Chapter 271 Just Rest If You Canât MoveâSomeone beat you to it?â Wan Qingsi questioned with a dark scowl on his face. Xiao Huaâs head hung low on her shoulders, not daring to make a sound.
She had failed her mission and had even allowed the mysterious woman to get the drop on her. At this point, she was pretty sure the young master would remove her from the young missâ side.
âYoung Master, I will go back to base to receive my punishment. But might I request that the punishment be delayed for a few days? I want to leave only when the young miss is better,â said Xiao Hua.
âYou donât have to return,â Wan Qingsi said. âJust put it on your tab for now.â
Relief and happiness coursed through Xiao Hua when she heard that. âGreat! So I donât have to leave the young missâ side after all,â she thought. Then, she heard a cold voice. âThere will be an interest rate applied to the punishment you owe.â
Xiao Hua curled her lips. âI knew it,â she thought. âI knew itâs impossible for the young master to be so lenient.â Xiao Hua raised her head. âShould I look into it?â
âAre you certain that the woman did something to her?â
âIâm positive. Tang Yue never even woke up when the woman and I were talking. Iâm pretty sure the deed had already been done by then.â Xiao Hua paused in thought. âThat woman is more skilled than I am.â It nearly killed Xiao Hua to admit it, but it was the truth. She had to let her young master know.
Wan Qingsi frowned. âLetâs wait first,â he said. âSee what the newspapers have to say.â
The following day, the cast and crew had waited until 10 oâclock, and yet Tang Yue never showed. Instead, Tang Yueâs agent came running and told everyone that Tang Yue got into an accident. Once she had left the message, the agent left in a hurry.
âWhat do we do now, director?â
Lin Dong laughed and said, âNotify Chu Yi and tell him he doesnât have to be on set this afternoon. As for us? Itâs holiday time!â
Deep down, Lin Dong was expecting a change in the movie cast soon!
Meanwhile, Ah Sha was still in bed, snuggling under her blanket. Her face was still swollen, so returning home was definitely a bad idea. Besides, the weather was cloudy and overcast outside. It was the kind of weather that was perfect for sleeping in.
Ah Sha raised her arms above her head lazily and stretched. Then, she picked up the TV remote and pressed the power button. The TV screen flashed and was then showing footage of a large crowd gathering outside the hospitalâs entrance. A Lincoln MKZ pulled up in front of the hospital and was soon surrounded by the crowd.
Ah Shaâs eyes brightened when she saw Xunxun stepping out of the car.
The man was like a regal emperor the moment he appeared. His one hundred and eighty centimeters tall frame and Dorito-shaped body could have people swooning in just under a second.
âAs expected from my man!â Ah Sha thought, reaching for the bag of potato chips.
A series of crunching sound ensued.
On screen, those female reporters looked like they were cats who had just caught a glimpse of a fish.
âGood thing Xunxun is mine ever since he was young.â
Another bout of crunching sounded.
âPresident Wan, an actress that Stars Entertainment is representing was assaulted at home and was badly injured. What is your view regarding this matter?â
Ah Sha paused in her chewing and glared at the TV. âSince when is she badly injured? She just couldnât move her arm, thatâs all!â
Qi Xiu and a few other members of the security team shoved the group of reporters aside. Once a path was cleared, Wan Qingsi made his way into the hospital building.
âKen, the Second Young Master of the Wen family just called. He demanded an explanation from us.â
Wan Qingsiâs steps came to a halt. He cold gaze swept sideways. âExplanation? Itâs not like weâre his womanâs nannies. What right does he have to demand an explanation from us?â
Inside the hospital room, Tang Yue was sobbing quietly on the bed while her agent and assistant whispered words of comfort beside her. When Wan Qingsi entered the room, the assistant and agent quickly stood up and greeted him.
âSenior!â Tang Yue raised her head, her eyes still red with tears. Even when crying and sobbing, she looked utterly lovable and endearing. Even Qi Xiu felt that this woman was truly blessed with good appearance; all she had to do was cry a little, and men would be eating right out of her palms.
Well, too bad his boss was not included among these men.
âYou canât move your arms?â Wan Qingsi asked. He knew what had happened to Tang Yue the moment he arrived at the hospital. Tang Yue could not move her arms and the doctors could not figure out why.
Tang Yue nodded. âI canât move them ever since I woke up this morning. I donât know what happened,â she said wretchedly. Then, she gave Wan Qingsi an apologetic glance. âIâm sorry to hinder the movieâs production.â
Tang Yue bit her lip and allowed her tears to fall.
