Chapter 33 Grabbing her fair leg, he gently pinched it…
Night fell over Clanta Street, where the deep black sea churned at the end of the street, and the sea breeze swept through the narrow, crisscrossing streets, whipping the gray minivans.
Liang Kongxiang opened the car door, smiled gently, and reached out her hand to Zhuang Yexue: "Long time no see."
Zhuang Yexue, dressed in a white dress, with delicate features and no makeup, smiled slightly and returned the handshake: "Long time no see."
When their hands touched, the delicate, cool touch felt like a goose feather, gliding through their palms in a second, which matched Liang Kongxiang's impression of Zhuang Yexue.
"Director Cao, Ye Xue." Geng Jiali's voice suddenly rang out from behind.
Liang Kongxiang turned around.
"Oh, you two knew each other before?" Zhuo Qiyun's confusion vanished in an instant, but she still felt something was off. She got off from the other side, walked around to the front of the car, and when she saw Cao Lengyu, she bowed slightly and shook hands with Cao Lengyu respectfully, like a chick meeting its homeroom teacher, saying, "Hello, Director Cao."
"Thank you, Director Cao," Zhuo Qiyun said, glancing at Liang Kongxiang, and continued, "We came here at the last minute. I was planning to give Kongxiang a surprise, but I didn't expect everyone to end up together."
To be honest, Zhuang Yexue's arrival was quite unexpected for her. Why was she here...?
Before she could think any further, Cao Lengyu's voice brought her back to her senses.
“It’s fate that we can get together,” she said, pointing to a restaurant with a large, reddish-brown sign about half a person’s height ten meters away. “Yesue and I are going to eat here. Want to come along?”
Zhuo Qiyun followed Cao Lengyu's hand and looked over, squinting as she recognized the string of English words. She exclaimed in surprise, "It's also Mecca! What a coincidence! We're going there too, aren't we, Jiali?"
She nudged Geng Jiali's arm with her elbow.
“Yes,” Geng Jiali glanced at her disdainfully, took two steps back, and politely replied to Cao Lengyu, “Then thank you for your trouble.”
Jiang Jiaoming leaned against the car, listening to their polite greetings. He smiled to himself, then subtly walked around to Liang Kongxiang's side, flicked his index finger across her palm, and leaned in to ask in a low voice, "Do you need me for this dinner?" He glanced at her.
Liang Kongxiang had already noticed Jiang Jiaoming's approach. She stretched out a finger and pushed him away from his forearm without changing her expression. She tilted her head slightly and whispered, "Without your steadfast partner, what's the point of watching this show?" Her voice was light and airy as she glanced at him.
“Oh, then I definitely have to be there,” Jiang Jiaoming raised an eyebrow, implying, “Otherwise, how can you perform the whole ‘Unbreakable Bond’ story all by yourself?”
The debt of their seemingly unbreakable bond dates back to before the new year. Unexpectedly, Liang Kongxiang appeared indifferent, but was secretly jealous. Jiang Jiaoming pondered Liang Kongxiang's expression earlier, starting to think about how to tease her later.
The group reminisced about the past while each of them had their own thoughts. Led by Cao Lengyu, they went upstairs to the old private room, Room 6.
Upon entering, the windows were tightly closed, and the temperature difference between the inside and outside made the room feel somewhat stuffy. Jiang Jiaoming glanced at Liang Kongxiang, walked to the window, and pushed it open. Immediately, a crisp sea breeze blew in, and the white curtains and blue tablecloth swayed gently.
He turned around and saw that the seat at the top of the long table was empty; everyone had tacitly reserved the seat of honor for him.
After a moment's thought, Jiang Jiaoming walked over and stood behind Liang Kongxiang, casually placing his right hand on her chair. He turned to Cao Lengyu and said, "Director Cao, sit there. We're just friends having a meal, no need to be so formal."
The long table served as the dividing line for the three people who came to visit the set. Cao Lengyu sat next to Liang Kongxiang. She could easily see what Jiang Jiaoming meant, and without refusing, she smiled and got up to change seats: "Okay, let's just make ourselves at home."
There was someone else on Liang Kongxiang's left. Jiang Jiaoming's faint scent drifted over. She touched the glass, about to pour herself some water, when something warm suddenly touched her side.
