By now, both of them had realized that, no matter how they had judged the other before, and no matter how much they had looked down on each other because of appearances or outward impressions, the truth was that they were both exceptionally formidable opponents.
Take Huiyuan, for example. After the upheaval the company had gone through during President Chen’s tenure, a number of artists had left.
After Pei Liang took over, she not only brought in a great deal of fresh talent but also began nurturing promising artists within the company who had previously been denied resources for one reason or another.
She was beautiful and young, yet she had already become one of the people who held real sway in the industry.
Whether out of gratitude for having been recognized, attraction to her appearance, or the instinctive admiration people felt toward the strong, Pei Liang was bound to be popular.
And men and women in the entertainment industry were different from people elsewhere. They were attractive, and most of them had enjoyed smooth sailing since childhood simply because of their looks. They were highly confident in that regard—and more aggressive, too.
As a result, more and more pretty little things, both men and women, began hovering around Pei Liang, either openly or discreetly.
But neither Xie Chen nor Gao Jun had ever truly taken them seriously.
The other was different. Both of them realized that if they underestimated one another, the consequences might be something they would regret for the rest of their lives.
They came to this realization almost simultaneously—and then both let out a cold laugh.
Gao Jun spoke first. “You should back out.”
Xie Chen was so angry he laughed. “I don’t mistake you for an ignorant child, so don’t you think what you just said is ridiculous?”
If everyone in the world gave up so easily in the face of difficulty, what would be the point of falling in love?
Besides, in Xie Chen’s eyes, Gao Jun’s behavior was as laughable as a mistress who had not even managed to rise to power yet going to the official wife and asking her to file for divorce.
The analogy seemed a little off, but Xie Chen had no time to think about it.
Gao Jun, however, did not think there was anything wrong with what he had said.
He began, “Although you’re older than me, you’ve had a smooth life from beginning to end. You’ll never be able to see this clearly.”
“You two simply aren’t suited for each other.”
“You think too highly of yourself, you’re affected and immature, and in a relationship, all you do is take, treating it as though it were only natural.”
“Don’t think I haven’t noticed. Even now, you’re still putting on airs and waiting for Sister to make the first move, aren’t you? Deep down, you believe that’s what you deserve.”
“No offense, Brother Xie, but you’re too outstanding. You’ve been the center of attention since childhood, so of course you take it for granted that others should accommodate you and favor you.”
“Sister may be attracted to your looks for now, but once the novelty wears off, being with you will always feel like a burden.”
“You’ll definitely make demands without limit, and the moment you’re even slightly dissatisfied, you’ll throw a tantrum. Even if you don’t mean to, your personality will still create obstacles to mutual understanding.”
Gao Jun was certain that even when this man was angry, he would never say so outright. He would simply expect the other person to guess.
“You know what Sister is like. She’s devoted to her career, and the value of her life certainly doesn’t revolve around a man. She’s indulging you now because she’s interested in you, but I can guarantee that you’ll eventually exhaust her.”
“Besides, she’s someone who can pick things up and put them down. If the burden and fatigue in a relationship outweigh the pleasure, why would she continue maintaining it?”
“Brother Xie!”
Gao Jun interlaced his fingers and rested them over his crossed knees. His posture and bearing no longer resembled those of a carefree young man.
At last, he said, “Perhaps you self-righteously believe that there are plenty of women willing to accommodate you and devote their entire lives to you. And, of course, with what you have going for you, Brother Xie, I believe that’s true.”
“But do you really think that woman will be Sister?”
Even though Xie Chen knew that everything Gao Jun was saying was nothing but provocation, his body still stiffened as he listened, and fury surged through him.
He was no less cutting when he replied, “Perhaps it’s because you grew up in a complicated environment and have never seen truly pure feelings.”
“It may be cruel of me to say this, but the truth is that feelings aren’t something you can break down into categories, weigh, and calculate before arriving at a compatibility score.”
“If that were really possible, why wouldn’t the government develop a big-data analysis system to screen and assign a partner to everyone?”
“The most important thing isn’t any of what you listed. In the end, it comes down to one thing: being willing of your own accord.”
“And you know perfectly well that no matter how unbelievable it seems to outsiders, as long as both people involved are willing, no one else has the right to criticize them.”
As he spoke, Xie Chen glanced at him arrogantly. “I happen to think that the two of us get along wonderfully. Our personalities complement each other. We couldn’t be more compatible.”