Beside Tang Yue, her agent quickly jumped in. âYour health is more important right now,â said the agent. âDonât worry about the movie for now.â
âIâm sure the boss will be happy to hear me say this!â Li Pingping thought inwardly. After all, Tang Yue and the boss had a complex relationship with each other.
âThatâs right. You can forget all about the movie.â
âBingoâŠâ Li Pingping was just about to start smiling when Wan Qingsi spoke again. âYou take your time and recuperate. Weâll just change the female lead.â
Other than Qi Xiu, the other three women in the room all froze.
âBo⊠Boss?â Li Pingping thought she had heard it wrongly.
Wan Qingsi shot the agent a glance. âYou have something to say about my decision?â
â⊠No, no.â Li Pingping shuddered and kept quiet after that.
Tang Yue bit her lip and nodded. âThe senior is right. The movieâs production canât be held up because of me.â Under the blankets, the veins were already bulging at the back of her palms as she balled her fists tightly. Still, the look on her face remained piteous and wretched.
Wan Qingsi arched his brows. âRest well. The company will cover the hospital costs.â
Tang Yueâs face fell when she saw Wan Qingsi leaving. Her assistant, Xiao Zhao, quickly started comforting her again. âSister Yue, donât worry, okay? This is inevitable considering what happened. The Boss is still on your side. See? Didnât he come visit you personally today? He even had you transferred to a VIP suite. YouâŠâ
âI know,â Tang Yue cut him off lazily. âYou guys should go. I want to take a nap.â
The production crew went back to work ten days later. Now they had to reshoot the previous scenes; because the female lead had changed to Mei Jing whereas Tian Yiyi would play Mei Jingâs previous character. When Tian Yiyi learned of the news, she could not decide whether to start laughing or burst into tears.
She had now become the second female lead. Then again, Mei Jing had risen to become the lead actress. When Tian Yiyi noticed Mei Jing and Wan Qingsi arriving on set together, a wave of shock coursed through her heart. Could it be that Mei Jing had actually seduced the Boss? But right now, the Boss did not seem at all like a man who had gotten a night of actionâŠ
Wan Qingsi was walking around as if he was mere seconds away from murdering someone. Behind him, Qi Xiu was walking on eggshells. âDidnât your woman already become the new lead actress? Why are you still acting so upset?â Qi Xiu wondered. However, Xiao Hua, who was walking behind Ah Sha, knew better. The young master was pissed off because the young miss had gotten hurt.
âMiss Mei, I hope that you wonât encounter any accidents during the filming. I donât want to have to change the lead actress again.â Wan Qingsiâs profound gaze fell upon Ah Sha. Ah Sha blinked at him a few times, looking surprised but also loved at the same time. âBo⊠Boss, d⊠donât worry, Iâll do my best. Iâll definitely not disappoint the company!â
Behind Mei Jing, Zhou Na felt a sudden urge to step up and take over the conversation when she saw Mei Jing stammering and stuttering. They had all guessed that the lead actress would probably be changed after what happened to Tang Yue. But nobody had expected Mei Jing to get the role.
Even though it had been a year since Stars Entertainment was first established, Wan Qingsi never fooled around with women; not only that, but everyone had the impression that the man might even hold the attitude of women in contempt. Although Mei Jing was beautiful, she was by no means the most beautiful woman in the field. Nobody would believe the claim that Mei Jing had somehow climbed her way into the bossâ bed.
Now, looking at the way Mei Jing was fumbling with her words, everyone was positive that the boss had never f*cked her. As for how Mei Jing ended up with the role? Well, everyone just chalked it up to Mei Jingâs dumb luck.
Lin Dong was the only one who seemed pretty happy about all this; Mei Jing had far greater acting skills compared to Tang Yue. Lin Dong highly looked forward to how Mei Jing would play out her new role.
Wan Qingsi was most probably unhappy with Mei Jingâs attitude as he merely gave her a snort before storming away from the set. Xiao Hua was all smiles when she came over quickly to stand beside Ah Sha. âHave some tea and then go have your make-up done! The tea should be able to keep you nice and warm.â
Ah Sha took the offered drink and muttered thanks. From the corner of her eyes, Ah Sha noticed Tian Yiyi making a beeline towards her. Ah Sha left quickly for the make-up booth; she had neither the time nor energy to entertain an air-headed woman like Tian Yiyi. When Tian Yiyi saw Mei Jingâs clear dismissal of her, she stormed away angrily.
