Chapter 40 – Dispelling the Darkness for Him

Yu Xiaoxiao’s attempt at posturing had failed spectacularly, leaving her face red with embarrassment. Her assistant, Xiao Wei, looked pale and green in turn, wanting to find a coat to drape over Yu Xiaoxiao, but where would she find an overcoat on such a hot day?

“Hurry, get a piece of clothing,” Xiao Wei said to a staff member nearby.

“No need.” Yu Xiaoxiao shot her a fierce glare. Wasn’t it humiliating enough already?

“We’ll go to the break room,” Yu Xiaoxiao composed herself, deciding to let the matter drop.

She wanted to move past it, but someone wasn’t willing to let it go.

“Hey, one of you falsely accused me, and the other ruined my ice cream. Shouldn’t you apologize?” Ye Ziran spoke up. “One should be polite; if you do something wrong, you should apologize. That’s what you taught me.”

Yu Xiaoxiao nearly choked on her breath.

Why was this child so troublesome?

Did she, a renowned A-list actress, have to bow her head and apologize to a little brat in public?

In her dreams.

Yu Xiaoxiao turned around, trying to remain calm. “Little brother, no matter what, the one who dirtied my clothes was you, everyone saw it.” Her gaze swept over the onlookers. “Who saw it just now? Did he bump into me?”

The tone was nonchalant, but the threat in her words was clear to all.

Offend an A-list actress, and you’d be packing your bags and leaving the next day.

Who would risk their job for a kid whose family nobody knew?

Even if there were people who actually witnessed the incident, they wouldn’t dare speak up.

Yu Xiaoxiao glanced around, and no one responded. Eventually, a few snobbish staff members seized the opportunity to curry favor. “We saw clearly, it was that child who bumped into you.”

Some of them hadn’t seen the incident at all, while others had and knew Ye Ziran was innocent. But what did it matter? Speaking up for a popular actress could potentially lead to a promotion, far better than truthfully recounting the facts.

Ye Ziran retorted directly, “If you don’t need your eyes, you can donate them to those in need.”

He was also a pampered young master at home. When had he ever suffered such indignity? The world he saw now was like a line from a song—‘the black before my eyes is not black, what white are you talking about?’

How could it be so black and white turned upside down.

Yu Xiaoxiao frowned, feeling that this child really lacked upbringing.

Shen Fubai and Jiang Heng observed for a moment, roughly understanding the cause, then stepped forward.

Shen Fubai went to quietly ask the surrounding staff something, while Jiang Heng walked toward Ye Ziran.

“Little Yezi,” Jiang Heng approached, meeting Yang Yingying’s gaze and nodding slightly. He patted Ye Ziran’s head. “What happened?”

“Brother Jiang!” Seeing a familiar face, Ye Ziran immediately recounted the incident in detail, aggrieved. “Someone bullied me.”

Jiang Heng knew that the kid didn’t really care, he was just pretending.

But Ye Lin had entrusted his younger brother to him, and he couldn’t let Ye Ziran suffer any injustice.

Ye Lin’s exact words were—“Bro, I’m leaving my fighting rooster chick to you. Watch him closely, don’t let him blow up.”

If Jiang Heng didn’t help Ye Ziran vent his anger, when Ye Ziran did it himself, Yu Xiaoxiao would be in trouble.

After all, the Ye family was truly wealthy. Even if they didn’t have ties to the entertainment industry, smoothing out some connections to blacklist an actress would be a simple matter. It was just unnecessary to ruin someone’s career over such a trivial matter—if Yu Xiaoxiao didn’t stir up trouble.

Yu Xiaoxiao was completely unaware that Jiang Heng had saved her life. She saw the two of them approaching and her expression changed, unsure how much of the scene they had seen.

“Mr. Jiang, Mr. Shen.” Yu Xiaoxiao wasn’t very familiar with them, so she addressed them politely.

Their status was such that she couldn’t afford to treat them casually. Although Yu Xiaoxiao secretly looked down on Shen Fubai, who had started as an idol, she understood that his fans’ combativeness was something she couldn’t handle.

“Miss Yu.” Jiang Heng looked at her, seemingly smiling, but there was no warmth in his eyes. “I failed to educate him properly, allowing our child to be disrespectful to you. But I believe he wouldn’t lie. Admitting mistakes is the basic quality of a person.”

Yu Xiaoxiao felt embarrassed by his words. They seemed to imply that she, as an adult, was clinging to her pride and pushing the blame onto a child.

“So this child is from your household…” Yu Xiaoxiao became cautious. “It was a misunderstanding.”

