“Assistant Director Wang slept with Bai Xiaolian last night!”
This was what Chen Xiaoruo heard while buying breakfast early in the morning. She ran all the way back to the room, so flustered she could barely speak. “Sister, sister, huge, huge news!”
Ling Wei had just woken up and was scrolling through Daddy Xie’s Moments on her phone, which had become her daily source of joy. The latest post was about that button having an unknown story, which had amused her for quite a while. Before she could finish enjoying it, Chen Xiaoruo brought back this explosive news.
After listening for a while and still not understanding clearly, Ling Wei frowned. “Speak plainly.”
Chen Xiaoruo swallowed, finished an entire cup of soy milk in one go, and finally spoke more coherently, relaying the whole story she had just heard.
When Ling Wei sent Bai Xiaolian into the room Zhao Ruyi had arranged last night, she had already sensed something would happen and expected trouble today. She just had not anticipated it would erupt so early in the morning.
“How did something like this become public knowledge in just one morning?” Ling Wei asked with a frown. It was a scandal. They should have tried to suppress it, so how did it spread so fast?
“People in the crew said that early this morning Director Guo wanted to discuss something with Assistant Director Wang. When he heard Wang had not come back last night, he sent his assistant to find him. The assistant heard that Assistant Director Wang had been invited out by Zhao Ruyi, so he went to find her. Zhao Ruyi then directly brought him to Assistant Director Wang’s room, and that’s when they discovered Bai Xiaolian sleeping in his bed!” After finishing, Chen Xiaoruo could not help exclaiming, “Oh my god, this is way too explosive!”
After listening, Ling Wei’s expression darkened. “Do you know? The room Assistant Director Wang slept in was the one Zhao Ruyi had prepared for me.”
Chen Xiaoruo froze, her face turning pale. “You mean this was all planned by Sister Zhao?”
Ling Wei got out of bed and threw on a jacket. “Yes. I was supposed to be the one in that room. But last night I sent Bai Xiaolian in instead, so she became the main character.”
Only then did Chen Xiaoruo realize how serious it was. Covering her mouth in horror, she said, “Sister, then Sister Zhao will definitely…” She did not dare finish the sentence. After this incident, Zhao Ruyi would certainly not let Ling Wei off.
Since Ling Wei had done what she did last night, she had already anticipated the consequences and was prepared for retaliation. In the private room, she had secretly recorded a video. If things turned ugly, she would show it to the company’s senior management. No matter how they handled it, she had to bring Zhao Ruyi down. Otherwise, it would become a constant threat.
If the company chose to quietly suppress the matter, she would pay for online articles to expose Zhao Ruyi. That would cost quite a bit. Thinking of this, Ling Wei checked her bank balance. Her mother had left her a considerable amount of savings, and a few days ago Ye Zichu had transferred three hundred thousand to her. Ling Wei realized she was actually fairly well off. She could afford the expense of buying publicity.
With a plan in mind, she reassured Chen Xiaoruo, “Don’t worry. I can handle this.”
“Really? Sister Wei, just tell me what you need me to do.”
Ling Wei thought seriously for a moment and said, “Then help me silence Zhao Ruyi.”
Chen Xiaoruo: …
When Ling Wei went to the set, the entire crew was discussing the incident. Guo Qi looked furious and seemed ready to scold anyone in sight. Ling Wei discreetly glanced around and noticed that Assistant Director Wang and Bai Xiaolian were nowhere to be seen.
Taking advantage of a break, Lan Ruo came over with a cup of ginseng tea to gossip. “I never expected Assistant Director Wang to be that kind of person. He’s got some nerve, getting involved with an actress from the same production. Director Guo was so angry he fired him on the spot.”
Although Ling Wei was relieved that she was not the one involved, she did not feel happy. “What about Bai Xiaolian?”
Lan Ruo shook her head while sipping her tea. “Haven’t seen her. After something like this, she probably doesn’t have the face to stay with the crew.”
