Chapter 64
Chapter 64
He Rui didn't understand why Jiang Mingyue suddenly showed such an expression. In fact, he was so frightened by the overly clear and intense emotion in her expression that he took a step back.
"you……"
Before He Rui could even ask a question, Jiang Mingyue had already lunged at the door, pounding on it and shouting, "Open the door! Open the door!"
The door, which had been silent, was suddenly pulled open from the inside, and Chen Ying rushed out, her clothes disheveled, with a noticeable bruise on her face.
"Mingyue, Second Young Master?" Chen Ying called out Jiang Mingyue's name first, and when her gaze fell on He Rui, her expression clearly changed from fear to relief.
She shuffled out of the room and hid behind He Rui, repeatedly pleading, "Second Young Master, please, save me."
Jiang Mingyue's face was still filled with fear, but she seemed to subconsciously turn around and peek into the room, then suddenly stepped back and hurriedly pushed Chen Ying's back, "Let's go quickly."
He Rui still didn't understand what had happened, but at least he was someone who would listen to advice.
Upon hearing this, He Rui immediately turned around, making way for Chen Ying and Jiang Mingyue to stand in front of him, assuming a protective stance. Fu Xiachuan stepped back, clearing a path for the ladies to pass first, then stood against the wall, his gaze fixed on Chen Ying's room door.
Chen Ying was clearly terrified. Her legs went weak, and after taking a few steps, she collapsed to the ground. Jiang Mingyue supported her as she managed to stand up, but she tripped over herself again after only a few steps.
In just a few seconds, several people rushed out of Chen Ying's room.
Jiang Mingyue could only barely recognize one of them as Chen Ying's assistant who had come with her today; she had no idea who the other two men and one woman were.
"Don't come any closer! Don't think this is Hong Kong and you can just kidnap me. Hitting me won't do any good. I won't become your mistress, and I won't steal the Second Young Master's business secrets!" Chen Ying's voice trembled, and she couldn't stand on her own. She was practically hanging in Jiang Mingyue's arms.
The scars on her face were clearly visible on the surveillance camera.
He Rui frowned as he listened, and with his arms outstretched, he blocked the two men and two women who were about to come over. He raised his chin and sneered, "Big brother is quite interested. You still like to show off your young master's demeanor when you come to the mainland."
Jiang Mingyue had already dialed the police, clearly reporting the time, location, people present, and the possible harm to Chen Ying.
"What are you doing? Hang up the phone!" He Peirong immediately became anxious, took a few steps forward, and tried to pull Jiang Mingyue past He Rui.
Jiang Mingyue shielded Chen Ying behind her, pointed at He Peirong, and said loudly and righteously, "He Peirong, don't come any closer! I haven't ended the call. The entire call to the police was recorded!"
He Peirong looked choked up, unsure whether to raise his hands or lower them.
Ignoring He Peirong's unpleasant expression, Jiang Mingyue switched her phone to speakerphone in front of him and said, "Hello, I'm a little worried about being attacked again. Could I keep the call going for a while?"
"Of course. Don't hang up." The operator on the other end replied in a very gentle manner.
Hengdian is located in a remote area, but the nearby police station is not far away.
Within ten minutes, local police officers responded to the call.
Fu Xiachuan, who had previously helped He Rui stop He Peirong, glanced at He Peirong, then suddenly turned to the police officer with a smile and said, "It's hard to explain in just a few words, but the hotel has surveillance footage. I think physical evidence is more reliable than a person's lying tongue."
"Fuck!" He Peirong couldn't help but let out a loud curse.
Once any matter involves government departments, especially the responsible government departments, things become "neither simple nor difficult."
Everyone was taken to the police station.
Chen Ying sat on the stool and only said one sentence from beginning to end: "I went back to my room and saw the young master. He hit me." For the rest of the time, she covered her mouth and sobbed, ignoring all other questions.
He Peirong naturally refused to accept such a statement and immediately denied it.
Fu Xiachuan sat to the side with a smile on his face, too lazy to say a word.
