The Villainess Awakens After Marrying the Male Lead’s Brother - Chapter 29

After sending it to Su Lengyue, Wen Yu deleted this photo. It was taken before her awakening, during her infatuation with Jiang Yunjin, obtained from Jiang Mama’s photo album. Stored in her phone’s gallery long ago, she had forgotten about it until Jiang Yunjin threatened her.

Cleaning up some things is for the best. Thanks to the reposts by the two, as well as Yuan Tan, Yao Xi, and others, some male and female actors who collaborated also helped repost, making this web drama appear in the public eye earlier than in the novel.

It started with eight episodes, and the story’s quality is already evident. To avoid any changes, Wen Yu didn’t dare to get too involved. Everything followed Director Lu’s direction, so she actually didn’t know what the actual scenes looked like.

After the update, Wen Yu watched it together. She became immersed, grinning from ear to ear. The male lead clashes with his controlling parents, both sides are in distress, and the stubborn mother even cries directly, leaving the male lead somewhat moved—it’s the first time someone cared about his future to the point of tears!

In the past, his parents’ attitude toward his future was simply—there’s money at home, do whatever you want, just don’t break the law.

The gentle, timid, and kind female lead unexpectedly finds herself in a cold mansion, naively getting closer to her family, like a little white rabbit entering a mountain surrounded by wolves. However, these wolves are unwilling to bite and cooperate cautiously.

The indifferent eldest sister eats the least favorite sweet tofu pudding with a distorted expression, afraid to show it, fearing the little white rabbit might cry.

The second brother of the high-profile family, clearly in a hurry to leave, sits down and earnestly finishes breakfast prepared by the little white rabbit. His subordinates waiting in the car are about to explode.

Also, the business-marriage parents, lacking emotion, eat breakfast while suspecting how they ended up with a little white rabbit who can’t be scolded or disciplined?

In the eighth episode’s end, the main characters meet again. This time, they discuss their respective family situations and persuade each other. Just as they’re planning, Wen Yu, playing the role of a senior, arrives with her homemade lunch box, catching the two in the act.

In the chaotic scene, the eighth episode concludes. After watching it, Wen Yu is still unsatisfied.

It’s great!

Certainly! Here’s the translation with space between the paragraphs:

No wonder it’s the small web series that emerged with less than 20 million investments in the novel!

This quality, isn’t it outshining the insincere big production “Jiangnan Spring”?

She sent a message to Lü Yuzhu: [Well shot]

Truly a director who, as portrayed in the novel, carved a bloody path among the various popular works with a low-budget web series!

Lü Yuzhu: [Bitter], the opening data is not even a third of the next-door show…

In the cheap rental room, Lü Yuzhu’s face turned pale. Comparing the data sent now with the previously recorded “Jiangnan Spring” data, his expression became grim.

He had too many expectations for this drama.

Now, seeing this data, he felt like the sky was falling.

The investors must be furious at this point, right?

The phone vibrated, showing a message from Wen Yu: [Sent you a message], but he didn’t dare to open it.

All he could think about was—does he still have a chance to direct again?

Lü Yuzhu, feeling hopeless, waited until his phone rang. It was his good partner, the scriptwriter for this drama. He answered and heard the editor’s anxious voice: “Old Lü, what should we do? Our drama is being criticized!”

Lü Yuzhu: !!!

Frustrating!

Wasn’t it already bad enough for him?!

In frustration, Lü Yuzhu opened WeChat and saw Wen Yu’s message: [Go check Weibo, our drama is really good!]

Lü Yuzhu: “??”

Isn’t it supposed to be criticized?

——

Wen Yu had no idea what Lü Yuzhu was going through. After praising the drama, she went to Weibo.

In fact, her expectations for the beginning of this drama were very low, mainly due to its low budget and inadequate promotion. Most star endorsements were concentrated on Weibo, but, in reality, only a fraction of the film and television audience was on Weibo.

Viewers on various video platforms, including some who rarely use the internet, and working-class individuals, are also part of the audience!

Weibo reposts are invisible to these people.

