“You are despicable!” Li An struggled as he glared at Li Ming and wanted to charge over and rip his evil face to shreds.
“Hasn’t Li Hanchen told you anything?” Li Ming’s lips curved into a smile. “He only receives $20,000 monthly allowance from me from washing the bathroom.”
Li Ming saw Li An’s face flush as he spoke and felt delighted. “I will give you a day to consider. I will send people to pick you up at the villa tomorrow. You have the chance to say a proper goodbye to your brother.”
Li Ming wondered how Li Hanchen would feel when his only little brother deserted him because he was impoverished.
Li Ming laughed out loud just thinking about it. Even though Li Hanchen grew up like a little prince, he was no different than an abandoned dog now.
The car left the school entrance 15 minutes later.
Li An walked home preoccupied with his eyes red. Some passersby noticed something wrong with Li An and turned to look, but he swiftly pressed his cap down to conceal his red eyes.
Li An kept staying with Li Hanchen without knowing anything all this time until he saw Li Ming’s documents.
He only realized the Li family had been paying his older brother $20,000 a month. Also, his older brother had a terribly weak constitution and needed a lot of medicine. However, he kept trying to get his older brother to give him more money and even asked for ski gear.
Li An raised his hand and slapped himself as he walked.
Li Ming’s words kept echoing in Li An’s ears. Li An made up his mind and called Li Ming right away. “I will go back home. Send your men to pick me up tomorrow.”
“I always knew you were a good kid.” Li Ming smiled cockily. Li An should have left Li Hanchen ages ago. Li Hanchen only deserved to live alone.
——
At the filming set.
After yesterday’s filming, everyone’s opinion of Mu Sheng changed and some people even took the initiative to talk to her.
Everyone gathered to gossip after Mu Sheng left.
“Don’t you think Mu Sheng is much better looking than the female lead?”
“That goes without saying. Anyone with eyes can see Mu Sheng is much prettier. Why isn’t she the female lead? Even though she has the looks of a female lead, she was cast for a supporting part. I feel so bad for her.”
Ruan Yingying and her talent agent happened to walk past the film crew when they were talking. When Ruan Yingying looked annoyed, Liu Hui promptly consoled her, “What do they know? They just have nothing better to do. Don’t listen to them.”
Ruan Yingying glanced at Mu Sheng in the distance. Even though she could not see Mu Sheng’s face clearly, she could keenly sense Mu Sheng’s distinct magnetic beauty.
Jealousy swept across Ruan Yingying’s face as she asked Liu Hui, “I left early yesterday. I heard Director Yang praise Mu Sheng for her acting. Was it true?”
The talent agent hesitated before she said uneasily, “Director Yang was just being polite.”
“Right.” Ruan Yingying almost broke her pinky nail when she heard this.
Was Director Yang the polite sort? Director Yang scolded her badly yesterday when she said her lines wrongly since he was all about detail. If he praised Mu Sheng, it meant she was a great actress.
A commotion suddenly broke out among the film crew. The talent agent turned to look. “Qiao Siyu is here. My dear, please control your emotions and leave a good impression on him.”
“Uh huh.” Ruan Yingying suppressed her jealousy and put on a sweet smile as she walked over to Qiao Siyu and stood in front of him with poise. “Mr. Qiao, I am the female lead, Ruan Yingying.”
Ruan Yingying heard about Qiao Siyu becoming a major sensation last year, but she never had the opportunity to see him. Now that she had finally seen him in person, her heart could not help throbbing.
He had defined features, a sharp nose, and thin red lips. He looked mesmerizing just standing there doing nothing.
“Hello?” Qiao Siyu looked annoyed when he saw the fire in Ruan Yingying’s eyes.
“Mr. Qiao, I am a new actress. I look forward to working with you.” Ruan Yingying looked at Qiao Siyu.
“Uh huh,” acknowledged Qiao Siyu calmly. He looked around and saw Mu Sheng sitting in a chair reading the script casually.
Mu Sheng quietly sat there and looked cool and gorgeous. Despite all the noise around her, she seemed absolutely serene. It felt as though just looking at her made Qiao Siyu feel peaceful.
Ruan Yingying detected Qiao Siyu looking at Mu Sheng and lowered her eyes to conceal her jealousy.
Why was Qiao Siyu looking at Mu Sheng? Did they know each other? Had Mu Sheng done something after she had left the film location yesterday?
However, she did not have the time to keep wondering. Since Qiao Siyu was on set, Director Yang started to film.
Ruan Yingying was acting as a senior high school student, Jiang Miao, and Qiao Siyu was her senior, Zheng Lan. They were filming their first encounter at the school entrance.
Jiang Miao was riding on a bicycle when an elderly man suddenly crossed the road, she lost control of the bicycle and was almost about to fall into the bushes by the roadside.
A white silhouette appeared and held her bicycle as Jiang Miao fell into his arms owing to the momentum. She raised her head and saw a pair of beautiful eyes.
Zheng Lan smiled warmly. “Are you okay?”
Qiao Siyu had impeccable features to begin with. Now that he was so close to Ruan Yingying and she was in his arms, she could not help going into a daze when she saw Qiao Siyu’s dazzling smile and instantly forgot her lines.
“Cut!” shouted Director Yang with a loud hailer as he slammed the table with the script so hard that it nearly toppled. “Ruan Yingying, this is the first time you have seen Zheng Lan! Where has your shyness gone? Why aren’t you shy? Do you want to swallow him alive or something?”
Director Yang was so harsh that the film crew furtively laughed.
Ruan Yingying felt embarrassed when she noticed everyone looking at her while they stifled their laughter. “Director Yang, can I try again?”
“Okay, action!” Director Yang gestured.
The cameras stood in place.
Three minutes later. “Cut! This is your first love! Why are you looking at him like he owes you something? Why are you acting this way? Do you want to stab him to death or something?”
Six minutes later. “Cut! Why aren’t you saying your lines?”
“Cut! There is something wrong with your expression. It doesn’t look like love at first sight to me.”
……..
After four takes Director Yang was still unhappy. He waved his hand tiredly as he said, “Never mind. Why don’t you go study the script and think about the female lead’s emotions and thoughts? After you have grasped the part thoroughly, we will film your part.”
The moment Director Yang finished his sentence, he waved at Mu Sheng. “Mu Sheng, come over. Since Qiao Siyu is here now, we will film your parts first. Go get your hair and make-up done while the camera crew prepares for filming.”
Mu Sheng was always a professional, so she stood up right away and headed into the changing room with the makeup artist at Director Yang’s request.
“Okay. Adjust the lights. Add more props.” Director Yang checked the film location carefully as he spoke. Everyone suddenly inhaled deeply and even Qiao Siyu looked caught by surprise.
Director Yang looked in the direction Qiao Siyu was looking and went completely stunned as well.
