Wang Haoran pulled up to the film set and casually brought the McLaren to a stop. The carâs door lifted upward, and he stepped out from the driverâs seat, every movement exuding unspoken ease and nobility.
âHello, are you Young Master Wang?â A slightly pudgy middle-aged man jogged over quickly, a fawning smile stretched across his face as he addressed him with unfeigned deference.
Wang Haoran gave the unfamiliar man a glance, brows lifting slightly in mild surprise. âYou know me?â
The man chuckled cheerfully. âPresident Wang already told me that youâd be stopping by this evening, so Iâve been waiting here since dusk.â He lowered his voice, eyes glinting. âI havenât seen you in person before, Young Master, but when I spotted a McLaren pulling inâand saw someone like yourself step out, so young, so refined, with an air of natural nobilityâI figured, who else could it be?â
Wang Haoran let out a faint smile. This chubby man was clearly a smooth talker. âWhatâs your position here?â
âIâm the assistant director,â the man replied hastily, his tone full of pride but his posture still servile.
Wang Haoran nodded. Assistant director. That wasnât too bad. A person in such a role could probably be useful if leveraged correctly.
The man gave a slight bow, gesturing with a sweep of his arm. âYoung Master Wang, allow me to guide you inside and give you a proper introduction to the crew, the shooting schedule, and the filming process.â
Wang Haoran responded with a simple nod.
The assistant director took the lead, guiding him deeper into the set. The location was a commercial plaza, temporarily rented out for the productionâs needs. There were no shoppers milling aboutâonly extras in costume and crew bustling back and forth, all focused on bringing this fictional world to life.
As they walked, something came to Wang Haoranâs mind. He casually pulled out his phone and brought up a photoâone heâd acquired from Lusa Mingâand held it up for the assistant director to see.
âIs this girl part of your crew?â
The assistant director squinted for a moment, then recognized her immediately. âYes, I know her. Thatâs Li Yunxi. Sheâs a minor extra. Barely above background roles.â
Wang Haoran gave a silent nod. So it was her. Lu Ming had been beaten up over this girl, all because heâd tried to get her phone number.
The moment of silence from Wang Haoran didnât go unnoticed. The assistant directorâs eyes flickered thoughtfully, testing the waters. âYoung Master Wang⊠are you interested in her?â
Wang Haoran didnât answer that. He merely asked, âWhat do you know about her?â
âSheâs clueless about how the industry works,â the man said, chuckling bitterly. âWith her looks and figure, she could be so much more than just a background extra.â
Wang Haoranâs gaze sharpened slightly. âYou tried something with her, didnât you?â
The assistant director laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. âYoung Master Wangâs insight is truly incredible.â
âAnd?â Wang Haoran asked.
âI didnât even get close,â the man confessed. âTried to sweet-talk her a bit and caught a slap across the face for my trouble.â
Wang Haoranâs expression remained unreadable, but inwardly, he was already piecing things together. âDid Shen Yixing back her up?â
âActually, no,â the assistant director replied. âIt was the director who stepped in.â
âThe director?â Wang Haoran arched an eyebrow. âThen this director must be pretty close to Shen Yixing.â
âQuite the opposite,â the man replied, his voice laced with envy. âThey donât get along at all. Always bickering.â
That surprised Wang Haoran. âWhat kind of person is this director?â
âYoung guy. Really young. Only twenty-one, looks like he could be a male lead himself. Comes from three generations of directors. Background, connections, talentâheâs got it all.â
Wang Haoran fell silent, lost in thought.
This assistant director was a typical low-level villainâa sycophant with little power. But the director who shielded Li Yunxi⊠if he was a righteous character, why did he clash with Shen Yixing, who was clearly the protagonist in this story? And more curiously, why was he also good-looking?
But one thing was certainâLi Yunxi was definitely one of the female lead.
As they spoke, the assistant director had already brought him to a high-end handbag boutique within the plaza.
âYoung Master Wang, the actors are still doing their makeup. Itâll be a while before the next scene starts. Theyâll be filming here. Let me go hurry things along. Please have a seat and rest for a bit,â he said, quickly fetching a plush, high-backed stool and placing it beside him.
âGo ahead,â Wang Haoran said with a wave, settling down without another word.
The assistant director bowed slightly and turned away, his steps brisk as he made his way to the extrasâ rest area.
Though Wang Entertainment was a newly formed company, its backing was the colossal Wang Group, with assets in the hundreds of billions. If someone could curry favor with Wang Haoran, the future heir, it could mean instant ascension in the industry.
And so, the assistant director took it upon himself to act.
His eyes swept the gathered extrasâand then he saw her.
Amidst the crowd, her figure stood out like a crane among chickens. Even in casual costume and simple makeup, she carried a beauty that couldnât be hidden.
âLi Yunxi, come here a moment,â he called out.
Her body stiffened before she slowly walked out, stopping at a distance of about three meters from him, clearly unwilling to get any closer.
âStep forward,â he snapped, annoyed by her attitude.
âIâm fine where I am. Whatever youâve got to say, just say it from there. Iâd rather not get close enough to smell your bad breath,â Li Yunxi retorted coldly, not giving him an ounce of face.
Several nearby extras stifled their laughter, but it wasnât enough to hide their amusement.
âWhat are you all laughing at!â the assistant director barked, face flushed with humiliation. He cleared his throat and forced down his rage. âYoung Master Wang from Wang Entertainment wants to see you. Follow me.â
Heâd intended to speak quietly, but with her refusal to come close, he had no choice but to shout it from across the space.
âWang Entertainment? Let him piss off,â Li Yunxi said without hesitation, her voice steady and sharp. âI, Li Yunxi, wonât bow to anyone.â
The assistant directorâs face turned red with fury. âDo you even understand the opportunity in front of you? Wang Haoranâs family has hundreds of billions in assets! Heâs more handsome than most of the top stars in the industry! Do you know how many women would sell their souls for a chance to catch his eye? And now that heâs interested in you, you dare spit on that? Are you insane?!â
âI donât care if heâs got billions or trillions,â Li Yunxi sneered. âIâm not going.â
âYouâll regret this!â the assistant director spat, turning away in fury.
He stormed back to where Wang Haoran was waiting and immediately reported everything that had just transpired, not daring to hide a single word.
Wang Haoran frowned slightly at the account and gave a light rebuke for the manâs presumptuousness before asking, âWhatâs her background?â
âFrom the countryside. Her family background is as ordinary as it gets,â the assistant director replied at once.
Wang Haoran narrowed his eyes. âThen this attitude of hers⊠is it just for certain people, or is she always like this?â
âSheâs like this with everyone,â the man said, shaking his head. âShe gives no one any face. Not even the director or Shen Yixing.â
Wang Haoran fell silent again.
If he were to put it nicely, Li Yunxi was incredibly headstrong. If he were to put it less kindly⊠she had a screw loose.
Insulting the assistant director was one thing. But publicly disparaging the heir to the investment company in front of the entire crew? What if Wang Entertainment really did pull out? The entire production would collapse.
She wasnât just shooting herself in the footâshe was risking the livelihoods of the entire crew.
And with a personality like that, who would like her? Even the protagonist would have a hard time tolerating such a female lead.
Wang Haoran searched through the endless vault of novels he had read throughout both lifetimes, but he couldnât find a single template that fit Li Yunxi.
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