15
Guan Xin blurted out, “What do you mean by that?”
“Director Zhang,” Jiang Mian ignored her, “since you called me here for a callback as well, I assume it’s for the sake of fairness. In that case, instead of having someone else decide who goes first, why not decide by drawing lots?”
She then turned her gaze to Shen Shiqing, unsurprised to see his expression darken. “Although Mr. Shen is the investor, you yourself said you don’t know much about acting. When it comes to the audition, it’s better for Mr. Shen to just watch. Otherwise, people might easily suspect there’s something unclear between Mr. Shen and Miss Guan. Why else would you be so biased in her favor?”
“Jiang Mian!” Guan Xin was furious. Jiang Mian’s words were practically accusing her and Shen Shiqing of having an improper relationship. She was all but saying that Guan Xin had only gotten this opportunity because of Shen Shiqing. How could she not be enraged?
“You’re going too far!” Guan Xin’s eyes reddened, but she stubbornly refused to let the tears fall. This posture easily aroused a man’s protective instincts.
Jiang Mian looked genuinely surprised. “Miss Guan, where is this coming from? How have I bullied you? There are so many people watching here. You’re slandering my character and making false accusations.”
“I was just speaking casually. If there’s truly nothing between you and Mr. Shen, an upright person has no fear of a skewed shadow. Why be so angry, right?”
Guan Xin was so choked up she couldn’t utter a single word.
“Miss Jiang, although you are young, you are an adult,” Shen Shiqing spoke. He smiled, his sinister aura vanishing in an instant, making him appear like a gentleman—the kind that could fool many people. “There are things you should say and things you shouldn’t. I’m sure you know very well. Be careful that trouble doesn’t come out of your mouth.”
“I’m sorry, but I’ve always been straightforward. Since Mr. Shen and Miss Guan have no relationship—” Jiang Mian turned to Director Zhang. “Director Zhang, what do you think of my proposal just now?”
Director Zhang: “…”
He looked at Jiang Mian as if seeing her for the first time, sizing her up. This girl knew Shen Shiqing was the investor, yet she still dared to confront him head-on. Even if she got the female lead role, wasn’t she afraid Shen Shiqing would sabotage her later?
Unless she simply had no fear.
That fearlessness either came from within herself or from her backing. He couldn’t help but think of Qin Jingrun…
Qin Jingrun had top-tier influence in the industry. Those who knew him well understood that although this top Best Actor appeared gentle and mild-mannered, he actually had a very tough temperament. Most people couldn’t challenge him.
And the young woman before him, when it came to being tough, resembled Qin Jingrun greatly.
Director Zhang’s thoughts raced, but his expression remained composed. After a moment’s deliberation, he said, “You’re right. We’ll draw lots.”
Guan Xin looked at Director Zhang in disbelief.
Shen Shiqing’s expression was inscrutable. His gaze swept over Jiang Mian before finally landing on Guan Xin, giving her a reassuring look.
Guan Xin took a deep breath, reminding herself not to lose composure. Jiang Mian had done this deliberately to unsettle her and cause her to slip up during the audition.
The result of the draw came out. Jiang Mian held the slip of paper with the number one written on it and said to Guan Xin, whose expression was barely holding up, “Oh my, Miss Guan, sorry, I’ll be going first.”
Guan Xin dug her fingernails into her palms. The stage play she had performed last time had received wide acclaim. Her mentor and several directors in the audience had said she had talent, that she was a natural-born actor with a promising future.
And what about Jiang Mian?
Even if her acting had improved somewhat, apart from being able to play pitiful, how could she compare?
Remembering Jiang Mian’s disastrous performance at the gala last time, Guan Xin calmed down. She smiled faintly at Jiang Mian, a trace of hidden disdain in the smile. “Go ahead.”
Jiang Mian naturally knew Guan Xin was waiting for her to embarrass herself, so she could then slap back.
The callback scene was the first time the male and female leads saw each other again after twenty years. Because the male lead had broken his promise, the female lead slaps him. There were only three lines of dialogue. The focus was on the emotions that needed to be expressed through the slap.
Jiang Mian looked around at the room, then finally fixed her gaze on Shen Shiqing, smiling sweetly. “Mr. Shen, I wonder if I might have the honor of inviting you to do the scene with me?”
