inside—delicate but tough."

Jiang Ningning, however, was different—she was like a clinging vine.

If Ye Zhu hadn’t brought her up, Ding Jianan wouldn’t have considered Jiang Ningning at all.

Jiang Yu smiled, nodding in approval. "Director Ding has a deep understanding of the characters."

Ding Jianan beamed proudly. "Of course. I’ve read your script five times, easy."

In fact, she had read "Li Donggui’s" story when it first came out in the newspaper.

But that was just a short story with fewer characters and a thinner plot.

Unlike the later script Jiang Yu wrote, which expanded with new twists, making it a gripping and satisfying read.

"If *Spark of Fire* succeeds, I’ll definitely want to collaborate with you again."

Jiang Yu had a long list of works, and this wasn’t the only outstanding one.

The three chatted in a harmonious atmosphere.

Before long, a heated argument broke out on stage.

Though Ding Jianan had been watching the performances, she’d only been half-paying attention.

So, she had no idea what the dispute was about.

Jiang Yu glanced over and realized it was Wu Jingyi’s performance.

Ding Jianan perked up with interest. "This woman has quite the guts to play Xi’er. Wanna check it out?"

Ye Zhu chuckled. "You’ve made Xi’er my exclusive role, Director Ding. Variety is the spice of life."

Ding Jianan nodded repeatedly, like she’d been schooled.

"Guess I was being narrow-minded."

Since the two were heading over, Jiang Yu tagged along.

The show stopped because of Wu Jingyi’s argument. After listening for a moment, Jiang Yu realized Wu Jingyi’s heel snapped.

Wu Jingyi was wearing her prized pair of leather shoes with five-centimeter heels, which she usually hoarded.

She’d brought them specifically for today’s performance and left them backstage, untouched.

"This heel was sabotaged! If we don’t find who did it, this get-together doesn’t need to continue!"

As the Deputy Section Chief of the propaganda department, Wu Jingyi had clout, so her words carried weight.

She’d just taken a humiliating tumble on stage, and some people laughed outright.

After that humiliation, Wu Jingyi wasn’t about to let it go.

"Where’s the person in charge of this get-together? Get them here!"

Wu Jingyi twisted her ankle and couldn’t move right away.

Someone tried to help her down, but she refused, insisting on figuring things out first before moving.

Jiang Yu stood by indifferently, watching like it was entertainment, with a look that said this had nothing to do with her.

Ye Zhu looked regretful. "Too bad we won’t see Xier."

The person in charge of the mixer was from the logistics department. Hearing about the incident, they rushed over in a panic, breaking a sweat in the cold.

If this had happened to anyone else, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but it had to be Wu Jingyi.

Since her promotion to the propaganda department, Wu Jingyi had shown her true colors, always giving people a hard time.

"Tell me, someone cut my heel off and ruined my performance. What are you gonna do about this?"

"Deputy Section Chief Wu, this is unacceptable, and we will investigate thoroughly. Maybe you should come down first and let the mixer proceed as planned? We shouldn’t delay the rest of the schedule."

Wu Jingyi sneered. "You're worried about delaying their schedule, but what about the performance I've been preparing for days? Who's going to compensate for my hard work? Maybe the person who ruined my shoes and made me fall is one of them!"

This set people off.

"How’s this our fault?"

"Is the mixer still happening? This is taking forever."

"She wasn’t watching her step, yet she blames her shoes. I think she did it on purpose to get Director Ding to notice her."

"..."

The person in charge was stumped—how were they supposed to investigate this?

With tons of people going backstage for so many performances, anyone could have done it. How were they supposed to know who?

If they interrogated everyone, the mixer would be a bust.

At that moment, Wang Moli stepped forward.

"I saw Jiang Yu go backstage. As far as I know, she doesn’t have a performance today. What was she doing there?"

Wang Moli hesitated, glancing between Wu Jingyi and Jiang Yu.

"I’ve heard Deputy Section Chief Wu and Jiang Yu have bad blood. I wonder if..."