12
Jiang Mian’s audition for Director Zhang’s film wasn’t about snatching the female lead role from anyone. The audition opportunity was there for everyone to compete fairly.
In the original book, it was said that Guan Xin dressed up to look like Director Zhang’s first love and ultimately caught his eye. But her Film Emperor Dad had said that if anyone showed up dressed like Director Zhang’s first love for the audition, Director Zhang would immediately blacklist them.
And Guan Xin’s outfit today was no different from usual; she hadn’t dressed up like Director Zhang’s first love as described in the book.
Jiang Mian rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought. Was the original book’s description too simplistic, or had the plot now changed? Or was there another hidden reason?
Based on Director Zhang’s reaction during the audition, he seemed quite satisfied with her performance. There was a ninety percent chance he would choose her.
If he ended up choosing Guan Xin instead…
Jiang Mian was genuinely curious to see what would happen and to get a measure of this female lead’s capabilities.
As long as the male and female leads didn’t provoke her, she wouldn’t provoke them either. But knowing oneself and knowing one’s enemy leads to a hundred victories.
Jiang Mian made a phone call. It was to the man Lin Feifei had hired to ambush her last time, known as “Brother Qiang,” whose real name was Zhang Liqiang.
Previously, Zhang Liqiang had somehow gotten her contact information, called to apologize, returned all thirty thousand yuan she had given him, and said a lot of things like “I didn’t know who I was dealing with.”
Jiang Mian guessed that after he left last time, he was probably afraid of retaliation, so he went through various channels to get her contact info and apologize to her.
People like him liked to associate with the wealthy but were also afraid of offending them. The aura Jiang Mian had displayed made him uneasy, so such behavior was normal.
Jiang Mian thought he knew how to play the game, so she saved his number. Now, the time had indeed come to use him.
“Who is it?” When Zhang Liqiang received the call, he was playing cards with a group of thugs in a bar. Jiang Mian could still hear a few vulgar remarks through the phone.
She stated her purpose directly: “I need your help with something. Find a quieter place to talk.”
“Oh, it’s Miss Jiang.” Zhang Liqiang’s tone immediately changed. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t see it was you calling just now. I’ll step outside right now. Please hold for a moment.”
Zhang Liqiang didn’t dare delay. He immediately got up to go outside. Someone behind him called out, and he yelled back a couple of curses while covering the phone. Once he reached a quiet place outside, he uncovered the receiver and said cautiously, “Miss Jiang, it’s quiet here. Just tell me what you need. If I can do it, I’ll take care of it for you.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t ask you to do it for free,” Jiang Mian said. “I need you to tail someone. Keep track of what she does, where she goes, and who she meets. Note it all down and tell me.”
“That’s simple,” Zhang Liqiang said, visibly relieved, and readily agreed. “I’ll get it done perfectly, no problem.”
Jiang Mian frowned. Zhang Liqiang’s attitude toward her seemed a bit too respectful. She didn’t dwell on it and sent him a photo of Guan Xin.
If she wanted to keep tabs on the female lead’s movements, spending a bit of money to have these street thugs handle it was the most fitting approach.
Zhang Liqiang looked at the photo and said, “Miss Jiang, has this woman crossed you? Do you want me to…”
Jiang Mian: “…”
Jiang Mian said, “Just tail her. Don’t do anything else.”
Zhang Liqiang understood. “Got it.”
Zhang Liqiang’s efficiency did not disappoint Jiang Mian. That very evening, while Jiang Mian was sitting on her bed meditating, his call came through.
“Miss Jiang, this woman you asked me to tail — she took a taxi to a restaurant first, met a man there, then took another taxi to Junlai Hotel. Another man picked her up in the hotel lobby and took her upstairs.” Zhang Liqiang’s voice carried a hint of barely concealed excitement. “I took photos and sent them to your WeChat.”
Jiang Mian opened WeChat. The first photo showed Guan Xin meeting a man at a restaurant. Due to the angle, the man’s face wasn’t clear, but it was definitely not Gu Qiwen.
Gu Qiwen didn’t have much money right now and couldn’t afford to take Guan Xin to such an upscale restaurant. Zhang Liqiang managing to sneak into that kind of establishment to take photos showed he had some skill.
The man in the second photo was clearly visible — it was Assistant Liu, Director Zhang’s assistant.
Jiang Mian raised an eyebrow. So that’s why the original book only mentioned a few lines about the female lead being chosen by Director Zhang. Director Zhang had a good reputation and probably wasn’t involved in anything improper with the female lead.
As for the man in the restaurant, that was another story.
The original book already had quite a few ambiguous male supporting characters orbiting the female lead. The author wouldn’t have gone into excessive detail on such minor points.
The man at the restaurant likely had some connection to Director Zhang, which gave Guan Xin a second opportunity — a private meeting with Director Zhang. And in that meeting, Guan Xin would use her own methods to win him over.
Jiang Mian got out of bed, walked to the window, rested her chin on her hand, and gazed at the neon-lit nightscape outside. Thinking of Gu Qiwen’s deep devotion to the female lead and the original character’s obsessive love for Gu Qiwen, she let out a snort of disdain.
