Chapter 129: Chapter 129 - 129 129 apologizes

Chapter 129: 129 apologizes Chapter 129: 129 apologizes Xia Ning had never been scolded like this before; she could not hide the embarrassment on her face, but because He Xing was present, she didn’t dare to lose her temper. Instead, she turned her head away without a word, using this to express her dissatisfaction.

If the director from Group B had been here, the situation probably would not have continued; after all, in the past period of time, Xia Ning had been throwing temper tantrums almost daily, much to the detriment of the entire Group B, where everyone had been practicing forbearance.

But Group A was different; the director had a lot of authority, and both the actors, photographers, and everyone in front and behind the scenes were very cooperative. The shooting schedule was strictly according to plan, and there was rarely any overtime.

Seeing that Xia Ning’s acting and attitude were poor, the director couldn’t help but get angry, “Xia Ning, if this is your attitude, then this scene can’t be filmed, and we can only replace you.”

Xia Ning had thought that the director of Group A would coax her like the director of Group B did when she got angry. She didn’t expect him to stand his ground.

She got angry too, no longer caring about appearing weak in front of He Xing. She threw the script forcefully onto the ground and said coldly, “Who do you think you are to talk to me about replacing someone?”

The director was infuriated and no longer acknowledged Xia Ning, speaking directly to He Xing instead, “President He, I came to direct this movie for your sake. I can’t go on now; you should find someone more capable.”

He Xing’s icy gaze slid over Xia Ning like a tangible entity. He didn’t say a word, but Xia Ning felt like she had fallen into an ice cave, completely paralyzed, and she didn’t dare to say another word.

He Xing merely snorted coldly, “Xia Ning, go wait in your trailer, I’ll come to you in a bit.”

Xia Ning didn’t dare to breathe too loudly and obediently went out, but not before shooting the director a glare.

He Xing pulled the director aside, took out a cigarette and offered one to the director. He also lit one for himself, “Director, I know Xia Ning can be a bit spoiled, but you really can’t replace her.”

“Why not?” asked the director, his face turning the color of a pig liver, “I’ve seen the stuff Xia Ning filmed; what level is that? It’s worse than a primary school student. I won’t even compare her to Bai Wei. Luo Qinghe is also shooting a movie for the first time and is much better than her.”

He Xing took a deep breath, his eyes bearing a frosty glint as he gazed into the distance where a range of barren mountains with sheer faces stood, with just a few trees scattered like a bald man’s last few strands of hair, looking both comical and pathetic.

In his mind surfaced an aged yellow paper, and he let out an almost imperceptible sigh, patting the director on the shoulder, “I have my difficulties with this matter; consider this a personal favor I’m asking for. I will compensate you handsomely in the future.”

The director took a fierce drag of his cigarette and exhaled a large cloud of smoke, “If you really want to thank me, invest in my next movie.”

“No problem,” He Xing answered readily, his face obscured by the swirling smoke. He only said faintly, “Don’t worry, today’s incident won’t happen again.”

…

Inside the trailer.

Xia Ning changed out of her costume as soon as she got in and put on her own clothes

Her assistant, Qin Xiaonian, had already laid out her makeup bag and started to apply Xia Ning’s makeup.

Although she was quick, Xia Ning still urged her impatiently, “Hurry up, Brother He Xing will be here soon, and if you haven’t finished my makeup by the time he arrives, you’ll see what I do to you.”

Qin Xiaonian was just tying the last braid in Xia Ning’s hair when He Xing walked in.

At that moment, Xia Ning was wearing a Peter Pan collar sweater with a poofy skirt underneath, white knee-high stockings, platform shoes, and her hair was full of braids, making her look especially lively and cute.

As soon as she saw He Xing, she pouted cutely, “Brother He Xing, you have to stand up for me, that director was way out of line, picking on me like that.”

He Xing’s eyebrows lifted as he spoke to Qin Xiaonian, who stood there like a wooden stake, “Get out.”

Xia Ning was secretly delighted and immediately gave Qin Xiaonian a meaningful look. Understanding, Qin Xiaonian closed the door of the trailer behind her before leaving.

“Let me pour you a glass of red wine, Brother He Xing,” Xia Ning said as she stood up and ran towards the wine cabinet. As she moved, the braids on her head swung up and down, full of youthful vigor.

He Xing ignored her offer and instead furrowed his brow, scrutinizing Xia Ning, “You changed out of your costume? Don’t intend to shoot anymore?”

“Of course not,” Xia Ning came back with a bottle of red wine and two glasses, beaming, “You said you were coming to see me. How could I wear that dirty costume to see you? Of course, I had to change.”

He Xing’s gaze became darker, it had an ebb and flow of light within, akin to the sky before a storm, with clouds churning ominously.

Xia Ning, however, seemed unaware of the brewing tension, joyfully pouring wine and looking forward to sharing a drink with He Xing.

Suddenly, He Xing slapped the table hard, “If you don’t want to shoot, then you can leave now.”

Xia Ning was about to hand the glass to He Xing when his words startled her; the glass fell from her hand with a crash, shattering into pieces on the floor, with the red wine spreading like fresh blood.

The expensive wine immediately turned into a color of disgust.

“No, Brother He Xing, it’s my mother’s dying wish. I have to honor it, please don’t send me away, okay?” Xia Ning pleaded with a crying tone, yet her eyes held no tears and instead darted shiftily. She might have been beautiful, but her expression bore a conniving look.

“You don’t want to leave?” He Xing snorted coldly, “I haven’t seen any sign that you want to fulfill your mother’s dying wish. Do you think I don’t know about your daily tantrums? Go ahead and leave; my crew doesn’t welcome divas like you.”

Xia Ning immediately realized that He Xing wasn’t just saying empty words; she panicked, her eyes genuinely reddening, “Brother He Xing, please give me another chance. I promise I won’t be like this again.”

“You’re mistaken; it’s not up to me to give you a chance, it’s up to the director,” He Xing said impassively, word by word, “I had already promised the director complete authority. Now the director doesn’t want you; if you want to stay, you’ll have to go to him yourself.”

Thinking about the director’s previous murderous expression infuriated Xia Ning. Although she pled earnestly to He Xing, he was indifferent, leaving her no choice but to begrudgingly seek the director’s forgiveness.

In fact, this was a requirement by the director. He stated that if an actor didn’t follow the director’s instructions, it would undermine the director’s authority. Unless Xia Ning apologized publicly, the director wouldn’t continue to use her.

Publicly apologizing made Xia Ning feel humiliated, but to continue to stay by He Xing’s side, she gritted her teeth and endured it. However, when she saw Fu Han laughing at the side, she made a mental note to settle scores later.