Chapter 94: Second Update

After Gu Cheng left, Qin Yao's life returned to a relatively peaceful rhythm, though she occasionally missed him. Sometimes, she'd return from grocery shopping in high spirits, only to realize it wasn't the day Gu Cheng was coming home, leaving her feeling a bit down.

Thankfully, she had her mom and two rambunctious kids to keep her busy, often playing games with them.

The turmoil at the cultural institute had subsided. Occasionally, Qin Yao wondered if she should create a "loving wife" persona for herself at the institute to make it more convenient for Gu Cheng to visit her.

But she felt it wasn't necessary, too deliberate. Let things be as they are.

Xu Lu had no energy to bother her; he was busy comparing himself to Tang Runjie. Recently, Lan Baiyu had been reaching out to her more frequently.

"Qin Yao, a new batch of cultural relics has arrived at the cultural institute. Want to go take a look?"

The cultural institute also had a cultural relics protection department. Due to the incident a few years ago, many cultural relics were destroyed. In the past two years, there had been a renewed focus on protecting cultural relics, and they had started collecting various relics again. Some of the staff would go to check out the excitement.

"I'll go take a look after lunch," Qin Yao said. She couldn't quite figure out why Lan Baiyu was acting this way. The girl had lost interest in Xu Lu and instead became interested in her. Qin Yao had once gotten close to Lan Baiyu to test her affinity towards her. She hadn't expected much, but when she checked, the affinity was 60.

"Her affinity towards you is 60 (She is very curious about you)."

Since the affinity was decent, Qin Yao didn't turn down Lan Baiyu's overtures. She was also curious about this girl. Besides, Lan Baiyu was quite good-looking, and it was always pleasant to be around beautiful people.

Qin Yao was beautiful, but she didn't spend all day admiring herself in the mirror.

After lunch, the two went to the cultural relics collection center to view the newly arrived relics, chatting casually as they admired them.

"Xiao Qin, your husband hasn't been home recently?"

"Yes, he's on a mission."

"Do you miss him?"

"Of course I do," Qin Yao said naturally, then remembered she should maintain her "loving husband" persona, adding, "I care about him a lot."

She wasn't lying. Qin Yao's cheeks turned slightly red. She rarely expressed her affection and care so openly.

"That's nice," Lan Baiyu said sincerely.

Lan Baiyu had been feeling lost, unsure of what she really wanted. She wasn't as interested in Xu Lu as she had imagined, and she wasn't interested in anything else either. It was frustrating, especially since she was at the age where she should be getting married.

"There's going to be a joint drama contest between three counties soon. Qin Yao, are you participating? Want to try writing a drama?" As a secretary, Lan Baiyu knew a lot of insider information.

"Drama? I've never written one."

Lan Baiyu encouraged her, "Give it a try. If you win an award, there will be benefits. With your credentials, you'll definitely get a promotion, at least a one-level raise in salary."

Qin Yao's resume was impressive. She had written many reports and articles, gaining some fame in print media. She had also been a hero in catching spies, and her book had been made into a movie with high acclaim. If she could win an award for writing a drama, she would become a prominent figure.

Since joining the cultural institute, Qin Yao's rank and salary weren't high. It was time to strike while the iron was hot and work hard.

No one would refuse a higher salary, right?

In recent years, the dramas produced by their cultural institute hadn't won any awards. The best result was a drama written by Jia Hui last year, which only ranked fourth. The director was anxious for their center to make a name for itself this year.

"I'll give it a try," Qin Yao thought. There was no harm in participating. If she didn't write well, she wouldn't get a raise. If she did well, she could have a shot at it.

Writing a drama was different from writing a novel. A drama was all about dialogue, using conversation to drive the story forward, which tested the author's skill in writing dialogue. All the information was hidden in the dialogue.

What topic should she write about?

Qin Yao thought it over and soon came up with an idea: adapt the story of Yuan Li and Xu Yun she had written before into a stage play, setting it in a hospital. This would become a story about "solving a case," aligning with the propaganda requirements of combating crime and eliminating the "Four Olds" (part of the campaign to eradicate outdated ideas and customs).

With this thought in mind, Qin Yao's creativity surged, and she finished the first draft in just four or five days. She prepared to gather a cast for rehearsals, adjusting the stage effects as she went along.

"You finished already?!" Blue Baiyu looked up at Qin Yao in shock. She had only mentioned it in passing, never expecting that Qin Yao would actually write a play in just a few days. This woman was clearly more than just beautiful.

She had always thought Qin Yao was just beautiful, but now she realized Qin Yao had real talent.

In their small cultural center, while they had gathered a bunch of so-called "literary talents," most of them were only half-baked, content with mutual praise to get by.

Qin Yao, a specially recruited talent, was truly a gem.

Blue Baiyu quickly read through Qin Yao's script, too engrossed in the story to appreciate the writing itself. It was thrilling! Thieves were caught! Frauds were exposed! The script was a nail-biter.

Stories about righteous judges like Bao Zheng uncovering the truth and bringing justice have always been captivating.

Qin Yao's play was entirely different from those cliché-ridden slogans.

"You've written it so well! This play is going to be spectacular when it's staged!" Blue Baiyu was incredibly excited. "Let's quickly find actors for rehearsals."

Blue Baiyu was very proactive about the rehearsals, helping Qin Yao contact actors. However, at the same time, Jia Hui's script was also in rehearsal, and most of the good actresses had been picked for Jia Hui's big production.

