When Xinan heard that man's voice, she felt a surge of electricity pass through her, leaving her entire body numb.
She was all too familiar with this voice, recognizing the man's identity from just a single word.
Now, she finally understood why Lu Jiang had asked her that question—Cheng Yi was the investor of "Mist", and he was the one who added extra scenes for Yang Shuyu.
Yang Shuyu walked over to the other side of Cheng Yi, while Xinan just stood there, coming face-to-face with him when he turned his head.
Cheng Yi glanced at her, and quickly looked away, his gaze as distant as if he were looking at a stranger.
Yang Shuyu playfully complained, "I just wanted to be the female lead for once."
Xinan didn't listen to the rest of the conversation. After finding her makeup bag, she hurriedly left.
What was the relationship between Cheng Yi and Yang Shuyu? Was he here for her? What was their relationship?
These questions flooded her mind like a deluge.
Meng Qiu had been waiting at the door and saw that Xinan looked a bit off, so he asked, "Sister Xinan, what's wrong?"
Xinan finally snapped out of it, took a deep breath, and tried to calm herself down, "Let's go, I've got my makeup bag."
After removing her makeup, Xinan returned to the house she rented next to the film set. The house wasn't big, but it was cozy.
As the saying goes, though the sparrow is small, it has all its vital organs.
After a day of work, soaked with sweat, Xinan took a hot shower, tidied herself up, and lay exhausted on her bed.
Cheng Yi's detached gaze flashed through her mind, and though the weather was already warm, at that moment, Xinan felt unbearably cold.
Thinking about today's scene of Yang Shuyu talking with Cheng Yi, Xinan suddenly felt nostalgic for the past.
In her junior year, she received her first-ever call to shoot a magazine cover, which had excited her for many days. That evening, she went to Luming Academy to share her joy with Cheng Yi.
By then, Cheng Yi was already getting familiar with Yifeng Group's operations and often had to travel, so the only place to find him was at his residence.
The young man opened the door, his short, neat hair still dripping from a shower.
Xinan's gaze swept over Cheng Yi's upper body, taking in his well-defined abs and V-line, but thankfully, he was wrapped in a towel below.
"Why have you come?" His voice carried a hint of surprise.
Xinan turned her face away, saying, "You... you should put on some clothes first."
Cheng Yi glanced at himself, then cheekily asked, "Are you shy?"
Xinan pushed him gently and repeated her earlier words.
The corner of the man's lips turned up in a charming curve, his obsidian-like eyes softening; he surprisingly obeyed and went to put on some clothes.
He slipped on a black, loose sweatshirt, making him appear lazy and gentle.
Coming out, he casually poured a glass of water for Xinan.
"Thanks."
Xinan picked up the cup and took a sip, only to realize it was actually milk—and warm. A warmth spread through her.
The man sat on the couch, took a cushion onto his lap, and turned on the TV, randomly selecting a channel.
"Brother Yi, I did a magazine shoot today." Xinan's eyes suddenly brightened, her expression coy.
Cheng Yi, holding the remote, paused for a moment, then turned to look at Xinan with a somewhat nonchalant tone, "You really want to become a star, huh?"
"Of course," Xinan immediately responded, "I'm studying at the Film Academy, so naturally I'll be a star in the future. What else could I do?"
"That's fine."
"What do you mean 'that's fine'?"
Cheng Yi acted mysteriously, "You'll find out later."
He said this, which indeed aroused Xinan's curiosity, but despite her pestering him all night, he never gave her an answer.
That night, Cheng Yi was gentle, patient, and easy to talk to. Sometimes, Xinan even wondered if the Cheng Yi from before had never existed, otherwise how could he be so different now?
Thinking about it, Xinan's eyes gradually moistened. She reached up to wipe them, but ended up crying even more.
That's when the phone rang.
Xinan calmed her emotions for a moment, then answered the call.
"Xinan, there's a party for the cast in a little while, get ready and come over quickly," Lu Jiang's voice said.
Xinan knew clearly that the party was mainly for Cheng Yi, and everyone from the cast was going. It would be awkward if she didn't show up.
"Okay."
Xinan sat up and sighed as she looked at her swollen, red eyes in the mirror. If she went to the party looking like this, she might scare everyone half to death.
With no other choice, Xinan put on some light makeup for herself.
Once at the private room, Xinan immediately spotted Cheng Yi, who was sitting in the center, with Lu Jiang continually talking beside him. However, Cheng Yi did not speak; he just smoked silently with his eyes lowered.
"Sister Xinan?" Meng Qiu waved at Xinan, signaling her to come over.
But before she could take a step, she heard Lu Jiang say, "Xinan, you're so late, shouldn't you take a penalty drink?"
That's how these drinking gatherings went.
Xinan picked up a glass from the table and downed it in one go.
Everyone at the table cheered, "You really can hold your liquor!"
Cheng Yi glanced at Xinan, his handsome brow furrowing slightly.
Lu Jiang smiled in satisfaction and said, "Xinan, come and keep Mr. Yi company."
Having gone through the incident this morning, Xinan was now very reluctant to interact with Cheng Yi, but in such a setting, she couldn't just embarrass Lu Jiang in front of everyone.
Then she was pushed next to Cheng Yi.
Being so close, Xinan could even smell the faint tobacco scent on Cheng Yi.
Seeing this, Yang Shuyu felt a bit challenged, and while acting coy, she grabbed Cheng Yi's arm, "Brother Yi, let me sing a song for you."
Without waiting for Cheng Yi to respond, Yang Shuyu took the initiative to select a song for herself.
It must be said that the song Yang Shuyu chose suited her voice very well. She sang with great emotion, always staring at Cheng Yi, making her intentions too obvious.
But the person in question remained indifferent. When the song ended, Cheng Yi hadn't even lifted his eyelids.
"Brother Yi, did you like my singing?" Yang Shuyu blinked, her voice coquettish.
Cheng Yi flicked the ash off his cigarette, "It's alright."
"Just alright?"
"Do you want to hear the truth?" Cheng Yi finally looked directly at Yang Shuyu.
For some reason, Yang Shuyu suddenly felt Cheng Yi's gaze on her was chilling.
"Mmhmm..."
"I think your singing was pretty terrible." His voice was so magnetically pleasant, yet his words were so disheartening.
With that, the private room fell into dead silence.
Even Xinan couldn't help but gasp.
But Cheng Yi did not stop there. He continued, "And the perfume you're wearing makes me want to vomit."
Then, he deliberately scooted a bit to the side.