Chapter 11
It was already past midnight when Zhuang Haiming arrived home. He sat expressionlessly in the pitch-black living room. When Zhuang Yazhi came in, she was startled by the sight of his pale face illuminated by the corner of her eye.
The almanac was correct; the gates of hell are wide open on the 14th of the seventh lunar month.
Zhuang Haiming turned around after hearing footsteps, a half-smile on his face: "You're back."
Zhuang Yazhi felt like going out.
He was well-prepared; the table was laden with late-night snacks.
"You must be starving, hurry up and eat a couple of bites."
Zhuang Yazhi moved to a seat and ate under Zhuang Haiming's kind care.
This meal was even worse than the one I had with Shen Yiheng.
"I heard you recently filmed a promotional video for a city park project with that celebrity John."
The question seemed casual, but the scrutinizing gaze never stopped.
Zhuang Yazhi replied perfunctorily, "Just playing around when I'm bored, killing time."
After that reply, the two fell silent, and the living room became quiet.
Zhuang Haiming casually put down the documents on the table. "I think this male celebrity is quite popular and has a good reputation. He's suitable to be the spokesperson for Zhuang's projects."
"It's here," Zhuang Yazhi put down her chopsticks.
"What do you think?" he asked again, his tone so firm that it sounded more like a notification than a request for opinion.
Zhuang Yazhi was deep in thought, his little scheme unfolding before him without any attempt to conceal it.
"Not very good," Zhuang Yazhi replied coldly.
The unexpected rejection caused a moment of surprise to flash in Zhuang Haiming's bright eyes. The lack of recognition made him lose face, especially since he hadn't treated Zhuang Yazhi like a daughter when discussing company matters, but rather as an employee, only needing his subordinates to say "okay" and then quickly carry it out.
He is extremely controlling when it comes to work.
"Does Ya Zhi have other ideas?" Zhuang Haiming was trying his best to calm down and not get angry.
Zhuang Yazhi volunteered: "Me."
Clearly, he didn't understand.
"I am the best spokesperson for the Zhuang family."
"I'm proficient in my work, good at dealing with people, have a certain reputation in Haicheng, and have a good appearance. I'm just too perfect!"
Zhuang Haiming was speechless for a moment, hesitant to speak. Zhuang Yazhi's firm gaze and resolute words showed that she was not joking with him.
Things suddenly became difficult.
"Since Dad has no objection, let's do it this way."
Silence means consent, and she understands that.
"I..." Zhuang Haiming's face was ashen. He was resentful and very unhappy, but he couldn't say no, nor could he find a reason to say no.
Strike while the iron is hot. Since they were going to shoot a promotional video for the city park the next day, Zhuang Yazhi asked the director to shoot another promotional video for her representing the Zhuang family.
"What's going on?" John's assistant chirped behind him.
"Didn't we agree that John would be the spokesperson for the Zhuang family? The contract was handed over a couple of days ago."
The business manager glared at his assistant: "Don't say anything more." The eldest daughter of the Zhuang family is right here; what's the point of carrying on her behalf?
Off-camera, Zhuang Yazhi turned to John and gave him a provocative smile that was full of smugness.
Want to be the spokesperson for the Zhuang family? Then go ahead and think about it.
John was emotionally numb; the sweet drink in his cup tasted bland. The figures in front of the camera were so busy, all the cameras focused on Zhuang Yazhi, making him envious.
The two met in the lounge during a break while filming a few more shots for the city park's promotional video at night.
Zhuang Yazhi's decoration team was enormous, occupying three-quarters of the lounge. John and his team could only squeeze into a corner, and even though they were inconspicuous, they still suffered cold stares and exclusion from passersby.
"Overestimating yourself. The real Miss Zhuang is right here. How dare a little star like you think you can be the spokesperson for the Zhuang family?"
"That's right, she has no sense at all; I heard that the original person to appear on camera for the city park project was the eldest daughter of the Zhuang family, and he secretly pulled some strings to get the spot. Tsk tsk tsk."
The noise was loud and piercing; they even made no attempt to hide it by chirping crickets right in front of John.
John's face was pale and then flushed, his eyes filled with resentment and suppressed anger; he didn't utter a single word in rebuttal, silently enduring it.