Jia Hui had written a large-scale play this year with many characters. After her play won fourth place last year, many actors wanted to join her production to gain recognition in the county and improve their career prospects.

"Qin Yao wrote a play? Can she even write?" Jia Hui's words were quite rude. Before Qin Yao arrived, she had been the renowned talent in the cultural center, influential in various circles. This year, with the play production in the cultural center, Jia Hui believed no one else could take her place.

The honor of the entire cultural center rested on her.

She was confident that her play would win an award this year, and she had full confidence in her work.

"She's already finished the script, and it's very good. Now we're looking for actors to rehearse."

Jia Hui sneered, thinking Qin Yao couldn’t possibly write anything worthwhile. There was no way Qin Yao could surpass her. Qin Yao got lucky with her "novel" being adapted into a movie, gaining some fame. But to Jia Hui, Qin Yao’s work was nothing more than an "interesting story."

Though Jia Hui thought this, she didn’t say it aloud, feeling confident that Qin Yao could never outshine her.

"Let her pick the actors. There are still some left."

Blue Baiyu went to inquire about actors in the drama room but returned unsuccessful. The good actors were all committed to Jia Hui's "big production," leaving only a few stragglers.

Other than that, they would have to find some amateurs to fill in.

"As long as they have some experience, I’ll lead the rehearsals," Qin Yao said. She had been a school beauty in her student days, participating in cultural performances every year. She had experience hosting, dancing, singing, performing skits, and reciting poetry.

"I'll also take on a role," Blue Baiyu said.

Blue Baiyu didn’t want a lead role; she wanted to play Li Yuanyuan, a character who steals money but pretends to be innocent. She found the role challenging and very interesting.

Qin Yao gave Blue Baiyu a surprised look, finding this girl quite intriguing. After deciding on Blue Baiyu's role, they continued to look for suitable actresses in the cultural center.

Fortunately, Qin Yao's play had many female roles, and since there were many female comrades in the cultural center, she quickly assembled a team.

The lead actress, Ge Shuangshuang, was actually Tian Xiaojia from the drama team. She had delicate features and a tall, slender figure. Her sweet voice often made people accuse her of being overly dramatic, and she was frequently ostracized by the drama team. She had a rivalry with the lead actress in Jia Hui’s play, Li Jiao.

Tian Xiaojia was eager to prove herself and, after reading Qin Yao's script, said she could take on any role. "I want to participate in this play. I'll play Li Yuanyuan."

Qin Yao was at a loss for words, realizing that these drama queens always loved playing the villain.

"You’ll play the lead, Ge Shuangshuang."

With all the female roles set, Lan Baiyu brought in Tang Runjie to play the police officer, rounding out the cast. All the actors were in place, and they began intense rehearsals.

Qin Yao’s life became fulfilling. She took care of her child at home and rehearsed plays at the cultural center. With everyone so busy, time flew by. Gu Cheng’s return was approaching, and their play’s premiere was about to begin.

The county-wide competition among local units and communes was held at the cultural center. In the days leading up to the competition, Qin Yao and the others rehearsed diligently. Everyone was highly confident about their play, *Cracking the Case*.

To spice up the dialogue, Qin Yao added elements of detective-style reasoning and debate, which left the audience—many of whom had never seen a mystery story—completely mesmerized.

"This play has to win an award!" Lan Baiyu was extremely excited. This play was top-notch, innovative, profound, and educational, with dialogue that was nothing short of brilliant.

Once their play was staged, it would surely shock the world!

Lan Baiyu was so immersed in the play that she didn’t even bother with Xu Lu. When Cui Ying came to see her, she wasn’t very attentive, leaving Xu Lu puzzled.

Xu Lu wanted to mend his relationship with Lan Baiyu and specifically asked his partner, Huang Mingli, to communicate with her.

Huang Mingli went to see Lan Baiyu but became engrossed watching their rehearsal. When she returned, she told Xu Lu, "Their play is amazing! The story is fantastic!"

"Tang Runjie, playing the police officer, is really good. Once it’s performed, it’s sure to be a big hit in your cultural center!"

As Xu Lu’s partner, Huang Mingli had always known Tang Runjie as Xu Lu’s photographer. She didn’t expect that with a different outfit, he would look like such a handsome young man.

Xu Lu bristled at Huang Mingli’s praise. Tang Runjie was going to play a police officer? And Huang Mingli said their play was good?

"Is their play good, or is mine better?" Xu Lu, who played the lead male role in Jia Hui’s play, was confident he would shine but didn’t expect Huang Mingli to bring him such news.

Huang Mingli paused for a moment before saying, "Your play has a bigger cast."

Xu Lu’s face darkened. He went to see Jia Hui and told her about this. Jia Hui felt a chill run down her spine. Could Qin Yao really produce a good play?

Jia Hui secretly watched a few rehearsals of Lan Baiyu’s group and felt uneasy after seeing it.

She had put in so much effort and was determined to win the award. She absolutely did not want to be overshadowed by someone else.

Jia Hui and Xu Lu hatched a devious plan to sabotage Qin Yao’s play.

"Cause some chaos!"

Xu Lu, driven by jealousy, suggested slipping Tang Runjie a laxative on the day of the performance, ensuring he couldn’t take the stage and throwing everything into disarray.