“But what about you? You’re young, yet your mind is remarkably perceptive. Have you been so busy seeing through everyone else that you’ve forgotten to reflect on yourself?”
Gao Jun raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Myself? Of course I’ve reflected carefully.”
“And my conclusion is that I’m the person most suited to Sister.”
“I can do anything for her. I can adjust myself in every way to accommodate her pace. I won’t grumble endlessly like certain people just to emphasize my presence, and I can quietly observe all her needs so that she’s surrounded by comfort at every moment.”
“That’s what a sister who has to deal with countless affairs needs. Can you do that, Brother Xie?”
“I can’t!” Xie Chen replied with complete composure. “Why should I force myself to change and conform to your fundamentally flawed ideas?”
“Do you take me for an idiot with no opinions of my own?”
“That’s true.” Gao Jun smiled. “Which is why I said you two aren’t suited for each other.”
Xie Chen gave him an enigmatic smile. “Gao Jun, listening to you talk, don’t you think you’re rather moved by your own selflessness?”
“Look at me. I’m so considerate of her. I’m willing to devote everything to her, even change every part of myself to suit her, all so that she can feel perfectly at ease with me and, in turn, take pity on me.”
“But don’t you think there’s something frightening about that way of thinking itself?” Xie Chen said, hitting the nail on the head.
Gao Jun’s expression darkened slightly. At a glance, Xie Chen knew that his intuition had been completely right.
Without pausing, he continued, “You’re calculating, dangerous, cold-hearted, and ruthless.”
“Normally, I wouldn’t say something like this to someone who has just lost both parents—”
“It’s fine. Say it.” A dark, almost gleeful smile appeared on Gao Jun’s face. “If Brother Xie were to feel sorry for me, that would truly make my skin crawl with disgust.”
Xie Chen’s heart sank. He had expected this to some extent, but he had thought that although Gao Jun’s resentment toward his parents ran deep, given the circumstances, he would at least feel a trace of sorrow.
But now it seemed that there was truly not the slightest bit.
Of course, parents like those did not deserve his grief. Still, the way Gao Jun had acted when he sought Pei Liang’s help back then, compared with his attitude now, sent a chill down Xie Chen’s spine.
Xie Chen smiled. “Fine. You used your circumstances—your broken family and your status as someone utterly alone—to gain all the sympathy you could.”
“You seem to have no lingering attachment to your parents at all, yet you’re obsessively attached to Pei Liang in a way that’s difficult to explain. Since you don’t feel sad over your parents in the slightest, then the dependence and longing you developed toward Pei Liang under such circumstances are complete nonsense.”
“But you don’t seem to be trying to please her out of ambition, either. I can tell that you don’t really care about any of that.”
It would be unfair to say that Gao Jun had no positive qualities. He got along well with everyone on set, and it was clear that he had a certain amount of ambition when it came to his career.
But his ambition didn’t feel like the kind that came from an all-consuming determination to win. It was more like a calm, methodical process of moving forward one step at a time.
As a genius of the Method, Xie Chen was highly sensitive to other people’s emotions.
Gao Jun gave him the impression of someone who had already stood at a great height and seen certain vistas, only to return underground and find it rather inconvenient—so now he was simply climbing back up.
The feeling was absurd. It was as though Xie Chen believed that the soul inhabiting Gao Jun’s body did not belong to someone his age at all.
It made no sense, but he was certain of it all the same.
So Xie Chen asked, “If it wasn’t a temporary emotional refuge, and it wasn’t ambition driving you, then you showed no sign of anything unusual while we were on set.”
“Gao Jun, what made you willing to painstakingly reshape yourself just to get closer to Pei Liang?”
Most people found it difficult enough to change a habit like sleeping in, let alone carve and chisel away at their own personality.
“You’re the kind of emotionally cold person who could never suddenly fall in love with someone and remain devoted to them until death. And I don’t believe Pei Liang ever gave you that impression, either.”
“So what are you doing this for?” Xie Chen stared into Gao Jun’s eyes.
He pierced through Gao Jun’s disguise of brightness and enthusiasm, seeing in an instant the dark, murky blackness beneath, deep as a swamp.
“Did she do something that made you unbearably envious, something you became desperate to seize and possess?”
“For example—what she did for me?”