Ling Wei pressed her lips together. Bai Xiaolian might not show up, but Zhao Ruyi would definitely come looking for her.
After filming several scenes in the morning and getting badly sunburned, Ling Wei went to the lounge to enjoy the air conditioning. It was a large lounge filled with people, all discussing the morning’s scandal. From what she overheard, Assistant Director Wang did not have a good reputation even before this.
And yet Zhao Ruyi had eagerly dragged them to drink and sleep with someone like that. Truly absurd.
“Ling Wei!” Zhao Ruyi pushed open the lounge door and stormed in angrily. Her shout was like a lioness’s roar, startling not only Ling Wei but everyone else in the room. All eyes turned to them in curiosity.
Ling Wei stood up to face Zhao Ruyi, who looked like she was about to explode. “Sister Zhao, let’s step outside to talk.”
Zhao Ruyi shot her a vicious glare but knew this was not the place for it. She turned and walked out first.
The two of them found a quiet spot outside. Zhao Ruyi immediately went on the offensive. “Ling Wei, who gave you the guts to frame Xiaolian?”
Ling Wei met her gaze without fear and said, “If I had not sent her in, then today the female lead in the scandal would have been me. Sister Zhao, I would also like to ask you something. How did the room card you gave me end up with Assistant Director Wang sleeping inside?”
To her surprise, Zhao Ruyi flatly denied it. “I never gave you a room card. That was Director Wang’s room to begin with.”
“If I did not have a room card, how could I have sent Bai Xiaolian in? Sister Zhao, none of us are fools. Please do not say things that insult our intelligence.”
Zhao Ruyi instantly exploded like a lit firecracker, her face twisted with rage. “How dare you call me stupid? Ling Wei, you little bitch, are you looking to die? So what if I told you to sleep with him? Do you believe that with just one word from me, you will never make it in the entertainment industry again starting today?”
“I do not believe it. If you were that capable, would you still need to drag us around to drink and sleep with people?”
“You!” Zhao Ruyi trembled as she pointed at her. “Just you wait. I will make sure you are finished!” After saying that, she picked up her phone to make a call.
Ling Wei was wondering whether she was about to call the company’s higher-ups when she suddenly heard someone beside them say in an unhurried tone, “Who are you going to finish?”
Zhao Ruyi froze mid-dial, then turned around. Ling Wei followed her gaze and saw a group of people walking toward them. Surrounded by others and walking at the very front was the very man whose button she had torn off yesterday, Xie Qingyan.
For a moment, Ling Wei wondered if it was her imagination. It felt as though he was not walking down a cement corridor, but striding along a glittering fashion runway. His bearing was like a god descending to the mortal world, handsome and radiating authority.
Was he performing again?
Ling Wei noticed that behind Xie Qingyan was the cool and aloof Secretary Du, along with Director Guo Qi and several members of the production team. Lan Ruo and the others who had been gossiping were also trailing behind to watch the drama unfold. It was truly lively now.
Xie Qingyan led the group to a shaded spot and beckoned to her. “Come here.”
Under everyone’s gaze, Ling Wei felt lightheaded, as though she were stepping on cotton candy. When she reached him, Xie Qingyan wrapped an arm around her waist and, right before everyone’s eyes, lowered his head and kissed her forehead. Such intimacy made their relationship obvious to anyone, even a blind person.
Guo Qi and the rest of the crew were secretly stunned, all thinking the same thing. Good heavens, Ling Wei has such a powerful background. She actually belongs to Xie Qingyan.
Those who had been rather cold toward Ling Wei before were now frantically reviewing their past behavior in their minds, wondering whether they had offended her.
As for Zhao Ruyi, who now stood isolated, she was dumbfounded. She knew Xie Qingyan and had seen him many times at banquets. Once, Ling Wei had even remarked that he was good-looking and wanted to flirt with him, only to be mocked by Zhao Ruyi. Who would have thought that Ling Wei had really won him over, and that they would be this intimate? How did she not know about this at all? In the end, Zhao Ruyi summed it up in two words: it is over.
