Chapter 27 – The Fourth Day Xi Yufeng Ignored Jiang Ruo

Jiang Ruo knew this day would come, he just didn’t expect it so soon.

Right now, the only thing he was grateful for was that he wasn’t very famous yet. Unless someone paid for it, it was hard to get on the trending topics. When he searched his name on social media, he only saw a few marketing accounts reposting the video. Most of the comments were asking, “Who is this?”

The discussions were concentrated in Jiang Ruo’s fan thread. A few girls who had become fans through “Orioles” were seeking confirmation about the authenticity, consoling each other that the talent agency would quickly issue a statement to clarify things. Some speculated that it was a rival causing trouble, but when asked who their rival was, no one could answer.

However, they all agreed surprisingly that Jiang Ruo must have had a reason for hitting someone. The reason was simple – how could such a beautiful wife hit someone for no reason?

A few days ago, while waiting for filming, Jiang Ruo stumbled upon an advertising video about him and accidentally clicked into the fan thread. That was when he found out he had become many people’s “wife.”

He found it ridiculous and went to ask An He if he knew about it. An He, unsurprised, said, “This is a form of recognition for you. One of my other accounts is also a husband fan of yours. We even have a group chat, and we’re ranked based on when we joined. I’m your thirteenth husband.”

Jiang Ruo was speechless at the time, wondering what was going on with these young girls.

But after seeing it often, he became numb to it. Now, seeing someone in the fan thread reposting the marketing account’s video and commenting, “Wife is so hot,” which was pushed to the top comment, Jiang Ruo couldn’t help but laugh.

Facing what needed to be faced, after today’s shooting ended, Jiang Ruo returned to his hotel room and messaged Zheng Yiting on WeChat that everything was fine here. Less than two minutes later, he was added to a group, and then a group voice call started.

There were only three people in the group, including Xi Yufeng. However, he didn’t join the voice call for the moment. Zheng Yiting said he was working and would listen to the results after he finished.

Jiang Ruo felt the weight of being the troublemaker and didn’t dare make a sound. Instead, Zheng Yiting was friendly. She didn’t blame him or immediately question him about the video. Instead, she asked how the recent filming was going and whether he was comfortable in Director Liu’s team.

Jiang Ruo reported honestly, “It’s pretty good, but the film and TV drama shooting methods are quite different. Director Liu is very meticulous, and several scenes were shot in multiple versions. Today, he even added an extra character, so the shooting schedule might be extended.”

Zheng Yiting hummed in acknowledgment. “Director Liu is a director who can train actors well. Moreover, ‘Cliff’ is his ambitious work for awards, so he’ll definitely put in his best effort. You follow him and shoot well. Even if your role isn’t large, you can still learn a lot.”

Jiang Ruo agreed.

‘Cliff’ was the name of the movie, a suspenseful plot-driven film. In it, Jiang Ruo played the sidekick to the male lead, a gloomy and taciturn nineteen-year-old boy.

They talked about the main cast members and market trends.

Zheng Yiting believed that the male lead of this film would likely win Best Actor at the year-end award ceremonies. When ‘Cliff’ was released next year, it would surely be hailed as the “new work of the film emperor.” This was also the reason she was optimistic about this film from the beginning. The script was good, the lead actors were strong, and even if it was a small role with less than ten minutes of screen time, as long as the performance was up to par, there was a chance to stand out.

“I heard from President Xi that you want to act in movies,” said Zheng Yiting. “Then let’s lean towards that direction in the future. Select a few TV dramas carefully and accept fewer. What do you think?”

Jiang Ruo didn’t expect that Xi Yufeng had already settled this matter. This was a good thing; how could he disagree?

“Okay,” said Jiang Ruo. “I’ll leave it to Sister Zheng to arrange.”

After a roundabout conversation, they finally got to the point.

Zheng Yiting first asked Jiang Ruo if he had offended anyone recently, old or new. Jiang Ruo thought about it and could only think of Zhang Shaoyuan. Zheng Yiting had already investigated and ruled him out since he had been warned by Xi Yufeng last time. If he dared to cause trouble again, he wouldn’t want to mix in this circle anymore.

“Then it’s probably some onlooker from back then who posted it. Some people simply can’t bear to see others doing well,” said Zheng Yiting.

One problem solved, onto the next.