Shen Shiqing: “…”
This woman was truly bold. Knowing full well that he was already angry, she still dared to invite him to act with her.
Yet there she stood, smiling so charmingly, looking up at him with those eyes, that he found himself unable to refuse.
Shen Shiqing agreed. He stepped closer to Jiang Mian, looking at her as if she were some kind of prey.
Jiang Mian’s long lashes fluttered slightly, a cold glint appearing in her eyes. When she looked up again, her eyes were already red. She crossed the distance to Shen Shiqing in three quick steps and delivered the female lead’s first line from the scene: “Twenty years, Song Yun’an. I’ve waited for you a full twenty years!”
She raised her hand and slapped Shen Shiqing hard across the face.
Smack.
It was a very crisp sound.
Everyone was stunned, including Shen Shiqing himself. His head had turned slightly from the force of Jiang Mian’s slap.
Then, five bright red finger marks emerged, looking somewhat alarming.
A deathly silence fell over the room.
Time seemed to slow down as Shen Shiqing’s head turned back, frame by frame.
The only one not stunned was, of course, Jiang Mian herself. She covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes widening as if startled. Then, as if snapping back to reality, she hurriedly said, “Oh, I’m so sorry, Mr. Shen. I didn’t mean to. I was only trying to fake it, and I just accidentally…”
In that instant, Shen Shiqing’s expression turned extremely menacing. Jiang Mian, pretending to be frightened, said quietly, “Maybe you could hit me back?”
If he dared to hit her, she dared to cripple his hand.
It all depended on whether he had the nerve.
Shen Shiqing left the conference room in big strides, his face ashen. Jiang Mian watched his back, a flicker of disappointment in her eyes.
Go on, hit me.
A few seconds later, the silence of the conference room was shattered by Guan Xin’s somewhat shrill voice: “Jiang Mian, you’re horrible! How could you just hit someone like that?”
“I didn’t hit anyone,” Jiang Mian said innocently. “I said it was an accident.”
Guan Xin was about to lose her mind. Shen Shiqing had appeared there for her sake, yet he had received a slap from Jiang Mian. She couldn’t even begin to imagine Shen Shiqing’s temperament…
For a moment, she forgot that Director Zhang and Assistant Liu were still in the conference room. She glared coldly at Jiang Mian. “Jiang Mian, do you have any idea what you’ve done? Don’t think that just because your family has money, you can be arrogant and do whatever you want. There are plenty of people in this world richer and more powerful than your family. You dare to hit Mr. Shen? Then you’d better be prepared for him to—”
Director Zhang couldn’t listen anymore. He coughed.
Guan Xin’s voice cut off abruptly. Only then did she realize with a start that Director Zhang was still there. Her expression shifted several times before she finally fell silent.
Director Zhang had a headache. This turn of events was completely beyond his expectations.
The investor had been slapped by Jiang Mian. In a sense, he also bore some responsibility. If Shen Shiqing pulled his funding because of this… Yet, oddly enough, he found he couldn’t muster any anger toward Jiang Mian.
Instead, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction. What to do?
He had poured immense effort into preparing this new film. He wanted to find the female lead who best matched his vision. He favored Jiang Mian, partly because of Qin Jingrun, but also because he genuinely felt she was the right fit.
But Shen Shiqing insisted on Guan Xin for the role. Guan Xin was indeed a good actress, but with Jiang Mian’s performance setting the bar so high, Guan Xin’s acting felt like it was missing something.
So, he had given Guan Xin a second, private audition opportunity. But what he found utterly intolerable was that Guan Xin had shown up dressed as his first love!
Yet, because of Shen Shiqing’s involvement, even though he was angry, he couldn’t show it.
Director Zhang’s thoughts were a tangled mess. Finally, he waved his hand in frustration and said bluntly, “Both of you go back for now. We’ll discuss the audition results later.”
“Okay,” Jiang Mian said obediently, nodding. She then left the hotel without any fuss, showing no sign at all of having caused trouble.
Guan Xin glared at her back, gnashing her teeth. After a moment, she dialed Shen Shiqing’s assistant’s number. A businesslike voice came on the line: “Miss Guan, you should go back for now.”