Gao Jun’s eyelid twitched. The tiny reaction did not escape Xie Chen’s notice.
He leaned back against the chair, a confident smile spreading across his face. “So everything you just accused me of is actually what you envy?”
“You saw me receiving such indulgent, devoted love, and jealousy drove you mad. You wished you were the one being treated that way, so you disregarded everything and tried to seize something that never belonged to you in the first place.”
“But you’re too clever not to know that in a relationship, two different people can’t reproduce the same feelings or the same way of getting along.”
“So you changed tactics, putting on an appearance of begging for pity. But in reality, you were being sinister—you wanted to turn yourself into her comfort zone, ignoring what she herself wanted. You planned to use your so-called ‘devotion’ to hold her hostage, tying her hands and feet with guilt.”
“Gao Jun, which of us do you think is the one she truly ought to stay far away from?”
Gao Jun’s expression darkened, but Xie Chen was not finished.
He concluded, “Still, don’t you think her moral standards and self-restraint are higher than you imagine?”
“You may not realize it yourself, but in her eyes, you’ll always be a child.”
“She’s an adult woman. How could she be deranged enough to have improper thoughts about a child? Have you forgotten who helped deal with the pedophile pervert who targeted you?”
Only when Gao Jun heard that last sentence did his heart truly sink to the bottom.
It was true. From the standpoint of personal interests, President Pei had only needed to strike directly at President Chen.
But when the incident first came to light, the perverts who had hidden themselves most deeply were ultimately sent to prison only because she had ordered people to painstakingly gather evidence against them.
If not for her disgust and sense of justice regarding such matters, there would have been no reason for her to go to that extra effort—much less risk exposing herself and offending even more people.
Gao Jun felt a pang of regret. He had acted too soon.
He had been too impatient, wanted too much, and overlooked something so obvious.
Even so, he would never hand the opportunity over to Xie Chen.
He sneered. “Love? What are you talking about?”
For a moment, confusion flashed across Xie Chen’s face. Then Gao Jun said, “I was only analyzing the direction your relationship is heading. Did I ever say, even once, that this was about ‘love’ or feelings?”
Xie Chen’s brows drew together. A faint sense of foreboding stirred in his heart, but he had no idea what was causing it.
Then Gao Jun threw out a single sentence that nearly knocked him senseless.
Gao Jun said, “All I meant was that, as the pretty boy Sister hires to help her relax and unwind, your pretentious attitude and affected personality are both subpar.”
“Sister already works hard enough. She hired you for her enjoyment, not to treat you like some revered ancestor.”
“You not only have no self-awareness about your position, you’ve even brainwashed yourself to this extent.”
A mocking look appeared on Gao Jun’s face. “What? Planning to live off her while acting like you’re doing her a favor?”
Xie Chen felt his blood rush to his head. He wanted to throw the brat straight off the building.
In disbelief, he said, “What the hell are you talking about? What did you call me?”
“M-me? A pretty boy? I’m Xie Chen—a pretty boy?”
Gao Jun laughed mockingly. “Oh, sorry. I misspoke.”
“Not yet, anyway. After all, you haven’t reached an agreement on the terms. With your high asking price, Brother Xie, of course you have to wait until the right offer comes along.”
Xie Chen shot to his feet. With an adult man’s build, he stood in front of Gao Jun, fury surging from him and lending him an imposing presence.
Gao Jun remained completely unfazed. Instead, he continued, “What? Brother Xie, are you really that unaware?”
“I can understand that, given your status, you need to preserve a little dignity in everything you do. But deceiving even yourself is taking things too far, isn’t it?”
“Has Sister ever said that she likes you?”
“How has she not?” Xie Chen shouted.
The instant the words left his mouth, Gao Jun picked them up. “Yes, exactly! Your face and your body. Has she ever said she likes anything about you beyond that?”
Having spent day and night with Pei Liang during this period, Gao Jun had more or less figured out what she was really like. She was not the sort of person who would lie or deceive others about such matters.
Xie Chen was furious enough to go insane. But when he thought about it carefully, it seemed that she really had never confessed her feelings to him.
In the past, he had felt that her actions mattered more than words. Pei Liang was not someone who paraded such things around verbally, but wasn’t every detail of the way she treated him proof of her affection?
It had been nearly a year. He had actually grown anxious, but he had assumed she was afraid of being rejected, or simply cautious about saying such things.
