Dark currents surged in the depths of He Sinian’s eyes as he stared intently at Qiao Mai.
A sense of humiliation welled up in his heart, like a breath stuck in his chest that he could neither exhale nor swallow down. His jaw tightened into a rigid line.
“Yes! That’s exactly the look!”
Not far away, the director leaped straight to his feet, so excited he was slapping his own thigh.
“Three parts mocking, three parts cold, four parts forbearance! Incredible! This emotion is simply absolute perfection! Start rolling immediately, shoot right in this state!”
Qiao Mai swallowed hard and quickly retreated two steps.
“He-heard that? The director is praising you. Act well, I’m going to get you some water.”
For the rest of the shoot, leaning on that “aggrieved, murderous aura” that had been literally slapped out of him by Qiao Mai, He Sinian nailed the scenes of the put-upon Dragon King in a single take.
Everyone on set looked at him completely differently after that.
When the noon lunch boxes were handed out, the assistant director even proactively brought an extra boxed meal over to the two of them. Qiao Mai opened it up, took a look, and very obsequiously passed one of them to He Sinian.
“Here, this one has a chicken leg.”
She unscrewed a bottle of mineral water and handed it over as well. “Just now was purely an accident, sorry about that. Once that fifteen hundred comes through, I’ll split a thousand with you as pocket money.”
Another thousand.
He Sinian took the water without a word. The red mark on his face had already faded, but that cold, aloof aura of detachment had grown even heavier.
Right at that moment, a black Mercedes luxury van drove directly into the outer perimeter of the set.
Seeing the door open, the crew members immediately hurried over to greet it. The director rubbed his hands together, smiling like a blooming flower: “Ms. Chu, why did you personally come by? A stunt double would have been more than enough for this little bit of filming.”
Qiao Mai watched with curiosity, instantly taking a fancy to that van. That vehicle looked comfortable enough to drive straight into a snow-capped mountain. Once her investment returns came in later, she could buy one too and kick off a global travel tour.
“I came because I had the time.”
Chu Jiaojiao took off her sunglasses, swept her gaze across the set, and finally locked onto He Sinian, who was sitting on a plastic stool eating a boxed lunch.
Her eyes lit up, and she clicked over in her high heels straight toward him.
Her bodyguards cleared the path ahead, roughly shoving a few extra actors out of the way.
“Are you blind? Didn’t you see our young miss coming, get out of the way!”
Qiao Mai was still admiring the van when she was unceremoniously shoved aside. Anger flared up instantly.
“I was sitting here first, what gives you the right to tell me to move?”
“You—”
“Enough, you’re giving me a headache.”
Chu Jiaojiao cast a contemptuous glance at Qiao Mai, then walked right up to He Sinian, looking down at him from above.
That low-quality security guard uniform worn on his body somehow managed to exude a restrained, wild masculinity.
“You must be the new stunt double?”
He Sinian was in the middle of sorting through his lunch box for the edible parts and didn’t bother to acknowledge her.
It was Chu Jiaojiao’s first time ever being ignored. But this face suited her tastes too well; she could accept his little bit of temper.
“I’ve taken a liking to you. This is my greeting gift for you.”
She pulled a black card out of her Hermès bag, held it between two fingers, and extended it out right in front of He Sinian.
“If you’re willing to have dinner with me tonight, I can also introduce you to a supporting role in a major blockbuster drama.”
“A monthly salary of no less than three hundred thousand—way more comfortable than what you’re doing here. You wouldn’t refuse, right?”
A collective intake of breath echoed through the surrounding crowd.
“Three hundred thousand?! And just for a supporting role!”
“My god, this must be one of those S-tier mega productions!”
“This new guy just got here for a single day and already caught Ms. Chu’s eye. What incredible dumb luck!”
Though Qiao Mai was heavily tempted by the three hundred thousand, the thought of someone trying to poach her meal ticket made her hesitation vanish completely.
He Sinian was her passport to rewriting her fate; she couldn’t let anyone steal him away.
“Hold on a second.”
She stood up, set her lunch box aside, and stepped directly in front of He Sinian, meeting Chu Jiaojiao’s gaze head-on.