Guan Xin bit her lip. “Is Mr. Shen… is he okay?”
“That’s not a question you should be asking.”
Guan Xin’s face turned pale. After hanging up, she stood there frozen. Then her phone rang again. It was Gu Qiwen.
She hesitated for a moment, then answered. “Guan Guan, how did it go?”
Guan Xin remained silent. Gu Qiwen’s voice rose. “What happened?”
“Nothing,” she shook her head. She couldn’t let Gu Qiwen know about Shen Shiqing’s existence. “Director Zhang said we’ll try another time. No audition today.”
“Did Jiang Mian do something?” Gu Qiwen’s voice deepened, each word deliberate. “She said she would stop bothering me and stop causing you trouble.”
Guan Xin didn’t answer, which only deepened Gu Qiwen’s certainty that Jiang Mian had done something bad to Guan Xin again.
“I’m sorry. It’s my fault,” Gu Qiwen said. “I’ll come pick you up right now. Wait for me.”
Guan Xin said softly, “Don’t bother. You have class. I’ll come back on my own.”
She didn’t want to see Jiang Mian again, so she left via another route. As a result, she didn’t see a car pull up beside Jiang Mian — the same car that Shen Shiqing often sent to pick her up.
Two bodyguards got out of the car, radiating menace. An ordinary person would have panicked at the sight. Jiang Mian merely raised an eyebrow. “What?”
Bodyguard A said sternly, “Mr. Shen invites you to come with us.”
Jiang Mian: “What if I refuse?”
“Mr. Shen said we must get you into the car by any means,” Bodyguard B said. “If you don’t get in, news of you hitting someone during your audition will spread throughout the industry. You’ll become famous very quickly.”
Jiang Mian tilted her head and smiled. “Threatening me?”
The bodyguards said nothing. Jiang Mian thought for a moment, then said cheerfully, “Fine. I’ll go with you.”
The two bodyguards paused. For some reason, their professional instincts told them that some kind of danger was approaching.
But before they could figure it out, Jiang Mian was already nimbly getting into the car. “Let’s go.”
It seemed her slap hadn’t been hard enough. Since the other party was offering up his face again, it would be rude of her not to slap it.
The car stopped at an upscale private club. As soon as she entered, Jiang Mian was surrounded by bodyguards in black shirts and pants. The delicate, beautiful teenage girl, who appeared completely defenseless, looked like a little lamb walking right into the tiger’s den.
Pushing open the door to a private room, Jiang Mian saw Shen Shiqing sitting on the sofa. He seemed to have just arrived not long ago as well, holding a pack of ice against his left cheek.
The slap Jiang Mian had delivered carried spiritual energy. It wouldn’t make Shen Shiqing spit blood, but it would ensure his face remained swollen and painful for at least the rest of the night.
The door clicked shut, leaving only Jiang Mian and Shen Shiqing in the room. Jiang Mian looked around. “Are there cameras in here?”
Shen Shiqing: “…”
He had expected to see a Jiang Mian trembling with fear. Instead, not only was she unafraid, but she was also curiously examining her surroundings, completely unbothered by his presence.
Shen Shiqing was so angry he laughed. The pain in his left cheek grated on his nerves. Suppressing the urge to strangle this woman before him, he said, “Do you know where you are?”
Jiang Mian scoffed. “Isn’t this your turf?”
The imposing atmosphere Shen Shiqing had tried to create was shattered by Jiang Mian’s retort. He paused, momentarily at a loss for how to continue.
Jiang Mian asked again, “Are there cameras?”
Shen Shiqing let out a cold laugh but didn’t answer. Jiang Mian understood. This was Shen Shiqing’s private space; no one would dare install cameras in this room.
“Good.” Jiang Mian smiled. She walked to the door and, under Shen Shiqing’s astonished gaze, locked it from the inside.
Shen Shiqing soon realized what Jiang Mian intended to do. Even after he passed out, he couldn’t figure out how it had happened. He had sent for Jiang Mian to teach her a lesson, so how had he ended up being the one taught a lesson?
And how was it that a grown man like him couldn’t even defeat a woman?
Shen Shiqing’s bodyguards always knew better than to be nosy. Whenever Shen Shiqing summoned someone to his private room, they would consciously keep their distance.