Now that he looked at it from another angle, however, it seemed that she had never shied away from expressing her appreciation of his appearance or her desire for his body.
If that was the case, the excuses he had made for her no longer seemed to hold up.
Xie Chen refused to let himself lose face in front of Gao Jun. Losing his composure in front of someone like this was the worst possible mistake.
At that moment, Pei Liang emerged from the lounge. She had changed into another coat and tidied herself up.
Seeing the two of them poised for a fight, she asked, “What ‘how has she not’?”
Clearly, she had heard the sentence Xie Chen had shouted in agitation.
“Nothing!” The gloom vanished from Gao Jun’s face at once, replaced by a soft smile.
Then, as if remembering something, he put away the childish affectation of a young boy and said with a smile, “Brother Xie and I were just arguing over whether sweet tofu pudding or salty tofu pudding tastes better.”
Oh! The classic sweet-versus-salty debate. No wonder they had looked ready to start fighting.
The three of them went downstairs to the company cafeteria. As they followed behind Pei Liang along the way, the atmosphere around both men remained somewhat oppressive.
For management purposes, the Pei Corporation’s employee cafeteria was divided into several sections. The management ate in a separate dining area from the employees—though there probably weren’t many people who could enjoy a meal while sitting at the same table as their boss.
Pei Liang had an entire private dining room of her own. It was a rule President Chen had established in the past, and naturally, Pei Liang had taken the opportunity to strip the room down and have it completely renovated.
The cafeteria staff came over to help serve the dishes. For three people, there were four dishes and a soup—moderate portions, with no waste.
Seeing that neither of them was picking up their chopsticks, Pei Liang said, “The goose-foot soup with bitter chives is pretty good today. You should try it.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Xie Chen suddenly said, “I accept your advances.”
Pei Liang was in the middle of serving herself soup and didn’t process his words right away. “Huh?”
“What do you mean, ‘huh’?” Xie Chen’s face flushed slightly. “You’ve been pursuing me for almost a year. I’ve seen your sincerity over all this time.”
“I know women tend to be cautious and won’t speak up without absolute certainty, so I decided to say it first.”
“I accept your advances. From this moment on, we’re dating.”
Pei Liang silently set down the bowl of half-served soup, an awkward expression spreading across her face.
This was supposed to be a straightforward discussion about money. Why did he have to drag feelings into it and make everything impure?
Her reaction made Xie Chen’s heart turn cold. The flush faded from his face, replaced by a dark, sullen expression.
He demanded, “What? Are you dissatisfied with me?”
As he looked at Pei Liang, he casually undid two buttons on his shirt.
It looked as though the room was simply too stuffy and he had done it without thinking. There was no ulterior motive, yet the sight made it impossible to look away. Anyone would want to pull the shirt open a little farther and investigate those half-hidden collarbones.
Pei Liang was no exception. The corners of Xie Chen’s lips hooked upward. No matter what else might be said, the body’s reaction could never lie.
He knew he held a powerful attraction for her, and that she wanted him too. He had established that fact long ago and taken great pride in it.
So he said, “If you agree, we can go on a date this afternoon.”
Did he mean he would let her take him out for a meal? Pei Liang was somewhat tempted.
Dating a pretty boy was one thing, but the serious issue at hand couldn’t be brushed aside so casually.
Dating and being in love were different from keeping someone.
When she kept someone, all she needed to do was offer money, attention, and romance according to her own preferences. Of course, every pretty boy found those things very appealing, but ultimately, Pei Liang did them merely to make the arrangement more enjoyable.
Dating was different. A romantic relationship involved spiritual and moral responsibilities, as well as restrictions.
Those were precisely the things she least wanted.
It was a pity, but when she saw Xie Chen staring intently at her, his eyes demanding an answer, Pei Liang said, “Compared with a relationship based on feelings, where there’s no clear standard for responsibility or obligation…”
“I still prefer a relationship grounded in reality and material security.”
Xie Chen wasn’t an idiot. How could he fail to understand the tactful meaning behind those words?
No! He was an idiot after all. Gao Jun’s judgment had been right.
This woman was simply lusting after his body, wanting to obtain it in exchange for material offerings. And she didn’t want to bear any emotional burden.
Xie Chen shot to his feet and glared at Pei Liang for a long moment.
