Chapter 64 Chapter 64 You Don’t Need to Apologize
Chapter 64
Due to Xia Nuan's fame and status, the director was ultimately unable to persuade her, but he still felt a grudge in his heart.
Filming ended early that day, before five o'clock, when the director called off all work. Xia Nuan said goodbye to Ji Mian, removed her makeup, and was about to leave the set when the director stopped her.
"Xia Nuan, come here, let me introduce you to someone." The director smiled and led Xia Nuan aside. He said respectfully, "This Mr. Xu is the largest investor in our film."
Xu Rongshu raised his eyebrows, and wrinkles on his forehead instantly appeared on his face. He squinted his eyes and nodded at Xia Nuan, but his eyes couldn't stop looking her up and down. After a while, he said, "You look good."
The director laughed out loud. "Mr. Xu is right. After all, Xia Nuan is one of the few Grand Slam actresses in China. She's beautiful and young, not to mention her acting skills are pretty good. If it weren't for your face, she wouldn't have come to participate in my little movie."
Xia Nuan's smiling expression suddenly froze. She glanced at the director, a hint of coldness flashing in her eyes, but she still smiled and said, "Mr. Xu, I've heard a lot about you."
Xu Rongshu curled his lips, then raised his head to signal the director to speak.
"It's like this, Xia Nuan. Mr. Xu wants to treat you to dinner tonight and have a quick chat."
The famous director's expression changed so quickly. Xia Nuan lowered her eyes to hide the sarcasm in them. How come she didn't know before that the director also had a hobby of pimping?
Wang Yida behind her was not as good as Xia Nuan in hiding her emotions. Her eyes were already blazing with anger and her fists were clenched.
However, the director and Mr. Xu obviously did not take Wang Yida, the young assistant, seriously and did not pay any attention to her at all.
Xia Nuan politely declined the invitation and was about to leave.
The director pulled her aside and whispered, "Xia Nuan, this Mr. Xu is no small figure. It can be said that half of China's real estate industry belongs to Mr. Xu's company. Even with your current status in the industry, it would be a shame if you offended him."
Seeing Xia Nuan was about to get angry, the director quickly tried to dissuade her, "I can assure you that Mr. Xu is definitely not trying to take advantage of me."
Xia Nuan sneered and said that she had no guarantee. If the director had not invited her repeatedly, she would not have participated in this movie.
Xia Nuan narrowed her eyes. The penalty for breach of contract wasn't expensive anyway, so she could just offend him and move behind the scenes. Just as she was about to walk away, Ji Mian suddenly appeared.
"A Nuan, I'll go with you." Ji Mian moved closer to Xia Nuan and whispered to her, "Xu Rongshu is my uncle. I'm sorry, I didn't know he would suddenly show up today. He probably just wanted to talk to you."
Xia Nuan returned to the room to rest for a while, but Wang Yida was still indignant.
"Who does this old man Deng think he is? He actually looked at Sister Xia Nuan with that kind of eyes. I really wanted to punch him in the face just now. And the director, this bastard is really taking advantage of others. He said a lot of nice things before he came, but after he came, he changed his face completely."
Xia Nuan drank some water expressionlessly, then threw a few grape-flavored mints into her mouth, making a crunching sound.
Wang Yida was still there indignantly: "And Teacher Ji, what's going on with him? Since the investor is his uncle, why didn't he tell you earlier?"
Ji Mian's expression flashed through Xia Nuan's mind, and she suddenly remembered the look on Ji Mian's face when she and Ji Mian first met and chatted a few days ago.
No wonder he paused for so long at that time. I thought I was too sensitive, but I didn't expect that there was really a hidden secret.
Xia Nuan let out a long sigh. She threw herself onto the bed and instantly sank into the soft mattress. "Who knows what he's thinking."
At seven o'clock in the evening, Ji Mian stood outside the door and knocked on Xia Nuan's door.
Xia Nuan looked through the peephole at the person coming in and opened the door with a cold face: "What are you doing here, Mr. Xu's nephew?"
Ji Mian's upright posture stiffened for a moment, and his whole body was shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere. He smiled bitterly.
"Ah Nuan, I really didn't mean to hide this from you. My uncle invested in this movie and hid it from me at first. I only found out a few days ago when I was revising the script that the entertainment company that invested in this movie is actually owned by my uncle."
Ji Mian pursed his lips, his thin lips pressed tightly together, the corners of his lips slightly pressed down, revealing a trace of guilt that was difficult to conceal. His slender fingers unconsciously stroked his sleeves: "I didn't want you to think that I got the leading role of this movie through connections, so I didn't tell you right away."
"Although the facts prove that I did rely on connections to get to my position." Ji Mian laughed lightly and said, "I'm sorry, A Nuan, I shouldn't have kept it from you."
Xia Nuan's expression gradually warmed up, but there was still a hint of annoyance between her brows: "I will accept your explanation for now."
Xu Rongshu is Ji Mian's uncle. His wife died a few years ago and they still have no children. Ji Mian's parents died when he was ten years old. It can be said that Xu Rongshu has been taking care of Ji Mian until now. He even wrote Ji Mian's name as the heir in his will.
The five-star hotel closest to the crew.
The waiter led Xia Nuan into the private room. Ji Mian opened the door and stepped aside to let Xia Nuan go in first.
The two of them sat in the box for a while. The agreed time was 8 pm, but after 8 pm, more than ten minutes passed before Xu Rongshu finally arrived.
"Since you're here, I just wanted to talk to you alone, but I didn't expect my nephew to be so nervous. Do you think I'd eat you?"