After showing his affection, Xie Qingyan asked her gently, “Baby, was someone bullying you just now? Did they even say they would finish you?”
Ling Wei leaned lightly against him, lowered her eyes, and nodded with a pitiful expression. In a soft voice she said, “Gege, I am scared.”
The people behind them all shivered in unison, thinking that the two of them were unbearably mushy.
Xie Qingyan coaxed her tenderly, “Do not be afraid. Whoever dares to bully you, I will finish her.” The tone shifted dramatically, turning from domineering CEO to gang leader.
Secretary Du wiped cold sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief and quickly stepped in to smooth things over. “President Xie, it is too hot here. Perhaps we should move somewhere else to talk?”
Director Guo, being perceptive, immediately arranged a small air-conditioned lounge for them and dismissed the others, allowing them to discuss comfortably who was going to finish whom.
Zhao Ruyi was escorted into the lounge, still in a daze. Only after the door was closed from the outside by Guo Qi did she come back to her senses. Rubbing her hands together nervously, she said to Xie Qingyan, “President Xie, this is all a misunderstanding. I was just speaking casually to scare her. It cannot be taken seriously.”
Xie Qingyan sat imposingly on a single sofa, while Ling Wei obediently perched on the armrest, offering her slender waist for him to hold.
His voice was as cold as an ancient glacier as he said, “Can anyone casually scare my woman, Xie Qingyan’s woman?”
Zhao Ruyi had already forgotten why she had come in the first place. Only one thought remained in her mind: Who am I? Where am I? What is happening?
She stammered incoherently, “I… I did not know Ling Wei and you were… I just…”
Xie Qingyan had no patience to listen to her excuses. He turned to Ling Wei and asked, “How do you want to handle this?”
Ling Wei thought for a moment and said, “I do not want to see her again.”
Xie Qingyan nodded and said to Secretary Du beside him, “She is yours. Handle it cleanly.”
Ling Wei: …
Secretary Du: …
Zhao Ruyi: …
Having been by Xie Qingyan’s side for a long time, Secretary Du naturally knew what to do. He quickly led Zhao Ruyi away. The moment she stepped out the door, her fear finally reached its peak, and she could not help shouting in a trembling voice, “President Xie, spare my life!”
Ling Wei burst out laughing. “She really thought we were going to silence her?”
Xie Qingyan raised an eyebrow. “Were we not?”
Ling Wei: …
After teasing her enough, Xie Qingyan finally said, “Do not worry. It is just a lesson for her. I heard a rough account from Chen Xiaoruo earlier. Someone like that does not deserve to be your agent.”
Only then did Ling Wei let out a sigh of relief.
He then added, “Stop worrying about such trivial matters. Let us talk about something important.”
If that was just trivial, then what counted as important? Ling Wei immediately sat up straight and listened attentively. “What is it?”
Xie Qingyan took out two red braided bracelets from his pocket. He first tied one around Ling Wei’s wrist, then handed the other to her so she could tie it on him. Ling Wei looked puzzled. “Where did these come from?”
Xie Qingyan said, “Bought it at the entrance of the film studio, five yuan each.”
Ling Wei: …
The two of them put on the matching couple bracelets at the same time. They actually looked pretty convincing together. But was this what he meant by something important?
He brought their wrists together, took out his phone, and started snapping photos. After trying several angles, he still was not satisfied.
Ling Wei thought for a moment, then reached out and took his hand, interlacing their fingers. Only then did Xie Qingyan manage to capture the perfect shot.
Watching him upload the photo to his Moments, Ling Wei was moved by herself. From passively cooperating at the beginning to now actively striking poses, her progress could truly be called remarkable.
On Daddy Xie’s Moments:
“No way to deal with my baby…”
The accompanying photo showed the two of them wearing the same childish red string bracelets.
Ling Wei: …
Damn it, I am the one who cannot deal with you!!!