The police officers who had been reviewing the surveillance footage returned a while later. They reassured the visibly frightened Chen Ying and Jiang Mingyue, telling Chen Ying that someone would accompany her to get a medical examination soon, while Jiang Mingyue, Fu Xiachuan, and He Rui could leave. Then, turning to wave, the other officers were no longer so gentle with He Peirong. They forced He Peirong into a detention cell.
Even after leaving the police station, Jiang Mingyue kept her head down, her arms wrapped around herself, looking as if she was still shaken.
He Rui clicked his tongue: "There's no one around, you can relax your expression now. That terrified expression you made in the hotel was really effective, it scared everyone."
Jiang Mingyue kept her head down, but answered softly, "If you're going to pretend, you have to pretend to the end. There are still a lot of surveillance cameras near the police station. We'll talk about it in detail when we get back."
He Rui immediately shut up, not daring to say another word.
*
Back at the hotel, Fu Xiachuan immediately had a small conference room set up and ordered a pot of hot milk before taking Jiang Mingyue there.
Upon entering the conference room, he also opened the door.
He Rui looked at Fu Xiachuan's actions with disbelief and patted him on the shoulder, complaining, "Fourth brother, are you serious? You're back now, why are you still playing along with her?"
Even a fool would understand after this trip to the police station that Jiang Mingyue and Chen Ying collaborated to put He Peirong in jail on charges of trespassing on a female celebrity's property and assaulting her. If handled properly, they could even frame He Peirong for bribing Chen Ying's assistant and conspiring with the assistant to break into Chen Ying's home and intentionally harm her.
The matter could be big or small, depending on how big Chen Ying—or rather, how big of a fuss He Rui and Chen Ying wanted to make after exchanging terms.
"If you're going to put on an act, go all the way." Fu Xiachuan was completely unaffected by He Rui's complaints. He personally went to the door to take the hot milk brought by the waiter, poured a cup for Jiang Mingyue, and placed it in front of her.
Jiang Mingyue had already let go of the caution she had shown outside, picked up the cup and drank the hot milk in one gulp, then exhaled a long breath forcefully from her chest.
She looked at Fu Xiachuan and He Rui, "Did you discuss this with Chen Ying from the beginning?"
He Rui shook his head with a smile: "How could that be? If I had known she was my older brother's mistress, I wouldn't have invited her to play the female lead."
This isn't He Rui boasting. No matter how desperate Xingying is, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. If He Rui was determined to have a Best Actress play the role of "adult Zheng Yinping," he wouldn't have only Chen Ying as a choice; in that case, there would be no need to create trouble for himself by insisting on choosing Chen Ying.
"So, well, good deeds are rewarded?" He Rui suddenly laughed, clasping his hands together in front of him, not hiding his calculations. "I know Chen Ying's father went gambling again. Chen Ying is beautiful, the right age, and desperately needs money; she's the easiest one to be swayed. I never expected such an unexpected surprise."
Fu Xiachuan refilled Jiang Mingyue's milk cup and sat down next to her: "It's rare that He Peirong has been caught with solid evidence this time. What are you planning to do?"
He Rui's ever-present smile deepened, and he stated without the slightest hint of guilt: "Of course, we should send him to the maximum penalty level in jail. In ancient times, the best opponent was a dead opponent; in modern times, the best opponent is the one who ends up in prison."
He Rui quietly uttered a few words in Cantonese, which Jiang Mingyue could vaguely discern as a dialect term used to insult someone as an idiot.
She automatically skipped over the words that would be censored, and asked, "How should we arrange things on Sister Chen's end?"
He Rui generously spread his hands: "The film, the salary, and the property must all be given. She has helped me so much, I can't treat her unfairly."
After he finished speaking, he noticed that Jiang Mingyue didn't say anything. He glanced at her a few more times and saw that the expression on her face seemed to indicate that she was enduring something.
So, He Rui asked with curiosity, "Jiang Mingyue, you still don't think these conditions are good?"