Then, driven to the brink of rage, he laughed. “Good. Very good. So all this time, I was just imagining things and making a fool of myself.”
With that, he turned and walked out of the restaurant.
Pei Liang had initially wanted to call him back. He could at least finish the meal before getting angry and leaving.
But considering that he had managed not to flip a plate into her face, he had probably already shown remarkable restraint.
She sighed. She also didn’t want to make the child uncomfortable. Gao Jun had been sitting there listening to the conversation between two adults, so surely he must feel awkward.
But when she turned around, she found him grinning with satisfaction.
Pei Liang helplessly rubbed his head and coaxed him like a child. “Let’s eat first.”
Gao Jun’s body stiffened. Xie Chen’s earlier words echoed in his mind. Now, seeing Pei Liang treat him like a child and fuss over whether the adults’ quarrel had made him uncomfortable, he suddenly realized that this couldn’t continue.
He was simply too young right now. Compared with Xie Chen, the difference wasn’t limited to their physiques.
Even compared with the company’s various pretty faces, he had no competitive edge.
He had once thought that he would grow up eventually. But what if, by the time he did, his position as her little brother had already become deeply entrenched?
Gao Jun set down his chopsticks and said softly, “Sis, I’d like to discuss something with you.”
“Hmm? Go ahead!”
*
Two months later, Pei Liang sat in her office. After finishing another round of work, she thought of a few things and couldn’t help sighing.
Xie Chen hadn’t contacted her since the day he left. Pei Liang wasn’t the kind of person who lacked the means to get what she wanted and had to rely on aggressive flirting.
Since they hadn’t reached an agreement, what was the point of pestering him or arguing before she had produced a bargaining chip capable of changing his mind?
If she simply gave in, wouldn’t that amount to deceiving his feelings?
Pei Liang considered herself a wealthy patron with morals and principles. If she said they were talking money, then they would talk money. She absolutely refused to use feelings—empty promises—to deceive someone.
Wasn’t that the sort of thing penniless people did when they couldn’t afford to keep someone? If she did the same thing just to save a little money, what would that make her?
Her standards would never allow it.
Yet Xie Chen’s departure wasn’t the only thing that had happened. Gao Jun had also told her that he wanted to go abroad for further study.
He said that if he stayed here, he still wouldn’t be able to escape the shadow cast by his parents’ affairs in the short term, so he wanted to leave the place for a while.
Pei Liang hadn’t been counting on him to earn money for the company over the next few years anyway. Given his talent, squeezing every last bit of growth out of him and rushing to monetize him would be a terrible waste.
Whether from the standpoint of emotional responsibility or investment strategy, Pei Liang would never be stingy when it came to investing in Gao Jun. So she agreed to his request.
Not long afterward, Gao Jun went abroad. Once he was there, the child seemed to turn into a spinning top, throwing himself entirely into his studies. He was so busy that he didn’t even have time for video calls.
They communicated mainly through messages and phone calls. Even though he had only been abroad for a few days, he seemed to have matured considerably, losing the childish, clingy manner he’d had before.
According to his overseas teacher, the boy’s growth was astonishing. He was also highly ambitious. At his current pace, he would definitely be the most competitive performer among those of his generation by the time he returned.
The teacher’s words carried an unspoken implication: No wonder you were willing to spend so much money training him—and even had your company president personally follow up on his progress.
Pei Liang hadn’t really noticed it before. But now she no longer had Best Actor Xie around to tease whenever she pleased, occasionally gaining a little extra benefit in the process.
Nor did she have little brother Gao Jun by her side every day, obedient and clingy, adorable enough just to look at and instantly relieve her stress.
Pei Liang felt as if her life had suddenly lost all its seasoning. With only cold work for company, every day was dull and monotonous.
She did enjoy working, but wasn’t the whole point of working hard to obtain the benefits brought by money and power?
Now that both the Best Actor and her little brother had abandoned her, Pei Liang felt empty, lonely, and cold.
She could only seek out the young men in the fresh-faced idol group and the girls in the girl group every day to relieve her boredom and keep herself going.
Pei Liang sighed and glanced at the clock in her office. It was lunchtime again.
Just yesterday, one of the fresh-faced boys had said that they needed to change their styling that morning to match the new album’s concept.