“Big Sister, he’s my man. Trying to poach someone right in front of my face is a bit inappropriate, isn’t it?”
Chu Jiaojiao frowned, her eyes looking Qiao Mai up and down. An old T-shirt of an unknown brand, faded blue jeans—her entire person practically reeked of poverty.
“You?” Chu Jiaojiao let out a snort of laughter. “What kind of nobody are you, daring to block my path?”
“I’m his manager, and his girlfriend.” Qiao Mai lifted her chin, matching her in sheer bravado. When you’re out and about, your identity is whatever you claim it to be. Besides, she wasn’t even strictly lying.
Hearing what she said, the corners of He Sinian’s mouth curled upward. He watched her with keen, amused interest.
“Looking all poor and shabby like that, and you’re his girlfriend?” Chu Jiaojiao sounded as though she’d just heard the funniest joke in the world. “Do you even know how much money is on this card? It’s enough for you to get plastic surgery for the rest of your life!”
Qiao Mai didn’t yield an inch. “I said I am, so I am. Being jealous of us won’t help you.”
Provoked, Chu Jiaojiao snapped, “Who do you think you are, daring to lecture me!”
She ordered her bodyguards, “Teach her a proper lesson.”
The two bodyguards immediately stepped forward to box Qiao Mai in. She panicked a little; arguing was fine, but physical brawls were definitely not her forte.
“Can’t win an argument, so you’re resorting to violence?”
He Sinian stood up, the sheer oppressive presence of his 1.88-meter height instantly enveloping Chu Jiaojiao. He picked up a tissue and began slowly, methodically wiping his hands.
Looking at him with even greater fervor, Chu Jiaojiao said, “If you agree to come with me, I can let her off right now.”
Qiao Mai immediately shot a warning glance at He Sinian, signaling him not to interfere. In broad daylight and under the public eye, she didn’t believe Chu Jiaojiao would actually dare to throw punches.
He Sinian ignored her and extended his hand toward Chu Jiaojiao.
Assuming he had agreed, Chu Jiaojiao smiled triumphantly and pushed the black card a fraction forward.
Qiao Mai’s heart plummeted straight to the bottom of the abyss.
We’re done for. This jerk saw money and is ditching me to run away!
He Sinian’s slender fingers clamped down on that black card.
Was a thousand out of fifteen hundred not enough for him? Did he really have to go chasing after three hundred thousand?
The next second.
His wrist flicked slightly.
A crisp click echoed out.
That limited-edition black card, symbolizing ultimate wealth and status, snapped cleanly into two pieces right between his fingertips.
He tossed it casually onto the ground.
Chu Jiaojiao’s smile froze on her face.
He Sinian swept an indifferent gaze across her, his thin lips parting slightly.
“You think three hundred thousand is enough to buy me?” His voice was exceptionally low, yet carried an undeniable, heavy deterrence. “Do you think you’re worth it?”
The film set fell completely silent for several seconds.
Then, it practically exploded.
“Holy crap, he just snapped the black card in half?!”
“He’s actually not even the least bit tempted by a 300k monthly salary?!”
“Is this guy out of his mind? That’s Chu Jiaojiao we’re talking about!”
Qiao Mai was left entirely dumbfounded. Big brother, if you want to reject her, just reject her—how do you go breaking cards?! Throwing it far away would have worked too! She could have secretly gone back to pick it up!
“You!” Chu Jiaojiao pointed a finger at him, trembling all over with rage. “You ungrateful wretch! Fine, let’s see how tough your bones really are!”
“Director!”
“Ah, coming, coming!” The director trotted over. “Does Ms. Chu have any instructions?”
“Get these two…” Chu Jiaojiao pointed straight at Qiao Mai and He Sinian. “…thrown out of here immediately! From now on, any crew funded by my Chu family is strictly forbidden from letting them set foot on set!”
And just like that, the two of them were unceremoniously kicked off the production.
Fortunately, the director had a conscience and still paid He Sinian half a day’s wages.
“This crew isn’t bad. Decent people.”
Qiao Mai happily counted the cash. Seeing her, He Sinian drawled slowly, “This wage… seems to have been earned by me.”