When He Yan was invited to Shengwan Films, a company under the Jiang family, for promotional photos, this information was also relayed to Jiang Mingcheng.
At that dinner gathering, Jiang Mingcheng’s attitude towards He Yan had been noticeably different, so his subordinates naturally paid extra attention.
Jiang Mingcheng listened to his secretary’s summary, nodded slightly, his face betraying no emotion as he continued to seriously and sternly examine the report in his hands.
He didn’t say a word.
Seeing this, Secretary Wang Jing quietly withdrew.
Those people were indeed spreading rumors; the boss never approached women and had no interest in those entertainment industry women whatsoever.
Jiang Mingcheng finished reviewing the report, then lifted his gaze to check the time: 3 PM.
He Yan’s photo session had started at 2:30 PM.
Pei Yanchuan would be there too.
He slightly lowered his gaze, his deep eyes hidden beneath his beautiful lashes.
His expression remained unreadable.
A minute later, he finally rose, put on his suit jacket, and walked out of the office.
Secretary Wang Jing immediately approached: “Where is President Jiang going? There’s a meeting in 2 hours that requires your attendance.”
“Prepare the car. Heading to Shengwan.”
Wang Jing was stunned for a moment, then resumed his professional demeanor and immediately instructed someone to arrange the car.
At that moment, He Yan had just finished her makeup and was wandering around the studio.
The photographer needed to shoot Pei Yanchuan first, after all, the big star’s time was precious, and he couldn’t be kept waiting too long.
Unlike her, who just waited daily to join the crew, with nothing to do.
He Yan wandered over beside the photographer, arms crossed, watching Pei Yanchuan as he shot.
At that moment, Pei Yanchuan’s face and body were covered in fake injuries, his clothes slashed by a knife, the edges stained red with blood.
His gaze was sharp, filled with tenacity, yet also imbued with righteousness.
For an instant, He Yan felt disoriented, as if he truly was the male lead, Qin Li.
Truly an acting champion—with just a look, he portrayed the character vividly and completely.
During breaks in the shooting, Pei Yanchuan’s gaze would seem to casually sweep over He Yan.
She wore a white dress, her hair in a playful ponytail, the corners of her eyes slightly upturned, full of a young girl’s liveliness.
He only dared to glance at her quickly.
After a while, the photographer finally nodded to Pei Yanchuan with satisfaction, signaling that his shoot was over.
Pei Yanchuan strode over on his long legs towards He Yan, casually pulling off the bandage from his left wrist.
All the young women around him seemed to hold their breath.
Who could resist Pei Yanchuan like this!
As Pei Yanchuan approached, Su An’an, who was beside He Yan, opportunely handed him a bottle of water.
Pei Yanchuan reached out and took it, said thank you, but his gaze fell back on He Yan.
He Yan now felt like she must have “spotlight” written on her forehead. Was she out of her mind, standing between the male and female leads like this?
He Yan pretended to casually step two paces to the side, widening the distance between herself and Pei Yanchuan.
Pei Yanchuan’s gaze sank, staring fixedly at the gap that had opened between them, his hand gripping the water bottle tightening slightly.
Su An’an beside them was urged by the photographer to go for her shoot.
He Yan was getting a bit tired of standing, so she walked over to a nearby stool and sat down.
Pei Yanchuan turned and walked away, returning with a new bottle of mineral water. He approached He Yan and handed it to her: “Thirsty?”
He Yan looked up, took the water, and smiled gratefully.
This scene was clearly witnessed by Jiang Mingcheng, who had just arrived.
Secretary Wang Jing looked at the two people not far away, swallowed nervously, and glanced worriedly at his boss.
Sure enough, the boss’s expression turned three degrees colder.
Jiang Mingcheng, along with the Shengwan Films big shots behind him, quickly drew everyone’s attention.
Anyone with any standing wanted to come forward, hoping to make Jiang Mingcheng’s acquaintance.
