Meng Qiu walked over and crouched beside Xinan, patting her back and saying, "Even though he's an investor, he shouldn't bully people like that!"
Xinan was bent over the toilet, throwing up until the world spun, and after she had finished, Meng Qiu went to get her a cup of water for her to rinse her mouth with.
The Xinan of the past had encountered such situations before, but never once had she ever gotten this drunk.
It was only after Xinan had finished her ordeal that Meng Qiu slowly helped her toward the bed, supporting her arm.
As soon as she lay on the bed, Xinan fell into a deep sleep. Seeing her reeking of alcohol, Meng Qiu could only bring a hot towel to wipe her face.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
Meng Qiu opened the door and, seeing Lu Jiang standing at the entrance, she opened her mouth in surprise, "Director Lu, what brings you here?"
Lu Jiang glanced inside, saw Xinan already lying on the bed resting, and heaved a sigh of relief. He then handed over what he was holding to Meng Qiu, "This is a hangover remedy, give it to her later."
Meng Qiu was somewhat surprised. She had originally thought that Director Lu was in cahoots with that investor, yet here he was, bringing medicine for Xinan.
"Thank you."
After delivering the medicine, Lu Jiang walked a few steps then leaned against the wall, pulling out his cellphone.
"Mr. Yi, I've delivered the medicine."
The other side responded with a soft "Hmm".
Lu Jiang truly could not fathom Cheng Yi's thinking—to force drink Xinan in front of everyone then have him secretly come over to bring a hangover remedy.
It was his first time seeing such a contradictory person.
The next day, when Xinan woke up her head felt as if it was about to explode. Could this be the painful aftermath of a hangover?
"Sister Xinan, you're awake?" Meng Qiu walked out of the kitchen carrying a bowl.
Xinan's throat was incredibly dry and hoarse, so she nodded at Meng Qiu.
Meng Qiu got the bowl and chopsticks ready, saying, "Sister Xinan, go and wash up first, I've made some porridge for you."
Xinan tried to force a sound out, but her throat felt torn apart just by speaking, and even swallowing was difficult.
After two failed attempts to speak, Xinan gave up.
Considering Xinan had drunk so much the day before, the dishes Meng Qiu prepared today were all exceptionally light, so as not to irritate Xinan's stomach.
After taking a sip of the porridge, Xinan's throat felt much better. After a short break, she said, "Thank you, Meng Qiu."
Meng Qiu had been with her for less than a year, but no matter what she did, she always put in her whole heart and energy. When Xinan woke up, she noticed that Meng Qiu hadn't changed clothes, indicating that she likely took care of her the entire night. Xinan was truly grateful and touched.
Meng Qiu smiled and half-jokingly said, "Then Sister Xinan, considering how carefully I took care of you, could you give me a raise?"
Xinan's eyes softened, and she readily said, "I'll talk to Sister Lan about giving you a raise once I get back."
Meng Qiu's smile brightened, her eyes curving upwards, "Sister Xinan, you're the best."
This morning, there were no scenes for Xinan, so after eating, she watched TV in the room for a while, dawdling until two o'clock before she slowly began to get ready.
Upon arriving at the film set and not seeing Cheng Yi anywhere, Xinan's nervous heart gradually calmed down; she just wanted to stay as far away from Cheng Yi as possible.
"Xinan, were you alright after you went back yesterday? Are you still feeling unwell?" Li Yu had approached her side at some point.
Xinan politely smiled at him, remembering how he had spoken up for her the day before, she said with gratitude, "Thank you for speaking up for me yesterday. I'm doing pretty well now; there's nothing wrong."
Li Yu nodded and said, "That's good to hear. I just can't stand seeing a man pick on a woman."
Li Yu's words took Xinan by surprise, as there are indeed very few people these days who are unfazed by capital.
At the same time, Xinan was also relieved that she didn't let Li Yu finish that bottle of liquor for her yesterday. Had they offended Cheng Yi, it seemed his star career would have been over.
She really didn't want to hurt others because of her own private issues with Cheng Yi.
"Li Yu, I know your intentions are good, but his identity isn't as simple as you think. Let's try not to provoke him in the future, if we can avoid it."
Li Yu furrowed his brow. Was Xinan afraid of that guy?
He was about to ask when he heard the director calling for Xinan, so he swallowed the words he was about to say.
—
No sooner had Cheng Yi gotten out of the car than his assistant Ye Rui's call came through.
Answering the phone, Cheng Yi leaned slowly against the hood of his car, leisurely pulling out a cigarette from the pack, lighting it, and taking a shallow drag, quietly listening to the voice on the other end of the line.
"I'll be back in a few days."
"Send the important contracts to me."
"Mhm."
"..."
After hanging up, Cheng Yi smoked another cigarette on the spot. He stared at the white plastic bag on the passenger seat for a while, then picked it up and closed the car door.
But just as he walked towards the set, he saw Xinan and Li Yu talking face to face, both smiling and seeming very intimate, which instantly ignited a fire in his heart, and an uncontrollable anger surged to his mind.
First entangled with Han Jibai and now seducing a fellow actor in the same crew. It seemed that he had underestimated her.
Remembering Li Yu standing up for Xinan the night before, a cold smile curled on Cheng Yi's lips.
But just at this moment, someone just had to go and make things worse.
From the moment Cheng Yi walked in, Yang Shuyu had noticed him, but remembering his attitude towards her last night made her feel timid and she didn't dare to greet him.
Her assistant, Xiao Lan, saw right through her thoughts and began to speak, "Sister Shuyu, aren't you going to greet Mr. Yi?"
Yang Shuyu lowered her eyes, "Let's not."
"Sister Shuyu, Mr. Yi clearly came here for you. Look, he's even carrying milk and medicine in his hand. He must feel sorry for speaking harshly to you last night and has come especially to apologize. You drank so much last night; he must be concerned about you."
Yang Shuyu's eyes flickered and she asked, "Really?"
"Mr. Yi knows so few people in the crew; who else could he be looking for but you?"
Xiao Lan's words successfully persuaded Yang Shuyu.
Yang Shuyu walked over slowly with a seductive saunter and coquettishly called out, "Mr. Yi~"
Cheng Yi glanced at her, not saying a word.
Yang Shuyu eyed the bag in Cheng Yi's hands, which indeed contained medicine and milk.
Pretending ignorance, she asked, "Mr. Yi, what's that you're holding?"
Cheng Yi looked at the bag in his hand, a layer of self-mockery flashing in his eyes. The items he was holding now were indeed ironic.
He stuffed the bag into Yang Shuyu's arms as if he were throwing away garbage, his tone somewhat cold, "It's for you."
Yang Shuyu's heart blossomed with joy; it looked like Xiao Lan was right—Cheng Yi really had come for her.