During filming breaks, Tang Xu kept holding her phone, seemingly chatting with someone.
The entire set was unusually quiet. Everyone’s attention would occasionally drift toward the director’s side.
But what they were really looking at wasn’t the director—it was the man sitting beside him.
The man sat in a folding military chair, relaxed in posture, yet naturally carrying an air of refined nobility.
His indifferent expression wrapped him in a layer of cold detachment.
Beside him sat a smaller version of himself. The child had the same cool, striking features, though his eyes carried a hint of childish innocence that made him almost pitifully endearing.
Despite being an adorable little kid, no one dared to go up and tease him.
After a “cut” was called, the director couldn’t help but wipe the sweat from his forehead.
He secretly observed the big investor sitting nearby—Shen Xingyi.
He didn’t understand why Mr. Shen insisted on staying here, but he also didn’t dare ask him to leave. He could only continue nervously enduring the pressure.
After finishing her makeup touch-up for Jiang Yumeng, Xu Xiu glanced toward Xu Zhirang’s direction.
The little one was clearly trying hard to restrain himself, but his eyes kept drifting toward her. Even Jiang Yumeng had noticed.
“Is that kid Mr. Shen brought looking at us?” Jiang Yumeng whispered.
Her agent glanced over discreetly and wasn’t sure.
“Maybe not. He might just be looking at the props. Kids are curious about those things.”
Jiang Yumeng nodded in agreement.
Xu Xiu sat behind them, helplessly rubbing her forehead as she felt the little one’s uncontrollable stares.
After thinking for a moment, she secretly sent him a message asking why he had come.
The little boy was very happy upon receiving it and immediately typed out an explanation seriously.
It turned out he had overheard an assistant reporting that Shen Xingyi was coming to inspect nearby.
Xu Xiu had previously told him the location of her set, so he immediately recognized the familiar address from the assistant’s words.
So he had begged Shen Xingyi to bring him along.
And Shen Xingyi had agreed.
So that was it.
Xu Xiu nodded silently and asked when they would leave.
The boy checked with Shen Xingyi.
Shen Xingyi glanced at the contents of the child’s smartwatch chat.
Xu Xiu’s intention to “send them off” was very clear.
His expression remained indifferent as he looked in her direction for a brief moment before withdrawing his gaze.
“Soon,” he said calmly.
Xu Zhirang relayed the answer immediately.
【Soon.】
Only then did Xu Xiu relax and put her phone away.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yumeng admired her elegant makeup in the mirror with satisfaction.
“Good thing Mr. Shen came today, otherwise I would’ve lost the makeup artist I specifically chose.”
She couldn’t help complaining as she recalled what had just happened.
“I still don’t understand what’s wrong with that Young Master Song—why he’s so determined to compete with my makeup artist.”
Her agent pinched her forehead helplessly.
“My little ancestor, he’s targeting you and Xu Xiu.”
Jiang Yumeng looked at her blankly.
After a brief explanation, she suddenly understood—and turned sharply to glare at Tang Xu.
“So that’s it! I wondered why everything felt off. So she was trying to replace my styling just to make herself stand out. That shameless woman.”
After spending a short time with Xu Xiu, Jiang Yumeng turned out to be straightforward and quick-tempered, with little scheming.
She only understood Tang Xu’s intentions after her agent pointed them out.
Her words weren’t particularly quiet, and Xu Xiu overheard them as well.
It turned out Jiang Yumeng wasn’t the rumored actress who got her role through a “sugar daddy investor boyfriend,” but rather someone who got it through a personal connection with the director.
Years ago, before the director became famous, she had helped him by appearing in many of his early works without taking a single cent.
So this role was essentially repayment of a favor.
No wonder the director treated her with so much leniency—he was paying back a debt.
Jiang Yumeng grew more and more angry.
“She can’t even rely on her looks or acting to support the role properly, yet she still schemes against others. She won’t be afraid of backlash later?”
Her voice wasn’t very loud, but the set was too quiet, making it stand out clearly.
Even the director looked over.
Her agent quickly covered her mouth.
“Do you want to die? Mr. Shen is still here.”
Jiang Yumeng finally felt a bit scared and swallowed her anger for the moment.
On the other side, Tang Xu naturally heard her words.
Her psychological resilience was strong; her expression didn’t change at all, as if she wasn’t the one being criticized.
She put away her phone and looked outside the set.
Soon, the person she had been waiting for arrived.
“Everyone’s on break? Perfect, I brought afternoon tea for everyone.”
A soft, sweet voice broke the silence of the set.
The familiar voice made Xu Xiu raise her eyebrows as she turned to look.
As expected—it was Lin Youqiao.
She walked over gracefully and smiled beside Tang Xu.
“Just passing by nearby and thought I’d come visit your set.”
She had her assistant distribute cakes and milk tea to everyone, and people thanked her politely.
Everyone was surprised by Lin Youqiao’s sudden appearance.
After all, she had recently been surrounded by scandal.
But it was hard to reject someone who smiled so warmly, especially after accepting her food.
From a distance, Xu Xiu watched the “sisterly affection” between the two and narrowed her eyes.
So these two really did know each other.
That explained why Tang Xu had been looking at her earlier—it wasn’t her imagination.
Tang Xu likely already knew about her through Lin Youqiao.
“Brother Xingyi?”
Lin Youqiao only now seemed to notice Shen Xingyi, looking pleasantly surprised.
“What a coincidence, Brother Xingyi, you’re here too.”
She walked closer, her tone clearly intimate.
But as she approached and saw Xu Zhirang, her smile froze instantly.
“…And this is?”
The moment she saw the child’s face—so similar to Shen Xingyi’s—her expression turned pale.
No explanation was needed.
Shen Xingyi had no intention of hiding it.
“This is my son,” he said calmly.
Xu Zhirang recognized her as the woman from the plane.
He didn’t particularly like her, but she seemed to know his father.
And Lin Youqiao, hearing it directly from him, nearly lost her balance.
Her body swayed slightly as she tried to convince herself otherwise.
“Brother Xingyi… are you joking? How could you have a son?”
“Yes. I do have a son.”
His tone remained indifferent, as if he could not see her breaking down at all.
Xu Xiu silently clicked her tongue.
No wonder it was a tragic romance.
The female lead was practically falling apart, while the male lead remained icy and composed.
She had liked him since childhood, and now suddenly discovered he had a child—forced into the role of a stepmother without even being comforted.
As Xu Xiu was mentally complaining about the “main characters’ acting skills,” she suddenly heard a crisp cracking sound beside her.
Turning around, she saw Jiang Yumeng somewhere had produced a handful of sunflower seeds and was happily cracking them, occasionally sneaking glances at Shen Xingyi’s direction.
When she noticed Xu Xiu looking at her, she even generously offered some.
Xu Xiu accepted and joined in on the gossip-snacking.
Lin Youqiao ultimately restrained herself due to the setting and said nothing more, but her eyes remained sorrowful as she looked at Shen Xingyi.
And yet Shen Xingyi, as always, remained unmoved.