The long-legged boy had a great physique and a sunny, enthusiastic air. The gray-haired boy had delicate features, a seductive aura, and an intensely charismatic presence. The angel-faced boy with the warm smile had excellent emotional intelligence—and the curve of his backside was simply perfection.
She wondered what new looks the stylist had come up with today. But with the boys’ naturally handsome features and the album’s sophisticated concept, she was sure they wouldn’t disappoint.
Pei Liang couldn’t help thinking that she was already depressed enough as it was, yet she still had to worry about the progress of her artist’s image and styling. Where in the world could anyone find a boss more dedicated than her?
While Pei Liang was dealing with her “dull” work, Xie Chen had already joined the film crew.
This was the movie Pei Liang had found for him—one that was said to have been tailor-made for him.
After the two of them had laid everything bare and their relationship had fallen apart, he had hesitated over whether he should continue with the film.
Reason and professional ethics told him there was no need to take it to heart.
After all, the fact that the film had managed to invite Best Actor Xie was an advantage for them, not him. Besides, all the terms of the contract had been drawn up according to standard practice. Even if they had fallen out, business was still business.
But emotionally, the moment he thought about how Pei Liang had specifically sought out this film not out of sincerity, but merely as one of the bargaining chips and habitual arrangements she intended to use to solidify their future exchanges, Xie Chen felt so furious that his liver hurt.
And yet the script was one he genuinely believed in.
He agonized over it for nearly half a month. Director Hu worried every day, almost convinced that Xie Chen intended to back out. Only when he finally appeared on set did the director let out a long sigh of relief.
The movie was a wuxia film, but although it was set in a martial-arts world, the central incident of the story was actually quite small.
It wasn’t the sort of grand sect-versus-sect conflict common in traditional wuxia films. There was no duel between supreme masters atop the Forbidden City, nor any tale of heroic righteousness and serving the country and its people.
The entire story took place in a poor little town. Xie Chen played the male lead, who arrived carrying a token in search of his grandfather—a former martial-world figure who had withdrawn from the jianghu many years ago and gone into hiding.
Because he revealed his wealth on the way, three groups began targeting him before he had even entered the town.
These three groups weren’t wandering heroes of the martial world, much less peerless masters. They were merely petty crooks who made their living through scams, cheating, and theft.
Most of the film took place in a black-market inn that specialized in fleecing outsiders. The cast included three gangs of small-time thieves, a seductive and glamorous proprietress, and an inexperienced young gentleman from a prestigious sect who possessed astonishing martial skills.
A series of hilarious incidents unfolded as their interests clashed and coincidences piled up.
It was a comedy with a wonderfully surprising script. Its appeal did not come from the crude accumulation of simple jokes, like The Missing Bride, but from the portrayal of every character—including ordinary people from the streets—which gave rise to thought-provoking meaning.
It was a genuinely high-quality comedy, and Xie Chen also abandoned his usual screen image.
On the surface, he was still an elegant and handsome young gentleman. But in the film, he played the sort of character who acted like he was the most impressive person around, only to take the hardest beatings.
The contrast was enormous, and the comedic moments were plentiful. His growth later in the story would also put his acting skills to a major test.
However, filming was not easy. At the very least, throwing himself into the busy production schedule had successfully helped Xie Chen numb himself to a considerable extent.
That was largely because the director was afraid he might run off. After all, Best Actor Xie could afford the penalty no matter when he breached the contract. So, from the very beginning, the director had arranged most of his scenes toward the front of the schedule.
As a result, after a little more than a month, Xie Chen’s filming duties visibly decreased. Instead, he spent more and more time accompanying the director and observing the other actors.
Yu Wenqing played the female lead in the film: the charming, flirtatious, sharp-tongued, and cunning proprietress of the inn.
The character was actually very different from her usual image, but Yu Wenqing herself was highly versatile.
Once she had put on her makeup and costume and entered the role, the innkeeper seemed to come alive. The director was extremely pleased with her.
Xie Chen was also quite satisfied with his new costar. Although she was a former idol from a girl group with few notable works and no experience as a leading actress, she possessed remarkable insight.
When he first learned that the female lead had come from a girl group, he had frowned. But Pei Liang had personally reviewed the production team, and she would never compromise the quality of a movie just to accommodate popularity and traffic.
So Xie Chen had chosen to trust her judgment. Now, it seemed that she had been right.