“It was indeed a misunderstanding.” Shen Fubai walked over. “I just asked around, it was Miss Yu who, while on the phone, wasn’t watching where she was going. It has nothing to do with our Little Yezi.”

Jiang Heng raised his eyebrows.

Our Little Yezi?

He liked the sound of that.

Yu Xiaoxiao restrained her anger. “Who said so?”

Shen Fubai: “I did.” He had just questioned a circle of people to ensure Yu Xiaoxiao wouldn’t settle scores after the fact.

Yu Xiaoxiao found it amusing. “Mr. Shen, you’re not joking…”

“I’m not joking.” Shen Fubai glanced at Ye Ziran. “The money he spent on the ice cream was mine, a total of two dollars and fifty cents. I don’t want you to pay, I just want you to apologize. If you’ve wronged someone, you should make amends, right?”

When he said these words, he carried a genuine Beijing accent, his voice clear and pleasant.

Yu Xiaoxiao wanted to hit someone upon hearing it.

But she didn’t dare.

Regardless of whether she was in the wrong, even if she was right, she couldn’t be forceful.

She had initially assumed it was a child with no background, but then Yang Yingying got involved, and now even Jiang Heng and Shen Fubai were speaking up for him. If she stubbornly persisted, she would offend the entire production team, making a spectacle of herself.

Yu Xiaoxiao didn’t intend to let the farce continue. It was humiliating.

Her tone was curt. “I’m sorry, it was a misunderstanding. I’m going to the break room to change clothes.” She turned and left.

It was a hasty retreat.

Xiao Wei hurried after her, shooting a resentful look at Yang Yingying before she left, fearing she might really lose her job.

As for Jiang Heng and Shen Fubai, she didn’t hold much resentment against them. For one, they hadn’t directly embarrassed her, and two, handsome men were pleasing to the eye.

After everyone dispersed, Shen Fubai said to Yang Yingying, “Sister Yang, you were so cool just now.”

“Yeah, yeah, when you said she was wearing knockoffs, that woman’s face turned green.” Ye Ziran revealed his childish nature. “Thank you, beautiful sister!”

“You’re welcome, I just couldn’t stand seeing her bully a child. I’m going to get my makeup done.” Yang Yingying smiled indifferently. “We’ve made enemies. Just thinking about having scenes with her gives me a headache. I really don’t want to see her face.”

Having been in the industry for a long time, they had all honed their skills in speech. Not many people were as straightforward in expressing their dislike as Yang Yingying.

It was too easy to offend people.

Perhaps it was due to this that she had struggled in the industry over the years.

“Don’t worry, we’re here for you.” Shen Fubai and Jiang Heng echoed each other.

“You two…” Yang Yingying sized them up. “You have good chemistry. You should be able to work together quite happily.”

A perfectly normal sentence, but the two parties couldn’t help overthinking it.

Living together would also be quite pleasant…

“Let’s go.” Yang Yingying brushed her hair aside, and casually pulled out a five-dollar bill from her pocket to give to Ye Ziran. “Kid, you look cute and praised your sister as beautiful. Go buy some ice cream with this.”

Ye Ziran instantly became a die-hard fan of Yang Yingying. “Thank you, Sister!”

Yang Yingying went to get her makeup and styling done, while Ye Ziran ran back to buy ice cream.

Jiang Heng and Shen Fubai exchanged glances and returned to the break room together.

Yu Xiaoxiao’s incident could only be considered a small episode. Life had to go on as usual, filming scenes and wrapping up early to return home.

However, the atmosphere on the set was subtly different. This leading actress was still isolated from the other main actors, fighting alone and suffering intentional or unintentional exclusion.

Jiang Heng and Shen Fubai weren’t cruel enough to make things difficult for a woman. In reality, they were just not overly friendly with her. Yang Yingying never concealed her dislike for Yu Xiaoxiao, maintaining basic courtesy and putting on a show, but there was no need to rush to curry favor.

Yu Xiaoxiao felt neglected.

The assistant named Xiao Wei no longer appeared by her side, presumably fired.

The character she played in the drama, Miss Zhang, wasn’t exactly a positive role. She was an enemy to both Yu Tang and Green Peony. This off-screen antipathy was brought into the drama by her, playing the role true to form, which surprisingly turned out well, impressing Director Xu.

This little flower, although famous, had acting skills that were all cut from the same mold. To perform this well was already a pleasant surprise.

Today, there was a scene between Miss Zhang and Green Peony.