He glanced down out of the corner of his eye.
Jiang Jiaoming's leg inadvertently pressed against Liang Kongxiang's thigh, and even through a thin layer of trousers, he could feel the firm and powerful muscles in Liang's thigh.
It brushed against me almost imperceptibly.
Before she could pour the water, Jiang Jiaoming hooked the glass over to her, observed her expression, and asked with a double meaning, "Thirsty?"
The others were looking at the menu and talking when they heard this, so they all looked up at Jiang Jiaoming.
"Why didn't you ask the others, Mr. Jiang?" Zhuang Yexue handed the menu to the waiter after ordering, jokingly adding, "Don't we like the drinks?"
"No, that's not it," Jiang Jiaoming said, "I'm just worried that you'll drink too much and get water retention when taking pictures."
"So considerate," Zhuang Yexue reached for the half-full bottle of juice and poured herself half a glass. "You're almost not the President Jiang I know anymore."
Geng Jiali's eyes darted back and forth between the two of them, her brows furrowing slightly. What did Jiang Jiaoming mean by that...? Could it be that the suspense film circulating online is really going to be given to Zhuang Yexue? Lost in thought, she slowed down her shrimp-peeling movements.
Although Zhuang Yexue knew she had received another worthless check, she couldn't help but be stunned for a moment. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Liang Kongxiang's calm expression and said nothing more.
Seeing the atmosphere gradually quiet down, Zhuo Qiyun tried to liven things up: "Director Cao, the location you chose is really beautiful," she said, slurping crab meat. "The pictures Kong Xiang posted are so beautiful. If your movie is released, I'll have to sleep on the floor of the theater." She glanced at Jiang Jiaoming, said "Oh," and joked, "I'll have to sleep on the floor of Zaiying Theater."
“Okay,” she said, and Jiang Jiaoming followed suit, “When you book the whole theater, I’ll have the theater staff bring in a bed for you.”
After saying that, he added, "Come see the premiere when you have time."
This was said to the other two people present. Three high-profile figures were sitting there, a free, trending topic—why not take advantage of it? Even if it was just out of politeness, they had to respond with a "yes."
Zhuo Qiyun waved her hand, as if it were nothing: "Of course, I'll definitely go to the premiere when I have time, but it'll probably be next year, right?"
Her tone was innocent, but those who become big stars are rarely innocent. Jiang Jiaoming was careful and didn't mention the specific schedule. Then he glanced at Zhuang Yexue and said, "Miss Zhuang has just finished filming a movie, right? Maybe we can work together if we're meant to."
"President Jiang is quite well-informed," Zhuang Yexue replied, perking up as the topic turned to her. "It's true that filming just wrapped up, but I really don't know which time slot President Wu plans to release it on."
Mr. Wu is the CEO of River Pictures. Jiang Jiaoming has attended some film festival opening forums with him, and while they are polite to each other on the surface, their relationship is not very close in private. When Jiang Jiaoming's father was in charge of the company, River Pictures and Zaiying Pictures were fierce competitors, exchanging a lot of dirty tricks and resorting to underhanded tactics to grab screen time.
Later, Jiang Dongshi gradually faded out of the company, and Jiang Jiaoming took over. General Manager Wu changed his attitude and became much more lenient. However, Jiang Jiaoming believed that this change generally indicated that River Pictures' momentum was gradually declining.
Zhuang Yexue brought President Wu up, and he was pondering how to probe when he unexpectedly heard Liang Kongxiang speak.
“Miss Zhuang is too famous. News about you is everywhere you go. The film has only just finished filming and you’re already the center of attention,” Liang Kongxiang said, looking at her jokingly.
Jiang Jiaoming raised an eyebrow slightly, glanced at Liang Kongxiang, took a sip of juice, and placed his hand halfway around her chair, adopting an attitude of detachment and remaining silent.
Zhuang Yexue shifted her gaze to the porcelain-white plate in front of her, and said insincerely, "Miss Liang is too modest. I was just talking to Director Cao about how it would be great if we could work together someday."
“That would require investors like President Jiang to come up with good projects,” Liang Kongxiang said casually. “Otherwise, how could we be persuaded to work together at the same time?”
