Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Just a door away, the room was filled with the fragrance of clothes and the elegance of women.
The crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, along with countless other lights, illuminated the hall. As soon as Han Rong and Jiang Mingyue entered, they attracted everyone's attention.
She is so beautiful.
How dare Han Rong bring such a young and beautiful woman to the event?
The guests' eyes involuntarily shifted to Wang Mei, who was standing at the front left of the venue, chatting happily with Mrs. Fu, and automatically made way for Han Rong.
If the gazes directed at Han Rong were filled with shock and suspicion, then the guests' stares at Jiang Mingyue were far less friendly.
Such a radiant girl standing next to a man old enough to be her father, and constantly radiating her youthful charm, makes her relationship with Han Rong self-evident!
The guests mistook Jiang Mingyue for someone else.
Their gazes shifted to Jiang Mingyue's flat stomach, their expressions playful. Was she pregnant, which gave her the audacity to show up and try to challenge Wang Mei's status as "Mrs. Han"?
"Don't respond to their gazes, come with me, and keep smiling," Han Rong whispered a reminder.
Jiang Mingyue didn't move her lips, but smiled and replied, "Mr. Han, you underestimate me."
In an instant, Jiang Mingyue's expression underwent a subtle change; the smile on her lips deepened, and her eyes seemed to gain more power.
As she took a step, her hips swayed naturally, and pure feminine charm emanated from Jiang Mingyue, providing even stronger evidence for the guests' suspicions.
They no longer limited themselves to merely observing Jiang Mingyue; hushed whispers filled the hall.
"Don't go too far. Mrs. Fu doesn't like vixens," Han Rong warned.
His response was a joyful shout from Fu Qian that echoed across half the hall.
"Mingyue? Mingyue, what brings you here? Did you come to see me? I'm so happy!" Fu Qian immediately abandoned his mother and Han Jialan and rushed to Jiang Mingyue.
He was like a big dog reunited with its owner after a long separation, circling around Jiang Mingyue incessantly, asking questions excitedly.
Fu Qian: "I saw what happened to your family in the newspaper. Why didn't you come to me when you needed money? Later I went to the school to look for you, but you weren't there. The dormitory supervisor, taking advantage of his position, wouldn't let me in. How is Aunt Liang doing now?"
"Oh, by the way, how come you're with Uncle Han? Did he help you get in?" Fu Qian finally noticed Han Rong, who was standing close to Jiang Mingyue.
“Physiologically speaking, Han Rong is the one who provided me with genes.” Jiang Mingyue ignored Fu Qian’s nonsense and gave a thought-provoking answer.
Wang Mei and Han Jialan, who were standing with Mrs. Fu, both looked extremely uncomfortable in an instant. Han Jiajin and Han Jiawei, who were standing behind Fu Qian, also shifted their stance in unison.
Although Fu Qian acted like a stupid dog when facing Jiang Mingyue, he was, after all, the heir of the Fu family, and immediately discerned a different meaning in Jiang Mingyue's answer.
He glanced back at the guilty-looking Han mother and daughter, and when he looked at Jiang Mingyue, he seemed to be imagining something, leaving him with only a look of heartache.
Fu Qian immediately pushed Han Rong aside and shielded Jiang Mingyue behind him: "Mingyue, you've had such a hard life, why won't you give me a chance? I'll take good care of you. Even if you want to go out and act, Fu's Group has a film and television company, I can bring you all the resources you need."
"Fu Qian!" A warning voice came from behind.
A beautiful woman in a dark purple cheongsam, with a shawl draped over her shoulders, walked past Wang Mei and called out Fu Qian's name unhappily.
She walked slowly to Fu Qian's side, and while taking his arm, she subtly pinched the back of his hand.
Jiang Mingyue noticed that the small patch of skin quickly turned red, but Fu Qian did not dodge.
It looks like they used a lot of force; it must have hurt a lot.
The beautiful woman always wore a mask-like fake smile, only her eyes betrayed her true emotions—a very stern look at that moment.
Even though she clearly heard Fu Qian address Jiang Mingyue, she still asked again, "A-Qian, who is this?"
