Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Xiao Yue murmured a quick response before answering, “Sis Erlan, don’t tell me you didn’t notice that Cousin wasn’t quite happy the whole day?”
Fang Erlan was taken aback. The whole day?
She really hadn’t noticed.
“Why wasn’t he quite happy?”
“How would I know?” With her eyes half-closed, Xiao Yue muttered, “Sis Erlan, you should sleep soon. I’m sleepy already.”
“Alright, I’ll hang up, then.”
Fang Erlan thought about it carefully. She had not infuriated him, right?
Or was it that he found out about the relationship between her and Yan Ge?
Fang Erlan shook her head. No, he couldn’t possibly have found out about it. If he had, given his character, wouldn’t he have already punished her for it?
Correct, it would have been like that.
Then, why was he upset?
She could not think of the reason no matter how much she tried.
Perhaps because her mind was full of Xiao Chenyang before she slept that night, Fang Erlan even dreamed of him after she fell asleep.
When she woke up in the morning, Fang Erlan sat on the bed in a daze. Thinking back to the dream she had, she felt her face become so hot, it was almost burning.
She had actually dreamed that Xiao Chenyang was bathing in a huge stream and that she was actually peeping at him.
She could not believe that she was so dirty-minded in her dream.
It made her exceptionally ashamed of herself.
However, dreams were indeed the opposite of reality, as she would have never taken a single glance even if Xiao Chenyang were to strip himself naked in front of her in reality!
Taking a look at the time, she saw that it was already past six in the morning.
She hurriedly went to doll herself up before going out for breakfast.
When she reached the cafeteria, Yan Ge and his assistant Xiao Li, as well as his bodyguards, were already eating. Seeing her enter, he unknowingly grinned at her. Fang Erlan darted a short glance at him and hurriedly shifted her gaze away, taking a plate to get her meal.
“Sis Erlan, those four to five girls there are fans, so you’ll have to eat nicely in small mouthfuls later,” Xiao Yue reminded her in a low voice.
Fang Erlan followed her gaze and took a glance at the girls before nodding. “Got it.”
After getting her meal, she sat at a table and started eating. Even though she was originally quite hungry, because she had to take care of her image, she only ate half of her meal before leaving the cafeteria.
A moment after she had stepped into the dressing room, Yan Ge entered behind her.
The fans that were following him were stopped by the crew members of the production unit.
The wardrobe attendant took the clothes the two would be wearing and let them change into it. Yan Ge’s was a set of ancient costume while Fang Erlan’s was a modern day set of clothes.
“The Man from the Ancient Times” was originally about a man who time-traveled from the ancient times to the modern day, becoming the female lead’s sickly husband who had died. Today, they would definitely be filming the scenes before the male lead’s time-travel while Fang Erlan would be filming the scenes occurring in the modern day.
As such, the two would not be filming in the same set.
After the two had changed and put on their makeup, Fang Erlan asked him upon seeing his thick costume, “Do you feel warm?”
He replied, “How would I not feel warm? I’m wearing quite a few layers.”
Once his words landed, he suddenly thought of the two men who had been eating at the same table with her earlier. “Were those two men earlier your bodyguards?”
“They were here to replace Xiao Chenyang. He has something on and won’t be here for now. Sis Xiaoning sent those two bodyguards over.”
Upon hearing this, Yan Ge was grinning from ear to ear. “Really?”
“Yes, of course.”
“…”
After their makeup were done, the two headed toward their respective filming sets.
Fang Erlan arrived at a luxurious mansion nearby where she would be filming.
Jing Shui was there as well.
Upon seeing that she was here, Jing Shui took the initiative to chat her up. “I see you’re here.”
“Yes.” Seeing the costume he had on him, Fang Erlan asked, “Aren’t you playing a supporting role as the butler?”
“I changed my role.” He grinned. “I’m now acting not as the butler but as your brother-in-law.”
Fang Erlan was thrown off guard and asked in a low voice, “Who changed it for you?”
“I asked to change it. The role of the butler is not as good as this one.” Jing Shui thought of what his friend had said and couldn’t help but warn her, “The co-director said you’ll be filming a bitter scene today. It’s your mother-in-law and husband’s mistress, whose role is acted by Yu Caiwei, ganging up together against you.”
“I know, I’ve been informed already.”
“No, you didn’t get what I was trying to say…” Jing Shui added, “I meant that you should be careful. Yu Caiwei might make use of her role in the show to give you a hard time. I’ve already heard of the conflict you had with her. She’s someone who’ll seek revenge for even the smallest grievance she had; a lot of people in this industry know this.”
Xiao Yue, who was standing at one corner, couldn’t help but start to worry. “Sis Erlan, you must be careful.”
“Yes, I know. I’m not scared of her.”