Zhuang Yexue nodded in agreement, then followed up on Liang Kongxiang's words: "President Jiang does have quite a few good projects in hand. Has Director Bei's film been approved?"
We've come to the point. Liang Kongxiang exchanged a glance with Cao Lengyu without making a sound, then nudged Jiang Jiaoming's leg with her calf, intending to get him to speak, but unexpectedly, he suddenly grabbed her thigh.
A large, well-defined hand opened, grasped the fair leg, and gently pinched it.
Jiang Jiaoming's hand lingered on that smooth and delicate area, but he replied to Zhuang Yexue with a serious expression: "It just passed the review. You're well-informed too."
Zhuang Yexue's mind wasn't on him, and she didn't notice the undercurrents: "Everyone says it's a good project, so we're paying more attention to it."
"If President Jiang is sincerely inviting me, President Wu should have no reason to refuse."
So that's what they were planning: to have him personally talk to General Manager Wu about her.
What makes her so special? She gets all the benefits. Zaiying doesn't need another leading lady like her. If he were to negotiate with President Wu to secure Zhuang Yexue, he'd inevitably have to offer some benefits in exchange. How could Zhuang Yexue not understand such a simple truth? So, what exactly makes her special?
Jiang Jiaoming had a rough guess, but didn't say anything definitively. He nodded and said, "That's true." He then pointed to a large table of food and said, "Let's eat. After talking for so long, the food must be getting cold."
Mingxuan's clumsy attempt to change the subject was obvious even to a fool. Zhuang Yexue naturally didn't pursue the topic further and focused on her meal. Since she'd already revealed most of her purpose for coming, she figured haste makes waste. She just hadn't expected to meet Jiang Jiaoming so easily on her very first night here… the speed at which things were progressing was far beyond her expectations.
She couldn't help but glance at the woman sitting next to Jiang Jiaoming. She was gentle and beautiful, taciturn, and when she spoke, it was like a spring breeze, yet she remained aloof and distant. Unfathomable.
After the group finished eating, Zhuo Qiyun caught a glimpse of Jiang Jiaoming leisurely following behind Liang Kongxiang. She abandoned the idea of squeezing in with Liang Kongxiang and took a taxi back to the hotel on her own. Before leaving, she leaned out the window and waved to Liang Kongxiang: "See you tomorrow afternoon."
The car sped away, and Zhuang Yexue looked at Liang Kongxiang, "So the itinerary is arranged already? Where are you planning to go?"
"Would you like to join me for a stroll around the film set, Miss Zhuang?"
"Thank you for your help."
Liang Kongxiang smiled and said, "You're too kind."
After Zhuang Yexue left, only Jiang Jiaoming, Liang Kongxiang, and Cao Lengyu remained downstairs at the restaurant. They slowly strolled back.
Cao Lengyu and Jiang Jiaoming weren't that close, so there were things she couldn't guess in front of him. She just chatted casually for a bit and told her to be careful tomorrow.
Liang Kongxiang could tell that she had something to say but didn't, so she said, "I'll come to your room to find you in a bit."
Cao Lengyu understood. This meant that her room was inconvenient.
"Okay, I'll wash up first, you can just come in."
Liang Kongxiang nodded, and the two parted ways at the corner. Jiang Jiaoming followed her into the room.
Once inside, Jiang Jiaoming found his place, sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, and asked her, "Is there anything you can't say in front of me?"
Liang Kongxiang tied her hair into a low ponytail in front of the mirror, but she gripped her scalp too tightly, so she had to let it down and tie it again.
With a rubber band in her mouth and her hands brushing her black hair, a person suddenly appeared behind her in the mirror.
One hand reached around to her front, hooked the rubber band from her hand, and the fingertip accidentally brushed against her soft lips, touching briefly before parting.
The hair at the back of her head was gathered up by those hands and gently combed.
"Why are you looking at me? Aren't you going to brush your teeth?" Jiang Jiaoming glanced at her in the mirror, then lowered his eyes and slowly tied her hair.
“It’s not that I can’t say it to your face, it’s just that I’m afraid Director Cao will be wary and won’t be able to open up,” Liang Kongxiang said suddenly while brushing her teeth.