With the door locked and the soundproofing excellent, no one discovered that their boss had been beaten to a pulp.
When Jiang Mian finally emerged, she said, “Mr. Shen fell asleep. I’m leaving.”
The bodyguards exchanged glances. One blocked Jiang Mian while the other checked the room. He found Shen Shiqing lying on the sofa, indeed appearing to be asleep. With no reason to stop her, they let Jiang Mian go.
Thus, Jiang Mian was politely invited over, politely sent out after beating someone up, and as for what would happen when Shen Shiqing woke up—
Jiang Mian called her Film Emperor Dad. At a time like this, of course she needed to rely on her Film Emperor Dad.
Qin Jingrun had just finished attending an event. Receiving an active call from his precious daughter, a warm smile immediately spread across his face. Since he hadn’t yet left the venue, countless cameras captured this gentle, doting smile.
“Dad, are you busy right now?”
“Not busy,” Qin Jingrun said. “Is baby thinking of me?”
Jiang Mian rubbed her nose and shamelessly hummed an affirmation.
Qin Jingrun’s voice softened. In the past, his precious daughter had never missed him. He said, “Should Dad send someone to pick you up?”
Jiang Mian felt this was something better discussed in person, so she agreed. She waited for the Film Emperor Dad to send someone for her. As for where they would go, her Film Emperor Dad would arrange everything, so she didn’t have to worry.
There was a shopping mall nearby. Thinking that she hadn’t properly explored this world since arriving, she decided to enjoy herself and browse the mall.
In her previous life in the cultivation world, Jiang Mian had been deeply devoted to cultivation, living an austere existence and never truly enjoying herself.
Now was the time to savor the pleasures of being an ordinary person.
However, after walking around, she couldn’t figure out what to buy. She didn’t lack anything. Finally, she entered a luxury watch store, deciding to buy four watches—one for each father.
The salesperson, upon hearing that Jiang Mian wanted to buy four watches, knew a big sale was coming. She enthusiastically hovered around Jiang Mian, introducing which models were best.
Based on her understanding, Jiang Mian selected according to each father’s preferences. When it came to her Police dad, she was stumped.
She hadn’t even met her Police dad yet. He was out of town working a case.
She didn’t know what her Police dad’s personality was like. The original character’s memories were blurry, so Jiang Mian couldn’t get any useful information. In the end, she chose one by intuition.
“Miss, the total is 3.42 million yuan,” the salesperson said, smiling so broadly that only her teeth were visible. It was the first time she had encountered such a decisive customer. Over three million yuan! Just the commission alone would be substantial. How could she not be thrilled?
In this line of work, customers like this were their favorite.
Jiang Mian took out her card and paid. Afterwards, she went to a coffee shop, ordered a latte, and sat down, waiting for the person her Film Emperor Dad had sent.
She had just sat down when her phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number. Jiang Mian answered, and Gu Qiwen’s voice came through the receiver: “Jiang Mian, where are you?”
He sounded very calm.
Gu Qiwen was actually calling her. Without a second thought, Jiang Mian hung up.
Gu Qiwen called again. Jiang Mian couldn’t even be bothered to look at the screen. She directly blocked the number. Then, reconsidering, she unblocked it, sent a text message, and blocked it again.
Her message said: — Pay attention to the color of the hat on your head.
This was her kind advice. Whether he believed it or not was his own business. Jiang Mian cheerfully re-blocked the number.
With no more interruptions, Jiang Mian opened Weibo. Keeping up with recent entertainment news would help her better understand the industry.
The first thing she saw was her Film Emperor Dad trending on the search list. The headline was very eye-catching: [Qin Jingrun’s Mysterious Girlfriend].
Qin Jingrun was now a well-known national heartthrob. His fans ranged from eighty years old down to eight years old—an extremely wide range. He had not only many female fans but also many male fans.
Over the years, fans had been very concerned about Qin Jingrun’s marital status. No one wanted their heartthrob to marry someone else. Their heartthrob belonged to everyone; if he got married, he would belong to someone else.
In the past, if any actress tried to tie herself to Qin Jingrun for publicity, she would be torn apart by his fans. Almost no other actress’s fanbase could rival the combativeness of Qin Jingrun’s fans. As a result, even those who might have wanted to start rumors for attention no longer dared to.