“You tell me about the situation back then. The cause, process, and result. No need for too much detail. The public relations department has already drafted a few statements, and we’ll choose the most suitable one to release based on the situation.”

Jiang Ruo hesitated. “The cause… is a bit complicated.”

Perhaps sensing his difficulty in speaking, Zheng Yiting said, “Just a general idea will do, no need to be too specific.”

After some deliberation, Jiang Ruo spoke again. “Actually, it’s nothing, just some personal grudges. Sister Zheng, you know I have a criminal record, all because of the person I hit… He was a drug user. Once, he put a bag of marijuana under my pillow. When the police searched for evidence, they found it and took me away for detention for a few days.”

In theory, since he was released, it meant he was cleared of suspicion. Administrative detention wouldn’t leave a criminal record.

Without Zheng Yiting needing to ask, Jiang Ruo continued, “Half a year later, he got out and came looking for me. At that time, I had just gotten a role, and I was afraid that if he spread rumors, I would lose my job. I also hated him for framing me before. In a fit of anger, I hit him.”

“So, later you…”

“Yes, I went back in, this time for criminal detention.”

After saying this, Jiang Ruo couldn’t help but laugh. Experiences that ordinary people might never have in their lifetime, he had experienced twice before he turned twenty.

Silence lingered for a while. Zheng Yiting wanted to ask something, but her words were interrupted by another voice.

“Since everything is clear, let the public relations department arrange for clarification as soon as possible.”

The familiar deep voice belonged to Xi Yufeng.

Jiang Ruo was startled. Only then did he look at the group chat interface. He didn’t even know when Xi Yufeng had arrived.

Zheng Yiting acknowledged and then said she had something else to do, exiting the group chat.

Left with just the two of them, Jiang Ruo didn’t know what to say for a moment. Making small talk, he said, “You’re done with work.”

Xi Yufeng hummed in response.

Without being able to see his face, it was difficult to judge Xi Yufeng’s mood from his voice alone. He was always calm and collected, able to remain composed in front of any situation.

This left Jiang Ruo feeling deflated, as if he had overthought things. When he heard the news about the leaked scandal, his first thought wasn’t about his career, but rather how Xi Yufeng would view him after seeing the video.

Even after that three-person meeting where he hadn’t been able to get a word in edgewise, Jiang Ruo already knew that none of this mattered to Xi Yufeng. He simply didn’t care.

There were still some matters that had to be discussed, such as who could testify, preferably those who had personally participated or witnessed it.

Jiang Ruo made a list of those who knew about it, including An He, who had intervened during the fight, Song Shiyun, who had watched him being arrested by the police, and Sister Wang, who had treated his wounds after the fight.

Hearing the sound of Xi Yufeng typing on his keyboard, Jiang Ruo said, “They don’t know the whole story. If it’s not necessary, it’s best not to disturb them.”

Xi Yufeng didn’t respond. After a moment, he asked, “What about that person?”

He was referring to the person who had framed Jiang Ruo and was later beaten almost to death by Jiang Ruo.

Almost without hesitation, Jiang Ruo replied, “His name is Peng Weibin, he was the son of the leader of the dance troupe I used to be in.”

“Is he still in Feng City?”

“Yes, but he’s still in prison, for hit-and-run. Not administrative detention, but imprisonment. To find him, you’d have to go to the West City Prison, or wait until he gets out, probably by the end of the year.”

When Jiang Ruo spoke, he poured out everything he knew, as if he knew he would have to explain sooner or later, so he might as well get it over with.

Although he knew himself that the most important point hadn’t been mentioned yet.

That was the cause of the incident – why that person had hidden drugs to frame him, and why he kept pestering him. And it was not just an attempted framing. Why was the Jiang Ruo in the video so vicious, as if trying to beat the person to death?

Jiang Ruo felt that these details were irrelevant to the video itself. Telling the whole story would be too long and dark, he himself didn’t even want to recall it, let alone expect others to want to listen.

Xi Yufeng indeed didn’t ask. He only took down the man’s name and sent it to Zheng Yiting along with the list of those who knew about it.

After joining the production team, the two had been busy separately and hadn’t contacted each other for several days. Finally, they spoke today, but it was due to this kind of matter.

A sugar daddy spends money for fun, but ends up constantly solving problems from the past for his lover. Who wouldn’t be disappointed by that?

So Jiang Ruo said sensibly, “Next time if something like this happens, I can handle it myself, I won’t bother you.”