However, when she opened Weibo, the third trending hashtag caught her eye—#BecomeYourPoorCrew#

Clicking on it, she found a video posted by a critique account. Using her data, she clicked, and the video automatically played: [First of all, I want to clarify that this video is purely subjective. Secondly, it’s not discriminating against poor production crews, but at least, show some sincerity…]

At the beginning of the video, the theme is mentioned, claiming it’s too poor with no sincerity, making it hard to watch. For instance, the plastic necklace on the wealthy mom’s neck and the impoverished villa area resembling the wilderness, likely rented in some suburban farmhouse, along with the cars in the garage – the most expensive being over a million, followed by several cheap ones in the tens of thousands.

The blogger critiques each aspect with screenshots, then compares it to concurrent dramas, praising the costume and makeup of “Jiangnan Spring.” Following this, they compare the attractiveness of the main cast, showcasing unflattering images of the protagonist from “Accidentally Becoming You” and contrasting them with normal images from “Jiangnan Spring.”

Addressing the casting controversy, especially involving investor and supporting actress Wen Yu, the blogger questions the choice made to replace the initially selected male lead. They express disappointment with the outcome and emphasize Wen Yu’s beauty but criticize her limited screen time.

Concluding the critique, the blogger compares the acting skills, highlighting the awkward expressions of the main couple in “Accidentally Becoming You” during the identity switch compared to the lively expressions of the main couple in “Jiangnan Spring.” They express dissatisfaction with low-budget web dramas, suggesting a lack of sincerity, and remark on the show quickly trending, speculating it was artificially boosted.

The story ends with a poll: “Do you prefer ‘Accidentally Becoming You’ or ‘Jiangnan Spring’?”

Wen yu’s lips twitched, the disdain on her face so apparent. Did they really think she was oblivious to their marketing tactics?!

How could anyone criticize such a low-budget web series? In her opinion, they must have felt threatened.

The critique mentioned poor data, and she could understand. Despite numerous celebrity endorsements, the low-budget series had weak initial promotion. If it truly gained momentum now, she’d question if there was a glitch.

However, it seemed things weren’t as bad as she thought. Using her influential Weibo account wasn’t suitable for voting, so after a moment’s hesitation, she refrained. Shortly after, she scrolled through the comments and was pleasantly surprised—

【I love Jiang Nan Chun! I’ve been watching it every day on time. Fu Chun and Xu Bin are truly a feast for the eyes.】
【The costumes and makeup in Jiang Nan Chun are excellent, very sincere. Much more effort than some other shoddy production teams.】
【Laughing so hard! If it weren’t for 471 vs. 812, I’d believe it. In the face of Jiang Nan Chun’s massive popularity, this small web series can still make its mark. Definitely commendable.】
【Not a single sentence promoting Jiang Nan Chun; every sentence praises it. Do they think netizens are fools?】
【Currently watching “Become You.” It’s surprisingly good! Although it looks a bit cheap, the plot is really good, very innovative, and funny.】
【Jiang Nan Chun is the best! Fu Chun is truly outstanding; that face is too good-looking.】
【Fans, don’t blindly support Jiang Nan Chun. It’s as bad as crap. It’s just fans boosting it.】
【Leaving aside everything else, just the fact that the blogger criticizes so harshly makes me want to see what’s worth Jiang Nan Chun’s big production slamming.】

**Translation:**

Drama isn’t easy. Everyone should go watch it. You’ll get hooked from the first episode; really, the main characters don’t look like they do in the promotional videos – they all look great!

I’m going to watch it now; if it’s not good, OP, you’re done.

—

Wen Yu: *Laughs* She couldn’t help it, laughing out loud. Quickly contacts Lu Yuzu, the anxious director, to let him see his efforts; others can see it.

Netizens are not fools; this is not a movie that costs around fifty bucks and requires two to three hours of dedicated time. Many people usually only choose one movie to watch.

TV dramas can all be watched, consuming only a bit of time and electricity.

With two airing concurrently, a comparison reveals who’s awkward and who’s not ugly.

