Chapter 39: Chapter 39

Chapter 39: Vying For Affection

Fu Bainian had only gone into his room to grab a chair, yet, when he came back with the chair in his hand, he saw that a man was now on Chen Meimei’s balcony.

He checked the time and found that it was already past 9 PM.

This woman wasn’t even divorced yet, but she was already fooling around with another man! He’d initially thought that...

Currently, Fu Bainian couldn’t explain what he felt in his heart. In any case, that feeling wasn’t comfortable as it felt stifling and made it difficult to breathe. Unfortunately, there was no way for him to release the pressure. His hands clenched into fists, and he hammered them hard against the railing. His eyes were fixed on the scene in front of him, his expression darkening by the moment.

Lan Jinyao looked hesitantly at Chen Zetao, thinking that he was planning on professing his love. However, facts had proven that people who are too narcissistic tend to let their imaginations run wild, and as it happened, Chen Zetao wasn’t thinking in that direction at all.

Chen Zetao finally loosened his tightened hands and lifted his head to look at Lan Jinyao, his gaze seemingly burning and unusually sincere. He then said, “Chen Meimei, I wanted to apologise to you. When you previously asked to change roles, I lost my temper. In fact, your acting was outstanding! Even though you obtained the role using a different kind of method, you’ve really proved to all of us from the production team that you were right and that you are indeed capable of handling it.”

He then paused for a while before adding, “I'm really sorry, but I'm happy that you like acting, and that you didn’t do it because of...because of that man.”

Chen Zetao currently had an awkward expression on his face. Jinyao judged that this man’s feelings towards Chen Meimei were genuine. Unfortunately, the real Chen Meimei, who’d gotten into a car accident, was long gone from this world. Perhaps her soul had also entered someone’s body, but, who knew? Because, after all, this matter was truly too preposterous.

Lan Jinyao’s grip on the script had tightened so much so that a layer of cold sweat had seeped in the palm of her hand.

After a while, she replied softly, “That’s right! In the past, I joined the entertainment circle because of that man. But, now, I just want to do my job properly and not talk about matters that tug at heartstrings.”

Lan Jinyao didn’t miss the trace of disappointment that flashed through Chen Zetao’s eyes. She was convinced that her earlier speculations were now correct.

“This role looks quite interesting. Could it be that you’ve already decided on me playing the part?”

To her surprise, Chen Zetao shook his head and said, “I’ve indeed decided on you, but the investors of this movie need to hold an open audition. At that time, there’ll be a lot of popular actresses present. Even so, I hope you can go over and join the audition."

So it was just as she’d expected! Which investor would allow themselves to make a loss? Chen Meimei's current work portfolio consisted of only the one supporting role for the drama that she’d stared in a while ago. Then, after it was broadcasted on TV, it was quite hard for someone to take note of her. It looked like things wouldn’t be easy.

Chen Zetao hesitated for a moment before adding, “President Fu has also invested in this movie, so he’ll probably attend the audition too. Are you...”

Lan Jinyao patted her chest and vouched for herself with assurance. “I’ve no problem with that! Who, in this lifetime, hasn’t met a few scumbags before?!”

Besides, Fu Bainian wasn’t really a scumbag; he was just too stupid. Then, she thought about how much he liked her. As a matter of fact, a random person just popped out and claimed to be her, yet he couldn't distinguish the real one from the fake.

Lan Jinyao said that she didn't mind, but, in fact, she was still silently brooding over the whole situation.

When Chen Zetao heard her say that, he finally smiled and patted her shoulder before saying, “Alright, I'll let you know when it’s time for the audition! I can see that you’re brimming with potential! Chen Meimei, you must believe in yourself. I’m positive that you’ll surpass the other actresses under Blue Hall Entertainment, and become the most eye-catching movie Goddess!”

Lan Jinyao’s lips curled up into a smile, yet she thought in her heart: If Shen Wei’an wasn’t around, then she might never have had the same fighting spirit that she now has. So, she really should ‘thank’ that woman.

That woman would have a part to shoot tomorrow, so Lan Jinyao decided to prepare a big welcome present for her.

“Thanks! When the time comes, I'll be there for sure!”

After they’d finished talking about business, Lan Jinyao prepared to once again drive Chen Zetao away. But, just as she was pondering over an excuse to use, Chen Zetao stood up and said to her, “It's getting late now, so I'll go back first; you should rest early. Oh, right, have a good look at the script.”

Lan Jinyao nodded and got up to escort him out, but the moment she reached the door, she heard someone knocking on it.

The two looked at each other and then said in unison, “It’s already so late; who could it be?”

As soon as Lan Jinyao opened the door, she saw a person with a gloomy face standing outside. This person was actually Fu Banian.

“Could it be that Director Chen also likes to work with unspoken rules? Aren’t you afraid of the paparazzi following you with a camera if you stay in one of our company’s female artist’s room so late at night?”

The last time both men had met, they’d ended up fighting. So, now neither of the men’s expressions looked very good. Witnessing this scene as a bystander made Lan Jinyao’s skin crawl. Currently, there weren’t any paparazzi following them, but if these two really started a fight, then they’d definitely make it on tomorrow’s front page.

Chen Zetao’s expression remained calm as he said, “President Fu, you’ve appeared here so late at night; aren’t you worried those journalists would write a story about you? Moreover, if President Fu really cared about Meimei's reputation, then you wouldn’t have had left her alone at the wedding venue. By doing that, how are you still qualified to say such words?”

Fu Bainian clenched his hands into fists. He’d initially been feeling guilty about this, but now that it was continuously mentioned, it made him feel even worse. What's more, Chen Zetao had said all this in front of Chen Meimei!

“Chen Meimei, since you want to stay in the entertainment circle, then you ought to pay attention to your image! You shouldn’t randomly be with some guy. You should know that the slightest scandal could boost your reputation, but too many scandals could ruin you beyond redemption.”

Lan Jinyao, who was ridiculed for no reason, felt the flame in her heart suddenly swell.

She stared fearlessly at Fu Bainian and calmly said, “It’s truly rare for President Fu to worry about my reputation. Running over this late at night, aren’t you worried about your precious darling at home getting jealous?”

In her opinion, this man must be crazy. He’d stared at her balcony and noticed that a man was in her room, so he’d instantly run over to act like a hedgehog; pricking anyone in sight without any care for his image.

“Lan Xin’s not living with me!” Fu Bainian subconsciously blurted.

Lan Jinyao grew puzzled as she looked at him and asked, “Don’t you really like her though? How come you’re not living together? I thought you guys were hugging each other to sleep long ago!”

Don’t tell her that this man had started to have feelings for her now!

Fu Bainian abruptly looked at Chen Zetao and provocatively said, “I remembered that we weren’t yet divorced!”

A trace of surprise flashed through her eyes, but it quickly disappeared into thin air.

Lan Jinyao extended her hands and pushed the two of them out the door. “I want to rest now, so the two of you should hurry up and go home!”

In the end, she added, “Although I’m relatively busy now, I can still find the time to go with you to finalise our divorce. I’ll call you when the time comes!”