The fans were very pleased with themselves, feeling that they had repeatedly protected their heartthrob’s “purity.”
At the same time, the fans didn’t want their heartthrob to get married, yet they also worried about him remaining single forever. In short, their feelings were very contradictory.
Because Qin Jingrun was single, there was a period when rumors circulated online that he preferred men, which was why he remained unmarried.
Seeing this trending topic, Jiang Mian’s curiosity was immediately piqued. She genuinely wanted to see who her Film Emperor Dad’s girlfriend was.
Having been in this world for some time, Jiang Mian still didn’t know why the original character had four biological fathers. The original author hadn’t explained it either. Not only that, but the entire book never mentioned the original character’s biological mother.
The original character’s memories contained no trace of such a person as a mother.
Jiang Mian had tried to subtly ask her Taoist Dad since he was the easiest to fool but he either didn’t understand or was playing dumb, deflecting the topic.
What she had gathered so far was that she had four biological fathers, with no information about her biological mother. All four fathers were single. Aside from the Taoist Dad, the others were all confirmed bachelors.
Jiang Mian tapped on the topic with her fingertip. Instantly, short videos reposted by various promotional accounts appeared. The videos were only a few seconds long. In them, as Qin Jingrun was exiting the event, he took out his phone and smiled dotingly at it.
There were several short videos from different angles. The photographers had tried their hardest to capture whatever was on Qin Jingrun’s phone that could make him smile so tenderly and captivatingly.
That smile was too eye-catching and too easily conjured up fantasies. Those with strong imaginations immediately assumed that he could only smile like that at a beloved person.
Consequently, various promotional accounts began reposting, claiming that Qin Jingrun had a girlfriend, pushing the topic up the trending list.
Many people were digging to find out who this supposed girlfriend was.
“What? Brother Qin has a girlfriend?!” A screech came from the next table. Several female voices were huddled together, and Jiang Mian could clearly hear them.
“Absolutely impossible! It must be some shameless person trying to ride on Brother Qin’s coattails.”
“It’s just a smile. These promotional accounts, just to get attention, are posting without conscience, over-interpreting and twisting the meaning.”
“Exactly. I don’t believe Brother Qin has a girlfriend. And even if he did, it could only be me!”
Jiang Mian: “…”
This was insane. No wonder the other fathers had an agreement with her Film Emperor Dad that his relationship with Jiang Mian could never be revealed, it was her Taoist Dad who told her about this agreement.
It was precisely because of these female fans.
Just as she was thinking about this, her Film Emperor Dad sent her a message asking where she was. Jiang Mian sent him a direct location pin and continued waiting for the driver’s call.
“Someone is sitting here.” Sensing someone sit down across from her, Jiang Mian said without looking up.
“I know. And that someone is sitting with my baby.” A familiar voice sounded from above. Jiang Mian’s head shot up, and she stared wide-eyed at her Film Emperor Dad, who was right in front of her.
“Dad,” she said, lowering her voice. “How did you come? What if you get recognized?”
The key point was that her Film Emperor Dad was only wearing a baseball cap, hardly inconspicuous.
“As long as you don’t act too surprised, no one will notice,” her Film Emperor Dad said, winking at her. His precious daughter’s surprised and worried expression was just too adorable.
Jiang Mian held her forehead. Judging by her Film Emperor Dad’s familiar tone, she couldn’t help but suspect he did this often.
Qin Jingrun sat down across from Jiang Mian. Jiang Mian subtly scanned their surroundings. When she saw that no one had noticed them, she breathed a sigh of relief.
“Do you want to go to an arcade? Dad will take you,” Qin Jingrun suggested, showing no awareness at all that he was a super superstar.
Once, his precious daughter had mentioned wanting to go to an arcade with him. But as soon as they entered, before they could even start playing, he was recognized. They’d had to rely on the mall security to leave. After that, his precious daughter had never made that request again.
Qin Jingrun felt very guilty and had always wanted to make it up to her.
Jiang Mian shook her head. It was too conspicuous. She didn’t want to be surrounded.