Before filming officially started, the actress acting the role of her mother-in-law, Madam Song Chuntian, briefly explained the details of her slapping scene later in a friendly manner. She could tell at once that this actress was a very friendly person in private and couldn’t help but begin to take a liking toward her.
The atmosphere was pleasant as the two discussed the scene, but when Yu Caiwei approached them, it became rather strange for some reason.
“Sis Song, filming is about to start. Why don’t we go through the scenes together first?”
“Sure, filming will be smoother if we rehearse it in advance.”
Yu Caiwei darted a glance at Fang Erlan and remarked, “Since all three of us are filming together, you should rehearse with us as well.”
“Alright.” Fang Erlan abided by her professional spirit and had agreed readily.
Everything went smoothly when they were rehearsing the scenes.
As such, Fang Erlan thought that when filming officially started, it would be a breeze. Little did she expect that her mindset would be completely overturned.
When the cameras started rolling, Fang Erlan’s character, which was the daughter-in-law of a rich family, had returned home from outside. The moment she entered the house, she saw Yu Caiwei’s character, which was the mistress, and Song Chuntian’s character, which was her mother-in-law, engaged in a friendly chatter.
“Mother, I’m back.”
Song Chuntian snorted coldly, “Where on earth have you been? You don’t even pick up your calls, you still know how to come home, after all?”
“I went back to my maiden home.”
“Went back to your maiden home?” Song Chuntian stood up from the sofa and slowly approached her, exclaiming in a shrill voice, “Your maiden family has already become so broke now, what are you going back there for? Have you taken the money I gave you to help your maiden family?!”
Fang Erlan’s eyes reddened instantly and she whimpered, “Mother… back then, when Zixiang and I got married, wasn’t it a compatible union? Now that my maiden family is not as rich as before, I can’t even go back there?”
Song Chuntian raised her hand and gave her a tight slap. Because they had discussed it in advance, Fang Erlan was able to turn away in time to avoid it and her hand had only just slightly brushed past Fang Erlan’s face. However, on the surface, it appeared as if she had harshly slapped her.
Fang Erlan laid her hand on her own face, and tears flowed down her cheeks as she gazed at her. Without uttering a single word, she turned and went upstairs.
Yu Caiwei stood up from the sofa at the same time as her. “Auntie, why did you hit her? Zixiang will definitely be upset if he finds out.”
“Why would he be upset? The one Zixiang likes is you. Do you think I didn’t know that?” Song Chuntian turned to her and said with a grin, “When Zixiang divorces her, I’ll let him marry you, okay?”
“Auntie…” Yu Caiwei broke into a gentle grin. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you. I think I can’t keep it from you any longer. If I do, my conscience would bother me.”
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“What is it?”
“Last year, when you celebrated your birthday, didn’t I give you a necklace as a gift?”
“Yes. I lost it a few months ago.”
Yu Caiwei said in a soft and gentle voice, “Last month, I saw the exact same necklace when I was at a jewelry shop. I asked where the necklace came from, and the shop attendant said someone had pawned it. I then spent some money to check the surveillance cameras of the store and found that it was indeed Gong Xiaomei who took it there to be pawned. As I was afraid the news of this incident would leak out, I deleted the surveillance footage completely. I didn’t want to tell you then, but I feel that I should let you know now.”
“What?!” Song Chuntian flew into a rage instantly. “Are you speaking the truth?”
“Yes. I don’t dare to deceive you, of course, Auntie.”
Song Chuntian shouted at the top of her voice, “Somebody come here now!”
The butler rushed in hurriedly. “Madam, what’s wrong?”
“Bring Gong Xiaomei to the ancestral hall now and carry out the household punishment on her! She actually dared to steal my necklace and sell it?!”
“Yes.”
“Okay!” Sister Gao remarked as she clapped her hands to gesture that the scene was done. “Get ready for the second scene. Hurry up.”
The second scene was obviously Fang Erlan being brought downstairs to the ancestral hall.
Ignoring Fang Erlan’s defense and cries claiming that she was being maligned, she was directly hung from a height.
As filming such scenes required protective measures, Fang Erlan could never have expected that the whip would actually land on her thin body. When the whip landed on her, Fang Erlan’s hysterical screams gave the surrounding crew members of the production set goosebumps. Sister Gao even said as a compliment, “Good acting, it’s very realistic.”
Yu Caiwei laughed lightly. “Exactly, I almost thought it was real.”
The immense pain caused Fang Erlan to be unable to speak after she had just cried out, and then came the second and third lashing of the whip.
“Put me down! Put me down quickly! Ah!!!” Her face went as pale as a sheet, and she was breaking out in a cold sweat. Looking at the people around her, she screamed in agony, “Why am I being hit for real? Aren’t we just filming?!”
Her cries made Sister Gao immediately call out, “What’s going on?! Quick, put her down!”
Tears were flowing down Fang Erlan’s cheeks due to the immense pain and she cried out, “I’m here to film, not to suffer such torture!”
