Chapter 122 â Falling From Grace (1)
Lan Jinyao recalled that on the second day after sheâd arrived on set, sheâd asked Jiang Cheng, âWhat if this drama makes you lose money?â and Jiang Cheng had answered, âSince Iâve chosen this industry, then thereâs bound to be profit and loss. No one could guarantee a profit all the time.â
She then asked again, âWhat if it was not by force majeure, but due to human factors?â
Hearing this, Jiang Cheng pondered for a moment before he suddenly changed his previously serious attitude and replied with a smile, âTruth to be told, I havenât invested much money in this drama. I had long guessed that this drama wouldnât result in anything. In fact, the actors have already guessed this outcome, but they still choose to cooperate anyway as they all have their own purposes they want to achieve.â
Jiang Cheng said that heâd already guessed that, so he didnât invest much money in the drama. He also said that he didnât lose money, but made a profit instead. As to why heâd made a profit, he explained it vaguely and only mentioned that heâd achieved his goal.
As he had said himself, he was already aware of what her real objective was and what she wanted to do.
Therefore, even though that man was neither a staff member nor part of the production team, he could also enter the set unimpeded and find Shen Weiâan without a hitch.
Lan Jinyao thought that she was a step too late and was unexpectedly forestalled by Xu Hao.
Under the watchful eyes of so many people, after Shen Weiâan had splashed tea on Lan Jinyao, Li Qi started to keep close to Lan Jinyao. Whenever Shen Weiâan neared Lan Jinyao, he would stand guard in front of Lan Jinyao, precautiously staring at Shen Weiâan.
Lan Jinyao deliberately let the production team stagger her part, but Li Qi had unexpectedly started keeping watch over her.
On the set, Shen Weiâan and Xu Hao were currently acting together in a scene, and her acting skills were still as showy as usual. Xu Haoâs acting, on the other hand, was more professional.
Everyone was focused on the two people in the scene. Lan Jinyao looked around and then lowered her voice and said to Li Qi, âIâm going to the bathroom!â
âAlright, if you need meâ¦â
Lan Jinyao hurriedly interrupted and said, âNo need! You stay right here; you donât need to follow me.â
After saying this, she felt that sheâd overreacted, so she gently added, âMy phone is here, and Shen Weiâan might play another trick on me when she takes a rest. Please help me keep an eye out, Iâll be right back.â
Li Qi nodded upon hearing this.
In fact, Li Qi was an extremely clever person. Heâd been with Lan Jinyao for so long already that even if he wasnât very clear about her affairs, he understood one thing and that was: the relationship between her and Shen Weiâan wasnât good. It could be said that the relationship between her and Shen Wei'an was as incompatible as fire and water. If Lan Jinyao didnât want to talk about it, then he wouldnât ask.
Lan Jinyao went to Xu Haoâs room, but he was very cautious and had locked his door. Lan Jinyao stood in a daze at the doorway. If sheâd guessed correctly, the things that Xu Hao had photographed must be in this room. But, how could she get in there without alerting Xu Hao?
While Lan Jinyao was lost in her thoughts, she was suddenly patted on the shoulder by someone. She turned around, and when she saw the manâs face, she let out a cry of surprise. âYouâ¦â
Her mouth was covered, and her words were cut off.
âYou have a problem with Xu Hao? If you want to sabotage him, I can help you!â
The person whoâd spoken was Jiang Cheng, he stayed almost every day on set these days and never left. It was as if he didnât have to manage his other properties at all.
Lan Jinyao wanted to deny his earlier question, but then she saw the string of keys that Jiang Cheng was dangling in front of her. There was the spare key to Xu Haoâs room!
Jiang Cheng smiled somewhat equivocally at her. âI said that I can help you.â
He thought that she was trying to play a trick on Xu Hao? If that was really so, then heâd indeed misunderstood her.
Lan Jinyao tried to hide her actual intention and her eyes spun around a few times. âI donât have any problems with Xu Hao,â she said. âI just passed by here on my way to my room to get something.â
âOh~â Jiang Cheng elongated his tone and looked at her with a smirk.
Lan Jinyao was a very good actress. She could fool anyone if she wanted to, but at this moment, in the eyes of this canny, successful man, her acting skills made her look like a clown performing a comical act instead. He obviously knew everything yet he pretended not to know anything at all.
Following this, Lan Jinyao was about to go back to her room when Jiang Cheng put the key in her hand and whispered, âHereâs the key. Whatever you want to do, I wonât stop you. As I said, not everyone present is here for money; they all have their own objectives.â
Then, Jiang Cheng left as if nothing had ever happened.
Lan Jinyao stared at the key in her hand and frowned. What exactly did he want? She didnât believe that she had enough charm to make Jiang Cheng give her a helping hand. This man must have other motives.
Something flashed through Lan Jinyaoâs mind, but it quickly disappeared before she could grasp it.
Currently, it was quiet in her surroundings as everyone had gone to watch the recording, so Lan Jinyao was alone as she stood in the corridor. She stared at the key in her hand again and gritted her teeth before quickly unlocking the door.
All the rooms here were the same, so Lan Jinyao finished looking through all the drawers very soon. She opened them one by one, only to find that there was nothing inside them.
She searched the wardrobe, drawers, and even the spot behind the toilet tank where things could be hidden. Lan Jinyao, like a thief, rummaged through the stuff in the room, but she still couldnât find the thing she wanted.
After a while, Lan Jinyao stopped searching. Now, she had two options. One was to keep looking, and the other was to wait for that man to come another time.
After thinking about it for a while, Lan Jinyao decisively chose the first option.
Her eyes then fell on the notebook. When Xu Hao had arrived, his Manager was carrying a bag with him. At that time, Li Qi had jokingly asked Xu Haoâs Manager.âAre you here on holiday? Such a big bag must be loaded with clothes, right?â
Presumably, that bag wasnât filled with clothes, but with a camera and a laptop instead. Clothes were just an excuse to pull the wool over everyoneâs eyes.
Honestly, why would an actor bring a laptop with him when he was there to shoot a drama? At a glance, one would deduce that his purpose wasnât that simple. Come to think of it, Xu Hao had come prepared this time.
Following that, Lan Jinyao closed the door and turned on Xu Haoâs laptop.
After anxiously having turned the laptop on, she saw a password prompt on the screen; the moment she saw that she really wanted to smash that laptop.