Jiang Mingyue shook her head, but after hesitating for a moment, she still said, "For a single woman, safety is far more important than anything else. I think that compared to material support, dealing with her parents and relatives who rush up after gambling and stir up public opinion to force her to help pay compensation, as well as the media that might spread rumors about her being with your brother, would be more useful to her."
"Safety? That's a bit tricky." He Rui rested his finger under his nose, a troubled look on his face.
Since ancient times, it has been considered a matter of course for many people that children should take on their parents' debts, or for parents to help their children repay their debts. If Chen Ying had encountered a situation where her siblings were in debt due to gambling, things would be easier to handle, but unfortunately, it was her own father.
Fu Xiachuan suddenly reminded him: "The company's next project is an urban period drama, in which the female lead suffers a lot."
A melodrama?
This is the type of film that is most likely to evoke sympathy from the audience.
If the content of the performance is tragic enough, it can even greatly shift the public's pity for the character to the actor.
If Chen Ying were to actually play such a role, it would certainly be of great help in getting rid of her gambling father, but more importantly, it would be of far greater benefit to Starry Night Pictures than to Chen Ying herself.
He Rui immediately felt he had found a way to solve the problem, but he was still a little worried. "Chen Ying's status is such that getting her a role in a TV series is already a favor. To let her do it again, especially in this kind of obviously melodramatic drama..."
"Write the plot carefully, don't make the traces too obvious, and with a little more effort, there won't be any problems," Jiang Mingyue directly reminded her.
Workplace dramas in Hong Kong rarely feature melodrama, so He Rui was immediately rendered speechless by Jiang Mingyue's insistence on "writing a good plot." He touched his chin guiltily and asked, "Where can we find a screenwriter who can write melodramas?"
“They’re everywhere in the mainland.” Jiang Mingyue’s expression was indifferent, and for a moment her face flashed with a lot of disgust.
He Rui was shocked by her unexpected expression. He glanced at Fu Xiachuan first before quietly asking again, "Huh? What did you say?"
Before Jiang Mingyue could explain, Fu Xiachuan couldn't help but chuckle.
Jiang Mingyue looked over immediately, and Fu Xiachuan raised his hand to cover the corner of his mouth, giving her a pleasant look with his eyes full of laughter.
He coughed a few times and said seriously, "What Miss Jiang means is that in almost all the scripts written by screenwriters in mainland China with female themes, the female protagonist is suffering. Therefore, writing a tragic drama is the easiest problem to solve."
"Ah, hahaha, is that so? Then there's no problem." He Rui quickly changed the subject. "Jiang Mingyue is so quick-witted. Chen Ying just gave a casual reminder, and you immediately realized you needed to save her. And you acted so convincingly! There wasn't a sound from the camera, but your expression made it seem like you heard someone screaming as if they were being beaten in the room. Wow, didn't you see your expression on the camera when we were collecting evidence? Chen Ying said she was being beaten, and you didn't doubt it at all."
Upon hearing these words, Jiang Mingyue's expression did not improve at all; in fact, she gave He Rui another complicated look.
He Rui immediately sat up straight. An unbelievable thought popped into his head, and he raised his voice in surprise, asking, "Chen Ying really got beaten up?!"
Jiang Mingyue clasped her hands together and shook her head: "I'm not sure if she hurt herself or if she was really beaten. But if she wasn't injured, how did she get the marks on her face? And if she wasn't injured, how could she dare to get a medical examination?"
Chen Ying followed proper procedures; this wasn't just an online mudslinging match. If it's proven that Chen Ying lied, then she'll face more than just He Peirong's retaliation.
He Rui finally straightened his attitude, and his tone became completely serious: "Then I really should thank Chen Ying properly. I will ask someone to help me find a solution for her family's situation."
Before leaving, Jiang Mingyue said, "Sister Chen's assistant also needs to be replaced immediately. When she came to see me, she deliberately didn't bring her assistant, which shows that she doesn't trust her."