Seeing this, a flicker of disappointment passed through Qin Jingrun’s eyes, though he concealed it well. He then took Jiang Mian’s hand and led her out of the coffee shop.
It was 7:30 PM, the peak hour, and the mall was crowded. Jiang Mian, being led by her Film Emperor Dad, felt an urge to cover her face—that way, even if Qin Jingrun was recognized, no one would be able to see who she was.
Fortunately, her worry was unnecessary. The father and daughter reached the parking lot safely without anyone recognizing them.
Once in the car, Qin Jingrun handed Jiang Mian a small, beautiful cake. “You must be hungry. Eat this to tide you over.”
Returning the gesture, Jiang Mian took out the watch she had chosen for her Film Emperor Dad.
“Thank you, baby.” Qin Jingrun immediately took off the watch he was wearing—worth over two million yuan, a gift from a sponsor, and casually tossed it into the car’s storage compartment. He then put on the watch his precious daughter had given him.
While eating her cake, Jiang Mian told Qin Jingrun everything about what had happened at the Junlai Hotel, omitting the part where she had gone to the private club and beaten Shen Shiqing—as long as Shen Shiqing wanted to save face, he would bury that incident deep in his gut and never tell a soul.
She ended with a sigh. “Dad, what should I do? I hit the lead investor.”
“You did the right thing,” Qin Jingrun said. He stroked his precious daughter’s silky hair, a hint of anger simmering in his eyes. “Leave this to Dad. Don’t worry about it. With Dad here, no one can bully you.”
“Thank you, Dad.” Jiang Mian’s eyes curved into a smile. Having a powerful backup really felt wonderful. No wonder the original character had been so spoiled~
“You don’t need to be polite with Dad.” Qin Jingrun took a tissue and wiped the cake off his precious daughter’s face.
He suddenly remembered when his precious daughter was little, celebrating her birthday. She had fallen face-first into the huge birthday cake. Everyone had thought she would cry, but instead, she hadn’t shed a single tear. She had simply grabbed the cake and started eating.
The four grown men’s hearts had melted at the adorable sight.
At the memory, Qin Jingrun’s eyes grew even more tender. At the same time, his anger toward Shen Shiqing deepened. He had been in the industry for decades and had achieved his current status. A man like Shen Shiqing was beneath his notice.
Since her Film Emperor Dad had told her not to worry about it, Jiang Mian cheerfully put Shen Shiqing out of her mind. Remembering the trending topic, she looked at Qin Jingrun with a mischievous smile. He caught her staring and laughed. “Is there something on Dad’s face? Why are you looking at me like that?”
Jiang Mian shook her head, then said slowly, “Dad, the trending topic says you have a girlfriend. Is that true or false?”
“Nonsense,” Qin Jingrun said. He had already seen the trending topic online. He never paid much attention to such things anyway. Every so often, some promotional accounts would ride his coattails and push him onto the trending list. He was used to it by now.
Qin Jingrun added, “Dad has only one little sweetheart in this lifetime.”
Jiang Mian was curious. “Who?”
Her Film Emperor Dad extended his slender finger and gently tapped his precious daughter’s small, delicate nose. “Why, my baby, of course.”
Jiang Mian couldn’t help it—she blushed. Fortunately, he was her biological father.
She began to think, strangely enough, that the reason the original character had fallen for Gu Qiwen might be because her four fathers were so exceptional that when someone less outstanding came along, he ended up catching her attention.
While waiting at a green light, Qin Jingrun took a call. He frowned. “Now? Do I have to go?”
Jiang Mian was flipping through some of her Film Emperor Dad’s autographed photos in the car. When she heard this, she looked up. Qin Jingrun ended the call, and Jiang Mian said, “Dad, if you have work, go ahead. I’ll take a taxi back.”
She had already accomplished what she wanted from meeting her Film Emperor Dad anyway.
Qin Jingrun rarely got time with his daughter. How could he bear to part with his precious daughter so soon? He thought for a moment, then tested the waters. “There’s a cocktail party I’ve been invited to. Would you like to come along for some fun?”
He tried his best to lure his precious daughter to come with him. “There’s lots of delicious food there. Even better than the cake you just ate.”
Jiang Mian: “…”
Jiang Mian was speechless. Her Film Emperor Dad really did treat her like a three-year-old, didn’t he?
