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That ancestor said, concisely: "Get lost."
Xue Baoyi glanced in the rearview mirror. Jiang Zhi had just been discharged from the hospital; his complexion still wasn't good. He looked sickly, with a touch of red on his pretty little face, possibly from a fever, which made him look all the more pitiful. In this fragile state, how could he drive? At this moment, Xue Baoyi even felt like reciting "Dengtuzi's Love of Beauty": The son of the East House, adding one inch would be too long, reducing one inch would be too short... with a radiant smile, he bewitched Yang City and enchanted Xia Cai.
Cough cough cough, back to the main point. As Mr. Xue, he always showed mercy to delicate beauties, so he stubbornly refused: "Won't get lost."
An unidentified object was hurled at him.
With quick reflexes, he caught it and saw that it was Jiang Zhi's mobile phone. "Hey, how did the screen break?"
Jiang Zhi curled up in the back seat, a blanket covering his legs. His hands rested on top, with nails turning a sickly pale white. "I threw it." His peach blossom eyes slightly lifted, then drooped again as if he was too tired, caught between sleep and wakefulness. "It happened just when you braked."
He felt guilty for causing Jiang Mei Ren's phone to fall.
Xue Baoyi touched the screen, then played some in-car music for the young master. "The screen isn't broken, only the protector. Hold on; I'll get a new one for you."
Then, Xue Baoyi got out of the car and went to a small vendor stall for screen protectors.
Zhou Xufang looked up.
Xue Baoyi asked: "Do you have a protector for this phone model?"
She glanced at the phone model. "Yes." She found three different types from her box.
Xue Baoyi carefully picked one. "Give me the shiniest one." Mr. Xue liked bling-bling things.
Zhou Xufang adjusted the lamp for better light and lowered her head to apply the screen protector.
Xue Baoyi watched her. Hmm, not bad-looking. It's tough for a pretty girl to make it on her own. He said: "Give me a pink phone case too."
Quickly, Zhou Xufang applied the screen protector and fitted the pink case. "That'll be fifty."
Xue Baoyi paid and returned to the car.
Jiang Mei Ren was resting with his eyes closed, breathing slightly rapid, his cheeks tinged with an unhealthy flush. His eyes seemed to fill with a vague mist, exuding a careless charm.
Ah, this damned, untamed beauty.
Steel-hearted Xue Baoyi dared not gaze at that face again. He muttered: "That girl is quite pretty, though odd, wearing sunglasses at night."
The beauty in the back seat lifted his eyelids.
Xue Baoyi immediately offered the phone like a treasure, shaking it. "Got you a phone case, this flashy pink one suits you."
The flashy pink case had a large-headed rabbit drawn on it.
Jiang Zhi took the phone, caressing the screen with elegant fingers, then casually removed the phone case and tossed it at Xue Baoyi's head. "If your eyes don't work, donate them."
The phone case hit Xue Baoyi, making him see stars: "..."
Damn, this little beauty is quite fiery.
The little beauty's phone rang.
"Hello."
The beauty spoke icily.
On the other side was a woman: "Director Jiang."
Jiang Zhi furrowed his brows, seemingly about to cough but suppressing it. Veins vaguely showed on his neck, his lips reddened a few degrees. Weakly, he asked, "Who?"
The woman replied: "It's me."
Sounded quite important.
Jiang Zhi had no patience, his tone lazy and lacking strength: "Who?"
The woman then identified herself: "I'm Yang Xu."
Yang Xu...
Xue Baoyi vaguely remembered her as a newly rising popular star recently.
Jiang Zhi furrowed his brows as if pondering for a moment. "The one who was late on set yesterday?"
Clearly, this popular star had a low presence with the director.
"Sorry, Director Jiang, yesterday it was me who—"
Jiang Zhi covered his mouth and coughed. Due to his irritation, his ear tips reddened a bit. His body felt uncomfortable, and his temper worsened, interrupting before she finished: "You've already been replaced. No need to explain further."
Then, Jiang Zhi hung up the phone.
Xue Baoyi had heard enough to understand most of it. "The film's already halfway shot, and you're changing actors now?"
If he remembered correctly, that popular star had quite a few scenes.
The person in the back seat was tired and rubbed his temples. "She broke my rules."
At eighteen, Jiang Zhi directed a film, initially as a casual endeavor, but it became an instant hit. As Jiang Zhi put it, since he was idle anyway, he might as well play around, ultimately earning himself the title of genius director. He kept a low profile, the media didn't dare to write indiscriminately, and outsiders knew little. But insiders were well aware—Jiang Zhi had many rules. In his film crew, no matter how big a star you were, you had to obey. If not, you were kicked out immediately.
"Fine, you're the boss." Xue Baoyi turned the steering wheel, taking the young master back to the Jiang Family's residence.
The rain fell patteringly, with few pedestrians. Vendors by the riverside had all packed up and left. It took forty minutes by tricycle from the Ba Yi Bridge to Yuquan Bay.
Zhou Xufang wore a black raincoat, her hoodie inside almost dry. She took off the dripping raincoat, put on her hoodie cap, and wearing sunglasses, walked into the supermarket outside the neighborhood. She picked a can of cat food and a bottle of water, heading to the cashier to pay.
Wen Baiyang wrote: "29.9."
She handed over the money, habitually lowered her cap, and walked out of the supermarket. At the entrance, she stopped, pointing at a job advertisement on the glass: "Are you still hiring?"
Wen Baiyang nodded, writing down a number: "We need temporary workers, paid by the hour. Here's the boss's phone number."
Zhou Xufang took it: "Thank you."
Wen Baiyang read her lips and gestured: You're welcome.
Zhou Xufang walked to the tricycle, putting her raincoat on. The large black hood covered half of her face. With her head lowered, she bumped into someone passing by, causing her can of cat food to fall.
She looked up.
It was the curly-haired old lady from building sixteen.
They exchanged a glance before the old lady averted her eyes immediately: "Sorry."
Zhou Xufang shook her head without speaking, bending down to pick up the fallen cat food. At that moment, the curly-haired old lady reached out as well, their hands touching briefly. The old lady pulled back swiftly, shuddering, then hurriedly dragged her companion into the neighborhood supermarket.
The rain thickened, the sound of raindrops tapping away on her raincoat. In the small supermarket behind her, the curly-haired old lady was buying salt, speaking softly.
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