Chapter 29 Chapter 29
Liang Sinan looked up and saw an arrogant figure standing by the ladder, watching his every move.
He recognized Lu Ye, the man who had accompanied An Jiyue in the rain on the streets of G City. Back then, despite being soaked to the skin, Lu Ye remained unfazed, far more mature and reliable than An Jiyue, who was her age. But today, he looked different. His obsidian-colored sweatshirt and sweatpants gave him a youthful vigor. At first glance, he might have passed for a senior college student.
Lu Ye, under the bright headlights of the basement, walked step by step towards the dim back seat of the car. As if an enemy was approaching the city, Liang Sinan suddenly regretted parking the car in the parking space closest to the elevator.
The closer he got, the clearer he saw her. She was sleeping peacefully, her long, dark brown hair cascading down a few strands onto the man's thigh. His broad hand barely touched her fair, pale cheek. Lu Ye's steps were heavy, his breath stagnant, and a chill deepened in his eyes.
Liang Sinan withdrew his hand, paused, and lowered his fingertips with a look of pity, gently brushing her hair back. He raised the corner of his mouth provocatively and ambiguously at the man outside the car, as if to assert his sovereignty again without revealing anything.
Lu Ye stared inside the car. Liang Sinan was half-straightened up, and his expression could not be seen clearly. However, the thin figure lying in the back seat for a nap showed half of his face to him.
They'd met last time, and Lu Ye had found time to research him after returning from his busy schedule. He was a veteran who had gone abroad at a young age and had a successful career. He had a distinguished track record in both JS and MS roles on Wall Street, and later focused on primary investment for several years. Rumor has it he led several major rounds for Anshi Capital. He suddenly retired a few years ago, and there's been no mention of him in the market for a long time.
Lu Ye's intuition told him that Liang Sinan's presence wasn't a threat. His previous, seemingly threatening, refusal was merely a subconscious resistance to anyone approaching her. Lu Ye wasn't so concerned with insignificant people at the moment. His gaze rested on the soft, pointed chin of An Jiyue, and his gaze flickered as he lowered it.
"Do you have a blanket? Cover her with it." Lu Ye's voice was low and gentle.
Liang Sinan took the blanket from behind the pillow, unfolded it and covered An Jiyue's shoulders. Lu Ye carefully covered her knees and calves.
Liang Sinan's emotions were more complicated than he expected.
Maybe it was because the tiredness in the car was too heavy, the instant tenderness that arose in my heart was almost expressed in my hands.
Under Lu Ye's abrupt interruption, he couldn't tell whether he was feeling angry at being seen crossing the line, or unwilling to get what he wanted, but he always wanted to be more presumptuous, and even hoped to see the man outside the car lose control before him.
Lu Ye stopped in front of the car door, whispered his instructions, and put down the lunch box in his hand. He stayed there quietly for a few seconds, then turned and left without saying a word.
Liang Sinan sighed in boredom. The cat on the lunch box looked up innocently, unaware of everything that had just happened.
-
The afternoon recording session went exceptionally smoothly. An Jiyue moved a small stool and sat next to Director Zhang, leaning in to listen attentively, as humble as an intern.
After the script was approved, she immediately took the initiative to find the host and the camera crew to resynchronize the changes, and made an appointment with editor Tang to find a place to discuss the emotional lines of the male guests after work in the afternoon.
Tang editor couldn't contain his curiosity and dragged her to a secluded place, excitedly asking, "Director An, are you really having a romance with male guest number 3? Don't worry, true love is innocent. I absolutely support you and won't tell anyone."
An Jiyue's eyes went dark, and she felt deeply that what people said was terrifying. Even though she had been so open and honest, she still couldn't clear herself from the rumors.
She felt a little embarrassed and quickly denied it: "How is it possible..."
Editor Tang wasn't convinced. "I've read the new version. You added so many personal details to Lu Ye. If you didn't know him personally, how could you have been so precise?"
An Jiyue felt a little tired. It was not easy to conceal something from the world. Moreover, she and Lu Ye had been bound together for many years.
She really wanted to tell the whole truth, but the feeling of powerlessness in clarifying the situation had taught her a lesson. Telling the truth at this critical moment would be like adding fuel to the fire.
Judging from the rumors she has seen this week, she might say "Male guest No. 3 is my ex-boyfriend" and ten minutes later it might become "Male guest No. 3 is Director An's kept gigolo."
An Jiyue thought for a moment and then sincerely admitted to Editor Tang, "Actually, male guest number 3 and I are old classmates. We even took classes together and did group assignments together, so I know him a little bit."
Seeing Tang Bian's expression of sudden enlightenment as if he had eaten a real melon, she became interested and continued to make up stories that were half true and half false.
"Isn't there a rumor that male guest No. 3 behaves unnaturally in front of me? That's because of his girlfriend from college, whom I also know."
"Lu Ye was a well-known figure in school. However, he had always been low-key and aloof before. After he fell in love, his personality changed a bit, and he became even more famous."
"Their romance, from the beginning to the end, was quite dramatic. Not only me, but even Song Yiyi from the investment promotion team knew about it; we were classmates. Think about it, Editor Tang. It's only natural for someone to be awkward when being witnessed firsthand by their former classmates, who know the ins and outs of their first love."
Editor Tang was like a badger that had been fed a melon. With tears in his eyes, he held Director An's sincere hands, thanking her for her generous sharing. He finally solved the mystery in his mind.