But when she saw the hopeful look in Qin Jingrun’s eyes—though he thought he was hiding it well, Jiang Mian hesitated. “If I go, would I cause you trouble?”
“Of course not.” Sensing his precious daughter was tempted, Qin Jingrun added more fuel to the fire. “It’s a private cocktail party. It’s all businesspeople, only a few people from the industry. No media. Plus, everyone signs an agreement before entering. No one’s allowed to leak anything that happens inside.”
“Your only job once you get in is to eat.” He felt his daughter had lost weight recently and needed to put some meat back on her bones.
With him having said so much, refusing would be too affected. Jiang Mian cheerfully agreed.
Qin Jingrun first took Jiang Mian back to his residence.
Aside from the Taoist Dad, who had no fixed home, each of the fathers had a room for Jiang Mian in their house. Even though Jiang Mian didn’t come to stay, Qin Jingrun frequently kept adding clothes to the room prepared for his precious daughter.
Going back now was to pick out an evening gown.
Whenever Qin Jingrun saw beautiful dresses and thought they would look good on his precious daughter, he would have Lin Xi buy them and put them in the walk-in closet. Over time, miscellaneous items filled an entire room.
“Baby, wear this one.” Qin Jingrun took out a large gift box from the walk-in closet. “I bought it in London last time. You’ll look beautiful in it.”
He opened the box. Inside was a pink, off-the-shoulder little evening dress. The skirt was adorned with countless tiny diamonds that sparkled under the light.
Jiang Mian: “…”
“You said my only job was to eat. Wouldn’t wearing something like this be a bit much?” Jiang Mian protested. Although the dress was beautiful, it was far too flashy.
“Even when eating, you should eat looking beautiful,” Qin Jingrun said. This was the first time he was taking his precious daughter to a public place. Even though he couldn’t tell anyone their relationship, that didn’t stop him from wanting his daughter to be the most beautiful girl in the room.
Her Film Emperor Dad carefully took the dress out of the box and looked at Jiang Mian expectantly.
Jiang Mian resignedly took the dress. After she changed and came back out, she found that someone else had arrived in the living room — Xia Qi.
Xia Qi lived nearby. He had been temporarily called over by Qin Jingrun to do Jiang Mian’s makeup.
Jiang Mian’s long hair was pinned up by Xia Qi with a hairpin, revealing her fair, beautiful neck. Qin Jingrun then found a gemstone necklace and put it on Jiang Mian. She felt like the doll of two grown men, letting them fuss over her.
When everything was done, Xia Qi sighed, “I guarantee that little Mianmian will be the most beautiful girl at the cocktail party tonight.”
She was too beautiful.
Jiang Mian was getting sleepy and yawned. “Are you done?”
Qin Jingrun was extremely satisfied. Ignoring his precious daughter’s words, he said to Xia Qi, “Maybe we should let her hair down instead.”
“Why?” Xia Qi had created Jiang Mian’s hairstyle himself.
Qin Jingrun frowned, looking worried. “She looks too good. What if someone at the banquet tries to get fresh with Mianmian?”
Jiang Mian: “…”
Xia Qi rolled his eyes and retorted, “Are you just here for decoration?”
He had a point. Qin Jingrun didn’t say anything more and carefully helped his precious daughter into the car.
— To match the makeup and the dress, Jiang Mian was also wearing ten-centimeter high heels.
All just to go eat. Was it really worth it?
Back in the car, Jiang Mian noticed that Xia Qi hadn’t come along. She was puzzled. “Isn’t Uncle Xia coming?”
“His status is too low. No one invited him,” Qin Jingrun answered offhandedly.
Xia Qi jumped up. “Who has low status? I turned down the invitation!”
On the way, Jiang Mian tentatively asked, “Dad, how likely do you think it is that someone with Uncle Xia’s personality could suffer from depression?”
Qin Jingrun said, “About as likely as a sow climbing a tree.”
Jiang Mian: “…”
Never mind. She’d drop the subject.
When they arrived at the cocktail party venue, a doorman pushed open the large doors. As the father and daughter walked in on the red carpet, all eyes turned to them. The noisy hall fell silent.
