Chapter 28 Chapter 28

Even though the morning rush hour had ended, the coastal expressway was still bustling with traffic. Liang Sinan, who hadn't driven on a domestic road in a long time, glanced at the shimmering waves nearby and pondered for a few seconds whether it would be faster to swim directly across the water.

Beside him, the energetic woman was buried in her thoughts, clutching her laptop as she went through the script page by page. She wore a pale blue cotton shirt and slim-fitting linen-gray trousers. Her focused profile looked quiet and reliable.

She stretched her legs, her toes hooked in soft-soled slippers, her high heels tossed on the back seat. While the second document was loading, An Jiyue raised her hand and tucked her long, slightly wavy hair back.

Liang Sinan heard the noise in her bedroom from the living room window. The soundproof walls couldn't block the sound of her kicking over the sinking wooden footstool when she got out of bed, followed by her suppressed cry of pain.

When he rushed in hurriedly, An Jiyue had already put on her pants under her nightgown and was brushing her teeth and washing her face energetically. She also asked him to take her to Huayi in ten minutes.

"You should eat something at least. You have a busy day ahead of you." Liang Sinan gestured at the packed scrambled egg sandwich and coffee, and deliberately slowed down.

An Jiyue waved her hand, not knowing whether to refuse or to silence him. Liang Sinan shook his head slightly and continued to be a competent driver.

The recording site of "The Last Days" was silent. Nearly a hundred people were doing their jobs but dared not chat. The director was wearing headphones to review the sample film, occasionally glancing at the time on his watch, his face always cold.

Several colleagues who came out together to get water seemed to have escaped the spell of silence. As soon as they went out, they touched their chests and exchanged gossip.

"The recording has been stopped for an hour. Aren't all the guests here? What are we waiting for?"

"Yeah, yeah, Director Zhang didn't say anything, and he looked really awful. Everyone else was just frozen there for no apparent reason. I was almost suffocating."

"I heard from the male guest group that it seemed like the guest suddenly refused to cooperate with the recording. I don't know if it's true or not."

"No way? Didn't the male guest group always praise the quality of the amateurs this time? Why are they suddenly not cooperating? Is there something fishy going on?"

"Is this related to Director An's suspension? I heard last weekend that she was suddenly suspended because of an inappropriate relationship with a male guest, and I thought it was just a rumor..."

"Ah! Could it be that she has taken a fancy to the male guest and is planning to steal his favor?"

As the voice faded away, An Jiuyue took a few deep breaths, prepared herself mentally, and finally escaped from the bathroom.

She left in such a hurry that she didn't have time to put on makeup. She had only intended to use the bathroom mirror to touch up her lipstick, but she didn't expect to hear such gossip about her behind her back.

The subsequent comments such as "She must have taken shortcuts to join the director team after only three years in the industry" and "After all, she is still too young and loses her professionalism when seeing high-quality guests" were so offensive that An Jiyue just treated them as a gust of evil wind.

But the other words, although unpleasant to hear, do not seem to be rumors.

It turned out that she was suddenly asked to come to the scene because someone in the male guest group went on strike. An Jiyue's ambition to make a big splash was half extinguished. She thought gloomily, it couldn't be Lu Ye. He was such a considerate person and had signed a contract. It was unlikely that he would just quit.

The only one left was Zhan Nianqing. I had just helped him, so it made sense for him to choose this way to return the favor.

She mustered up the courage to push open the studio door. The creaking sound was a little startling in the silence. The entire place was utterly silent, the gossip swirling around, and almost everyone's eyes were fixed on the rumored heroine.

Several strong spotlights suddenly lit up around her, then flashed away and scattered as if to cover up a mistake.

Following the light, An Jiyue witnessed a variety of expressions during the half-minute of silence as people stared at each other in bewilderment. Some people studied her intriguingly, some cast skeptical, calculating glances, some breathed a sigh of relief, and some were already texting rapidly on their phones.

There were also people whose dark eyes were as deep as the abyss, but their gazes were fixed on her back with burning intent.

She felt like she was being watched with suspicion, and without even looking back, she could guess who was sitting diagonally behind her.

In the past, she might have been overwhelmed with anxiety, but at this moment, it was impossible. An Jiyue took a deep breath, took a step forward, and walked quickly through the gaps that everyone had automatically made way for.

She squatted down beside the director's chair without hesitation, slightly shorter than Director Zhang, and was so calm that she seemed completely unaware of all the discussions around her.

"Director Zhang, I've revised the script for this week's male guest to make it more in line with his character and the emotional trajectory. I'd like you to review it. How about I oversee the recording of the observers first? You can take a break."

An Jiyue handed the tablet computer with the latest script opened to Director Zhang with both hands. Her voice was firm but respectful, and finally earned a slight nod from Director Zhang.

Director Zhang propped himself up with his hands, took off his headset and put it in her hand, saying briefly, "I'll leave this to you."

He took the tablet from An Jiuyue and left through the side door with his assistant.