“How will you handle it?” Xi Yufeng asked.

“I’ll do it like I just did, roughly explain the situation,” said Jiang Ruo. “Anyway, even if I tell the truth, some people won’t believe it. I might as well handle it in the simplest way, leaving the judgment to the heart.”

After these words, the other side fell silent for a long time.

When Xi Yufeng spoke again, his voice sounded even deeper. “Do you mean you don’t need anyone’s help?”

This question caught Jiang Ruo off guard. After pondering for a moment, he said, “No one can help me forever. This is ultimately my life.”

Xi Yufeng said, “But you signed a five-year contract.”

As if reminding Jiang Ruo that this five years of his life belonged to Xi Yufeng, to the talent agency, and perhaps even to the entertainment industry, to fans and audiences…everyone except himself.

This made Jiang Ruo’s already heavy heart plummet to the bottom, accompanied by a subtle pain.

Yet he never showed weakness, nor was he willing to be at the mercy of others.

“Just five years,” Jiang Ruo took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound no different from usual. “After five years, I should have the right to do as I please, right?”

“Maybe even earlier. After all, President Xi is going to get married. By then, I certainly won’t cause you any more trouble.”

The matter was resolved faster than expected.

Zheng Yiting issued a clarification announcement on behalf of the talent agency, briefly explaining that Jiang Ruo had acted out of impulse because of repeated harm and that the matter had already been handled by the police back then. Jiang Ruo himself had been punished and recognized his mistake. Since then, he had been cautious and law-abiding, and in the future, he welcomed the public to supervise him together.

By simply stating the facts without glossing over anything or embellishing to shift the blame entirely onto the other party, this bold admission of error was more easily accepted by the public.

Furthermore, the impact of the incident wasn’t significant. Before issuing the statement, the public relations department had already investigated the identity of the person being beaten in the video and used marketing accounts to release information about the person’s repeated law-breaking, and that he was currently serving time. With the fans and shills stirring things up, the public opinion immediately shifted to praise Jiang Ruo for bravely resisting evil forces.

The common people have always enjoyed stories of punishing the wicked and promoting the good. Upon hearing that Jiang Ruo had been detained for the beating incident and later expelled from school, greatly affecting his acting career, they felt sorry for him instead.

After all, Jiang Ruo was only about twenty years old at the time, an age that should have been filled with flowers and glory.

Jiang Ruo was unaware of all this. After the matter was resolved, he devoted himself completely to the filming of ‘Cliff,’ blocking out all external voices.

Although his character, Wang Xiaoyu, had little screen time and, due to his personality, very few lines, the less dialogue there was, the more it tested his control over expressions and eyes. These days, Jiang Ruo had been searching for emotions. Even when there weren’t scenes for him, he would grab a stool and sit in a corner near the set, letting his specially grown bangs cover his eyes. When he suddenly lifted his gaze, it was indeed somewhat frightening.

Today, an extra character joined the production team. Jiang Ruo heard laughter coming from that direction, as if it was Director Liu’s family member making a guest appearance.

He didn’t intend to join in on the excitement. Sitting in the corner, he flipped through the script and then pulled out his phone from his pocket.

Since the voice conference that day, he hadn’t contacted Xi Yufeng again.

It wasn’t a grudge, but he was a bit upset.

Jiang Ruo admitted that entering this relationship was because he couldn’t resist the temptation, but he didn’t think his personality had been destroyed by it, becoming someone’s mere possession.

But he clearly knew that there was no equality between him and Xi Yufeng.

An extremely contradictory psychology.

He opened WeChat and typed and deleted in the input box, from “Have you eaten?” to “How have you been lately?” and then to “Today is the fourth day Xi Yufeng ignored Jiang Ruo,” all of which seemed wrong.

Just as he was in a quandary, a female voice fell above his head. “Hello, Mr. Jiang.”

Jiang Ruo looked up, startling the other person. “Why did Old Liu give you such a scary look?”

When Jiang Ruo stood up and brushed aside the bangs covering his forehead to confirm who the visitor was, he was also full of surprise.

At a loss for words for a moment, he could only repeat the greeting. “Hello, Miss Zhou.”

“Turns out you know me,” Zhou Xinyao was graceful and generous, smiling and pointing at a shop across from the filming location. “Do you have time to have a cup of coffee together?”