As evening approached, he was in poor condition and had to do several takes. The staff, who were exhausted after working all day, complained behind his back, "What's wrong with him?"
"Don't you know everyone's waiting? You're so unprofessional."
"Sorry, sorry." To avoid upsetting everyone, John's assistant stepped in to smooth things over.
"John isn't feeling well, I'm sorry to cause you all trouble."
But this obviously cannot be used as an excuse for him. Seeing that it was getting late, the director could only arrange to pause filming and reschedule the remaining shots for another day.
Afterwards, the director called John to the side of the garden for a talk.
"John, is something on your mind?" He had heard about the spokesperson's situation, and there was really no reasoning with him, since the spokesperson's surname was Zhuang.
John shook his head, looking dejected: "It's nothing, I'm just a little tired from rushing around for gigs these past few days."
He expressed his deep remorse for delaying the evening's filming: "Don't worry, director, I will adjust my state as soon as possible and will not delay your subsequent filming."
"Alright then," the director said, seeing that there was nothing more to say.
However, just as the two finished speaking and were about to leave, they happened to run into Zhuang Yazhi, who was as cold as ice, dressed in a red dress like a red spider lily blooming in the night.
As she passed John, Zhuang Yazhi gracefully stopped and coldly said, "If you can't film, then find someone else. Everyone's time is precious."
This was undoubtedly an insult to John: "I'm a professional."
Zhuang Ya looked him up and down, then shook her head in disdain: "It won't work if you say it out loud." With that, she swayed her red dress and left, leaving the two of them dumbfounded.
On the second day of filming, the scene was still bustling and lively.
Li Si said, "I don't know who leaked the news that John was filming here, but there's a huge crowd of paparazzi and fans surrounding us. And..."
Zhuang Yazhi: "What?"
Before Li Si could speak, a loud, booming shout and cheer suddenly erupted.
"Shen Yiheng! Shen Yiheng! Shen Yiheng!"
Flowers may fade, people may grow old, but my love for you will never say goodbye.
"I pooped a lot today because I thought of you over and over again!"
Zhuang Yazhi: "Disgusting."
Sweet talk is disgusting. Just as Shen Yiheng stepped into the park, Zhuang Yazhi's words struck him head-on again.
When their eyes met, Zhuang Yazhi silently shifted her gaze to the other side, as was the case.
She calculated that it had been quite a while since she had seen Shen Yiheng, and seeing him now felt a little strange, like seeing a new generation of people.
As for why he was there, before filming resumed, he was surrounded by a group of directors, standing in the center of the crowd like a star surrounded by the moon.
"I invested in this project."
Zhuang Yazhi rolled her eyes and threw the ball again.
During the subsequent on-set filming, he held the director's megaphone and kept saying, "Click click click click click click."
Not only that, he also wanted to revise the script, cutting out any intimate scenes, even those where the two were no more than 20cm apart.
The director, seeing the investor's despicable face, grinned broadly: "Change it!"
Zhuang Yazhi: "..."
John: "This has nothing to do with me today."
During halftime, Zhuang Yazhi cornered Shen Yiheng at the entrance of the men's restroom: "What do you want to do?" She had been putting up with Shen Yiheng for a long time, letting him point and whisper all day long.
At the same time, the director also came out of the toilet. Seeing the situation, he sensed something was wrong, quickly stopped, turned around, and ran back into the toilet. He seemed to need to urinate again.
Instead of retreating, Shen Yiheng advanced forcefully, closing the distance between them. His straight suit trousers and skirt swayed repeatedly in the breeze.
Zhuang Yazhi is 172 cm tall, but still half a head shorter than Shen Yiheng, who is 190 cm. He deliberately lowered his head, revealing a sharp jawline and defined features. His cold, sword-like eyebrows were slightly raised, and he let the wind blow through his soft hair, brushing against his full, M-shaped, rose-red lips: "Is the female lead having a little temper?"
They were so close that Zhuang Yazhi could hear his slightly rapid breathing; the hot breath on his cheek was even hotter than the blazing sun.
Zhuang Yazhi, seething with anger, glanced at them coldly and said, "Don't bother my mother. I don't want to have anything to do with your Shen family."
A hint of displeasure crossed Shen Yiheng's brow. He could agree to other things, but not this one.