She can imagine the drama next door spending money, and the promotional effect turning out like this; they must be fuming, right?

But why hasn’t Lu Yuzu replied for so long?

Wen Yu has been posting real-time updates in the Weibo topic “Become You” for half a day. Looking at it, apart from visible complaints about the crew’s obvious poverty, most are praises. Yet, Lu Yuzu still hasn’t responded.

Could he have passed out in excitement?

Just as she speculates, her phone vibrates.

She checks, and it’s a 60-second voice message.

Wen Yu’s heart skips a beat.

Now, she has a psychological shadow against voice messages. She quickly converts it to text and sees a line of text: **”Ah ah ah ah ah, wuwuwu…”**

Intermingled with several: **”Unbelievable, I didn’t expect this.”** **”Honestly, I thought everyone was scolding me. Wuwuwu, scared me.”**

Wen Yu: …

Audience approval is the director’s greatest surprise.

She can understand.

Just like when she acts, desperately trying to do well for her principles and bottom line, she also hopes that after the audience watches, they would praise her, letting her know her efforts are acknowledged.

Since the director is so happy, Wen Yu decides to make him even happier. She generously sends him a red envelope of ten thousand: **”Go buy something delicious, reward yourself.”**

When the crazy Lu Yuzu lowered his head, he saw a large sum transfer and Wen Yu’s words. He was instantly moved to tears.

Although the audience has approved, the data hasn’t gone up yet, and the investor doesn’t care at all. They even sent him a red envelope!

At this moment, Lu Yuzu sincerely hopes Wen Yu becomes hugely successful, able to be his lifelong investor. He’ll shoot movies for her in the future!

Then the producer sends a message: **”Brother, can you check the data again? I’m getting scolded by the investors over here…”**

Lu Yuzu: …

He patted his chest with lingering fear. Luckily, he had been lazy in socializing; he didn’t add those investors except Wen Yu, who was also an actor.

Lyu Yuzhu squatted in front of the computer, brushing through the data again. With this sweep, he discovered a new horizon—a series of eight episodes released in one go. Surprisingly, the viewership was holding steady compared to the declining numbers of the adjacent “Jiangnan Spring”!

What did this indicate? High retention rate! The efficiency of converting netizens who heard about it into regular viewers was impressive!

Lyu Yuzhu felt reassured, sent the data to the producer to appease demanding investors, and happily received the rewards from the main sponsor. He discussed with the co-writer about how to spend the reward of ten thousand.

—

Midnight
Jiang Yunyan, who had worked tirelessly to dispel his bad mood, finally left the office. After a ten-minute drive, he stood at his own doorstep, face unlocking, and the door opened.

Inside, unlike the usual darkness, a dim yellow light illuminated the room. Jiang Yunyan was puzzled to find a little girl lying on the sofa, covered with a blanket. She was sleeping soundly, with the warmth of the heater giving her rosy cheeks, making her even more adorable.

Why sleep here? Jiang Yunyan frowned. Although the sofa was quite large and she was petite enough to fit, it couldn’t be as comfortable as a bed. However, she was sleeping so soundly at the moment that he couldn’t wake her up to scold her. He would have to address it later.

He bent down, carefully threading his hand through her back and the other through her legs, lifting her up with a bit of force, and carried her to her room. All the way until he put her down, covered her with a blanket, she didn’t wake up. Instead, she settled into a more comfortable position, murmuring, “Big brother…” in her sleep.

The voice was very soft, and the man who hadn’t straightened up yet couldn’t confirm if those were the actual words. However, the coldness in his eyes gradually melted away.

He sighed lightly, poked the soft cheek of the girl with his slender fingertips. His gaze was complex, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated when looking at Wen Yu. Perhaps feeling the touch on her cheek, Wen Yu’s head moved involuntarily, forcing the man’s fingertips to shift to the side, touching the slightly open lips.

Before he could react, the fingertips seemed to touch something wet and moist. Instantly, his eyes deepened, and his Adam’s apple rolled unnaturally.

