At this moment, in the car, Xu Zhirang and Shen Xingyi were sitting in the back seat.
One big and one small—two similarly shaped faces—both tightly drawn. Neither of them spoke.
The atmosphere was somewhat heavy and quiet.
In the front seat, assistant Zhang Zhou was secretly observing the two through the rearview mirror.
As expected.
Truly father and son—right down to their looks, expressions, and even temperament.
Thinking about it, Zhang Zhou’s own emotions these past few days had been like a roller coaster.
His boss, who had always shown no interest in women, suddenly turned out to have a biological son!
If this were told outside, it would shock countless people.
And the child’s mother turned out to be the woman his boss had once met by chance in Country Y.
No wonder the boss had acted strangely back then.
So there had been such a connection all along.
He had originally thought the sudden appearance of a biological child would cause some kind of upheaval.
At the very least, he would have to do something.
But things had strangely remained calm, as if nothing had happened at all.
Apart from initially asking him to investigate the mother and child, the boss had done nothing else.
He simply brought his son to work with him every day.
As for the suddenly appearing little child beside the boss, the entire company had been driven nearly crazy with curiosity.
Even now, Zhang Zhou still couldn’t figure out how the boss intended to settle this mother and son pair.
In the quiet atmosphere, Xu Zhirang’s slightly cool voice sounded:
“I want to call Mom.”
Shen Xingyi glanced at his watch:
“She’s working right now. You’ll disturb her.”
This way of interacting really did feel like a strictly businesslike father-son pair—there wasn’t even a trace of warmth.
Zhang Zhou couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
Xu Zhirang pursed his lips and could only suppress his urge to share.
Today he had learned many things he didn’t know before and was eager to tell his mother about them.
But he also understood that he couldn’t disturb her work.
He held it in until almost noon, and when Shen Xingyi wasn’t in the office, he finally couldn’t resist secretly calling his mother.
At the moment the call watch dialed out, Shen Xingyi just happened to return after finishing a meeting.
Xu Zhirang felt a little awkward, hesitating whether to hang up—but the call connected the next second, and his mother’s voice came through.
He instantly forgot everything else and called out in a soft, babyish voice:
“Mom, are you busy? I want to tell you…”
He chattered on about what he had experienced that day.
Shen Xingyi sat at his desk, mechanically signing documents.
Out of the corner of his eye, he occasionally glanced at the temporary small desk beside him.
At that moment, the little dumpling was lying on the desk, showing Xu Xiu his learning achievements.
Shen Xingyi’s lips pressed into a straight line.
Heh. When talking to him, he was cold and distant—but when speaking to Mom on the phone, he turned into a pampered little baby, acting spoiled at every moment.
When he was a child, he never got this kind of treatment.
On the other side, the filming crew had just reached lunchtime. Xu Xiu took her boxed meal and sat aside, video-calling with Xu Zhirang.
From what it looked like, he seemed to be adapting fairly well at Shen Xingyi’s place.
However, these past few days he had only been alone with Shen Xingyi, so he might not fully feel anything yet.
Once the other members of the Shen family returned and learned about his existence, things would become lively.
She wondered whether the little guy would be able to handle it.
After giving a few simple reminders and agreeing to take him to the amusement park on the weekend, Xu Xiu ended the call.
Xu Zhirang happily returned to his desk.
It was time for him to eat lunch too.
The assistant nearby was still giving reports.
Xu Xiu put away her phone and continued eating. Beside her, Sister Qi leaned over curiously and asked:
“Xiao Xu, are you married?”
She vaguely heard a child calling “Mom” on the phone.
But Xu Xiu looked quite young.
Xu Xiu drank her porridge and gave a vague reply:
“My child is three years old.”
Sister Qi looked shocked, while Xu Xiu quickly changed the subject.
Before the afternoon shoot began, Xu Xiu continued touching up Jiang Yumeng’s makeup.
The next scene was a confrontation between her and Tang Xu.
During rehearsal blocking, Xu Xiu looked through the director’s monitor and saw a very strong contrast between the two.
Although the plot character design was like this, Jiang Yumeng’s presence was simply too striking, almost making Tang Xu look like a background extra.
In the story, the heroine is set as the most beautiful woman of a neighboring kingdom. Even in simple styling in the early stages, she stands out among the concubines, which is how she catches the emperor’s attention and rises to become a favored consort.
If Tang Xu’s appearance could hold up, then simple styling would better highlight her fresh and unique aura.
But the problem was that Tang Xu was a “vibe-type beauty.” Without styling support, she looked rather plain and washed out.
Facing this contrast, Tang Xu, though not showing it, still had a slightly unpleasant expression when watching the playback.
But none of this was Xu Xiu’s concern.
She was just a makeup artist following instructions.
While props were being arranged, Xu Xiu went back to the makeup room to get a hair padding piece.
Just as she left, she ran into Tang Xu.
Tang Xu smiled gently and said:
“Your makeup skills are very good.”
“Thank you.”
After their brief encounter, they parted ways, and Xu Xiu returned to the set.
But her instincts told her that something troublesome might be about to happen in the crew.
If Tang Xu, as the female lead, was completely overshadowed by Jiang Yumeng’s styling, then after broadcast all attention would likely focus on Jiang Yumeng instead.
Yet Tang Xu hadn’t shown even the slightest dissatisfaction.
Either she truly didn’t care and didn’t mind the final outcome—
But that possibility didn’t seem very likely.
Tang Xu had used many connections to fight for this role, ultimately beating many popular actresses to secure it.
When the cast was first announced, there was a huge wave of criticism online about her playing the “most beautiful woman.”
Most people thought she was overestimating herself and would ruin the role.
She was even photographed visiting beauty clinics multiple times before joining the crew to adjust her facial condition.
Taking on this role clearly meant she was under enormous pressure—how could she possibly not care about the final result?
But if she did care, why hadn’t she shown any reaction at all, and even remained friendly toward Xu Xiu?
Something unusual must mean trouble.
Xu Xiu, having reached the top of the makeup industry in her previous life, had seen everything and all kinds of tactics. Naturally, she was highly alert to situations like this.
She subconsciously checked the cosmetics she had used on Jiang Yumeng.
In her early days, because she stood out too much, someone once tampered with her makeup products by adding allergens, nearly ruining her career.
But after checking once, she found nothing unusual.
Could it be the accessories?
However, after inspecting all the items she carried and used, she still found nothing.
Just as she began to wonder whether she was overthinking things and Tang Xu might really just be an indifferent “white lotus,” the assistant director arrived on set with several people.
They were young, but the assistant director treated them with great respect—clearly important figures.
Even the director stood up to greet them.
From their conversation, Xu Xiu learned that the young man leading them was the producer of the drama—the main investor.
But hadn’t there been rumors that Jiang Yumeng’s boyfriend was the biggest investor of this drama? Why did this man seem completely unfamiliar with her?
Instead, he walked straight toward Tang Xu.