All she had to do was make one phone call to her Film Emperor Dad, tell him she wanted to star in Director Zhang’s film, and no matter what the female lead did, Director Zhang wouldn’t choose her.
But it was just a role. She would have plenty of other opportunities to act in other productions later.
Now, she actually hoped the female lead would get the role. That way, she could watch Gu Qiwen’s head turn a brilliant shade of green. How wonderful.
Jiang Mian was in a good mood. She left the bedroom to find some food to satisfy her appetite when her phone buzzed. It was a message from Zhang Liqiang: “Miss Jiang, I found out the room number. Do you want to come over?”
Jiang Mian: “?”
Every word from Zhang Liqiang was laced with caution: “Aren’t you here to catch a cheating spouse?”
Jiang Mian: “…”
Catch your big head.
“You don’t need to keep tailing her,” Jiang Mian said. She transferred five thousand yuan to him as well, then realized there was nothing to eat at home aside from the dishes Aunt Liu had prepared. She picked up her wallet, planning to go downstairs to buy some food.
Just as she opened the door, she saw the door across the hall open as well. Qi Yanshu stepped out, carrying a black garbage bag. His eyes were still covered with white cloth, but compared to half a month ago, there was more color in his face, and he seemed a bit more connected to the living world.
Aside from attending class, Jiang Mian spent all her time cooped up in her room cultivating, never going out. As a result, although they lived across from each other, they rarely ran into each other.
However, because Xiao Mi had scratched his hand, Jiang Mian often had Aunt Liu send over some chicken soup. Qi Yanshu accepted it and occasionally sent something back in return. Over time, they had become slightly more familiar than before.
Jiang Mian greeted him, “Uncle Qi.”
That was what Jiang Mian had called Qi Yanshu the first time she had knocked on his door with chicken soup. Old Master Qi was of the same generation as her grandfather, so Qi Yanshu was of her father’s generation. By custom, she should call him uncle.
Qi Yanshu: “…”
He pressed his lips together and asked, “Going out?”
“I’m in a good mood, so I’m going to buy something to eat and celebrate.” When she was in a good mood, everything looked pleasing. She took the garbage bag from his hand. “I’ll throw this out for you while I’m at it.”
But when she got into the elevator, she found Qi Yanshu stepping in as well. Seeming to sense her confusion, Qi Yanshu said, “Going out for a walk.”
Jiang Mian knew that he had already familiarized himself with the surroundings and could accurately avoid obstacles without assistance, so she didn’t say anything more. After getting out of the elevator, she politely said “Take care” to Qi Yanshu and headed straight for the supermarket in the neighborhood.
Qi Yanshu’s ears twitched. Knowing she had already walked far away, he raised a hand and pinched the bridge of his nose, then slowly made his way out.
Before Jiang Mian even reached the supermarket, she heard a commotion coming from the entrance from afar. A security guard was saying something about not letting someone in. She didn’t pay attention at first until she heard a familiar voice: “…Don’t lay your hands on me, or I won’t be polite.”
That was unmistakably the voice of her Taoist Dad!
The supermarket security guard was about to lose his mind over this curly-haired man. Rolling his eyes, he said, “If you keep this up, we’re calling the police.”
Zuo Xingping said indignantly, “I’m telling the truth. His brow is dark, and there’s blood in his aura. He’s clearly about to meet with misfortune. I’m just warning him! And for the record, I’m not the one making a scene—you people are making a scene with me.”
“Stop arguing with him. Just drag him out,” another security guard said, stepping forward and impatiently reaching out to shove Zuo Xingping.
Zuo Xingping was busy arguing with the other two guards and didn’t notice the hand reaching for him. Just as the guard’s hand was about to touch him, a tree branch suddenly came from the side and struck the guard’s wrist. The guard winced in pain and withdrew his hand.
“Mianmian!” Zuo Xingping was overjoyed at the sight of Jiang Mian. He abandoned his argument with the security guards, rushed over, and shook the bag in his hand. “Look, I bought you fruit.”
Zuo Xingping, who hadn’t seen his daughter in half a month, had saved up some money. He had rushed over excitedly and first bought his precious daughter something from the supermarket, but then he noticed a man with bad aura. He kindly offered a couple of warnings, but the man immediately started yelling at him and had the security guards kick him out of the supermarket.
If it weren’t for the fact that he was in a good mood because he was about to see his precious daughter, he wouldn’t have bothered to offer any guidance. His good intentions had been completely trampled on.
But all the resentment in the Taoist Dad’s heart instantly dissipated the moment he saw his precious daughter. He looked her over. “How did you get so thin?”
Jiang Mian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “I didn’t.”
Then she glanced at the security guards. “Dad, did they hit you?”
Zuo Xingping shook his head. Jiang Mian walked toward the supermarket entrance, and naturally, Zuo Xingping followed wherever his daughter went.
“You can go in, but he can’t.” The security guard whose wrist had been struck by Jiang Mian’s branch had initially wanted to lose his temper, but when he got a clear look at Jiang Mian’s face, the curses on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back down.