Jiang Mingcheng’s peripheral vision kept sweeping towards He Yan, but he had no reason to approach her. He didn’t even know how to explain his presence there.
However, He Yan was only surprised for a few seconds before she seemed to understand.
This was a company under the Jiang Group, and Su An’an was shooting here. It was perfectly normal for Jiang Mingcheng to show up.
The only thing that puzzled her slightly was that at the last dinner, the two hadn’t exchanged a single word. Had Jiang Mingcheng taken a liking to Su An’an? The female lead aura?
He Yan shook her head.
If you can’t figure it out, don’t dwell on it. It’s no big deal!
Seeing her shake her head with a slight furrow in her brow, Pei Yanchuan assumed she disliked Jiang Mingcheng. A glimmer of light appeared in his eyes, and he pulled up a chair to sit beside her.
Pei Yanchuan’s assistant, who was preparing to pack up and leave, thought: “?”
He couldn’t help but remind Pei Yanchuan: “Brother Pei, our shoot is over. We can go.”
“Wait a moment.” Pei Yanchuan couldn’t even be bothered to lift his eyelids.
With Jiang Mingcheng here, he needed to keep an eye on things, to make sure He Yan wasn’t bullied.
Just as Jiang Mingcheng was thinking about how to get closer to He Yan, a manager opportunely spoke up: “President Jiang, shall I introduce you to the actors in this film?”
Jiang Mingcheng nodded.
Taking the cue, he moved in front of He Yan.
Jiang Mingcheng was mentally preparing how to answer if He Yan asked why he was there.
He had come up with about five possible reasons.
“This is Pei Yanchuan, the renowned acting champion, practically our box office guarantee!” the manager introduced enthusiastically.
Pei Yanchuan had already stood up as Jiang Mingcheng approached. The two men, both nearly 1.9 meters tall, looked at each other, a trace of chill in both their eyes.
The people around suddenly felt a bit of a cold atmosphere.
“We’ve met.” Pei Yanchuan said coldly.
“Mm.” Jiang Mingcheng’s tone was equally indifferent.
The manager, caught up in his own enthusiasm, was completely unaffected by the two and continued his introductions: “This is He Yan, playing the second female lead. She has a very artistic sensibility about her acting.”
Jiang Mingcheng’s gaze fell upon He Yan.
He had already selected what he considered the most reasonable explanation.
However, He Yan merely smiled politely at him and said, “Hello, President Jiang.”
Extremely courteous.
For some reason, Jiang Mingcheng felt a sudden stir of irritation inside.
She was completely indifferent to why he was there.
Jiang Mingcheng merely nodded slightly and shifted his gaze away from He Yan.
“He Yan, you’re up!” the photography assistant called out to her.
He Yan responded with a smile and trotted over, her skirt fluttering slightly, like an elf.
He Yan’s character was set as the only pure being in a dark swamp, so she wore a pure white dress, with a backdrop of darkness threatening to consume her.
He Yan looked into the camera, her sparkling eyes full of innocence, forming a stark contrast with the darkness behind her, making that purity even more moving.
As Jiang Mingcheng looked into He Yan’s eyes, a strange emotion seemed to stir deep within him, wanting to break free from its confines.
He Yan’s second set of photos was still set against darkness, but this time, the darkness was no longer just a backdrop; it began to encroach upon the young woman. Her eyes held tears as she desperately tried to break through it, yet appeared utterly helpless.
For a moment, Jiang Mingcheng felt an urge to rush over, to shelter the young woman in his arms, to protect her from so much fear and distress.
But he quickly suppressed this strange emotion, burying it deep within his heart.
He didn’t know how long the shoot lasted, but the photographer was finally satisfied.
He Yan happily hopped down from the platform set up for the shoot, her playful ponytail swinging back and forth, capturing the attention of many gentlemen on site.
Pei Yanchuan approached her and handed her the bottle of water from before.
He Yan took it casually, her eyes crinkling at the corners: “Thanks.”
Jiang Mingcheng’s gaze darkened.
