âI drank it all.â
âItâs pork ribs soup today. Try it later. Iâll take a look at your wound first,â she said as she rolled up his sleeve.
He Xuyan sat down and let her look at it.
Xu Zhiqin frowned and handed him the ointment.
âI havenât congratulated you yet. Congratulations.â He looked down at her fingers.
âThank you.â Xu Zhiqin smiled. When she looked up, her eyes were bright. âI havenât thanked you yet. You helped me with the script, sort out the plot, and iron out the persona. Thatâs how I won. Half of my merit goes to you.â
These words made He Xuyan purse his thin lips slightly, and his eyes darkened.
âYou worked so hard to win the championship. Why did you give up on âMy Darlingâ?â
Xu Zhiqin lowered her head and continued to treat his wound. âWhy not? Iâve had enough of that scumbag. Iâve wanted to cut ties with him for a long time now. Winning the championship isnât important. Whatâs important is that I publicly disassociated myself from him on stage!â
He Xuyanâs arm moved, but Xu Zhiqin stopped him. âI know it hurts a little but donât move. There are already scabs. You just have to apply some ointment twice more.â
âYou and him...â
âIt doesnât matter anymore. Itâs just that he and Yali were photographed. They didnât want to break up, but they didnât want to anger their fans, so they thought of such a way to divert the fansâ attention. The fans have already accepted them being together, but they thought that this method was useful and refused to let me off the hook,â Xu Zhiqin said in a low voice. Even the hatred in her tone faded.
Success could resolve many meaningless emotions.
As she spoke, He Xuyanâs dark eyes seemed to bloom with flowers.
Xu Zhiqin also realized that he was in a particularly good mood tonight. She did not blame him. After all, she had won the championship.
She put the ointment away and brought the soup over. âDirector He, drink some soup.â
âMy hand hurts.â He Xuyan narrowed his eyes. âI canât drink it.â
Xu Zhiqin smiled. âAlright, I guess I have no choice but to feed you. Here, open your mouth.â
It was only when she was packing up and leaving that she wondered who had fed him when she was not around. Could it be the delivery man?
After this incident, filming began for He Xuyanâs new movie.
He Xuyan still made a big deal out of the casting.
Every time he held auditions, there would be lots of trouble and it would take a long time.
Su Bei suggested that Xu Zhiqin also participate.
âWonât this cause a scandal for Director He?â Xu Zhiqin was worried about this.
âYouâll audition through the normal procedure. That way, we wonât have to be afraid of outsiders talking about it,â Su Bei said. âIâve read the script he gave me. The female lead role suits you very well. You can handle it.â
Since Su Bei had already said so, Xu Zhiqin did not refuse.
Actually, she had long wanted to act in He Xuyanâs movies.
He Xuyan had actually only filmed a few movies, but she had watched all of them repeatedly. Her admiration and love for Director He seeped from her bones.
She wondered if her current acting skills could convince him.
On the day of the audition, Xu Zhiqin was indeed not too worried about any scandals. That day, many celebrities who had been on stage for Actors, Please Go On Stage came for the audition too. Her presence did not arouse suspicion.
It was also because she felt that no one could criticize He Xuyanâs fairness, so she did not need to be afraid of others.
When He Xuyan saw Xu Zhiqin appear, he pinched the script in his hand.
Xu Zhiqin ran over, unable to hide the brightness in her eyes. âDirector He.â
âWhat are you doing here?â
âIâm here for the audition.â Xu Zhiqin smiled until her eyes were filled with stars. âDonât tell me you donât welcome me? Or do you think you wonât be able to treat me fairly after drinking my soup?â
He Xuyan put away the script. âNonsense.â
Xu Zhiqin asked, âAre you feeling better?â
âAlmost.â He Xuyan nodded.
Xu Zhiqin glanced at him and saw the clearly visible wound on his arm as his sleeve was half-rolled up. Her heart suddenly softened.
âI asked my friend to send over a medicine from overseas that can be used on scars. Iâll give it to you another day.â
âItâs okay for a man to have scars,â He Xuyan said.
âBut it makes oneâs heart ache to look at such a big scar. You should still give it a try.â
He Xuyan nodded. âAlright.â
Xu Zhiqin knew that he was busy, so she didnât disturb him anymore. âThen Iâll go prepare.â
...
Xu Zhiqin performed very well in the audition.
Even if He Xuyan did not know her, he had to admit that her acting skills were very natural and she was talented.
The last time He Xuyan was so content with someoneâs audition was when Su Bei appeared.
After discussion, He Xuyanâs team was also the most satisfied with Xu Zhiqin.
After Xu Zhiqin finished auditioning, she came to say goodbye to He Xuyan. âDirector He, Iâm leaving now. Also, Iâll get the delivery man to send fish soup over tonight. Remember to drink it.â
She then disappeared into the distance.
He Xuyan glanced out of the window. The sun was high in the sky, and it was still far from nighttime. Time seemed to pass especially slowly.
After discussion, the team had come to a decision. âDirector He, I think Xu Zhiqin isnât bad. Her acting skills are good, and sheâs very suitable for this role. Why donât we choose her?â
He Xuyan did not make up his mind just yet.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âDirector He, are you afraid of rumors spreading or causing dissatisfaction among your fans?â an assistant director asked.
Immediately, another assistant director said, âWhen has Director He ever been afraid of such things? He doesnât need to take these things into consideration when making casting choices.â
However, He Xuyanâs expression was cold, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Was he not satisfied with Xu Zhiqin?
No one said anything else.
At night, He Xuyan got everyone to wrap things up before dinner time.
He Xuyan, who had always been a workaholic, actually ended work so early, and it was before they had chosen a suitable female lead. This surprised everyone.
However, they were all happy to go home early. Everyone quickly packed up.
He Xuyan arrived home and waited for the delivery man to come.
Finally, there was a knock on the door.
He suddenly stood up, opened the door, and said to the figure, âCome in quickly.â
The delivery man looked up at him in surprise. âSir, shall I help you put it on the dining table?â
He Xuyanâs expression immediately turned cold. He reached out to take it. âNo need. Iâll get it myself.â
The delivery man handed the food to him in horror and hurriedly ran away. Why was this customer so scary? In the beginning, he was extremely enthusiastic, but suddenly, he became an iceberg that could freeze one to death!
...
Su Bei had seen Xu Zhiqinâs audition video and felt that it shouldnât be a problem for her to gain He Xuyanâs approval.
He Xuyan was not the kind of director who was afraid of rumors and would let that affect his casting choice.