"You knew Zhuang Yexue was coming, why didn't you tell me?" Jiang Jiaoming asked.
Liang Kongxiang slapped away his hand, which was deliberately lingering on her neck. "You have her contact information, do you still need me to help her notify her?"
"So fierce," Jiang Jiaoming chuckled, vigorously ruffling her hair and messing up her newly tied-up locks. "Are you jealous?"
He managed to convince himself largely by simply imagining things in his mind, but unfortunately Liang Kongxiang didn't take the bait.
"What do you think her purpose in coming here?" Liang Kongxiang bent down slightly, splashed water on her face near the sink, wiped it clean, and began to apply skincare products with her eyes closed, still thinking: "It can't really be that she came here for tourism."
“She’d laugh if she said that herself,” Jiang Jiaoming said, turning to the side and leaning on the sink, watching her fuss over her face. “Didn’t you hear it at the dinner table? She wants to star in ‘In the Name of Justice’.”
"Is that all?"
"What else do you think could be the reason?" Jiang Jiaoming asked.
To be honest, Liang Kongxiang still doesn't understand. "Do you think it's a coincidence that Geng Jiali and Zhuo Qiyun came here?"
"Trust your intuition," Jiang Jiaoming said. "It's impossible for these people to come together by chance."
Liang Kongxiang frowned and asked, "What is the relationship between Geng Jiali and Zhuang Yexue?"
She had always thought they didn't get along, but judging from tonight, although the two didn't seem to communicate much on the surface, she observed that when they looked at each other, there was a tacit understanding between them, as if they had made some kind of deal in private. At the very least, they didn't seem like they were irreconcilable enemies.
“A love rival,” Jiang Jiaoming said firmly, “that’s the most accurate answer.”
Liang Kongxiang glanced at him.
"Alright, I'll stop teasing you," Jiang Jiaoming said, as if he was getting addicted to rubbing her head, and raised his hand to rub it again, but Liang Kongxiang dodged it this time.
She leaned against the glass bathroom door, staring coldly at him. Jiang Jiaoming raised his hands in surrender and immediately got down to business: "As far as I know, Zhuo Qiyun and Geng Jiali are closer in private. They've been friends since middle school. On the surface, they look down on each other, but before you came along, she and Geng Jiali teamed up against Zhuang Yexue. Now that you're famous, the relationship between these three might be readjusted."
"So what exactly is their purpose in traveling all this way together?"
"Didn't she sign a contract with River Pictures? Isn't she afraid of having to pay a penalty for breach of contract if she takes on roles without permission?"
“She’s afraid of the penalty for breach of contract, so she came to me,” Jiang Jiaoming said. “She hopes Zaiying will pay for it.”
Liang Kongxiang frowned. "Unless this role is absolutely indispensable to her, or Zaiying signs a performance-based agreement with her, why would Zaiying make such a high-risk investment?"
Liang Kongxiang thoughtfully considered the information revealed by Jiang Jiaoming and went upstairs to find Cao Lengyu.
Cao Lengyu was taking a shower. The sound of the shower head drowned out the knocking. She only heard it after she turned off the water. She shouted "Wait a minute," quickly applied shower gel, rinsed herself off under the water, and hurriedly put on a towel to open the door.
"So fast," Cao Lengyu said as she opened the door, her hair still dripping wet, leaving a small puddle on the floor. She stepped aside to let Liang Kongxiang in. "Sit down for a while, I'll wrap you in a towel."
Liang Kongxiang hummed in agreement and sat down on the small sofa by the table.
Cao Lengyu went to the bathroom to wrap herself up and came out. She sat down on the sofa, facing Liang Kongxiang, and handed her a bottle of ice water: "What do you want to say to me?"
"Do you think they came together as planned, or were they both unaware of each other's arrival?" Liang Kongxiang asked. On the way back from the airport, when the car braked suddenly, she didn't show any expression of observing Zhuang Yexue. After all, she was a top actress; otherwise, she would have only needed to study her carefully afterward to find out what she was thinking.
But Cao Lengyu was in Zhuang Yexue's blind spot at the time, so she might have been able to see something.