Although Jiang Mingyue's identity has been clarified, this "identity" needs to be given by Han Rong; and Jiang Mingyue is neither his female companion nor his girlfriend.
It wasn't Fu Qian's turn to introduce Jiang Mingyue.
“…Uh.” Fu Qian touched his nose and turned his gaze to Han Rong.
Jiang Mingyue smiled and looked at Han Rong, ready to see how he would introduce himself to the people present.
Anyone who has been a parent understands that no parent can stand in the way of their child's choice when it comes to marriage.
Fu Qian's series of reactions just now completely satisfied Han Rong!
In a split second, Han Rong knew that the double insurance plan had taken effect.
Before he could speak, he pushed Mingyue between himself and his wife, and Han Jialan was pushed to the back row.
The positions were arranged in a straight line: "Wang Mei-Jiang Mingyue-Han Rong".
Han Rong smiled with satisfaction and introduced, "This is my biological daughter, Mingyue, whom Amei and I have been searching for for several years."
"Haha, I never expected this. A thousand-mile marriage is tied by a single thread. The two children didn't grow up together, but they knew each other from a very young age."
Han Rong said with a sigh, "Luckily I didn't miss the news, otherwise I don't know how long it would have been before the whole family was reunited. Ah Qian, you must come to visit your uncle's house often in the future."
The introduction was only a short sentence, but the subsequent rambling was the key point of Han Rong's words.
Whether Fu Qian comes to the Han family to find Han Jialan or to play with Jiang Mingyue, he can't escape the clutches of the Han family's daughter.
Mrs. Fu and Wang Mei had a good relationship and she had always liked Han Jialan. She hoped that this quiet and well-behaved girl, whom she had seen since childhood, would become her daughter-in-law. In addition, the two families had already agreed on a cooperation, so the marriage between the two families was almost a sure thing. Unexpectedly, her son was unwilling and even used the resistance to cooperation to refuse the engagement. Unexpectedly, Han Rong brought back a biological daughter that Fu Qian liked.
Mrs. Fu couldn't help but complain about Han Rong's greed for money, so easily giving up on Han Jialan, whom he had raised for nearly twenty years.
However, since the Han family was begging to cooperate with the Fu family, Mrs. Fu had the right to put on airs.
She chuckled and nodded: "Now that you've found them, give them a good talking-to. Don't let them bring back their inferior habits."
As Mrs. Fu spoke, she used her gaze to cut through Jiang Mingyue's exposed shoulders and collarbone.
“Mingyue has excellent grades.” Fu Qian hurriedly explained for Jiang Mingyue, “The short play she designed for the class was very well received at the arts festival, Mom, you’ve seen it.”
It would have been better if this hadn't been mentioned, because Mrs. Fu did remember it, and even recalled Han Jialan leaning on her shoulder with a lonely expression and crying, saying that her classmates liked all sorts of random things and couldn't appreciate high art.
Mrs. Fu scoffed coldly, "Don't brag about things that aren't presentable."
"Mom, don't talk nonsense. That show was really good. The script was submitted and even won an award." Fu Qian was unhappy that his sweetheart was being criticized by his mother, so he hurriedly defended Jiang Mingyue.
Mrs. Fu's face turned even uglier.
Jiang Mingyue had no intention of actually selling herself. She said, "You guys continue, I'm hungry, I'm going to get something to eat first," and turned to go to the dining table, leaving everyone behind.
"Mom, don't say things like that next time. You've upset Mingyue." Fu Qian warned his wife unhappily, then hurriedly called out, "Mingyue, wait for me!" and followed without any hesitation.
Behind him, Mrs. Fu's lips were stretched into a straight line with anger.
Han Jialan's eyes welled up with tears, but Wang Mei held her hand to comfort her.
*
At the dining table, a man who looked to be around thirty years old had already taken the best spot.
He wore thin-rimmed black glasses, his shirt cuffs were loose, and his sleeves were rolled up above his elbows, revealing strong and powerful forearms.
Seeing Jiang Mingyue approach, he stepped aside and introduced the food as if it were his own business: "Don't choose the cake, it's too sweet. The fried spring rolls are still warm, they're especially delicious, the red bean paste inside has almost no added sugar, it's just naturally sweet; and the crabs are very fresh too."