There was nothing else related to Jiang Mingyue. After she finished speaking, she drank the remaining milk in her glass and left the meeting room.
Inside the meeting room, He Rui couldn't help but laugh when he saw Jiang Mingyue drinking her milk at the end. But when he looked up, he found Fu Xiachuan watching her leave and then looking away.
He Rui crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair: "Fourth brother, I'm not trying to be mean, but the way you keep staring at her makes me start having all sorts of wild thoughts."
Fu Xiachuan withdrew his gaze, stood up from his seat, and said calmly, "You can think whatever you want, but don't show it in front of her. Also, today's incident exposed very serious problems—the hotel's surveillance, front desk, and security all need to be rectified. I don't want the same thing to happen again after it's put into use."
He Rui closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and got up dejectedly.
Sure enough, no matter how enthusiastic one is about gossip, Fu Xiachuan has the ability to bring that enthusiasm to a standstill with his work.
He Ru just couldn't understand how Fu Xiachuan managed to have his mind solely on work since he was a student.
*
Chen Ying's affair caused quite a stir that night, with many people going to Jiang Mingyue's house to knock on the door, hoping to join in the fun.
Li Ruojun asked, "Sister, what should we do?"
Jiang Mingyue: "I've already sent a message to Director Liu explaining the details. You don't need to reply to anyone else."
The noise from the outer door continued until late at night before finally becoming completely quiet.
The next day, Jiang Mingyue's scenes were filmed as scheduled. Chen Ying's other group had been notified the night before that the filming order had been changed and other supporting actors in the group would temporarily fill in.
Jiang Mingyue's attitude of ignoring everyone yesterday was very obvious; no one on set who knew how to read the room came up to bother her.
This strange atmosphere continued until the third day, when Gu Yifan returned with Chen Ying accompanied by two burly male bodyguards and two female assistants. The assistant who used to be with her was nowhere to be seen.
Chen Ying changed her previous professional style of wearing a suit and put on a simple cotton long dress. She wore a loose cardigan over the dress, and her long hair was tied into a simple bun on the side of her face with a hair tie. The loose strands of hair and sunglasses could not hide the marks on her forehead and chin. The purplish-blue bruises on Chen Ying's face made her look even more pitiful.
The assistant unloaded several cases of drinks from the nanny van and distributed them one by one.
Chen Ying took off her sunglasses but still turned her face away to avoid eye contact. She forced a smile and greeted everyone, saying, "There was a little accident, I'm sorry for the trouble. I bought some drinks."
Jiang Mingyue and Chen Ying's eyes met in the air, they exchanged a subtle glance, and then looked away.
After a full day of filming, Li Ruojun surrounded Jiang Mingyue and whispered, "Sister, why is the set so quiet today? Nothing seems to have happened."
Jiang Mingyue couldn't help but laugh: "The rest is a power struggle between the He brothers. What does it have to do with us little actors? Don't ask questions or get involved."
Li Ruojun quickly covered her mouth.
Sure enough, in the days that followed, Chen Ying would only greet Jiang Mingyue when they met during filming, and the two seemed to have never met before.
With her outstanding acting skills, Jiang Mingyue quickly finished filming the teenage version of "Zheng Yinping" and left the crew to go directly to film the mobile phone advertisement promised to her by Fu Xiachuan.
*
Jiang Mingyue and Lan Xu hadn't seen each other for over a month, and when they reunited, she was surprised to find that he had undergone a huge transformation from his previous "refreshing pretty boy" image.
Lan Xu was dressed in a simple shirt and trousers, without a watch or sunglasses, and wearing simple casual shoes.
Upon seeing Jiang Mingyue, unlike others who would avoid being photographed in the same frame as her, he even jokingly remarked, "You're wearing light makeup now; you're starting to pay attention to your image."
Among Jiang Mingyue's acquaintances in the entertainment industry, Lan Xu is indeed one.
Jiang Mingyue answered bluntly, "Yeah, since we've already had a rumored relationship, I need to be photographed looking good in the tabloids, so I can't have any ugly pictures left behind."