“Zhuang Yexue’s expression didn’t seem to know…” Cao Lengyu wrapped her hair in a hair drying cap, tilted her head and rubbed it, and frowned slightly as she recalled, “I caught Zhuang Yexue pause for a second out of the corner of my eye, but I really couldn’t guess what she was stunned about. Geng Jiali… Geng Jiali was blocked by you, and it was dark, so I didn’t see her clearly.”
In other words, this meeting was at least a solo event by Zhuang Yexue's group, and had nothing to do with Geng Jiali and the others. So why did Geng Jiali come here? Was she just accompanying Zhuo Qiyun on a trip...? That seems rather far-fetched.
"Alright, we'll be filming a rain scene early tomorrow morning, and then we'll have to entertain guests. It'll be tiring," Cao Lengyu patted her leg and teased her, "Go home and get some sleep. President Jiang is probably annoyed with me."
Liang Kongxiang, who had been lost in thought, glanced helplessly at Cao Lengyu upon hearing this, then stood up and said, "I understand."
She had just stepped out of the building and down a flight of stairs when she saw Jiang Jiaoming standing on the balcony of the stairwell, his back to her, his hands in his pockets, looking straight ahead at the shops and buildings of the small town, lost in thought.
Liang Kongxiang walked over lightly, saying, "If you don't leave, I'll lock the door."
Jiang Jiaoming turned around, "I heard your footsteps a long time ago."
"So clever." Liang Kongxiang smiled and continued downstairs to her room.
Jiang Jiaoming followed closely behind her and suddenly tugged at the little ball behind her head.
Liang Kongxiang paused, frowned slightly, and turned her head to look at his forearm with its crisscrossing veins.
Jiang Jiaoming quickly let go, then grabbed her wrist and pulled her down the stairs back to the room door in a few steps.
She was pulled back to the room by Jiang Jiaoming, her steps unsteady. As soon as she opened the door, a tall body pressed down on her and hugged her tightly, her right shoulder pressed against his warm face.
What's going on?
Liang Kongxiang sighed softly, her hands hanging down at her sides, quietly letting him hold her without breaking free.
The lights hadn't been turned on yet, and the room was dimly lit, with only faint moonlight filtering through the white gauze curtains, vaguely casting a long, slanted gray shadow on the wall.
After a while, Jiang Jiaoming gently placed his hand on the back of her neck.
He lifted his head from her right shoulder, pressed his fingers firmly against her neck, forcing her to tilt her head back and look him in the eye, and asked softly, "At the airport, why didn't you want Geng Jiali and the others to know we were together?"
This old grudge has been brought up way too late; Liang Kongxiang had almost forgotten about it. Who knows what he was thinking about, standing alone on the balcony...
“It’s not that I don’t want them to know,” Liang Kongxiang said with a sigh, pushing his hand away as her neck hurt. “I just don’t want the situation to be too awkward.”
Zhuo Qiyun must have guessed their relationship. Geng Jiali had pursued Jiang Jiaoming before, and his reckless approach to her would surely lead to speculation and drama among others.
“I told you, I will change, it will be very slow,” Jiang Jiaoming heard her sigh, paused, loosened his grip on her hand a little, but still looked at her intently, his voice cold and domineering: “You can’t give up on me.”
Jiang Jiaoming was tall and well-built, always dressed in a suit and tie. At first glance, he seemed like a cold and aloof elite. But when he spoke, he looked like he had been wronged. Liang Kongxiang was both amused and exasperated by his commanding tone. She pulled Jiang Jiaoming's wrist and led him inside, soothing him gently, "Don't overthink it. Go to sleep. I have to get up early tomorrow to film a major scene."
Jiang Jiaoming didn't persist in his accusations and slept on the floor as usual, with a pillow and blanket all provided.
She left a dim light on for Jiang Jiaoming and lay down on the bed first. After a day of filming and socializing, exhaustion washed over her like a tide.
Whatever their purpose in coming, she'd deal with it as it came, she thought. The focus should be on filming; everything else could wait…
In a daze, the sound of water in the bathroom stopped, and the foot of the bed seemed to have sunk a little.
Her head was spinning, and she felt a sinking sensation slowly rising, accompanied by a faint fragrance...
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Author's Note: No prize for guessing game: Will the arrogant CEO Jiang try to take advantage of Kong Xiang in this or that way?
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