Sister Gao lifted her shirt to check the situation and confirmed that what she had said was true. She walked toward the person who had whipped her and berated furiously, “Are you even human?!”
“Sister Gao, how could anyone have guessed that she’s not wearing any protective layer underneath? I didn’t know that.”
“Get out this instant!”
“Wait!” Fang Erlan called out with Xiao Yue supporting her. “He can’t leave.”
Sister Gao replied gently, “That, erm… Erlan, shall we forget this? I’ll fire him immediately. Of course, you won’t suffer this in vain. We’ll compensate you an amount in your salary. What do you think? If you report this to the police, it’ll have quite an impact on our production.”
Fang Erlan looked at her seriously and responded, “Sister Gao, since you have already put it that way, then how about this? You hand him over to me, and I won’t call the police.”
Sister Gao immediately agreed. From how she saw it, what could Fang Erlan, a mere woman, possibly do…?
“The two of you bring him back to A City.” Fang Erlan’s bodyguards understood what she meant clearly and forcefully brought the crew member away.
Yu Caiwei couldn’t help but ask, “Fang Erlan, the production unit has agreed to compensate you. What else do you want? Since it was the crew member’s mistake, can’t you just forgive him? Aren’t you being too petty?”
“What has this got to do with you?” Fang Erlan retorted. “Don’t tell me you were behind it?”
“Don’t make such unfounded accusations!”
“Since it’s not like that, then shut up.” Fang Erlan’s words had just landed when Jing Shui rushed over to her and asked her in a panic, “Erlan, are you okay?”
“How can I possibly be fine? I’ll make a trip to the hospital first.”
“Let me accompany you.”
“No need, I only need Xiao Yue with me.” Seeing how Jing Shui had still followed her persistently, Fang Erlan reiterated, “There’s really no need. I’ll be fine.”
It was only after she got into her nanny van that Fang Erlan covered her face and started weeping uncontrollably.
Xiao Yue sat beside her and did not dare to utter a word, only telling the driver to send them to the hospital.
Once Fang Erlan was gone, Sister Gao immediately warned all the crew members and actors on set, “If this incident gets out, the impact on the reputation of our production team will be irreversible and I won’t let any one of you off. Everyone is to sign an agreement to keep this incident a secret!”
Jing Shui looked up at her. “But, Director Gao, can you ensure that Erlan’s work studio will let this incident go? From what I know, Fang Erlan’s boss is An Xiaoning. Are you sure that just a mere compensation will be able to settle this? Also, that crew member has been brought back to A City by Fang Erlan’s bodyguards. I think it would be fine if it was just a mistake on his part, but if it was intentional, I’m afraid this incident will be difficult to settle for you as well.”
Every word of his went straight to Sister Gao’s heart, causing her to boil with rage.
She furiously called Yu Caiwei to her car.
Without standing on ceremony, she remarked candidly, “In your eyes, do sisters and friends exist to help clean your mess?”
“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. If it was an accident on the part of the production team, An Xiaoning can’t possibly do anything about it, right?”
“You’re not to create any trouble for me anymore. Fang Erlan is the female lead. If anything happens to her, the filming process of the whole production team will be delayed. Do you know how much losses are incurred if there’s a delay of one day?”
“Isn’t it just a few whips? Don’t worry. Alright, I owe you one now. Just thinking of how her bodyguard dared to pour noodles on me a few days ago makes me fume with anger.”
“Alright, you can go. I’ll discuss with Fang Erlan’s work studio about this matter.”
“Alright, it’s been hard on you, Honey.” With that, Yu Caiwei planted a kiss on her face before getting off the car.
When Sister Gao made a call to them, Mei Yangyang had already found out about this incident.
Though Sister Gao at first apologized for the incident, she then started to offer compensation toward Fang Erlan.
Mei Yangyang was determined to seek justice for Fang Erlan and remarked without standing on ceremony, “Alright. If you want to compensate her, then you’ll have to show your sincerity. Increase Erlan’s salary for each episode by 100 thousand dollars.”
“What?” Sister Gao immediately responded. “The contract has already been signed, it can’t be changed.”
“A contract can even be breached, but it can’t be changed? Then, there’s no point in discussing things any further, Sister Gao. Is your production team bullying a newbie like our Erlan? Do you really think that our agency doesn’t have the capability to stop your show from being broadcasted forever?”
Disgruntled, Sister Gao naturally knew An Xiaoning’s status and could only concede. “Alright, we’ll pay her 300 thousand dollars per episode, then. I’ll convey this to the producer and investors.”
“Alright.”
After she hung up the call, Sister Gao’s face turned extremely sullen.
She alighted from her car and went to find Yu Caiwei again. “Fang Erlan’s work studio asked to increase her salary as compensation and I’ve agreed. You’ll fork out the extra 100 thousand dollars per episode. Clean the mess you created yourself.”