The photographer standing by laughed heartily: "Alright, handsome men and beautiful women, don't worry, you will all be photographed very well."
The two of them were then taken to get their makeup and clothes done together.
Since entering the industry, Jiang Mingyue has filmed two TV series in period costumes, and this is the first time she has tried a modern style.
Her long, black hair was tied high at the back of her head into a ponytail. Her makeup was extremely light, with only two thick lines of eyeliner drawn out to elongate her already large eyes. Contouring powder and highlighter enhanced the three-dimensionality of her features, while her nude lips further reduced her softness and made her temperament more strong and cold.
Jiang Mingyue wore a futuristic, pure white bodysuit, very similar to the combat suits in movies, with equally pure white stiletto boots on her feet.
As Jiang Mingyue walked out of the dressing room with a cold face and stepped into the spotlight, Lan Xu, whose clothes were completely different from his combat uniform, couldn't help but look down at himself.
He was wearing a set of loungewear, and he was painted looking lazy with his hair all messy.
Is that correct?
Compared to Jiang Mingyue's style, he looks so low-class!
Lan Xu thought to himself, and couldn't help but glance at Jiang Mingyue a few more times.
Jiang Mingyue's outfit is white and silver, while Lan Xu's is black and gold.
Logically, women should express their gentleness and men should display their strength. However, judging from their makeup and clothing, Jiang Mingyue's appearance is more sharp and assertive, full of aggression. On the other hand, Lan Xu's makeup and clothing make him look more like a shut-in who sits on the sofa at home, cross-legged, playing games.
The photographer clapped his hands and called out loudly, "Kids, come here, it's time to take pictures."
Jiang Mingyue also felt that Lan Xu's outfit was out of place with her, but she did not show any doubt. She silently walked to the designated spot as instructed by the photographer.
The key to conversation is creating atmosphere. Jiang Mingyue remained silent, the photographer didn't respond, and Lan Xu also found the conversation rather dull.
He followed without looking up, and the photographer immediately pointed to the double sofa and the carpet underneath, saying, "Great, maintain this listless state. Go sit on the floor—lying down is fine too. Someone give him his phone and let him find a game to play."
After instructing Lan Xu on the poses she should strike, the photographer then told Jiang Mingyue, "Go to the table in front of you and stand there—pretend you see a screen the size of a mobile phone in front of you, and imagine you are working on documents."
Advertising photography primarily showcases the overall feel, or rather, the tone and style of the product being displayed.
So-called celebrities are just product shelves, making products look more high-end and tasteful, which achieves the purpose of putting products on shelves and hiring celebrities.
Jiang Mingyue confirmed the mobile phone advertisement shoot; all she needed to do was look cool and create a futuristic feel. The more she resembled a beautiful robot, the better the effect would be.
This is far too simple.
Jiang Mingyue quickly got into the zone. Even though there was nothing in front of her, her eyes were fixed on the non-existent screen. She held one hand out and extended her index finger, tapping and swiping repeatedly at the area that should be the screen.
Lan Xu's acting lessons were not wasted. If he needed to perform a character with a lot of layers, it might still be difficult for him, but now he only needs to show that he is comfortable, which is not difficult.
Who hasn't had the experience of lying on the floor playing on their phone and searching for posts?
Lan Xu completely relaxed his body, propped up one leg, curled up the other leg and stepped on the instep of the other foot with the sole of his foot, turned his head, and slumped on the carpet with his phone in his hand, constantly tapping the phone screen.
The camera repeatedly panned between Lan Xu and Jiang Mingyue, capturing the dynamics of the handsome man and beautiful woman.
"Very good, change your makeup."
At the photographer's command, Jiang Mingyue and Lan Xu were surrounded by a group of people and entered the dressing room again.
"You? Hahahaha!" Before returning to the camera after changing, Jiang Mingyue saw Lan Xu's makeup and suddenly burst out laughing.
The same thick, dramatic eyeliner looked absolutely hilarious on Lan Xu's face!
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