Recently, Xie Chen had been radiating such low pressure that he could enter character in an instant whenever he was acting, yet seemed entirely unapproachable at all other times.
As a result, no one on set dared to approach him casually. Even as the female lead, Yu Wenqing rarely chatted with Xie Chen in private.
This left her rather disappointed. After all, if she could establish a personal connection with Best Actor Xie, what an enormous network that would represent within the film industry.
However, the two had recently been sharing more scenes, and they had indeed grown considerably more familiar with each other while rehearsing their lines.
Seeing that Xie Chen seemed relatively easy to talk to today, Yu Wenqing gathered her courage and asked, “Mr. Xie, have you been in a bad mood lately?”
She smiled apologetically after saying it. “I’m sorry for prying, but everyone on set has been rather worried about you.”
Since his behavior had already begun affecting everyone’s working mood, how could Xie Chen possibly blame them for meddling?
He forced a faint smile. “It’s nothing. It’s a private matter of mine. I’m sorry for causing trouble for everyone.”
As he spoke, he said to Zhang Li, who had come to visit the set, “Order several hundred afternoon teas. It’s on me. And help me tell the director not to worry about me. This is my own problem.”
Zhang Li nodded. Although he wasn’t sure what had happened, Xie Chen hadn’t contacted Pei Liang recently. It looked like the two of them had fallen out.
To be honest, Zhang Li hadn’t been happy about their ambiguous, overly intimate relationship before. After all, dating someone like her would do the company more harm than good.
But he no longer felt that way.
Pei Liang was now the newly appointed head of Huiyuan, and she already had more than ten billion yuan in box-office earnings under her belt.
She was probably the fastest producer in the country’s history to break through the ten-billion-yuan box-office mark. In fact, there were barely any people in that ten-billion club to begin with.
On top of that, after taking office, she had carried out a series of reforms and operations at Huiyuan. The company had long since regained its vitality, and had even been making major moves one after another this year.
Xie Chen might not lack roles, but at this point, the positions of the two had already been reversed. If their relationship as lovers could persuade Pei Liang to open up her resources to Xie Chen—or even offer them favorable terms—it would be an enormous advantage to them.
Zhang Li would have been happy to kneel and call someone like that his sister-in-law.
Seeing that Xie Chen had once again lost all interest in continuing the conversation, Yu Wenqing didn’t want to give up.
She tried to start another topic. “Come to think of it, Mr. Xie, you’ve worked with Pei Liang several times. You must be very close friends, right?”
“Do you know that she and I actually came from the same group? We were teammates.”
Who would have thought that saying the name would make things worse? Xie Chen’s mood seemed to drop like a gate slamming shut.
His expression darkened instantly, and he blurted out, “She’s already dead. Hmph!”
The reaction was so intense that both Yu Wenqing and Zhang Li, who had just hung up the phone nearby, were startled.
Normally, if someone connected to Pei Liang inspired such obvious disgust in Xie Chen, Yu Wenqing should have felt alarmed and embarrassed.
But instead, she felt more happiness and satisfaction than anything else.
Pei Liang had invested in this film. She had been generous with the production team’s treatment and had shown genuine appreciation for the director and screenwriter.
Everywhere in the production, people sang her praises. Some even openly or subtly remarked that President Pei had been willing to cast Yu Wenqing as the female lead despite the two of them having a poor relationship, proving just how magnanimous she was.
As for whether it was because Yu Wenqing lacked the ability? Impossible. Her performance was there for everyone to see. If someone with such potential wasn’t signed, there could only be some private disagreement between them.
Yu Wenqing always smiled and listened whenever she heard such comments, but inside, they made her deeply uncomfortable.
Now that she had heard Xie Chen display such obvious displeasure toward Pei Liang, she felt a peculiar sense of relief—as if, at last, she was no longer the only one taking pleasure in it.
Yu Wenqing said, “Sorry, I misspoke.”
She said it without any intention of dragging the subject out. After all, they weren’t close enough for that.
But Xie Chen had been avoiding everything related to that woman day after day lately. Now that she had been brought up, the thoughts he had been suppressing were becoming harder and harder to hold back, and his mind was filled with a frantic urge to investigate.
The line of thought he had buried began stirring again.
So he suddenly asked, “Since you two used to be teammates, you must have spent a long time together, right?”