Neither of them paid any attention to the stares. Qin Jingrun led Jiang Mian straight to the food area. People came up to him, their gazes frequently drifting to Jiang Mian, unable to hide the astonishment in their eyes.
“Mr. Qin, this is…?”
“A junior in the family.”
Jiang Mian noticed that many people were coming up to Qin Jingrun. After he had fended off one wave, Jiang Mian finally found an opportunity. “Dad, go attend to your things. I’ll go over there to eat.”
Naturally, Qin Jingrun was reluctant to let her go alone. He was about to follow when Jiang Mian slipped away quickly. Then someone else came over to talk to him. When he looked again, his precious daughter had disappeared from sight.
Qin Jingrun: “…”
With Qin Jingrun no longer by her side, Jiang Mian attracted far fewer stares. When people came over to strike up a conversation, she would just smile and say nothing. Eventually, people got the hint, and those with any sense stopped approaching. Jiang Mian was happy to be left alone.
“You’re Jingrun’s girlfriend?” a voice sounded from behind her.
Jiang Mian turned around. The speaker was a woman in a red long dress. The form-fitting skirt outlined her enchanting figure—alluring and graceful.
Jiang Mian recognized her. She was a well-known A-list superstar in the industry, Academy Award-winning actress Yu Sizhu.
Rumors in the industry said that the reason the actress had never married all these years was because she was in love with Qin Jingrun and had been waiting for him.
Jiang Mian gave Yu Sizhu a polite smile, said nothing, and turned back to grab another piece of cake.
Her two goals in coming to the cocktail party were, first, to accompany her Film Emperor Dad, and second, to eat. She didn’t want to do anything else. As long as no one bothered her, that was fine.
Yu Sizhu couldn’t bring herself to squabble with a young girl, so she could only watch helplessly as Jiang Mian flitted around the hall with her plate of food like a beautiful butterfly, attracting quite a few glances.
Jiang Mian hadn’t expected to see Qi Yanshu at this cocktail party. To make sure she wasn’t mistaken, she took a few more steps closer and confirmed that her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her.
Qi Yanshu stood in a corner. Over his eyes, instead of a white cloth, he wore a pair of black light-blocking glasses.
What was he doing here?
Just as Jiang Mian was about to walk over, two men approached Qi Yanshu. From her angle, she could see one of the men drop a small white object into a glass of wine, swirl it around, and then hand the glass to Qi Yanshu.
Jiang Mian: “…”
Jiang Mian frowned seeing Qi Yanshu taking the glass.
The next second, Qi Yanshu threw the wine right in the man’s face.
Jiang Mian was delighted and nearly blurted out a “Nice one.”
After dousing the man, Qi Yanshu placed the empty glass precisely onto a nearby tray, didn’t utter a single word, turned, and walked toward the corridor on the right.
The man who had been splashed wanted to lash out, but the man next to him held him back.
The cocktail party was large, and this little incident didn’t affect the rest of the event at all, so only a small number of people had witnessed it. Jiang Mian thought for a moment, then, carrying a plate piled high with food, followed after him.
The corridor was very long, and there was almost no one around. Only when she reached the end did she realize that the corridor connected to an inner courtyard. Inside the courtyard was a small fountain. It was so quiet here that it stood in stark contrast to the buzzing, crowded main hall.
Jiang Mian looked around twice but didn’t see Qi Yanshu. A grown man his size couldn’t just vanish into thin air.
There was a bench up ahead. She was about to walk over and sit down when, just two steps in, she suddenly heard the whoosh of a fist coming at her from behind.
Jiang Mian: “???”
She had a plate of food in her hands and was wearing ten-centimeter heels. She really hadn’t expected a sudden attack and had to hastily duck to avoid it.
Her attacker came at her fiercely. When the first blow missed, another came right after. Jiang Mian, annoyed at being ambushed for no reason, threw her food onto the ground. “Are you crazy?!”
She spun around and caught her attacker’s wrist. But unexpectedly, the other party suddenly withdrew their strength. The force in Jiang Mian’s hand ended up being a little too much, and then she heard a crack.
Jiang Mian: “…”
She realized that the person attacking her was Qi Yanshu.
The unfortunate part was—
She had just broken Qi Yanshu’s wrist.
Jiang Mian: “…………”
**