The next moment, he quickly withdrew, staring at the person who was sleeping defenselessly. His long lashes trembled, and after several breaths, he briskly left the room.

The next day, Wen Yu woke up to find herself alone at home again.
Goodness! Last night, she had planned to wait for Jiang Yunyan to come back and share the small web series she had invested in. The reviews were good! Though it was just the first day, it was a small web series – no star power, no promotion, and minimal publicity. The online reviews at this stage were mostly authentic! Although the viewership hadn’t picked up yet, Wen Yu wasn’t worried. Right now, she just wanted to share her joy.

However, she fell asleep waiting, and when she woke up, she was back in her room, and Jiang Yunyan had already gone to work.
Wen Yu felt defeated. She remembered falling asleep around eleven, and waking up a little past eight – how did she manage to miss Jiang Yunyan?

Is this the world of workaholics? It seems ordinary people like her aren’t meant for it.
——
Wen Yu’s desire to share was thwarted, and although she felt displeased, that evening was the ninetieth birthday celebration of the Xiao family’s patriarch. After lunch, she got busy.

First, a beautician came over, followed by a stylist.
These were professional teams, and since Wen Yu wasn’t very skilled, she had to rely on them.

When everything was ready, just before leaving, she received a message from Jiang Yunyan – “I’m downstairs.”
If he’s downstairs, why send a message!
Wen Yu huffed. It made it seem like she didn’t have a driver!

Determined to ignore Jiang Yunyan, despite knowing he was busy with work, was Wen Yu really that understanding? She had slept in the living room last night. Didn’t he notice or wake her up?

No, he just carried her back to her room.
So, what she wanted to share had been held back all night.

Now in early spring, the temperature had risen, but the nights were still cold. Wen Yu wore a thick, long down jacket as she descended the stairs. Her dress wasn’t dragging, no need to hold it up. Her high heels clicked, and as she reached the bottom, she saw the familiar car parked by the building.

Before she could approach, the person in the car got out. Wen Yu raised her chin, sat down on her own, and only gave the man opening the car door a sidelong glance.

That proud and willful attitude, she tossed her hair at the man’s face.
Jiang Yunyan looked up and noticed Wen Yu’s different style from the last time – this time, she wore a red spaghetti-strap long dress. Her dark, long curls were loose, and her makeup was more vibrant, adding a touch of sensuality and allure.

But why was that little mouth pouting? Is she angry?

Why?

In the moment he got on the car, his extraordinary brain had considered various possibilities. Perhaps she hadn’t eaten enough? Or maybe her investment was losing money? Heard her drama premiered yesterday, wondering how it went?

江云宴 is busy with work, rarely online. If something relevant happens online, Xiao Chen collects it for him, but he hasn’t been instructed to keep an eye on the web drama involving Wen Yu’s investment.

He understands the young lady; she doesn’t vent emotions on others and is clearly directing this mood at him. Is it dissatisfaction with clothes and jewelry? Yet, in his eyes, Wen Yu looks beautiful today.

Frowning, Jiang Yunyan, a strategic figure in the business world, seldom faces setbacks. However, dealing with the whims of a young girl leaves him somewhat helpless. They aren’t of the same age or social circle.

They had little interaction before marriage, only gradually becoming familiar after a visit. When she throws tantrums, finding the cause is a challenge for Jiang Yunyan.

After pondering, he can only do what he can. He opens his phone, sending a message to Zhou Han: [Prepare a marketing plan for “Accidentally Became You.” I’ll fund it privately. Start promoting it tonight after the update, no limits.]

Then, he messages Xiao Chen, asking for a highly reputed restaurant for tonight’s supper and the latest clothes, shoes, bags, and jewelry from various brands to be delivered tomorrow.

Having done this, he closes his eyes, contemplating what else to do. Unable to think of anything, he feels lost, reminiscent of when he founded Jiang Entertainment.

His naturally stern face becomes even more somber. Wen Yu glances to the right, noticing the man’s cold expression.

Wen Yu: “???”

He’s giving me the cold shoulder?!