Yu Wenqing looked slightly perplexed, then nodded. “Yes. We lived under the same roof for two years.”
“Then I’m going to ask you a few things. You’re not allowed to tell anyone.”
If someone else had said that, Yu Wenqing wouldn’t have bothered listening. Even if she agreed, she would have paid lip service and done as she pleased. But Xie Chen had a way of saying unpleasant things as though they were perfectly natural, making other people accept them just as naturally—and then actually do what he said.
She nodded, and Xie Chen asked, “Then tell me—Pei Liang… has she ever been in a relationship?”
Yu Wenqing’s heart skipped a beat.
Could there be some kind of romantic conflict between these two?
She reflected on how, despite all his cursing earlier, there had been more resentment than anger in his voice. And now he was secretly asking around about her.
No doubt about it!
Yu Wenqing felt even more put off. This was worse than the two of them simply being good business partners.
She was irritated inside, but said, “I’m not really sure. Pei Liang wasn’t the type to share her private life with us.”
“Later on, though, the team members weren’t very focused on work. Sometimes we wouldn’t see each other for weeks, even months. So if she secretly dated someone, that would certainly have been possible, right?”
“After all, dating was taboo when we were idols. First Love’s relationship dealt her career a devastating blow. But First Love was a show-off—whenever something happened, she liked to brag about it to us, so everyone knew the details.”
Xie Chen frowned impatiently. “I’m asking about Pei Liang. Why are you telling me about someone else? What the hell does it have to do with me if one of your other members dated someone?”
Yu Wenqing choked.
She had heard about his personality long ago. Before, she had thought he was merely a little cold and not particularly difficult to deal with. Now it seemed she simply hadn’t seen enough of him.
The real question was, what did the mess between him and Pei Liang have to do with her?
Whether it was jealousy or something else, a malicious thought flashed through Yu Wenqing’s mind.
She smiled and said, “What I mean is that Pei Liang wasn’t as loud or eager to brag as First Love. She kept a lot of things from the rest of us.”
“So if you’re asking whether she’s ever dated anyone, I honestly don’t know. Maybe she hasn’t, and maybe she has.”
Then she asked Xie Chen, “Why doesn’t Mr. Xie just ask her yourself?”
Xie Chen was momentarily at a loss for words.
Zhang Li had overheard part of the conversation from nearby and said, “Come on! How could she never have dated anyone?”
“President Pei is such a bold and uninhibited woman. Have you forgotten when you two first met?”
He then turned to Xie Chen. “Don’t tell me you’re still hung up on something like that?”
Xie Chen was utterly speechless.
He had only asked about Pei Liang’s romantic history because he wanted to know why she never dated anyone, yet they were both making such a meal of it.
One of them had talked in circles for ages without actually saying a damn thing, while every word carried that cheap, underhanded, tea-spilling tone.
Tch! Did she really think no one could see through her?
Wasn’t she just trying to subtly lead him toward a conclusion without getting herself branded a gossip? She wanted to have it both ways. Where did she think she could find such a good deal?
No wonder Pei Liang had left her out when promoting her former teammates. That woman was impossible to win over.
Trying to show off in front of him was laughable.
Whether it was when he had been dealing with that bizarre bastard Gao Jun, or when he had handled the little vixens at Pei Liang’s company, his methods had been far more sophisticated than hers.
And the other one was just a blabbermouth who thought she understood him.
Xie Chen impatiently said to Zhang Li, “Care about what? Pei Liang and I are finished. As far as I’m concerned, that piece of garbage is dead. From now on, nobody is to mention her in front of me. I don’t want to hear a single thing about that piece of garbage.”
Hearing this, Zhang Li assumed they had merely had a falling-out over their relationship. After all, with the way Xie Chen behaved, not many women could stand being with him for long.
He hadn’t expected things between them to have turned this vicious. Somewhat displeased, he said, “Well… no matter what, you two worked together several times.”
“President Pei managed to get where she is and earn her first pot of gold so quickly thanks to you. If you’re going to act this immaturely, why is she doing the same?”
“Cutting off all contact just like that is pretty dishonorable.”
The moment he finished speaking, Xie Chen suddenly shot to his feet and shouted, “Don’t you dare talk about her like that!”
Zhang Li: “…”
Yu Wenqing: “…”
Then why the hell had you been cursing her as if she’d gotten you pregnant and run off with all your money?