Within an hour, An Jiyue was keenly aware that the speculative glances and awestruck discussions around her had mostly vanished. She breathed a sigh of relief, inwardly applauding her own cleverness.
Finally it was working properly. An Jiuyue stared at the monitor intently, meticulously confirming every tedious detail.
"Cut! Xiao An, what do you think of this one?" Director Zhang turned to her with a friendly expression and asked.
After each section in the second half, he would first let An Jiyue express her opinions, and most of her suggestions were adopted. If she encountered areas where she hadn't considered them carefully, Director Zhang would also provide some guidance and guidance, his favoritism and cultivation were already on the table.
An Jiyue chose her words carefully: "Director Zhang, do you think the combination of these two guests is a bit discordant?"
The team interacting on stage were Zhan Nianqing and Zhu Ling, who finished the first recording of a three-minute quick question and answer session.
These two entrepreneurial bosses have seen a lot of things in the world, have accumulated a lot of experience, and each has their own ideas. Their answers to every question are full of golden sentences and profound connotations.
In the eyes of others, they have similar experiences, a lot in common, and their mature appearances also match well.
But An Jiyue had a vague feeling that they were having trouble connecting. Zhan Nianqing was accustomed to speaking in a lukewarm manner, unable to follow up on Zhu Ling's cleverly thrown lines. Meanwhile, he listened too intently, his casual questions often interrupting Zhu Ling's attempts to express herself. The two of them stumbled through the recording, sometimes with awkward silences.
Director Zhang smiled faintly, without commenting, and continued to ask, "Then how do you think we should adjust it?"
An Jiyue glanced at the waiting guests, forcing herself to maintain a professional look as she examined each one. Finally, she suggested:
"Do you think we can let Guan Haifu and Zhan Nianqing give it a try? In the next group, we'll ask Lu Ye to pair up with Zhu Ling."
She did not avoid suspicion and called Lu Ye by his name. There was no personal feelings in her dark brown eyes, only calm judgment.
Director Zhang calmly considered the matter for less than half a second before agreeing, "Okay, let Guan Haifu prepare."
An Jiyue chose Guan Haifu and Zhan Nianqing as a pairing, partly based on intuition and partly based on analysis.
She had seen Zhan Nianqing's interview. In just 60 seconds, without even needing to read his expression, just listening to his answers once, it was not difficult to sense that he and Guan Haifu had made more than just progress from 0 to 1 in the past week.
After a whole day of recording, Guan Haifu no longer paid close attention to Lu Ye like she did last week. Instead, whenever she had some free time, she would go and chat with Zhan Nianqing about the subsequent promotion of the Any brand.
Maybe she didn't like Lu Ye that much. Maybe she found that compared to the indifferent Lu Ye, Zhan Nianqing and his Any brand could arouse her enthusiasm.
Zhan Nianqing's gentle manner in dealing with people may not be a good match with the witty Zhu Ling, but it complements the clear-headed and sharp-minded Guan Haifu.
She asked sincerely, but without the initial fear she had shown towards Lu Ye. In return, Zhan Nianqing gave her detailed and thorough answers. And when Hai Fu answered, Zhan Nianqing always looked into her eyes with respect, not at all impatient with her somewhat childish answers.
After a week, the two of them had gotten to know each other better and had a great understanding of each other. The originally scheduled three-minute Q&A session ended up being recorded for fifteen minutes, seriously exceeding the time limit.
An Jiyue glanced at Director Zhang secretly and saw that he was looking at the two people on the stage with satisfaction, a kind smile on his face, and was reluctant to call for a stop.
She was secretly pleased that her judgment was half successful.
In contrast, Zhu Ling and Lu Ye formed a perfect pairing. They worked well together, but the initial sense of wonder had faded.
They seemed to have figured out each other's bottom line. They were evenly matched and treated each other with respect. They interacted with each other from a safe distance, but never crossed the line.
"Xiao An, what do you think of this couple? Do you want to change people?" Director Zhang asked her before the card was played.
"The expectations for the 'Luzhu CP' appearance were too high, and now it's just passable. Both guests have good personalities, but it seems there are no better options right now."
An Jiyue remained calm, staring at the monitor without blinking, as if she was just answering a basic storyboarding question.
Every word she said hit the mark. So far on "The Last Days," the most eye-catching male and female guests have been Lu Ye and Zhu Ling. They're a perfect match, and the "Luzhu CP" has amassed a fan base, so any other pairing would be met with criticism.
In the episode where Shu Jun chose Zhu Ling as his favorite guest, although most viewers understood that he and Rong Rong were having a quarrel, it still almost dragged down Zhu Ling's popularity.
The pair of bickering lovers have reconciled this week, occasionally arguing between takes. The entire crew is all smiles, unanimously agreeing that they can wrap up filming early.
"Cut! Male guest number 3, female guest number 2, let's re-record the Q&A session," Director Zhang suddenly said, his tone somewhat stern. "You're too stiff. Sit closer. You've filmed together on location before, so you shouldn't be so unfamiliar, right?"
An Jiyue's back stiffened. She knew Director Zhang was a perfectionist, so it was understandable that he didn't adopt her opinion.
But I always felt that the situation was not good.
The man in the director's chair had a stern face, his chin held up by one hand, his expression slightly cold.
"Xiao An, you have experience, go and guide them personally."
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