Looking into the distance, he saw the props team setting up the scene not far away, their attention to detail was truly admirable.
"I think the promotional video for the city park needs to add a main character."
Shen Yiheng left with a meaningful smile, then strode away with a relaxed gait.
He will personally take charge if necessary.
Zhuang Yazhi was annoyed by his smug face and wanted to kick him into outer space.
This person is really difficult to deal with; not as sweet as poop, but stickier than poop.
As expected, Shen Yihang continued to cause trouble during the subsequent filming until he said he was not satisfied with the filming results and then reluctantly took over the role himself at the director's recommendation.
"This face is simply made for the camera!"
The camera focused, and before filming even began, the director was already celebrating his great artistic creation.
"handsome!"
"He's a handsome mouse!" Even the assistant director started praising him.
Zhuang Yazhi's eyes hurt, and her head hurts; these words are not enough to describe the unbearable situation.
Then, under the guise of filming, Shen Yihang had a legitimate opportunity to have more contact, holding hands, hugging, and enjoying himself immensely.
Zhuang Yazhi scratched his brow: "Taking advantage of the situation to grope someone is going too far."
“I think this shot could be filmed again; it could have a better form of expression.” Shen Yiheng was completely absorbed in performing on camera.
Director: "Okay! Go ahead."
It was only today that the director realized how strong Shen Yiheng's on-screen presence was, and how well he knew how to act in front of the camera.
Zhuang Yazhi had already given up on interfering, and while they were discussing art, he found a secluded spot to daydream.
John followed closely behind.
After the script was revised, most of his scenes were cut, and the background characters appeared even more often than him, which made him feel even more aggrieved.
"It's good to have power; you can do whatever you want." His self-deprecating humor concealed a lot of pent-up frustration.
Zhuang Yazhi: "You're not convinced?"
That was true, but John didn't reply.
Zhuang Yazhi sneered: "Aren't you quite familiar with Zhuang Haiming? You can easily ask your investors to put in the money and effort to fight for it."
Mentioning Zhuang Haiming immediately darkened John's face, as if his unspeakable, sordid secrets had been exposed, and his lips pursed slightly.
"Sigh, speaking of which, last night Dad was strongly recommending you as the spokesperson for our Zhuang family, but..."
Zhuang Ya looked John up and down with disdain: "I refused him outright."
“I am more suitable than you to be the spokesperson for the Zhuang family.”
John wasn't angry at all, as if he were listening to Zhuang Yazhi talk about something perfectly ordinary. But Zhuang Yazhi kept bringing it up, which annoyed him greatly: "Don't worry, I never thought of competing with you from beginning to end, and you don't need to be angry with me."
Zhuang Yazhi felt that he was just making excuses, and her dislike for him grew even stronger.
She was determined to get the promotional video shoot and there was absolutely no way she would give this opportunity to John.
In his previous life, John shone brightly because of this promotional video, became a sensation in Haicheng, and then secured the Zhuang family's endorsement. All of this seemed so legitimate.
It wasn't until later that Zhuang Yazhi realized how disgusting all the hidden operations were.
Having been reborn, his wicked heart remains unchanged. The pain and misery are still vivid in his mind. Zhuang Yazhi cannot let it happen and is determined to nip everything related to them in the bud.
"But what if I'm determined to take it from you?"
The atmosphere quickly turned eerie, and the two faced off coldly in silence.
"Yazhi, John, come here. President Shen has a new idea."
The director's shout brought the two back to their attention.
Looking back at Shen Yiheng, Zhuang Yazhi felt even more upset. One problem after another had arisen, and she had spent the whole day just wasting her time with his pointless antics.
"Alright, that's enough."
Shen Yiheng lowered his brows, releasing all the pent-up frustration he had been holding back for days. His urgent gaze and dark eyes blazed with fury: "It can't end here, and it's impossible."
"I can stop bothering Auntie."
"But you might not be so sure."
Shen Yiheng's anxious anger blossomed with triumph. The more she fled and the more stubborn she became, the more excited he became. The thrill of the hunt burned like hot oil in his heart, as he searched for that exhilarating moment that made his adrenaline surge amidst the thorns and pain.
"Are you crazy?" Zhuang Yazhi couldn't be bothered to pay him any attention.
This person is definitely insane.
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