After a while, the filming of the first scene was wrapped up. That was when Chu Yi approached Ah Sha. âCan I sit here?â Chu Yi asked politely.
âYes, you may.â Ah Sha raised her head and waited for the man to continue.
Chu Yi smiled at her. âI just came to say hello,â he said. âAfter all, we have to spend months with each other to shoot the movie.â
âI understand,â Ah Sha said, nodding. âItâll benefit our acting if we get to know each other better.â
âYou act really well, you know. You donât seem like a rookie at all!â Chu Yi was not trying to butter her up by saying that. He did notice Mei Jing back at Stars Entertainmentâs dinner party. Back then, he had wondered what a girl who looked as pure and innocent as her was even doing in showbiz.
But when he saw her again on set, gone was the lively and animated girl from the dinner party that night. In her place was a girl who was cold and aloof to just about anyone. But when it was time to film a scene, she could instantly and seamlessly step into her role. Then, there was that little slapping incident involving Tang Yue. Regardless of whether the incident was just an accident, everyone knew that Tang Yue would be walking away with a swollen cheek of her own after Mei Jing left.
On the surface, Mei Jing seemed like an innocent and harmless girl. But that could not be any further from the truth. Mei Jing was by no means weak and fragile.
âThatâs only because you had led me well,â Ah Sha said politely. âAs expected from the king of acting.â
Her words damn well sounded very genuine, but Chu Yi could not help but feel that she was merely saying it out of politeness. Chu Yi stood up and smiled at her. âThen I hope we enjoy working together. Letâs make this movie a hit!â After that, he nodded at her and left.
Ah Nan poked his head into Ying Qingcangâs office. âYoung Master, Xunxun is here.â
âGet his ass in here!â Ying Qingcang said, slamming the newspaper on the floor.
Xunxun walked in with long strides and sat down on the couch. âYou shouldnât get angry that easily at your age,â Xunxun remarked. âMy mother-in-law will ditch you if you start growing wrinkles.â
Ying Qingcang released a humorless chuckle. Then, he picked up a telephone on the table and hurled it at Xunxun.
Xunxun tilted his head to the side and easily dodged the flying telephone. Xunxun sighed. âI didnât even blame you guys for hiding Ah Shaâs return from me. And now youâre trying to kill me? Seriously?â
âWhen did you find out?â Ying Qingcang did not sound the slightest bit surprised. It was just like Xunxun had said: he might as well just kill himself if he failed to recognize his own woman.
âI knew the moment I saw her,â Xunxun said, staring at Ying Qingcang. âLetâs save the discussion about how you old folks were all in cahoots together to lie to me for later. Right now, let me remind you that Ah Sha still doesnât know that Iâve recognized her. You guys shouldnât let the cat out of the bag just yet.â
Ying Qingcang ignored him and pointed at the newspaper on the floor instead. âWhatâs the deal with this woman?â Ying Qingcang had only found out yesterday that this Tang Yue woman had slapped Ah Sha. There would be hell to pay indeed if Xin Qing ever found out about this.
At first, Ying Qingcang had planned to deal with the woman in secret. But when he noticed that Xunxunâ this damned bratâ had yet to make a move, Ying Qingcang immediately felt that something was off. That was why he had asked Xunxun to come here today so that he could interrogate the brat.
âWhen my people got there, someone had beaten us to it,â Xunxun said with a frown. âNot even the hospital could figure out the cause of her injury. This isnât something that ordinary people are capable of.â
A look of suspicion formed on Ying Qingcangâs face. âWho do you think is behind this?â
âThe military. Maybe someone from the base.â The gears turned inside Xunxunâs head. âOr bounty hunters.â
âThis is no trivial matter if any of those three parties is involved,â Ying Qingcang said slowly. âThat woman, Tang Yue, did you look into her?â
Xunxun shook his head. âThereâs nothing wrong with her. Sheâs just a manâs plaything, thatâs all. Right now, her sugar daddy is the second son of the capitalâs Wen family.â
Xunxun did not divulge anything about Tang Yueâs own intention towards him. In Xunxunâs eyes, that woman was outright foolish and revolting.
âThe oldest son of the Wen family is a force to be reckoned with. Ignore the younger brother.â
Xunxun stood up. âThe assailant did not leave any evidence behind. We can only wait until she shows up again. But you donât have to worry. At least for now, it seems like she means Ah Sha no harm.â Xunxun opened the door. âIâll be off now. Ciao!â
Ying Qingcang was left alone in his office with a glare. âGoddamn brat. Heâs even more annoying than when he was young!â