Is he a gourmet?
Jiang Mingyue was unsure, but she always listened to advice. She changed the direction of her chopsticks, skipping the cake and placing the spring rolls and crab meat on the plate.
With a gentle bite, the crispy outer layer of the spring roll bursts open between your lips and teeth, and the smooth, warm red bean paste rushes onto your tongue, slowly releasing a gentle summer sweetness.
"Mmm, it's delicious." Jiang Mingyue squinted her eyes with satisfaction, her expression softening, and her tense back relaxed after entering the room.
She gave the man next to her a thumbs up, and he returned a kind smile.
Behind Jiang Mingyue, Fu Qian's smile vanished, and he reluctantly called out, "Father, good evening."
Jiang Mingyue froze, glancing at Fu Qian and then at the man in front of her.
who?
Father?
The Fu family's early-deceased leader was actually such a kind person.
Jiang Mingyue's shocked expression was all too obvious.
The man pointed to the left corner of his mouth and said repeatedly, "It's covered in puff pastry."
"Hello, Ms. Jiang. I am Fu Xiachuan. It is an honor to meet you for the first time."
"The news about you saving your mother was very touching, especially the photos of you crying, which were very moving. A film produced by Fu's film company was missing an actress who played the female lead in her younger years, which caused the project to be halted."
"The project is burning through cash every single day. I think your image is perfect for it, would you like to give it a try?"
Earning money yourself, no matter how hard or tiring, is better than selling your body to a man.
Jiang Mingyue didn't hesitate for a moment: "How much is the pay? Can I get an advance? When does filming start?"
"The first four episodes will each be paid 8,000 after tax. But since you're here to save the day, I also hope that the film can use Ms. Jiang's current good reputation to wash away the negative impact. As long as you pass the audition, I will give you a total of 500,000 in compensation."
Fu Xiachuan emphasized: "You can first use my personal account as a loan, and then repay me after the group has settled the accounts."
That means I can get an advance of 500,000.
This price far exceeds the amount given to the newlyweds!
For a newcomer, a reward of 500,000 is an astronomical figure, so the project that needs to be solved by leveraging her existing good reputation must be a major project that has completely destroyed her public image.
What films are currently being halted due to a production breakdown?
"Yes, it is 'The Tale in the Bottle'!" Jiang Mingyue said confidently.
The second female lead in the film "The Story in a Bottle" was investigated for tax evasion. Just as the project team announced a replacement actress, the second female lead accused the lead actress of having dual contracts and similar tax evasion issues. Before the project team could react, the lead actress launched a series of accusations, revealing that the male lead was using drugs and that the second and third male leads were attending a slutty party hand-in-hand.
The entire "Chronicles in a Bottle" can be accurately summarized in the public opinion field as "rotten to the core."
However, this well-known drama had already invested a full 300 million yuan before filming even began.
For investors, the hope is to resolve the current predicament as soon as possible and revive a dead project.
Fu Xiachuan couldn't help but laugh: "It seems that the news describing you as 'excellent in both character and academics' is not an exaggeration. I have even more confidence in reviving this project."
Then he did something even more shocking to Jiang Mingyue—the head of the Fu Group, worth hundreds of billions, took out his phone and asked, "Ms. Jiang, let's exchange contact information."
Jiang Mingyue took out her phone and exchanged phone numbers with Fu Xiachuan.
Fu Xiachuan's gaze lingered on her old phone for a moment longer before he said, "Miss Jiang, this kind of noisy and chaotic party isn't suitable for you. I'll take you home. Wait for my message tomorrow."
That's great that we can leave now.
"Thank you." Jiang Mingyue showed her first genuine smile of the night.
"Wait a minute." Fu Xiachuan gestured with his chin to Jiang Mingyue, grabbed her wrist, and ran upstairs. "Come on, let's go to the kitchen and pack some late-night snacks to take back to your classmates. Remember to tell them you went to work, so they won't gossip when you come home late."
“…Thank you, Mr. Fu.” Besides repeating her gratitude again, Jiang Mingyue didn’t know what else to say.
Fu Xiachuan?
He is really, really, extremely kind.
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