He Yan was done with her shoot. She planned to remove her makeup and then head back. Her eyes swept over Jiang Mingcheng, and she felt it would be more polite to say hello.
He Yan walked over to where Jiang Mingcheng and his group stood, first addressing the director: “Director Shen, I’m finished, I’ll head off now!”
Director Shen smiled amiably and said okay.
He Yan then turned to Jiang Mingcheng, her eyes still holding a smile: “President Jiang, it was nice meeting you. I have some things to attend to, so I can’t stay longer.”
Seeing that He Yan hadn’t skipped over him, Jiang Mingcheng’s eyes lit up. He tried to suppress the corners of his mouth, but couldn’t quite control them from curving up into the tiniest arc: “Mm.”
Having said that, He Yan turned and left without a backward glance.
Secretary Wang Jing quickly reminded Jiang Mingcheng: “President Jiang, we should be heading back too.”
Jiang Mingcheng glanced at the time and nodded.
There were still 45 minutes until the meeting, and it would take half an hour to get back—the timing was just right.
Three days after the photo shoot ended, the film’s official account announced the cast. The combination of Shen Chengjin and Pei Yanchuan immediately sparked heated discussion among netizens.
[God-tier pairing, calling it now – movie of the year!]
[Ahhh, this photo of my man is killing me!]
[So handsome, so handsome! I’m all in for my man!]
[Director Shen finally has a new project, looking forward to it!]
[Wuwuwu, I want to help my man wrap his bandages, look at me!]
Also attracting attention was the female lead, Su An’an.
[An’an’s image has such a big breakthrough this time! Wuwuwu, how can she be both cool and gentle!]
[Who is Su An’an? Someone fill me in, I love this photo!]
[Sister Su An’an has been in the industry for two years, always low-key in her acting, a serious and dedicated young lady!]
[Oh my god, my baby girl already got a role in Director Shen’s film? Mom-fans are bursting into tears!]
Of course, He Yan also inevitably became the subject of a great deal of discussion.
[Am I seeing this right? He Yan? She’s playing the second female lead?]
[The queen of bad films can play second female lead? Is Director Shen getting old, his eyesight failing?]
[Don’t talk nonsense! Director Shen won Best Film just two years ago!]
[Couldn’t it be a resource Pei Yanchuan helped her get? Confirmation of their relationship?]
[Every day with the confirmation talk, confirm your head! Don’t drag Pei Yanchuan into this, okay!]
[How could it be a resource from my man? He’d avoid her if he could!]
[If it’s not Pei Yanchuan, then did Director Shen really see something in He Yan’s acting skills?]
[Absolutely impossible. He Yan’s acting could bore a cow to death.]
[But these few photos are really well taken, kind of surprised me.]
[Photos are the same as acting? Last time I watched her drama, I was so mad I didn’t eat all day!]
[Damn! It’s a dead end! He Yan is impressive!]
Soon, the topic “He Yan cast as female lead 2 in Shen Chengjin’s new film” actually surged to number one on the trending list, pushing even Pei Yanchuan’s personal topic down to second place.
Netizens really couldn’t figure out why the director had chosen He Yan. On one hand, He Yan’s acting skills were obvious to all, yet audiences also believed Director Shen wouldn’t cast just anyone arbitrarily. On the other hand, Pei Yanchuan had clarified the rumors, so it was impossible he had given He Yan the resources.
They were well and truly stuck in a dead end.
Lin Jingxi was absolutely furious.
She had never imagined He Yan would actually get the second female lead role. Just a while ago, none of the leaked inside information had mentioned He Yan at all.
She had been able to endure so long without saying anything, without showing off!
Lin Jingxi jabbed fiercely at He Yan’s picture on her phone. She refused to believe He Yan could really handle this role. Once she ruined this film, it would definitely make even more people hate her.
By then, not only Pei Yanchuan’s fans, but even Director Shen’s fans would despise her!
She already possessed beauty; she didn’t deserve to have talent too.
She should just go back to being the detestable pretty face she was before!
**