Why did these two become involved? Because Green Peony was a courtesan, with patrons as numerous as the fish in the river. Anyone of note in Nanjing was at her mercy.

However, most of them only engaged in poetry and painting, pretentious sophistication. Green Peony also sold her body, but few could afford her price. The number of clients she had truly taken could be counted on one hand.

Miss Zhang suspected her father of cheating and falling under Green Peony’s spell. Initially, she disguised herself as a man, infiltrated the brothel, and spent a fortune to meet Green Peony.

The early Miss Zhang was still an inexperienced young lady, not the later, more cunning and assertive version of herself who directly confronted and attacked Yu Tang.

At this moment, she was still the naive Xiao Zhang, stepping into the brothel for the first time, nervously waiting for Green Peony to appear, wanting to ask her why she had seduced her father.

That was Green Peony’s first appearance in the drama.

Dressed as a man, Miss Zhang sat nervously in the room, waiting to see Green Peony.

The curtain opened, and a fragrant breeze blew in. A woman in a black cheongsam moved gracefully, slender and graceful, holding a black fan in one hand and a smoking pipe in the other, every gesture full of charm.

Miss Zhang suddenly understood why this person could be famous in Jinling.

Such a beauty, which man could resist?

“This young master, you seem rather young,” Green Peony chuckled as she sat down. “Are you here for poetry or painting?”

Miss Zhang suppressed her voice, trying to make it gruff. “Neither.”

“Oh? Then…” Green Peony giggled. “Do you want to spend a night of passion with me? That would cost extra, Master. I’m expensive.”

Miss Zhang, who had been sheltered for many years, had never encountered such a situation, blushing immediately, angry and annoyed. “To put a price on yourself like that, isn’t that too degrading? Why do something bad? Why lower yourself like that!”

“Degrading.” Green Peony savored the word, recalling her parents who sold her into the brothel due to lack of money, then looking at the young master in front of her, dressed in expensive clothes and ignorant of hardships, she laughed. “Your servant is a person of the wind and dust, living off this profession. Young Master came here not for pleasure, but to teach a courtesan to be virtuous? You’re adorable.”

Miss Zhang felt this person was shameless. She had originally thought that a woman with such extraordinary temperament must have had her reasons, but now realized it was all self-inflicted.

“To be proud of seducing men, you think you’re so noble, but you’re just a lowly wretch.” Miss Zhang thought of her fickle father and her weeping mother, and her anger boiled over, speaking without thinking.

The temperature in Green Peony’s eyes cooled slightly, but her tone remained smiling. “Green Peony may not be talented, born with a lowly fate, unable to reach the heights of nobility, but she doesn’t deserve your scolding.”

She suddenly leaned closer, gently moving away the smoking pipe, the smoke choking Miss Zhang.

Green Peony laughed in her ear. “Green Peony offers a word of advice, when a man goes out to flirt, it’s the man’s own fault, don’t blame everything on the woman. This isn’t a place for a lady, please leave.”

Miss Zhang widened her eyes. “You knew I was a woman?”

“After seeing so many people, one has to have some discernment,” Green Peony straightened up, her posture languid. “Lady, you haven’t seen much filth because of your good fortune. May your luck continue. Please be kind and stop seeking happiness from us poor people.”

Shen Fubai, Jiang Heng, and Lu Yunqian squatted in a row on the ground.

“Yu Xiaoxiao was completely dominated by Sister Yang,” Shen Fubai objectively evaluated.

Lu Yunqian was confused. “I think both of them were impressive.”

“Because Yang Yingying brought Yu Xiaoxiao into the scenario,” Jiang Heng revealed the truth. “She completely overwhelmed her.”

“Such great acting, it’s a pity she hasn’t been popular for so many years,” Shen Fubai genuinely lamented. Anyone who had seen Yang Yingying’s live performance would marvel at how someone so talented was overshadowed by marketing and hype.

Jiang Heng silently regarded Shen Fubai.

Shen Fubai was talking about Yang Yingying, but Jiang Heng felt he was describing Shen Fubai.

At least Yang Yingying was an actress, with opportunities to shine. Shen Fubai had taken the idol route, hiding his true abilities for a full six years.

If only he had met him earlier, known his situation sooner.

He would have started an agency years ago, developed a network of contacts, and offered all the resources to create the brightest star according to Shen Fubai’s wishes.

No, Shen Fubai didn’t need him to create anything. That bright and lovely youth who smiled so brightly would naturally shine.

He only needed to dispel the darkness for him, wait until dawn approached, and the sky turned white.

Then there would be a blaze of light.