Xia Nuan greeted Xu Rongshu coldly, then continued eating in silence without saying a word.
Xu Rongshu snorted lightly and said nothing, but just kept making sarcastic noises.
"Uncle, that's enough. This is too disrespectful to her." Ji Mian said in a deep voice with an ugly look on his face.
Xu Rongshu tutted his words twice, not caring at all that Xia Nuan was still there. He said directly, "I didn't even agree to you. Can't you see that I've been keeping you hanging?"
Xia Nuan narrowed her eyes expressionlessly. Wang Yida was right. This old man was indeed a scoundrel.
Xu Rongshu looked at Xia Nuan and shook his head. "There are so many good-looking and acting girls in the entertainment industry. I don't know what you like about her. I heard that Le Zhiqi from Langfeng is quite fond of you. At least her family is well-off. Instead of being with this Xia Nuan, you might as well—"
Ji Mian, who had his eyes lowered, suddenly raised them, his slender fingers tightly clasping the teacup, his knuckles turning white from the force, and the veins on the back of his hand faintly visible.
Xu Rongshu's words became more and more harsh, and Ji Mian's brows became deeper and deeper. The coldness in his eyes gradually solidified, and the corners of his lips were pursed into a sharp line.
Finally, he could no longer bear it and stood up suddenly. The chair moved backward with his movement, making a harsh sound on the floor.
Xu Rongshu paused and looked up at Ji Mian in surprise.
Ji Mian's chest heaved violently, his brows filled with coldness, his eyes like cold blades, shooting straight at Xu Rongshu. "Enough!"
Every word seemed to be squeezed out from between teeth, carrying long-suppressed resentment. "I know what kind of person she is better than anyone else. Please, stop."
Ji Mian's voice was low but filled with unquestionable anger. As the last word fell, the air seemed to freeze.
After hearing this, Xu Rongshu paused for a moment, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and then turned into deep complexity.
He slowly put down the teacup in his hand, and the porcelain hit the table, making a crisp sound that was particularly harsh in the silent box.
Xu Rongshu chuckled softly, the corners of his lips curling up slightly, but there was no trace of laughter in his eyes. Instead, there was a sharp scrutiny: "You've grown up, become independent, and dare to talk to me like this?"
"You are really out of your league to contradict your elders for a stranger." His tone was neither hurried nor slow, but every word was like a hammer, hitting people's hearts.
"Mr. Xu, have you said enough?" Xia Nuan spoke suddenly, interrupting Xu Rongshu who was talking nonstop.
Xu Rongshu didn't give Xia Nuan any face: "The elders are talking, why are you making noise? Do you know the rules?"
"Rules are for polite people," Xia Nuan twitched the corners of her mouth, a hint of sarcasm appearing on the corners. She stared directly at Xu Rongshu without avoiding him, her voice cold and sharp: "It's just that you don't seem to have any."
After she finished speaking, she picked up her bag and stood up to leave. Her high heels made a crisp sound on the floor without any hesitation.
The door of the box was slammed shut, and the atmosphere suddenly became stagnant.
Ji Mian stood there for a moment, stunned. Then he reacted, a trace of panic flashed across his face. He hurriedly stood up, nodded slightly to the elder, and said in a low voice: "Uncle, I'm leaving first."
Before he could finish his words, the man had already chased out.
The door of the box closed again, and Xu Rongshu was the only one left in the huge space.
He sat quietly for a moment, the tea in his hand already cold.
Xu Rongshu looked at the closed door and suddenly chuckled. He shook his head, a look of helplessness and relief in his eyes: "Ah, it's really hard to be a villain. It seems that my acting skills are not bad, haha."
He murmured to himself, his tone somewhat self-deprecating, yet also faintly revealing a hint of amusement.
"However, that girl is of genuine nature, she dares to speak and act, and she is a good child." He picked up the teacup and took a sip. As the aroma of tea lingered, the smile on his face deepened.
Ji Mian caught up with her, reached out and gently grabbed Xia Nuan's wrist, and said in a low, hoarse voice, "I'm sorry, Nuan, I didn't handle what happened just now."
She paused, but did not look back. She just coldly shook off his hand and continued walking forward.
Ji Mian followed closely beside her, his brows furrowed, his eyes filled with regret and helplessness: "I know that uncle's words made you uncomfortable. I apologize to you on his behalf. Please don't be angry, okay?"
Xia Nuan still kept walking, her lips were pressed into a straight line, her long eyelashes cast a shadow under her eyes, and she looked straight ahead, as if she didn't hear what he said at all.
Ji Mian followed her back closely, his eyes full of heartache and regret.
The parking lot was dimly lit, making his handsome profile look even more angular. The corners of his tightly pursed lips slightly lowered, revealing a sadness that was difficult to conceal.
Ji Mian took a step forward and followed her closely, his slender figure looking particularly lonely under the light.
His fingers clenched unconsciously, his knuckles turning white, and his eyes remained on her, as if he was afraid that she would disappear in the next second.
Only when they reached the front of the car did Xia Nuan suddenly stop and turn to look at Ji Mian. However, she didn't smile at all, and even revealed a bit of annoyance: "Ji Mian, you don't need to apologize. That was Xu Rongshu's fault, and it has nothing to do with you."
Xia Nuan's tone was calm, yet it carried an undeniable sense of distance: "However, I'm still angry, so don't talk to me for the time being."
After saying that, Xia Nuan turned around and got into the car, signaling Wang Yida to drive.
Ji Mian stood there blankly, looking in her direction, without moving for a long time.
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