The lively discussion seemed to be quickly paused, and with a sharp, drawn-out sound, the scene became so quiet again that one could hear a pin drop.

Most of the people who had different expressions on their faces just now were now shocked and stunned.

Huayi's most important variety show this season had to be suspended due to a new director, which was incredible enough. However, the chief director was not annoyed at all and graciously handed over the baton.

Everyone knows that this industry is prone to melodrama, but today's situation was like the ultimate roller coaster, with twists and turns that were too unpredictable.

An Jiyue patiently gave everyone present two minutes of buffer time. She looked around and finally waved to Xu Mu.

She clutched the headset Director Zhang had personally handed her. It wasn't hard to guess the whispers around her, and she could easily silence them with a single word. Yue Hui had taught her to assert her authority, but she was still somewhat reluctant to antagonize the entire production team at this moment.

What's more, any insignificant words she said now would become the next topic of conversation for others.

An Jiyue asked about the recording progress and expected rhythm, and gave a few instructions to Xu Mu before sitting down in the director's chair and turning on the headset.

"The recording of the observer's reaction will begin in fifteen minutes. The set, props, and lighting will be ready. The docking team asks the observer teacher to wait on stage. Thank you."

-

During lunch break, An Jiyue didn't take her work meal. She took advantage of the 40-minute break and quietly slipped into the car, intending to take a nap to regain her composure.

Even the most energetic person would be exhausted after a morning of intense recording. She felt like a robot with its battery drained. She opened the car door light-headed, closed her eyes, and sank into the back seat.

This time, someone held her back. An Jiyue turned around in surprise and faced Liang Sinan, who had just sat up. She was speechless for a moment.

Too tired to speak, she gestured inside.

Liang Sinan immediately understood and moved to the other end, making enough space for An Jiyue's limp body to lie down. The car door was open, and her long legs were half outside, swaying.

She didn't ask why he was still here, Liang Sinan had already taken the initiative to explain: "I don't have any plans today. After sending you off, I drove around and had lunch nearby. I thought it would be three or four o'clock if I took a nap, so I could just pick you up from get off work."

"I think you're really confused. This isn't some evil, predatory upstart country. How could they possibly leave work so early like you?"

Liang Sinan cried out in frustration, heartbroken. When he was working on Wall Street, his entire team was also like wolves and tigers, staring at a single deal and spending days and nights working on it. Later, he had to worry about Anshi Capital in the midst of his busy schedule, wishing he could do the work of several people.

"Don't make noise." An Jiyue was so exhausted she couldn't even think straight. She needed to rest quickly because she had to film a guest event with Director Zhang that afternoon.

In the latest script she submitted to Director Zhang that morning, she had generously added scenes for Lu Ye. It wasn't so much about allocating him screen time, but rather carefully polishing the details that suited his character.

For example, regarding Lu Ye's seemingly non-sleep schedule and the miraculous physical fitness that comes with it, An Jiuyue added relevant questions to the interview outline, guiding him to share tips on maintaining physical strength.

Furthermore, they proactively explored his potential romantic interests. An Jiyue analyzed and compared the "Luzhu CP" and "Hailu CP," outlining the pros and cons of each development path and the expected public feedback, a far more thorough and detailed plot than the writers' improvisations.

After reading the script, Director Zhang not only called her personally to ask her to stay with him in the afternoon to watch the recording, but also replied to her with several meaningful thumbs-up in the general group of all the staff of the program team.

Perhaps they were praising her for her meticulous work and serious attitude. Or perhaps they were praising her for her decisiveness and clear-headedness.

No matter what, she was determined to seize this opportunity to demonstrate her "work first" stance. After all, Director Zhang already believed that she and Lu Ye were still in a relationship, and further verbal arguments would likely backfire, so it would be better to prove it with actual actions.

As for Lu Ye, she suddenly remembered how he held the car door open and happily said good night to her more than ten hours ago.

An Jiyue felt a dull pain in her heart and didn't allow herself to think any further.

Liang Sinan leaned on the headrest of the seat, lowered his eyes, and looked quietly at the woman lying beside his legs.

She tilted her face, revealing only half of her delicate features to him. Her dark brown curls spread out behind her head like a piece of dark chocolate silk. He vaguely remembered that when he first met her, he thought this sister was naturally lovely. Now she had grown into a graceful and beautiful woman, no less beautiful than many actresses who appeared on screen.

Her brows were furrowed, her rosy lips slightly parted, as if she were caught in some insurmountable problem. Her thoughts raced, her breathing heavier. Finally, a look of sadness and bewilderment suddenly spread across her face, as if she had stepped into a swamp from which there was no hope of escape, and allowed herself to fall.

Liang Sinan suddenly felt a warm tide melting in his chest, and the idea that had been circling in his mind for a few days had a definite outline. One hand couldn't help but touch that unpainted face.

"Don't touch her."

A calm, cold voice echoed from a few meters away. Lu Ye's abyssal eyes were filled with intense rage. Like an invisible clamp, he gripped the man's wrist tightly, as if he would break his wrist bone if he dared to move again.