“Why not?” Jiang Mian asked calmly.
The security guard hesitated. “Well… he was practicing feudal superstition in the supermarket, cursing people. Of course, we can’t let him in.”
A cold glint flickered in Jiang Mian’s eyes. “By that logic, as long as someone has cursed another person, they can’t enter this supermarket?”
“You just cursed my dad and even tried to hit him. So not only are you unqualified to enter this supermarket, you’re even less qualified to be security guards here.” She pointed to the security camera above. “Tell you what, for the sake of fairness, let’s call the police. We’ll go to the station and let the police officers sort it out. What do you say?”
The security guards: “…”
Jiang Mian’s attitude was firm. She insisted on bringing Zuo Xingping into the supermarket with her, which eventually brought the supermarket manager out.
Zuo Xingping said, “Mianmian, forget it. I don’t need to go in.”
“No,” Jiang Mian said coldly. “You weren’t the one yelling, and you weren’t the one trying to hit anyone. On what grounds did they kick you out and try to lay their hands on you?”
In the end, after the manager understood the situation, he apologized to Jiang Mian and Zuo Xingping and courteously invited them inside.
It was the first time the Taoist Dad had ever been protected by his precious daughter, and he was so moved that the rims of his eyes turned red.
Jiang Mian had already learned the whole story from Zuo Xingping. She said, “Dad, even if you noticed something wrong with that man, you shouldn’t have said it directly. A lot of people don’t believe in these things and are superstitious about them.”
“You believe your dad?” The Taoist Dad’s focus had completely shifted. His precious daughter, like Han Xu, had never believed in his abilities. In the past, when he had painstakingly drawn protection talismans for Jiang Mian, she had thrown them away on the spot and even lost her temper with him.
As a result, he rarely mentioned his profession in front of Jiang Mian, and he especially didn’t dare give her any talismans he had drawn, for fear of upsetting his precious daughter.
Thinking of all the excessive ways the original character had treated her Taoist Dad, Jiang Mian proactively linked her arm through Zuo Xingping’s. “Dad, I was immature before. This is your profession. Of course, I believe what you say.”
Zuo Xingping smiled like a fool. It took him a while to speak again. He scratched his head. “I just saw that man also has a daughter. I thought, if something happened to him, what would happen to his daughter? That’s why I kindly offered some advice, hoping he could avoid it.”
Jiang Mian felt a faint ache in her heart.
The father and daughter then headed to the snack aisle and directly filled an entire cart with snacks.
Everything in this supermarket cost at least three times more than in an ordinary supermarket. When Jiang Mian was about to pay with her card, Zuo Xingping quickly stopped his precious daughter and said, “Let me.”
He took out a yellow cloth pouch from inside his Taoist robe, which contained the money he had saved up over this period.
Due to his fate, Zuo Xingping couldn’t retain wealth. Even if he had money, if he didn’t spend it quickly, various unexpected events would always arise to make him lose it.
Han Xu had once felt sorry for him and given him a card, but within a day, the money had been swindled away, and Han Xu had to send people to recover it.
He usually couldn’t bear to buy himself nice food or clothes. After all, he was a Taoist and didn’t pursue material things. But when it came to buying things for Jiang Mian, he would gladly empty out almost all his possessions.
At checkout, people around them cast all kinds of looks their way. The combination of a curly-haired, bearded Taoist and a beautiful teenage girl was impossible not to notice.
But Zuo Xingping had long been used to being stared at and didn’t find it strange at all, and Jiang Mian simply didn’t care.
The large bag of snacks had cost nearly everything the Taoist Dad had, but he didn’t mind in the slightest. He walked with a spring in his step — the original character hadn’t liked him and, by extension, hadn’t liked spending his money.
Now that he could spend money on his precious daughter, how could he not be happy?
“Dad, where do you usually live?” On the way back, Jiang Mian asked her Taoist Dad.
Of the four fathers, only the Taoist Dad didn’t have a fixed residence.
At this, Zuo Xingping hesitated. “I have plenty of places to stay.”
Since her Taoist Dad didn’t want to say, Jiang Mian considerately didn’t press further.
Zuo Xingping breathed a sigh of relief.
The places he usually stayed were indeed many — park benches, outside temples, ordinary houses, mansions, and so on. It all depended on whether his clients were generous when paying for his services. There was no need to share these details with his precious daughter.
Just as they entered the apartment building, they saw Qi Yanshu standing by the elevator, quietly waiting for it to arrive.
Jiang Mian was somewhat surprised, but before she could speak, her Taoist Dad suddenly said hesitantly, “Huh? Are you… Junior Apprentice Brother Liaochen?”
Jiang Mian: “???”
Qi Yanshu turned his head slightly, his brow furrowed as if trying to identify the speaker. After a moment, his voice lifted slightly. “Senior Apprentice Brother Wuzhen?”
Jiang Mian: “??????”
Zuo Xingping: “Oh my goodness, you’re not dead.”
Qi Yanshu: “…”
Jiang Mian: “…”
**